Page 10 of The Princess and The Warrior

Lani held out a light pink dress that was relatively plain. “This will bring out your skin tone once you get a little more sun, your highness.”

Faresha whispered, “Forgive my asking, your highness, but does your husband not call you by your name?”

I laughed lightly as the three of us pulled the dress over my head. “I think it’s going to take more than twelve hours for him to become accustomed to the royal life. He’s still adapting.”

We were both dressed and seated at the large table by the window when our breakfast arrived. From the approving stare I received, he definitely liked this dress. I’d have to bother him with my clothing decisions each morning just so that I could tease him.

The ladies disappeared and were replaced by Phyllis, my personal chef. “I heard that you’ll be leaving us, your highness,” she said sadly as she placed various covered dishes on the table as well as a pitcher of water.. “Don’t worry, I’ve sent word ahead to the one tavern in Seaside, with a list of all of your favorite dishes.”

“Thank you very much, Phyllis,” I said warmly as she finished serving our food.

She looked around and found the bottle of herbs on a bench by the bed, before filling it with hot water. She shot Trax a look as she set it beside him. “The healer said to remind you, Sir.”

Trax rolled his eyes, but nodded. “Yes, thank you.”

“Congratulations,” she said, quickly leaving so that we could be alone.

Trax raised an eyebrow to me. “So you’re to be pampered everywhere we go?”

“We both will be,” I said, realizing that it might sound awkward to him.

“Do they expect your ladies to come with you?”

“I don’t know. I would assume so. It’s what’s proper.”

Trax offered me his hand across the table, and I took it gratefully. His warm skin against mine was reassuring. “What if we tried living on our own?” he asked gently. “Even if we ended up ruining a few dinners, or you wore the wrong color on a Tuesday, or there was some other grand catastrophe?”

The boisterousness of my sudden laugh shocked me. It was completely improper, yet Trax looked positively delighted.

Perhaps he wanted me to be less formal, and more of a normal lady. How did he know that those were things I’d dreamed of all my life, but never thought I’d get the chance to experience? If we were moving away to be somewhere alone, I’d actually get an opportunity to see the world as a commoner. Living in a small town, nobody would be offended if we didn’t strictly adhere to the endless royal guidelines. The locals might not even be aware of all the rules.

I had to admit, that particular thought lit me up from the inside almost as much as the thought of living in a home with just the two of us together.

Being alone with Trax might allow

him to relax, and realize that I’m just a girl who wants to be held. Especially now that I had an official husband, who made me feel...all sorts of tingling, sweet things that were brand new.

8

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Trax

As a farmer, I had been accustomed to watching the sun’s angle and the habits of the animals. As a soldier, my time was determined by my commanding officers. I was always instructed when to sleep, when to work, what to do.

Now, being surrounded by a flurry of servants who wanted to do everything for me, I had no idea how to behave. I was completely unaccustomed to the constant barrage of information.

Apparently, royal staff had already been to my tiny home, cleaning and organizing, and packing everything I would need for the next few months. A workman assured me that the exterior of our new house in Seaside had been repainted early this morning and would be dry by the time we arrived at supper.

They had also prepared an entirely new wardrobe, apologizing that my two new pairs of boots would not arrive for another week. For a man who had never had more than one pair of boots in his life, this was uncomfortably luxurious.

This flurry of activity was nearly making me dizzy.

Althea seemed to take everything in stride, quickly meeting with her ladies to prepare her dresses, books, and little comforts like her favorite teapot and some specialty herbal tea blends she had mixed herself.

As I was being dragged through the castle gallery to select which artworks should travel with us, I breathed a loud sigh of relief when Althea appeared. She came to stand beside me, and I instinctively wrapped an arm around her, whispering, “Is this alright?”

“Absolutely,” she smiled up at me.

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