Changing Her Stars

Chapter Thirteen

Ezair couldn’t help but smile at his old pupil and friend as she dodged another of his attacks. Leira was holding steady in Sturdy Stance, and skillfully holding him off. He did notice that she left a few places open here and there, but he was overall very pleased with how much knowledge she had retained. He could have taken advantage of her rusty skills, but he decided against hurting her pride. Ezair knew that she was a harsher critic of herself than anyone else.

His sword brushed against her back as he twirled around her. Had they been using real swords in a real fight, he would’ve killed her with that move.

“Again,” he said sternly, letting his smile vanish as she looked over at him.

Leira was thoroughly out of breath now. They had been sparring for some time, and she couldn’t even keep track of how many times she had “died” by his moves.

“How… do you keep… doing that?” she panted.

“Practice.”

She bent at the waist, her hands on her knees, as she tried to catch a breath.

“Stand tall. Breath in and out deeply.”

Leira was slow to rise, but listened. The left side of her stomach was cramping, and then her stomach growled loudly in protest. Her eyes widened in horror.

“I suppose we could stop here for now,” Ezair then chuckled. “Today is only day one back in the training fields for you. We have plenty of time ahead of us.”

She shook her head at him. “It’s not fair that you’re still amazing, and I suck more than ever.”

He shrugged. “You’re not as bad as when I was teaching you the basics.”

“Oh, like that’s supposed to help make me feel better.”

They laughed, and Ezair caught himself again looking up at the window. The figure was still standing there, and he had been for the entirety of their session. It was strange behavior to him, but who was he to question the duke, who was so kindly letting him stay at the manor?

Following Leira back towards the main part of the castle, he said, “I turned swordsmanship into a living. I’d trade in my skills to be rusty in a heartbeat.”

“Oh, forgive me,” she replied, her eyes instantly conveying sorrow as she turned and placed a hand on his shoulder. “I spoke without thinking.”

He gave her a half-smile. “Think nothing of it. I know it was only out of awe at seeing how impressive I am.”

She laughed once more before going inside of the building. Before doing the same, Ezair, more out of curiosity than anything else, glanced up to see the window was now vacant.

Catching up to Leira, he caught her frowning.

“What’s wrong?” he implored.

“Oh, uh,” she started, dabbing her forehead with a rag. “Nothing, I suppose.”

“That can’t be true. I’ve seen that look before, and I know it well. Tell me what’s the matter.”

She sighed briefly, but gave him a small smile. “You do seem to know me so well. I was just informed that the Duke has changed the living arrangements. I’m to move into the Duchess’s room, so I will be washing up and changing in there instead of the room I had been using.”

“That sounds like a good change, since you are, after all, the Duchess. Why are you frowning like so?” Ezair asked without hesitation.

Leira looked at him, exasperated. She opened her mouth, and then closed it, shaking her head. “No matter. I’ll see you at breakfast.”

With that, she turned on her heel and allowed the maid to lead her to the Duchess’s room. She wasn’t surprised that he couldn’t understand the situation. A part of her thought it silly she should get upset over such a trivial matter, but it irked her nonetheless. Her husband had sent her here, without any warning, expected her to take care of an entire manor and adjacent village, and then came back, again, without warning, threw a tantrum about where she had been placed by his staff, and finally “mades things right” by having a maid inform her of the change. He probably expected her to smile at him and be grateful or perhaps fall at his feet with joy. But, she was not that woman. Leira briefly thought about annoying the man just enough to leave for the capital again without divorcing her.

“Yer bath iz ready, m’lady,” the maid said.

“Thank you.”

“Lilla’ll be in shortly, too.”

The maid helped her undress and then left her to soak in the tub, alone. Leira had taught the staff to let her be while bathing, and that she wouldn’t need an attendant. She was glad that even with the duke’s return, that hadn’t changed.

Leira looked around the unfamiliar bathroom as she soaked. It was gorgeous and more opulent than the one she had been using. She thought the same about the main bedroom as well. There was a distinct difference between the Duchess’s quarters and the guests’ quarters, which she now had to laugh inwardly at. How could she ever believe that the room she had stayed in was even remotely close to where a Duchess would stay? It no longer mattered. This would be her new room.

Lilla entered some time later and helped to dry her off. When the maid attempted to put Leira into the second fanciest dress she currently owned, she stopped her.

“No, bring one of my regular dresses, please. I have no wish to set a precedent or change how I’ve been living here simply because the Duke is back.”

Though Lilla seemed concerned, she listened to the lady of the house and took out a simple working dress. It was slightly nicer than what the common women wore in that the fabric was of a higher quality and had a longer skirt; however, she preferred the simpler dresses to the fancy ones. It had a clean, white blouse that fell off her shoulders, with a corset underneath that lightly cinched her waist. The skirt of the dress was a deep, forest green that fell to the floor.

“Thank you, Lilla,” she said as the maid put a few finishing touches on her hair.

Leira had decided to refrain from putting on make-up and kept her hair down and natural after it dried. If the duke didn’t like her appearance, maybe he would leave her be and let her work in his absence again.

“Breakfast iz ready,” Lilla said, opening the door for her.

Nodding, she let the maid escort her from her new room to the small nook she usually took her meals in. She was hesitant, at first, to continue to take her meals there after her husband’s arrival, but she ultimately decided that his presence wouldn’t change her routine. He had been gone for months, so he would need to conform to her. Leira couldn’t help but smile at herself when she thought about how bold she’d become since arriving to the home. She wasn’t sure if the duke was ready to meet her like this, as it was quite different from their other encounters. The distance had allowed her to feel more confident in her abilities and opinions. And though she was still very anxious about being divorced once more, she didn’t feel the incessant need to be meek either.

Arriving at the table, she smiled to see her usual breakfast waiting for her. Sitting down, she stared out of the window, looking at the cold scenery and stillness. The clouds had created a canopy in the sky and seemed almost ready to let go of their heavy burden. Snow was on the way.

“May I join you?”

Leira jumped at the voice, almost spilling the contents of her cup into her lap. She turned to see the stern face of the duke imploring her.

“Oh, of–of course, m’lord,” she hurriedly said, clearing a place in front of one of the two seats.

It truly was a breakfast nook where she ate everyday. There were three seats altogether, one looking out of the windows, and two on a shared, cushioned bench looking into the kitchen.

“Is this where you typically eat?” he asked after taking his seat on the bench.

A maid hurried over and quickly placed a cup in front of him, filling it to the brim with coffee. Leira made a mental note that her husband drank it black. She briefly glanced at her own cup, which was a light tan and felt embarrassed.

“Leira?”

“Hmm? Yes, it is. Is that a problem?” she replied, avoiding his eyes.

“No, I suppose not. Is there something wrong with the formal dining room?”

She bit the inside of her cheek to keep herself from saying something that would be perceived as passive aggressive. “There is nothing wrong. I just simply enjoy this space. You may use the formal dining. I won’t bother you there.”

She couldn’t see his features, but she felt the subtle shift in him. He seemed to close himself off more from her.

“I, uh, am I bothering you by joining you here?”

Leira found herself dumbstruck by the question and lifted her chin so that her eyes could finally meet his. There, she saw pain, longing, and something else before he masked his face once more.

“I beg your pardon. I didn’t mean to ask that. I, um,” he cleared his throat. “I wanted to discuss the room arrangement and our conversation from earlier. I wanted to apologize to you.”