She had the most adorable wrinkle between her brows when she became annoyed. It enticed him to keep teasing her.
“I know quite a bit more than you might think,” she retorted sharply, the tenuous peace stretching thin between them. Mat plucked a blade of grass and chewed it casually.
“Oh?” he challenged softly. “What does a lady know of commoners suffering?”
Her eyes grew dark and she turned away from him. “Enough.”
The word was imbued with fathomless sorrow. It hung in the air between them for long, silent moments until Mat knew without a doubt that he was a complete jackass. He thought she would leave, but instead she took a steadying breath.
"What do you plan to do with us?" Her clear blue eyes sharpened into shards of ice.
The grin slipped off his mouth. "How did the two of you come to be in the woods, with those men?"
"You haven't heard?"
Mat shook his head. She pulled the cloak tighter against her throat, as if it could protect her from whatever secret was hiding away inside of her.
"The... princess escaped from the Dragon before the blood moon ceremony. His men have been hunting her, and anyone he thinks may be helping her." Every muscle in Mat's body tightened. The ritual to bring magick back to Aegis hadn’t been completed. That meant winter would be upon them soon, and when it came, death would surely follow.
"The king is dead, and the Dragon is ravaging the kingdom unchallenged. Or at least, that has been the consensus at every town we passed through." The breath left Mat's body in a whoosh; a buzzing echoed flatly in his ears.
If she was telling the truth, then they needed to return to Fangorn Keep as quickly as possible. For the first time in recent history, the legion could be summoned to battle; he could be called to aid in the coming fight. This could be the first time in more than a lifetime that Aegis fought an open war. With no king, and the blood moon ceremony incomplete, there was a power vacuum and any Lord may gather arms to try and claim it.
"What of the queen?" he asked, his eyes far away as he waited for any details the girl could give.
"I don’t know."
Liz had tears in her voice. Mat refocused on her and the others across the fire from them. Gareth and Liz’s friend were both wide-eyed and unblinking at the turn of conversation. Mat clasped his hands together in front of him, rubbing his ring across the bottom of his chin. The repetitive motion helped him organize his wayward thoughts.
What would a knight do?
A knight would be bound by the codes. Codes of honor, chivalry, and above all else loyalty to the crown. But who will be wearing it? He pressed the heels of his hands against his eyes, the muscles in his jaw working as he clenched and released his teeth. Gods be damned.
"Where were the two of you headed?" he asked, his brow furrowed as he thought over the consequences of the choices before him.
"North. As far north as we could get before winter descends."
Smart. She was buying herself time, that fact if nothing else confirmed his suspicions about her. Everyone knew during winter the far-north regions became isolated from the rest of the kingdom. The mountain paths became inaccessible, cut off from the rest of the country until the thaw came in the spring. She would not have the same luxuries up north as she would in the southern palace, but she would remain safe.
"You'll come with us, then," he said, clapping his hands against his thighs as he made up his mind.
"Mat—" Gareth interrupted, but Mat didn’t acknowledge him.
"We're headed to a hunting lodge to get the rest of our party, and then we'll travel on to Fangorn Keep. You'll be safe there once the winter blizzards descend on the mountains." Liz's eyes no longer appeared empty and lonely. There was something in them that made the pit in Mat's stomach shrink. Something warm and wonderful; hope, he imagined.
"Matioch, you can't speak for Lord Callum. He wouldn't approve of you—"
Mat held up a hand to silence Gareth; ignoring him had become quite the talent.
"You're obviously a woman of noble birth, and as such, if you are seeking sanctuary, it is my duty to help you find it." Mat unsheathed his sword and lowered himself to one knee in front of her. He placed his sword before him, bowing his head.
"I give you the protection of my sword, and if necessary, my body. I vow to you, Lisbet, I will do all I can to see you safely to Fangorn Keep. I make this vow on the old codes."
Liz put her dainty hand against his cheek. "I can’t ask this of you. You don't even know me."
Her friend whispered something under her breath, but Mat could only focus on the place where her hand rested on his skin. He was aware of the heat between them, the softness of her touch, each individual point of contact acted as a tether between them.
"You don't need to ask. Bastard or not, I'm not the kind of man who could leave you in the wilderness alone. If I cannot leave you, then, it's only proper we make things clear between us. I will deliver you to Fangorn Keep. From there you may do as you wish."
The Red Princess considered his words before nodding with a solemnity that would have given her away if the shade of her hair hadn’t already.
"Call me Liz," she said again, as she removed her hand leaving him strangely cold. He rose and walked to the horses to gain some distance and perspective. He was transfixed by this woman. From the moment he’d laid eyes on her dirty, furious face he knew he was in trouble.
He thought of Mara. He should have said goodbye to her, should have explained things. It wasn't fair of him to leave her without a word. In truth, he was afraid she would somehow talk him out of leaving altogether.
Gareth followed Mat over to where they’d tied up the horses, silent fury etched in the set of his shoulders. He leaned against the tree he’d tied the horses to and glanced back at the fire.
"You're an idiot, you know that?"
"Funny, coming from you."
"You're going to get us all killed." Gareth’s eyes remained on the women huddled together near the fire. Liz's friend gazed at him adoringly through her eyelashes, a clear invitation.
"You seem to have caught her attention," Mat responded, hoping to change the subject.
"Tia? Yeah, she's just grateful I plucked her out of the river. It'll pass. We need to discuss the foolhardy vow you just made and how Lord Callum is going to flay you until you have no skin left on your back. You’ll be forcing him to choose a side.”
“I’m going to get more than a commission when we make it back to the keep. I’m going to earn a knighthood.”
Gareth’s eyebrows rose in shock and he barked out a sharp, cynical laugh.
“You’re mad,” Gareth said, running a hand incredulously down his face. Mat tossed him the burr he’d pulled from Liz’s hair. He caught it easily, more confused than before. Mat held up his hand, fingers smeared with black smudges.
“She’s the Red Princess, and I’m going to deliver her to Lord Callum. Either she’ll be grateful enough for our help that she’ll bestow a knighthood on me, or Lord Callum will trade her to the Dragon and he’ll be grateful enough to bestow a knighthood on me. Either way, we’ll both be hailed as heroes of Aegis.” Mat couldn’t help but take pleasure in the emotions flitting rapidly over Gareth’s normally apathetic face. Shock. Anger. Envy. Mat relished them all. His expression faded into stony silence, completely unreadable.