"That's not true," Melanie pointed out. "I've had some terrible teachers and learned absolutely nothing from them. He's very good," she added to Brendan with a grin. "You don't have any vacancies on the Watch, do you?"
"Funny you should mention that," Brendan said thoughtfully, turning his gaze back to Aelfred. "Would you be interested in something like that?"
Aelfred tilted his head, looking intrigued. "For the Watch?"
"Aye. We're always in need of good men."
"You haven't seen me fight," Aelfred said with a frown.
And then Galen stepped forward, the enormous man grinning a little as he stooped to pick up a wooden longsword from the dust of the courtyard. "Well, I know one way of fixing that."
Aelfred grinned, a glint in his eye as he realized he was being challenged. Melanie had seen that look before, usually when someone on a horse seemed to think that they could outstrip him on a long stretch of road… and usually on the face of someone who was about to be corrected in their assumption. He hefted the wooden longsword in his hand gently, then shrugged his shoulders, taking a few steps forwards before shooting Melanie an apologetic look over his shoulder, hesitating for a moment. But she waved her hand.
"No, no, go ahead!" she said brightly, taking a seat on the low bench that sat beside them and groaning a little at how good it felt to take the weight off her feet. "Call it a demonstration. I'll just sit here comfortably and watch." She took another sip of water, grinning at Aelfred, who shrugged his shoulders, a meaningful glint in his eye. She knew what that glint meant. After her unexpected little rest, she was going to be working twice as hard to make up for it. Well, that was her future self's problem. Right now, she was very curious to see Aelfred actually fight a foe who could give him a run for his money. She did her best, of course, but disarming a woman who could barely remember to keep her weight in the right foot and her sword in the right hand wasn't exactly a challenge.
Brendan sat beside her, his eyes intent as he looked at the two men squaring off against each other in the courtyard. Up on the walls, she saw a handful of guards gather in, gazing curiously down at what was happening — Galen, she'd gathered over her last few weeks here, was rather an impressive swordsman among the men of the Watch. Sparring against him would prove quickly what Aelfred had learned in his unconventional education in the Fae…
The two men were circling each other, and she watched Aelfred's feet, amazed by how effortlessly he shifted his weight back and forth, every movement simultaneously effortless and calculated. And then, quicker than she could even follow, he lunged forward, his bright hair flashing in the sun as his sword swung around — Galen blocked it, but the big man grunted with surprise, a turn of speed she hadn't expected from him the only thing that kept him safe. Aelfred dropped back, eyes fixed on his opponent, circled a little more… then lunged again, twice, three times, shockingly fast. Galen blocked those blows, too, tried to counter and parry, but Aelfred was moving like water, impossible to pin down for long enough to strike. She caught her breath when the big man lunged — he was taller than Aelfred by a few inches and much broader, and the power in his body was frightening, even though she knew the two were fighting with wooden weapons and unlikely to do much more damage than a nasty bruise here and there.
But the lunge struck nothing but air. It was as though Aelfred had teleported — suddenly, he was several paces to the right, almost dancing around Galen as he lashed out with his blade and struck him hard on the side of his body, under his ribs… a fatal blow, if they'd been fighting with real steel and not wood. As it was, the hit made a dull thud and drew a grunt of irritation from Galen. Warier now, the big man turned, his guard up.
The two sparred for another ten minutes or so. They were well matched, it seemed — Galen got a few strikes in on Aelfred in the end, but Aelfred more than doubled them, his speed and agility making it clear who the winner was. Galen shook his hand when they'd finished, both men breathing hard and sweaty, and Brendan and Melanie headed over to congratulate them. The men up on the Wall who'd gathered to watch dispersed at a meaningful look from their captain, and Melanie grinned to herself, sure that there'd be a few words about neglecting duties from Brendan later. But for now, he was pinning an admiring look on Aelfred, who was panting and grinning and about as happy as Melanie had ever seen him.
