Page 77 of Between Wrath and Mercy

“They like you.” I glanced over my shoulder and saw her nodding to the soldiers as they passed. “Word of your swordsmanship spread, and they saw your push yesterday.” I cringed. I should have known the few soldiers who witnessed our duel wouldn’t have kept tight-lipped about it. I hadn’t been thinking when I pushed Rainier. Of course, some of the soldiers could have thought it was disrespectful, and no doubt it was why one of the much older men sneered at me. But the younger ones all seemed to have found an endearment for me, which I found odd. I killed a tírrúil and incapacitated another, healed countless soldiers. One would think those would be the traits that would endear me to them, but it was the sword-fighting and playfulness with their prince that had earned it.

“Why make the face?” The soft lilt of her accent and the furrow in her brow made me forget my awkwardness with her. This giant of a woman was kind and friendly and seemed to like me. There was no reason to stunt a friendship with her over a man who wasn’t ever mine.

“I probably shouldn’t have pushed him in front of his soldiers. I got carried away.” I gave her a tight smile, embarrassed about the whole situation.

“Prince Rainier has earned the respect of his soldiers many times. They—we—view him as brother. You would be happy for your brother to smile, no? It is the same.”

A shamefully large part of me was happy when she said she viewed him as a brother.

“Even if I embarrass him in front of his soldiers?”

“Especially if you embarrass him in front of his soldiers. He’s smiled more in the past week than he has in years.” I found something interesting on the ground in front of me to stare at while I contemplated what she said. She ducked away a moment later, spotting a soldier to my right she wanted to speak to. I couldn’t help but smile to myself. It had been a game for me when we were young to make him smile as often as I could. He had always been so stressed, and I kicked myself for never having truly understood the extent of it.

We were nearing the front of the line, and an older soldier got his mash before walking past me on the left. He spotted me and stopped in his tracks before ogling me and spitting on the ground, speaking a word I didn’t recognize. “Fahyše!” I jumped back to avoid the spittle and stared back at him, jaw slack. I wasn’t sure what the man said, but I knew it wasn’t good. I felt something brush against my back a moment later, and the next thing I knew, Thyra had the man on his back, her knee on his chest.

“Thyra!” I don’t know if I shouted her name in surprise or because I didn’t want her to hurt someone on my behalf, but I stepped out of the meal line like I would be able to stop her. I knew whatever the man said wasn’t good, but it wasn’t as if I had any right to be mad. These men were helping me, and they barely knew me. And I had disrespected his prince, no matter what Thyra said, and I should have expected there might have been trouble to follow.

Thyra leaned over the man and said something in a thick, lyrical tongue I didn’t understand. The man coughed, turning his head toward me.

“I’m sorry!” His accent was different from Thyra’s, and I nodded, wanting the spectacle to be over. Thyra pushed down on his body with her knee, and the man was coughing again. “Lady Emmeline! I’m sorry, Lady Emmeline!”

“Thyra, let him stand.” I stilled as I heard the deep voice at my back. The man on the ground stared behind me, eyes wide in terror. Out of the frying pan and into the fire. Thyra took her knee off of him but did not offer her hand for assistance. The soldier took a moment to sit up, breathing hard before he stood. Rainier moved beside me, appearing rested and fresh, with a frightening gleam in his eye.

“Rainier, don’t. It’s fine.” He held up his hand for silence, not even sparing me a glance, looking more royal than I’d ever seen him, and I stopped talking. Disrespecting him in front of his soldiers was what got me here in the first place. Rainier looked expectantly at Thyra, waiting for her explanation.

“He insulted Lady Emmeline.” I rolled my eyes at her, but she missed it. As if it wasn’t already evident he’d insulted me. Rainier took a few steps toward Thyra and gripped her elbow, clearly wanting further explanation. She spoke quietly, and no matter how hard I strained, I couldn’t hear what she said. Instead, I heard a thundering heartbeat coming from the man who insulted me.

