Page 47 of To Fight and To Fold

"Great scales! I'm sorry, I panicked!" Aaryn knelt next to him, and he offered her a strained smile, holding up a finger.

She winced, waiting as he caught his breath. When he spoke next, his voice was slightly hoarse. "Well. That's one way to do it," he rasped.

Aaryn covered her face with both hands. "I'm so terribly sorry," she whispered, mortified. She'd injured the prince!

"Where in the world did you learn that?" he asked after getting to his feet.

Aaryn flushed and stammered, “I just—learned it when I was younger! I’m sorry!”

Prince Jarrick looked thoughtful, and she considered that growing up on the outskirts of Evergale had been vastly different than the prince’s own upbringing.

“Well, I’m glad whatever kind of purpose you could’ve had for learning such things are in the past. You’re Tethered.”

It eased something in her to hear those words. She was Tethered, with a home, and everything she could desire, and a task she could not be more eager to undertake—caring for a dragon!

Tightness gripped her chest as she was struck with longing for Starspark. She missed him.

"Thank you, Prince. Maybe I'm biased, but I'm also glad," she responded lightly.

He cracked a smile and she felt quite accomplished for but a moment—because then he began leading her through movements.

They felt stilted as she followed him, unfamiliar as they were, but with each repetition she grew more confident.

“You thought ahead and wore the pants," he said, stepping away after he showed her the correct footing for a grapple.

“So it would be easier to do this." She lunged at him, not quite catching him off guard like she'd wished. Maybe if she hadn't warned him with her words first.

She collided with him and he did let out a little “oof” of effort, which made pride swell behind her breast. However he didn't move much more than a few inches, and Aaryn sighed.

"It was a good attempt," he placated as she released him.

She stepped back and put her hands on her hips. "When can I hold a sword? Or a bow?"

He narrowed his gaze for a long moment, lips twitching, before finally... "Fine, fine. We can go over the very basics, but you've got to learn to walk before running, yes? It is the same with combat."

Aaryn nodded. "I just want to see what it feels like." Holding Thea's dagger had sent a thrill through her. Would this offer the same electric sensation?

He went over to the wall and picked up two wooden swords. As he showed her where to grip the hilt, she recalled a moment when her hand had held a similar one.

"Wow, it's heavier than it looks," Aaryn breathed, staring down at the dagger.

The blade was sharp and gleamed in the afternoon sunlight, while the hilt was dark, wrapped in leather. She could feel the indentations where a specific hand had molded the hilt to its shape.

It usually hung so secure at Thea's side, in its sheath. But it had clearly been used plenty.

"You get used to the weight," Thea answered, very matter of fact. She watched Aaryn carefully, hands practically hovering as if she might accidentally drop the weapon and hurt herself, as if her attention alone might prevent such a thing.

Aaryn met her gaze. "Do you get used to what one does with it as well?"

Thea's expression shuttered, emotion clamping down behind a polite mask. "We all do what we must."

"For Evergale," Aaryn guessed.

Her placating smile could have been a grimace. "For Evergale."

Looking back now, Aaryn saw it in a new light. It was a grimace. Thea cared not to protect Evergale. According to the prince, Thea and all the druids would see the magic that protected them used for petty convenience, which would lead to Evergale's—and all of Rishika's—fall.

Compared even to the memory of the dagger, the wooden sword was lightweight, and she lifted it easily. The weight was balanced so differently from the long brush she used to dust Starspark's scales. Now suddenly she wasn’t feeling so confident.