by D. R. Grady
Rising unsteadily, Raene headed to the door in the far wall. Leaving her mother in the care of several qualified healers, all of whom stopped her for a hug, she soon hurried to her bedchamber.
Driies awaited there, no longer concealed in the chest at the foot of her bed. No, the sword now gleamed from a hanger on the wall. The clothing needed to learn the art of sword play lay on a stand beside it in a neat pile. It took long moments to change out of the attire appropriate for attending the dying queen.
Her stomach protested this thought with a nausea-inducing roll. Shoving her chaotic thoughts aside, Raene donned the trousers and tunic required for the fight ahead.
Aggression streaked through her body, rippling her muscles as her jaw ached. She could do nothing to combat the illness intent on stealing her mother away. Loneliness reached out to ensnare her.
She snatched Driies off the wall and stalked out of the bedchamber. Today there was no hiding her actions. The sword caught plenty of attention from those she passed in the hallway.
No one stopped her. No one questioned her.
To a man, woman, and child, they all bowed their heads as she marched past. They had already heard there was no hope for the current queen. Sorrow welled so deep in her heart, Raene nearly stumbled, but she refused to allow it to overtake her.
Not now. Someday in the present, this grief was her future. She would endure it then. But now, she would perform a last service to her mother. To the woman who had given her life, an education to rival any man’s, and all the love welling within Margina’s small body.
Raene had little to offer this amazing woman. Yet she would give what she had. She would give her best.
Boot heels ringing on the stones lining the hallways, she headed for the bowels of the castle again.
The Aasguard warrior didn’t comment when she rounded the corner. His silver eyes swept over her before he nodded to himself at the same time as he unsheathed the massive sword at his side. His impressive muscles grew taut as he redistributed his weight to the balls of his feet.
She stopped before him, and her heart wrenched at the matching sorrow in his eyes. Swallowing the lump in her throat, she forced away all emotion. The deepening sense of loss, hopelessness, fear, and finally, the anger that bubbled under all those other simmering emotions.
Instead, she reclaimed Driies, the magnificent sword hissing in triumph as it cleared the scabbard. It shone in the overhead light, sending a firestorm of sparks across the chamber, as though taunting the foe.
Only there was no foe here. Only a man who felt as she did. Who somehow understood why she had come, and what she needed. He didn’t ask a bevy of questions. He didn’t taunt her as a few of the warriors in her mother’s court had taken to doing.
Bawdy language she wasn’t familiar with, but the context provided enough hints nevertheless. As though she would choose one of them to protect her once her mother passed.
Denial rose like a striking predator, and she slashed through it to instead focus on the warrior waiting patiently for her. He didn’t go on the offense with her, but instead waited for her to take the initiative.
Her opening might have made most fighters wince, but he was too polite to do so. Instead he blocked her with all the skill in the universe. Or so it seemed. She parried, but he deflected with more grace and efficiency than any one man should possess.
His next counter to her thrust sent a reverberation up her arm and into her shoulder. It carried the promise of pain. She firmed her jaw, and kept watch for openings.
The hope was to foil his defenses, but this warrior wasn’t human any longer. At least from what her parents had explained about Aasguard warriors throughout the years.
He had been born human, but now after extensive training and a gradual metamorphosis, had become something more. Far more, better than a human, as he sent her skittering away from his gleaming sword.
Unlike Driies, his did shine as bright as new silver in the overhead flood of light. Not new, but kept in such condition by a man who might be a little fastidious.
Raene allowed a small smile. She liked that in a man. He caught her smile.
“My princess smiles during the battle?”
She backed off for a moment. This allowed her time to catch her breath. “Your sword is very shiny.”
He didn’t glance at the weapon. “Of course.” A tinge of arrogance threaded his response.
The escaping laughter felt good. “Thank you.” She barely managed a whisper.
A shared slight bow acknowledged more than either of them could have hoped to express.
“I feel the same, my lady.”
The same lump shot into her throat again, but she swallowed it, lifting her sword once more.
In the manner of all warriors, he entered the battle with her again as though their small intermission had never been. He warded off each of her blows, fielding her defensive and offensive measures with lazy strokes that only added to his legendary status.
By the time her entire being ached from the exercise and she was coated in sweat, she finally stuffed Driies back into the sheath and eyed her opponent.
“You have not even broken a sweat.” More than a little accusation infused her words.
He allowed a faint smile. “You’ve done all the work.”
She scowled. “I did notice that.”
“’Tis the way of the student.” His mercurial eyes glowed for the space of three pants on her part. “You still have much to learn. Yet you have already advanced since our last session.”
“I have?”
“Oh yes. You are a novice, indeed. But you are a more advanced novice now.”
“How is that possible?”
His eyes gleamed. “There are some who are natural born warriors. You appear to be ranked within that number.”
Warmth flooded her. “Thank you.”
He bowed. “It is only the truth.”
