She almost laughed. “You’ll need to do a better job at defining ‘behave’.”
“I mean, you will not embarrass our race in front of the Nitesh,” he said as he leaned closer to her. “We need her to see us as her leaders, nothing less.”
She turned her head and stared at him. “Her leaders? You expect the Nitesh to bow before our crown? Haerland’s chosen daughter, the most powerful woman in this land, and the only person who could in fact curse you…You want her to bow?”
He settled back in his chair and exhaled deeply, staring out at Arbina’s tree. “If she knows what is best for her people.”
This time, Aydra laughed audibly and shook her head. “What’s best… I hope she turns you into a frog,” she said with a roll of her eyes.
The door opened then, and a line of Belwarks filed inside, coming to stand in lines on either side of the door as a pathway to the throne chairs. Aydra stood, followed by her youngers, and then finally by Rhaif.
The Belwark Corbin came forward, helmet in his hand at his hip. “Your guests have arrived, Your Majestys,” he told them.
The first one to burst in through the doors made Aydra fight a smile.
“The Hones—”
Nadir pushed the Belwark out of the way and shook his head. “Yeah, yeah,” he cut Corbin off. “Put a sock in it, will you? I can announce my own people.”
Aydra straightened her dress and clasped her hands in front of her as she fought the grin threatening her lips. Nadir’s strides caught the room and he stepped right up the steps to them. He paused for a moment in front of Aydra.
And then he gently tapped the crown on her head.
“Look at that,” he mused, a grin spreading over his features. “You do actually own the crown you deserve.”
A swell of gratitude filled her, and she almost laughed. “Hello, Nadir.”
His face furrowed. “Just a hello? That’s all I get? Here I thought we were better battle friends than that,” he said with a wink. His gaze looked past Aydra and he found Lex standing behind her. “Second Sun—” he gave her a deliberate once over “—I like this armor on you.”
“I’m sure you do,” Aydra heard Lex respond.
Nadir grinned, but then it slowly fell from his face upon a double-take to his left, and Aydra knew he’d seen Nyssa standing beside her. His narrowing eyes flickered back to Aydra for a split. He paused and swallowed hard. “Such lies from you, Sun Queen…” he began, the obvious smolder he was attempting gravely faltering on his features as he turned back to Nyssa and gave her a full once over, and Aydra watched him shift on his feet.
“You said your sister was beautiful, but you failed to mention how she would bewitch me upon finally meeting her,” he purred. His hand started to reach for Nyssa’s as he said, “Hello, princess,” in a breath-like rasp that Aydra wanted to knock out of him.
Aydra grabbed his arm and twisted it back towards her before he could touch Nyssa, snatching him off-balance.
“No,” she warned him.
The smirk slipped onto his lips, and he smiled at the ground briefly before meeting her gaze again. “You still don’t trust me?” he mocked.
Aydra’s brows raised, and she chanced a glance back at her sister, who was biting her lip in an attempt not to grin at the handsome man before her. But Nadir didn’t press. He winked at Nyssa before turning back to Aydra, towering in front of her as he gave her a nod.
“All right, Sun Queen.”
The deliberate clearing of someone’s throat to Aydra’s left made her eyes roll. She met Nadir’s eyes and gave him a fake smile that he caught. “Nadir—” Aydra stepped back and turned slightly toward her brother. “—this is my brother. King Rhaifian Sunfire.”
Nadir took a deliberate step towards him, his figure standing inches over Rhaif’s, and he stared down his nose at him. “King?” he frowned and glanced briefly back at Aydra. His weight shifted, and his eyes narrowed at Rhaif’s figure. “The same king that refused to send aid and allowed my men to walk into battle against strangers we knew nothing of with only the people of the Venari at our side and thus caused a loss of life that could have been prevented had he merely sent a patrol of Belwarks to protect our shores— that king?”
Rhaif’s fists clenched at his side, and his nostrils flared.
Aydra had never been more satisfied in her life.
Nadir gave Rhaif a long once over, and then he backed down the steps one at a time, never losing gaze with him.
A group of Honest filed into the room behind him, some of whom Aydra recognized from the Forest. Nadir paused on the bottom step, and he crossed his arm over his chest, resting his fist at his left breast. “Nadir Storn, commander of the Honest Army. The Grand will be along with the Nitesh.”
“Grand?” Dorian repeated.
