Maud and Aurie rarely washed the clothes and linens in the river. Usually the water barrels would be full enough to do it, but Vigora and Draka used theirs for drinking and Aurie insisted they do it at the river. Maud had made sure she gave an overexaggerated wink when she made the suggestion, which only made her mother redden and point to the Zorn down the road to the east instead of where the canal of the same name flowed on through the forest, where Draka was bathing. Maud snapped her fingers, just as overexaggerated, in disappointment. Aurie’s glare only faded when they arrived at the river with their baskets.

  Balor and Alden were watching the soldiers and Gerard intently, staring with the same expressions of gaping fascination at the particulars of wiping with an oiled cloth, when they left. Maud never suspected that it was so important for them to move the cloths in certain motions, certain directions, on the armor plates and the blades. Nor that it took so much to maintain such things. The most she had ever seen of her father and brother maintaining their tools, was making sure the wood handles of the plow hadn’t cracked during the winter.

  Maud had found a rock for them to sit at on the edge of the river. She hiked up her dress and sat, dipping her feet in the slow trickle of the clear water. Aurie did the same and sat beside her.

  Yet again, Maud found that doing this sort of chore for Draka was proving harder than she expected. Blood did not come out of silk almost at all, which made for darker red splotches around the tiny fraying holes through the back and it left browning stains on everything else he wore. She was determined to make them perfect and scrubbed harder at them. Aurie was doing the same with his slashed cotton shirt.

  Maud’s fingers were getting raw. She leaned back and dunked the quilted coat in the water. “I miss scrubbing dirt and picking out seeds.” She eyed her mother, who held up the shirt to the sun and turned it over to scrub at another area. “So, Gerard is the shoemaker.”

  “I don’t want to talk about it,” Aurie said quickly. “Let’s talk about something else.”

  “Sor-ry,” Maud shook her head with wide eyes as she lifted the quilted coat out to soap that brown spot again. “For how long they’ve known each other, you’d think Draka would’ve worn socks more often. You think he made Draka’s boots for him?”

  Aurie slapped the shirt on her lap. “Ugh, fine, what do you want to know?”

  Maud shrugged, paying her full attention to the scrubbing, “Nothing. Just, he must have been ancient when you met him. That’s all.” She shot her Ma a wink, “Did you see him with his shirt off? Was it already saggy and gray? It was the belly that got you, wasn’t it?”

  Aurie slapped her with the wet shirt, splashes spraying across her face and hair, the top and short sleeve on her right side now soaking. They both laughed.

  “You going to talk to Draka about marrying you now? Is that why you were pining over him when he was sleeping?”

  Maud shrugged with a hum. She was still giggling from their laugh and the smile wouldn’t fade.

  “Well, are you? It looks to me like you’ve made your decision finally. He must have been very impressive, out there slaying half naked women that will likely make Alden shake the house for years to come.”

  “He didn’t blink the entire time and I don’t think he was watching Draka,” Maud giggled louder. “Yes, Ma, he was impressive. He’s the Almighty’s weapon. He healed us. Healed you and Pa from death. And I don’t think he’ll marry me anyway.”

  Aurie looked to have been struck by lightning. “The Almighty now, Miss Cathol? What do you mean you don’t think he’ll marry you? He cares for you, even Gerard admitted it.” Then, “Oh, you heard about his wife.”

  “I heard all of it,” Maud dunked the coat again and held it there as she looked to her mother. “How can I compete with that? And I’m pretty sure that Lillith came for me, not Draka. It was terrifying, Ma. I have no idea how to explain how scared I was. And what she said…I’m going to talk to Gerard about the others who have tried to win him, but I’m not sure I want to fight so hard for it.”

  “Why not? You said just yesterday that you feel safe around him, want to have him close. We talked about this.” Aurie sighed loudly, “I really wish you would make up your plowing mind at some point and focus on that. He will be on that Ribbon Poll come harvest and be married if we don’t try our hardest.”

  “That’s just it,” Maud began scrubbing again. That stain wasn’t even fading anymore. She wanted to shred it out of frustration. “We’re already around him. We slept in his house.”

