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I nodded. “Yes.”
“Alright then. One day.”
We started to walk back to the castle. Now that my heart rate had settled, the sweat on my back and in my hair gave me the chills. I needed a hot shower and some food.
A stone staircase crossed over the sand dunes and led the way to the castle gardens. My muscles burned once again as I took the first few steps upward. By the time we made it to the top, I found my brother waiting for us, sitting on one of the many benches that scatter the gardens. He tilted his chin in greeting when he saw us approaching.
“Hello, Brother,” Cyrus said.
“Good morning. I’m surprised to see you sitting out here. Don’t you have some important matter”—I swirled my hand fancifully—“to attend to?”
“I do, but I needed to see you first. Hudson said he saw you headed toward the beach this morning, so I’ve been waiting for you to come back.”
I’d been out for a while. I hoped he hadn't been waiting too long. As if he could read my thoughts, he sighed and stood.
“You were out longer than usual.”
I sensed my mother’s eyes on me, no doubt hoping I’d keep my promise to take a break. But Cyrus clearly needed something, so I’d rest some other day.
“What do you need?”
My thoughts flew back to Fort Malek and Murvort. Maybe he’d decided to send more guards? And he wanted me to carry the message personally? If I packed immediately, I could be there before nightfall.
“Emilie expressed interest in learning to fight.”
My mind went blank. “Sorry?”
“She told me how you went to the training grounds and how she’s never learned to fight. She said she wanted to learn some basics, so she could protect herself if anything ever happened to her.”
My brows scrunched. Still not sure how this had anything to do with me.
Cyrus stood and started to pace. “I agree with her. It would be wise for her to have the fundamentals down.”
“I’m sorry, Cyrus, but I don’t know why you’re telling me this.”
“Because I want you to teach her.”
I laughed. Not a scoff. Not a huff. A full burst of laughter. He couldn’t be serious.
With horror, I realized that he was serious, and my amusement turned to frustration. My lips curled at the thought of spending more time with Emilie. “Why me?”
“Because I trust you with my life, and therefore, I trust you with hers.”
I couldn’t argue with him there. I was, without a doubt, the most trustworthy person in my brother’s life, and even with my reservations about Emilie, I still wouldn’t let any harm come to her. I’d dedicated my life to protecting the kingdom, which unfortunately now included Emilie. But it was just training. Anyone could do that.
I told him as much. “Surely there is someone else who could teach her the basics. We have instructors for every level, even a novice like Emilie.” Her name tasted like venom in my mouth and I half spat it out.
Cyrus looked at me through squinted eyes. I would’ve blamed the sunlight, but he was standing in the shadows of the apple trees, so it was pure disappointment written on his face.
“What is it with you and the Duvals?” he asked, not for the first time.
“I’ve told you; I don’t trust them.” How could I?
He shook his head. “You have no reason not to. I think this will be good for you, Ladon. It doesn’t matter if you like her or trust her or even tolerate her. She’s here to stay. But this would be a lot easier if I had your support. I love you, Brother, and I don’t want her to become a wedge between us. If you train her, maybe you’ll find some things in common. Will you do that for me?”
I bit my cheek. This had disaster written all over it. I would’ve rather popped my fingernails off one by one than spend a significant amount of time training the pretty princess. But I couldn’t say no to my brother. He and I both knew I was about to give in.
“There are a million other things I could be doing, Cyrus. But you’d rather have me babysit your fiancé?”
