“Flint—beautiful! Here, Mikk, catch. You are brilliant, Brida,” Nick said, tossing two rocks to his twin.
Mikk caught the rocks and walked over to the prepared tinder pile—for in the end, Steffen had been unable to accomplish his assigned task the previous night before the hour was over.
“I brought only what any competent soldier would bring,” Brida said, inspecting Elise’s few belongings with obvious disapproval.
“Elise, how much did you knit today? I would like to calculate the length of time it will take you to finish our clothing,” Erick asked.
“Did you really bring nothing but the horse and his tack when you left Castle Brandis?” Brida asked.
“Elise didn’t have much time, and she doesn’t have the training to keep a cool head as you do,” Nick said.
“Nick,” Mikk said as he scraped the flint stones together to make a spark.
“What?” Nick blinked.
Mikk didn’t respond and tried to fan the sparks into tiny flames on the dry bark and grass tinder.
“The shirts, Elise. How much did you complete?” Erick reminded Elise.
“Not very much, I bet,” Gerhart snorted.
Elise grew tense at the words being cast around her. Her heart tightened until Rune, her rock, placed an arm around Elise’s shoulders. “Enough. Elise is just as cursed as we are, perhaps more so. She deserves an hour’s reprieve,” he said to his brothers before whispering into Elise’s ears. “Walk with me?”
“Of course,” Elise said.
“How are your hands? Do they hurt terribly?” Rune asked as they left the camp, strolling along the shore. His hazel eyes were colored with concern as he brushed a hand against Elise’s cheek.
“It has been better since Falk told me to rub them with a fern plant he found,” Elise said.
“Can I do anything for you? Is there anything I could do that would bring you even a little comfort?” Rune asked, his hand resting against her neck.
Elise smiled. “Just being with you is enough, Rune.”
Rune abruptly stopped walking. He grabbed Elise and dragged her to him, tucking her head in the curve of his shoulder. He wrapped his arms around her and squeezed tightly.
Elise blinked several times in shock. “Rune?”
“I’m sorry,” he said.
Elise shifted uncomfortably before she hooked her elbow across Rune’s other shoulder.
In Rune’s arms, Elise felt safe and warm. She could forget the ache in her hands, and the fact that he would be swan again in a short time. Elise could depend on Rune. He was sincere.
“This is difficult for you as well,” Elise guessed when Rune finally released her.
“It is frustrating. I try to remember who I am, who you are, when I am a swan, but I can’t,” Rune said, hooking Elise’s arm through his before they started strolling again.
“Perhaps you will get better at it,” Elise said. “Besides, I don’t think any of your brothers remember any more than you do. All of you run around and chase bugs and eat most of the day.”
“Falk remembers. I don’t know how much, but he better retains his humanity than the rest of us,” Rune said.
“None of this is your fault, Rune. You’re doing the best you can. There’s no need to compare yourself to another.”
“Rune, Mikk wants you,” Falk said.
Elise would have leaped backwards if Rune wasn’t holding her arm. “Why?” Rune said. His voice was cold.
“Brida brought fishing line with her. He wants to catch fish to get Elise a decent dinner.”
Rune exhaled in obvious aggravation—a rare display for the usually sunny tempered hero. “Fine,” he said, dropping Elise’s arm. “I’m sorry, Elise. You should return and see what else Brida brought.”
“Okay,” Elise said, obediently following her middle foster brother.
They were only a short distance from the camp, but when she rejoined her brothers, Elise felt like she had been wrenched back into reality.
Erick was crouched over Elise’s knitting project, measuring it with a stick. Brida was tending to her mount, tying it to a tree with Falk’s horse.
“If we chop down a few saplings, it should be easy enough to make a pen to put the horses in at night. We can’t risk them running off,” Nick said, admiring the hand axe Brida had brought.
“It’s going to take you more than one night to do that,” Gerhart said.
“Yes, but it will be time well spent. Care to help me, Gerhie?”
“Not in your life.”
“Oh, Gerhie, so young, so selfish,” Nick sighed.
“Elise, Mikk got a fire going so we can use torches now. Would you like company to gather some more stinging nettles?” Steffen asked.
“I have enough for tomorrow,” Elise said.
Steffen handed her the rock knife Rune had fashioned for her. “Yes, but you’ll need more after that. I know I cannot help you pick, but I could keep you company,” Steffen said, glancing at the shirt Erick was studying from a different angle.
Elise swallowed the knot in her throat. Obviously her brothers didn’t think she was working fast enough. “Alright,” she agreed.
“That’s our Perfect Princess.”
“Always,” Elise grimly said. “Always.”
