by Lucia Ashta
“Actually, we were planning on leaving for the Academy after this meal,” Leander said, appearing at my side. “The new term starts early tomorrow morning. We’re going to arrive the night before so we can prepare.”
Galen turned to face his brother, a malicious gleam lighting silver eyes that would have been similar to Leander’s if not for their cold depths. “Ah, but isn’t it more important that she prepare to fight me? She’s no longer under threat from the Voice as she no longer has any power. I’m the greater, and more impending, threat to her well-being, wouldn’t you say?”
He was only a threat to me because he wanted to be. I waggled my jaw, working to control my desire to knee him in the balls.
“You don’t need to concern yourself with her training, brother,” Leander said. “It’s my job to prepare her to face you, not yours.”
“Hmm.” The prince heir crossed his arms across his muscled chest, his biceps straining against the linen of his tunic. “But it’s a job you can’t succeed at. As your brother, I’m offering my help.”
Leander chortled. “That’s so generous of you.”
“Exactly. You should take me up on my offer.” He snapped a look at me, his mouth spreading in a grin that reminded me too much of a hungry cat who’d cornered its prey.
“Thank you, but we’ll pass on your offer, Galen. We’ll be leaving after the meal.”
“No, you won’t. If you won’t let me help train her, though calling it training is a great kindness, then at least you owe me a look at my opponent—so that I may better know what to expect.” He turned to take in his greater audience. “I’m sure the court would like to get a better idea of what they can anticipate, whenever this girl thinks she’s ready for the fight that will end her life.”
“No one said anything about killing, Galen,” Leander ground out, but his words were muffled by the cheers and jeers of the crowd.
Galen got right up in Leander’s face, and Leander flicked a hand to signal me to shield myself behind him, snapping his wings partially open. I ignored Leander’s prompting and took a step forward; I wouldn’t do myself any favors with the bullying prince heir if I revealed fear.
Galen flicked amused eyes at me. “She has a death wish. Why not indulge her?”
Leander growled softly, so his reaction couldn’t be heard by their people. He grabbed Galen by the arm, dragging him to a corner of the hall, away from the multitude of eavesdropping ears. I hesitated for a few moments, clutching my breakfast plate, but then followed after them. I needed to hear what they said, and I couldn’t be certain Leander would tell me everything later out of his desire to shield me from the worst of it.
Once out of earshot of the hall, which remained far too quiet for the hundreds of people gathered within it, as if every single fae there was straining their ears to pick up on the princes’ conversation, Leander whispered to Galen, “You don’t have to be like this. I’m not saying you need to throw the fight, but there’s no need to antagonize her like this. You’re making things worse than they have to be.”
Galen’s eyes simmered with a latent fury that sent chills rushing across the bare skin of my arms and neck. “You’re the ones making things worse, little brother. You’re the one who marched in here acting like the rules don’t apply to you. But they do, they very much do, and if I don’t get to choose the person I marry, then neither do you.”
Leander flicked a nervous glance at me and positioned himself between Galen and me, as if to shield me from whatever his brother would say next. Galen didn’t bother to look at me anymore, indicating this had nothing to do with me, really, and everything to do with his brother.
“I’ll be married off to the princess of Majore,” Galen said.
“I know that, and I’m sorry, but—”
Galen cut Leander off. “Have you seen the princess? She’s an entitled snotty girl who acts as if the world is made for her convenience. There’s no chance at love between us.”
“I’m sorry, my brother, truly, but you know if it were up to me I’d grant you a lifetime of happiness. Why is it so hard for you to wish the same for me?”
Galen’s jaw tightened, its plane a rigid line accentuated by the pitch black of his long, straight hair. “You already get everything, why should you get this too? I’m the one with the responsibility of taking the throne. I’m the one who has to give up absolutely everything to be the next king. I’m the one who doesn’t get to choose a single thing about his life.” He leveled his accusations in hisses. “I’m the one who doesn’t get to go the Magical Creatures Academy because I have to be here, shadowing Father so I can one day take over his rule.”
