sometimes humorous personality, unlike anything she’d ever seen before.
“Very well,” she said. “If that is your wish.”
“It is,” Daniel said, looking to Gunnar on the horse beside them. “But you must call me ‘O Great One’. Is that clear?”
Gunnar could sense the humor and he grinned. “Why can’t I call you Daniel, too?”
Daniel pretended to be imperious. “Because I demand respect from those I have saved,” he said with mock severity. “Mayhap tomorrow I will permit you to call me Daniel, but not today. Today, you will call me ‘O Great One’ at all times. Is that clear?”
Gunnar giggled. “It is.”
“It is what ?”
“O Great One!”
Gunnar was snorting as he said it and Liselotte grinned as well, watching the interaction between her brother and Daniel. God’s Blood, it was good to have her brother back and smiling again. She’d missed him so terribly.
“I will tell you a secret,” she said to Daniel, eyeing Gunnar as she spoke. “He is very ticklish and he hates to have his ears pulled. If he disobeys you, such punishment would torment him.”
Daniel grinned broadly at the boy. “Is that true?” he asked. “Are you really ticklish?”
Gunnar’s eyes flew open wide. “You will never know!”
“You will never know what ?”
“O Great One!”
Daniel fought off laughter as he turned away from the boy, who was kicking furiously at the old mare, trying to coerce it into moving forward. Daniel made a noise with his tongue, like clucking, and that was enough of a noise to move Ares forward without any kick at all. As the big black horse moved forward, the lazy mare followed.
Peering around Daniel’s big frame, Liselotte could see that they were heading to an area that looked like a livery; there were horses in a small corral, a few sheep, goats, and a barn-like structure. There were people moving in and out of the structure with sacks of grain over their shoulders. It was a busy place.
“Daniel,” Liselotte said quietly. “How much grain do you intend to purchase?”
Christ, he loved hearing his name come out of her mouth, spoken in her sweet and sultry voice. He could have listened to that all day and well into forever. But there wasn’t time for sweetness like that, at least not at the moment. Eyes on the barn-like structure ahead, he spoke.
“I am not entirely sure,” he said. “I would see what the price is first and then we will proceed.”
“You will not buy too much, will you?”
“That is for me to decide.”
It was a rather short reply, as if it weren’t any of her business, so Liselotte didn’t ask any more questions after that because he didn’t seem willing to discuss it. As they reached the livery with its goats and sheep and horses, Gunnar immediately jumped off the mare and ran to see the goats. There were several young kids and he was quite excited about them.
Daniel watched the boy pet and play with the goats, a smile on his face, as he helped Liselotte off of the horse. When her feet hit the ground, he dismounted after her, his gaze seeking out the man in charge. As he hunted for the man, Liselotte spoke.
“Gunnar had a pet goat but we were forced to eat it.”
Her voice was soft and sorrowful. Daniel looked to her, curiously, before turning to see Gunnar sitting on the ground, hugging one of the young kids as if it were the most precious thing in the world. Daniel tried not to let his mood darken as he watched the boy kiss the little goat. A young boy’s pet had been a victim of their poverty, a sorrowful thing, indeed.
“You did what you had to do in order to survive,” he said quietly. “You mustn’t feel guilty over it.”
Liselotte watched her little brother, grief on her features. “He loved that goat,” she said. “He had raised it since it was a kid and it followed him everywhere. He even slept with it. But when it became apparent we would have to eat it, as there was virtually nothing left, he cried for days. I
“Very well,” she said. “If that is your wish.”
“It is,” Daniel said, looking to Gunnar on the horse beside them. “But you must call me ‘O Great One’. Is that clear?”
Gunnar could sense the humor and he grinned. “Why can’t I call you Daniel, too?”
Daniel pretended to be imperious. “Because I demand respect from those I have saved,” he said with mock severity. “Mayhap tomorrow I will permit you to call me Daniel, but not today. Today, you will call me ‘O Great One’ at all times. Is that clear?”
Gunnar giggled. “It is.”
“It is what ?”
“O Great One!”
Gunnar was snorting as he said it and Liselotte grinned as well, watching the interaction between her brother and Daniel. God’s Blood, it was good to have her brother back and smiling again. She’d missed him so terribly.
“I will tell you a secret,” she said to Daniel, eyeing Gunnar as she spoke. “He is very ticklish and he hates to have his ears pulled. If he disobeys you, such punishment would torment him.”
Daniel grinned broadly at the boy. “Is that true?” he asked. “Are you really ticklish?”
Gunnar’s eyes flew open wide. “You will never know!”
“You will never know what ?”
“O Great One!”
Daniel fought off laughter as he turned away from the boy, who was kicking furiously at the old mare, trying to coerce it into moving forward. Daniel made a noise with his tongue, like clucking, and that was enough of a noise to move Ares forward without any kick at all. As the big black horse moved forward, the lazy mare followed.
Peering around Daniel’s big frame, Liselotte could see that they were heading to an area that looked like a livery; there were horses in a small corral, a few sheep, goats, and a barn-like structure. There were people moving in and out of the structure with sacks of grain over their shoulders. It was a busy place.
“Daniel,” Liselotte said quietly. “How much grain do you intend to purchase?”
Christ, he loved hearing his name come out of her mouth, spoken in her sweet and sultry voice. He could have listened to that all day and well into forever. But there wasn’t time for sweetness like that, at least not at the moment. Eyes on the barn-like structure ahead, he spoke.
“I am not entirely sure,” he said. “I would see what the price is first and then we will proceed.”
“You will not buy too much, will you?”
“That is for me to decide.”
It was a rather short reply, as if it weren’t any of her business, so Liselotte didn’t ask any more questions after that because he didn’t seem willing to discuss it. As they reached the livery with its goats and sheep and horses, Gunnar immediately jumped off the mare and ran to see the goats. There were several young kids and he was quite excited about them.
Daniel watched the boy pet and play with the goats, a smile on his face, as he helped Liselotte off of the horse. When her feet hit the ground, he dismounted after her, his gaze seeking out the man in charge. As he hunted for the man, Liselotte spoke.
“Gunnar had a pet goat but we were forced to eat it.”
Her voice was soft and sorrowful. Daniel looked to her, curiously, before turning to see Gunnar sitting on the ground, hugging one of the young kids as if it were the most precious thing in the world. Daniel tried not to let his mood darken as he watched the boy kiss the little goat. A young boy’s pet had been a victim of their poverty, a sorrowful thing, indeed.
“You did what you had to do in order to survive,” he said quietly. “You mustn’t feel guilty over it.”
Liselotte watched her little brother, grief on her features. “He loved that goat,” she said. “He had raised it since it was a kid and it followed him everywhere. He even slept with it. But when it became apparent we would have to eat it, as there was virtually nothing left, he cried for days. I
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