Page 14 of Ties of Dust

His frown deepened. “But why? Why would you undertake a role as my guard when you don’t have to?”

“For a few reasons,” she told him.

When she fell silent, he raised his eyebrows in a silent prompt, and she continued with some reluctance.

“The first reason is that I wish for peace and good relationship between Siqual and Carrack. Surely an alliance could only benefit the whole Peninsula. What if someone orchestrated the attack so as to prevent the alliance, maybe even incite war between the kingdoms? I would stand in the way of that if I could, and I think an official guard of Siqual working to keep the Carrackian crown prince safe is a strong statement of goodwill.”

“True,” said the prince slowly. “What are your other reasons?”

A dry note entered Flora’s voice. “You seem to forget very readily that any harm that befalls you will befall me with double strength, Your Highness. I confess I personally find it difficult to forget.”

The expression that crossed Prince Cassius’s face could almost be described as horror. “That requirement was monstrous even before,” he groaned, running a hand through the disheveled waves of his hair. “It’s heinous now.”

Flora shrugged. “I have no doubt that Lord Armand considered it necessary to give me incentive to apply myself to your protection. It’s an effective strategy.”

The prince was silent for a moment, his expression showing how much he disliked the prospect. She thoughthe would say more on that topic, so she was surprised by his next words.

“You said you had a few reasons. Is there a third, or only those?”

“Oh.” To her intense annoyance, Flora felt her face heating. “I suppose the other reason is that you…well, you’ve shown me much more kindness than I had any right to anticipate,” she said in a rush. “None of us knew what to expect of you, and you’ve made a favorable impression. I don’t wish to see harm befall you.” Her voice grew stronger. “As I said, I think the alliance would be a good thing for the Peninsula, and now that I’ve seen something of you, I think it would be a good thing for the princess as well. So I’m committed to keeping you in one piece until the marriage alliance can be sealed.”

Prince Cassius said nothing, apparently unsure how to respond to this declaration. He still looked unconvinced, and after a moment, Flora found herself smiling.

“You’re stuck with me regardless, so I may as well try to keep you safe,” she told him. “I know I don’t look strong, but my training in magic allows me to provide protection in ways traditionally trained guards might not. I can understand your reluctance. I don’t think you’d be the only man whose pride might be bruised by having a young woman as his bodyguard.”

“It’s not that,” Prince Cassius said austerely.

She gave him a skeptical look, and his face softened ever so slightly, the hint of a smile transforming his features.

“It’s not only that,” he amended.

Flora laughed, the sound light and releasing. She was still intensely aware of how much of a mess she was in, butshe felt less distressed about it now that she didn’t have to hide her face or disguise her voice.

The prince reluctantly chuckled as well. “I suppose we all have our pride,” he said. “Although I try not to let mine rule me.”

There was a heaviness behind the words that she couldn’t interpret. Not that she tried very hard. She had enough troubles of her own to think about.

“Why do you pretend to be a man?” the prince asked her abruptly.

“I don’t preciselypretendto be a man,” Flora corrected. “I just don’t correct people’s assumptions that the princess would only have a male bodyguard. And yes,” she acknowledged, “I do make use of those assumptions when they suit me.”

“Well, it’s an effective illusion,” said the prince. “Especially with your hair and most of your face hidden. I confess I would never have guessed you to be as old as twenty.”

He fussed with some non-existent dirt on his jacket, giving Flora the sense that he was trying very hard not to look at her.

“If you’re referring to my shape,” she said matter-of-factly, “I’m wearing bindings. It’s just convenient.”

To her amusement, she could have sworn she saw heat rising up his neck.

“Convenient,” she went on, “but not at all comfortable. To tell the truth, I would be very glad to get out of my uniform and into clothes more conducive to sleep, but that’s clearly not going to happen.”

“Yes.” Prince Cassius cleared his throat. “Attaining privacy will be challenging in our particular circumstances. But we will have to find ways to manage.”

“Privacy wouldn’t help me on this occasion,”Flora pointed out. “I have no idea where my belongings are. I know they were retrieved from the carriage back in Siqual, but I was too distracted by the accommodation arrangements to think to ask for them when we arrived here. I suspect they’ve gone to the camp with the rest of the guards. I’m going to have to attempt to sleep in this.”

Prince Cassius looked her over, seeming relieved for an excuse to examine her form. “That won’t be very comfortable.”

Flora chuckled. “I don’t think any clothes would make the floor comfortable, Your Highness. But I’ll manage.”

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