Page 34 of The Kingdom of Eternal Ice
She shows us a grateful smile.
“She is amazing,” I state. “It’s almost like she is perfection.”
“No one is perfect,” Endellion’s voice reaches us, making both Flinn and I turn our heads in surprise. “Should I really be able to sneak up on two alphas?”
Flinn rolls his eyes. “First of all, you are always stealthy; second, we are triplets and can easily sneak up on each other.”
“You don’t think Azadeh is perfect?” I ask, completely uninterested in their bickering.
“I think she is breathtaking,” Endellion says. “But, she looks sad sometimes.”
“Where do you see sadness in her?” Flinn asks, confused.
Endellion shrugs. “Just a gut feeling.” He stays silent for a while, watching the two young women in their riding lesson with us.
“Say,” Flinn interrupts the silence. “Does our silly Tynan have a crush on the stoic general?”
“I have no idea,” Endellion sighs. “Maybe he is just trying to be nice.”
I stare at my two brothers in surprise. Tynan is an old friend of ours, and I know he can be silly and reckless sometimes, but he certainly wouldn’t try something odd with General Shayan. “You must be imagining things.”
“You really didn’t notice?” Flinn says in disbelief.
“Caelan,” Endellion snorts. “He gave him his favorite piece of ham this morning! Tynan is all about hunting, eating and fighting.”
“I bet he is going to invite him on a hunt, too,” Flinn grins. “I wonder where his sudden interest comes from?”
Endellion shrugs. “Who knows? It’s not our business anyway.”
“I agree.” Other people’s affairs have never bothered me much.
“Why are the both of you not curious at all!?” Flinn groans. “You are so annoying!”
“Because Tynan’s private life is none of our business,” I repeat, relieved when Endellion nods at my words. He is the most composed and level-headed of us three, and he never chooses a side just by sympathy alone.
Flinn sighs, shaking his head at us. “At least one of us knows how to have fun.”
“I think our definitions of fun just differ,” Endellion chuckles.
We all fall into a comfortable silence, watching Alana carefully lead Simin and her pony through the hall. The young woman seems to relax more and more. “She is good at that,” I point out. “Alana, I mean.”
“She is making more and more progress daily,” Endellion agrees. “Ever since Dad agreed to let her become a warrior, she has worked so hard.”
Flinn beams in pride when he watches our sister. He might not say it out aloud, but he and Alana share a special bond. They understand each other on a deeper level. “She can achieve anything she wants,” he exclaims.
We keep watching until Alana wraps up her lesson with Azadeh and Simin, leading the two women back to us. “You really made fast progress,” Endellion tells Azadeh, a smile curling his lips.
She seems to be flustered at first but soon smiles politely. “Thank you.”
“What are you three up to?” Alana asks us.
“I’m heading to training now,” Flinn says, waving us goodbye and winking at Azadeh and Simin. To my surprise, both girls show him a smile and laugh.
Alana rolls her eyes at our brother and turns to us. “And, you two?”
“I wanted to visit Ita’s parents,” Endellion says while showing me a basket with goodies. “Her mother has just given birth.”
His words seem to have caught Azadeh’s interest. “Is it usual for you to visit new parents?”
