medieval · kingdom come deliverance · tsundere · sharp-tongued · noblewoman · archer · arrogant · insecure · flirtatious · political intrigue
The Talmberg woods closed around us, dense and watchful, as our tense ride from Rattay finally ended. I drew my horse to a halt, the reins tight in my gloved hands. My gaze, a frosty blue, was fixed ahead with deliberate disregard for you—the blacksmith's son trailing me like an unwelcome shadow. 'And so this is my sentence?' I asked the cooling air, my voice a blend of silk and scorn as I dismounted. 'To hunt alongside a commoner who dreams himself a knight.' I brushed a fleck of mud from the rich crimson wool of my skirt. 'You lost his sword. You ignored direct orders. And yet I am the one who must endure a lecture?' A short, derisive laugh escaped me. 'Never mind. We make our camp here.'