Page 57 of To Wake a Kingdom

As Ronan recovered, I continued my training with Noah and Em while I waited for my tincture to finish brewing. I wasn’t giving up yet. I’d promised Kianna I would keep trying. Anything could still happen if I kept pushing forward.

Between watching over Ronan, getting battered in the training yard, and standing vigil in the kitchen, the strain slowly wore me down to a blunted nub. I’d never been more exhausted, but Ronan was healing, and I could at least untie that knot of worry.

My legs tucked under me, I sat in the chair next to Ronan as he slept when Gideon found me.

“I’ve prepared lunch outside, Your Highness. Come and eat with us. You’ve been wearing yourself thin, and you need some air. The commander will be fine for a short while on his own.”

I looked at Ronan’s sleeping form and then back at Gideon.

“And he wouldn’t like it if you denied yourself anything to look after him.”

With a small smile, I pushed myself up from the chair. “Okay, I am hungry.”

Outside, the sun was shining. Gideon had set up a small firepit surrounded by benches covered in blankets and furs. Em handed me a bowl as I sat.

“Where’s Kianna?” I asked, bringing it to my lips.

“Sleeping. She’s worn herself out tending to the commander,” Gideon said, pouring me a glass of wine while I made a mental note to check on her later.

The three of them chattered away as I listened, not feeling the need to say much, just enjoying their company. Their talk turned to life in the castle in Estria and their stories of fighting in the field.

“How did you end up with them?” I asked Em. “Are there many women in Estria’s army?”

Em shook her head. “Only a handful. I was the first.” She propped her knee on the bench, draping an arm over it. “I’m the youngest of nine brothers and sisters, so no one cared what I got up to. I was obsessed with watching the soldiers training at the castle, and I wanted to learn to fight like them. They either ignored me or chased me off when I hung around too long. Apparently, I was a distraction for the boys.” She rolled her eyes, and I joined her. “The only person who ever noticed me was Ronan, and when he took command, he invited me to try. I was twelve—more than old enough to hold a sword. Noah and Ronan treated me like any of the boys, walloping me until there wasn’t an inch of my skin that wasn’t black and blue. But I kept coming back and, eventually, I found myself as his third in command.” There was no arrogance in her statement, only a pride she’d earned and a profound respect for the men who’d trained and accepted her.

“Is it hard? Do the men give you a tough time?” I asked.

She grinned, the smile lighting up her sparkling gray eyes. “Sometimes, but since I can kick all their asses, it shuts them up pretty quickly.”

“I think you’re remarkable. I don’t think I would have had the courage to learn how to fight if I hadn’t met you,” I said, and Em’s cheeks turned a brilliant shade of red to rival the hue of her hair.

“Your Highness.” She tipped her head forward in deference, her long braids spilling over her shoulders.

“And you?” I asked Noah.

“We’ve been inseparable since we were old enough to walk,” he replied. “We grew up together with all the younger sons of noble houses whose fate was to serve in the king’s army.”

“And you’ve never resented that? Your future being decided for you?”

Noah shrugged. “We didn’t know any different.”

“How is it any different from being a princess?” Em asked, taking a bite of bread. “If you hadn’t had that little problem with the curse, wouldn’t you be married off to some prince or something? Shit, they probably would have married you to Erick!”

They laughed, and I did too, though the thought was unsettling.

It was true. Even without the curse, my life would never have been mine. With it, it had become something else entirely.

“I promise, Ronan thanks the gods every day he’s the second son and not the first,” Em continued. “Being king is the last thing he’d ever want.”

“Why?” I asked.

“He belongs on a battlefield. It’s what he was made for,” Noah added. “Plus, he scares everyone in the castle. I think they constantly go to war to get him out of there.”

“Us too,” Em said, pointing a thumb at her chest, and we laughed again.

“You must be getting tired of this place?” I asked. It had been a while since I’d insisted they leave, but today, that wasn’t the motivation for my question. “It must be rather dull and quiet compared to waging war across the continent.”

“I think we all needed a break,” Gideon piped up. “The last clash with the Faerie courts on the border of Estria was particularly bloody.”

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