Leander’s shoulders lost some of their tension. “I thought you wanted to become king...”
“One of us has to do it, and I’m better suited for the role.”
“It’s true.”
“I’m the only one able to put duty before personal preference, as you’ve proven quite aptly with this little charade of yours.”
Annnnd Leander’s shoulders grew rigid again. “It’s not a little charade. I care for Rina. I—”
“It’s all I, I, I with you, isn’t it? Don’t you get that that’s the point? We’re heirs to the entire rule of the fae. We’re not allowed to have personal wishes. We’re not allowed to choose whom we love. That means you can’t have Rina, just as I can’t have—”
“Yes, brother? Who? Is there some woman you care about?”
Galen shook sheets of raven hair as if reprimanding himself for the slip. “There’s no one I care about. We’re not allowed to care. Get that through your thick head. The sooner you do, the sooner everything will go back to normal.”
“But normal is the problem, isn’t it? Maybe you can rule differently than Father. Maybe you can change things…”
Galen laughed bitterly, and I sensed the courtiers as a group lean toward the princes, desperate to catch bits of their private conversation. “I can’t change anything and neither can you. We’re bound not only to our people, but to tradition. What has this girl done to you that you’ve forgotten so easily? What is it about her that has you wrapped around her little finger?” He snapped the first look at me in a while, and when he did I really wished he hadn’t. While staring into my eyes, he spoke to Leander: “If she’s such a good lay, maybe I should have a try at her.”
In a flash, Leander’s hand was wrapped around the prince heir’s throat. “Don’t you dare speak about her like that!”
“And why shouldn’t I? Huh, Leo, why shouldn’t I? She can’t be anything to you but a whore. There isn’t a chance in hell she’ll be able to beat me in a fair fight, and here you are, threatening your brother, your prince, in front of everyone.”
As if Leander had lost sight of himself, he released his brother and took a step backward, visibly working to regain his temper. “You did this on purpose, to try to make me look out of control.”
“No, brother, you did that all on your own. I was just reminding you of the truth.”
In all the time I’d spent with Leander in private, it had been too easy to forget that his life wasn’t his own, that his choices weren’t his. He’d pay the price for caring for me; hell, he already was. I began to slink away, prepared to take my plate with me to eat alone outdoors—or more likely to chuck my food for the little critters that looked like winged, colorful siblings of chipmunks—when a gentle hand clasped my arm.
“Come, child,” Leander’s mother said, making my brow raise in surprise. In all the time I’d been here, I’d received little more than tight smiles and curt nods of acknowledgment from her. “I’ll help you prepare for the fight.” The elfin woman, who was a harmonious arrangement of lithe, willowy lines and graceful curves, smiled sadly at me.
“B-but I’m not going to be fighting now,” I protested.
“Training, then. My husband the king is on his way to insist you put on a show for your audience before leaving. Trust me, you don’t want to be here when the court reacts to the
news.”
I scanned the extent of the hall while panic burgeoned inside me, like vomit inching its way up my esophagus. She was right. The king was marching toward his sons, a malicious grin worming its way across his handsome features that made him look only slightly older than his children. His courtiers were following with hunger. Even the more carefree segment of the fae within the hall, those who’d actually attempted to be kind to me, appeared eager for a show.
I nodded hastily. “Fine. Take me away from here.” I glanced at Leander, and he nodded after sharing a long look with his mother. The rolling mercury of his eyes vibrated with nerves and an impending sense of doom, as if he were regretting what he’d signed me up for.
I allowed the queen to lead me from the hall, doing my best to imitate the strength of her straight posture, holding my head high, as if this girl took down resentful prince heirs every damn day.
