“Yes! I got that!” I squealed, and he let out a loud laugh.
“I’m sorry, but you set yourself up for that one.”
“You are…unbelievable,” I muttered.
His hazel eyes twinkled with amusement, and he handed over his sword.
“Now, show me what you got, Lena.”
Training went well overall. Era managed to handle the bow, at least, even if she couldn’t utilize it. Viola surprisingly excelled at the greatsword, and Elowen was smiling by the end of practice with Hendry.
He seemed like a good man. So quiet and mysterious. And handsome. His one blue eye was a stark contrast to his brown skin, and I had a feeling he kept his silky, straight brown hair covering his forehead in a failed attempt to lessen his beauty. I remembered Silas telling me stories about both him and Edmund. I was happy he still had them after I was gone.
Roland actually gave me some good pointers as well, and I wondered when he and Silas had met. They both seemed to loathe each other’s company. I would ask about that one day.
Once our sparring was done and we were all covered in sweat, I was ready to get clean. I certainly didn’t want Ayla doing her measuring while I smelled disgusting. I decided I was going to head to the waterfall to wash up when Liette, the wife of one of Immeron’s sons, was kind enough to give me a cube of soap she had made. Considering how many people were going to want to bathe, they had to be conservative when it came to how much was given.
When I reached the stunning waterfall, I dipped my toes in, wincing at the cold. I sighed, loosened my hair from its braid, and quickly undressed before submerging myself in the water. It wasn’t freezing, but it wasn’t warm either.
I went to work washing my hair, body, and face. I blew air out of my nose and dipped my head under, my hair sticking to my back as I surfaced. I wiped my face and then startled and covered my breasts when I saw Roland watching me at the edge of the lake.
“W-what are you doing here?” I stuttered as Roland began to undress.
“This is where we bathe, yes?”
“Yes,separately.”
He chuckled and threw off his shirt, revealing a perfectly toned body. I swallowed and couldn’t stop my eyes from trailing over his physique.
His sides and arms were covered with intricate tattoos. I couldn’t tell what the design was, and I didn’t want to stare long enough to find out. They were a stark contrast to his skin despite it being a golden tan. When he began to unbutton his pants, I whirled away.
“What, don’t want to see?” he asked, clearly amused.
“No. No, I do not,” I lied.
Another chuckle, and I heard him hiss as he jumped in the water.
“Fuck!” he exclaimed. “It is cold in here.” he shivered as he emerged from under the water, then made his way to me.
My arms were crossed, covering my breasts still, and he gave me a smirk, his brown hair looking almost black when wet. The water beaded as it dripped down his body, trailing from his pecks down his abs, and I hated that I felt a pressure between my thighs.
I flushed and winced as I lowered myself into the water, still covering my breasts.
“Don’t let me interrupt your bathing,” he teased and began to drift away.
I looked over and examined his back and the tattoos covering both shoulder blades. They appeared to be wings of some sort. He turned back and caught me staring.
“I-I was just finishing up,” I stuttered.
“Liar,” he smirked. “You just got in here.” He began to rub a cut of soap over his chest, bubbles sliding down his abdomen.
“What are you doing?” I breathed.
“Bathing, what does it look like?” he murmured. The water came just before inappropriate areas began. A trail of brown hair made its way from the bottom of his belly button to an area I shouldn't be envisioning.
His smirk didn't waver. “I may not be cuffed like you were, but feel free to help me if you’d like.”
I shook my head and turned away. “I still haven’t forgiven you for that,” I muttered.
