Noemi crawled from under my skirt, her hair a bit of a mess once she was out. “Will that do?”
I took a few steps. “Yes, you brilliant girl. Thank you again.”
She stood up, smiling to herself. The belt had been her idea, design, and handiwork. Made to go under my voluminous skirts, I could attach my sword beneath them without anyone being the wiser.
“Now, how long will you be away?” she asked. “And what should I say if someone comes by?”
The question gave me pause. It was unlikely that anyone would need me at this hour, but if they did . . . I was engaged now. Sneaking around the castle wasn’t appropriate anymore. “I don’t even know, Noemi. I hadn’t thought . . . I was so looking forward to this, but now I wonder if I shouldn’t go.”
Noemi took my hand, pulling me back into the moment. “No, my lady. Just take me with you. If anyone asks, you were feeling melancholy and needed a walk around the grounds. And, naturally, I went as your chaperone,” she added in mock seriousness, which made me laugh.
“Are you sure you want to make yourself an accomplice to my crimes?”
“Oh, my lady, I think I already am.”
I laughed, squeezing her hand. “I suppose you are, aren’t you? Not a thing happens in my life that you don’t know about. When are you going to have an adventure, Noemi? I need some secrets from you.” We moved from the room, hand in hand, making our way to the stairs.
She smiled. “I think yours will have to be enough for the both of us,” she said, dodging the question. “I hope you know that your secrets are all safe with me.”
I sighed. “If I told you I was running away, would you judge me?”
She swallowed. “I desperately hope that you aren’t . . . but no, I wouldn’t judge. And if you are, please give me warning.”
“I would . . . it was a joke,” I claimed. “I need to find a better way to make light of my fears. I’m scared of being a bride.”
Her face fell. “Come. Let’s go and enjoy ourselves, if only for an evening.”
We pulled up the hoods of our capes as we made our way down the stairs. I could hear Noemi’s light steps shadowing mine, and that sound in itself was a comfort. I reached back, taking her hand again as we walked across the courtyard.
“Will you make me a promise, Noemi?”
“Anything,” she vowed.
“I don’t want you to stay my maid forever. I want you to marry when you’re ready; I wasn’t kidding about you having your own adventures. But please don’t leave me anytime soon.”
“Never, my lady. There is no other place in the world that could have a claim on my heart.” Noemi’s voice was bleeding with sincerity, and, selfishly, it settled my heart to know I wouldn’t be left alone.
We entered the stables and found the boys talking with their heads together at the back. Escalus stood, leaning toward Rhett, his posture relaxed and his smile easy. Rhett, too, looked at ease as he passed a coin to Grayson, the young stable boy, paying him to run off and find another task for an hour or so.
It was Rhett who saw us first, and there was no denying the spark that came to his eye. Had it always been there? Maybe I’d mistaken his happiness at seeing me for simple charm. It was strange to think that all that light in his gaze belonged to me.
“Why, Noemi, are you finally ready to learn how to wield a sword?” Escalus asked, his smile growing brighter.
“No, Your Highness,” she said sweetly. “I’m simply here as my lady’s alibi.”
He laughed and shook his head. “I don’t think so. I think you’re here for a lesson. Here. You can use mine,” he said, escorting her to an open stall. “Just please don’t cut me like my clumsy sister did.”
Rhett came to stand beside me. I could feel him looking at me, maybe a little too closely. I took a deep breath and met his gaze.
“Marry me,” he whispered, eyes pleading. “I adore you, Annika. I’d spend my life trying to make you happy.” Then, as if thinking of an additional point for his argument, he said, “Escalus would support it. He hates Nickolas.”
I tilted my head. “Hating Nickolas does not equate to supporting this. Hating Nickolas is far too easy to do, at any rate.”
Rhett chuckled. “That’s fair. I hate him myself.” His smile was so easy. “When do you have to announce your engagement?”
“Tomorrow, I’m afraid. I don’t have the privilege of making most of my choices.”
He nodded. “Well, if you decide you want to make a big one, I’ll be waiting. I’d give you anything you asked.”
I stood up taller. “Then can I ask you to help me take a break from all the thinking I’ve been forced to do lately?”
“I am at your service.”
Rhett had a mischievous look in his eye, but I knew I was safe. He wouldn’t simply let me win—he never did—but he and Escalus shared one trait: they’d be broken if they did anything to hurt me.
I pulled my sword into a long stance, keeping Rhett at bay. He struck my blade, and I moved to parry, stepping to the side as I did so. He gave an approving nod as he walked in time, lining up across from me.
“Go easy on him, Annika,” Escalus called from the far end of the stables. Noemi laughed shortly after in response.
“Not a chance!” I called back.
I felt myself falling into the dance of the fight, the beauty of it. I was familiar with Rhett’s form and style, so I took a guess, a risk. When he lunged forward, I used his weight against him. I rammed down, pushing the corner of my cross guard into Rhett’s, shoving down so the sword whipped in a circle and pulled squarely out of his hands. I watched as it flew, landing in a pile of hay and lying there useless.
In the moments of silence that followed, I felt the excitement around me bubble up until Escalus finally shouted. “Annika! You took his sword!”
I dropped mine, covering my mouth in shock. I’d never managed to disarm anyone.
“Well done, Annika!” Rhett exclaimed.
Instantly, Escalus was there, lifting me up in his arms and spinning me around. “So, it’s official. When I am king, you will be the head of my guard.”
“I can’t believe I did that!” I gushed. The rush of accomplishment was so wildly vivid. It gave me a sense of possibility—if I could do something I was clearly not designed to do, maybe there were other things, bigger things, I could master as well.