It didn’t seem right that this man bowed to her. His knowledge exceeded hers—in everything.
“Something is bothering you?” His deep, gravely voice sent more warmth through her. Yet not a type of warmth she had ever encountered before.
“You are Aasguard.”
“Yes.” No pride or arrogance threaded his answer.
“Therefore, your place in life is far superior to mine.”
His forehead furrowed. “You are of royal bloodlines. You are the crown princess of this nation.”
“So?”
“Royalty is far above everyone else.”
She snorted. Her mother would have winced and then corrected her on such unladylike behavior. “I was born into a royal family. You were also born into the elite ranks of your profession. Yet you have also been specially trained and molded to be what you are today. You have put in the time to become the most elite of warriors. Therefore, you are at least on the same level as me.”
“I do not understand.”
“You, an Aasguard warrior, do not bow to me, a mere princess of five and twenty. Perhaps you should bow to my mother, but never to me.”
His throat worked as though he struggled to process what she said. “I am a warrior. I am not of royal blood.”
She shoved damp curls off her cheek. “Yes, you are.”
His mouth opened, but nothing emitted. For the first time in their limited association, she had disconcerted him. Raene couldn’t prevent herself from preening.
“Aasguard warriors are as noble as my family line. You would not have been offered a place with them if you were not of royal blood. Yours might not always be legitimate, but you are definitely of royal blood. Far older than mine. Therefore, you outrank me.”
“I must study this, because I do not believe your information is correct.”
She surreptitiously wiped away fast forming beads of perspiration. “It is true. I researched this after our previous meeting.” Then she rattled off a few places on his crystal he could visit if he wished to pursue the search on his own. He had his
own source of information here.
How he managed to survive down here she didn’t know. The massive overhead windows did allow plentiful sunshine to douse the cavern, and allowed him to watch the stars, but the place was still deep within the bowels of the castle.
Only those seeking to steal the royal treasure came here, so his interactions with others was limited. It had to be a lonely life.
Did he even have family? Unlikely now.
Perhaps that’s why he emitted empathy. He understood.
“I will seek answers to this. However, you are still a member of the royal family I serve. Therefore, I respect your position. That is why I bow and will continue to do so.”
“You needn’t.” Then a thought occurred to her. She choose her words carefully. “If you discover you are also of royal birth, then you are my equal. At least. So based on your study of this, will you then cease bowing and all the other typical courtly behavior that I find distressing?”
He studied her face for several exhilarating heartbeats. “This is acceptable. However, I intend to make a thorough search.”
“I understand.”
She left with his promise ringing in her ears. Despite the aches and pains making themselves known in various parts of her anatomy, and her worries and fears over her mother, Raene’s uplifted spirits persisted.
Chapter 4
“The princess is correct.” Aern trundled into view, moving majestically for a change. He could do so, if he was careful. Still, to move such a mass took planning and consideration, and typically, the black dragon couldn’t be bothered.
“What is she correct about?” His heart rate accelerated. Blood rushed through his veins in a way it had never done so before.
At least not until his princess had entered this cavern with the overwhelming need to learn to use Driies.
“You, as Aasguard, are also of royal descent.” Aern picked his way to the crystal console and spun it with his nose. The large crystal lit. Making as if he intended to use his nose, which would work, but left appalling smudge marks on the sparkling surface, Vidar nudged the dragon aside.
He lifted a brow for instructions. Aern had something on his mind, and he wanted answers, otherwise he wouldn’t have bothered to try looking up the information himself.
“I wanted to show you the evidence your princess has already discovered.”
Scowling, Vidar flicked a look at his companion. “How do you know this? You can’t remember whether you dined half the time.”
Aern rattled off several places, as though they were on the tip of his tongue. Eyebrows touching, Vidar transferred his gaze from the crystalline surface to Aern. “How do you know this?”
“I have a crystal console in my quarters as well. I was bored last evening.”
“Ah, you couldn’t find any news on Fricassa, so you spied on our princess instead. You read everything she found?”
Aern’s shrug sent a stalactite crashing to the floor. “I have the ability to keep watch on her, as she is in my care.”
Raising an eyebrow, Vidar couldn’t help but scoff at that. “Two days ago you barely knew her name.”
If Aern had eyebrows, they would have soared. “I have known Princess Raene’s name since her birth.”
His quiet answer made Vidar pause. “You knew her name before she first challenged me?”
“Yes. This isn’t the first time I’ve spied on her.”
Vidar fully spun, placing his back to the crystal. “You’ve been spying on her all along?”
“Of course. As one of my charges, I’ve enjoyed watching her mature. Scared her once, when she found me hiding under her bed.”
Mouth dropping in the most undignified manner for one of his kind, Vidar did eventually manage to clamp his jaws together again. “You actually hid in her bedchamber?” His eyes bugged. “How?”
Another stalactite splintered. “I can change my size, but it’s difficult and uncomfortable to hold.”
