Chapter 1
“Gwendolyn!”
Halfway across the courtyard, I wince and halt in my tracks. I do not hate anything in life except the sound of my given name. Particularly when my grandmother is shouting it across the lower castle courtyard.
“You’re not sneaking out to see that boy again, are you?”
As much as I love her, Nana is unacquainted with the concept of subtlety.
“It’s not sneaking if I’m leaving the house in broad daylight,” I mutter. Lying to myself, not her. If I weren’t sneaking, I’d be wearing my shoes instead of carrying them by the laces. “Nana, it’s Kai’s Ascension Day.”
I hate the way my voice comes out in a whine. I’m sixteen, not six. Almost seventeen.
My grandmother’s skeptical expression speaks volumes.
Everyone else has already gone off to witness Prince Kai’s Ascension ceremony, but the kitchen staff, especially lowly scullery maids like me, are required to stay behind and create a feast for the royal family. Today is the day he’s promoted to lead the Kings’ Guard, a role for which Kai has trained since he was a boy. He is my best friend. We first met in this very courtyardten years ago—albeit three stories up, playing on the gabled rooftops. We’ve been inseparable ever since.
But now that he is fully a man, Kai will be expected to act as an ambassador to other courts across the land, and eventually make a political marriage. With three older brothers, he has no hope of inheriting the throne. Once he departs from Montrace Castle, I might never see him again.
The prospect of losing him has forced me to confront the way my own feelings have changed. When I look at him now, I don’t see the cheerful companion who spent hours exploring with me inside these castle walls. Instead, I see a breathtakingly handsome man who causes a fluttery sensation in my stomach.
“I promised I would be there today to celebrate his Ascension. What kind of friend would I be if I failed to show up?” I argue to my grandmother. She suspects how my feelings for Kai have changed from friendship to romantic, though nothing has actually happened. If anything, he has been overly chivalrous the deeper he gets into his knight training. Must uphold the virtues of honor and courtesy.
I wish he wouldn’t be so circumspect with me. Especially when we’re alone, which is almost never, these days.
Nana sets a water bucket upside-down to dry on an old bench and turns to me, softening. “That boy had better show you proper respect, Gwen.”
“He always has.”Unfortunately.“I see no reason for that to change just because he has been appointed Captain of the Royal Guard.”
I don’t want Kai’s respect. I want him to kiss me.
But I cannot tell Nana that. She is protective of my virtue, which remains distressingly pristine.
“You two are too old to be friends,” Nana huffs. “Get on with you. I’ll need you back this afternoon to help with serving the feast. Go and see your prince.”
Ha. If only.Kai isn’t my prince, no matter how much I wish he were.
I’m not stupid. Princes don’t marry commoners, much less a lowly kitchen worker. Yet I can’t stop praying that he will pluck me from the garden of obscurity and raise me up to his level. Or, even better, abdicate entirely and make a life with me. Then he wouldn’t have to do these silly ceremonies all the time. Or train for the guard.
He likes military training, though. That is the one thing that has driven a wedge between us: I admit I’ve been envious of how much time he spends practicing drills. I can’t understand how my sweet friend has developed such an interest in violence.
Permission secured, I scurry the rest of the way across the courtyard as fast as my feet will carry me. The streets leading up to the palace aren’t empty, but the few latecomers hasten to get inside the castle walls, like me. I pause to stuff my shoes onto my feet and dart across the drawbridge with the rest of the stragglers. There I am confronted with a throng of people gathered in the upper bailey. I can’t see anything.
A trumpet blast signals the start of the ceremony. My startled heart thumps against my sternum. I can’t miss Kai’s moment. I clutch my skirts and weave through the crowd, headed for the stairway to the ramparts. I’ll be able to see him from there.
Two steel halberds cross in front of my face, blocking my path.
“Guards only,” one silver-helmed knight grunts.Drat.I spin, searching for another vantage point. Every surface is covered by people trying to get a better view. If I were still a child, I’d elbow my way onto the stack of crates against the wall, too, but I’m grown now, and too dignified for such antics.
I edge my way along the wall, trying to get closer to the action. I wish Nana hadn’t held me back to chop onions. I don’tsmell like them, do I? I cup them around my face and huff to make sure I don’t reek of allium.
“Psst.”
Embarrassed, I snatch my hands to my sides.
“Up here.”
One of the guards positioned at the perimeter of the ceremony gestures. I cast him a grateful smile and duck beneath his arm. He lets me stand on the stairway behind him. From this perch I have a clear view of Kai in his gleaming armor, his helmet tucked under his arm and his dark hair moving gently in the breeze. A shiver courses through me. I rub my arms.
