Dark Born

10

The Day After

It was afternoon and the sun was at its highest. Elsa sat beneath the shade of an old tree as she watched the newly admitted cadets of the Knight Academy run through the sword drills she had just taught them. The way their blades moved revealed their temperaments, some confident and boastful, others clever and cautious. Still,each one of them moved with focus today, knowing she was present. It was not a common occurrence.

Typically, Gold-Rank knights only became involved in training after the cadets had graduated and earned their knighthoods, because it was only after that milestone that they were assigned to one of the twenty-one districts. There, the cadets, now recruits, underwent two years of supplementary training--in addition to the three spent at the academy--under the supervision of their Gold-Rank Commanders before they could then be considered full-fledged knights. It was a grueling five year journey that all knights must endure.

Elsa had endured it too, and she knew how many of her peers never made it through, sometimes by flunking out, other times through injuries. That was why she occasionally came to the academy, offering what guidance and encouragement she could.

But perhaps coming today had been a mistake...

She'd barely slept last night. That itself wasn't a concern as she could function well enough without it. No, what troubled her was the reason she'd stayed awake. Not the men she'd eliminated, not the evil that seemed to crawl beneath the kingdom with roots in every corner, not even the danger she was sure followed her for daring to look into it.

No, it was because of Adam. A boy. She'd lost sleep over him, like some love-struck teenage girl. The mere thought still embarrassed her and she'd tried several times to erase it from her mind, but to no avail. There was no sheltering from the truth.

He was the cause of her sleepless night...

After what happened at the warehouse, she'd tossed and turned all night in her bed, wondering about his sudden change of attitude toward her, if she'd somehow frightened him or done something to offend him. They hadn't known each other very long, but she'd gotten a sense of his character. He was aloof, always thinking, for every word he said, there were twenty he didn't say. But last night was different. He had closed off completely.

Perhaps what happened in the warehouse affected him more than she realized. He'd said that kind of violence wasn't normal where he came from, and that he'd never taken a life before. Hearing that had surprised her; she'd assumed he was merciless after what he did to those three men in the alley. But maybe her assumption about him was wrong, maybe he was silently struggling with all he'd done. If that was the case, then she'd given him the worst possible advice, she'd essentially told him "to get over it, he'd be fine,"

No wonder he'd grown cold to her. To say that, immediately after the carnage she'd unleashed, was a mistake. He probably thought she was some bloodthirsty monster, and usually other people's thought about her didn't matter... but his did.

The next question was why. Part of her already knew the answer; it had hit her the moment she felt that sharp pang of jealousy when he mentioned the woman he was trying to help. She was deeply attracted to him. The larger, more sensible part of her mind wanted to deny it, chalk it up to a passing fascination. But it wasn't.

She was attracted to Adam in such a strong way that it even surprised her. The other times she'd felt attraction to someone had passed quickly; they hadn't caused jealousy, let alone kept her awake. It was clear that there were developing feelings behind her attraction, and that made no sense. She'd known him less than a week, and he was at least seven years younger than her. In another reality, he might be one of the cadets she was watching. But that didn't change anything, not her attraction to him... nor her budding feelings.

Maybe it was the way he spoke to her, treating her like an equal rather than someone to impress or obey. Or maybe it was something else, Elsa didn't know. But she wasn't one to easily let anyone in, yet somehow, he was finding a way into her heart.

What would her father think if he saw her like this...

Elsa shook her head and tried to drive the thoughts from her mind. She was a twenty-five-year-old woman, a Gold-Rank knight, by the Divine! She shouldn't be going to pieces like this over a boy she barely even knew. She was done thinking about this.

She looked back to the training field and saw the cadets falling into pairs under the direction of an old man, Denvass Crawley, the sternest instructor at the academy. Elsa still remembered how intense his trainings were and a smile pulled at her lips. Then, she turned her gaze and watched as two boys began to circle each other with their blades held far too rigidly, telegraphing every single intention with a stiffness that made her wince.

