Chapter 23 Ariana
ARIANA
Clumsily, I made my way down the hall, carrying the large bowl filled with my favorite dish.
Perhaps I overdid it a little and should have cooked a smaller amount in case the Lysians hated it.
However, my certainty that they would like it won out, and I made a ridiculously sizable amount.
My arms trembled from the weight of the bowl as I stopped before the door, waiting for Kole to open it.
Kole raised a single golden eyebrow.
“Open it, please.” The words huffed out of me in spurts of breath.
Instead, he folded his hands across his chest. “You know, this is an excellent exercise for you.”
“I am about to drop it, and if I do, you will be licking it off the floor,” I replied through clenched teeth.
His crystal eyes grew more prominent. “Ooh, I do not think you have the authority to make such demands, tiny Ariana.”
“Your King is expecting this,” I countered.
“Well, in that case . . .” He then leaned against the wall, making a point that Erik may in fact appreciate my dropping it.
“If you do not open this door, I will ensure that Edda spends all her time with us from now on,” I threatened. Edda and I had not spoken since that day when she lashed out at me. I certainly was not planning to end the silence over a ruined dish, but Kole did not know that.
He winced at the threat, having developed a healthy dislike for Edda. Without another word, he reached over and opened the door.
“Thanks.” I shoved my way past him.
We were in the same room where I shared a meal with Erik a couple of days ago. However, this time there were three plates set out.
“Take a seat,” I instructed while placing the bowl on the table and shaking out my wobbly arms.
Kole frowned and remained standing. Looking as if even sitting next to the bowl was possibly going to make him ill.
“You promised me you would join us and try this,” I pointed out.
“I have no idea why I agreed to this,” he mumbled and reluctantly made his way to one of the seats, dropping into it.
I placed a large scoop on each of the three plates and was heading towards my seat when Erik entered.
His dark sapphire eyes pinned me, and I froze. He glanced down at his plate before turning his attention back towards me. “I only promised one bite.”
“I couldn’t find a smaller serving spoon.” I shrugged a shoulder and watched as a smile slowly spread across his lips, softening his features.
He made his way through the room with a silent grace while I settled into my seat.
“Nice of you to join us this time, Kole.” Erik regarded his friend, who was wearing a scowl.
“Wouldn’t miss this,” Kole replied, looking down at his plate as if he couldn’t make out what was on it.
Erik chortled, turning to me as he lowered himself into his chair. “How did you get him here?”
“He lost a bet,” I quickly answered while probably grinning like a fool. Winning that bet was the biggest feat for me. It was rare that I landed a hit on a Lysian.
Erik’s eyes widened. “You don’t say.” Kole somehow managed to moan without actually making a sound while Erik leaned forward, fully invested. “What was the bet?”
Kole’s jaw flexed, though he did not respond.
“I slapped him.” I glanced at Kole. “He didn’t think I could.”
Erik’s eyes instantly filled with boyish excitement.
Suddenly, he did not seem like someone who would harm a soul.
His world did not rest on his shoulders, and he was no more than a normal person.
At least it was easier to think that when excitement poured out of him, and his focus was on someone other than myself.
Not having to feel the weight of those dark eyes made everything easier.
“Oh, c’mon, wipe that ridiculous grin off your face,” Kole barked at his King. “She cheated.” He held out a thick finger, pointing directly at me.
“You underestimated me.” I rolled my eyes.
Of course, he would say that the only way for me to win would have been to cheat. But, that was not the case. I won fair and square. You cannot cheat if there are no actual rules.
“I thought you were hurt! Do you have any idea what would become of me if I harmed you?” Kole made a pointed glance at his King, who watched us with a smirk.
“Give me a break. You threw me around outside like a rag doll when I first began training. I am sure Erik would not love the idea of my being injured, but he won’t kill you if it were an accident.”
