They rode together in a mostly companionable silence. Circe had barely spoken more than a handful of words to him since they had led their horses out of the stables, yet this silence felt strangely different from the other times she had purposefully ignored his presence.
Her current demeanor wasn't cold and she didn't feel unapproachable. Instead her silence felt more speculative, as though she were lost somewhere far inside her own thoughts.
Their horses moved side by side at a steady trot. The early morning breeze ruffled the loose strands of Circe's hair as they swayed with each measured step. Ragnar would occasionally glance at her from the corner of his eye, but every time he did, he found her staring straight ahead, her gaze distant and unfocused.
