Chapter 20 #2
“Do you need a break from these two animals?” She looked at my dress. “The market here has the best collection of textiles anywhere in Serentyn, if I do say so myself.”
“I’d love to, but I don’t have any money.”
Before the twins could jump in, Freya laughed. “Lexa, you’re the princess. You just charge it to the castle.”
“I can do that?”
Both Finn and Griff agreed.
“And Zachariah would hate it,” Finn added.
“That settles that,” I said with a grin.
She linked arms with me and dragged me away from the twins. “I’ll return her later!” she called over her shoulder.
“In one piece, please,” Griff called back.
“That’s not up to me, Champion. That’s up to your princess.”
I cast a glance back over my shoulder. Was Griff actually letting me out of his sight in a crowded place?
But that was just wishful thinking, as he followed us at a respectful enough distance—but followed nonetheless.
I shook my head at him, and he gave me that private smile.
I could almost hear the words—Enjoy yourself, Princess.
But I’ll be right here behind you, keeping you safe.
Freya certainly knew her way around the marketplace. She led me straight to a shop that had dresses similar to hers hanging outside the doors. I ran my hand over the material of one. It was light and flowing—perfect in this climate.
Freya bustled around, grabbing dress after dress and holding it up to me to test it against my complexion. Finally, she grabbed a turquoise blue. “Perfect. It matches your eyes and the sea.”
She ushered me behind a curtain and waited while I tried it on.
The sleeves were bound up with silver rings at my shoulders, a deep vee in the front and the back.
It was tight around my waist, with matching silver accents, before flowing down and ending mid-calf.
With the skirt swishing around my waist, I felt free and uncontained.
So different from the leathers I had grown accustomed to.
I came out and twirled. Freya squealed in delight and showed me the matching silver sandals she had picked out.
She handled everything with the proprietor while I looked at myself in the mirror, swaying slightly. My braid wasn’t pulled back as tightly as usual, bits of hair escaping in the humidity. It softened my reflection. I smiled, liking the way I looked.
Freya linked arms with me again. “Let’s go show you off!”
We walked out of the shop to where Griff was waiting, perched on the railing of a low bridge.
He rose to greet us but then froze. His eyes swept over me, his mouth parting.
Freya released my arm and gave me a little push into another twirl.
Griff swallowed heavily but made no comment, just scrubbed a hand over his jaw as he fell in step behind us.
I could feel his eyes burning into my back and I added a swish to my step, Freya instantly joining in.
We caught up with Finn, who grinned appreciatively when he saw me. “Don’t you look beautiful,” he said warmly. “I especially love the color.”
He offered me his arm and I took it, still linked with Freya on the other side. The three of us wandered through the market, leaving Griff to bring up the rear. When I glanced back at him, his eyes were fixated on the spot where my hand touched Finn’s arm.
This had to be more than friendship and duty.
We ended up going back to the house, where Griff cajoled Finn into sparring with him. Finn was surprisingly decent, holding his own against Griff.
They stripped down to the waist given the heat and humidity and it was like watching a work of art.
I couldn’t take my eyes from Griff’s lean torso, muscles rippling under sun-kissed skin as he executed flawless strike after flawless strike.
He dipped, and Finn’s sword went flying.
Finn laughed ruefully and went to retrieve it.
“Aren’t they glorious?” Freya’s voice was filled with admiration.
“Finn is surprisingly good.”
“Oh, no.” Freya laughed. “Griff was holding back.”
“That was holding back? What does it look like when he doesn’t?”
“Pure, lethal beauty.”
Griff moved with an ease I envied. But what truly caught my eye was how comfortable he was.
He was always poised, inspiring confidence that he’d be able to handle anything a situation might throw at him.
But there was an easiness here that had been missing in Valdris.
And blessed Erde, it made him shine. He acted much more like Finn, as he good-naturedly baited his brother into attacking before pointing out the flaws in his footwork.
Finn ribbed him back, and while Griff at the castle would have given a slight smile and moved on, here he dished it right back at him.
This was who Griff was naturally, without the weight of the realm on his shoulders.
After Griff disarmed Finn a second time, motioning for Finn to pick up his sword, Finn laughed and held up his hands in mock surrender. “I’ve had enough of getting my ass handed to me for one day.” He wiped a towel over his brow, mopping up sweat.
