Page 78 of Tricky Princess
“You need your own, and I can’t think of anyone more deserving than you, darling.”
“Please don’t be a crown,” she said, rolling her eyes.
“I don’t think you need a crown where you’re going.” He held the long object in both hands and brought it toward her. “But you may need an obsidian and gold sword forged by the Gods.”
Ellea gasped as she pulled away the black fabric. The sword was smaller than she expected, and it was sheathed in a leather scabbard. The straps were longer too, too long to go around her waist.
“It’s called a baldric scabbard,” Azzy said, picking up on her thoughts. “You wear it on your back. I thought it would be easier to conceal there until you learn that part of your magic.”
Ellea groaned. She still hadn’t figured out how to store things in pockets like Ros and Azzy could. Dragging the sword from the sheath, she gasped again. Even though she could remake and create objects, this sword could not be replicated.
“It looks like the one Ros has in our room.” She traced the intricate gold lines that flowed down the middle. “But a whole lot smaller.”
Azzy chuckled. “It’s a short sword and the sister to Rosier’s sword. It used to be his mother’s.”
Ellea staggered back, leaving the sword in his hands. She couldn’t; there was no way she would carry a sword that belonged to his mother. She wasn’t worthy.
“I can’t…” She shook her head.
“You will,” he said sternly. “Don’t disobey a king.”
Ellea laughed as his façade quickly crumbled; he would never say that to her.
“Ellea, it was meant for you even before it was meant for Esmeray.” He stepped toward her, holding the straps out, waiting for her to loop her arms through them.
“I guess I can at least try it on. And it goes with my dress,” she mumbled, turning to help him fit the straps to her. It fit similarly to a backpack but a bit higher, and damn, did it feel right.
The sword sat at an angle, poking over her right shoulder and next to her left side. It would take some getting used to, but the weight was a surprising comfort at her back. It was as if it was always meant to be there.
“She had always complained how the sword at her side wasn’t comfortable, especially when riding,” Azzy said with a distant look in his eyes.
“Thank you.” She fought the burn in her eyes and forced herself to look in Azzy’s watery gaze. “I will look after it.”
“It’s yours, forever.” He clasped her by each shoulder and kissed her on her cheek. “Now go show that council what you’re made of. Remember all you have learned and done while you were here.”
Ellea smirked up at Azzy, thinking of all the horrible things the council would faint at.
Ellea stared up at the massive white building as she stepped out of Ros’ shadows. He shivered next to her. It had been too long for him to go without being able to use that part of his magic, and he seemed more relaxed now that he was free of the spell Belias had used. She felt her braid tug as Ros pulled it free from her harness and wrapped it around his hand. He tugged her head back and planted a chaste kiss on her parted lips.
“I’m never walking again,” he said before deepening the kiss.
Garm and Billy brushed past them in their beast forms, both nudging them as they continued toward the building that housed the council’s meetings. Ros glanced at the sword at her back and gave her a small smile before releasing his hold on her hair and grabbing her hand instead.
Before they left, Ros said he was happy for her to have the sword, that it was meant for her. But she still felt…undeserving. Ellea shook off the feeling, replacing it with the mask she’d worn most of her life, the bored and quiet heir to an ancient and prominent seer family. One that had complete control of her magic and who wasn’t on the path that her parents had laid for her, a path shrouded in hate and destruction.
Her heart hurt knowing that her nana wouldn’t greet her with love and affection; she would have her mask on as well. She only hoped that Ros would see the roles they were playing. But as they stepped into the meeting room where the most important people on their side of the continent looked down at them, she felt his magic, felt the anger and need to protect her. At that moment, he looked more demon than prince.
The fifteen council members sat high behind a mass of white marble in a crescent shape. In the center were three human mortals, and to their left were three wolven and three demons. To their right were three witches and three vampires.
She let her eyes pause on her nana for a moment, trying to show as much affection as she could with just her eyes. In response, her nana touched her nose once, their signal that she was there for her.
“Someone looks whole and well for being kidnapped and dragged to Hel,” one vampire said.
Ellea recognized him, but not really. He looked similar to the vampire in her vision, but he had bright auburn hair where the one she had witnessed was all dark hair and bright eyes. She squeezed Ros’ hand.
“Who says she was kidnapped?” one witch said. Isaac’s father. “I wouldn’t put it past her to go there on her own.”
Ellea leaned slightly to take a step, to open her mouth and say she would in fact go there on her own, especially after all she had learned. Her nana gave the slightest shake of her head, forcing Ellea to bite her tongue and stay in her spot.
