by Auryn Hadley
"I did." He looked over Connall, making it clear he was judging him. "The trip gave me plenty of time to hear stories from my guards."
That's when the trio reached the second floor and passed out of sight of the nobles below. Connall glanced back, then paused, looking at Tristan. "And yet you're here. I have a feeling I'm either not going to die tonight, or I'll be hung for treason." He turned his eyes to Leyli. "Do I get a hint?"
"No treason," she assured him. "I hoped that we might have a chance to get to know each other before I make a final decision."
"I see." He looked over to Tristan. "Sir, it would be considered proper for me to spend time with her Highness. I understand a chaperone is both necessary and expected. Should I coordinate with you, or her maid, for that?"
"Me," Tristan almost growled.
Connall nodded. "I'd be happy to. Highness, I'm afraid we do not have a suitable library, but we do have a wonderful sparring area. Shall I have the staff reserve it for you and your men?"
"That would be wonderful. It's a great way to ease the aches of riding."
He smiled. "And might I be allowed to watch?" His eyes flicked to Tristan. "I assure you, I will stay out of your way."
With a groan, Tristan threw up his hands. "She's not a man. She's a former gladiator."
"I know. I also know that she and I are expected to go through these motions. That her flamboyances will be shocking to the sensibilities of my family? I can't say I'm opposed to encouraging her." He tilted his head, making sure he was clear. "My goal is simply to prove to the Princess that I'm such a small burden that she can comfortably ignore me."
"Tristan," Leyli said softly, touching his arm. "Lord Connall and I need to make sure we are compatible. You will allow that to happen."
When her fingers touched his bracer, Tristan relaxed. Slowly licking his lips, he nodded, but it was clear he wasn't happy. "I know, Ley. I just expect more of these nobles."
"I know." She caught his eyes before turning back to the man who would likely be her husband. "I'd be happy to have your company. Maybe you can show me the grounds as well?"
"Anything you desire." Connall ducked his head and swept his hand down the hall. "Your room, Highness, is this way. Shall I have them bring in a spare bed for the Secor, or would he be more comfortable on the floor?"
A deep grunt came from Tristan's throat, but Leyli spoke up before he could pick another verbal fight. "Which ever you think would cause the least shock in the keep."
Connall chuckled as he opened the door to her suite. "Then I shall put his bed in your maid's room, although the complaints of that won't be much better."
"My maid is his sister. His younger sister."
"Perfect. There is an adjoining door. I apologize for the small size of the second room. I will make sure the relationship is well known. Dinner should be brought up shortly." He turned to leave, but paused. "Highness?"
"Yes, Lord Connall?"
He took a deep breath, nodded to himself, then lifted his chin. "Thank you for considering me. I hope your visit will help you understand my desperation. The province of Moyloch is very conservative."
"Then I may be a shock your family can't accept."
"Hm." He smiled slightly. "Good thing your title makes up for it. Have a good evening, Highness. Secor. Welcome to Moyloch."
Chapter 32
"I kinda like him," Leyli said over their private dinner.
Tristan took a long drink of very dark wine before answering. "I hate him."
"No! Name one man I might marry who you wouldn't hate."
He chuckled, the smile proof that she'd hit the mark too well. "Ok. He's not the worst of the lot. It's possible that I could learn to ignore him."
"Just remember, our goal is to find a man that you and I can pretend doesn't exist." She bit her lip and leaned over for her own glass. "In case you missed it, the question about sleeping on the floor? It was in reference to mussing the sheets before the servants arrive in the morning. I'm pretty sure he didn't expect you to sleep in either."
He pushed his meal around his plate, barely eating any of it. "Ley, I'm not sure I can do this."
"We have to."
He huffed a single, wry laugh. "I know, but I mean this. Pretending to be nice to the man. I can accept what you have to do. I understand it's for Norihame and that I can never be good enough - "
"Tristan," she hissed, cutting him off. "You are perfectly good enough for me."
