UNDER THE OAK TREE

276 Chapter As Kuahel tugged his chestnut warhorse’s head to the side, it emitted an angry snort. Maxi watched the Temple Knight firmly rein in his testy mount and nudge it in a slow walk over to them.

“The horses are tired. We will take a brief reprieve.”

As soon as the words were out of his mouth, the mages slid off their mounts. Maxi gladly leaped down from Rem as well. They had spent more time on horseback than the ground over the last few weeks. She had grown quite skilled at riding, though it did not mean she was any less sore after hours of balancing on a galloping creature.

She massaged her throbbing thighs, then untied her bag and saddle from Rem’s back. Ulyseon hurried over to attend to her, heaving a disgruntled sigh as he got close.

“You are making it very difficult for me to do my duties as your personal guard, my lady.”

“I’m sure maintaining vigilance at all times is hard enough. Let me take care of the menial tasks on my own.”

Before the young knight could say any more, Maxi put her pack aside and led Rem to a wagon. Ulyseon followed her, mumbling under his breath.

They pulled out a sack of fodder to feed the horses, then proceeded to rest behind the windbreak the knights had erected. Though the day was freezing, beads of sweat formed on Maxi’s forehead as she tended to the horses. Traversing the barren northland in the middle of winter, when both grass and water were hard to come by, was far more difficult than she had anticipated.

Royald was thawing himself by the fire. He called out, “Sludge, enough of that. Come rest.”

When Ulyseon gave him a sharp look, the mage coughed and said more courteously, “We’ll be setting out again after lunch. You mustn’t exhaust yourself.”

It appeared the mages were still coming to terms with the revelation that their peer they had wantonly deemed “Sludge” was, in fact, a high-born lady and the wife of the greatest knight in the continent. After bobbing her head at Royald, Maxi tethered Rem in front of the windbreak and settled by the fire. Ulyseon reappeared not long after bearing their food rations.

“My lady,” he said indignantly. “Why do these people keep calling you Sludge?”

“Because… of the magic properties I can use. I’m an earth mage, but I also have a modest affinity to water. It’s considered a rare combination… hence the harmless teasing.”

Though she had always hated the name, Maxi tried to sound unbothered so as not to cause a fuss. She was worried Ulyseon might start a fight with the mages. Placating him with a smile, she began eating the thick stew he had brought her.

The sensation of the hot liquid warming her stomach was euphoric. After the cold weather had frozen their bread, meat, cheese, and butter, making everything impossible to even bite through, they had dumped it all into a boiling pot. Despite the lackluster culinary effort that had gone into it, the resulting stew was rather savory.

“Have you seen Riftan?” Maxi asked, chewing a piece of meat. “Do you know what he’s doing?”

Whenever the expeditionary party stopped its march, the knights did not rest. Instead, they set about retrieving and lighting braziers, erecting windbreaks, searching for much-needed water, and scouting the area for monsters. Only after that did they finally sit down to eat.

Worried that Riftan might be skimping on sustenance, Maxi eyed the group of Remdragon Knights.

“The commander is over there butting heads with the Temple Knight.”

When Maxi turned to face Hebaron, the burly knight was chomping on a cut of frozen jerky. He pointed away with his thumb. Maxi squinted over to see Riftan and Kuahel seated at opposite ends of a table with a map spread between them. Though they were quite a distance away, she could tell they were indeed engaged in a battle of nerves.

Arriving after Hebaron, Garrow shook his head. “They are arguing about which route to take. It’s rather terrifying to watch. I had no idea they were so ill-disposed to each other.”

“It is that Temple Knight who’s trying to pick a fight with Sir Riftan,” Ulyseon retorted, leaping to Riftan’s defense. “I would wager he’s still angry about his defeat all those years ago. He is a petty man, that fellow.”

Maxi flushed as she was reminded of the obscenities she had flung at Riftan, though she knew Ulyseon had blurted out the word without much thought.

He added darkly, “It’s usually the beaten dog that barks the loudest.”

“Again with the biting remarks,” Hebaron said. He shoved the remaining jerky into his mouth and clicked his tongue. “Go easier on the man. It’s not as if the Holy Sword acts that way without reason. It’s a clash of personalities, to be sure, but we all know our commander refuses to listen to anyone if he thinks he’s right. Three times the paladin’s been driven up the wall after the Remdragon Knights broke an agreement with some crazy antic.”

Hebaron raised three fingers.

“Of course, our commander was right in all three instances, but as the man in charge of this expedition, the wayward Remdragon Knights can only be a thorn in his side.”

“That proves how petty he is,” Ulyseon said with a cynical snort. “He dared to question Sir Riftan’s judgment. That is where he went wrong. He should have simply followed our commander’s instructions from the start.”

Maxi rolled her eyes. It seemed Ulyseon’s loyalty to his commander had turned into blind obedience while she had been away. He genuinely seemed to believe that no greater knight existed.

Though she wholeheartedly agreed, she did not think it prudent to flaunt such an opinion when they were bound to cooperate with the Temple Knights for the next few months. The paladins warranted respect simply by virtue of being God’s representatives.

She was about to tell Ulyseon this when Hebaron spoke.

“If we do nothing, I bet they’ll keep this up until we set out again. What do you say to dissuading them, my lady?”

“M-Me?”

