Chapter 23

Freja kept taking them on tours around the fortress until Aislin thought they must have seen the whole castle. If at first it had been awkward, they slowly got to know her, and after a while, Aislin no longer thought about whether she should behave as a servant or member of another Nation, but treated Freja as a friend. Sami slowly began to open up, holding lengthy discussions with Freja about the history of their two Nations, and even Eru began to trust the girl. Aislin taught Freja the most common signs, and they soon found their own way of communicating.

Weeks passed, and Aislin wondered if they would ever return to their kitchen duties or if their life had taken yet another turn. She still hadn’t seen the Lady on more than a few occasions, but on those, she’d been polite and barely glared at Sami like she used to.

One of those days, as they walked through the castle, Eru suddenly took Freja’s hand, pulling her along the hallway. She seemed so happy with her new friend that Aislin didn’t want to disturb her, so she halted and watched them leave. Sami came up to her.

“She seems like she’s made herself at home”, Aislin commented, watching the girl disappear around the corner.

Sami nodded, and silence fell between them. Aislin glanced at her. She still wondered what went through her mind. They hadn’t had time to speak, and barely spent any time alone. She glanced down the hallway, but Eru was nowhere to be seen.

“How are you feeling?”, she asked.

Sami looked at her, surprised by her question.

“I’m… well”

Aislin took a deep breath, knowing she might not get another chance for a while.

“Do you like it here?”

“It’s a safe place”

Aislin nodded.

“Don’t you want to go back? If you’ve paid your debt to me”, she continued.

Sami sighed.

“I have nothing to go back to”

She fell silent, and Aislin dared to ask,

“What happened?”

Sami stared down the hallway, seemingly deep in thought.

“My faction lost. My officer was assassinated.”

She sighed.

“I will meet the same fate should I return”