CHAPTER 13
Sakura
Breakfast was almost over, and the weapon-smith had spent most of it twisted in his chair to stare out the window while he noisily chewed his food. Not that Sakura was interested in having his blue-eyed attention; the window could have it.
“Is something the matter, Keenan?” Queen Arisa asked, patting her mouth delicately with her napkin. “I thought Sakura and I would provide you with sufficient mealtime entertainment. Surely you are not bored with us after a mere week?”
Sakura took another careful bite, chewing slowly and silently while their guest spun back to the table. His ears bore a slight pink tinge.
“Forgive me, Your Majesty.” He bowed his shoulders a little. “The snow is melting, and I hoped to join the search for Miss Liesl.” Shifting in his seat, he added, “If you would return my sword to me.”
Queen Arisa carefully folded her napkin before placing it on the table next to her plate. “Some of the guards will be sparring this afternoon,” she said idly. “I’m sure Sakura is as eager as I am to see how you compare to them.”
What?
Barely keeping the shock off her face, Sakura took a hasty sip from her glass to clear the crumb that had caught in her throat. The training yard had always been off-limits to her, as it was an improper place for a princess. And that was before her prophecy.
Keenan’s brow furrowed as he settled back against his chair. “I can guarantee it would be unimpressive. I’d rather spend my time looking for Miss Liesl.”
“But whom would it serve if you became lost yourself?” Queen Arisa widened her eyes and pressed a hand to her chest. “The snow makes it harder to navigate, and our mountains are different than the ones you’re used to.”
“Hartford doesn’t have mountains.” The ridge in his forehead deepened as he tilted his head to the side.
“Oh, yes, Hartford.” To Sakura’s further surprise, her mother winked at the young man as if sharing an inside joke. “Daraigh and its capital are a bit lacking in mountains, aren’t they? Not like its neighbors.”
“No,” he slowly agreed, bemused.
The queen pressed her lips together. “All the more reason why you should remain here and let my guards conduct the search. We cannot afford for you to lose your way again.”
“Why not? I’m expendable!”
“Expendable?” Placing a hand over her chest, Queen Arisa gave a small, false gasp. “How can you say such a thing? Neither of us thinks that. Isn’t that right, Sakura dear?”
Keenan’s head swiveled toward Sakura at the same time as her mother’s. But while he appeared confused, the queen raised an imperious eyebrow.
What did her mother expect her to say? That she enjoyed having a commoner invade the peace of the winter castle?
However, his station didn’t mean she wanted him lost in the snow-covered woods, any more than she had wanted him to freeze outside their gate. Perhaps if she’d found a shred of evidence that he harbored nefarious intentions.
But she hadn’t.
Sakura turned an assessing eye on Keenan. “If Liesl is brought to the castle and you fail to reappear, will she insist that we look for you?”
“I—don’t know,” he stammered. “Maybe. She’s rather soft-hearted.”
“Then it would inconvenience us more if you join the search and become lost than if you remain.” She kept her voice as cool as her logic.
“I knew she was warming to you!” Mother beamed. Her eyes held a hint of annoyance when she glanced at Sakura, though. “It’s settled: Sakura will bring you to the training rooms at two o’clock. I will meet you there.”
~
“So this is your sword?” Mother mused, examining the sheathed weapon. The guard who delivered it was standing back, clearly seeking a happy medium between staying away from the princess and remaining on hand should the stranger prove untrustworthy.
Sakura kept her eyes averted. She’d spent the last three years avoiding guards, and now she stood on the edge of one of their training rooms. What had gotten into Mother in the last week?
She had once thought it was the weapon-smith, but he seemed equally befuddled by the queen’s behavior.
Keenan’s hands twitched, lifting a few inches before dropping back to his side. They stayed still for only a moment before gripping the bottom edge of his jerkin.
“It is quite beautiful.” The queen ran a delicate finger over the gryphon on the exposed hilt. “Such exquisite craftsmanship. It must have cost a small fortune.”
He shifted his weight from one foot to the other. “Not as much as that, Your Majesty. But it is costlier than one of my plain swords.”
“I suppose that’s my hint to return it to you,” the queen replied with a slight smile.
