Chapter 3 #2
Not every one of my shots was better than the last, but I started to notice a steady improvement overall. The little crowd behind me steadily grew as the women’s cheers and applause got louder, and Yori’s hooting started to draw staff from all around the grounds.
Soon, a crowd of thirty or so people, including most of the smiths and apprentices, several gardeners, and even a few of the housemaids who’d been hanging laundry to dry, had gathered around.
When I first noticed the growing group of people, it had made me a little nervous, but when I focused my attention on the task at hand, I got into a nice groove.
By the time I’d put a good thirty holes in the target, I was very comfortable with the process of drawing the string back and loading the bolts into place. I knew it would take me a long while to master the weapon, but I was proud of my progress for it being a first lesson.
The crossbow was an incredible device, and it was exactly as fun as I’d expected it would be. I kind of hoped I’d never have to use it outside of training or maybe hunting, but I knew the odds of that were pretty low.
Not when the laws of the country assured that anyone who killed me would become king. It was how I’d stumbled into my amazing new life, and I was so grateful for the backassward law, but I’d toyed with the idea of changing it someday.
For now, I had a strong and loyal army there to protect me, and I was prepared to do whatever I needed to keep myself and the women I loved safe.
Somewhere in the middle of my target practice, Palchur had arrived to watch, and after about another half-hour, I decided that was enough.
I handed the crossbow to one of the smithing apprentices so it could be cleaned and stored until I needed it next, and I walked over to where Palchur was standing with the group of women.
“You were amazing!” Yori almost deafened me with her shout as she threw herself into my arms.
“Thank you,” I laughed. “That crossbow is incredible, Eliath. You really are a master of your craft.”
“Thank you, sire,” Eliath said before he smiled and corrected himself. “I mean, Ken. You’ve picked up the skills very well.”
“I must agree,” Palchur said. “It’s quite impressive how hard you’ve worked at all the fighting and weapons techniques we’ve introduced you to.”
“It’s all thanks to your expert tutoring,” I said. “I never would have gotten this far without your tutelage.”
“Speaking of…” Serra politely interjected. “I was hoping we could have another training session before we leave for the meeting of the royals tomorrow.”
I was pleased and impressed by Serra’s request.
My first impression of her had been that she was a little bit of a stuck-up snob who would always refuse to get her hands dirty, but as we’d gotten to know each other, she’d really come out of her shell. There was a lot more to the willowy woman than perfect manners and pretty dresses.
I didn’t want to take credit for her growth as a person, but I suspected the affection I’d shown her had been a big part of her growing into who she was truly meant to be.
“I have some time right now,” Palchur said with a thoughtful nod. “If that suits you?”
“Yes, please,” Serra said.
“Me, too?” Yori asked with an eager expression.
“Certainly,” Palchur chuckled. “Queen Tanell? Will you join us as well?”
“Sure,” Tanell said. “I’d like to work on my knife throwing, since the target is here and all.”
“Excellent plan,” Palchur agreed.
“I can help you with that,” Carissa offered. “I’d like a little practice, too.”
“Wonderful,” I said. “Palchur, will you work with Serra and Yori? I’m going to take a little break.”
“Sire,” a housemaid named Adelyn said. “Shall I bring some lunch for everyone?”
“Yes, please,” I said. “That would be great. Thank you.”
We’d only finished breakfast a few hours ago, but I was fucking hungry after working so hard in the hot sun, and it was going to be a long day.
Yori and Serra’s coronation ceremony was tonight, and we were probably going to celebrate late into the night.
“Do you have any preference?” Adelyn asked. “Or should I bring a selection of cold meats, bread, and cheese?”
“Yeah, that sounds good,” I said. “And some blueberry muffins, if the cook has any, would you?”
“I believe she baked some fresh ones this morning, sire.” Adelyn offered me a playful wink. “I’ll see what I can do.”
“Thanks.” I grinned.
Adelyn dipped into a curtsy before she collected her basket of dried laundry and headed toward the castle. I loved how comfortable my staff had finally started to be with me.
From the very beginning, it had weirded me out to constantly be called “Your Majesty” and practically be groveled over. I couldn’t lie, it felt good to be taken care of, but I didn’t want my people to think I believed myself so far above them.
