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She dressed in a simple tunic and pants, for after breakfast, she intended to spend time on the training field. That was one bit of preparation that couldn’t wait. She had to be as combat-ready as possible before they stormed the royal palace. Even as a princess and the current heir to the throne, she couldn’t count on her safety. Perhaps notespeciallybecause of those things.
As usual, Tes slipped quietly into the nursery, unwilling to risk waking a sleeping baby. And it was a good thing, too. Ber sat almost comically in the rocking chair, his warrior’s frame making the seat appear tiny, and held a sleeping Speran carefully against his chest. Her heart melted even as she stifled a laugh.
The nursemaid sidled closer. “Prince Ber played with the babe for some time.”
“I see,” Tes replied, more amused than anything by the awe in the woman’s tone. It would take a while for the people here to see Ber as anything but a vicious enemy. “No wonder my son was so tired.”
Her eyes met Ber’s, and such tenderness passed between them that she could have wept with it. Then her husband stood from the seat in such a surprisingly smooth motion that she found herself staring in admiration instead. He’d been so cramped in the chair that she would’ve thought it impossible. Instead, he was already walking silently to the crib without even bothering Speran.
He hadn’t been joking about training in her absence. Tes hid a grimace. If Ber went to the field with her, then she had a feeling the aches he gave her there wouldn’t be pleasant. But she had to prepare. She would do anything to preserve moments like this one.
Grinning,Ber lowered his sword. “I see you haven’t been entirely idle during our time apart.”
His wife scowled. “Aside from bearing and birthing your child?”
“Ah.” He cleared his throat. “Perhaps I could have considered the wording of that more carefully.”
“Perhaps so,” she said sternly, before her annoyance disappeared with her laughter. “But I did know what you meant. I resumed my training as soon as I could after Speran’s birth. Not this type of fighting, though. Mehl and I cleared a room in the palace so I could practice my self defense before I went back to Centoi.”
That reminder soured his mood with inevitable speed. So, she’d trained with Toren’s barely worthy husband. Ber ground his teeth together. “I see.”
Tes lifted her sword once more. “If you tell me you’re jealous of Mehl, too, then I might stab you. Honestly, Ber.”
“Oh, I’m not jealous in the way that you think.” Ignoring her sword, he stepped closer. “That even Mehl was able to spend time with you when I couldn’t… It shoves me to the edge of reason to think of it. I should have been with you.”
She rolled her eyes. “You’re the one who came up with the entire foolish plan.”
And wasn’t that the worst of it? He didn’t regret the desire to protect his wife and son, but the worst of all their suffering had come from their lack of communication on the matter. Maybe he could have found a way to see her if he hadn’t shut her out of the decision-making process. Then it wouldn’t have been Toren and Mehl always there for her.
With a sigh, Ber pinched the bridge of his nose. His annoyance for them wasn’t fair, either. It wasn’t Toren’s or Mehl’s fault that Ber hadn’t been able to be with Tes. As much as he didn’t get along with Mehl, the king was an elite bodyguard whose training would’ve helped Tes immensely. There was no cause for anger.
Except at himself.
“I realize it makes no sense,” Ber said softly.
His wife smiled. “Then how about we drop the subject and put our gear up? I would like to get cleaned up before the midday meal.”
As soon as he nodded his agreement, Tes headed toward the building on the other side of the field where the equipment was stored. They’d gone to the far end to avoid as much scrutiny as possible, but curious gazes still followed them all the way back to the entrance. Entire sparring sessions stopped, in fact. He would have to taunt Mehl about such careless lapses in discipline amongst the guard.
Ber and Tes had just returned their gear and stepped into the courtyard when the blare of a horn echoed from beyond the walls. Tes gripped his wrist, and he let her pull him to a stop beside her. He frowned down at her pale face and wide eyes. A herald was coming, probably from Centoi. Hadn’t they expected such a thing?
“That tone is meant to clear the path for a cavalcade,” Tes whispered. “But there wouldn’t have been time to send one ofthose over land. It doesn’t bode well that my father spent so much to send a large group through the portals. And Speran…”
His heart tripped, though the presence of an envoy shouldn’t have bothered him. “He’s safe.”
“You should know from my own mission that a spy can easily slip away from the group.” Her fingers trembled around his wrist. “I’ll go to him.”
A spy. Gods. Suddenly, Ber fought against the mad urge to run straight to the nursery, fighting any who tried to stop him. Not because Tes was wrong, but because it would draw undue attention. He had time enough to reach Speran without causing a panic.
“You should find out what the messenger has to say,” Ber said. “I’ll protect our son.”
Her lips pinched together as though she held back an argument, but she nodded. “Fine.”
They hurried to their room, washing quickly and changing into fresh clothes. He barely noticed what he donned. His focus was on reaching the nursery before the envoy made its way through the town and to the palace. While a spy might attempt to break away sooner, it was more likely to happen between the gates and being allowed entry to the throne room.
He was determined to be in place well before.
It took allof Tes’s willpower to walk away from the nursery, though she trusted Ber to guard their son. It simply didn’t feel natural not to stand between Speran and any possible threat. But unfortunately, she was the heir to the Centoi throne, and if there was any chance this message was from her father, she needed to be there to hear it. She couldn’t be only a mother.
