The Heir's Bargain (Of Fire and Lies)

Chapter 11

”As some ofyou might have heard, I will be retiring in a little over four months.”

Gasps echoed across the lines of soldiers. While I had known this was coming, hearing the words from the general increased the weight pressing down on my shoulders. As excited as I was about the opening Walen”s retirement created, it also sent a prickle spiraling down my spine. I couldn”t help but think about how we were now losing two of our top generals to retirement within the same year.

Change was often good, but sometimes, it meant something was coming—something the older gentlemen did not wish to be a part of or risk their lives for.

I tilted my chin up.

Whatever it was, I would be prepared.

Walen continued, ”I won”t get into the sappy nonsense today, but know I will be leaving with a heavy heart.” He cleared his throat, then saluted. ”That is all for today. You”re released.”

The soldiers all fell out of formation, relaxing their stances and walking out of their lines. Whispers immediately passed between soldiers as they discussed the general”s announcement.

Someone tugged my arm. When I spun around, I found Sylvia staring at me with a raised brow.

”Tell me the rumors are just rumors.”

”What do you mean?” I asked. ”The general admitted?—”

”No, not about the general. Tell me that you and a certain prince are not, you know. . .a thing.”

”How did—where did—” I tripped on my words.

”So it is true!” Sylvia shouted, causing a few of the soldiers to look our way.

I pulled them to the side, away from the crowd. ”Do you have to be so loud about it?”

Sylvia scoffed. ”Did the prince really take you to the concert hall?”

”Yes,” I said, leaning away from them.

”Wow,” Sylvia said. ”I”m shocked you let him. That”s like his whole thing.”

”What whole thing?”

With their arms crossed over their chest, Sylvia gawked at me. ”Are you that daft? I thought you two were close or something.”

”We are,” I said, straightening beneath Sylvia”s scrutiny.

”You”re not that close if you don”t know.”

I chewed on the inside of my cheek.

I was thirteen when Fynn started loosely courting women and started talking about his dalliances with them. Where they went, who he went with, what they did or talked about—and more often, how they didn”t talk.

At first, I couldn”t help but listen. Perhaps I was curious about what I needed to do to gain his interest. Back then, our two-year age difference felt like a generation splitting us apart. I had made myself believe it was better to be his friend than not be in his life at all—even if that meant he would only ever see me as one of the guys. But then my jealousy grew.

Soon, I found excuses to slip out during those conversations—an extra study session or an early dinner with my grandparents I had forgotten about.

Eventually, leaving when the conversation came up became normal. As we grew older, I found more and more reasons to separate myself from Fynn.

I had thought it was for the best. I had seen how Rosalina or one of his other partners would look at me. I didn”t want to face the questions that were bound to follow if I stayed around.

I was still in Fynn”s life, but I was no longer an active part of it. He was still one of my best friends, but our relationship was tied to our history rather than our present.

Maybe Sylvia was right.

Maybe I wasn”t as close to Fynn as I had thought.

Still, I needed to know what Sylvia was talking about.

I grabbed Sylvia”s wrist, dragging them away from the crowd. ”Sylvia, what thing?”

Sylvia sighed. ”Fynn”s a nice guy, and I”m sure he”ll be a decent king. But he”s not like. . . a good guy, you know?”

”No, I don”t know. Out with it already, Sylv.”

Sylvia sighed. They rubbed a hand over their pale, freckle-covered face. ”The whole kingdom knows that the prince gets around.”

My hand fell from Sylvia”s wrist, the tension releasing despite the pang of jealousy sprouting.

This was not news.

Fynn always brought a different woman to events. A couple of times, he ended up leaving with a different woman on his arm than the one whom he came with. But based on Sylvia”s concerned gaze and the purse of their lips, I knew there had to be something they weren”t saying.

”How does this have to do with me going to the concert hall?”

Sylvia sighed and grabbed one of my shoulders. ”I”m telling you this because I care about you as a friend, all right?”

I nodded, my brows furrowing. The creases threatening to become permanent.

”The concert hall is his go-to. He always brings his latest conquests there and parades them around his family. It”s like a show on top of a show. There”s been stories about what happens there.”

I snorted and shoved their hand off me. ”You shouldn”t believe all the gossip you hear, Sylv.”

”I just. . .” Sylvia stared at me, eyes scanning my face. ”Be careful with him, all right?”

”You can”t be serious.”

Sylvia crossed their arms over their chest.

”We”re friends?—”

”Friends or friends, Dani?” Sylvia cocked a brow.

I cleared my throat. ”Friends who are seeing where this could go. I”m not jumping into anything. It”s. . .”

