Double-Edged Words

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

"Oh my gods, I can't believe it!" The woman rushed over and threw her arms around me in a bone-crushing hug. A bolt of electricity shot through every nerve in my body. Her softness overloaded my senses, tying my tongue into a knot and driving my heart into a frenzy. "I can't believe it's really you. Are you hungry? Want me to tell the kitchen staff to make you something? Of course, you must be hungry after the long trip." Without waiting for an answer, she dashed to the kitchen.

A smile split Benjamin's face. "Yes. That's our young madam."

"Oh," was the only response I could piece together after my brain was replaced with a head full of molasses.

"Well, that's done." Leyla's voice preceded her as she walked back into the foyer. "Want to rest before having dinner?"

Piecing my thoughts together, I responded, "Um, yes, alright."

A smile embellished her beautiful features. "Ok." Taking hold of my arm, she led me down the hallway. "I know the perfect place. Remember what I told you about the garden? The bench under the willow tree it's the best place to rest in the spring evening."

My gaze glided from her doe eyes to her full lips, looking for the sickly girl from five years ago. It's not that she doesn't look good—in fact, she looks amazing—it's just that, for some odd reason, I expected her to look the same as she did before I left.

"Here we are." Her voice snapped me out of my musings, and her caramel-colored hand reached for a red rose. "Since you like the color red, I planted these for you."

"T-They're nice, thanks."

She continued with an approving hum, "And here is the willow tree."

A small stone bench was placed in the shade of a weeping tree, where it was cool and fragrant due to the gentle breeze flowing through the garden. 

Leyla's eyes remained locked on my face as I slowly lowered myself into the bench. "Uh," My fingers wiped the bridge of my nose in an attempt to get rid of whatever was staining my face.

"Oh! Sorry, I was staring!" Her cheeks tinted pink. "It's just that. It's been so long since I've seen you." Her fingers twisted the fabric of her skirt. "So, how you've been? How was the war? Horrible, I can only imagine. How's Calim? Did he return with you?" She asked, sitting down next to me.

"Um, well. Things were hard, and sadly we lost a couple of our men." The faces of fallen soldiers came to the forefront of my mind, forcing me to take a breath to clear my head. "But their sacrifices weren't in vain. The kingdom is safe once again. And Calim, well, he's still his normal troublemaker self. A little battle-worn, but he's fine. He should be back home right this moment."

"Oh, that's great. I need to give Calim something as my thanks for keeping his promise."

"He said he'll come back later for that..." A stray lock of her hair undulated in the wind, breaking my line of thought. Focus! Why are you so distracted?

Her laughter pealed around the garden. "Alright then, we'll invite him for dinner next week."

"I'm sure he'll like that." A timid smile crept across my face while we admired the garden in companionable silence. She really did a good job with the place. "I-It looks good. The garden, I mean."

"I'm glad you like it. I hope this place brings you as much peace as it has for me."

"I think it will."

Dinner was a lively event. Plates filled with my favorite foods and desserts covered the table—steak, mashed potatoes, spaghetti, chocolate cake, and apple pie. A feast in celebration of the master's return. There was so much food I worried it'll all go to waste.