A small crowd had gathered, and I felt the heat of a few people staring right at me. The person serving the mash had stopped, and the line was growing, everyone watching the four of us standing off to the side. I wrapped my cloak around me tighter. I saw Rainier tense as Thyra spoke to him, and she stepped away, coming to stand next to me. I eyed her pleadingly, but she only shook her head. Rainier turned his attention to the soldier in front of him, and I held my breath. The man was old, and the longer I stared at him, I realized he wasn’t from Skos at all like I’d originally thought, and instead from Nythyr; I’d heard another language and assumed. My heart dropped in my stomach. Of course, he would hate me, especially if he saw what happened after Rainier dragged me into the water. I hadn’t even known there were any Nythyrians in Rainier’s guard. The fact Thyra spoke at least three languages fluttered across my consciousness before I was distracted by the men in front of me. Rainier’s arms were crossed as he circled the soldier, like a beast about to attack its prey. I stared at Rainier, trying to draw his attention to me, but he never lost his focus.

I was about to say his name when he struck the soldier, punching him in the face. He immediately fell to the ground, eyes closed. I stepped forward in a panic, listening for the man’s heartbeat, certain Rainier had killed him. Thyra grabbed my arm and pulled me backward as I listened, hearing an unsteady heart as the man’s eyes fluttered open, and he raised up on his knees. Rainier punched him again, and I heard his heart skip and start pounding as Rainier reared back to hit him a third time.

“Rain, stop.” I ran forward, pulling out of Thyra’s grasp. “You’re going to kill him!”

I dropped to my knees and ripped the man’s shirt open, putting my hands on his chest, willing his heart to slow and steady. I put one hand on his face, already swollen and red. Rainier dropped his fist, watching me with dead eyes as he got his breathing under control. When the heart rate finally returned to normal, I lifted my chin defiantly to glare at Rainier, my brows drawn tight. I moved my other hand off the soldier’s chest to join the one on his face when Rainier finally spoke.

“That’s enough.” The injured man coughed and opened one eye, the other still swollen shut. I didn’t pull my hand away.

“I can’t believe you.” I was quiet when I spoke, aware of the spectacle we’d made. Aware that the rest of his men who weren’t here to watch would still hear about what happened. His eyes met mine, and I saw anger flash there. I was relieved, even if it was directed at me, to see something other than the dead eyes he’d just used to look at me a moment ago.

“Lady Emmeline, that’senough.” His volume rose, and it was Prince Rainier who stood in front of me now, and I knew I needed to listen or else it would be seen as disrespect and defiance in front of his soldiers. He was strategic, making sure those around us heard it, knowing I wouldn’t want to make things worse. I pulled my hand away and sat back on my heels, glaring between Rainier and the man on the ground. Rainier crouched and spoke quietly to his injured soldier.

“You are banished from my guard. If you’re lucky enough to make it through the mountains, you are banished from Vesta. You should know thiswhoreis the only reason you live.” I felt my mouth go dry, and I swallowed. I knew what the man said couldn’t have been complimentary, but hearing it out loud made it worse.

Rainier stood, holding out his hand to me. I debated standing up without his assistance for a moment and then decided against it. He’d nearly killed a man over what he said to me. I didn’t want to sow discord within his ranks any further, so I primly took his hand as he stepped over the former member of his guard on the ground. I let go the moment I was standing.

“Come, I wanted to show you something before we leave.” He offered me his arm, and I studied him for a moment, noticing his bruised and swollen knuckles. I heard movement behind me, the line for food having started again, everyone ignoring the broken soldier on the ground. My gaze hesitated over the man. He could have used a bit more healing on his face, but maybe he deserved the dreadful headache he’d have for the next few days. Knowing every interaction with Rainier from this point forward would be noticed, I put my arm in his, and we started walking.

“Are you going to beat every soldier who has a problem with me?” I kept my voice low, but my tone was light in case anyone chose to listen.

“If I need to. Are you going to heal every person who deserves a beating?” He countered, voice tight but pleasant to match mine.

“If I need to.” He scowled at me, leading me to the cliff everyone had been jumping off the day before. “I’m serious, Rain. You can’t do that, not over me.”

“Come on.” He tugged me along, but I pulled my arm free from him and stomped. He raised an eyebrow as he looked down at my foot, a slow smile spreading across his lips.

“That was adorable. Do you feel better now? If you need to do it again, go ahead. It was precious.” I wanted to smack the smile off his face.

“Promise me you won’t do that ever again.”

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