“To speak to all of my favorite wolf pups,” she said and walked away.
I rolled my eyes at her cryptic comment.My mother had a definite flair for the dramatic.I did take her advice, though.I drew a bath, ate soup and bread I found in the kitchen, and then fell into bed, not even caring that my wet hair made my pillow damp and uncomfortable.I didn’t think I’d be able to sleep.As soon as I closed my eyes, my father’s words came back to me:I have declared you my heir.To succeed my father on the throne had never been a dream of mine.Unlike my half-brothers and sisters, who played at being king or queen when we’d been children, I never pretended I would sit on the throne.The idea was too farfetched.I knew my father favored me more than some of his other children but making a princess who had almost a dozen older siblings, and a handful of younger as well, the heir to the throne was unheard of.The custom, if not the law, was that the line of succession almost always passed to the first or second-born male child.My father himself had been the first-born of my grandfather.
My mother had played a part in this decision, no doubt.I supposed she would expect me to be grateful, but right now I felt frightened.I didn’t know how to rule a kingdom.How would I gain the people’s loyalty and love when most of the people in Earsleh barely knew who I was or referred to me asthe tall one?At some point exhaustion must have taken over because I finally slept and dreamed of Hollows chasing me.I woke briefly, shaking the nightmare away, and thought I heard my mother speaking to Theud.My eyes were heavy, and I fell back asleep until a prickling awareness caused me to snap awake.
I jumped at the sight of Theud, standing at the side of my bed, looking down at me.He was a tall man, as tall as me, and brawny.He had arms the size of tree limbs and shoulders as wide as the doorway.My mother had once said she liked a man who could toss her over his shoulder, and I had no doubt Theud could oblige.He was not a dim man, either.His pub did well, even if the ale was weak and the stew watery.As far as I could tell, my mother loved Theud because he fed her vanity.Anyone who saw the two of them together would realize within moments that Theud adored my mother and treated her like the queen she still believed herself to be.He did not involve himself in politics, but if forced to choose a side, he always chose my mother’s.
“Your mother said to wake you now,” Theud said, his deep voice more like a rumble.
“And where is she?”
He shrugged.“She said to wake you.You’re awake.”He lumbered back out of my room.
I lay in bed for a long moment, enjoying the feel of a mattress beneath my back.Sleeping on the ground under the stars was enjoyable for the first few nights, but I was happy to be back in my bed.It was just big enough to fit me.In fact, my feet touched the carved wooden footboard when I stretched out.I had a woven rug on the floor beside the bed so my feet would not freeze on the stone floors when I rose in the morning.On the far side of the chamber was a screen hiding a basin and ewer for washing and a seat with a bowl for bodily functions.Nearer the bed was a wardrobe with my clothing.My mother always bought flowing dresses and skirts for me, but I preferred to wear a simple tunic with a belt and tight leggings.
I recalled my father’s declaration about my future almost immediately and had to swallow to push the nausea down.Some queen I would be if my stomach rebelled whenever I was anxious.I had faced death in the form of Hollows many times.Sitting on a throne should not frighten me.Trying to ignore my lingering unease, I rose, tied my hair up, then chose dark-colored clothing.The training fields could be dusty this time of year, and there was no point staining my brighter-colored clothing.When I emerged from my chamber, neither Theud nor my mother were home.I did spot a plate with rice and beans.I ate about half of it then set out for the training fields, which were outside the castle walls near the seashore.
I hadn’t even crossed half of the courtyard before I realized news of the Zulenii’s arrival and the Claiming Rite had spread.People I barely knew spotted me, stopped all conversation, and watched me walk past as though I was on my way to the gallows.I tried waving to a few of them, but everyone looked so somber and terrified that I gave it up.I understood their fear.Like me, most of the people of Earsleh had never seen a foreigner and thought the other kingdoms decimated.Overnight, our ideas about the world had changed.At the gates to the courtyard, the guard swung it open and said, “We were wondering when you would pass through.”
“Why?”
“All of your sisters have already made their way to the fields,” he said.
