she does the same, automatically backing away.
“Let me get something for your wound.” I stride to the door to a guard. “Bring me pure alcohol from my supplies and clean towel.” The man nods at once and marches out of the room, the second guard standing tall at his post.
“Tell me more about yourself,” I ask as I make my way back to my desk, where I grab another chair and sit to face Licia. I get the impression she isn’t someone who easily gives out information, so I’ll try a less direct option first to show her I’m not a monster.
She shrugs and swivels in her seat to face me, her hands bunched in her lap, her posture stiff, and she holds her gaze down. “I live in the village, Your Highness. I’m a really hard worker.”
She’s telling me what she thinks I want to hear, but that’s not the information I’m seeking. “Who are your parents? What do they do?”
There’s a pause as she twirls her hands over one another nervously, then licks her lips. “My father passed before I was born, and my mother died soon after I came into this world.” Her words carry strength, not pity, which tells me she’s a fighter and has been this way her entire life. I’ve heard similar stories of other workers at the palace, but this little bird has me curious. She’s perhaps a few years younger than me and struggled to fit in most of her life. I see it the way she holds herself strong with a fierceness not arrogance, in her unpolished shoes, in her hair not as neat as the other maids. If what Kade tells me about her is true, she’s a lot more powerful than she’s letting on, and that fiery energy she emits will come in handy when dealing with hobgoblins.
She shifts uncomfortably in her seat when the door opens and my guard takes long strides our way. He hands me a small bottle and fresh towel.
“That’s all,” I say to him, and he returns to his post near the door.
I unscrew the lid and the stringent smell of concentrated alcohol stings my nostrils. “Lift your head so I can see the injury.”
When she tilts her chin up, those dazzling blue eyes are wide, her mouth tight.
I dabble the liquid on a patch of the fabric and raise it to the corner of her mouth where a small cut has healed over and the bruise blushes outward toward her cheek like a spiderweb.
She winces when I pat the injury but doesn’t push me away, and just stares directly at me. “Why are you being nice to me?” she murmurs. “I’ve done nothing wrong. I do my job and have never broken the rules.”
Once I finish, I place the towel on the table and screw the lid back on the bottle. “You associate a nice gesture with punishment?”
She swallows loud enough for me to hear, and those beautiful eyes open wider. “Everyone has a motive, right?”
She intrigues me the longer I spend with her, confirming she’s not going to play nice, so I’ll go for the direct approach. "Follow me.” I get up and step out onto the balcony. The breeze is icy and refreshing on my face. I stare out at the grounds below, the heavy snow, the thorny vines twisting around the lofty wall surrounding the castle.
Kade is arranging for the trees near the woods to be trimmed back from the path to avoid any more hobgoblins jumping over the venomous shrubs. I’m horrified hobgoblins got that close to the kingdom, but most likely they were scouts scouring the place for ways to get into the stronghold.
Footsteps clap the stone floor behind me, and Licia stands several feet away, looking out at the mountains and forests that sweep as far as the eye can see.
"You stole from me, I saw you last night. So you will work as my personal servant and live on the premises until your debt is paid." I look over in her direction to see her mouth has fallen open.
Then she straightens. “Your Highness, it was just one loaf of old bread. The hogs had plenty.” The blood seems to drain from her face as she watches me, waiting for me to respond. When I don’t, she says, "I'm sorry. I have no food at home. Life is hard on the minimum gold coins we are paid." Panic flares in her voice. "S-so, h-how do I pay