“It was my pleasure,” he said with a bow,” Would you like to eat breakfast in the ballroom or here tomorrow?” he asked.
“I’m sure Mother has Elf things for you to be learning and doing. You shouldn’t waste your days with me.” I said it because it was true, but truthfully I enjoyed his company.
“I think my time is being well spent,” he said and then a sad look crossed his face, “Unless I’m pestering you and making you uncomfortable?”
“No,” I said with a shake of my head, “I had fun today. I just know that it is important to spread out your time with the various aspects of being a royal Elf. Usually I would be taking classes with Mother on etiquette and dancing and I’m not even the Prince.”
“Well I am relieved you do not view me as a pest and perhaps you are right. Amadis did mention something like that. I will speak to her tonight and find out if there is a schedule or things I should be doing. I enjoyed spending the day with you today. I’ll try to make time to come see you tomorrow, if that is alright?”
“I’d like that,” I said honestly.
He walked around the bed and kissed my cheek. “Goodnight Marin.”
I was too stunned that he’d kissed me to do more than mumble “night” and watch him close my bedroom door. The butterflies I felt when Favian kissed me were fluttering like crazy. As much as I wanted to believe that it was due to their similar appearance, I knew that was not the case. I had spent the entire day with him and not once had I confused him for Favian.
I laid down and rubbed my face. I loved Favian, but I couldn’t have him. Could I be with anyone else? Could I let myself fall for another man?
I couldn’t be with a man that I did not love. It wouldn’t be fair to him and I would probably end up making myself miserable. Why did life have to be so complicated?
Chapter Four
When I hobbled down to breakfast the next morning, Father had a gift waiting for me. “I made you some crutches,” he said as he held them out to me when I entered the ballroom. “I figured you were going to hobble around the kingdom and damage your foot no matter what we said, so at least with these you won’t injure your foot further.”
“Thank you,” I said as I hugged him. “I was actually planning on getting a log to use as a cane.”
Mother shook her head. “Why can’t you just let yourself heal, Marin?”
“I’m bored, Mother. I hate sitting her doing nothing, especially when Kato and Favian are off on some secret mission.”
Chef set a tray on my plate and then one across from me. “Will you ask Sebastian to come see me once he is finished eating?” Chef asked me.
I nodded my head. “Okay.”
Sebastian came in a few minutes later and took his seat across from me. “Good morning.”
“Good morning,” I replied.
“Are you busy after breakfast?” he asked.
I shook my head. “No.”
“Would you join me for a quick ride?”
“She cannot ride with a broken leg,” Mother reminded him.
“Normally I would agree, but my horse has an extremely smooth gait, which I believe will not jar her leg.”
“His horse is very smooth,” Father answered.
“I don’t think your horse likes me too much,” I reminded him.
Sebastian said, “I promise he will be on his best behavior.”
“Where are we going?” I asked suspiciously.
He smiled. “It’s a surprise.”
I looked at Mother, but she was suddenly very interested in her bread, as was Father. “Okay, but I need to change first.”
“You mean you have to get your weapons first,” Sebastian said with a smirk.
How did he know that was what I wanted? He couldn’t possibly know. “A mercenary must always be ready for battle,” I said as I stabbed a piece of egg.
“Of course,” he said with the same smirk.
I resisted the urge to throw my bread roll at him, only because Mother was present.
“How long will you be gone?” Mother asked him. “I would like to go over some things with you.”
“A couple of hours. I’ll be sure to find you as soon as we return,” he said as he picked up a piece of bacon.
I finished my food and said, “Oh, before we go you need to go see the Chef. He said he wanted to speak with you. I’ll go change while you do that.”
“Meet me at the stables.”
I nodded my head and grabbed my crutches, using them to stand up and make my way out of the ballroom. Father followed me and once we were outside of the ballroom he laid a hand on my shoulder to stop me. “Marin, I know this is difficult for you, Favian and Sebastian I mean. Just promise me that you don’t do anything to cause the brothers to quarrel. We need them to get along.”
“Father!” I said indignantly. “I have done nothing of the sort and won’t. Honestly, how could you even say something like that?”
“I love you, Marin, but sometimes you can be very dense,” he said as he ruffled my hair.
Before I could find anything to say he walked away, leaving me baffled in the hallway. Parents were so strange sometimes, especially old Elvish ones. The stairs took a lot longer than I had anticipated and by the time I had changed clothes and retrieved my weapons, Sebastian was waiting for me outside my bedroom. “Sorry, I am a bit slower with the crutches.”
He shrugged. “I’m in no rush.”
We walked in silence out of the castle and towards the stables. As soon as we entered Alex greeted me with a hug. “How’s your foot?”
I was shocked at the affection, but dismissed it as concern since we had known each other a long time. “It’s healing rather slowly.”
He laughed. “You just have cabin fever,” he said. “Being out in the fresh air will do you some good. You’re looking a little pale.”
I scoffed. “Says the pale-skinned elf.”
