Page 70 of Arrows and Gems
He snorted. “An apt description. Gryphon doesn’t often have a bone, but he gnaws it incessantly when he does.”
“Who’s Gryphon?”
Cap paused in the act of handing a bowl to Laurent. “Princess Daphne’s border collie,” he finally answered. “He is a well-known figure in the castle. Or was, a year ago.”
“Princess Daphne... is that the Daphne that you and Jean-haut were discussing before? With Raoul?”
His eyes darted sideways, but the hint of a curve tugged at his mouth. “Yes.”
Personal guard that had fallen for his princess? Or one that thought of her like a younger sister?
“So if I’m Gryphon, and your story is my bone…” she prompted, elbowing him lightly as she passed bowls to Adrien and Alanna.
“Oh, go ahead, Cap,” Adrien encouraged with a wink. “Our Margit won’t betray you.”
They returned to their seats next to Jean-haut. Cap stared into his bowl, but Helena made herself wait patiently. Toomuch pressure might keep his story hidden away.
He thanked Rouge after she filled his bowl, then scooped up a handful of dried fruit. Instead of putting it in his mouth, he transferred his unfocused gaze to it.
“My story is very similar to Jean-haut’s,” he finally confessed. His voice was quiet, barely audible over the conversations surrounding them.
“You fled on the day the king died?” she clarified. “Did you go with Jean-haut to warn Prince Raphael?”
He slowly shook his head. “No. I was there when he found the prince. Prince Raphael had been hunting in the woods. He was almost back to Laurier when Jean-haut showed up.”
“So he was gone when it happened?” Helena asked, fascinated. “But what about General Valentin’s story?”
Cap’s fist clenched around the dried fruit. “At the time, I told myself that he must have been mistaken. But now I agree with Jean-haut that General Valentin probably murdered the king himself. The prince’s absence made it easy to frame him for the crime.”
“But if you know the truth...” Taking a bite of her own food, she puzzled through his motives. “Why didn’t you return to the castle and tell everyone that Prince Raphael couldn’t have done it?”
“No one would take my word over the General’s in his court,” Cap snorted. He tossed a few pieces of fruit into his mouth. “And the prince was supposed to be in the castle at the time. It would sound like a convenient story.”
Helena stirred the food in her bowl. “I suppose that’s true. So then what? You and Jean-haut hid the prince away and then ran off into the woods? Why didn’t either of you go back?”
“Jean-haut returns occasionally to gather intel,” Cap replied. His eyebrows pulled together as he watched his mentally absent friend. “Several guards followed us when we fled. Healmost died that day because of my mistakes, but I did manage to keep them from recognizing him.”
“But they did recognize you,” Helena guessed. He was rubbing his shoulder again, just as he’d done when she accused him of not understanding her injury. When he’d referenced the painful lessons he’d learned the day he became an outlaw.
“Yes,” he said simply. “I had no choice but to flee.”
“Why do you think your mistakes nearly caused his death?” she couldn’t help asking. He was wearing the same weight-of-the-world expression she sometimes saw on her brother’s face. “Did you shove him in front of a sword?”
“He didn’t run the minute he saw men he trusted,” Jean-haut supplied. Uncurling his hands, he reached for the bowl in front of him. “That gave them time to attack, which risked my exposure and made him a liability when he took an arrow. And for that, he believes he failed me.”
“Cap.” Helena adjusted her seat so she could face him fully. “It was an understandable mistake. A royal guard isn’t expected to be perfect. Did you disobey an order from the prince?”
His jaw tightened, but he shook his head.
“There you have it. It wasn’t your fault.” She jabbed him in the shoulder, but he didn’t loosen up.
“Even princes are allowed to make mistakes,” Jean-haut added. “I don’t hold it against him.”
“It’s true,” she chimed in, ducking her head to better see his face. “Even my—prince isn’t perfect.” She dropped her eyes, remembering Axel’s distress. “He and one of his friends were hurt once when events didn’t go according to plan. But no one blames him for it.”
Cap didn’t respond, staring at the bowl in his lap and clenching his fist. Why was he so hard on himself?
Helena reached over and set a hand on his. “Not everything is your fault, Cap. You don’t have to bear everythingalone.”
