Rojuun Read Free Page A

smile at him.
    “Thank you. I’m really tired, so there’s a
good chance I’d get lost,” he jested. Tathan knew every inch of the
house, but he was road weary. It was nice to have someone show him
the way.
    Once in the room, she turned down the covers
and closed the shutters. Liselle looked to be a couple of inches
shorter than his six feet of height. “There, it should be nice and
dark for you to sleep.” Her voice was like a soft stream running
through the forest. “I’d love to hear about the places you visited.
They must be wonderful.” Her eyes lit up and she clapped her hands
in excitement.
    “They’re exciting . . . but not always
wonderful. The idea of seeing them may sound fun now, but were you
to visit those places . . .” his words trailed off ominously.
Shaking himself of the dark thoughts, he continued, “I’m sorry.
It’s not good for me to scare you.”
    She chuckled. “It’s alright. My father and
uncle try to scare me all the time. I want to see the world. I know
it’s dangerous, but I don’t care.” Determination showed in her
eyes.
    “I see,” he responded quietly. “That’s
understandable. I felt the same way after leaving and would
probably do the same thing again.” Tathan ran his fingers through
his hair and sighed. “This is home, but it’s not exciting. There’s
no adventure.”
    “Then you think I should be allowed to
explore the world?” Liselle looked hopeful at the thought of an
ally.
    “No. It’s a bad place and most people die.”
Tathan realized that was an overly harsh view of the world, but it
was how he had come to feel.
    “Oh.” Her face was crestfallen. “Of course.
Well, I should get to chores now. Mother will be wanting my
help.”
    Tathan placed a gentle hand on her upper
arm. “If you wish to explore the world, then you can always go.
There comes a point where your life is yours to live even though it
may hurt others.”
    “Really?” Liselle bit her lower lip in
thought. “I don’t know what to do. Mother wants to take me to
Rothton to find a husband.” She rolled her eyes in
exasperation.
    “That’s where my mother is from, which means
Aunt Sherrie is from there too, right?” he asked.
    “Yes. But I don’t want to get married. I
want to explore the world, have adventures and find a handsome
prince!” Liselle twirled with her arms in the air.
    “I understand. That’s exactly how I felt
when I left . . . well, minus the part about the handsome prince.”
He grinned at her.
    “Oh, but you would make such a lovely bride
for a handsome prince,” she said with a laugh. Her laughter was
bright and innocent. Then she sat down on the bed with a wistful
sigh. “I really don’t want to go to Rothton to find a husband. What
am I to do, Tathan?” she asked.
    Why was she asking him? “I’m not sure
what would be best,” he shrugged. “It seems like women are always
supposed to get married, men too I suppose. My parents wanted me to
go to Rothton to find a wife. Father was upset when I refused.”
    “I didn’t know that,” she responded.
    He nodded, “He didn’t hold on to his anger.
Father realized I was going to leave. He sat with me and told me
what little he knew of the world. Then he let me know that he loved
me.”
    “That’s really nice, but I don’t think my
father will be quite so understanding.” She stood. “Well, I need to
do my chores. Get some rest. I’ll wake you when dinner is ready.”
She turned and left the room, closing the door behind her.
    Tathan sat on the bed a little longer. After
a bit, he went to the window and opened the shutters to look
outside. It was a beautiful day. Birds were singing their lovely
songs in the trees. Flowers were in bloom and their fragrance
filled the air. There were a lot more flowers than he ever
remembered seeing. Tathan took a deep breath then exhaled, letting
some of the tension flow from his body. It was so nice to relax for
the first time in ages.
    He stayed at the window