”Different?” Sylvia supplied.

”Yes,” I said, but based on Sylvia’s disapproving gaze, that was the wrong answer.

”That”s what they all say, Dani. I”m sure he says you”re different too.” Sylvia cocked their head in the direction of a group of nearby soldiers. ”That”s what Marisil said a few months ago. Look at her now.”

Sure enough, Marisil, one of the soldiers in my company, was sending me metaphorical daggers with watering eyes that burned with flames.

I quickly looked away and leaned closer to Sylvia. ”Why is she staring at me like that?”

Sylvia patted me on my arm. ”Like I said, word gets around. She”s still heartbroken over that boy, and she”s not the only one.”

A sour taste filled my mouth as I shifted on my feet. My gaze swept across the hundreds of soldiers gathering their belongings and leaving the training yard. Some of the women, however, hesitated as they spotted me, their gazes turning cold.

”He”s a prince and one of the most eligible men in Pontia.” Sylvia squeezed my arm, but the gesture did little to comfort the rising anxiety in my stomach. ”Captain, you might have just earned yourself a few more enemies.”

”Fynneares Andros Nadarean!”

Fynn snapped his head around, his unbuttoned blouse billowing in the breeze that swept across the castle”s training grounds. Sweat glistened on his face. His hair was tousled as if he had been running his hand through it nonstop.

I barreled forward. I slammed my palm into his chest, hitting muscle that I didn”t let surprise me.

Fynn stumbled back. ”What the fuck, Dani?”

”Don”t.” I shoved a finger in his face. ”Don”t play the coy, ignorant prince. It does not suit you, Fynneares.”

”You know,” he said, swatting my hand away, ”this would go more smoothly if you simply explained what you are upset about.”

”You know exactly what—” I snapped my lips shut as someone nearby cleared their throat.

My gaze slipped to behind Fynn, where Terin shifted on his feet, appearing as uncomfortable as ever.

”Hey, Dani,” Terin said with a half-wave. He scratched the back of his head. ”Trouble in paradise already, huh?”

”I—” The blood rushed to my cheeks, and the back of my neck heated. I glanced at Fynn for help. But when I turned to the prince, his back was to his brother, and his arms were crossed over his chest, a cocky half-smirk splayed across his face.

Arrogant asshole.

The corner of his lip tugged upward as I let the words slip beneath my shields.

A little help here? I added.

Fynn rolled his eyes, his shoulders dropping. ”Don”t worry. Dani”s simply mad because I didn”t give her a goodnight kiss last night, aren”t you, love?”

Fynn”s lashes fluttered across his cheeks as he blinked at me.

My nails bit into my palms. I exhaled, slow and steady. ”Right, love.”

”I think we”re done training for the day, Terin. Do you mind?” Fynn asked.

”Sure,” Terin said, elongating the word. ”Whatever you need. I don”t want to be in the middle of whatever is going on between the two of you, anyway. Later, Dani!”

I haphazardly waved at Terin as he strolled away, my gaze never leaving Fynn as he shoved his hands deep into the pockets of his linen trousers. He casually leaned back on his heels as if everything was fine.

Because to Fynn, this was only another one of his games.

After a moment, Fynn smacked his tongue against the roof of his mouth and nodded, pointing in the direction Terin had left. ”This has been fun, but I better get going. You know, princely duties await.”

Fynn made to step around me, but I cut him off. ”Nope. You”re not going anywhere,” I said, ramming my hand against his chest.

His chest was surprisingly firm for a prince who seemingly would rather spend his time drinking and sleeping around. I, however, refused to think about whatever other muscles might have developed over the past few years.

”If you insist.” Fynn brushed his fingers through his hair. He groaned, his hand falling to his side. ”What are you so worked up about, anyway? I thought last night went well. Terin seems to?—”

I spun on my heel. ”Worked up? Fynn, you took me to the concert hall.”

”And? I thought we had a nice time.”

”A nice time? A nice time?”

”Yes,” he said, taking a few steps back. ”Am I wrong? Or is it simply your strange aversion to the word nice?”

”Let me make this clear, Fynneares. Because apparently, it needs to be repeated.” I stalked forward. When Fynn swallowed, his smug attitude dropping for a moment, a small part of me was overjoyed that he at least marginally feared me. ”I have a reputation to uphold. I am not one of the women you can parade around?—”

”What in the stars are you talking about?” he asked, interrupting.

I groaned. ”Marisil?”

”What about her?”

”You took her to the concert hall, didn”t you?”

”Sure, but I”ve taken a lot of people there. It is a common place for?—”

”People or women, Fynn?” I interrupted.

