Under the Oak Tree

They entered an opulent bedchamber. Taking off her dirt-covered cloak, Maxi's eyes passed over the expansive bed and the rest of the luxurious furnishings throughout the room. Perhaps she had spent too much time hunkered in tattered blankets on the floor of grimy tents, for the comforts around her felt strangely foreign.

"Come, sit," Riftan said, guiding her in.

Maxi pulled a chair close to the fireplace and sank into it, a contented sigh seeping out of her. She had forgotten how wonderful it was to warm herself before a blazing fire.

Removing her gloves, she dumped them on her lap and drew her hands closer to the flames. Riftan watched her wordlessly for a moment before handing her a silver goblet filled with wine.

"Drink this. It'll warm you up."

"Th-Thank you."

Maxi accepted the cup and took a sip. True to his words, the potent liquor soon warmed her body. She drained the goblet and held out the empty vessel.

"M-May I have some more?"

"It won't do to drink so much on an empty stomach. You should wait till the food is served."

Riftan plucked the goblet from her hands and placed it out of reach. Maxi eyed the wine bottle longingly, but the memory of passing out after a night of heavy drinking nipped her craving in the bud. She was determined to remain sober tonight.

She stole a glance at Riftan, intent on breaking the wall between them. He was now deftly removing his armor piece by piece. Her heart sank as she noticed his face, devoid of any emotion. If this night was to be a pleasant one, they still had a mountain to hurdle.

Suppressing a sigh, Maxi began pulling off her boots and socks slowly to buy herself more time. She tossed them into a basket, still mulling over how to initiate a conversation.

Just then, hurried footsteps came from outside the room.

"Sir, we have your bath."

"Come in."

Six servants poured into the room carrying a large tub of hot water, stacks of clean linen, and colorful garments. Maxi stepped aside and nervously smoothed down her hair as they bustled about, adjusting the temperature of the bathwater and neatly laying out the clothes, soap, and towels. Riftan finally broke his silence when they left the room.

"Are you just going to stand there? Get in before it grows cold."

Startled, Maxi turned to look at him. Now armorless, he was stoking the fireplace clad only in a thin tunic and woolen trousers.

Flustered, Maxi stared at him blankly before asking, "B-By myself?"

The poker in his hand froze.

Belatedly realizing how her words sounded, Maxi blushed. "I-It was you who told me… th-that married couples bathe together, s-so I assumed…"

"You should bathe first today. The tub is too small for both of us," he said coolly, feeding more firewood into the flames.

Maxi's eyes narrowed at his back before turning them to the steaming bath. Though it certainly could not be called spacious, they had quite happily squeezed into smaller tubs in the past. She bit back her point; the last thing she wanted was to beg him to join her.

Deliberately stomping over to the tub, she cast off her knee-length tunic, peeled off her thick tights, and threw them all into the laundry hamper. Now standing only in socks, an undergarment, and a thin chemise, she turned to face her husband. He was working the bellows, his eyes still glued to the fireplace. The sight suddenly filled her with anxiety. Perhaps he did not care whether or not she was bare.

Fidgeting with her worn sleeve, she let out a cough in a last-ditch attempt to draw his attention.

"I'm sorry, but could you help me pour more hot water? I'm afraid it has already cooled a little."

Riftan froze. His eyes shifted to the brass kettle the servants had hung over the fire. He was silent for a moment, then lifted the kettle out with the poker. After slowly walking over to the tub, he poured more water and turned away. He did not look at her once.

Maxi hastily grabbed him. She searched his face, worry setting in. "A-Are you still angry with me?" When he offered no reply, she continued, "What I said that day… was a little harsh. I was angered by your absurd suspicions."

She snapped her mouth closed when she noticed his jaw clench. It was not her intention to start another pointless argument.

Warily studying his face, she implored, "Please, say something. Anything. If you would only tell me why you are—"

"I need you… to get back first."

He sounded as if he were being choked. Roughly twisting his arm out of her grip, he rushed to the table like a beast freed from a trap. Maxi watched, stunned, as he picked up the wine bottle, filled a goblet, and drained it in one go.

His eyes blazed as he met hers. He wiped his mouth with his sleeve before refilling his goblet, then knocked it back as if putting out a fire in his throat.

"If you wish to talk, cover yourself first," he spat coldly, tilting his chin toward a blanket.

Maxi blinked vacantly, and she felt her face burn. She wrapped the blanket around herself while Riftan looked on uneasily.

"To answer your question," he said, pouring himself more wine. He paused to sigh. "No, I'm not angry with you. I'm simply trying to hold myself back. I didn't want to pounce on you right after a strenuous journey."

He downed another goblet of wine and added bitterly, "Though it would seem that my wife has no intention of aiding her husband's efforts at chivalry."

Maxi's ears turned crimson. Riftan's eyes lingered on her before he looked away to grab a fresh bottle of wine from the shelf. There was desperation in the way he uncorked it, like a parched man in a desert.

"Also," he said, "it is you who is still angry with me. You didn't say a word to me after our argument."

"N-Neither did you!"

"That is only because—"

He slammed the bottle on the table. His eyes darkened as he turned toward her, rubbing his mouth. Then, in a subdued voice, "I thought it best to keep my distance until the campaign was over. I had to stay vigilant until we were in safer territory, and you had your own responsibilities. Had we been in the same space, we would only have ended up hissing at each other like a pair of angry cats."

Maxi was about to snap back when she recalled all their arguments and the constant battle of wills since their reunion. Riftan was right; they had been circling each other like riled animals. Perhaps he had wearied of the situation.

Seized by crippling anxiousness, she blurted out, "But… that is no longer the case."

Riftan's gaze landed on her, and she could not tell if he was asking her if she really thought that was true or if he was simply mulling something over.

Her heart sank. Had he been building up his walls again while she had been stubbornly protecting her pride? After staring into his ominously calm eyes, Maxi grabbed his hand, which was resting on his thigh. To her relief, he did not wrench free this time.

"Do you still remember… what I told you three years ago?"

He stiffened ever so slightly. She raised her head to look into his clouded eyes. The look he gave her was that of a wary animal, and it broke her heart.

"I told you I would return to you as soon as I could…" she said, stroking his calloused palm, "and that I would never leave your side again."

Riftan made no reply, but Maxi was certain that he remembered her words as clearly as the day she had spoken them. After all, she vividly recalled that moment as though it were only yesterday; the silence in the darkened room, his husky voice beseeching her not to leave, the light fading from his eyes.

She instinctively gripped his hand. "While I was at the Tower… I promised myself over and over that I would never again leave… That I would never again… be parted from you."

She paused to compose her cracking voice and forced a smile on her quivering lips.

"If you would allow it… I want to keep that promise. I wish to be by your side, always. I never want… to be separated from you again."

Maxi heard his sharp intake of breath. The moment she raised her head to study his face, his large hand cupped the back of her head.

A moan escaped her as she tipped her head back. His chapped lips feverishly crushed against hers, and his steel-like arms tightened around her, squeezing out all the space between them.