Page 32 of The Kingdom of Eternal Ice
I let my gaze roam over the warriors, noting that Tynan is with them, and to my surprise also Shayan. Endellion talks with him and gestures towards the other warriors.
“He is offering for him to join their training,” Flinn explains, catching on to my curiosity.
“Can you really hear that well?” Simin whispers.
“Yes, besides, as triplets we share a particularly tight bond and link,” he admits.
“It’s nice of Endellion to invite Shayan to the training,” I point out. “Shayan might have lost an eye and arm, but he was our best warrior.”
“That’s why Endellion asked him to join,” Flinn verifies. “It’s not just kindness or, worse, pity; it’s because he hopes we can learn something new from him.”
I watch how Shayan nods and joins the group. Tynan seems to be happy too, and waves at him, offering him to be his sparring partner. Meanwhile, Endellion spars with his younger brother, it makes me smile to see this huge, strong guy be so nice and patient with his siblings.
“Horses next?” Flinn asks us.
I toss one last glance at the warriors, realizing that Endellion raises his head to look at us. I feel worried for a moment that he might not want us here, but then he smiles at me, his silver eyes almost boring into mine even over the distance. I return his smile and politely bow my head at him before Flinn tugs me and Simin away.
eleven
Chapter 11 The Test
*AZADEH*
We have barely made it out of the training halls when Caelan approaches us. He is a few inches taller than Flinn and much more intimidating at first glance, with his wild blond hair and his broad chin. He is very attractive but also scary.
“Here you are,” he grumbles.
Simin takes a step back, and I make sure to stand in front of her. “Pri... I mean, Caelan. Hello.”
He pulls two pieces of woolen fabric out of his pockets and tosses one around my neck and the other around Simin’s. “You should wear scarfs,” he grumbles. “It’s cold, and you aren’t used to it yet.”
“Hello there, Neanderthal,” Flinn snorts. “With your grizzly bear expression, the poor damsels in distress probably thought you were out to hunt them.”
“I’m not a grizzly bear,” he huffs.
Flinn pats his shoulder. “It’s alright, I will translate for you.” He turns to us. “Caelan is worried for your health and hence brought you two scarfs.”
I wrap the scarf he handed me around my neck tighter. It’s warm and soft. “Thank you, Caelan.”
Caelan looks flustered and nods. “What are you up to?”
“I showed the ladies the training grounds, and we watched the warrior training for a while.”
“I wish I could train, too,” I announce. Flinn and Caelan look at me in surprise, making me realize that I slipped and probably shouldn’t reveal too much about my own wishes. I make sure to put on a perfect smile. “It’s just a distant dream, an idea.”
“Have you ever trained?” Flinn asks.
I shake my head. “I wasn’t allowed to.” Well, I wasn’t allowed to do much at all, as I spent most of my days locked in the castle, but they don’t need to know all the details.
“I think it’s a good idea to learn to defend yourself,” Caelan says, to my surprise.
“I agree,” Flinn nods, looking at me in interest.
“I can train you,” Caelan offers.
Flinn snorts. “Are you serious? You don’t know your strength sometimes, Caelan.”
“I would never hurt Azadeh,” he says.