“In that case.” Griff turned to me, a gleam in his eye. “You’re up, Princess. Let’s see what Kaia has been teaching you.”
“Aren’t we on holiday? And I’m in a dress.”
He cocked an eyebrow. “And you think an enemy will hold off on attacking you because you’re on holiday and not dressed to fight?”
I sighed. Much as I hated to admit it, he had a point.
“I promise I won’t harm your pretty dress,” he said, as he crooked a finger at me and beckoned. “Now come here.”
Ignoring the flood of heat and his use of the word pretty, I gave in and took the sword Finn handed me, rolling my eyes at the shit-eating grin on his face.
Just as we had two nights ago, we danced—only this time, instead of it being in a ballroom, it was with blunted steel.
My skirts swirled around his legs, attempting to trip me and I had to adjust to compensate.
A flurry of blows brought us in tightly to each other, our bodies pressed together.
He bore down on me, and I stared up at him, working to lessen his hold.
And then he released me. In the suddenness, I stumbled, but caught myself almost instantly.
“I won’t break,” I called to him.
“I know,” he replied, circling. I matched him, looking for any sign of weakness. “But I might.” With that cryptic remark, he spun in again, a flurry of motions.
My sword went flying, and he instantly lowered his. But I wasn’t done. I flung out my hand and summoned my fire channelblade. Twin gasps came from Finn and Freya, but approval was the only thing in Griff’s eyes.
We circled again, and with a flash of movement, he darted in. My channelblade met his metal one. Sparks flew. But as strong as he was, my fire channel was just as strong, and for once, we were more evenly matched.
“Excellent, Princess.” I saw satisfaction and pride, and something deeper that made my heart stammer.
Dismissing my fire sword, I held out my hand and the practice sword flew back into it.
He grinned again, and we got back to it.
Griff ran me through exercise after exercise. He was just as hard, if not harder, a taskmaster as Kaia. I still couldn’t beat him, even trying everything I could to get under his guard. But he was too quick, always one step ahead.
I sat in a slump on the ground, utterly spent, my brand-new dress drenched with sweat and pooling around me like the water next to us.
I hadn’t factored in the humidity—breathing was like moving underwater.
Between that and all the wielding I had done, I was surprised I wasn’t splayed out on the ground.
His shadow fell over me.
“Let’s cool off in the ocean.” He extended a hand and hauled me to my feet.
I looked up at him. “I can’t swim. And I’d ruin my dress.”
“You won’t have to swim in your dress.”
I crossed my arms over my chest. “I am not swimming naked.”
He let out a bark of laughter. “Freya already has it covered. And don’t worry, I won’t let you drown.” His smile lit up his face.
There was no way I could say no to that amount of joy. Especially when I remembered swimming was one of his favorite things.
Freya, already changed, quickly claimed me, and dragging me into the house, handed me a bathing suit. She had picked this up earlier when we were at the shop. I held it up and raised my eyebrows, looking for the rest of it. Shaking my head, I shimmied into it.
It was a corset top without sleeves, just straps that kept it up, cut low in the front, a vee shape falling between my breasts.
Its alternating purple colors, one light and one dark, crisscrossed over my breasts, before knotting at my waist and flowing into a skirt—which ended mid-thigh.
I was by no means a prude, but… I let out a heavy exhale. That was a lot of skin on display.
“Are you sure this is what you wear?”
She looked at me askance, but was wearing the same thing as me, just in green. “Why do you ask?”
“There’s just not much of it.” I shrugged on the matching robe, and tied my hair up on top of my head.
“Trust me. This is right. He’ll love it.”
I followed her back outside, wondering which he she was referring to.
The twins were already in the water. Finn was splashing around and Griff was industriously swimming laps.
Freya threw off her robe and dove into the water.
She had perfect form, unsurprising for someone who’d grown up here.
I couldn’t imagine it, being so comfortable with the water that you went in headfirst.
I sat on the edge of the dock and dangled my feet in the water. It was surprisingly warm, like bathwater after it had sat for a bit. I skimmed my hand along the surface, and it jumped up to greet me, splashing gently over my hand, beckoning me in. I was tempted, but that was an awfully big step.
Griff would have none of my hesitation, however. He swam over and held out his hands. “Come on, Princess,” he coaxed, his face splitting with a grin. “Your water channel won’t let you drown. And if you don’t trust that, trust me.”