The guards stationed at the general’s mansion were highly-trained soldiers. Most had served under Lord Langard during the Great War. They had felt fortunate to receive a job protecting his home afterwards.

When they heard approaching footsteps coming from inside, they were quick to pull open the doors.

A woman in men’s clothing stepped out. The warrior braids jostled with every silent footstep she took.

Faye sighed deeply.

The maid outside glanced up at the Lady Feldgrau. Eyes widening, the girl hurried to the young woman’s side. She had been instructed to wait outside by the other and had done so dutifully.

The maid flushed as she glanced at the dark look on Faye’s face. She couldn’t believe that the lady had actually requested an audience with the young Lord Langard! And if that wasn’t scandalous enough, the woman had burst straight into the other’s quarters and had been in there for the better part of the morning!

The maid looked around worriedly. Hopefully, no one else has seen! Capital gossip spread like wildfire. A married lady, not to mention recently married, seen at a young unmarried lord’s house! The stories would write themselves!

Just thinking of it, the young girl’s imagination got away from her. Her cheeks flushed.

Faye watched the internal war of the young maid’s face weirdly. Why had Abby forced the girl to go with her? The journey would have been a lot shorter if the little one had not been tagging along. But to her credit, the girl had been insistent and dutiful.

Meanwhile, the girl’s mind was getting away from her.

Servants had overhead the general’s conversation with the older Lord Langard, where the lady had apparently professed her great admiration and love for the younger Lord Langard.

Truthfully, the young girl didn’t know what the general saw in such a man… especially when she was already married to a handsome prince. There was no world where the young girl would give up the Lord of Feldgrau for the idiot youngest son of some general. But her young mind supposed that if it was true love, perhaps the emotions were blinding the Lady Feldgrau.

Determination filled her. Turning to the Lady, the young girl promised, “I will keep your secret, my lady. I promise!”

Faye scratched her head. What secret?

But the young girl continued, “Hurry we must leave before anyone sees! If Lord Feldgrau finds out, it will be bad news.”

Before, the Raven General could ask for the girl’s thought process and whether she had hit her head somewhere, the young girl grasped her hands and tugged her towards the safety of the market.

Smiling brightly, the girl explained, “It’ll be easier to blend in there!” As if to prove her point, the maid pointed at the busy square. “I know a shortcut back to the residence!”

Letting herself be dragged, Faye quirked a brow. “What’s your name, girl?”

“This one is Aimee, my lady!” chirped the girl.

Before Faye could say another word, she found herself wrapped up in a crowd of jostling bodies and noise of commerce. Above her were rainbow-colored silks that covered the market from the sun’s warm rays. Children with toy swords and dolls weaved through the adults. It was clear that just getting through the crowd would take a while.

The Raven General shrugged. Well, it wasn’t as if she had much planned for the day otherwise.

—

Nikolai rubbed his dark eyes. He glared blearily at his attendant. “Remind me why you have dragged me from my work to,” he looked around, unsure where they were. “The market?”

His eyes caught sight of the familiar rainbow-colored silks above. Looking around, he noted the different stalls and chattering of sales and gossip. This was the commoner’s market.

Cristin rolled his eyes. “Where do you think the butter bread came from?”

Eyes drifting down, Nikolai noted that there was indeed a bag of butter bread in his hands. It was a bit unnerving that he hadn’t noticed, but he chalked it up as the momentary lapse of judgment that would be solved when he finally got a chance to sleep. Yes. That made sense.

Sighing, his attendant steered him towards the crowd. “With all due respect, you needed a break, my lord.” He glanced as the lord was barely able to walk straight, creating an s-pattern in his effort to stay awake. When the lord almost walked into a stall, Cristin sighed and pulled him back by the collar. “Where do you think the Raven General went?”

“Don’t know,” muttered the lord. “Faye and I don’t really talk… Unless it’s about swords… or trees. Cutting my trees down, with her swords, specifically.”

Cristin raised an eyebrow. “Since when were you and the general on a first-name basis?”

But the lord wasn’t that far gone that he was going to answer that.

Dragging the lord out had seemed like a good idea, but now Cristin wondered if he should find a mattress stall and just pay the vendor to let the young man sleep there. He sighed, dragging the other along.

“Is that,” Nikolai’s brows furrowed. “Is that Lady Asinara?”

It was indeed Lady Asinara. And said lady was rushing towards them, practically running towards the two men.

Eyes widening, Cristin forced Nikolai to stand straight. “Should we run or hide, sir?” He asked nervously. Nikolai merely blinked tiredly.

But it was too late.

“Nikolai,” called Lady Asinara. Storming over with her ladies in waiting, the lady’s face was flushed. She waved a frantic hand in the air. “I must speak with you. Don’t you dare run away!”

The Lord of Feldgrau shot his attendant an unimpressed stare. “Thank you, Cristin.”

The other man sweat-dropped. How was he supposed to know something like this would happen?