All of them in fact, even the most confident and clever, had a fault. Whether it was their uneven footwork, their fragile balance, or their tight grips, a single well-placed strike from a real opponent would have disarmed them. But there was no need for her to point that out to them, Ser Denvass would, just more harshly than she might have.

The cadets would have to endure it just as she once had, though even Ser Denvass's harshness was nothing compared to her adopted father's, the man who had saved her in the attack that killed her parents, and who had raised her and taught her everything she knew.

"I thought I might find you here, Commander," a voice said.

Elsa glanced to her side and she saw Elliot making his way toward her. He was her oldest companion, they'd fought side by side countless times, and yet she still did not trust him, not as much as she should. The same was true for Adam. Despite the feelings growing in her, she didn't fully trust him either. There was only one person in the entire world who had earned her complete and unwavering trust, and that was her adopted father.

"Elliot," she said calmly. "Did something happen?"

He stepped up to the tree and leaned against it beside her. "No, it's been quiet, which is strange considering what we suspect about the King's Hand, and he must know by now that we suspect him. After last night, I expected there would be more... fighting."

Elsa smiled. "He has time," she said and returned her gaze to the training field. "He knows we can't act against him without proof, and if we try, it'll just give him an excuse to charge us with conspiracy against the Crown, then we'll face a rigged trial. But I'm sure there will be fighting soon, he'll move to silence us before we uncover any proof."

"Proof, huh, I wonder what Arryn found that cost him his life."

"Whatever it was, it's probably long gone by now."

Elliot nodded. "Probably, if they'd been sloppy, their operation wouldn't have gone so long unnoticed." He let out a long sigh. "For now, I guess we just have to keep watching our backs, even against other knights. How are you so calm to even be here today?"

"You already know the answer to that, Elliot," she replied.

He huffed out a breath. "Of course, you never trusted anyone in the Knight Order to begin with," he said. "I've told you before, but that's a sad way to live."

"You're saying that even this situation?" Elsa lifted a brow.

"Just because you were right about it this time, doesn't mean I'm wrong."

Elsa didn't respond. They'd had this argument several times, and there was nothing to be gained from it. She knew it bothered him that she didn't trust him even after all they'd been through, but that was a mark of her character, not a reflection of his trustworthiness.

"By the way, I had my men stop watching the inn as you ordered."

She nodded as she remembered the order she'd given. "Good."

"I understand it's your decision, Commander," Elliot said and glanced at her with a searching gaze. "But are you sure we should leave the boy without surveillance?"

"Do you think he poses any threat to the kingdom?" Elsa asked.

Elliot shook his head. "No. I admit, last night I even thought he might be an ally as he was caught in the same situation as us, maybe even worse. But we still don't know why he was in the forest that day, how he survived, or what that strange smell was, or if he had anything to do with it. There are too many unknowns surrounding him."

Elsa didn't disagree with her vice commander, and she hadn't pulled the men from watching Adam out of the kindness of her heart, or because he'd called her out for watching him. There was a real reason for it. She might have admitted to herself that she had feelings for him, but she still intended to do her duty as knight Commander... well, as best as she could with him involved, since he always managed to muddle her judgment.

"I agree with you, Elliot," Elsa said calmly and met his gaze. "There are too many unknowns around him, but I don't think we'll learn what they are by having him constantly watched. If anything, it does the opposite, it makes him more guarded and sees us as threats, instead of the people who'd saved him. I believe the only way we'll learn anything is if he tells us, and for that to happen he has to see us as friends, people trying to help him."

"I see, but what if we need to protect him? It might have begun as surveillance, but his safety is a real concern now," Elliot said thoughtfully. "The inn as well, the old woman and the girl might be in danger if the people we're after suspect they know anything."

"Do you trust the men that were watching the inn?"

"A few days ago, I would've said yes unequivocally. I personally selected them for the assignment," he said. "Now, I think it's wiser not to give an answer."

Elsa smiled. "Careful now, Elliot, you may just become like me in the future," she said jokingly. "Anyway, I'd rather keep knights away from the inn for now. I don't expect trouble there, they'll want to get rid of me first. But I'd rather just keep them away."