"He's good," Galen said shortly, gesturing at Aelfred. Gruff as he might be, Melanie could tell he'd enjoyed the fight, too — there was the hint of a smile on his face, and she'd heard him bark surprised laughter a few times during the sparring match when Aelfred had appeared somewhere he wasn't expecting him. "Fights like nobody I know."
"Aye, so I saw," Brendan agreed, giving Aelfred a thoughtful look with his arms folded across his chest and his head tilted to the side. "You trained with elves."
"I trained with anyone who'd spare me the time of day," Aelfred said with a shrug of his shoulders, and that smile still dancing in his eyes. "I can't say any of it was formal."
"Well, whatever it is, I want you teaching my men," Brendan said firmly. "It's been a long time since I've seen Galen Grant surprised in combat. We could use that element, Aelfred… if you're willing, of course?"
Melanie beamed, very pleased for her friend. She knew he'd been itching to find a place here, to give something back to his distant family — to find a way of being a part of things, to repay their kindness in taking him in. But he hesitated a little, his silver eyes darting to her, and she realized to her surprise that he was unsure of whether he should take the offer. Brendan seemed to sense this — he clapped the man on the shoulder and told him to give the matter some thought, then turned and headed for the guardhouse. Galen followed after another formal little nod to Aelfred, to which he replied with an elegant little bow… a smile lingering around his solemn features, Galen turned and left them to it.
"That was amazing," Melanie said softly, shaking her head. "You move like water."
He looked surprised by that, and she realized with a start that a blush had risen to his cheeks at her compliment. Did it really mean that much? Forcing herself not to read too much into that, she cleared her throat, scooping her wooden short sword up from the bench where she'd set it down when Galen and Brendan had joined them.
"Do you think you'll take them up on the offer?" she asked casually, dropping into her fight stance and shifting her weight experimentally back and forth. Aelfred looked preoccupied, and she wanted to raise the subject without seeming like she was focusing on it too closely.
"I'd like to," he admitted. "But … I don't know. The way Galen fights… I don't know if I'd fit in, that's all."
"That's exactly why they want you," Melanie pointed out. "They want different approaches, different ways of doing things… diversity makes a group stronger."
"I suppose so," he said thoughtfully, turning to look at her. "That's a very good way of looking at it."
"What can I say? I'm incredibly clever. And I think you should do it," she added, stepping a little closer. "You're so good at this. I shouldn't be the only one benefitting from your skills."
He smiled at that, his silver eyes flashing. "Don't think it means you're getting out of your training," he warned her, pointing one slender finger at her. "Watch member or no, I'll be keeping on top of you."
A shiver ran down her spine at that offhand comment, and she forced herself not to think about a rather more literal interpretation of what he'd said… she didn't want to blush beet red standing here in the courtyard. He might ask her what she was thinking about, and then she'd fall apart completely…
They spent the rest of the day training. At dinner, he apologized that he wouldn't be able to dine with her and went instead to join Brendan at his table. But she wasn't bothered at all — in fact, there was still a grin on her face when she joined Anna, Nancy and the rest of the women at their table. Anna grinned at her.
"Saw a little of your session from the window today," she said brightly. "How's training going?"
"Brilliant. I've never been in this much pain in my life," Melanie said brightly, drawing a chuckle from Anna.
"Oh, yes. That never goes away. It's good. Proof that you're getting stronger." Sometimes, the flashes of the military woman Anna had been — and on some levels, would always be — were almost frightening. But now, they made Melanie feel warm, as though she was a part of that world, or at least learning how to be. "And Aelfred's a good teacher?"
"Very good," she confirmed, fighting the urge to rave too much about him — she knew what kinds of looks she'd get from the other women, and she didn't want to deal with their sly inferences about her feelings for Aelfred right now. "Brendan and Galen came by while we were training, actually. They've asked him to join the Watch."
A huff of laughter from Elena, who was sitting quietly during this conversation. "I'm surprised he's waited this long," she said softly, shaking her head. "He's wanted Aelfred on the Watch since he arrived, more or less. He got a look at that sword of his," she added, shaking her head. "I think that did it. And knowing that he knows how to use it was the natural next step."