I’d grown up in a small town in Wisconsin. I’d had a childhood closer to Yori’s than Serra or Tanell’s, and I didn’t ever want to lose that sense of groundedness. I thought it made me a better king, and it definitely made me a better person, to be able to connect to and relate with my people.
Palchur had taken a fair amount of convincing to get him to stop trying to hold me up in some high tower, like a princess in a fairy tale. I understood, after all, that’s what his job had been with Oberis, but I was an entirely different kind of king and ruler.
We’d finally come to an agreement of sorts that left us both mostly happy.
Together, we’d reorganized the guard shifts and patrol routes around the castle so I could move freely on the grounds without having to worry about assassination attempts.
The other part of our agreement was that I had a highly-trained detail of personal soldiers any time I left the grounds.
That had almost been a deal-breaker between Palchur and me. I didn’t want to be constantly surrounded by soldiers in full suits of armor while they clanked around and drew a ton of attention to me.
Finally, Tanell had suggested that my secret service team would wear a reduced level of armor.
She’d made a very valid point that guards in lighter armor would be faster and stealthier than fully-suited soldiers.
That alleviated my concerns about drawing unwanted attention, and it had worked to cater to Palchur’s desire to protect me with the most effectiveness.
In the end, we’d both been happy with the agreement, but Palchur had thrown in a last-minute condition that I had to undergo private training with him to learn how to fight and defend myself with a variety of weapons and my bare hands.
The joke was on him, however, because I’d wanted private fighting lessons from him anyway. I’d counter-offered that my women all received the same type of training.
And that had been working swimmingly for us the last month.
Yori had always been a fierce fighter, but now she had developed a precision where before she’d had brute strength and determination.
Tanell had eagerly joined in, and she seemed to find great joy and pride in pushing herself and her body to its limits.
Over the last few weeks, they had both begun to show new definition in their muscles, and it made them even hotter to me.
Serra had been a little harder to convince, but after the scare she’d had at the Basstrum Royals’ party, she’d known it was the right choice.
Feeling helpless was something she never wanted to experience again, so she’d been working hard to overcome her distaste for gritty and sweaty things, and I was damn proud of her.
One of the servants had brought out some simple but beautiful wooden chairs that reminded me of folding chairs and a few tables for the spectators, and I settled into one as I watched the women train.
It was an exercise in self-control to watch my three lovers use their bodies and not haul them all off to bed, but I kept myself parked with the reminder of how important their training was.
A few minutes later, Adelyn returned with three more kitchen maids in tow, and they each had a massive covered serving tray balanced in their arms.
“Sire, your lunch,” Adelyn said with a little curtsy.
“Thank you,” I said.
She set her tray on the table beside me, and the other maids did the same. Then they lifted the covers with a little flourish. The smell of salted meat and soft cheese filled my nose, and my hunger hit me like a freight train.
“Oh, that smells amazing,” I groaned.
“Enjoy, sire.” Adelyn smiled and led the maids back to the castle to continue their daily work.
I waited until Tanell had thrown her knife and Serra had finished her practice move with the shortsword in her hands. Yori had already noticed the food and hurried over without delay.
“Ladies!” I called. “Lunch!”
Tanell’s piercing blue eyes lit up, and she and Carissa walked right over. Serra passed the shortsword back to Palchur and followed a few steps behind them.
“This looks amazing,” Yori said, and she was practically drooling.
“Oh, I’m famished,” Tanell sighed.
“Me, too,” Serra agreed with a light laugh. “I had no idea how hungry this kind of work could make a person.”
“It’s hard work using your body like this,” Palchur commented. “And you’re all progressing admirably.”
“Thank you,” Tanell replied.
Yori just nodded and offered him a smile from her mouth that was full of bread and cheese.
“I greatly appreciate your time,” Serra said with great respect.
“I’m happy to help,” Palchur said, and he bowed slightly at the waist before he turned to me. “I have other things to attend to, Your Majesty.”
“Yeah, of course.” I nodded. “Thank you for your time and help.”
“Certainly.” He bowed once more before he turned and strode off toward the castle.
The crowd of spectators dispersed quickly after that, and the castle staff returned to their business while the women and I enjoyed our impromptu picnic lunch. A pleasant breeze came through as we rested and refueled, and before we knew it, it was time to head inside.