Maxi faltered. While Riftan no longer blatantly ignored her, he had yet to show her the same level of affection as he once had. He responded when she spoke to him, but he still held her at arm’s length. That was somehow more hurtful.

Was he still angry with her? Or had his affection for her diminished? She was wallowing in these heavy thoughts when Hebaron spoke in a coaxing tone.

“I’m sure the commander will listen to you, my lady. If you don’t hurry, he might miss his chance to eat.”

Hebaron’s final words made Maxi get to her feet, and she ran over to where Miriam was distributing rations. She asked for another bowl of stew and watched the mage wordlessly fill one for her. After staring down at it for a moment, she pushed the bowl back.

“Please add more meat and vegetables.”

Looking irritated, Miriam ladled more into the bowl. Maxi carried the stew to where Riftan sat glaring at Kuahel, his arms crossed. His brow furrowed as he saw her approach.

Why does he always frown like that whenever he sees me?

“I heard you hadn’t eaten… so I brought you some food.”

“I’m fine. You have it. We’re still talking,” Riftan replied brusquely before returning his attention to Kuahel.

Maxi followed his gaze, glancing at the Temple Knight, before stubbornly setting the bowl before Riftan.

“Y-You can resume your conversation later. I’ve already eaten, so go on and eat as well. You’ve been up since dawn and going about on an empty stomach. You must be starving.”

“I said I’m fi—”

“If you will not have it, then allow me,” Kuahel cut in.

Dumbfounded, Maxi looked at the Temple Knight, who was staring tauntingly at Riftan. His eyes swung to her, and his tone was awkwardly polite when he spoke.

“Would that be all right?”

She nodded, unable to bring herself to say no. Just as she was about to hand over the bowl begrudgingly, Riftan grabbed her arm.

“I changed my mind,” he growled. “I’ll have it.”

Looking embarrassed, Maxi glanced at Kuahel and moved the bowl back to Riftan. She silently chided herself for not bringing two servings with her. The Temple Knight seemed indifferent to the stew as he rose.

“Seeing as you need to eat, let us end this fruitful conversation here.”

“We have yet to agree on—”

“My answer remains the same. I have no intention of changing course. If you cannot accept that, you and your men are free to take whichever route you wish. I must say, for someone who was an unwelcome addition, you certainly have a lot of demands.”

“You bloody—”

...

Riftan bit back his outburst and looked at Maxi, the corners of his mouth still twitching with suppressed obscenities. After quietly gazing down at him, Kuahel left to join his knights.

Maxi watched as Riftan glared after the Temple Knight commander. As soon as he felt her eyes on him, he dropped her arm as though he had been burned. He picked up the bowl and walked over to the Remdragon Knights.

An anxious explanation tumbled out as she trailed him. “I apologize… for interrupting… w-while you were having an important conversation. Sir Hebaron informed me you hadn’t eaten, so I—”

“It’s fine. We weren’t discussing anything important.”

After throwing Hebaron a barbed look, Riftan dragged a pail in front of a campfire to sit on. Maxi quickly brought another one and seated herself close to him.

“Would you like me to bring you some beer? Th-They’re also roasting bread and bacon over there. Would you like some of that too?”

“This is plenty.”

“But… you usually eat more than that.”

“I tire more easily if I’ve had too much. It’s better to eat in moderation while on the move.”

“Oh… I see.”

An awkward silence passed between them, and Riftan kept his gaze fixed on his bowl as he ate. It was almost always like this when she did not make conversation first. Maxi cast her eyes to the ground to hide her disappointment. She scraped the snow with her boot, then looked up at him once more. In that short moment, a lock of hair had slipped down over his eyes.

...

After a brief hesitation, Maxi reached out and swept his hair aside. Riftan lurched back from her, startled. It was as if she had threatened him with a knife.

Stunned by his overreaction, she sat and watched as he raked his hair back with a stony expression. He continued eating without another word. It was clear he was trying to finish the stew as quickly as possible so he could take his leave.

“Um… I think I will go over there, s-so take your time,” she said, keeping her voice upbeat to mask the hurt. 𝑓ree𝑤𝘦𝚋𝐧𝘰ve𝑙. co𝒎

Not far away, Hebaron had been observing the pair. For whatever reason, the knight burst into laughter as Maxi rose. She scowled at him before making her way to Rem.

Riftan’s ambiguous treatment of her continued even after that day. Though he did not seem to be purposefully avoiding her any longer, he still kept his distance.

Maxi’s patience was slowly wearing thin. She followed him around and tried to attend to him whenever she could, but despite her efforts to close the rift between them, his face only grew more and more austere. She could not understand why.

If she had the courage, she would have asked him outright. However, given that she was too scared of his answer, she could not say it aloud. She strove to be more agreeable while inwardly hoping that his treatment of her would naturally improve over time.

Once, she even mustered the confidence to offer to heal him. He had not responded with words, only with a look that said, Don’t be ridiculous. Her face had flushed immediately.

She knew he had no need for healing or restorative magic, but she could not stop thinking up excuses to be physical with him. Riftan had not so much as brushed her pinky since their kiss, and he never allowed himself closer to her than necessary.

The tables had turned, and she was now the one burning with passion. She was so desperate to touch him that she even began to harbor a wicked hope that he would sustain a minor wound.