"He's joining?" Nancy wanted to know, a frown on her face. "But that's no good. He'll have less time to spend with you."
Melanie flushed a little at that. "That's fine," she protested. "I mean — we've got our own lives, we don't have to spend every minute of the day together."
"But —"
"Nancy," Elena said, her tone warning.
Melanie couldn't help but grin. She had a suspicion that the women had exchanged strong words about pressuring Melanie too much about her relationship with Aelfred. She appreciated that a great deal. As much as she liked spending time with him — and as much as she couldn't deny she had a crush on him — she would have felt far too self-conscious if her friends kept bringing up the whole 'fated to marry' energy. She was happy for it to remain as subtext.
"Well," Nancy said with a frown on her pretty face. "As long as you two stay… friends," she concluded, glancing sideways at Elena, who gave her a little nod.
"We will," Melanie said with a smile. "He's not going to stop being my friend just because he's on the Watch."
Still, as she headed up to bed, she couldn't help but worry a little about what Nancy had said. What if Aelfred's new role on the Watch did take him away from her? It already had, a little — they'd been planning to have dinner together until he'd been invited to join Brendan and Galen at their table to discuss his new role. And obviously, he'd have much less time during the day to spend with her… he'd be on the Wall for parts of the day, guarding or patrolling or training with those men. What about her? What would she do? She'd said she had her own life here, but she kind of didn't, if she was honest… she supposed she'd just have to find new hobbies. She could go riding by herself, perhaps? Or pick up some hobby that didn't require him to teach her… needlepoint, or something? She had no idea what needlepoint actually was, but it sounded like the kind of thing a bored medieval woman could do…
She supposed she could do what she'd always done — find a case and work it. The principles of investigation were still true in the sixteenth century as they were in the twenty-first, right? Maybe she could set up her business here again, see if any of the locals had mysteries they wanted to figure out. But right now, the only case she could think of was the case of Aelfred's parents… and that case would need to involve him.
She drifted off to sleep, troubled by this new chapter in their friendship… but determined to find a way to make it work.
Chapter 22
The week passed uneventfully. Sure enough, it wasn't long before Aelfred was assigned shifts guarding the wall and was quickly busy with getting to know his new brothers in arms on the wall. She was happy for him… but at the same time, she was already missing the time they had spent together. She kept herself busy that first day by going on a ride by herself, pleased with how easy she found it to tack her horse up by herself and set out into the beautiful, crisp morning. She rode at an easy pace along the lakeshore, wondering if she might be able to find the Monster again… but it seemed the creature was either nocturnal, or not particularly interested in coming out to see her. Well, fair enough. She was perfectly happy on her ride.
It was just about lunch time when she returned to the Keep. There was a familiar face grinning over the wall at her as she waited for the gates to be raised, and she laughed, raising a hand to wave to Aelfred. He was wearing a helmet and the armor that the guards wore — he looked rather fetching in it, too, she had to admit.
"Are you coming to lunch?" she shouted, wondering if she'd get a chance to catch up with him about his first day there. But he shook his head.
"We eat on the wall when we're on duty!" he called down.
She frowned. "Can I join you up there, then?"
A broad smile spread across his face. "I don't see why not!"
She urged her horse toward the stables once the gate was open, grinning widely. The idea of eating up on the Wall was a pleasing one… and she was eager to hear all about how his first day was going. She quickly untacked the chestnut gelding she'd been riding, giving him the carrot that she'd stashed in her pocket for him as a post-ride treat, and gave him a quick brush and a rubdown. They hadn't been riding especially hard, so it was a quick process — she hastened inside once he was happily settled in his stall again and gathered a meal for her and Aelfred from the kitchen, where the women were hard at work getting lunch organized for the castle. A little bundle of bread and cheese — suitable fare for an afternoon on the wall, she felt.
