Agrona sat back, in deep thought. “Yes, Tesni has always been a rather clever girl, hasn’t she? How did she react to learning the truth of her heritage?”
“She fainted, Mistress. Ryder and Arya are so intent on keeping the truth secret that they lied to those they met along the way and told her that she was merely exhausted and fell asleep,” Aeron reported. “Except for us, the only other who knows is Rowan.”
Agrona laughed. “Oh, this is too good to be true. Rangers are lying to other Rangers in order to keep the young princess safe? What happened to their stupid little creed of death before dishonor?”
Aeron finally stood. “Mistress, if I may, perhaps they believe any lengths to protect Tesni to be honorable?”
“Still, I wonder why she fainted.”
“She was likely overwhelmed by what she learned. She could not escape to the stables, where she normally goes to think, so she escaped into unconsciousness, instead.”
“You learned much about her personality while you were in your false courtship with her,” Agrona observed. “It likely served you well, and I believe it can serve us both well again. What does she do in the stables?”
“Normally, she talks to the horses, but if whatever has sent her running to them is too much to even let her get her feelings out that way, she will crawl beneath the hay to think things through, first,” Aeron said.
Agrona stood, going to look out the window into the night. “I cannot be queen while the little brat still lives. She is now old enough that, were she to prove herself to the people, they would crown her immediately, and so I cannot even act as regent for her.” She half-turned so that she could address Aeron. “Kill her. Bring me proof that you have done so, and I will make you my heir.”
Aeron nodded, and retreated. When he got back to his room, he threw himself onto the bed and stared up at the ceiling.
When Agrona had taken him off of the street, she had promised him great riches. She had trained him to be charming and charismatic, which had allowed him to win Tesni over. She had promised him that he and Tesni would be wed, and that she would make them her heirs if he could only persuade the girl to join them.
Now, Agrona wanted Tesni dead. He would still be her heir. Things had changed when Tesni went from being a servant’s child to being her niece, but Agrona would not allow him to legally make Tesni his wife.
Not that it really mattered. Aeron had felt the magical bond sever and had known that Tesni had been kissed by her true love, likely Rowan. He would never again be able to persuade Tesni to marry him. She would someday marry Rowan.
It bothered Aeron that Agrona wanted her own niece dead. So a servant’s daughter could live, but a princess could not, simply because the princess happened to stand between Agrona and the throne? They were the same girl, and Agrona’s attitude changed only upon learning that this girl was, indeed, her grand-niece. Did Agrona value the life of a relative so little? And if she did, what would she do to him if she found him inconvenient?
The next morning, Aeron ran to the Ranger camp. He knew that they weren’t likely to believe them. He knew that they might even kill him. But he also knew that he no longer wanted to be associated with Agrona, and he had to try.
As it always was during the day, the huge gate was open. Aeron ran right through, even as the Rangers on the wall called out his approach. Within minutes, Aeron was surrounded, with bows and blades pointed directly at him.
Aeron was escorted before Ryder. To make things worse, Rowan was with the horse master. That was the last thing that Aeron needed, to be humiliated in front of his former rival. He couldn’t dwell on it, though.
“You… How did you get out of jail?” Ryder asked.
“Agrona got me out so that I could spy on Tesni,” Aeron admitted. He looked around. “Please, Ryder, could we speak in private?”
“Tie him up in the stable for now,” Ryder said. “I’ll be there in a minute.”
“Are you really going to talk to him?” Rowan asked as they took Aeron away.
“Aye, I am,” Ryder said. “He seems ready to give up information, for whatever reason. I’m not sure how he thinks he will benefit, but there is definitely something.” He walked into the stables and stood in front of Aeron. “Well?”
“Well, what?”
“How much do you know?”
Aeron sighed. “I know who Tesni is. I know she’s the lost princess and that she knows who she is. So does Agrona. I took the information to her. Agrona has sent me to kill Tesni. When she gave me the orders, last night, it made me think. Tesni is now inconvenient to her, so she wants her dead. What will happen if I become inconvenient as well?”
