Frisha blushed and bit her lip before answering. “Y-Yes, if you want me to be. Are you sure you would not prefer one of them?”

Rezkin furrowed his brow. “One of whom?”

“Joselia or Meriana,” she replied, secretly pleased that he had not instantly jumped to thoughts of the other women. “Actually, they would probably both agree to be your girlfriend. They’d likely be willing to share.”

The young man frowned at the idea. Why would he possibly need another Girl Friend? Protecting one was difficult enough. Having multiple Girl Friends would amount to a lot of work, and so far he had not really seen any gain from the position. Rezkin once again met Frisha’s eyes and said, “I cannot possibly think of any reason I would ever want any other Girl Friend.”

He must have said something Frisha liked because she beamed up at him as though he had just granted her the kingdom. Rezkin glanced behind him at Tam who had also heard and was grinning ear to ear.

As they neared the house, Frisha stopped Rezkin and looked up at him with concern, “Um, you know when you leave in a few days, I won’t be able to go with you.”

Rezkin frowned but nodded. “I am not sure that I should go to the tournament if it means leaving you here. I will not be able to protect you, as is my purpose.”

Frisha’s jaw fell. “You would stay for me?” she asked breathlessly.

“Of course,” Rezkin replied. “I cannot fulfill my duties to you if you are not with me. It is complicated, though, because I have another duty that I must fulfill, and my best chance of furthering that is at the tournament.”

“No, you should go,” Frisha said regretfully. “You need to be there, and Tam and Jimson … and Reaylin … are all depending on you. Besides, whether you’re here or there will make little difference to my uncle. He said he has been putting together a list of suitors that he would like me to start meeting.”

“About that,” Rezkin said. “I do not want you to marry another. I do not want to replace you. I cannot think that any other woman would fill your role to my satisfaction, and, frankly, I do not care to find out.”

“My role?” Frisha asked.

“As my Girl Friend,” Rezkin clarified.

Frisha smiled and nodded her understanding. She loved hearing Rezkin call her his girlfriend.

Rezkin took a deep breath and plowed ahead. Why was this so hard? “I am not ready for marriage,” Rezkin stated.

Frisha’s heart sank. She had known it was too much to hope for but could not stop her fantasies.