Page 46 of To Fight and To Fold

"Good afternoon, Aaryn. Forgive my tardiness. I had to tend to a few things this morning," Jarrick greeted.

"That's quite alright," she said, noting Runa still stood in her place.

"One of which was to acquire a space for us to practice. Walk with me?" he asked. "Runa will join us, so no unruly rumors make their way about the castle."

They already have.

"Thank you," she told him, and began to walk in step beside him. "To be honest, the Tethered have enough to be angry with me about, let alone rumors that I'm seducing the prince.”

He dipped his head. "I fear that is my fault. I don't think the investigators were as mysterious about the whole ordeal as they should have been, despite my urging."

Aaryn bit down on her frustration at their carelessness.

"Did they at least learn anything from who they questioned?" she asked. Perhaps her betrayal of the other Tethered had not been in vain.

Her short-lived hopes were dashed as the prince winced. "Unfortunately, we didn't find any traitors in our midst like I had hoped."

She frowned. "Maybe they're in a further Guard. Thea was a Sixth Guard for a while before she was a Fourth."

The prince smiled down at her. "We have considered that, yes. You have done much to help our cause. Thank you, Tethered Aaryn," he said.

Aaryn recognized a dismissal when she heard it. She let the subject drop, lest her bristles rise, and continued to follow the prince through the castle.

"Now, I hope you'll forgive me. I couldn't very well take you to the training barracks. Too many eyes and ears."

She noted Runa still walking behind them at a slower pace.

"If I'm going to dishonor you in this way, let it be private," he murmured, and Aaryn felt her cheeks flame. She cooled her expression, though what she wanted to do was drop her mouth open and slowly spin to Runa and ask if she'd heard what he'd dared to utter.

The prince stopped before another door she was unfamiliar with, and opened it into a large, windowed room, though the curtains were all drawn, sunlight spilling from beneath their great lengths.

The floor was tiled and her simple shoes echoed off the ground as she stepped inside. It was beautiful craftsmanship, with arched windows and a stone fireplace. A few decorative tables and chairs had been pushed out of the way, and a large, thick rug had been laid out over the center of the floor.

"The reason for my tardiness," he presented, ushering both her and Runa inside. "The king suggested we use this room, and I quite think it's a good idea."

"What is this room usually reserved for?" she asked, eyes tracing every square inch, from the lit candelabras to the bookcases in each corner decorated with more trinkets than books.

"Lounging, relaxing. Of course, none of us are getting much of that, considering all that's happened recently."

You and me both, she thought.

For a moment, Aaryn considered telling him about her experience just last night. About Thea, feeding the dragon, yet another dream—another… vision.

Because that's what it had to be, yes? Not simply dreams. Not with the way Thea had spoken to her.

Something small and tight in her chest kept the words locked away.

She swallowed them, and caught sight of various wooden weapons lined up against the wall alongside the door. Excitement dared to curl through her veins.

"What shall we start with?" she asked. Her long pants swished around her ankles, which was the clothing she'd deduced would offer her the most range of movement. Usually, they were reserved for wear only when caring for Starspark, but she imagined this was a special occasion. She couldn't very well learn… whatever she was going to learn in stays and dresses, now, could she?

"Don't get ahead of yourself, now. Before you pick up a weapon, we need to cover the basics."

"Basics?" she asked, facing the prince.

"Basics," he echoed, and charged at her.

Aaryn felt her eyes go wide and instinctively shot her hand out, jabbing him in the throat. He made a horrible choking noise and coughed, bending over at the knees.