Gwaynn smiled at that, but was still thrown off by her request. It was not like her to flaunt the rules. “Yes,” Gwaynn answered. “But I sparred a bit with Krys the other night…”
“Krys!” She interrupted, angry once more. “So you will spar with him but not with me now.”
Gwaynn took a step backward as if he was afraid she might attack him, but Vio stepped forward and poked a finger at him.
“Master Kostek would not like to hear of it. He does not want anyone to know about your training, your skills,” she argued her voice rising.
“But…” Gwaynn tried to answer, knowing anyone within fifty paces would now know about his training.
“Fine then, you just spar with Krys,” Vio stammered and spun on her heels and marched away leaving a thoroughly bewildered Gwaynn in her wake.
ǂ
Gwaynn’s encounter with Vio was still on his mind that afternoon as he, Lane and the rest of the family worked in the gardens on the eastern part of the main house. Today they were harvesting carrots, and though Gwaynn and Lane worked quietly, Shari and her girls chatted continuously, subjects seemingly changing with every row they finished. Lane stayed on the far side working with Mari, his youngest, while Shari worked with both Karin and Deirdre, and that left Gwaynn and Mille, which was just what Mille wanted. They were both on their knees digging and pulling at the buried vegetables, and Mille was always very close to Gwaynn. She accidentally brushed up against him several times before Gwaynn became aware of his surroundings. He looked up at the girl, who was near the same age as Vio, though she could not look or be any more different.
Mille was thin and fair with long, white blond hair, a trait that ran through her entire family. All the girls had long blond hair, as did their mother Shari, and even Lane, though his was cropped so short it was hard to tell if his hair was blond, or even there at all. Originally they came from the Kotas, the northern lands that eventually came under the control of the Palmerrio family. Blond hair and blue eyes was a common trait of the people of the north. Mille looked up at Gwaynn and smiled shyly and he noticed for the first time just how wonderful she looked. Indeed, all the Leek women were exceedingly attractive. He heard Deirdre snicker and looked over, both she and Karin were watching him closely and again his forehead furrowed in confusion. Deirdre batted her eyes at him until Shari elbowed her, though she was smiling also. Gwaynn looked back at Mille, who was blushing and he wondered just what was going on.
Mille looked as if she was about to say something but instead turned her face down and began working on the carrots once more. Gwaynn studied her profile, her long hair was pulled back and out of her face, he noticed the soft blond hairs that grew at the nape of her neck, then thought again of Vio.
Mille’s features were in sharp contrast with Vio’s, who was dark. Her ink black hair was cropped short just below her ears. She had tanned skin and large dark eyes. And where Vio was very fit, athletic and tough, Mille, even with her short life of hard work and service, was all softness, like new grass in springtime. Mille continued to work, but she was aware that Gwaynn was looking at her and kept her face turned slightly toward him.
“You will catch Krys soon,” she said, as he finally resumed his duties. Gwaynn stopped again. He was not surprised that she knew of his running, for that was common knowledge among the Leek family. It was a source of pride that one among them would be so included even if Gwaynn was not a true son. He was surprised however, that she was following his progress.
“You’ve been watching?” Gwaynn asked, curious, flattered, and a little concerned.
Mille looked up and blushed again. “Yes…well we all get up and watch the finish some days,” she answered, not mentioning the fact that she was the one who watched most days.
“Father was especially proud the day you beat Stephen. We all watched, though father told us not to celebrate, but it was all we could do to keep from cheering,” she said her words coming out in a gush. “Surely you noticed the smile on father’s face. It was there all day.”
Gwaynn shrugged. He had not noticed, in fact, he was not sure he could remember Lane smiling…ever.
They continued to work, Gwaynn in silence and Mille chatting away about her new horse, the kittens their cat Sunshine gave birth to the previous week, and food. Mille was apparently very hungry and was making Gwaynn so. The family stopped about an hour before sundown and headed back to the house to clean up before Shari and Karin began preparing supper.
The evening was spent eating, talking, telling stories and laughing. It was a typical night in the household with Gwaynn sitting on the floor close to the fire and Mille sitting close by, though not close enough to touch. They both spent the rest of the night stealing glances at one another.
That night, though his body was very tired his mind was awake and racing in all manner of ways, mostly in the directions of Mille and Vio. Yesterday, he hardly had a thought for girls, now such thoughts seemed to be consuming him alive. It was not until well after the witching hour that he finally nodded off.
ǂ
The next morning came very early for Gwaynn and he groaned softly when Leek nudged him awake. He lay in bed, sleepy for a moment then his mind was racing once more, so he got up and climbed down from the small loft he shared with the old man. Leek and Lane sat in the dark kitchen, the only light coming from the small fire in the cooking hearth. They would soon enlarge it for the morning cooking, but that could wait until Shari was up and about.
Gwaynn glanced at the back room door where the girls slept, but quickly turned and headed in toward the two men. He grabbed a slice of day old bread then headed out to relieve himself. He went to the side of the barn, as was his habit and gazed up at the morning stars, sighing with satisfaction. He popped the last bite of bread into his mouth, and then turned to head back to the well to get a drink before going down to the beach. But as he rounded the corner of the house, Mille was there waiting for him, still in her long, white nightdress. He immediately stopped moving, but somehow she was still getting closer, then suddenly she jumped into his arms and quickly kissed him. He stiffened for a moment. She was very small, soft and smelled vaguely of flowers, and he quickly found himself returning her kiss with more enthusiasm than he would have thought possible. She held him tight and he returned her embrace. Mille’s skin was still very warm having just come from her bed, and Gwaynn’s head was spinning when they finally broke. They stared at each other for a long moment until somehow he managed to tear his gaze from hers and he walked down to the beach for his morning run in a daze. He felt all out of focus and that morning he lost to B’dall by a good margin, and he was very disappointed to find that Vio was not waiting for him at the finish as she had always done in the past. He swam longer than usual since she was not waiting on the beach, then dried and headed up the path feeling like he was somehow losing control of his own life. It was a bewildering, fuzzy feeling he was not sure he liked…not sure at all.