"How do you know they'll want to get rid of you first?" Elliot asked.

Elsa knew the King's Hand kept tabs on her. He surely knew that she spent most of her spare time at the inn, and that Yara and Katryn were the two people closest to her. The man also had a deep understanding of her personality, and he was intelligent.

He knew that if he harmed them, she would come for revenge, without any care for consequence. This search for proof would be over. She would torture him for a confession, kill him, then hunt down everyone who helped him and kill them too, as well as those who protected them. And once that was done, she would turn herself in and face punishment.

"I just know," she whispered in a quiet, cold voice.

"Alright... what about the boy? He survived the forest, but this is different."

"I have a feeling he'll be fine."

***

"Hey, you're finally up," Katryn said with a warm smile.

Adam had just walked into the inn and he flashed a half smile as he settled down on a stool in front of the counter. He greeted the old woman first, and she responded with her usual grunt, not even looking up as she snapped the stems off a handful of dried herbs, at least she wasn't wiping that damn mug today. Then he faced Katryn for the first time today, the first time since last night. "Hey," he said calmly. "Did I miss anything?"

Katryn planted her elbows on the counter and leaned toward him. "Well, you missed breakfast, so you'd have to wait for lunch. Did something keep you up last night?"

Adam's jaw tightened immediately, but he kept his expression neutral. He knew she had a mischievous streak, but to do this when her mother was here took a certain amount of crazy. She didn't know whether he might freeze at the question, or start to stutter and make her mother suspicious. She was taking a risk, but the smile on her face told him she didn't care at all, she might even like to see him react that way.

"Just had trouble sleeping," he answered coolly.

"I'm sure," she replied and he saw her brown eyes twinkle with delight as her smile stretched a little wider. "It must be uncomfortable sleeping in that stable."

It was almost the same expression she'd had on her face throughout last night, that same smile, those same lips that had been wrapped tight around his rigid cock.

"Kat, get the boy some linens he could use, some blankets too," the old woman said without looking up still. "Would rather he not freeze to death at my inn."

"Yes, Mother," Katryn replied and her gaze drifted from her mother back to him, a sharp, hungry smile entering her lips as she gave a subtle, pregnant wink. "I'm sure that'll make things more comfortable next time." Her voice hung low at the end.

Next time? She wanted there to be a next time. Adam wasn't sure how he felt about that. Sure, the sex last night had been great, more than great even, but it didn't mean he'd suddenly forgotten all the risks he'd overlooked. There were too many problems that could arise if they continued to fool around, and she didn't seem to recognize that, or maybe she did, he couldn't be sure with her. They needed to have a talk. She was the reason he hadn't shown up for breakfast despite being awake. He wasn't sure how she'd react to what they'd done, whether she would regret it, or want it to become something more. He wished they could have talked about it this morning, but she was gone when he woke up.

"Yeah, that'll help a lot. Thank you," Adam said.

The woman grunted simply, then she shuffled away from the counter. "I'll see about starting lunch. I'll have some work for you later," she said before going into the back.

Katryn watched her mother leave, then reached into her apron pocket and brought out a piece of bread wrapped in a cloth. "Here, I saved this for you," she said with a warmth that replaced her earlier teasing. "It's not much, but I figured it's better than nothing,"

"Thanks," Adam said and accepted it. "Hey, about last night. We--"

"You don't think it should happen again," she said quickly before he could finish.

Adam gave a surprised look. "How do you know?"

"You're not so hard to read, Adam," she said with a gentle smile. "When you didn't come for breakfast, I knew it was because of me. You regretted what happened, and didn't know how to be around me. That was what you spent all morning thinking, right?"

He shook his head. "I don't regret what happened at all," he said softly, not wanting to wound her. "But last night, I told you it would cause trouble. Nothing has changed."

She gave a single nod. "Yeah, you did say that," she muttered.

Adam watched her carefully. He knew some women could be vindictive if spurned, and he searched her face for signs of what she might be feeling. But there was nothing, no anger, no bitterness, no sadness; she was as she always was, pleasant and warm. If anything, the smile on her face told him that she might even be a little amused. Why? Because she had predicted him? Or was it something else? He didn't know what to make of her.