"Not to the court. I'm common, Ley. I will always be common. We both know that. Your choices are to marry and get a legal heir, or to let Palino have the throne and torture thousands of our citizens." He sighed and looked up. "There's only one choice. No Aravatti would let his or her people suffer for their own desires. I know that. I'm just not sure I can smile at the man who will stand where I want to."
She grabbed his hand around the fork and trailed a finger over the ring. "He's the pretender, not you. We said our vows first, that makes them the most honest. The rest of this is just a skit we play to entertain the crowd."
"It's still not one I can win." Dropping his fork, he shifted his hand over hers. "Keep Astrid with you. Wear your swords. I'll tell Temotio to chaperone, so I don't beat the man bloody if he tries to steal a kiss, ok?"
"Tristan," she breathed, knowing how much this must hurt him.
He smiled at her weakly and shook his head. "It's ok, Ley. I know you have to. I just don't want to offend the one man who seems best suited to our ruse. Think of this as me trying."
"What will you do?"
He pushed back from the table. "Make sure Gregori knows how to use every weapon in the armory. Then Edwyn. Armando when I'm done with him. Maybe all of them at once. I'll stay distracted, pup. You play your part and I'll play mine. Hopefully we won't be in this accursed swamp any longer than necessary."
She took one last drink of her wine, then stood, turning to the bed. "You know the sooner I have an heir, the sooner I can drop this facade, right?"
Behind her, the lock clicked into place. "Do noble women count the days of their cycle for the best chances?" he asked, walking up behind her.
"No. We visit our husbands once a week until we simply don't stain the sheets. Why?"
He moved to the door between Leyli's room and Astrid's, and peeked his head in. "Night, kid. I'll be in before dawn." A soft voice drifted back before Tristan closed and locked that door. Only then did he turn back to Leyli. "Because common men learn to count, too. Usually because we're trying to skip those days..." He moved closer, grabbing her waist playfully. "But the irony of conceiving the heir in some other man's home is not lost on me."
"Now?"
"Soon," he said softly, his hands moving to the laces of her tunic. "Maybe today. Maybe tomorrow. I would hate to miss the chance, and I think the practice is good for you."
"Oh yeah," she agreed, helping him work her clothes free. "It's very good for me."
Even exhausted from the long trip, somehow he managed to remind her why she should stay awake a few hours more. This time, as Tristan worshiped her body, she prayed for conception. She may not have laid on her back for it, and her hands were tangled in his hair, not clutching the sheets, but she prayed that the father of her children would be her Lion and no one else. Then she nestled herself into the crook of his shoulder and prayed that no matter what, he'd always be with her. If she couldn't have him as her own, it was the least the gods could do.
At first light, Tristan woke just long enough to crawl from her bed. He tossed her nightgown at her when he passed her trunk, but his eyes weren't truly open. Leyli pulled it over her head before claiming the warm pillow he'd left to breathe in his scent as she fell back asleep. A few hours later, a soft hand on her arm startled her awake.
With a gasp, Leyli rolled, her hand snaking out for the neck of her attacker. Astrid froze, still bent over the bed. As soon as Leyli relaxed, the girl smiled and leaned just far enough to sit on the edge of the bed.
"I think we nee
d a better way to wake you," she whispered. "Tristan's still asleep, but I thought you might want to get dressed first."
"Sorry," Leyli grumbled, rubbing the grogginess from her face. "Tap or nudge. Grabbing or touching too lightly will make me react."
"I can do that. He's not much better. Mama used to tell stories about Papa doing it when on leave. Guess it's a hard habit to forget, huh?"
"Very." With a yawn, Leyli sat up. "I think we're training today, and Connall wants to watch."
Astrid nodded as she stood. "Let me get some food sent up, then we'll get you pretty."
Unlike Leyli's suite in the palace, these rooms lacked a sitting area. Their dinner the night before had been set up beside the bed. So when Astrid cracked the door to ask for breakfast, she was careful not to expose the partially dressed princess. She wasn't so careful that the men couldn't see Leyli alone in the bed.
Then she began rummaging through Leyli's clothes. With a devious grin, she pulled out a scarlet red skirt, red tunic that matched, and saffron yellow breeches to fit beneath. The colors were more vivid than Leyli usually chose, but they definitely made a statement. Nothing about that outfit suggested a meek or submissive woman. It was perfect.
