I could think of two ways she might release some of that tension without killing anyone…but if I suggested one of them, it might’ve just been the thing that made her snap.
“Come on,” I said, opening the door. “Come train with me.”
She looked skeptical. “The Saxons don’t allow women to fight.”
“That apparently doesn’t stop them from fightingyou.”
She exhaled an angry breath. “Much as I want a sword in my hand, I won’t have that fuckhead captain squealing to the king about me breaking the rules.”
“Oh, I’ll take care of the fuckhead captain…”
Her eyes flashed with delight. “You’ve come around to the idea of crushing the people in your path?”
I shook my head, realizing what a risk this was. “If I take you down there, you’re agreeing to do it my way this time. You’ll have to trust me.”
She didn’t quite flinch, but her eyes shuttered like she hated the very idea. For a charged second, she stared me down, looking like she wanted to give a caustic reply.
Then she raised her chin like she’d come to a decision. “I can try…”
And that was as much as I could ask of my lioness for now.
CHAPTER NINE
BASTIAN
Irubbed the dirt from the training grounds across my palms, instantly transporting my mind to a thousand other days when I’d stood in this ring, ready to be humbled.
In all those days, I’d never been as distracted as I was with Sigrid watching. She wore the same pristine blue gown she’d put on before the banquet, but it wasn’t doing anything to make her look less intimidating. She was relaxed, but she’d shifted her weight into a fighting stance, and she was noticeably watching everyone in her vicinity.
I’d asked her to stay outside the railing for now, and for once she’d complied…but only after I’d told her my plan. Elric had shown his hand earlier, and I was counting on him to be just as spiteful now.
Maybe seeing her train would show everyone that she wasn’t an invincible, bloodthirsty monster. She was an incredible warrior, but without her berserker, there was nothing butformidable skill to her form. At the very least, having her down here meant I could keep an eye on things. Since she’d provoked even Eleanor to violence, leaving Sigrid alone in the castle wasn’t a good idea for about a dozen reasons.
“Remembering the time Edmund knocked you into that post?” asked an old friend named Godwin as he clapped me on the shoulder. He nodded to the dented post in the rail, where I’d once nearly knocked out my front teeth on impact.
I laughed and gripped his hand in greeting, pathetically grateful for his kindness. He was a giant of a man but nonetheless a gentle soul. “I was remembering the time you landed on your arse in a puddle over there and had to spend the rest of the day looking like you’d shit yourself.”
His booming laugh made lots of other heads turn, since the yard was now almost full of soldiers. There wasn’t a friendly face amongst them after Sigrid’s outburst with Elric. Even Arnulf had only given me a cursory nod now that we were with the others.
“They’ll come around,” Godwin said, giving my shoulder a squeeze this time.
I nodded, though I wasn’t as convinced it was true.
Would I forgive my future king for siding with an enemy? Beyond that, would I forgive my brother in arms for running from a fight?
Anyone else might’ve been hunted as a deserter, but I’d been welcomed back and maintained my position as heir.
I adjusted my feet on the sand, knowing if those bonds could be reforged, this was where it would happen. The practice ring was where grievances were settled and egos adjusted.
The men shifted into lines, so I knew Elric had been spotted on his way down from the castle. I gave Sigrid a subtle nod, so she meandered towards the weapon racks and began testing out various practice swords.
I rushed over to her. “Sigrid, you promised if you came down here, you’d just watch.”
She flashed me a glare. “I changed my mind.”
I got closer but didn’t lower my voice. “We don’t know yet how much it’s weakened you to leash your berserker. You’re fighting with mortal strength, and I won’t have you getting hurt because you overestimate your skills.”
“Say that to me with a sword in your hand, you Saxon fuck.” She spat it with such loathing that even I almost believed it.