Handing my plate to a servant positioned beside the large double doors to the hall, who looked at me with compassion, I gulped and wrestled with the urge to flee. But there was nowhere I could go. Without Leander to open a portal for me, I couldn’t get back to the alternate plane that housed the Magical Creatures Academy. I couldn’t go anywhere. I was trapped, with royals eager to prove that Leander had to obey the rules if they did. Why couldn’t they all just break them? They were the ones in charge.
The queen whisked me elegantly through the doors and into the mid-morning sunshine. “Follow me,” she said, dropping my arm. “You’ll have to change into something more appropriate. I’m sure I have something that will fit you from my fighting days.”
“Wait.” I stopped walking until she turned to face me. “You … fought?”
She smiled widely, though her eyes were sad, always sad, as if she were truly a prisoner of privilege and station. “Of course I know how to fight. I’ve waged silent battles my entire life. In this family, you have to prove yourself to be respected.”
“I don’t think I can prove myself. My magic isn’t strong enough.”
“I know, child, I know.” And she resumed her walk in the direction of her chambers, as if I’d already lost the battle I’d never intended to fight.
5
Hundreds of eyes trained on me as I adjusted the queen’s combat outfit across my body, though there was no need. The padded yet flexible slim pants and shirt, which covered me from chin to wrists to ankles, fit me perfectly. Even the light boots, made from some sort of pliant plant material, fit me as if they’d been made for me. The queen had commissioned one of her ladies in waiting to do some sort of magic juju to adjust the royal’s outfit to my dimensions, but I needed something to do when the attention of so many fae crawled across my flesh like a million tiny insects.
I’d allowed the queen to lead me out to a training yard I’d never seen before, on the far end of the palace, close to the stables. By the time we arrived, what seemed like twice as many fae as had occupied the great hall sat in the stands that surrounded the open arena. They leaned forward in their seats, not bothering to hide their eagerness for the upcoming fight, the one I wanted no part of. Like Leander, it seemed I had little choice in the matter.
Confusing the crap out of my heart, it appeared all of the royals were victims of circumstance in their own way, though they still had a choice in how they behaved. The king and Galen openly wore their pleasure at the courtiers’ anticipation of the show.
I kicked at the soft white sand, spraying it a foot into the air. How had the situation gone from bad to so ridiculously terrible in such short time?
“Please, brother,” Leander implored, cornering Galen as he attempted to stalk across the open space between us. The prince heir had changed into his own combat outfit. The masculine version of what I wore hugged every one of the curves of his muscles, making it blatantly obvious that I was no match for him—not in the physical sense, at least. Unfortunately for me, the physical was all I really had, since my shifter magic was gone and my mage magic was on the fritz on a good day.
“There’s no need to do this, really there isn’t,” Leander urged loudly enough that I could hear him from several paces away, but not so loud that the crowd could, though I had no doubt they were trying. “I’ll take Rina right now and we’ll go. You won’t see us again until she’s ready to fight you, assuming she ever is.”
Oh, so now he was entertaining doubts? He was the one who’d gotten me into this mess in the first place! I narrowed my eyes at his back.
“It’s too late for that. You know that,” Galen said, fierce as before.
“We’re brothers. We used to be on the same side. What happened?”
“We’re still on the same side. It’s you who’s forgotten that we fight for the same cause.” But Galen’s tone had softened some. “I’m doing this for our people.”
“Our people don’t need more violence. There’s enough of that in our worlds. What we need is peace, acceptance, compassion.”
Galen sighed and let his arms, crossed angrily in front of his chest, drop to his sides. “Father won’t allow me to back out now, no matter what either of us say.”
Just as with Rage and Fury when they hunted me for my powers, I felt like a pawn in a fight that wasn’t my own. I didn’t want any of this. I just wanted to be left alone and to be with the people I cared for. How was that too much to ask?
“Father listens to you more than he listens to me,” Leander said. “If you tell him you don’t want this, he’ll listen. He might call this off.”
“I can’t. We can’t. You know we can’t show weakness in front of our people. That’s the most dangerous thing we could do.”