”Well, both.” Fynn shrugged nonchalantly. But nothing about this was nonchalant.

That”s what I deserved for not having thought this through—for having been distracted by his stupid smirk. Again.

”You”re unbelievable!” I spun on my heel, pacing the castle”s training grounds. ”If the leaders are going to take this seriously, they have to believe it”s not another one of your silly little flings! If your mother is going to believe this?—”

”All right, all right, I get it. Look, Dani,” Fynn said, grabbing a hold of my wrist and forcing me to a stop. ”I meant nothing by it. Many people—yes, myself included—take their partners to the concert hall. I thought that Lorenza”s performance would provide enough publicity without the need for unnecessary conversations with others. I knew we hadn”t had enough time to get our story straight, so a performance would provide the entertainment we needed to prevent those conversations.”

Crossing my arms over my chest, I snorted. ”Well, it had enough publicity, that”s for sure. My soldiers are already talking about it.”

”That”s a good thing, isn”t it? The whole point was for people to know. It”s not like my history is a secret.”

”Your history is none of my business.”

”But you just?—”

”I said it”s none of my business! I don”t care what you did before. I only. . .” I groaned and pressed the heels of my palms against my temples. Once the pressure dwindled, I let my hands fall. ”I suppose I hadn”t fully thought through the repercussions of courting you.”

Fynn”s gaze narrowed, and I shifted beneath it. He was only a foot away now, and I could feel his breath touch my forehead. ”When have you ever cared about what others thought of you, Dani?”

I blinked. ”I don”t.”

”Then why are you so upset?” He tilted his head, and a single brown wave fell across his forehead. ”Because it”s not like we are actually courting one another, right?”

I swallowed. Hard. ”Right. It”s just—it”s the principle of the thing.”

”The principle?”

Unable to do or say anything else as the space between us grew smaller, I nodded.

Fynn cackled. ”All right, fine. Next time, I”ll?—”

I shook my head and interrupted, ”No, next time, I”m choosing where we go and what we do.”

”Fine, if that”s what you want,” Fynn said.

”It is.”

”Then it”s settled.”

”Good.”

”Good,” Fynn repeated, crossing his arms over his chest, mocking my stance.

I didn”t know why it bothered me. Like Fynn had said, I knew his history. While I might not have known all the details—and quite frankly, I didn”t want to know them—Marisil”s hurt gaze bothered me. I didn”t like my soldiers—or anyone, for that matter—thinking that I was another woman fawning over a charming prince.

His gaze bounced across my face, his brown eyes flicking between mine. ”Are you really that upset about this?”

Sighing, I rubbed my face with my palms. ”I don”t know, Fynn. It”s just. . .” My words melted into the air.

But Fynn wasn”t going to let this go.

”Just what?”

I tipped my head up to the sky, gathering my thoughts. ”I have a lot riding on this. I”m not doing this simply to get my mother off my back.”

”Like I am,” Fynn mumbled, still loud enough for me to hear.”Got it.”

”Are you—are you mad at me now?”

Fynn sighed, shaking his head. ”No, of course not.”

He smiled, but the smile didn”t reach his eyes. When he made to turn around, I grabbed his arm. If I had to talk about my feelings, so did he.

He looked down at the spot where my fingers curled around his arm, holding him in place. ”Let go of me, Dani.”

”Tell me what”s wrong first.”

”I have a lot on my mind today. Terin said something earlier to me that must still have me shaken.”

My grip around his arm loosened. ”What did he say?”

Fynn stepped back, forcing my hand to fall. He picked up his sword. ”Nothing for you to worry about.”

My brows scrunched together. Everyone”s thoughts might have been wide open for Fynn to take, but it was often hard for Fynn to voice his own. However, there was only one thing in this world that Fynn refused to discuss, one thing that put him on edge and made his anger quick to rise.

”We”ll get her back, Fynn,” I whispered.

Fynn sheathed his sword, his gaze fixed on the ground. ”It”s been fifteen years. Who knows if she”s even the same person she was before she was taken?”

My hand wrapped around his. The gesture was not forced or hidden behind some pretense like the other night but rather from years of friendship. ”The Nadareans are fighters, remember? She”s stronger than you think.”

”Historically speaking,” he mumbled, ”we”re rulers, not fighters.”

”Fynn, there are different kinds of warriors. One does not need to wear a uniform or carry a sword to be deemed a fighter.”

Fynn”s gaze met mine at last, and a small smile rose to his lips.

Moments like these, when I saw the real Fynn—the man who cared deeply, never gave up on his friends and family, and wanted to fix the world—it was hard not to let old feelings rise. This version of him was so rare that I often forgot it existed in the first place. But as the shadows spread across his face, I couldn”t help but think that this quiet, reserved version of the prince was my favorite. Because when he showed this side of himself, there were no pretenses or masks.

