“What room is it for?” the male asked, looking at Rain, not Lily.
“The entryway,” Rain answered. “So Lady Lilliana can put on her boots without falling over.”
“You tease too much,” she accused, looking up at him. “And I don’t know if this will work. Um…”
“It’s fine,” Rain said softly.
“It’s going in his entryway, though,” she said in a tiny voice. “And it’s not very…fancy.”
“He’s not a fancy male. He likes things that do their job,” Rain said quickly. “It’s sturdy, well-cut, and not ugly. Could you put a dark stain on it?” He asked the last question of the carpenter. “I know staining is a bit difficult.”
“I can!” The young male smiled. “Whose home is this going to? Once it’s complete, I can send it over.”
Rain raised an eyebrow. “Let’s take three guesses,” he said patiently, trying not to laugh.
“Well, it could be for your father, who is the husband of Champion Mave Lorren. It could go to any of the Company, really, or it could be for your home with King Alchan,” the carpenter smartly retorted, his smile growing. “I would hate to make any of them upset by sending them a bench they didn’t ask for.”
“Good point,” Rain said with a laugh. “You’ve got me. It’s going to my husband.” Rain loved the way those words rolled off his tongue. He’d never thought he would settle into married life. Maybe it was because they acted like a married couple before it was ever public, but now Rain took every opportunity to claim it. Not for personal gain, but because he loved Alchan, and he wanted everyone to remember that. “Now, what do you want for this bench? And don’t say it’s a gift to the king. He doesn’t know we’re getting it.”
“Then a gift to you and Lady Lilliana for honoring me by using something I sweated over to create,” the young male said, bowing.
“No,” Rain replied sternly. “That doesn’t work for me. It’s a kind gesture, but you worked hard, and supplies aren’t easy to find. You’ve even agreed to stain it. Is there anything you need?”
Lily stood back up, wrapping her arm through his. Her gaze flicked between him and the young carpenter.
“Well…” He sighed, shrugging. “From you? I don’t know what to ask for.”
“I can make gloves for you,” Lily piped up. Rain’s eyes went wide as he looked at her. She bit her lip as her face flushed. “His hands, look.”
Rain caught a glimpse before the young male could hide them, and they had seemed beaten up.
“You don’t have gloves to work in?” Rain asked, frowning. “Show me.”
The young male groaned and revealed his hands again. A network of small scars covered them, and he had more than a few splinters still in the skin from his work. There were even splotches of the stain used on wood on his skin. “They get stolen, and it’s not—”
“Lily, your suggestion is perfect. You’ll make him working gloves in return for this bench you wanted.” Rain nodded, pleased.
He often teased Alchan for having a king face, a persona he put on when he needed to do something official. Rain had one as well, a way he acted when he needed to be the consort. It was something that had begun when he was Alchan’s nemari, a young warrior in training under a specific person. He had the responsibility of making sure his king’s people were cared for, supporting the overall goal of making sure everyone had what they needed.
This morning, he felt like he did that.
“When you come by with the bench, I’ll take your measurements,” Lily said sweetly.
After a quick conversation about the timeline and when they could expect the bench, Rain gave the standard platitudes to leave, taking Lily with him.
“That went well. Is there anything else you would like?” He knew she had very little when it came to worldly goods, probably because she lived off hand-me-downs from the temple, using whatever resources they didn’t need to make her own clothing. She didn’t own any weapons for her own protection, and she had very little when it came to jewelry. Not many Andinna had jewels anymore. Most of that wealth was held by the Andinna who struggled to remain free after the War ended. Mave was no longer the odd one in the village, refusing to wear it. Hundreds of freed slaves were trying to find their place and their own sources of wealth, which came before buying jewels that