By the time the food arrived, Leyli was dressed. By the time they finished eating, Tristan was starting to stir. By the time he made an appearance, Astrid had transformed Leyli into the Princess she should have been. Neither woman missed the way his eyes drank her in. They also noticed that he made no effort to touch her, all too aware of the open lock on her chamber door.
When she finally headed down to practice, it was Temotio and Horace who accompanied her. Tristan promised that he'd check on his mother, then make an appearance, but Leyli wasn't sure. Knowing that Connall might be there was harder for him than either had expected. Oddly, though, her future fiancee wasn't alone. Einri leaned against the wall beside him, the two men talking softly as the Royal guards began to arrive.
"Morning, Highness," Connall said, sounding less than thrilled.
"Good morning, Lord Connall." She moved toward the cache of wooden weapons. "Thank you for the use of the training grounds. My men appreciate it."
Einri lifted his chin. "They showing you the basics for self defense?"
"Something like that," Gregori grumbled, passing Leyli a shield. He picked up another and offered it to Astrid. "Miss Astrid? You willing to warm up with her Highness?"
Warming up was about the only thing Astrid knew, but Leyli saw the look. Astrid cheerfully agreed and moved with Leyli to the far side of the sandy ring. While Horace, Armando, Gregori, and Edwyn prepared for training, Temotio kept his steel belted on, watching the whole thing. When Leyli looked and him, he flicked his eyes to the men on the wall. It seemed she wasn't the only person who wasn't fond of Einri.
"Why don't you go show them what you know," Einri teased his younger brother. "I'm sure Miss Astrid over there would be happy to spar with you."
"Oh no," Astrid said with a giggle. "I'm sure Lord Connall would get me all confused in my basics."
"Ah. Then the Princess? Prove to her that you take her hobby seriously?" He tossed an insufferable grin at Leyli. "I'm sure she might like winning a few matches without needing to crawl in the dirt to do it."
Horace couldn't hold his tongue any longer. "Lord Einri? Maybe you'd be willing to go a round with her? Princess Leylani is probably more skilled than you would expect." He offered a wooden sword.
"Please?" Leyli asked, looking at Connall quickly. No wonder he was willing to accept anything, if this was what his brother thought was polite. "I'm afraid my Secor is a little too picky about my partners. Since he's not here..." She smiled as if the idea was as enticing as a tryst.
Einri couldn't help himself. With the Princess flirting with him, he walked onto the sands and took the sword, claiming a shield from the dirt before gesturing for the men to clear a space. "I'd be happy to, Highness. I promise I won't leave any lasting marks."
"I'm afraid I can't make the same in return." Leyli chewed at her lip. "What if I hurt you, Lorn Einri?"
"I can take it. Connall? Would you like to make the call?" He flicked his sword at Leyli. "Princess, you need to raise your sword a bit more over your shoulder, and keep your shield just a bit out from your body."
"Like this?"
"Perfect." He glanced back at his brother.
Connall smiled. "Fight!"
Leyli made a scuffing step forward, twitching her elbow as if she wasn't brave enough to take the shot. Einri chuckled and reached across to gently tap her shield. That was all it took. At the first glimpse of his arm around his shield, the Wolf of Oberhame surged. She cracked his forearm just below the elbow, used her shield to knock his out of place, followed the swing with a punch to the face, kicked the side of his knee, then ended with the full impact of her mass against his chest. Einri made a guttural sound as he hit the dirt. Another followed when Leyli's foot hit his chest and the point of her wooden sword stopped before his left eye.
"Lord Einri, are you ok? I'm afraid that learning to pull my shots has been very hard since the games." She lifted a brow, making it clear that she didn't truly care if he was ok. "I tried to move slowly for you."
"If you ignore the open face again," Tristan yelled, walking up, "I'll take it out on your nose. That's how you broke it in the first place, pup. Again. If the Lord isn't fit to fight the Wolf of Oberhame, then Gregori, you're against her. Edwyn, show Astrid the defensive maneuvers. Armando, when her next partner drops, you're in. Don't wait for the call!"
