Page 37 of Once Upon A Bear

But if she couldn’t…he wasn’t sure what either of them would do.

By the time he reached the back gate of his family’s estate, he still hadn’t figured out the confusing puzzle that was Guinevere, and he was more invested than ever. But he couldn’t continue with the luxury of thinking about her without distraction, not now that he was home.

“Why are you walking like that?” his mother asked from behind him.

Gideon suppressed his groan as he turned. “Mother.”

She wasn’t supposed to be outside in the kitchen garden. He was supposed to be able to sneak in, and yet here she was with Cook’s son, Jacob, glaring at him as if he’d tried to be injured.

How could she even tell? He could hardly feel the pain anymore.

Jacob looked between the two of them until his mother shooed the boy off.

“Hello, Mother,” Gideon said as calmly as he could. “I’m fine.”

“That usually means you’re not,” his mother pointed out. “If you feel the need to tell me that you’re fine—”

“It’s nothing. I hurt myself, but the healer took care of me.”

“A healer?” She hurried over and began attempting to inspect his legs, which were fortunately covered by his pants.

“I’m fine, Mother,” he said, swatting her away.

She simply glared. “You are not fine. I’m your mother. I will tell you if you are fine or not.”

Gideon laughed at that, unfortunately, but his mother grinned.

Even she recognized how she sounded, and how at odds it was with everything she believed in. She strove to give her children independence, even if she would much rather coddle them.

“I don’t believe you entirely,” she said, “but if you wish to pretend that you are well, then I shall simply get the information out of you at some later point. Your brothers are in the courtyard practicing, if you wish to join them.”

Once, he’d used to enjoy nothing more than joining his brothers in the courtyard to spar. He didn’t do it much anymore…but maybe today he could.

“Thank you, Mother,” he said, leaning over to kiss her cheek, her golden-brown hair brushing against his cheek.

She was the best, even if sometimes he felt she barely tolerated their shenanigans.

He hurried around to the training yard in the courtyard and found Kellan sparring with Hopkins while Caspian watched, lounging against the wall and occasionally calling out tips on how they could correct their stance or their footwork.

“I heard you need someone to come and trounce you,” Gideon announced as he entered the training yard, pulling a practice sword off the wall.

Was this a good decision after injuring himself? Probably not.

But he didn’t particularly care, because it would give him something to think about other than Guinevere or the way he’d been injured, and that his mother had caught him. If anything, sparring would prove to her that he was not terribly injured.

And it would distract from the fact that his first thought had been to call for Guinevere.

He had probably been closer to his own family than to her, and yet somehow she’d heard him, and she’d come running just like he’d known she would.

“Why are you walking funny?” his brother asked as he squared up against him.

The last thing he needed to admit to Kellan was that he hadn’t been careful and had been caught in a bear trap…because he was the bear they were all so concerned about.

Not that he could tell him any of that, but even if he could, he wouldn’t.

“I’ll be fine,” Gideon grunted as he swung at his brother.

They sparred for a few minutes before his brother called it quits and Caspian and Hopkins took up their swords.