He playfully pushed me and then turned to Sebastian who held his horse, bridled, but with no saddle and ready to go. “If your horse hurts her again, I will be forced to train him myself. I will not allow a horse in this Kingdom who does not respect Marin.”
“I assure you that he will never do something like that again,” Sebastian said as he affectionately petted his horse’s nose. “Are you ready, Marin?”
“Yes.”
Alex leaned my crutches against the side of the stall and then grabbed me around the waist. “Up you go.” He lifted me from the ground and tossed me up onto the horse’s back. “You good?” Alex asked as I adjusted my seat on his wide back.
“Yes.”
Sebastian jumped up in front of me and gathered his reins. “Slow and easy,” he whispered to his horse. His horse walked out of the stables obediently.
Luckily Sebastian was right, his horse was very smooth and hardly jarred me at all. It allowed me to ride without even holding on to Sebastian. “So, where are we going?” I asked.
“Well I know how much you hate being cooped up so I found a spot where we could spend time outside and without anyone bothering us. Just wait until you see it.”
I leaned back with my hands on his horse’s rump and closed my eyes, enjoying the slow sway of his walk. “What’s your horse’s name?”
“Carino, it means nice.”
I couldn’t help it, I laughed. “How fitting.”
Sebastian turned and smiled. “He generally is nice. I’m not sure why he didn’t like you.”
I shrugged and closed my eyes again. “There are many who are not fond of me.”
He stopped Carino and dismounted, helping me down as well. We were beside the river, but weeping willow trees surrounded us and blocked us from anyone who may have been riding down the road’s view. It was beautiful as most things in the Elven Kingdom are and exactly a place I would have picked myself. He helped me to a spot in the grass where he already had a blanket laid out and sat down beside me.
“It’s a perfect spot,” I admitted.
He smiled
, pleased with my reaction. “I knew you would like it.”
“So, what was it like being raised by humans? Were you in a town? Did you get picked on?” I asked.
“If I answer some questions about myself then you have to answer some questions about yourself as well. Deal?”
I was nervous about the questions he would ask me, but nodded my head in agreement. I needed to know more about him.
“I was raised by two elderly humans who could not have children of their own. They said they found me on their doorstep one night and believed the god and goddess had sent me to them for their loyalty and devout worship. I was three when they found me. They taught me to farm and I helped tend to their crops and take them to town to be sold. We lived far out of town so I didn’t have to deal with other humans except when we went to town to sell our crops. They knew elves don’t eat meat, but it was a staple of their diet so they found ways around it. They researched the elves and made trades with some so that I could learn the important things I needed to know. It was a quiet life and I had no idea who my parents were until I ran into the man you and Favian had worked with before. Once I found out, I came here to see if it was true.”
“Was it hard, not knowing who your parents were?” I asked even though I guessed the answer since it was driving me crazy not knowing who my father was.
“Of course, but I was well loved by my human parents and Cesar and Amadis have been nothing but loving since I returned here.”
I smiled fondly. “Yes, they are wonderful.”
“Your turn,” he said as he pulled a piece of grass from the ground and began rolling it between his thumb and finger. “What was it like to be raised by elves?”
“It was difficult, but I managed.”
He rolled his eyes. “Come on, give me some more insight than that.”
I laughed. “Alright. Cesar and Amadis are wonderfully loving and treated me as they treated Favian. I always had issues with not being as strong as the others, but that was more my problem than it was anyone else’s. I just hated being so weak compared to the others. Favian taught me in secret how to fight until Father caught us one night. I was a bit of a hellion, constantly getting in fights and despite Amadis’ protests at first, she finally agreed that I needed an outlet for my seemingly endless anger. So, I was allowed in the arena. Kato, Father and Favian worked with me and taught me to fight so that I could protect myself and at least stand up to an Elf for a few seconds. When Favian told me about Macon Academy and about being a Protector, defending the people of the lands, I knew it was for me.”
“I’ve heard some of the elves talking about you. Did you really kill over two hundred ogres by yourself?”
I had worried he would hear about that. “Yes,” I answered without looking at him, fearing the expression on his face.
“I also heard that you had killed an ogre when you were only four, when Cesar found you. Do you remember it?”
I opened my eyes to avoid the flashback, but the mind is able to see multiple things at once and despite my attempt, I was back there again. “I was only a child so I do not remember everything. I remember being incredibly sad that my parents were dead. I remember being frightened when one of the ogres came after me, but then everything turned red and the next thing I remember was holding on to Cesar crying and asking him to protect me. Cesar and Kato witnessed me kill one of the ogres and I remember Amadis scrubbing my body with a rag to get all of the ogre blood off of me.”
I felt tears running down my cheeks and wiped at them. “I don’t even remember my mother or what she looks like,” I whispered.
Sebastian hugged me and whispered, “I’m sure she was as beautiful as you are.”
I pulled back from him and said, “Who could my father be? What am I?”
He smiled. “You’re Marin, daughter of Amadis and Cesar and one of the most beautiful women I have ever seen.”
I laughed and wiped my face. “You are a terrible flatterer.”
“I only speak the truth,” he said.