"You want to marry that?" Einri hissed as he clambered to his feet. "No wonder the bitch can't get a husband."
"Hey!" Gregori yelled. "Speak about the Princess poorly and I'll challenge you for it. Watch your tongue, my Lord, for hers is worth twice as much. Am I clear?"
"Fine. Whatever." With a disgusted huff, Einri threw the weapons on the ground and stormed back to the main keep.
Connall waited until he was out of earshot before speaking up. "That was magnificent, Highness. I've waited most of my life to see my brother dropped on his ass like that. Thank you."
"Glad I could help. Did you want to join? Unlike me, the Royal Guards do know how to pull their shots."
Connall just shook his head. "I think I'll pass. I promise, I'm much more useful holding up this wall." He paused then sighed. "Highness, I should also warn you. Einri's finance recently broke their betrothal. There's a chance you may have an offer from him."
"I have a feeling I won't anymore."
Connall just shook his head. "I wouldn't be willing to bet on that. He dislikes losing. He very much dislikes it when his weakling of a brother does anything better."
Leyli tossed him a smile, then set up for her next match, all too aware of Tristan behind her. "Then he's going to have to get used to disappointment," she said as Gregori moved in.
He opened with a kick to her shield. She greeted that with a crack to his shin, spinning to bash her shield at his face. He barely got his up in time, but she was still moving. Her blade thumped his thigh and when his shield dropped to cover it, her elbow found his jaw. Over and over she pummeled him, keeping her opponent off balance. In less than a minute, Gregori hit the dirt and Armando surged in.
He swung hard, aiming for her head. Leyli jerked her shield up, protecting her legs with her sword, but she was just a bit too slow. The wood cracked against her ear, stunning her enough for Armando to kick at her shield. Leyli staggered back and crouched, making the larger man fight down to her. When he came at her hard again, she howled in rage and began to batter him back. Her shield became a cudgel, her sword a club, and she used both equally. The sound of wood on wood was nearly deafening. Just as she saw her victory, Tristan grabbed her, yanking her away from Armando before he hit the ground.
"Easy, pup!"
"Fuck!" she growled, dropping her shield to rub at her head. "That may bruise."
"Astrid can cover it," he assured her. "Walk it off, Ley. Don't kill the g
uard."
"Nah, I'm fine. I just - "
"Lose your temper when someone gets a hit? I know." He chuckled, looking up at Connall. "Hope your husband never tries knocking you back into place. I have a feeling it won't work so well."
She took a deep breath and leaned back, stretching her body. "Not more than once. Tristan? Think we can cure that?"
"Not sure I want to. I'm perfectly ok with pain sending you into a frenzy." He patted her shoulder. "Find a long sword. Two rounds with Gregori, then you can go play with your new friend."
She tapped his chest. "How about a round with you?"
He just shook his head. "Not today, Ley. Maybe not till we're back home."
"Yeah. Go easy on them. They didn't do it."
He nodded slowly. "Promise."
Chapter 33
She went three rounds with Gregori before calling it good enough. He managed to learn how to stay out of her reach, but he still couldn't figure out that rushing her was a bad idea. It didn't matter. She and Tristan would keep teaching him until he was good enough to live through anything. When she hung her practice weapons with the rest, Tristan paused long enough to point to her real blades.
Belting them on, Leyli caught his eye, nodded, then moved toward Connall. Like a loyal shadow, Temotio followed at a respectable distance. She'd have to thank him later. The job had to be disturbingly boring, but he looked as proper and attentive as always. Connall, on the other hand, looked impressed.
"Well, the rumors made it sound like your time in the games was more about running around naked, and less about fighting." He gestured to the swords on her belt. "I see those aren't just a fashion accessory."
"I assure you, they aren't. Did you really think I could have lived this long if I didn't know how to use them?"
He lifted his hands and shrugged. "In all honesty, my knowledge of the games is sadly lacking. I know men die. You've reached the extent of it. I am sorry that you had to suffer through it."