Then she headed back outside. Aelfred was waiting for her atop the wall close to the gate, and she shivered a little as the wind up there whipped at her hair. He led her to a table that was set up by the side of the gate, explaining that this was where the guards tended to sit on long nights on watch.
"Are you enjoying it?" she asked as they settled in to eat.
He nodded, smiling. "It's a lot of waiting around," he said with a shrug. "But the men have been very kind and welcoming — and they tell me it gets very exciting from time to time. Threats from the Burgh, and the like." They were working their way through the bread and cheese. "How was your morning?"
She told him about her ride, embellishing a little when it came to her unsuccessful hunt for the Monster by telling him she'd seen a suspicious clump of bubbles rising up from the depths of the Loch. "You were on patrol, too," he said with a grin. "I suppose you'll be joining the Watch sooner or later, too."
"I don't know about that," she murmured, her eyes dropping. "Not many women in the Watch, hm? And besides — I can't fight."
"Can't fight yet," he corrected her firmly. "And getting closer every day. Look how quickly you learned to ride, Melanie."
"Yeah, but I can't compete with people who've been doing it their whole lives, can I?" She sighed. "And besides — I don't know that I really want to be in the Watch. I'm an investigator, not a cop."
"I can't say I understand the difference."
"I thought about joining the police force a lot when I was younger," she said with a shrug of her shoulders. "Cops do a lot of the same work that private investigators do… but a lot of other stuff, too. Keeping people safe, jumping in when there's a threat — as well as investigating and solving crimes. I'm much more interested in the second bit, and not so good at the first bit."
Aelfred looked thoughtful. "And I'm more interested in the first bit. So, between us… I suppose we're an excellent pair, aren't we?"
She couldn't help but smile at that. How did he have that knack for saying just what she needed to hear to feel better? "I guess so," she agreed softly, smiling up at him. And with that warmth still burning in her chest: "I'm going to miss spending so much time with you, Aelfred."
He blinked. "What do you mean?"
"Well, with you on the Watch now…" She sighed. "I was enjoying our days together, that's all."
"We'll still spend time together," he promised. "Lunches, for one. Wh
y don't we agree to eat lunch together each day, just like this?"
She smiled and agreed… and true to his word, Aelfred made sure he was always ready and waiting to have lunch with her each day. It became a pleasant little ritual… she'd spend the morning by herself, either running over the sword drills he'd taught her or going on a ride around the countryside, then head up to the wall with lunch for the two of them bundled up in a satchel she'd borrowed for the purpose. It was nice to spend time with him… and nicer still to know that their time together was just as important to him as it was to her.
It had been a week since Aelfred had joined the Watch, and they were having their seventh lunch together on the far side of the wall, looking out over the Loch. They'd gotten their fair share of teasing from the other guards, who seemed to view Melanie's visits with a combination of suspicion and amusement, but she didn't care — seeing Aelfred was so pleasant that she was more than willing to overcome a bit of embarrassment about the teasing of a bunch of men who were probably just jealous of their colleague having female attention. For Aelfred's part, he was gently nonplussed as to what it was the men were making fun of.
"Why do they do that?" he asked once, after a couple of the men had elbowed each other in the ribs when they saw Melanie coming down the wall to find Aelfred. "Why is it funny to them that we have lunch together?"
"They think something else is going on," she said, rolling her eyes as a blush rose to her cheeks. They hadn't gotten close to this topic in ages… she was beginning to wonder whether Aelfred experienced any kind of attraction to anyone at all. He looked at her with a frown creasing the skin between his eyes… then blinked.
"Oh. They think we're courting?"
"Maybe," she said, feeling the blush beginning to spread and hoping that the chill wind coming in over the Loch would keep it from being too obvious. "That's generally what men think, when men and women are friends." Not just men, she thought darkly, reflecting on the conversations she'd had with the other time-lost women who were convinced that she and Aelfred were destined for each other. "Do people court, in the Fae? How does all that work over there?" She realized she didn't even know if the Sidhe had marriages. But Aelfred looked thoughtful.
Trusted By The Highlander: A Scottish Time Travel Romance Page 18