Page 79 of The Lost Art of Seducing a Mage Warrior

Perian burst into laughter, which made both horses look at him, but they subsided when they saw it was just him being ridiculous. He could not help but laugh and laugh. He had absolutely nothing to say about that, nothing at all. Brannal’s lips had tipped up, but he didn’t say anything either about just how fitting that name was for that particular Mage Warrior.

“Would you like to sit?” Brannal gestured at a shaded spot under a tree.

Nodding, Perian added, “Though I don’t much fancy running after Prince Horsey if he decides he’s going to bolt.”

Brannal shook his head. “I’ll corral him if needed. But he likes you. I think he’d do it to anyone else, but I don’t think he’d do it to you.”

Perian hoped Brannal was right, but he’d momentarily forgotten that the other man could throw up a shield or create a wind or whatever was needed to stop a horse.

Reassured, he sat down under the tree.

“Thanks for this. It was a great idea.”

“I’m glad,” Brannal said, admitting, “It struck me how long it had been since you’d last been outside.”

Perian smiled softly. “Yes, exactly that. The quadrangle helps tremendously. But I’m typically out a lot more frequently when I’m home.”

“Do you miss it?”

“Absolutely,” Perian admitted.

Brannal nodded, expression a little wistful.

“Except for the parts that I don’t miss at all,” Perian added.

This made Brannal laugh.

Perian smiled at him, shrugging. “Like anything, I suppose, there are good parts and less good parts. I mean, I grew up there, it’s where I have all my memories of my father. It was mostly just the two of us, but there was always something to do.”

He told Brannal about the swimming, riding, reading, and so much more.

“It was all the childhood that I knew, of course. I had other ideas from books, but it seemed like my life was exactly what it was supposed to be, you know? It didn’t occur to me to want anything else until much later. I could wish I’d had more people my own age, but had that been the case, I might not have had such a close relationship with my father. I don’t remember ever being unhappy as a child.”

He was so very grateful for all the time they’d had together, before it had been cut short.

Brannal was nodding, and after a moment, he said carefully, “Would it be rude to ask about your mother?”

Perian shook his head. “Oh, no. She died when I was a baby, so I don’t remember anything about her.” He thought for a moment. “I miss theideaof her, and I’m sad she died, of course, but it doesn’t feel like she was ever a part of my life. It was much harder on my father. He was a merchant, you see, and he decided to retire and move out to the country with my mother so that we could all live together. Only then she died, and it was just the two of us. He always said it was exactly like he wished it to be, but I can’t help thinking that wasn’t entirely true.”

“I’m sure he loved spending time with you,” Brannal said gently.

His expression was very earnest, and Perian couldn’t help but be touched.

“He always said he did,” he agreed, smiling at the memory. It was bittersweet. “But I feel sometimes like I was preventing him from maybe meeting someone else, you know?”

Brannal’s expression was soft. “He didn’t have visitors?”

Perian shook his head. “Not really. It was truly mostly just the two of us. Given how many people are here in the castle to ensure it stays running, that must seem like a very weird arrangement, but we were the only two who lived there all the time.” Perian squinched up his eyes and thought. “Actually, I might have had a nanny or nursemaid when I was very little; I have some vague memories. By the time I have consistent memories, it was just me and my father. We had a housekeeper, steward and cook, cleaners and gardeners, stable hands, tutors when I was younger, but none of them lived in. They all had their own homes, some of them leased from my father, some of them owned.”

“So, he was a successful merchant?”

Perian nodded. “Yes, he did very well.”

“Did he want you to follow in his footsteps?” Brannal asked curiously.

Perian shook his head, then amended, “I mean, he would have been happy if that’s what I wanted to do, I’m sure, but he always said the most important thing was family. He valued the time we spent together, and he didn’t want to push me off into the world. I’m so grateful, now, for all the time we had together. Neither of us expected him to be gone by the time I was eighteen.”

“Oh, Perian,” Brannal said gently, “I’m so sorry.”

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