‘Blaze.’ He clears his throat. ‘And this must be Renly,’ he says as my little brother joins us, Milk snuffling quietly in his arms. ‘I’ve heard a lot about you.’
Ren ducks his head and moves closer to me.
Hal points at the kitten. ‘And what do we have here? A gift from your sister?’
I tense up, swallowing nervously, but Hal doesn’t seem to notice.
Renly nods.
‘Well, I’m not sure I can top that,’ he admits. ‘But what d’you say to another gift?’ I watch in astonishment as he takes the crown off his own head and places it carefully on Ren’s. ‘There. Tell me, Renly, how does being prince for the day sound to you?’
My little brother’s face floods with delight.
‘That is, of course, if your sister has no objection?’ Hal adds.
Renly turns to me, eyes shining. The crown is slightly too big for him, and slides further down one side of his forehead than the other. My heart swells.
‘None,’ I say, smiling.
‘I take it this means I’m off the hook?’ Spinner asks hopefully from the armchair.
I give her a look.
Hal winks at Renly before dipping into a graceful bow. ‘Your Imperial Highness.’
My brother giggles, handing Milk to Elva before taking Hal’s outstretched hand and following him from the room. Hal shoots me a grin over his shoulder before the two of them disappear out of the door.
It’s very sweet of him. And incredibly thoughtful, which also happens to be entirely in character. Unlike some people, his generosity doesn’t take me by surprise.
What would Hal say, I wonder, if he knew about my midnight trip to the stables?
I don’t want my brother thinking I’m after his girl.
Am I Hal’s girl? I’m not sure. I think I might want to be, but being and wanting are different things. What does it mean when someone pulls you into a broom cupboard, tells you they’re betrothed to somebody else, then kisses you? And what does it mean when that someone’s half-brother, who also happens to be the most dangerous boy in all the realm, asphyxiates your adversary in front of the entire palace, and then gives you a kitten?
If only there were a book about these sorts of things. Then perhaps I’d find some answers.
By the time I manage to coax Flint out of bed, we’re very late for training. Spinner has him drink a foul-smelling concoction she claims eases the after-effects of alcohol. He grimaces but chokes it down dutifully, even pausing to kiss her on one of her tattooed cheeks before the two of us make our way down to the entrance hall.
‘So, about the cats …’ he begins.
‘Kittens,’ I correct.
‘Whatever. I take it they’re yet another offering from yourverygood friend the future emperor?’
I avoid his gaze, pretending to examine my brandmark.
Flint elbows me in the side. ‘You and your secrets, sister.’
Because it’s his Name Day, Grandmother lets Renly come to the feast tonight. He sits at the head of the Heirs’ table, Hal’s crown still perched lopsidedly atop his curls. Afterwards, Flint carries him back to my chambers and I tuck him intobed, the kittens stretched out beside him on the pillow. He falls asleep mid-sentence.
‘Right,’ says Flint, throwing a dress at me, a deep-blue silk number studded with tiny iridescent pearls. ‘Put this on and let’s go.’
‘Where?’ I ask apprehensively.
He grins at me. ‘A very exclusive event.’
I raise an eyebrow. ‘A party?’