—

There was a section of the market that resembled a fair. There were games and prizes at different stalls. Children played as their parents shopped through the square.

Dragging the lady, Aimee tried to keep her focus. Don’t look at the games, she chided herself. But unfortunately, the young girl was unable to resist sneaking a few glances. There were so many toys and treats! The bright colored attractions made it hard to look away.

The longing glances caught the attention of the Raven General.

Faye stared curiously. Her eyes followed where the young girl was staring. Aimee’s eyes were stuck on a pretty cloth doll hanging in one of the stalls. Funnily enough, the doll’s buttoned eyes matched the girl’s wide-eyed stare.

“Do you wish for that doll?” Faye asked the girl.

Shaking her head resolutely, Aimee stared straight ahead. “Of course not. I am not a child. Why would I want a doll.” Sadly, her voice murmured, “What use would I have of it, anyways?”

Faye hummed thoughtfully. “When I was young, my uncle gifted me a rag-wolf.”

The girl’s nose scrunched. “A rag-wolf?”

The general laughed loudly. “In truth, it was a cloth with a sheep’s hair fashioned to look like a wolf.” Her amber eyes twinkled down at the girl. “There was no use of the rag-wolf, but I enjoyed its company.” The woman nodded towards the doll that Aimee had been staring at. “Perhaps you could use a companion as well.”

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

The girl sighed, “But these games are impossible. I would be out of coin before I won her!” She pointed at the targets. “You must shoot an arrow into the bullseye from the thousand-step mark. It is impossible and rigged!”

Crossing her arms, the Raven General considered the targets and the flimsy toy bows that were handed out to the children. “I could do it,” she said.

Aimee looked up, trying to hide the hope in her eyes. “But if you won it, then it would be yours, not mine.”

Faye tapped her chin. The thrill of a new challenge made her smirk.“Not if you pay for it.”

The general had noticed the small pouch of coins that Abby had stuffed into the girl’s hands.

Setting her hands at her hips, the general added, “I could merely be playing for you, like a…” Her voice trailed off.

“Like a friend?” asked the young girl. Excitement colored her voice. Aimee’s mind was clearly made up even if she refused to admit it.

“Well, what do you say?” Faye shot the girl a glance and placed her hands on her hips. “Is that a deal?”

Squealing, a large smile burst across the girl’s face. Pumping a fist in the air, Aimee shouted, “Let’s do it!”

—

Nikolai stared at Lady Asinara. Despite her insistence to talk, now that they walked side by side, the lady was tight-lipped.

Cristin and the ladies-in-waiting trailed behind, giving the two a semblance of privacy.

The Lord of Feldgrau sighed. He rubbed his itchy eyes, willing them not to close. “If this is about last time-”

“It is not!” Licking her lips, Asinara clasped her hands together. “I promise I have not forgotten your words. And… although disappointed, I will honor them.”

Suddenly stopping, it seemed the lady had come to a decision. Asinara turned to him. “There is something I must tell you,” the lady’s eyes brimmed with uncertainty. “But I am unsure how you will feel about it.”

Softening, Nikolai rested a hand on the young woman’s shoulders. “We are still friends, Asinara. You know you can speak your mind with me.”

Shivering, the lady tried for a smile. She missed the warmth when Nikolai rescinded his hand. Crossing his arms, the lord asked, “So, what is this important message?”

Asinara steeled herself. “It is… about your wife.”

Nikolai’s eyes widened. “About Faye?”

Raising an eyebrow, Asinara asked, “Since when were you on a first-name basis with her?”

Behind them, Cristin piped in. “That’s what I said!”

Nikolai waved their words away. “What is it about the general?” His brows furrowed. “Has she done something?”

Asinara pursed her lips. “It was said she spent the entire morning with Rufus Langard.”

Nikolai choked. “What?” HIs voice sounded weird.

Emboldened by the fact Nikolai seemed to be in the dark about it, Asinara pressed forward. “My lady-in-waiting is friends with Lady Langard’s, and she said it was true! The Raven General burst into the residence with a single maid who she made wait outside.” Awkwardly, she added, “It’s said she was professing her admirations for the young lord so loudly, even the common folk passing by heard it.”

Sighing, Nikolai admitted, “She has a habit of doing that.” Getting over the intial shock, Nikolai’s blank tone returned.

Rufus and Faye. What an interesting pair, he thought. Hopefully, the general took it easy on the young fool.

Bothered by how unbothered the young man was, Asinara snapped, “A habit of being with other men? It’s said she spent the whole morning unsupervised with the lord!” Crossing her arms, she huffed, “Are you truly not bothered that your wife spent the entire morning with another man?”

To her surprise, Nikolai burst into mirthful laughter. In his sleep-deprived mind, the lord found it hard to stop… so he didn’t. The young man laughed and laughed. Asinara took a weary step back.

Those around them stared weirdly at the group.