He gulped, his hands flexing on the jerkin. “No, Your Majesty. I wouldn’t presume to tell you what to do.” But his blue eyes were fixed longingly on the weapon.
“I was only teasing.” Since when did Mother tease? Holding out the sword belt, she said, “Here you are, Keenan. Now, off with you to one of the rings, and give us the honor of observing your skill with this.”
He reached forward and grabbed it, his fingers tightening on the sheath before he belted it around his waist.
“I doubt it will be as impressive as you seem to think,” he mumbled. Rolling up his sleeves, he adjusted the bracers he already wore underneath, jostling the bandage on his left arm. Should he be sparring already? “I’m better at making weapons than wielding them.”
Watching swordplay was a new experience for Sakura, but she quickly decided it was not her favorite. The men were loud and raucous. The ring of metal and the thwack of wooden practice weapons grated on her eardrums. And the smell…
She worked her hand into her sleeve and brought it up to cover her nose, setting her other hand under her elbow as if she were simply resting her fingers on her cheek. It helped, but it wasn’t enough. No wonder Hari had never brought her along when he and Daichi sparred.
Keenan brought up his sword to parry a strike from his opponent. The muscles visible past the bracer strained, but she didn’t know if his footwork was sound or pathetic. All she knew was that he managed to hold his ground before shoving back and gaining a few inches of space.
It seemed like a dangerous game for those who used real weapons instead of the wooden ones. Although Keenan had fastened a strip of leather to the edge of his, so perhaps the other guards fought with dull blades to match.
“What do you think, Sakura dear? Isn’t he doing well?”
Sakura turned her head enough to see her mother out of the corner of her eye. The queen still wore that strangely pleased smile that had first made an appearance a week earlier.
“I couldn’t say. I know nothing of skill with the sword, but—” Her attention was drawn back to the match as Keenan stumbled sideways.
He caught himself and threw his sword up, knocking his opponent’s thrust to the side before it could catch him.
“While he clearly has some training, I expected better of someone Michael allowed to guard another prince’s sister-in-law. ”
“Don’t be too harsh on the boy,” Mother admonished. “You know how devoted he’s always been to his books; is it any wonder he struggles now that he’s finally picked up the sword?”
Sakura turned to fully face her mother. “No, I don’t know. Why are you so fascinated with him, Mother? Why am I exposing myself to so many guards after hiding myself away for the last three years?”
“There’s no need to worry, Sakura dear,” Mother replied, brushing the concern away with a wave of her hand. “Strangers won’t have an effect on you, regardless of the prophecy. Not while Keenan is here.”
“And what magical protection does he offer?” Sakura’s jaw tried to drop, but she clamped it shut.
“He is a simple Daric weapon-smith who is short on manners and is currently filling the role of a guard. You should be housing him in the barracks, not inviting him to meals, sending me on outings with him, and making me watch his attempts at swordplay!”
“Do not let your emotions carry you away, Sakura dear,” Mother reprimanded sharply.
The rebuke smarted. But Mother was correct; they had an audience, which meant she needed to maintain appearances.
Smoothing her face, Sakura let the wall of her polished exterior draw her control back in. Prophecy or no, she had to be perfect.
The queen shook her head and tsked. “I thought you were cleverer than that,” she said, resuming their discourse.
“Clearly, he knows of your prophecy but doesn’t realize how undesirable it is.
As a result, he has disguised himself as a guardsman, made vaguely plausible by the sword-training he must have begun while his brother was missing.
” She smiled smugly. “But if he wished to pull the wool over our eyes, he should have left his own sword at home and brought a plainer one to show us.”
A sinking sensation began to fill Sakura’s stomach. “Mother, you’re not making any sense. If you don’t believe that Keenan is a Daric weapon-smith, then who do you think he is?”
“Think?” Queen Arisa released a beautiful little laugh that didn’t sound quite natural. “I don’t think, Sakura. I know.”
Resisting the urge to hold her breath, Sakura fisted the hand supporting her elbow and waited for Mother to get to the point.
Mother took a few more moments to bask in her superior knowledge. And then she glanced over at Keenan before inclining her upper body toward Sakura. “He hides it well, but we are hosting none other than Cedric Bouclier, the younger prince of Amitié.”