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“Good. There are matches held every night, so it shouldn’t be an issue to be able to blend in and eavesdrop on conversations where you can. Wear your hood at all times, even inside, and use your discrepancy to your advantage. Go by fake names and gain the trust of those around you—”
I started to tune out as he began to go down the spiel of the same old same old. I watched Bennett out of my peripheral, and he looked pissed off about the whole thing, which only made me more pissed off. I was angry at both of them. At Pater for not telling me ahead of time his plans to inform Bennett, and at Bennett for. . .well. . .a multitude of things. . .
I snapped back to reality as Pater mentioned, “I have already arranged for the training room to be reserved for you two after dinner for the next few days. No one will be allowed to train with you or be in the vicinity, including Miles.”
The only thing that would get me through training with Bennett was knowing it wasn’t forever. After this assignment was over, I’d be back to training with Miles and Stella. I smiled at the thought of the two of them practicing swordplay with one another.
“Looking forward to training with me, Rhiannon?” Bennett asked.
“Looking forward to being done with it.”
“Whatever you say,” he said sarcastically, rolling his eyes.
I narrowed my eyes. “Oh, I know!” I said with forced enthusiasm, turning to face him. “How about when we travel to Vicinus, you just stay there and don’t come back?”
“Rhia,” Pater intercepted sternly.
“Gladly!” Bennett snapped, stepping closer to me, his lip curling slightly. “Anywhere far away from you is exactly where I would want to be.”
I threw my arms up in frustration. “Well then, run along like you did eight years ago. No one is stopping you!”
“I did not run!” We stood face to face. “I was sent away! How can you be so stupid as to not understand that?” Bennett yelled, striding over to me. I lifted my chin and stood my ground.
“Bennett, calm yourself,” Pater said in a warning tone.
“Well, you never came back! You didn’t even try!” I yelled back with equal passion. I officially let my emotions take control and the filter I tried so hard to uphold came crashing down.
“I was just a kid! I was banned from coming back until my father allowed it. What did you want me to do? Cross the Silver Forest by myself?”
“I wanted to know you were okay, that you were alive!” I yelled. “I wanted you to respond to the damn letters, Bennett!”
I silently cursed myself for letting that bit of weakness show. I never wanted Bennett to learn that I sent him letters, and that I eagerly awaited his response. After many letters sent, Pater politely told me that Bennett would never respond back, and to stop trying. I still secretly sent him one every year on his birthday, though. Even this past year.
He looked baffled. “What lett—?”
“ENOUGH!” Patter slammed his fist on the desk, hard enough that the papers stacked upon it shifted.
“I will not be disrespected like this in my own quarters. I am still the king, and you will obey me when command it. I will not sit here and listen to this overly dramatic conversation. You two need to get it together before you leave.” He walked around his desk and sat back down in his chair. “Get out,” he said through gritted teeth.
He didn’t have to tell me twice. I sped out of that room so fast I practically blinked and was back in my own quarters.
I shut the door to my room and leaned against it, letting my head rest against the wood as I breathed deeply.
With the way things had gone in that meeting, I couldn’t imagine the task itself being any different. I grunted and jumped into bed, picking up my book angrily and propping it on my knees.
I tried to focus on the chapter I was reading but kept getting distracted. I restarted at the end of the page for the third time but ended up thinking of Bennett’s eyes and how he was so close to me I could feel his breath on my skin. Just the memory of it made my skin prickle.
I slammed the book shut.
Why was I thinking about Bennett right now? He was the last thing that should’ve been on my mind.
I blew out the candle by my bed and threw the covers over my head, praying to the stars that this was all just some kind of dream and that I wouldn’t actually begin training with Bennett tomorrow.
???
The stars let me down.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t a dream, and after dinner I made my way to meet Bennett in the training room. Mendex asked me to see him before dinner for a healing session. The first one he had asked me to do since our initial one. He sprained his ankle on his date with Amica. I laughed when he told me, because I found it extremely ironic—Mendex was the prince’s personal guard, but the one time he needed me to come heal him, it was because he got hurt dancing with Amica on their date.