I leaned towards him, wanting to be closer to him, to have him hold me and was saved by the sound of approaching hooves. “Greetings, Marin and Sebastian,” Jovian called as he dismounted his horse and let it drink from the river.
“Hello Jovian,” I said pleasantly. What on earth was going on in my head?!
“Greetings,” Sebastian said with a smile. “What are you doing over on this side of the Kingdom?”
Jovian shrugged. “I often ride out here and train my horse since there is usually no one here. I heard your voices and thought I would come say hello.”
“How is your training going?” I asked as I looked at his horse, King. King was one of the few horses I had helped with during foal season. The poor stallion had had a hoof caught inside of his mother and she was unable to push him out. Had I not been there to adjust his legs, they both would have died. King finished drinking and walked over to me, nudging my cheek with his nose. “Hello, King. You have grown since I last saw you.”
Jovian smiled. “He is still very fond of you. Of course, I guess I would be as well if you had saved my mother’s and my life.”
I rubbed the stallion’s nose and said, “You be nice to him, Jovian or I’ll get you.”
Jovian laughed. “I wouldn’t want to get on your bad side. I’ve seen what happens then.”
“What happens?” Sebastian asked.
Jovian said, “It depends. Sometimes she just plays a prank on you, such as causing a bucket of mud to fall on you when you enter a building. Other times she will challenge you to a duel.”
“A duel?” Sebastian asked in shock. “You’ve fought in a duel against elves?”
I shrugged. “Only twice and both times they deserved what they had coming.”
“You won?” Sebastian asked in double shock.
I frowned at him. “I’m not a weakly human as you saw, Sebastian. I can hold my own and on occasion win against an elf.”
“Especially when they think she’s weak,” Jovian said. “But Marin does have a kind heart and against what I thought should have been done, let them live.”
“I wasn’t going to kill them over insulting my lineage.”
Jovian smiled cruelly. “I would have.”
“Yes, you are quite a brute,” I said with mock seriousness.
Jovian laughed. “You’re lucky I like you.”
I rolled my eyes. “You are amused by me. Which is why you have let me beat you in matches.”
Jovian shook his head. “To me, you have always been one of us, Marin and you always will be. Well I better be off. Come on King.”
King nudged my cheek once more and then followed his owner out of the cover of the trees and out of sight of us. That had to be one of the strangest interactions with Jovian I had yet to have.
“It seems you have quite a few suitors,” Sebastian teased.
I yanked a piece of grass from the ground and said, “I have no suitors and never will.”
“What?” he asked in shock.
“Never mind,” I answered. I really did not want to talk about it with him. “Have you been to the Pegasus herd yet?” I asked to change the topic.
He nodded his head. “Yes, I met the herd. Their land is beautiful and their drinking hole is…”
“I’m not allowed there so I have not seen it,” I said bitterly.
“What?” he asked with raised eyebrows. “Why not?”
“It is a rule that no human can ever enter the Pegasi lands.”
He digested that and sighed. “Well, I am sorry. It is a place that I know you would enjoy.”
“I wonder when Favian will return,” I said softly.
“Am I boring you?” he asked with a teasing smile.
“Of course not. I just worry about his safety when I’m not there to guard his back.”
“So you two really aren’t courting?” he asked softly.
I shook my head. “I told you, I am not being courted by anyone.”
“Why is that?” he asked. “You’re beautiful and I see the way many of the elves here look at you.”
“Most likely because I am a human. Plus, most men like to court a lady and I am not exactly ladylike if you haven’t noticed.”
“I’ve noticed,” he said with a smirk.
Something about that smirk, a smile so unlike anything that ever crossed Favian’s face, made him distinctly Sebastian. It made me want to smack him and kiss him at the same time. I jerked back at the realization that I might be falling for Sebastian. I could not fall for him.
We sat by each other in silence for at least an hour before he finally said, “Well, I guess we should head back.”
“Yes, I suppose we should. You need to meet up with Mother to get started on your princely training.”
He rolled his eyes. “Oh joy.”
I laughed. “It is not so bad. She has a way of making even the dreariest tasks seem fun when she is there.”
He stood up and held out his hand to help me up, but being the stubborn person that I am, I stood up on my own. Immediately I feel forward, straight into him when I put pressure on my foot. He caught me and helped me stand up straight. “You shouldn’t put pressure on it yet.”
I stared into his eyes and felt as lost in them as I did in Favian’s. How could a pair of eyes cause so many different emotions in me? And why were Sebastian’s causing these feelings as well? Sebastian pushed back a strand of my hair and whispered, “I am glad that I came back in time to meet you.”
I smiled. “I’m glad to finally know about you.”
He helped me onto Carino and we went back to the stables where Alex assisted me in dismounting. “Did you have a nice time? No foot stomping incidents?”
I laughed. “No, Carino was well behaved this time.”
Sebastian put the horse in his stall and said, “And he will be every time after as well.”
“Are you off to some other adventure now?” Alex asked me.
I shook my head. “Sebastian is off to lessons with Mother, but I have no plans, except to prop up this foot.”
Protector (Little Death Bringer, #2) Page 5