I wasn’t surprised that Cameed, Riah, or Morga were training early, but Finnrey and Broga had been on patrol and without sleep like me.They too must be eager to prepare to fight the Zulenii prince.
As I neared the fields and the sea, the wind kicked up, and I was glad I had secured my hair.Strands of it still came loose and whipped around my face, and the sea breeze pressed my tunic against my body.The added push of the constant breeze here made training more of a challenge and strengthened us so that when we fought the Hollows in the outerlands, where there was no sea breeze, the combat was easier—although combat with a Hollow was never easy.I was still a few yards away, the grass giving way to patches of sand here and there, when I spotted my sisters.
They were on the far side of the field, closest to the sea, which was dark blue and churning with white caps.The cliffs that made up one side of the castle gleamed creamy white in the late afternoon sun.The beach below was little more than a deposit of large boulders that made it difficult to navigate.If we wanted to sunbathe or swim, we had to walk about a mile away where the sand was softer and fewer rocks lined the shore.
At some point in our history, people had dragged a few of those rocks to the edge of the field, making a ring around the far end.This was the area where my sisters had settled.Broga and Riah circled each other in what appeared to be a sparring match.Broga attacked, and Riah appeared on the defensive.
The other women trained alone.Morga seemed to be stretching, and Finnrey was practicing a set of maneuvers.Cameed was running from one end of the field to the other, touching the ground at various markers denoting quarter distances.
On the other side of the field, about a dozen kids were training.The boys and girls appeared to be about ten, and several were sparring as Broga and Riah were on the other side of the field.The other students were probably supposed to be watching and taking notes, but most of them seemed to be watching the princesses, just as I had been.I smiled wistfully at the children.I had always hoped I would someday become an instructor of the next generation of cadets.I’d once told my mother of my plan, and she’d told me I was too restless and impulsive to be an instructor of children.
A sudden movement from Riah caught my eye, and I glanced that way in time to see her trip Broga.Broga went down hard, her back thudding on the sandy grass.I winced but had a difficult time feeling too sympathetic.I’d fallen plenty of times and Broga had always relished making fun of me.I wasn’t foolish enough to do the same.After all, it was the Zulenii prince we were fighting, not each other.
I trekked across the field and stood near my sisters but facing the sea.I went through a set of stretches, watching as wave after wave crashed against the rocky shore.I liked to look out at the sea and wonder what lay on the other side.Sometimes I dreamed about learning how to build a ship and sailing across the sea and discovering a new country and new people.I wondered what these people would look like, what strange new foods they would eat, and what language they would speak.I’d taste the foods and learn their language and customs and history.Before I’d always thought these dreams foolish, but if Zulen had survived the red vein virus, might there not be other people still alive in the world?
After a few minutes, Finnrey came to stand beside me.“I wondered when you’d make an appearance.”
“I slept too long,” I said, though I still felt tired and wouldn’t have minded sleeping right through until tomorrow morning.
“Your mother has been busy.”
I gave her a sharp look, but she was looking out at the sea.I’d once asked her if she imagined people on the other side of that vast body of water, and she’d stared at me as though I had a fever and was babbling nonsensically.“There’s nothing on the other side of the water,” she said.That’s what we’d been told, but I still liked to imagine otherwise.
“What has my mother been doing now?”
She glanced at me.“She’s giving coins to any courtier who will take one and asking them to find out whatever they can about the Zulenii prince and report to her.She wants to know his favorite colors and foods and preferences in women.No doubt she wants to show you off to advantage.”
“You’d think she wanted him to choose me.”
“She doesn’tnotwant him to choose you.In a way, it’s a compliment.She has faith in your fighting abilities.Lady Aine would be devastated to lose you.”
I wasn’t so certain.If I was chosen, no longer would she be the disgraced former queen.She’d be the mother of the chosen princess.Finished with my stretches, I began a series of defensive movements that, when done gracefully, looked a bit like a dance.I’d performed these so many times that I needn’t even think about what I did any more.
Finnrey fell into step beside me, and we moved in unison.“Who do you think he’ll choose?”she asked.
