He shook his head. “Baldair needs me here. My future is here, especially after what happened.”

Vhalla grabbed his elbow, stopping Daniel in his tracks. The motion made her shoulder hurt where a bruise had formed from the earlier training, but Vhalla kept the pain away from her face. She looked him in the eye and spoke slowly, hoping his heart would hear her every word.

“You don’t need her. You’ve so much to give.”

“I could say the same to you,” he whispered in reply.

Vhalla’s chest felt hollow. Somehow, the weird circumstances that had brought them together had given them insights into the uglier portions of the other’s heart. They’d never been that different. They’d both been wanting to fill the gaps in their life. Perhaps they’d went about it the wrong way, but with someone who could have been the right person.

“Show me your home.” Vhalla released his arm.

“Gladly.”

Daniel led her through the decently sized, two-storey home. There was more than enough room for a small family, which made it feel all the emptier. It was modestly furnished with the trimmings of a lord still building his name and his wealth.

He stoked a fire, and Vhalla found herself baking bread. Daniel sliced cured meat and honored her as a special guest by bringing out spiced cheese from his larder. It made her homesick, as Vhalla remembered going through the same motions growing up.

“I think I should go East,” Vhalla mused aloud.

“I was wondering why you hadn’t yet.” Daniel pulled out a chair for her at the roughly crafted table that sat before the stone hearth of the kitchen. “I rode out to Leoul and asked for you after the North.”

“It didn’t feel right,” she confessed. “I’m a danger to myself and others. I’ve changed so much. I just haven’t been ready.” Vhalla leaned back, watching the world darken outside the window. “But this reminds me of how much I miss it.”

“I didn’t want for this to cause you turmoil.” Daniel rolled up his sleeves before carefully extracting the loaves from the oven.

“You haven’t. It’s almost so peaceful it feels wrong,” Vhalla admitted with a laugh.

“Don’t you think you deserve a little quiet?” Daniel placed the steaming bread between them.

“Maybe,” Vhalla confessed. She burned her fingers slightly, as she always did on the hot bread, too impatient to wait. “But I still have things to do.”

“What more could the world possibly expect of you?” Daniel shook his head. “You’ve given enough, you know.”

“Thank you.” Vhalla smiled tiredly at him. She couldn’t tell him what she still had left to do. “For now, though, I’ll settle for the taste of home you’ve given me.”

“You’re welcome to it anytime.”

“I wouldn’t want to impose on you . . .”

“Craig isn’t shy about occupying a room when things at his family’s home are less than ideal.” Daniel shrugged. “Jax has also slept in a bed many nights when he was too drunk to make it back to the palace.”

“If I ever do stay, you are not allowed to make me sleep in the same bed that drunk Jax has,” Vhalla teased.

“On my honor!” Daniel laughed. “But, truly. If you ever need to escape the palace . . .”

The unspoken words hovered and Vhalla claimed them with a small sigh. “Things are a little awkward.” She tore a piece of bread into crumbs. “But it’s my home, too. I need to learn how to be around him.”

“That’s fair. But the offer remains.” Vhalla was relieved that there was nothing in Daniel’s words or stare other than friendly compassion.

After their meal concluded, Daniel insisted on walking her back to the Tower. He explained the process of joining the palace guard, how the training was for the new recruits and for guards seeking to move up in rank. Daniel had the job of deciding who the best swordsmen were to be sent out into the Empire as keepers of the peace.

“Oh, one more thing.” Daniel shifted uneasily.

“What?” There was something about his face that nearly called into question her entire understanding of the evening they’d shared.

“I want you to know, that I didn’t lie to you then.”

“Lie to me about what?” Vhalla’s voice had fallen to a whisper.

“I did still look forward to seeing you return.” Daniel clearly struggled with putting his emotions into something tangible. But her heart was already beating in time with his. She already understood. “You really weren’t just something to ‘fill the hole in my heart’. You’re more than that. And, while sometimes I wish the stars had aligned for us just in a slightly different way . . .”

“You don’t have to explain it.” Vhalla took his hand and squeezed it lightly. Relief eased its way into his eyes and smoothed the tense line his mouth had been. “I enjoyed myself tonight. Actually, I’ve always enjoyed time with you. And, it’s easier now, now that we’ve had that time and there isn’t death on our doorsteps.”

Daniel’s fingers closed around hers for a brief moment. “So, come and visit me again?”

“Soon, I promise.” It was a promise that Vhalla’s heart had no hesitation making. And, it was only affirmed as he pulled her in for one more quick embrace before departing.