But then Fynn took a step back, and the normal Fynn reappeared. Whatever old feelings that had been stirred up in the previous moment vanished.

”It”s been a long day,” he said.

I squinted at the sun as it beamed down on us. ”It”s barely even past noon.”

Fynn rolled his eyes. ”Fine, it”s been a long morning, all right?”

I snorted.

And this was the future king of our kingdom, I thought to myself after having made sure my mental shields were up.

”The point is I have things to do, so if you don”t mind. . .”

”Fine,” I mumbled, only half listening now, my thoughts elsewhere.

Maybe Fynn needed this fake courtship as much as I needed it.

”Dani?” Fynn asked.

”Huh?” I asked, blinking away the previous concerns that occupied my mind.

”I asked if you knew what event we should attend next?”

”Oh, right,” I said, nodding my head.

Recognizing the hesitancy filling my voice, Fynn sighed. ”What is it?”

I pursed my lips, shaking my head and dragging my attention away from him. ”Nothing. It”s silly.”

His shoulders sagged. He grabbed my arm and tugged, forcing me to face him. My muscles beneath his fingers flexed, and he dropped my hand.

”All right, but before you say no, hear me out.”

His gaze narrowed. ”One date, and you already want to change the plan, Ferrios?”

I kicked the dirt. ”Sometimes strategies must be adjusted.”

”Out with it then, Ferrios.”

The words spilled out in a rush. ”I think we need to show the leaders that we are more serious about this—this relationship. I think we need to court each other properly.”

”What do you mean?” he asked, brows arching.

Shrugging, I picked up one of the swords hanging from the rack and tested its balance. I recognized Xander”s work immediately—the beauty in the craftsmanship. ”Casual walks through the village, dinners. You know, whatever one does when people are courting one another.”

”Whatever one does?”

”Mhm,” I mumbled, twisting the blade in my hand. I sensed Fynn”s gaze, but I continued studying the sword.

”Dani, when was the last time you were courted?”

A prickle shot through the back of my neck when I met his gaze at last, his head cocked to the side.

”I—” My tongue grew heavy as I placed the sword back on the rack.

I might have slept with several people, but none of them were a result of a serious relationship. For me, intimacy was about attraction and chemistry. A courtship never mattered. Never having officially courted someone never bothered me before.

Until, that is, amusement peppered Fynn”s countenance.

”Do you mean to suggest that you have never been courted?”

Heat flushed my cheeks, and I dug my nails into the flesh of my palms. ”Get out of my head, Fynneares.”

”Ha! See, that”s how I know I”m right.” He leaned forward, the crisp scent of the ocean breeze surrounding me. With a finger, he poked the side of my head. ”I don”t need to be in your head to know when you”re lying, Ferrios.”

With a scoff, I flicked away his hand. ”I have. There was that—that one guy. . .”

”The one who threw up on your boots, or are you referring to the second man who did that?” Fynn quirked a brow. ”I”m not sure your mother”s suitors count based on what you have told me about those outings.”

The muscles in my jaw ticked.

”It”s fine if you haven”t,” Fynn continued, dragging the tip of his blade through the dirt. My fingers flexed along the top of the rack as he walked in a circle around me. ”I”m surprised, that”s?—”

A throwing knife flew from my hand, spiraling in the air. Fynn jumped back, narrowly missing the blade. Inches from his feet, the hilt of the knife wobbled.

”Shit, Dani. What was that for?”

”You”re simply lucky I can”t hear your thoughts because seeing them spread across your face is more than enough.”

He snatched my wrist and pulled me toward him. He tipped my chin up with a finger, and my breathing hitched in my throat. ”Because of that, Ferrios, I”m going to ruin you for any future suitor.”

His closeness, his words—it was all too much. The pit of my stomach stirred, and my brows drew together. My eyes bounced across his face, unsure where to look. His dark brown eyes swirling with gold, the strand of hair falling across his forehead and brushing against the top of his cheek.

Snap.

The sound of a twig cracking in half forced my attention away. Behind Fynn, Jorian walked toward us.

Fynn smirked down at me.

The fluttering in my stomach extinguished into a puff of smoke. The closeness, the gaze—it had all been a part of the charade. One we both had agreed to, I reminded myself as the jealousy rolled in my stomach.

I shook out of his hold. ”I have things to do.”

With each step, I ignored the lingering warmth of his touch on my face and let the breeze sweep it away.

Fynn was only pretending, but I no longer knew if I was.