“W-Why?” I checked. “I–It’s in the Treaty, Mr. Evergreen. The Treaty that God allowed in exchange for peace between our nations.”
“God?” he asked. He cracked a raspy laugh. “Was it not the Kings that drew it up?”
“The Crown is Head of the Church, sir,” I explained. “Surely a man so educated to know the meaning behind a name understands the meaning behind a monarchy?”
“Have I struck a nerve, love?” he asked.
“N-No.”
“Then I’ll ask, is duty something that’s important to you?”
“Yes,”I croaked. “I’m the Princess!”
“Please. Court and class have nothing to do with finding worth within a word,” he said, “Grand example? My name. You want another? Duty. Neither is important to the Prince, but especially not duty. In fact, as you might have gathered, His Highness uses that particular word ironicallybecauseit means nothing to him, you see?”
“I may have gathered that, yes,” I said. “After the thought, but still. I do understand that my…my devotion to this pairing is further along than his. I am not a fool, sir.”
“Yet,youseem to believe there’s a real weight behind the term,” he said. “Duty must mean a great deal to you, yes?”
I tsked. “Such deep thoughts. I hadn’t realized you were aphilosopher, Mr. Evergreen.”
“You call your knight Eli, but you cannot call me Cyrus?” he asked. His hand pressed softly to the small of my back.“Relax. You’re stiff again.”
I moved closer to the horn, worried I’d feel the blastedheatfrom his touch if he lingered too long.
“I-I don’t understand why this saddle is souncomfortable,”I muttered.
“It’s because you’re stiff,”he told me.
“How am I supposed to break a horse I’m not even riding, anyway?” I asked. He didn’t answer me. “I feel like there should beridinginvolved.”
She snorted, I thought, in agreeance, settling only with Cyrus’s touch to her neck.
“…Youareriding,” he said, shushing her after.
“I’m ridingTails,who just so happens to be the world’s most proper gentleman. He probably came out of his mother tamed,” I said.
“He did not,” he replied. “He just spent most of his anger in the war.”
“Oh, I–” I petted his mane. “I’m sorry; I didn’t know.”
“I’m sure he forgives you,” he said.
I groaned. “But why do you get-?”
“No chance you’ll run out of questions, is there?” he asked.
“Beg-”
“Pardon, sir!”he mocked me.
By the end of his impression, I was seriously trying to ignite him into a spontaneous act of combustion.
Finally, he added, “You and Ice don’t even know each other. Let her catch your smell.”
“Catch my smell?”I asked.
“Yes. She’s a sensitive girl. She needs to get used to having you around, ma’am,” he said. “So avoid your natural unpleasantness. I’d wager it doesn’t make you many friends; I’m not sure why you’d default to it with her.”
