I laughed. “Oh!”
“It’s not funny; you’ve insulted her,” he said.
“I meant no harm; she knows that.”
“Does she?” he asked.
He was quiet down the corridor, but in the yard, he added, “I was going to take you by the Rusty Arrow, but since you insist upon being a thorn in my side–”
“Does that make you a lion, then?” I asked.
He clicked his tongue.
“I’m joking,” I replied.
“Again, saying it’s a joke does not erase the offense. Have you lost your mind or just your manners?”
“I–”
“Is it me you’re cross with?” he asked. “Or the situation?”
“Oh, do let me have my fun, Ser.”
“And it’s the lion’s paw; if you’re going to reference it, read it, won’t you?”
I paused. “His paw? No it wasn’t?”
Elías looked at me. He was right.
I shifted on my feet and shrugged. “Fine. It’s the situation. It’s not like I’m excited to marry a stranger, let alone the son of the man who has been at war with my father for twenty years. You, however, could hardly injure me, Eli. You know you’re my favorite Blade. What good would an argument do? And anyway, soon, I won’t be your problem anymore,” I said.
The comment made him frown. “You’re not anyone’s problem, Svana.”
“Not yet, I’m not,” I said. “But the day is young. I’m sure I can rustle up some trouble if I put my mind to it.”
“Your mother would be proud,” he said. “But please don’t.”
I thought about his loyalty. It was overzealous at times, but our friendship had truly sprouted from a tragedy, and one could argue it was born in danger. While our age disparity made some conversations difficult in terms of interests, it was real. Elíasmade an effort to remember my preferences, and he made sure that he was always with me in new things. He taught me about life, and about justice and duty, and he taught me to play chess while my father was too busy working. He also promised to remain by my side for my required two weeks in Chalke, and as I had never left Oreia, that made the looming dread of one day Queen less terrifying. I was unstoppable with him on my board. Chalke would see that. My soon-to-be husband, Prince Sameer, would see it, and they would see that I was not a pawn.
The Lord Commander was a proud and noble sort, basically the perfect knight. He was hyper-vigilant to the concept of morality, and blunt, but that made himfairand easy to read. I never had to guess if he was blowing smoke up my skirt because he would never attempt to lie to me,andhe was far too chivalrous to ever travel anywhere near my dress. Though his ideals of modesty did extend far into the realm of etiquette, honor, and most annoyingly, my virtue, to him, I was a child, maybe evenhischild, and I needed protecting. Even if he did see me as a woman, he would never intend to corrupt me, despite the rumors I’d heard of his youth and admirers during the Games.
At the end of our path, he hummed, investigating the sky. “The weather does not look particularly fond of our plans. We should make haste before we’re caught in its wrath.”
“Do these roses look alright to you?” I moved from one bush to another, delicately touching their buds.
“I’m far from a gardener, I’m afraid.”
“Aye. No one would accuse you of that,” I told him. “But do they look tired? I’m worried they won’t bloom while I’m gone.”
“Can a plant betired?”he asked.
“Can’t everything?” I returned.
He glanced at the stem. “It’s barely spring; there’s still snow. Give them time.”
A crack of thunder bolstered my attention to the rolling clouds where he had pointed before.
“We can check on them when we return,” he advised. “For now, find yourself a place by the fire. I’ll have Miss Jocelyn stow your things, and it would be good for you to re-familiarize yourself with the Azarii line before we leave.”