Tesni just happened to walk in at that moment. “What is he doing here?”
“Apparently, Agrona sent him here to kill you,” Ryder said. “He was spying on us and told Agrona who you are. Oddly enough, he was smart and chose to confide to me in private instead of blurting it out for the rest of camp to hear. Quite honestly, I was thinking about just slitting his throat.”
“No!” Tesni moved swiftly between the two of them. “Atar, you can’t just kill him. I don’t care what he did. He chose to come and confess rather than actually try to kill me.”
Aeron swallowed hard. “I’m with Tesni. Please don’t kill me.”
Ryder snorted. “I’m only joking. But Aeron, you deserved a good scare and you know it.”
“Well, either way, I don’t want him in the stables,” Tesni said. “This is my refuge.”
“I know,” Ryder said, “but this is the only place to keep him where he can’t talk to everyone.”
“ I won’t talk at all,” Aeron said. “Please, just let me stay in the camp. I don’t care what the conditions are. I don’t dare go back to her.”
“No, you don’t,” Tesni said. “But you can’t stay in the stables, either.”
Tesni talked to Liam, and it was arranged that he would take back his old protégé. When he asked why she was even willing to give him a second chance, she simply replied that he had admitted being sent by Agrona to kill her and that she preferred he be under Liam’s watchful eye rather than tied up in the stables.
“And I suppose you’re even willing to let him train?” Liam asked with a snort.
“If he convinces us that he’s worth the resources,” Tesni said.
“You are as fickle as the wind,” Liam said.
“You don’t know me well enough to make that judgment,” Tesni replied. “Atar and Arya know my reasons. So does Rowan. The rest of the camp will know when the time is right. For now, though, just know that it is in the best interest of the Rangers and of Linwood, itself.”
The teen had such authority in her voice that Liam couldn’t help but do as she asked. Later, once Aeron was settled back into Liam’s tent, Liam went and spoke to Ryder about it. “Where did your girl’s sudden ability to command come from? Have you been training her without telling anyone?”
Ryder just laughed. “No, I haven’t, but giving her some command training sounds like a good idea, all things considered.”
Liam sighed. “Ryder, what’s going on? It’s not like you to keep secrets from the rest of us.”
“It’s not my secret to tell,” Ryder said. “Let me put it this way. Tesni is going through something that isn’t easy for her, right now, and right now she wishes to keep it personal. Arya and I are guiding her, but trust me when I say that by the time this is all over, Agrona will no longer be a worry.”
“Does this have something to do with whatever strange connection there is between Tesni and Agrona that makes Agrona seem to hate her?” Liam asked.
“All I’m going to admit to is this,” Ryder said. “Yesterday, I was finally able to bring her the things she inherited from Cliona. It has to do with the contents of the trunk.”
“Tesni seems to think that whatever’s happening is going to affect not just her but the Rangers and all of Linwood,” Liam said. “If that’s the case,
then I think the entire camp has a right to know what it is.”
“And I agree,” Ryder said. “Look, Liam, if you’re asking me to force Tesni to reveal her secret to the world before she’s ready, I won’t do it. Does the camp have a right to know? Yes, eventually. However, not before Tesni is ready.”
Chapter 17
Arya had no memory of being sick since she was a small child. Yet, here she was, vomiting up her dinner from the night before. The sounds awakened Ryder, who brought her canteen to her and held her long hair back from her face for her with one hand, rubbing her back gently with the other.
“What a way to start the New Year, right?” Arya asked good naturedly when she was done and had rinsed out her mouth.
“You don’t have a fever,” Ryder said, feeling Arya’s forehead.
Arya ran her hands through her hair with a sigh. “I’ll go talk to Enid.”
Ryder’s eyes went wide. “I don’t think there’s any need for that,” he said, chuckling.
Arya looked at him, confused. “What do you mean?”
Ryder went back into the tent, got his well-polished ceremonial blade off of its stand, and held it up so that Arya could see her reflection in it. “This.”
