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That wasn't the answer I had expected.
"Mirri's family had…unsavory plans for him," Bach continued in a low voice. "They were planning to manipulate him into an undesirable arranged bonding with someone overseas. For reason’s I won’t go into here, Mirri felt like he had no choice but to go along with the arrangement.” He sighed. “When we found out what Mirri’s parents had planned for him, we were desperate to help. Fife’s mother, Lady Nightingale, found out some of it and offered to fight for Mirri, to call on all of her resources. But we didn't want her to become embroiled in something that would tarnish her position or jeopardize her relationship with the steward of Trireme.” He shook his head. “A disagreement between stewards could also require royal intervention, and we were certain that the king and queen wouldn’t be happy to be called on for such an inconsequential matter. The last thing Mirri would want would be for Fife’s mother to lose her stewardship because she displeased the royals while trying to help him.”
Bach shrugged his broad shoulders. “Getting Mirri away seemed the simplest solution. So, we all planned to leave the country together. We would escape across the border into Trollheim and ask for asylum there." He grimaced ruefully. "Mirri's family would go to great lengths to hunt him down and drag him back here so they could use him to their advantage. But even they might hesitate to go all the way to Trollheim and deal with the ruling family there, if we had formal asylum."
I arched my brows in surprise. For a moment, I understood why a causerie might enjoy their job. There was a puzzle there that, to some, would prove too tempting to leave alone. There had to be more to this story than Bach was sharing at the moment. If I had my facts correct, Bach was the eldest son who had a title, wealth, and responsibility. And Fife was the sole child and heir of the steward of Zora. And yet, they were willing to just walk away from all of that for their friend. "The trolls would certainly be a deterrent to anyone chasing you," I agreed. "But it wouldn't exactly be an easy place to take refuge."
The ruling family and the populous of Trollheim weren’t exactly known for their welcoming attitude toward strangers and immigrants, especially fae. There was a mountain range and between Larkwood and Trollheim at the northern end of the continent. And there wasn't exactly a steady flow of Elfhaven residents taking the road through our territory and over the mountains to visit the trolls. Once upon a time, back before the treaty had been drawn up, trolls had eaten anyone—human, fae, or otherwise—unlucky enough to cross paths with them. And I wasn't entirely sure that practice was as extinct as they liked to claim it was.
Bach nodded as if he could read my thoughts. "We were desperate and hoping to lean on our noble connections here. But thankfully, Fife's mother is nosey and crafty, and my mother is far too willing to help indulge her friend's whims. Lady Nightingale heard about the tournament and insisted this was the answer to our problem. And my mother was quick to agree."
He glanced at me as he spoke, then looked around to see where my guards were. "I'll not ask you for the identity of the Prize, though I’m sure you know it. I’m aware of the rules. But given that the royals were hosting this tournament, we felt fairly safe in assuming that whoever she is, the Prize must be a noble who is on friendly terms with the king and queen…someone with political power. If Mirri were to bond with her, it would not only solve the issue of the arranged bond his parents were trying to force on him. He would also potentially become someone who is well-known to the royal family. It would give him certain protections from his problematic family altogether. If he were connected to the royal family, or at least known to them, his parents might finally leave him alone for good." He leveled a grave look at me. “Trust me when I say, that would be a very good thing for Mirri’s peace of mind. My friend might be an outstanding man—and I hope you and your employer won’t hold it against him for me saying this—but the rest of the Woodspur family are toads.”
I licked my lips and took a swig of my tea, wishing it was something stronger. This was the very last reason I would have ever expected him to give for entering the tournament. "That's…awful!" It was more than awful. But I didn't have words for what it was.
I didn't know what, exactly, Bach was referring to regarding Mirri’s family, besides the arranged bonding, but it must be something foul, to garner the thunderous anger I could see swirling in the man’s eyes. I couldn't imagine feeling the need to run from my family. My mother and father had been nothing but warm and nurturing. And when my mom died and my father remarried, my highborn stepmother treated me like her own. When my father died, she kept me, even going so far as to name me her heir and make sure I was trained to take over from her one day. I certainly would never consider going off to live with the trolls to get away from her. It reminded me once again just how blessed my life had been, even with the painful loss of all three of my parents.
I squared my shoulders. "I promise you, Bach, no matter the outcome of this tournament, my employer will make sure your teammate is safe. I know there is more to this story. If you'll tell me the details of what has transpired, I will speak to the king and queen myself to help ensure justice is served. No one should live in fear of their own family."
He met my eyes, and I saw the way he turned this over in his mind, examining all the pros and cons of my offer. "I will speak to Mirri," he said finally. "This isn't my story to tell. And to be honest, we have no proof of our suspicions. All we have to go on is a snippet of overheard conversation and our own intimate knowledge of the character of Mirri's family. That won't be enough to convince the royal inquisitors or magistrate that anything is amiss." He sighed. "And if they go poking around and inquiring into things while we're still here at the tournament, it may prompt his family to come up with some new scheme to make Mirri’s life miserable." He shook his head. "I appreciate your offer, mistress.” He hesitated, then dropped the formality. “Rina. But I will have to think on it and discuss this with my teammates."