"Wait," Adam said and shook his head with confusion as a thought occurred to him. "If you thought I regretted what happened, what was all that about next time?"

She chuckled lightly. "I was teasing. I just wanted to see the look on your face," she said with her smile stretching. "It's fine if you don't want anything more to happen between us, but I do have a question, and you have to answer honestly."

"What's the question?" he asked seriously.

Katryn hesitated for a moment, a real hesitation, the first time he'd actually seen her unsure about anything. Then she drew a deep breath. "Do you like me, Adam?"

Adam's first instinct was to brush the question aside, but seeing the seriousness in her expression told him he shouldn't. He didn't know her reason for asking, but whatever reason it was didn't matter right now. He had to give an answer. She deserved one.

He took a breath and considered for a moment. She was a nice person, sweet as well, and she always seemed ready to help. Her penchant for mischief could get irritating in the future, but it was nothing serious right now. She was, in every way that mattered, a decent person. Still, there was something about her he couldn't name, something carefully tucked behind her smiles. It wasn't malicious--at least he didn't think so--but it made him wary.

Finally, he let out a quiet breath. "I do," he said. That was true enough.

Katryn's brows lifted, less in surprise and more in genuine interest. Her lips curved into a small, warm smile. "Thank you for being honest, Adam," she said slowly. "It would have stung a little to know I let someone that close when it meant nothing to them."

"Are we... fine?" he asked hesitantly as he held her gaze.

Instead of replying with words, Katryn leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss to his cheek over the counter's edge. Then she pulled back a few inches, her eyes warm, and her smile teasing once more. "Yes, we're fine. It's not the first time I've had my heart broken."

Adam's eyes narrowed with concern. "Katryn, I'm--" he began.

She laughed gently and settled back behind the counter. "I'm teasing you again, by the Divine, you have to get used to it," she said. "I like you as well, Adam. I wouldn't mind getting into a little trouble. But I understand why you won't. This isn't your home."

Adam felt relief for the first time. Things were settled then, he didn't need to worry about things getting messy between them, at least he hoped not. She seemed to understand his concerns even if she didn't necessarily share them. Last night had been great, but it was still a mistake. It couldn't happen again. There was no chance her mother would be thrilled about her getting fucked in the stable, Elsa as well, who was like her older sister.

Yeah, they couldn't repeat what had happened. Not while he was still figuring things out in this world. If he was kicked out right now, he didn't even know where he would go.

"Yeah, it isn't," Adam muttered.

Just then, Katryn was called into the kitchen by her mother, leaving him alone. He let out a breath. Now that he'd talked with Katryn, he had other things to do. His eyes fell to the warm loaf still in his hand and he polished it off quickly. He was still a little hungry, but nothing he couldn't ignore. He rose from the stool and left the inn.

With the landmarks Katryn had shown him, he knew his way around the kingdom a little better. It didn't take long for him to find Lorelei's home and knock on the door.

She opened on the second knock.

"Adam!" Lorelei's face lit up instantly as relief and a sharp gleam of hope rushed into her blue eyes. "I was hoping I would hear from you soon. Come in, please."

Lorelei ushered him inside the house before he could even manage a single word of greeting. When he stepped in, surprise hit him as he saw children all over the place. Three were gathered around a low table trying to piece together a wooden puzzle. Another three chased each other around a chair as they laughed loudly. One of the children--the youngest it seemed--clung to Lorelei's skirt as she peered up at Adam with big, round eyes.

It was the first time he had seen the children, and they all seemed properly cared for despite the obvious struggle of the orphanage. There were seven of them in total, with the youngest probably around five, and the oldest at eleven. Most of the kids stopped what they were doing to stare at him with open curiosity, and it was awkward as he didn't know how to handle children. But Lorelei saved him from any interaction.

"Upstairs," she said over her shoulder as she led him away. "We can talk there."

Adam followed her up the narrow staircase to her room, then he sat in a small chair she quickly picked out from the corner and she settled across from him on her bed.