Arya gasped as she saw her lengthened ears. “Oh my…”
Ryder swept Arya into a deep, passionate kiss. He scooped her up and carried her back into the tent, grinning. “Wait until we tell Tesni.”
“Wait until you tell me what?” Tesni asked, stepping out from behind her privacy flap, fully dressed.
“First off,” Ryder said, “happy birthday.”
Tesni blinked. “Oh, yes, I’d forgotten,” she said, giggling. “Is it really spring already? It doesn’t feel like it.”
“Oh, aye, it’s spring,” Ryder said, and with spring comes new life.”
That got Tesni’s attention real fast. “Really? Arya, are you really pregnant?”
Arya pulled her hair back so that Tesni could see her ears. “It looks that way.”
Tesni let out a loud squeal that could be heard throughout the camp. From behind his own privacy flap, Rowan emerged, tired. “What’s happening?” he asked, still half-asleep. It was a rare day that any of them slept in. Today it was merely because of the celebrations of the New Year from last night.
“Best birthday ever,” Tesni said with a grin on her face to match her father’s.
Rowan eyed Tesni warily. She’d managed to speak without her smile getting any smaller, and that was a little strange. “I haven’t even given you my present, yet, and you’ve already declared this the best birthday ever?” he asked. What had Ryder and Arya given her that was better than what he had scrimped and saved for? He knew it was wrong to be jealous of Ryder and Arya. After all, they were Tesni’s parents. But they knew what he had gotten her, and they had said that he was sure to make her happy.
Tesni grabbed Rowan and kissed him. “I’m sure I’ll love yours, too, but…” She looked at her parents for permission to tell him. They nodded, and she looked back at Rowan. “Arya’s pregnant,” she said, practically bouncing. “I’m going to have a little brother or sister.”
Rowan’s eyes went wide. “Really?”
“Aye,” Arya said, showing him her ears.
“Congratulations,” Rowan said.
By this point, the rest of the Rangers who were not on patrol had shown up, wondering what could possibly be happening that was causing all of the squealing that they had heard. It wasn’t long before word spread throughout the camp that Arya and Ryder were going to be bringing a little baby Ranger into the world.
Showing compassion with no thought of reward had been scratched off the list on Tesni’s bow scroll. Arya was assuming that the girl had managed that when she had actually stood up for Aeron, despite his past and knowing it would likely only end up with her being hurt in the end.
That, of course, just left two more tasks, both to be accomplished in battle: defense of a fellow Ranger and keeping a cool head and calm mind. She had achieved her perfect score on the bow course a week prior.
Arya smiled as she saw how close Tesni was to earning her bow. She put the scroll away and went outside to join the party. It was the only time of year that there was a party two nights in a row. On the last day of winter, the Rangers had a tradition of having a party that lasted well past midnight to ring in the New Year and spring with it. On the first day of spring, they celebrated Tesni’s birthday. She was seventeen, now.
There was food and dancing. The sun was setting, and Arya exited the tent just in time to see Tesni send a flaming arrow onto a large pile of wood, starting up a bonfire. She had become quite accomplished with the bow and arrow, as well as dual battle blades. The bow, however, was definitely her specialty.
Tesni waved at Arya and then laughed as Rowan pulled her into a dance. She had been wondering when her step-mother would finally come out and join the festivities. Arya had told her she just had to take care of something in the tent, and true to her word, it had only taken a few minutes. Right now, though, Rowan had her full attention.
As the dance ended, Rowan pulled Tesni over by the bonfire, where the light was better. “I need to talk to you,” he said, kissing her softly.
“What about?” Tesni asked, her eyes sparkling.
Rowan pulled out a small box from the pouch at his belt. It was wood and elegantly carved. “In here is your birthday gift, if you want it,” he said, handing it to her.
“Why wouldn’t I want it?” Tesni asked, opening it. She gasped when she saw the contents. Inside the box there was a silver band with intricate filigree, dotted with emeralds, surrounding an oval moonstone cabochon.
