Baelen is last and I don’t want to admit to myself that I’m tired. Dealing with the last two males was draining. I try to stay relaxed as I stare at the door, waiting for it to open.
It remains closed.
I wait. I fold my legs again. And again. And I wait some more.
Five minutes later, I’m worried. I check out the Elven Command. What if they’ve done something to stop Baelen getting here? What if this is the latest in their scheming? But they’re fidgeting and frowning too. If that’s any indication, they aren’t responsible for the delay.
The door finally opens and I almost leap out of my chair. I gasp as Baelen stumbles into the room. I try to see what’s wrong. Is he hurt?
He lumbers over to the chair. His forehead puckers. He frowns at it, tapping his heartstone against his thigh. Then he feels his way into the seat, fumbling and almost dropping the stone in the process.
“This is a nice chair.” He pats the armrest, leaning to one side of it.
Wait…My jaw drops. “Baelen Rath! Are you… still drunk?”
He rubs his forehead, squinting at me. “No. Maybe?”
“But that’s two days now,” I scold him. “How much longer do you intend to be inebriated?”
“As long as it takes.”
“To what?”
“Get you out of my head.” His grin disappears but he continues without pause, waggling his finger in the air. “Did you know that the color blue is supposed to be calming?”
“I’ve heard that.”
He growls as if he’s beyond disappointed. “Well, it’s not. I’ve tried looking at it from all angles and it’s not.”
“What are you…?” What is he talking about?
He leans so far forward that he almost tips out of the chair. He presses his finger against the shield between us. “Do you know what I need?”
I fold my arms across my chest. “I can’t imagine.”
He points at my shoulder. At least, I think he points at my shoulder. I can’t be sure because his finger sways between the wall and the back of my chair.
“I need…” He purses his lips. He taps his finger against the shield again. “Nope… I forgot.”
I’m not going to get any sense out of him. This interaction is pointless and the only thing I can control is ending it.
“Well, thank you, Baelen. For telling me the truth. Now get out of my sight.”
“You’re welcome.” He slithers out of the chair, wobbles, and somehow clambers to his feet. “Uh?”
I point. “The door’s that way.”
I wait only long enough for it to close behind him before huffing in exasperation. The Elven Command looks as astonished as I am.
Teilo Splendor clears his throat and announces through the shield: “Princess, you must wait here until the champions have presented their heartstones to the chest. Which… might take some champions longer than others.”
The other elves cough, but Teilo continues. “Your advisor may be present to verify the proceedings, but you may not know the outcome until we announce it tomorrow morning. Your advisor will return when it’s time for you to leave this room.”
The Command files out and then I wait. And fume. And worry. But mostly, I fume. How could he treat the compatibility test with so much disrespect? Such a lack of care? To turn up barely able to string two words together. By the time Elise returns, I’m fit to explode. I jump to my feet. “That male! Take me to his quarters.”
She blocks me before I can take another step. “Princess, you can’t go to the soldier’s barracks.”
I make a wide circle around her and stride from the room. “Don’t tell me what I can’t do right now, Elise.”