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

  “That’s not permanent.”

  “What if it was? He could have the soldiers make his house bigger so we have our own rooms, I wouldn’t have to walk up the road every day to bring him his meals, and I won’t have to marry him—or rather, force him to marry me. Fear gone. And, don’t forget,” she held up her hand so that her steadiness was obvious, “I can hold the stupid ribbon now and I still have my dowry. So, that’s solved, too. I’m going to start practicing and, if all else fails, I’ll win it for him, or maybe someone else.”

  “Your father will never agree to it.” Aurie thought for a moment. “Well, I don’t think he would. Maybe he would. But then, if he does end up on the ribbon pole and you lose, we’ll be right back to being at the house and, like me and the shoe—Gerard, you will be forbidden from him by whoever becomes his wife.”

  Maud leaned backwards until she was across the rock, looking up at the cloudy sky. “I know.” She let out a long exhaustive breath.

  “I know you don’t love him yet, but I think we really have a chance at convincing him, otherwise what you want just isn’t possible forever. Another woman will not like you being around him. And he must be on the Ribbon Pole come harvest, it’s tradition.”

  “I don’t think he will, even if it is tradition. Twenty years and no one has taken the place of his wife? Why would that change now? That’s true love. Not what we have.”

  Aurie leaned over her with a raised brow. “Oh, you do love him, now, do you?”

  “Yes,” Maud shrugged at her. “I do love him. I absolutely and completely love him.”

  “So, fight for his heart, girl. Stop going back and forth.”

  Maud huffed. “It isn’t that kind of love.”

  “What kind of love is it then? The kind you had for Dalfur?”

  “The kind I have for…never mind. I know I have to marry him to keep him near, but I still want to see if there’s another way. But if marrying him is the only way to make him a permanent part of my life, then I will do that willingly and happily. I just think that he won’t stop loving his wife for me. And, like I said, I love him but not the sort where thinking of having children doesn’t make me want to think of absolutely anything else. Does that make sense?”

  “No. It’s one or none, Maud. If you love him, then I think that there’s only one question left. How.”

  “Ugh,” Maud rolled her eyes. “You don’t understand.”

  “I know you’re becoming a Cathol for him. He’s bound to see how much you are doing for him.”

  Maud lifted to her elbows and regarded Aurie with a thoughtful gaze, “The Cathol God is the reason you’re alive. That’s why I’m becoming a Cathol. And I’m not a fool child, mother. I know he won’t marry a pagan. But no one is batting an eye at us living at his house for now. We can be a family without him being my husband and I’m beginning to think that is more feasible than trying to get him to love me more than the woman he’s mourned for my entire lifetime.”

  “I know,” Aurie held up the shirt again. No stains. How does she do that? She tossed the shirt into the basket and snatched the quilted coat from Maud’s lap to begin on it. “You might be right, but will you at least try while I work on your father? It’s not like convincing your father to live under someone else's roof will be any easier.”

  “Of course,” Maud sat up as if it never had to be stated. “You know,” she grabbed one of the linens, “I’m pretty certain he doesn’t wear his trousers when he’s cleansing himself. Just think, if I were more like Senna…”

  “Hush,” a grin grew on Aurie’s red face. “It’s because it’s closer and not uphill with wet clothes, not because of that.”

  “I believe you,” Maud winked at her. Then, with a look over her shoulder, “Weren’t there supposed to be soldiers with us?”

  “I don’t remember. Maybe we’re safe during the day?”

  Maud’s heart quickened. She stood and put a hand on her brow to look up the road to the top of the hill between them and Draka’s house. “I don’t think so. They were supposed to follow us. I remember.”

  “Well, you’re fast. Just run back and let them know we don’t have our escorts. I’ll be here.”

  “Alone?”

  “Hurry back. I’m sure I’ll be fine for a few minutes.”

  Maud felt uneasy about it. But something within her agreed anyway. She nodded, “I’ll be back.”

  “I’ll be here.”