“Tesni,” Rowan said, “my heart tells me that I love you, and that we should wed. What does your heart say?”
Tesni looked up at Rowan and then within her heart. What did it say? She swallowed hard as the answer came to her. She pulled out the silver ring she had inherited from her mother, having carried it ever since for just such an occasion. “Rowan, my heart is like your heart, and I shall gladly be your wife.”
“Yes?”
“Yes!”
Rowan took the ring from the box and slid it onto Tesni’s finger. Tesni did the same with the ring she held, placing it on Rowan’s. Then he kissed her, deeply, passionately. Tesni returned the kiss, her arms going around Rowan’s neck. This felt right, and again they could feel that warm tingling that signified the joining of two who belonged together for their love was true.
“I love you,” Rowan whispered when they finally pulled apart.
“And I love you,” Tesni said, a soft smile gracing her lips. “This is definitely the best birthday ever.”
That night, a fog rolled into the camp. At first it seemed normal. After all, there was a river nearby and Linwood was situated in a low valley. Fog was commonplace. In the morning, however, it quickly became clear that the fog was not of a natural origin as it refused to dissipate in the morning sun.
The fog was so thick that it was nearly impossible to see, and so training had to be cancelled for the day. The guards along the wall surrounding the camp could barely see their hands held right in front of their eyes. It was no wonder, then, that when the emergency bell rang, it was because the enemy was already inside the camp.
It was only then that the fog began to lift, but it only became thin enough to see two-to-three feet. Bows and arrows were useless, forcing the archers to switch to their secondary weapons.
With dual blades in hand, Tesni thrust and parried, attacked and blocked at enemies she could barely distinguish from friends. Cool head, calm mind, she thought to herself. Arya had told her many times that keeping a cool head and a calm mind was the key to achieving a goal, no matter what the struggle, especially in battle. Right now, that goal was clear. Fight off these men, clearly sent by Agrona, and put a quick end to this fight with as little loss of life and as few injuries as po
ssible.
It was nearing noon before the fog finally cleared off completely. Tesni saw Fiona fall. She ran one of her blades through the soldier she was fighting, ran up onto the top step leading up to her family’s tent, leapt onto a nearby barrel, and flipped through the air to land one foot on either side of Fiona. With one of her blades, Tesni blocked the blade of the soldier who was about to kill her friend. With the other, she slit his throat.
For an hour Tesni stood over her friend, actively protecting her, carefully placing her feet to both avoid stepping on Fiona and still maintain her balance. It was almost like a dance. She even felt graceful in her movements.
Eventually, though, the battle was finally over. Tesni helped to carry Fiona to Enid’s tent for healing. She helped with the healing and the cleanup that was required after a battle. Then, when she was done with that, she went to her spot in the loft and cried.
Arya found her there later that evening. “The first kill is always the hardest. It’s hard enough when it’s just one. You must have killed at least ten, today. I can’t find fault in you for coming here for a good cry.”
“I don’t know. I didn’t keep track,” Tesni said. “I just did what I had to do.”
“I hope you never find it desirable to keep the count of your kills,” Arya replied. “That would show you take pride in the killing and not in the defense of others.”
“Do you ever forget your first battle, the first time you take a life?” Tesni asked.
Arya shook her head. “No, never. I still remember mine as vividly as if it were this morning, but in fact it was well over two hundred years ago. It was before I met your father, back before the Thieves Guild was even formed.”
“What happened?” Tesni asked, sitting up.
“I was keeping watch during a festival. Your grandparents had just gotten married and all of Linwood was celebrating the royal wedding. It was late in the evening. Lanterns were everywhere. I was hovering in an alley when a man grabbed me from behind. You kept a cool head today, Tesni, and that saved you. In the same way, keeping a cool head and calm mind saved me that night. He had a knife and was using it to cut my clothes away, but I put a stop to it. I was just going to knock him out, but he was too aggressive, and in the end, I had to take his life to save my own.”
Rangers of Linwood (The Five Kingdoms Book 1) Page 15