I sighed. I hated that answer. I wanted to help them. I wanted to leap into action and demand justice and stop whatever was going on in the Woodspur family. But Bach knew them far better than I did. And he had more knowledge about the situation. For now, I would have to respect his wishes and not report this. Although I would definitely make sure the princess was aware of our conversation and could pass it on to her parents or the magistrate if needed. If something happened to Mirri, I wanted someone to know that things might not be as they seemed.
"Thank you for trusting me with all of that," I said sincerely. "I know my position doesn’t exactly engender trust. And we have been placed in an…awkward situation, given how we met. But there is no reason we can't be friends."
He huffed and ran a hand through his long mahogany-brown hair, pausing to tug on one of his horns. "I'm sorry my actions prior to the tournament put you in an uncomfortable position," he said with a frustrated exhale. "Truly. I'm not sure what the outcome of this competition will be. But if by some miracle we win, I promise you I will never breathe a word about the past to anyone. I don't want to cause you any trouble."
I huffed a laugh. "Or yourself, I'm sure." I leaned in and whispered to keep from being overheard, making my sarcastic statement that much more melodramatic. "Imagine if the noble Prize found out you'd slept with the palace gossip! Scandalous. You might never live it down!"
He frowned at me, lowering his own voice. "That is not what I meant. I'm not ashamed of spending the night with you. I simply…I was afraid it might cause tension between you and the court. I do not know the type of woman the Prize may be. What if she is jealous and vengeful? I wouldn't see you fired or punished for it!"
I waved away his concern. "You truly do not have to worry about that," I said, trying to keep the hysterical laughter inside when it wanted to burst out because of the absurdity of this conversation. "Even if she found out, the Prize isn't the sort of person to hold a grudge. She would be…happy that we found joy in one another."
He sighed, his broad shoulders slumping. "It was irresponsible of me, regardless, when I knew I was coming here to join the tournament for her hand. I don't want you to think I normally carry on like that. Or that I intend to keep doing so once I'm bonded. I just…" The pointed tips of his fin-like ears flushed a delicate pink as he soldiered on. "I knew there was every possibility that I would soon find myself committed to a stranger and living in a new place, with a pile of new responsibilities, and I may have panicked a bit. I wanted…"
"One last night of freedom," I finished for him. "I understand." I understood all too well. It was the same thought that had driven me to seek out my own fling that night. I knew that after this contest was over, I would find myself bonded to strangers and in charge of a territory that was about to explode with growth, and with opportunities and challenges that I couldn't even fathom. Life as I knew it would be over. And I was doing it all for my people, for Larkwood. But I had wanted one last moment to do something just because I wanted to. To be selfish and free one last time. But I couldn’t tell Bach that.
He nodded in agreement with my words, unaware of my runaway thoughts and just how similar we really were. "I don't mean to cheapen what we shared," he said, his deep voice nearly a whisper to keep from being overheard. "Please know that."
I nodded, keeping my expression bland and unconcerned. "No need to worry on my account," I informed him in an airy tone. "I was just looking for some fun before all this seriousness started. I knew I wouldn't have a moment to myself once the tournament was in full swing and my employer had me running errands and playing spy all day, every day."
He seemed to accept that, nodding once in understanding. "If that's the case, we can pretend that nothing happened between us. As you said, there is no reason we cannot treat each other as friends."
I smiled at him in agreement, even as my chest clenched in protest. I could still remember the way his big hands felt on my body. The tender, thorough, hungry way he made love. The taste of him on my lips. One day, maybe I could tell him I didn't want to be friends at all. But for now, the rules of the tournament were very clear. The king and queen wanted the men who would co-rule Larkwood with me to be chosen in a fair, unbiased manner.
Even if the queen's spell wasn't in place, I was not allowed to reveal the identity of the Prize. If I did, I risked having the king and queen simply choose my suitors for me based purely on political advantage. If that happened, I'd have even less say in matters than I did now. At least in this tournament, I could choose some of the challenges and set the terms of victory. I still had some say in my future. I wasn't going to give that up just to spare Bach some hurt feelings.
Swallowing my emotions, I finished my delicious lunch and said a polite goodbye to my new friend before rejoining my guards. I should go back to the palace and give the poor guards a break, but I was loath to return to the place that would only remind me of the tournament, and my responsibilities, and all the changes that were happening around me.
By the time I finally returned, the carriage was laden with gifts for my friends and staff, both here and back home in Larkwood, and I was too exhausted to think much about anything as I trudged up to my suite and collapsed into bed.
Chapter 14
I sat cross-legged in the stable loft, comfortably leaning against the wall, hidden from sight by the invisibility charm woven into my necklace. From my position, I could see and hear all that went on in the barn below, but I couldn't be seen myself.
They used this barn for guest overflow for the royal palace. With the competition going on, the royal stables were overflowing with the pets and mounts of their noble guests. The seven teams of champions who were in the lead after the initial combat competition had been tasked with caring for the guest stables for the week. They thought it was just a chore—a way to repay the royal family for the food and equipment and for hosting the tournament. In reality, it was another challenge. A task I had chosen myself, actually.
Each team was assigned one evening this week for stable duty, and I planned to observe them all. It would give me an excellent chance to gauge their character and see the way they got on and worked together as a team in an environment where they didn't know they were competing.