Cristin was fast to react. Placing a hand over the lord’s mouth, he apologized, “He’s a bit sleep-deprived. Apologies. Please. Go back to work.” Nails digging into the other’s shoulders, he warned, “My lord!”

Sobering, Nikolai sighed, “A morning with Rufus Langard is a morning well-spent. Better with him than destroying my gardens. Perhaps we can ask the young lord to come up with a more common arrangement?” He turned to Cristin. “Say, I think that’s quite a good idea. Make sure to send a message to the general’s residence tonight and arrange a carriage to escort Faye if she wishes to go.”

The entire street gaped.

Was this man really married? How could he be so flippant? It truly was a marriage of convenience, they shuddered.

Suddenly, a loud commotion of cheers and voices erupted from the other end of the street. It was the carnival section of the market!

Eager to dissipate the awkward energy, Cristin dragged his lord forward. Turning to the still-gaping Lady Asinara, the attendant smiled, “We should go check that out! I’m sure it must be very… exciting!”

Their small group headed to join the crowd. Pushing forward, they gaped at the sight.

Blinking blearily, Nikolai suddenly thought of a similar scene where a maid had battled against two young scholars. He laughed to himself. But the other didn’t notice, too stunned by what was enfolding before them.

Faye was in a hand-stands and blindfolded, all while on top of stacked empty apple boxed. The general held a toy bow with her feet and gripped the string with her toes. It was an impressive display of balance and mastery.

Next to her, Aimee held her doll and cheered the loudest. “Go! Go! Go!”

The target was a thousand-steps away. Could the young woman really make it, the crowd wondered. Sure, she had done the challenge with her less dominant hand, blindfolded, backwards, with three bows, all that could be thought of had been accomplished.

Nikolai’s blue eyes suddenly sharpened as the grogginess of sleep left him for a moment. His fists clenched.

Seeing his reaction, Asinara comforted, “It’s all right. The target’s too far. You can take her home then.” It was improper for a lady to be doing such things. Lady Asinara feared for the couple’s reputation if the crowd learned who exactly it was that was balanced on top of those crates.

But Nikolai shook his head. In a way he knew her better than any here. Blue eyes drifted to the cocky upturn of Faye’s lip. The lord could imagine the blazing amber eyes, closed in focus.

The general drew the bow string back. The crowd gasped, clutching each other in suspense and delight. Would she make it?

Seeing the wobbling of the crates as the general shifted her weight, worry gripped Asinara. “Is.. is this safe? Maybe we should get her down.”

Cristin scratched his head. “And risk her shooting us? Let us wait for the arrow to miss and then just go home.”

“She will not miss.”

Their group turned to Nikolai. The lord’s words were assured and relaxed. He shrugged as if it was another common fact of the world. “She will not miss,” he repeated.

As if to prove his words, the bowstring was released and the feeble arrow soared through the air like a weapon made from the gods. THUNK!

Lowering the bow, Faye rebalanced herself back onto her feet. The young woman ripped off the blindfold, tossing the silk into the crowd, who clamored for the object.

Nikolai shook his head, almost fond.

Asinara and the others gaped. “It’s… it hit dead center!”

Suddenly, amber eyes cut across the distance between them. It met the familiar blue orbs.

Aimee jumped up and down, grabbing Faye’s arm. “That was magnificent, my lady! Pure awe-some!” But the young woman’s eyes were glued.

Even from this distance, she made out the other as he raised his hands and clapped with the rest of the crowd. Her heart fluttered. There…was almost a smile on his face.

All too soon, the moment ended.

The lord turned away.

The Raven General watched as Cristin protested, pointing at her form but his liege ignored him. The beautiful woman by Nikolai’s side shot her a curious glance before following closely by the lord’s side.

The two looked like a proper couple, the general noted. Something twisted uncomfortably within her. The Raven General sighed. That was right. She hadn’t eaten yet.

Turning to the crowd, she placed her arms at her hips. The glaring sun covered her in a magnificent golden glow. “So which one of you is going to buy me lunch?”

The crowd cheered in response.

—

That night, Lady Langard stared at a letter for a long time. Her brows were bunched together. Delicate fingers gripped harshly at the page.

The candlelight only served to deepen the dark shadows on her face.

Approaching her, Lord Langard pressed a kiss to his wife’s head. “What troubles you, my love?”

The woman rubbed her brows. She passed the letter to her husband to read. It was easier than explaining.

The letter held an official emblem and the paper was the finest quality, crisp and thick.

Glancing through it, the general choked. He coughed, eyes bulging out at the absurdity of the message. His wife patted his back comfortingly. That had been her exact reaction.

Lady Langard prayed to the heavens for an answer or sign. What had they done wrong?

"I've thought of it all evening and still I cannot fathom..." Shooting her husband a helpless look, she asked, “Why is the Lord of Feldgrau requesting play dates for his wife with our son?”