She charges, both sticks swinging fast. I dodge the first one aimed at my face, block the second that’s directed at my hip, then spin with the momentum and kick her in the chest. She stumbles back with a grunt, but she keeps the sticks up, protecting her body.
“Go into a fight mad, and you won’t come out of it.”
Glaring at me, she rushes forwards again. She swings the longer stick at my head from above, then the shorter one at my side. She beats at me rapidly. Blocking them, I step back as I lead her around the floor.
On the third set, once she starts expecting me to block, I drop low, twist sideways, and swipe my leg into her shins. She hits the mat with a solidumph.
But at least she’s kept hold of her weapons.
Rising, I sigh at her. “Go into a fight mad, and you won’t come out of it.”
She glares at me. “Did you hurt Arienna just to piss me off so you could give me this fucking lesson?”
It’s only because she’s my wife’s best friend that she gets an answer. “No.”
“So why’d you do it?”
I turn and step back from her, letting her rise as I swing my stick around in irritation. “She is not fit to be queen.”
“She would’ve learned,” Fabia says with a confidence that belongs to a child.
“Like you’ve learned?” I say softly as I pivot to face her. “You’re still having night terrors about that chef.”
Her face pales before she quickly locks her horror down. “Echo tell you that?”
“Echo tells me everything.” I tilt my head, recalling the picture on her desk. “Well, mostly everything.”
She snorts. “You talking about the photo? Jace hasn’t shut up about it.”
“And he won’t until he finds out who’s in it.”
She shakes her head. “He never will.”
Leaping forwards, she aims for my head again, this time with both sticks – set just far enough, I can’t block both at once. I block the left. The right snaps into my shoulder. I drop down with the momentum. Pivot and slam my weapon sideways into her chest. She stumbles back, then falls to her knees with a wheeze. Her weapons are still held tight.
I nod in approval. “Better.”
“Why am I here?” she grits out.
“Because thanks to you, I’m not in bed with my wife.”
She glares up at me as she hugs one hand to her chest. Pain brightens her silver eyes, making them almost look like moonlight. “That’s because of your actions, not mine.”
“You’re the one who told her she’s allowed to be upset.”
“She is.”
Of course she fucking is. I just don’t want her to be upset atme. “I could’ve made her understand my reasons if you hadn’t argued every fucking point.” I swirl my stick again, my body restless. “So when my queen wakes, you are going to convince her tonotbe mad at me anymore.”
Snorting, Fabia pulls my attention back to her as she rises to her feet. “I didn’tconvinceher to be mad at you. You did that all on your own. I just let her know she had the right tobemad.”
An irritating-as-fuck differentiation.
But one I can’t dispute.
As much annoyance as Fabia has caused in my life, she did it to protect Arienna. I’ll never punish her for that.
“I can’t let her be queen,” I say softly, imploring her to understand. “She will be forced to fight on the front lines, leading armies. Everyone who dies from one of her orders will cut her to pieces, and any kids –” I swallow tightly. “Any kids we have, she’ll die knowing they will fight to the death.”
