of work. They had spent all day helping the villagers rebuild, rolling up their sleeves and getting to work as soon as he had left Selese’s home. Reece was not strong enough yet to join them, and he’d spent the day sleeping and recovering in her cottage—and the tenth Legion member was recovering himself, from his crushed leg. That had left Thor, O’Connor, Elden, the twins and a few others, and they’d labored until the second sun grew long to help reinforce whatever simple defenses this village had, rebuilding walls, patching roofs, clearing rubble, putting out fires, reinforcing gates. To Thor it didn’t seem like much, but to these villagers, he could see that it meant a great deal. Thor felt a great sense of satisfaction as he saw their grateful expressions, many of them finally able to return comfortably to their homes.
The fire crackled before him, and Thor looked around, and saw all of his brothers looking equally weary. He was thrilled to have Reece back, sitting beside him, looking a little bit weak, but recovering, and in good spirits. His day of recovery had went well, and he seemed back to his old self. It had been a close call.
“But when I woke, she had already gone,” Reece repeated to Thor. “Do you think that means she doesn’t like me?”
Thor sighed. Reece had been going on about Selese ever since he had left her cottage. Thor had never seen his friend like this; he was obsessed with this girl, and would talk of nothing else.
“I can’t say,” Thor said. “She certainly didn’t seem to dislike you. She seemed more…amused by you.”
“Amused?” Reece asked, defensive. “What is that supposed to mean? That doesn’t sound positive.”
“No, I don’t mean it like that,” Thor said, trying to back track. “But you have to admit, you were delirious, and you didn’t even know her and you told her that you loved her.”
Snickers rose up from O’Connor, Elden and the twins, listening in around the fire, and Reece reddened. Thor felt bad. He hadn’t meant to embarrass his friend; he was just telling the truth as he saw it.
“Listen, my friend,” Thor said, laying a hand on his shoulder. “There is no reason to think that she does not like you. Maybe you just came on a little bit strong and now she’s not sure what to make of it. Maybe she didn’t think you were being genuine. Maybe you should return to her in the morning, and see how she reacts.”
Reece looked down at the dirt, toeing it.
“I think I ruined my chances,” he said.
“It’s never too late,” Thor said.
“Are you kidding?” Elden asked. “We’re in the middle of nowhere. What country girl wouldn’t want to be taken away from here?”
“Some people like their villages,” O’Connor said.
“This place is nice enough,” Conven said, “but it is not King’s Court. I’m sure she’d want to leave with you.”
“You sure you want to take her?” Conven asked. “That is the question. You don’t even know her.”
“I know her well enough,” Reece said. “She saved my life. She is the most beautiful girl I have ever seen.”
The other boys exchanged wary glances.
“That was just the drugs,” Elden said. “I’ll bet if you met her under some other circumstance you wouldn’t even look twice at her.”
“That’s not true,” Reece said, reddening, growing angry, determined.
The group fell silent, and Thor could see in Reece’s eyes a determination unlike he’d seen before. It surprised him. He thought he had known everything about his friend—but he had never seen this side of him. Then again, they had never really had much of a chance to be around girls, training all the time.
“Maybe she is involved with someone else,” Reece said softly him to Thor, glum. “Did she say anything else about me? After I fell asleep?”
Thor couldn’t stand it anymore.
“I’m sorry,” Thor said, trying to add a sense of finality in his voice to wrap up the conversation. “I wish I’d asked her more. But I left in a rush to help the rebuilding effort. I haven’t seen her since. Go to her in the morning. I’m sure she will answer all your questions. How can she not? After all, you are royalty. Do you really think she would turn you down?”
Reece looked at the ground, and shrugged. Thor could see the fear and hesitation in his eyes, and he realized that Reece was nervous. Thor thought back to the first time he had spoken to Gwendolyn, and he