16. Bickering to warm the soul #3
Jasper’s mouth twisted as his hooded head tipped from side to side.
“Not entirely. For a couple of generations now, the Elixia are mainly appointed by their king’s word, and the Agōn Ferr has become more of a spectacle than anything.
The events are still rather dangerous, but not as lethal as they once were, and they draw a substantial crowd. ”
Just like that, my stomach sank. “A crowd?”
While the idea of these tests of my merit had some undeniable appeal after the sometimes grueling annual assessments I underwent as a cavalry soldier, I was by no means a performer.
Being the illegitimate child of a king had been a blessing in that sense.
While my father loved me immensely and spent every free moment he had with me when I was a child, the same couldn’t be said about the other nobility. They weren’t fans of my father’s blasphemous indiscretion with a revered seer and loathed my presence.
That meant fancy dinners were rare. No sitting in on council sessions. No having to put on a show for the courtiers and councilors vying for my attention. That was all my brother’s job, and he lived for it.
“Unfortunately, yes,” Jasper said with a clear dose of sympathy, like the hooded man himself understood exactly how I felt. “I’ll spare you the tour today, but the events are typically held over in the stadium. There’re all kinds of revelry and betting and the like.”
“Well, that’s wonderful,” I sighed.
“Sorry. If it’s any consolation…” He hesitated and chuckled. “I don’t actually know if it’s any consolation at all, but you’ll probably be too focused on whatever it is you’re facing to even bother with the crowd.”
“I don’t think that’s as reassuring as you intended it,” I scoffed.
“I’m still not sure I entirely understand why I have to do this anyway.
Didn’t Maksym enact some old law to marry me and save me from execution?
Do his people not think his decisions are good enough?
Would they expect his wife to be of the same caliber as his Elixia if she were dark fae, or is this just because I’m an Odessan? ”
“It’s not any of those things, I promise you.
” Jasper was clearly amused, if I was already getting another beat of laughter from him.
He sobered quickly, though, and added, “First, it’s because a few members of his council love to challenge him on everything he does and exert all the rights he gave them.
Especially Malakai, whom I believe you encountered the other morning.
Second, Max is well respected by his people, but that doesn’t mean he is without enemies.
Given how he reclaimed Grimmoria from his father, he’s seen several attempts on his life in the last few years. ”
I understood where this was going.
“So I’m to be his wife and his personal guard. Is that it? Seems like he missed those terms when he stuck this on me.” To add emphasis to my outrage, I waved my bargain-marked palm at Jasper.
The mage’s mouth quirked. “Do you always jump to such drastic conclusions, Miss Wynn? The Elixia is his personal guard. But a king is most vulnerable when he sleeps, so where better to install a woman as skilled as his guard than beside him in his bed?”
That statement drew an indignant noise from me.
“We won’t be sharing a bed with any regularity, that’s for certain. He’s better off shacking up with one of his Elixia if that’s what he’s looking for. Maybe Maksym should ask Gallan if he’d like the honor of sleeping beside the king with one eye open all the time.”
“I’ll take that as a yes to my first question then,” the mage mused so quietly, it took me a solid moment to realize he was lacing humor into our conversation.
Maybe high mages in Grimmoria weren’t like the insufferable, formal ones of Odessa. What a surprise and a relief that would be.
“I’m a very rational person, I’ll have you know.” It felt prudent to inject a bit of my own, brief humor. “And that abundance of rational thinking has me a little less interested in the history of the Agōn Ferr and more so in what I’ll actually be doing in the events.”
I tossed the mage a pointed glance, unsure if he could even see me, but he nodded.
“Each of the five challenges you face will differ, and while I likely will not be privy to any of their specifics in advance, they typically touch on the key qualities a king would look for in his Elixia.”
“Has anyone ever told you that you say very little encompassed in far too many words?”
“Max has, once or twice.”
“Finally, something he and I agree on,” I scoffed.
“Are you going to tell me what these key qualities are, or do I have to guess them for myself? Am I going to be expected to fell trees and haul boulders against men twice my size? A footrace, maybe? Or am I going to be expected to know a poison based only on its smell?”
The slight quirk to the mage’s lips held in a permanent position.
“The key qualities are endurance, adaptability, mental fortitude, weapon handling, combat proficiency, and an ability to strategize, all under great pressure. What exactly each gauntlet will look like will be determined by the elders of Max’s picking, as well as the council seats.
But you can expect to have to work both with and against the other Elixia, and sometimes entirely independent of each other.
There will be courses to run, and duels at the very least. Possibly something knowledge-related too. ”
As much as I appreciated the mage taking some kind of interest in seeing me educated, we were officially toeing the line of too much information for my mind to process on a good day.
“So, fighting, running, climbing, strategizing. I can handle that. But knowledge? That wouldn’t be…written, would it?”