Crag by Kate Hill

much like Crag. He mounted in front of her, and she clasped his waist tightly.
    Glancing over his shoulder at her, he smiled. “Don’t worry. I won’t let anything happen to you.”
    Pale Feet loped out of the settlement and over the grassy hills. After a while, Lily relaxed and loosened her grip on Crag. It was then she became fully aware of his body, the hardness of his back and lean waist beneath her palms. His robe, freshly washed and no longer covered with blood, carried the pleasant scent of herbs. His unbound hair hung down his back in tight, dark brown spirals that tickled her cheek.
    They dismounted by a lake and sat on the rocky edge, their feet immersed in the cool water. He turned to her, his eyes gleaming with a look she’d become accustomed to. She sensed he was about to speak of the forbidden, so she decided to keep them on the straight path and said, “Are you going to join Sir Blaze’s faction?”
    “I don’t know,” he murmured, glancing into the water. “I don’t really want to talk about it.”
    She nodded.
    “What are you going to do?” he asked.
    “I don’t know,” she replied honestly. “I really don’t want to talk about it, either.”
    “Lily, I—“
    “Please don’t say it,” she whispered.
    His jaw clenched. He picked up a stone and flung it so it skimmed across the water. She leaned back on her elbows and glanced at the cloudless sky. A flock of birds flew overhead, their black wings beating against a backdrop of blue. After several moments, they left the water, replaced their shoes, and plopped in the middle of the field where Pale Feet grazed. Neither felt much like talking anymore, and Lily had made it plain they weren’t going to make love. Lying side by side in the sun warmed grass, they closed their eyes and took a short nap. It had been so long since they’d enjoyed peace without cold, fear, exhaustion, and the threat of death. It felt good just to relax with someone else who understood. Lily hadn't known Crag for long, but they’d shared so much. Soon they would part, and after all her good intentions, she wondered if she’d truly have the strength to let him go.
    * * * * *
    Two days later, Lily stood in the field outside the settlement along with a large group of villagers, Knights, and the new Knights apprentices. Two rows of Knights, swords at their hips, stood at attention, forming a long pathway at the head of which stood Sir Rain and Sir Blaze. A wooden table laden with a dozen swords stood between them. Crag had explained the ritual to Lily. The apprentices whose service had been fulfilled would walk up the pathway and accept the sword with which they would be dubbed when they reached Travelle . Only the leader of the Knights, a man called Mahir , could dub the newest members of the Order. This ritual was just a formality in which the apprentices accepted their new position.
    Lily was lucky to have gotten a spot close to Rain and Blaze. Sir Wood stood beside her along with two new apprentice healers.
    The ceremony began suddenly. The Knights, in single file, rode their horses across a shallow brook and dismounted at the foot of the path. They led their horses up to Rain and Blaze, the two Knights of the highest rank available, and extended their hands for the sword. Rain stood watch, but Blaze, being his superior, awarded each apprentice with his sword.
    Each accepted his blade, some smiling, others serious, but all respectful. They bowed to Blaze and assembled in a row behind the table.
    When Lily noticed Crag riding through the brook, her heartbeat quickened and her hands trembled. The way she felt, one would have thought it was the prelude to her own dubbing. She was so happy for him, knowing how hard he’d worked to achieve his goal and how dedicated he was.
    Pale Feet’s hooves thudded in the water. Crag sat astride him wearing a plain black tunic and trousers, no ruby yet over his heart, symbolizing a Knight. That would come after the dubbing