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Authors: Autumn M. Birt
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Corianne said as she stopped the horse to mount at the bend where the old maple tree hid the house from view.
Pyotr snorted. “It’s a long way to Rhiol. The old nag can carry both of us. She won’t have any riders for the walk back.”
“Fine,” she snapped, still not trusting he wasn’t going to talk her out of it. But leaving, instead of arguing in the farm yard, sounded like a better plan. She could always push him off. Cori made him sit behind her. Annoyingly, he stayed silent and agreeable. As the sun rose and no sign of pursuit appeared, she just wanted to know one thing.
“If you were planning on enlisting after coming back from Crystal City, why did you wait until I did? You could have stayed in Prague.”
Pyotr was silent a minute. The horse swayed under them on her slow walk to Rhiol. “I went to Crystal City looking for family and from the time I left Europe all I could think of was Tatiana. I wanted to come home and spend time with her first, and make sure she would be all right and that the farm was fine. And I wanted to meet Phillip,” he added with a shrug she could feel as he shifted.
“That does make sense,” Corianne admitted. “What do you think of Phillip?”
“He’s nice and does love Tatiana, I can tell that. I guess it should be enough, but ... it doesn’t mean I didn’t want more for her. I don’t know if he and I will ever see eye to eye.”
Corianne laughed softly. “Just like she doesn’t want to see you enlist in the Guard?”
Pyotr huffed a laugh as well. “Yeah, something like that. Guess we have to sneak away to be allowed to live our lives.”
That made Corianne sigh. Silence ticked by for a few minutes. “I think Tatiana will understand that. Even when she didn’t approve of my choices, she never tried to change them. My mother though ... I wish she understood. I know this is going to hurt her. But I can’t spend the rest of my life living like I did the last month.”
“Did you leave anything to explain?”
“A note,” Corianne admitted. “You?”
“A note as well. As much as I’m not crazy about Phillip, I wish I could see her get married. I almost told her, hoping they’d have a quick ceremony or something. But she is so excited about the wedding that I just couldn’t.”
“Maybe there’ll be a weekend,” Corianne suggested as she turned the mare down the winding drive to Rhiol.
“That we could go from wherever we’ll have training back up here to see her married? I might have walked through the Wasteland with Derrick and we might write, but we’re both going to be new recruits. I don’t think we’ll rate a flight so we can see Tatiana wed.”
“You write to the Earl of Kesmere?” Corianne asked, shifting in the saddle to glance at Pyotr. He blushed.
“I don’t call him that. Just Derrick ... which now when you say that it sounds worse. Yes, I’ve written twice and he answered. He knows I’m planning on enlisting. He asked how you were. I think he feels ... bad.”
“Because it was his father who I was sleeping with and sold me to an FLF soldier?” Corianne asked, ignoring Pyotr’s wince. Everyone would have to accept that at some point. “It isn’t his fault. Actually, I was thinking it is so odd you writing to him. I wanted to marry him once. Which makes it weirder that I had an affair with his father. I wish I had a better explanation for what I did in Prague. Then I’d at least be able to know I’d never make such lousy choices again.”
Pyotr squeezed her arm, but didn’t respond. Ahead the grey stone buildings of Rhiol came into view. Corianne thought about what she’d just said and where she was heading. Even that didn’t change her mind. She stopped the horse before the front doors, letting Pyotr slide from the mare’s back first.
“You ready?” Corianne asked as she straightened her jacket.
“I am,” he said, gaze level and firm.
Corianne hadn’t known Pyotr well before she’d left for Prague and he
Pyotr snorted. “It’s a long way to Rhiol. The old nag can carry both of us. She won’t have any riders for the walk back.”
“Fine,” she snapped, still not trusting he wasn’t going to talk her out of it. But leaving, instead of arguing in the farm yard, sounded like a better plan. She could always push him off. Cori made him sit behind her. Annoyingly, he stayed silent and agreeable. As the sun rose and no sign of pursuit appeared, she just wanted to know one thing.
“If you were planning on enlisting after coming back from Crystal City, why did you wait until I did? You could have stayed in Prague.”
Pyotr was silent a minute. The horse swayed under them on her slow walk to Rhiol. “I went to Crystal City looking for family and from the time I left Europe all I could think of was Tatiana. I wanted to come home and spend time with her first, and make sure she would be all right and that the farm was fine. And I wanted to meet Phillip,” he added with a shrug she could feel as he shifted.
“That does make sense,” Corianne admitted. “What do you think of Phillip?”
“He’s nice and does love Tatiana, I can tell that. I guess it should be enough, but ... it doesn’t mean I didn’t want more for her. I don’t know if he and I will ever see eye to eye.”
Corianne laughed softly. “Just like she doesn’t want to see you enlist in the Guard?”
Pyotr huffed a laugh as well. “Yeah, something like that. Guess we have to sneak away to be allowed to live our lives.”
That made Corianne sigh. Silence ticked by for a few minutes. “I think Tatiana will understand that. Even when she didn’t approve of my choices, she never tried to change them. My mother though ... I wish she understood. I know this is going to hurt her. But I can’t spend the rest of my life living like I did the last month.”
“Did you leave anything to explain?”
“A note,” Corianne admitted. “You?”
“A note as well. As much as I’m not crazy about Phillip, I wish I could see her get married. I almost told her, hoping they’d have a quick ceremony or something. But she is so excited about the wedding that I just couldn’t.”
“Maybe there’ll be a weekend,” Corianne suggested as she turned the mare down the winding drive to Rhiol.
“That we could go from wherever we’ll have training back up here to see her married? I might have walked through the Wasteland with Derrick and we might write, but we’re both going to be new recruits. I don’t think we’ll rate a flight so we can see Tatiana wed.”
“You write to the Earl of Kesmere?” Corianne asked, shifting in the saddle to glance at Pyotr. He blushed.
“I don’t call him that. Just Derrick ... which now when you say that it sounds worse. Yes, I’ve written twice and he answered. He knows I’m planning on enlisting. He asked how you were. I think he feels ... bad.”
“Because it was his father who I was sleeping with and sold me to an FLF soldier?” Corianne asked, ignoring Pyotr’s wince. Everyone would have to accept that at some point. “It isn’t his fault. Actually, I was thinking it is so odd you writing to him. I wanted to marry him once. Which makes it weirder that I had an affair with his father. I wish I had a better explanation for what I did in Prague. Then I’d at least be able to know I’d never make such lousy choices again.”
Pyotr squeezed her arm, but didn’t respond. Ahead the grey stone buildings of Rhiol came into view. Corianne thought about what she’d just said and where she was heading. Even that didn’t change her mind. She stopped the horse before the front doors, letting Pyotr slide from the mare’s back first.
“You ready?” Corianne asked as she straightened her jacket.
“I am,” he said, gaze level and firm.
Corianne hadn’t known Pyotr well before she’d left for Prague and he
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