After all this time together, Vidar was well aware of this. It didn’t answer his question. “Why did you hide under her bed?”
“Remember that talk of war with a neighboring country a decade and a half ago?” At Vidar’s nod, Aern continued. “I knew they’d try for the princess first.” Dragonfyre swirled from Aern’s nostrils in a splendid multicolor burst.
“You intended to fyre anyone who entered the princess’s room.” An excellent strategy.
“Certainly. She was our greatest asset even then, at age ten. And precocious. I have enjoyed her through the years.”
“Where was I during all this?”
“You were here, where you should have been. I knew you’d protect the treasure and after all our added safety measures on the treasure vault, knew no one would manage to breach it. But the princess seemed far too vulnerable to me.”
A valid point.
“She is.”
“Yes, but over the years I’ve placed a number of safeguards on her. Matching those you’ve added.” Aern looked knowing.
It was unbecoming for a warrior such as him to blush, so he didn’t. Straightening to his full height, he faced his nosy companion, who apparently, through the years, had managed to keep a few secrets from him.
“I agree. It seems wrong to protect jewels and the like here, when she’s a much more vulnerable treasure.”
“Her parents were aware of this. They also have protected her through the years.”
“How?”
“I have not been privy to that information.” Aern growled his disgruntlement. “At any rate, I have seen what the princess read over the last few days and she is correct. You are of royal blood, or you would have never been selected to enter the Aasguard ranks.”
Swinging back to the dimming crystal in front of him, Vidar tapped through a few screens and opened one of the pages Aern quoted.
Then he fell to reading. Aern, heavy breathing over his shoulder, created sparks once in a while that Vidar had to brush off before they lit his clothing on fire. He scanned page after page of information on Aasguard history.
The complete lineage of the Aasguard was outlined in detail, and even brushed on his personal heritage. The princess had been correct. He was not, by the rights of his birth, compelled to bow to the royalty of this land, or any other.
This new information left him blinking and uncertain as to what his future held.
Chapter 5
Watching Raene walk away wrenched Vidar’s heart. A ridiculous sentiment. To feel again after so many years of indifference had blindsided him. It couldn’t be a good thing.
Vidar paced to the crystal across the room and watched her progress through the passages and into the castle. She retired to her rooms, where she must have bathed and changed, because when she reemerged, Raene was clothed in the type of gown all the women wore for court life.
As per the princess’s wont, she retired to her mother’s office, the large library set in the west wall. There she seated herself at the dainty desk the queens before her had used to conduct daily business. Raene’s shoulders were as feminine as those queens before her, who had also taken on responsibility at a young age. Some of them younger than Raene.
None had been crushed by their position. Neither would Raene be. She had already exceeded every novice he had ever worked with. To the extent, she was close to leaving novice stature. The princess’s skill with Driies had progressed to nearly competent status. Normally this ranking took at least a year.
His nape hairs stirred because she had achieved this gain within two weeks. Two weeks of daily training, and of course, she had already been an advanced novice. Weapon handling and the various fighting positions took the longest to learn. She had come to him with this knowledge. So perhaps her changing rank wasn’t such a surprise.
The compulsion within her, the one driving her to succeed, was one he’d rarely seen. In man or woman. Raene was determined to master a warrior’s skills. What Margina had set her mind to, she did, and now her daughter came to h
im with the identical mindset.
For that matter, Raene’s warrior father had been the same. Suddenly he understood where the princess had learned the preliminaries. Her father had mentioned to Vidar of his intention to instruct her in the art. Before he’d been killed in a freak accident. Sorrow filtered through Vidar at the demise of a man he had considered a friend.
Her father’s death would account for why Raene’s lessons had ceased. A swell of pride expanded his chest at her decision to come to him to further her skills. She could have asked the swords master of her army. An impressive man in his own right and his skills weren’t merely apparent in battle, as he was also a gifted instructor.
Yet Raene had come to him, Vidar the Loyal.
Now, as he watched her wade through the long reams of parchment the kingdom required to run, and the endless meetings with everyone who needed the advice of the queen, he longed to assist her. Yet what he could do, he didn’t know.
His thoughts turned to the woman, who along with her warrior husband, had been his friend through the years and sorrow gripped him tight.
Although there were rumbles of dissent within the ranks as the queen prepared to leave this plane, they sounded like rumbles only. Still, he leaned in to inform Aern of his intent.
“You’re going where?” Aern had been studying his crystal console and it took his eyes a moment to refocus.
“To see the queen.”
Aern’s regal nod didn’t hide the welling sorrow. “Please extend my greetings to her.”
“I will do so.”
“Thank you.” At Aern’s thanks, Vidar picked his way through the passage that led him straight to the queen’s chamber. None but he and Aern were aware of it, and none other than her protectors ever would.
He paused outside the door to listen for visitors. A healer murmured beside the queen’s bedside. A younger one accompanied her, so Vidar waited until they left the queen.
