Page 92 of The King's Sword
Since she hadn’t consummated her marriage yet, she could get out of being his wife. However, in order to maintain peace between the kingdoms, she needed to be the queen of Lynk. It was the only way to save countless lives.
“If he hurts you, I’ll never forgive myself for letting you go back to him.”
“You’re not letting me, I’m choosing to go.”
“I just need to stop picturing you with him.” He laced his fingers through his hair.
“Trust me to fix this.”
“I am not used to trusting anyone.”
She understood that. But if he wanted any sort of relationship with her in the future, he had to learn to trust her.
* * *
That night after supper, Sabine asked Markis to escort her out behind the inn where there was a small garden. She wanted to be alone to get her thoughts in order. Standing in the middle of a pathway through the garden, she stared up at the clouds. She hadn’t seen the stars or moon in days, and she missed them.
“I’m surprised you want to be out here since it’s so cold.”
A light mist began falling, but Sabine barely noticed it. “I didn’t want to be inside.” Enclosed. Where people could eavesdrop. She needed to at least feel like she had some freedom.
“Are you ready to tell me what really happened?” he asked, his voice low.
“No.” She had other things on her mind that she needed to deal with.
“If he hurt you in any way, I need to know.”
She looked Markis directly in the eyes so he would know she told the truth. “He did not hurt me.”
He rubbed a hand over his face.
“How did you find me?” she asked. He’d come separately from Otto, so he hadn’t discovered her location that way.
“When Rainer discovered you were missing, he sent a dozen soldiers to find you. Anton said something about knowing where you were, so Rainer had him go look as well. That’s when Rainer told me if I didn’t return with you, he would skin me alive and send my body to my wife.”
That seemed rather extreme. “Why did he think you could find me?”
“He didn’t know if you’d been kidnapped, if you’d run away, or what had happened to you. He thought maybe you’d confided in me or if you had run away, I might know where you’d gone. When I told him I didn’t know either of those things, he threatened me. So I left and have been searching for you ever since.”
Guilt filled her. She hadn’t once stopped to think about how her disappearance could have affected Markis. “Did you get my letter that I sent with Anton?”
“I did not.”
She nodded, not at all surprised. “I want you to return to Bakley. Go be with your wife. Otto will smooth things over with Rainer when we get there.” She folded her arms, not liking the idea of being alone in Lynk. But she couldn’t put Markis’s life at risk like that—it wasn’t fair.
“I can’t,” Markis said. “King Rainerorderedme to return with you.”
Duty and honor were important to Markis, and she commended him for it. “Then after we return, I will request you be released. You will no longer be my guard, and you can return home.”
“Is that what you truly want?” he asked.
No. “Your place is in Bakley. With your family.”
He watched her for a long, silent minute before saying, “You’ve changed.”
“I’ve grown up.” She’d had no choice.
“I can remain with you in Lynk,” he insisted. “I don’t want to just leave you there unprotected.”