When Leander didn’t answer right away, I shifted from foot to foot. I understood what Galen was saying. On another day, I might have even agreed with him a little bit. But did these two strong, muscular elves, who’d been trained since they could first hold a sword, actually believe that anything I might do out here in the arena would be anything less than a shit show? I mean, I’d trained with Ky and Boone quite a bit last term, and even while we were here over the summer Leander had trained me. But … still. They couldn’t seriously expect me to fight an elf trained to lead his people into combat. That shit was for keeps, and I was no match for Galen, not even in my dreams.
“What if I fight you in her stead?” Leander asked, sounding excited at the sudden idea. “I could be her proxy.”
Galen snorted. “You can’t be her proxy.”
“Why not? It’s done.”
“That won’t give the people what they want. That won’t give Father what he wants.”
It all came back to the king, the bitter ruler who’d been denied the true desires of his heart despite his power.
“Galen, please,” Leander pleaded. “You can’t seriously be considering fighting Rina. You could seriously hurt her.”
“I won’t, you know that. No matter what, you’re my brother, and I wouldn’t do something like that to you.”
My shoulders relaxed by an infinitesimal amount, and I took a few tentative steps toward the princes.
Leander pulled his brother into an embrace, startling the older sibling. Finally, Galen patted Leander on the back a few times around his wings before pushing him back. “I’ll do my best, Leo, that’s all I can promise. But if Father—”
“What’s the hold up, boys?” King Dillmon Erion called ahead of him as he stalked across the open arena. Despite his large frame and long stride, he didn’t kick up sand, light on his feet. He’d changed into combat clothing similar to what Galen and I wore, though I hoped it was only to get in the spirit of things and not because he intended to fight me too.
Galen and Leander snapped their heads in their father’s direction, their long hair in different shades swirling as their gazes met his. “Nothing, Father…” Galen began, but Leander took over.
“I was hoping to convince Galen not to fight Rina, to postpone until she’s ready.”
Displeasure shadowed the king’s bright blue eyes, and
my heartbeat picked up velocity. “I’m the one who announced the fight, not your brother. Are you defying me again, Leander Verion, second prince to the throne of the fae court?”
Uh-oh. I hadn’t heard the king use Leander’s full name and title before.
Leander brought his hands to his sides and stood tall, tipping his chin up. “No, Father. Of course I’m not defying you.”
“Hmph. You could have fooled me, son.”
Double uh-oh.
The king turned his attention on Galen, and Leander shot me a defeated glance. Oh. Shit. This was going down.
“Galen, no more delays. Your audience is getting restless.”
Galen pursed his lips before finally nodding curtly. “Of course, My King. As you wish.”
The king’s wide mouth spread into a victorious smile; it made my stomach roll. He turned to face the gathered courtiers, his long, muscular arms spread wide as if he were a benevolent ruler, giving them everything they wanted, indulging their every whim.
“Great people of the fae…” His voice rang out across the crowd, strong and unwavering while I stared at his wide back and shoulders, which tapered beneath a weapons belt. “Most of you have heard that your prince Leander Verion has suggested a challenge. His classmate from the Magical Creatures Academy is to fight your prince heir, Galen Erion.”
A thrill of excitement circled the crowd, though surely they already knew this. Maybe it was the king’s reference to me as a “classmate” that had them murmuring so vehemently.
“Obviously, it’s not a fair fight.” The king waited until the courtiers laughed before proceeding. “Obviously your heir to the throne is prepared to defend you in battle. No girl has a chance at beating him.”
I snuck a glance at the queen, who sat atop a shaded dais on the one side of the arena where no one but she and her ladies sat. Though the queen didn’t appear to react, I noticed an extra rigidness to her back, an additional coldness to her distant gaze. She didn’t like the king referring to me as “girl” any more than I did, and I suspected I understood right then what she might have meant when she said she’d been fighting all her life.