Much to Stella’s chagrin, it was easier to control their connection now that there was less tension between them, but it still wasn’t comfortable. Bumping up against the heart of someone you had no business being so emotionally intimate with was strange—like reading the journal of your nemesis.
They traded feelings back and forth for what felt like forever but was really only an hour. Stella was ready to crawl out of her skin by the time her parents finally gave them a break.
She didn’t want to know Teddy like that and she didn’t want him to know her back. She just wanted to survive the competition and wait for the nightmarish bond to fade and all the senses in her body to be her own again.
Finally, her parents deemed that they had done enough and they sent Teddy back to the castle.
Cecilia excused herself to take a nap, but Rainer stood in the garden window, watching Teddy leave through the back gate.
“You did well today, but it will be another thing entirely when you’re in the middle of a fight,” her father said. “Gods, I hate this. I wanted a world where you would never have to take a life.”
Stella had been doing her best to ignore that possibility. It was foolishness that led her to do so. She simply couldn’t think about it too much or she’d be completely paralyzed by fear. Now was a moment for courage, and she needed to focus on one problem at a time.
Rainer sat in a chair by the window, pulled out a half-carved star flower, and began to chip away at it with a blade. Stella crossed the room and sat down in the chair beside him, watching his practiced movements transform a lump of wood into a petal.
After a few minutes of silence, he put the flower and knife back in his pocket and looked at her. “This last year has been frightening for us with the way the Sons of Endros have become bolder. It feels like the kingdoms are backsliding and it brings up bad memories for me and your mother. We had hoped the world would be different by now—better. We wanted to create a world where you could choose the future you wanted.”
“That’s what I’m trying to do, Papa,” she said.
He ran a hand through his hair and sighed. With his face heavy with worry, he looked so much older. “I know. I’ve seen it before. Do you know what your mother said when she saw you standing in that arena?”
Stella shook her head.
“She said, ‘Is that your daughter down there?’ And I said, ‘No, sweetheart, that’syourdaughter.’” Rainer smiled and shook his head. “You are so much like your mother.”
“Then shouldn’t you have confidence in me?”
Rainer clasped his hands. “I do. I know that you have her strength of will and, even if I could change your mind now, you’re bound tothis path. Forgive me for worrying.” He looked out at the garden and swallowed hard.
Stella wished she could reassure him, but if it was Leo or Rosie who had entered, she would feel the same.
“I’m ready for this, Papa.”
He looked at her with so much grief in his eyes. “I know. That’s what frightens me.” He cleared his throat. “Just tell me this to ease my mind—when does a warrior put down her blade?”
Stella’s lips twitched toward a smile. “When she’s dead, or when she’s lost the will to fight.”
He nodded in approval. “That’s my girl. Keep your blade in hand. Never let your guard down. Don’t trust anyone.”
“What about Teddy?”
“Especially not Teddy,” he grumbled.
Stella laughed. “But you all said we should stick together.”
Her father rubbed a hand down his face. “Yes. You should trust him not to kill you mid-competition, but he can’t lose this tournament, Little Star. The heir to the Argarian throne cannot weather that kind of public loss.”
The words twisted knots in Stella’s chest. She and Teddy couldn’t both win. If she lost, she would lose Arden and this beautiful love story that was just beginning. But if Teddy lost, he would lose Grace and take a humiliating blow to the ego he might never recover from.
But he was a prince. He had power. At the end of the day, if he really wanted to marry Grace, he could probably find a way to make it happen. If Stella didn’t win, she would be powerless to stop Arden from being with Princess Eleria. He couldn’t call off the engagement without causing an inter-kingdom incident. But if Stella won, she could ask for Arden’s hand and the king would have no choice but to grant her a marriage sanctioned by the gods. Even the people of Jeset were incredibly devout to their gods. They would respect the outcome.
Her father leaned forward and squeezed her hand. “I know Endros will make it harder on both of you. Please promise me that you’ll remember Teddy is not your savior. He’s your competition.”
10
TEDDY
The morning of the first challenge, the competitors’ tent was already bustling with activity when Teddy stepped inside.
