Chapter 9: Chapter 9

UNCOMFORTABLE SITUATIONS

Arin knew he had done something wrong. He would also talk to Syman. And he understood that Elain had hit him. It had been hard to swallow, but somehow he understood.

But the fact that Elain didn't stop being so stubborn and that she would finally come home made him angry.

However, when he finally got Elain to perceive her surroundings, she was like a different person. She leaned against his chest in surprise and put a hand to her mouth. She greedily sucked in every detail. It comforted him to see that she was happy despite her anger.

As they approached the small, modest hut with a flat wooden roof, a worn-out woman came out. She was slim and wore a simple dress with an apron.

Elain writhed between his legs. And for a brief moment he left reality. But he still managed to stop his horse and let Elain dismount.

Then she ran and jumped into the arms of the woman by the hut. The woman didn't look like Elain at all. But she had to be Elain's aunt. They didn't look that wealthy as if this woman had only been a worker.

Arin dismounted as well and led Pocket to the cottage. A tall, elderly man stepped out of the house.

Arin had brought me home!

To Ulrike and Jakob. My horses and my things. I was so overwhelmed.

Jacob patted my hairline before eyeing my companion closely. Ulrike didn't look too enthusiastic either.

"Black Knight." Jacob began to my surprise. How did he know what the Black Knight looked like. "If you're asking for a dowry, you'd better go and leave Elain here. For, as you can see, I have nothing worth defending. Not even my best horse could match your squire's horse."

Dowry? Did the two already know? How did it happen so quickly?

"And we would never let you have Elain! Just so you know!" Ulrike snapped and put her hands on her hips.

Arin looked at me, but I said nothing. To be honest I didn't know what to say. Did Arin want to leave me here? Would I be relieved or hurt? Why did he bring me here? Even though I was happy, I was still confused.

Just now I was angry and now this. What would happen now? After all, I had hit him this morning... maybe he wanted to get rid of me like that?

Arin hinted at a small grin. Oh, his dimples.

I loved it.

"No, sir. A dowry is not my concern. But I will take Elain back, my lady."

Ah, I was relieved. So he didn't just want to get rid of me here. But that meant I had to say goodbye again.

"What do you want?" Jacob was suspicious.

He tried to assess Arin.

"I wanted to give Elain a chance to talk about your marriage herself. At least she was caught off guard."

Was that his reason? Am I allowed to believe that?

"That's very unlikely given your reputation."

"I don't care what you think of me."

Jacob eyed Arin appraisingly. I recognized it immediately - he didn't like Arin. Well, nobody liked my knight.

Mother pulled me in, Jacob stood in the door. He showed Arin that he didn't belong here.

Arin was mean, rough, and opaque. But he didn't want to leave me. He bought me a dagger and took off my corset without treating me rudely. And he took the punch I gave him this morning. Actually, he could have taken revenge.

Jacob closed the door and immediately his hard face melted.

"Elain, are you alright? You don't have to go with him again if you don't want to." He hugged me to his chest and kissed my head.

"Look at him! He looks really bad! That's what bad people look like Elain!" Mother peeked out the window.

I didn't want them to talk about him like that.

They didn't know him well enough to say they didn't like him. Arin was much more his own than that you could just judge him!

"Arin is-"

"Florence can experience something! Count's wife or not! Just marry you without speaking to us!"

Ulrike hit the heavy wooden table so that the cups rattled. Jacob ignored her and pulled me to the table.

"Eat something first. Then you can wash and change."

"Florence made my favorite dress disappear..." I remembered. And something else. "What about Arin?"

"I'll take care of that later." Ulrike growled and smeared her homemade butter on a piece of bread for me. Usually only she and Jacob ate the butter because we never had very much of it. Despite it.

"Can I change first?"

Arin sat down with Syman under a shady tree down from the hut. The squire still didn't speak to him.

Arin was incredibly sorry for what he had done. He'd hit Syman before. That happened in two years. But he had never been as angry as he was today. And it was never unjustified. This time it was, he found out.

Syman must have really apologized and just tried to cheer him up. But Arin wasn't listening anymore.

Syman's cheek was still red, his eyes were still slightly red, and his shoulders were slumped.

Arin rubbed the back of his neck.

"syman-"

"Don't..." he murmured, folding his arms on his bent knees.

"I know there was no reason. I-" Syman cut him off again.

"What was that supposed to mean then?"

"I just got off on the wrong foot..." Arin himself didn't find this justification enough. But that was the truth.

Syman finally looked at him. His eyes blazed with anger. Arin understood better than anyone why unjust blows weighed on Syman of all people. And that of all people from Arin...

"I'll have to take a beating for that!?"

"No. I just want to apologize to you."

Syman looked away again and shook his head angrily.

"I'm not upset that you hit me. But that you were just angry. I was sad before, but I tried to understand. Now I'm just terribly hurt!"

The words hit Arin hard. A man once hit him in the chest with his sword. It hurt incredibly, but Syman's disappointed look hurt a lot more.

"I'll leave you both alone now." He suddenly murmured and pulled the horses with him onto one of the huge green areas.

Arin turned around and saw Ulrike standing behind him. She had a stick and a mug in her hand. Arin rose.

"Milady?"

Ulrike held out the mug and then took a few steps back. There was wine in the cup.

"You won't force Elain to come with you."

Force? "I would never do that."

"You are a murderer and a thief! Does Elain know they are wanted?"

Well, that was a good argument. If Elain hadn't noticed it herself, she didn't know either.

"So not? I won't leave my daughter with someone like you! You have no regard or respect for anything!"

The woman put the stick on her shoulder. "I won't let you sleep on my property."

That didn't hurt Arin. He knew that kind of rejection.

But he wouldn't leave without Elain.