Page 18 of Laird of Wrath

Callum strolled off, as if expecting her to follow him, but then stopped short, thinking twice about it. He seemed to struggle with himself for a moment before he offered her his arm, and she gladly looped hers around it.

He led her through the castle in silence, the two of them walking side by side until they reached the courtyard. Just as Rhea thought that they were going to the stables to get their horses and head out, he steered her to the back of the castle, where the gardens were.

Is that all he could think of?

But it soon turned out they weren’t heading into the gardens, either. Much to her surprise, they were heading somewhere else—the training grounds.

“Are we here to train?” she asked half-jokingly.

“I noticed that we have somethin’ in common,” Callum said, instead of answering her question.

“We do?”

“Aye. Precision.”

Rhea blinked a few times in surprise. “Precision?”

“Aye.” Callum nodded. “I saw how ye killed that bee.”

“Och… I see,” Rhea murmured, though she wasn’t seeing at all. “Well, I was only lucky.”

“I daenae think so,” Callum said, sounding certain. “But in any case, we should find out. Besides, it’s a good idea to make sure ye can defend yerself. Ye never ken when ye might need it.”

Rhea could hardly argue with that, though she doubted she could learn to wield a sword in only one training session. Besides, it was hardly her idea of a perfect outing with herhusband. She would end up sweaty, dusty, and more than likely covered in bruises by the end of it.

She didn’t protest, though. She didn’t want the headache of enduring his reaction.

The training grounds were not empty, as she would have expected. Hudson, Callum’s man-at-arms, was there. From what she had gathered from her wedding night and the past few days ever since their return, the man was also Callum’s friend. He stood there alone, a sword in his hand, attacking straw dummies again and again, sweat dripping from his brow.

“Hudson!” Callum called.

Hudson turned to look at them, his eyebrows arching in surprise. He rushed to them when Callum beckoned him over, a smile stretching his lips.

“Good mornin’,” he greeted them both. “Me Lady, I daenae believe we have spoken much.”

“This is Hudson,” Callum said with a sweeping gesture. “Ye’ve met him before.”

“Aye, I have.” Rhea inclined her head to the man. “But it’s good to meet ye again.”

“Likewise, me Lady.”

“Hudson was just leavin’,” Callum said.

“I was?” Hudson asked.

“Aye,” Callum uttered. “Ye certainly were.”

“I’m yer man-at-arms, Callum,” Hudson said. “If I daenae train, who will?”

With that, he rushed back to the dummies, much to Callum’s obvious annoyance.

“He usually does as I say,” he grumbled, and Rhea couldn’t help but laugh. “Come.”

He led her into the training grounds, but not where they kept the swords, as she had thought he would. Instead, he led her to a rack filled with bows and arrows. He grabbed two bows and several arrows before taking her to the targets.

There were three of them, standing side by side at the very end of the training yard. They stood about ten meters from them, then Callum strung his bow, aimed, and loosed the arrow. It hit the bullseye.

Rhea couldn’t help but be impressed, clapping excitedly.