Selene spoke before she could think. “Yes, I would like that very much. I would need to change first though.”

“I’ll escort you back to your room, then to the training room. How does that sound?”

A smile crept across her face, the first one in a long time. “You lead and I will follow.”

Damien smiled back and headed out of the study. Selene followed, her spirit light. Could they really make this union work? Was it possible that Damien believed she wanted to be a different woman?

Selene was surprised to find a loose tunic, pants, and soft-skinned boots hanging over her changing screen. After changing and redoing her braid, Selene emerged to find Damien waiting for her, clothed in a similar fashion. “Ready?” he asked.

“I am.” Her fingers were already itching to hold her new blades and feel the strength of her muscles. She followed Damien down the hall, then a flight of stairs to the first floor, around a corner, and down another hallway. “Should we have let Karl know where we are going?” she asked, her voice echoing along the stone corridor.

“No, I assume he’ll leave the chair in my study. I’ll need that extra chair there anyway since you’ll be coming now.” He smiled at her before stopping at a set of doors, sending another whooshing sensation through her belly. He opened the left one. “Here we go.”

Selene stepped inside, the smell of sweat and wood greeting her. Three dummies stood near the far wall, but the rest of the room was wide open. On the weapons’ table, right near the edge, were a set of twin blades that looked almost exactly like the ones she had to leave behind the night she left Rook Castle, only less ornate than the originals.

Selene walked over to the table and fingered the hilt of the blades. They looked to be about the right length and width. She picked one up, then the other, then hoisted both into the air. In the next movement, she swung the blades, getting a feel for the weight. The weaponsmith got the lengths right, with her lead sword longer than her other, a must for her technique. They were also a little heavier than her old blades, just slightly, but not enough to throw her off. But the curve to each blade was exactly how it should be.

“Well?” Damien asked behind her.

Selene turned around, a smile on her face. She couldn’t help it. These swords were the first thing that made Northwind feel like home. “A little heavy, but otherwise perfect.”

Damien leaned against the doorway, his arms folded across his tunic. His hair had been trimmed recently and his face shaved, giving him a pleasing, clean appearance. “Good. The weaponsmith worked hard to finish them. And I’m glad the seamstress was able to make you something loose and comfortable to practice in.”

Selene looked down again at her clothing. “Yes.” Damien must have ordered them for her. She couldn’t remember Essa saying anything about training clothes when the maid was instructing the seamstress about her wardrobe. His thoughtfulness touched her.