“I’d rather not bet my life on your assumptions,” Kole muttered. He was staring at his plate again. Looking as if what was on it offended him nearly as much as my landing a hit on him.
“So, you tricked him?” Erik quirked an eyebrow.
“I fell. Kole walked over, bent down to help me, and the rest is history.” I could not hide the devilish grin itching to surface.
“Who hits someone who is trying to help them?” Kole sounded exasperated.
“You should have never let your guard down,” I pointed out, telling him the same words he had told me many times.
“You were raised without manners,” he snarled in response.
My jaw nearly dropped. “Manners? You wish to speak to me about manners? You held out your hand in training only to shove me back down to the ground, telling me to not let my guard down.”
Kole growled.
“You are such a sore loser,” I said under my breath, knowing they would all still hear it clear as a beautiful, bright day.
“I am not a loser.” Kole’s voice dropped, edged with what sounded like anger.
It would have been worrisome if he was not technically supposed to protect me from harm.
I may be held in the Lysian lands against my will, but I was not to be hurt, at least not yet.
The thought of that instantly dampened my mood, and I shoved it to the back of my mind.
The time I spent with Erik was not going to be soured, not when I needed him to set me free.
Or at the very least, not when I wanted him to refrain from killing me when I finally freed myself.
“In this instance, you are,” I shot back.
Kole snarled.
“Oh, c’mon. You win some, you lose some.
A big bear of a Lysian like you should be able to let small things like this roll off your back.
Spirit knows your back is large enough to roll a boulder off it,” I said, complimenting his size.
Sometimes that was all Kole needed to feel better, for someone to stroke his ego just a little.
He was silent for a beat, then finally relinquished some of that grudge. “Fine,” he mumbled.
“I’m sorry, I couldn’t quite catch that with my lowly Bavadrin hearing.” I brought my hand to my ear and cupped it as if to better hear him by.
“FINE!” he roared.
Erik chuckled. “Kole here has hardly ever been less than a winner. It’s one of the reasons he will never spar against me. He does not want to lose. But, as you have now learned, a loss severely damages his mood.”
“What is this? Pile turds on Kole day? Was I invited to a meal just to entertain you both by having someone to poke at the entire time? And for your information, Erik, I choose not to fight you because it would be an embarrassment for a King to lose against one of his subjects.” Though he sounded big and mighty, we all knew that was not true.
Erik could take him, and it was not even because he was a conjuror.
In a match between the two of them, conjuring aside, Erik would win.
There was little to go by for this judgment.
I never saw the two of them physically compete in any way, but it was a strong feeling.
For Kole’s size, there were likely very few who could truly best him. I believed Erik could.
“Oh, really.” Erik’s eyebrows shot up.
Kole’s face was reddening.
“So . . .” I pointedly glanced at the dish in front of Erik with food already spooned onto it, figuring it was time to give Kole a break from being the center of our attention. “You have yet to try the deliciousness before you.”
Deep blue eyes flashed in my direction. “It’s not like it’s going to get cold,” Erik answered with a crooked smile. The dish was served cold.
“No, but I am starving.” I grinned.
“We’re not stopping you from enjoying your meal.” He held my gaze and a glint of something dangerous moved in his.
I was the first to look away.
“Fine.” I reached for my fork. “I will begin only to prove to you both that this is edible.”
“You eating something does not prove it’s edible.” Kole frowned, looking at his plate. “Maybe we should wait till tomorrow to try this, just to make sure you aren’t poisoned and die in your bed.”
“For someone so strong you have an awfully weak stomach,” I commented.
“It is not weak.”
“Oh, pardon me. I forgot that we weren’t allowed to call any part of you weak or risk damaging your fragile ego.”
Kole grabbed a spoon nearest to him, shoveled some of the salad on his plate onto it, and shoved it into his mouth. He chewed with zero expression before swallowing and then shoveling another spoonful into his mouth.
Erik and I briefly glanced at one another before turning back to Kole.
“Well?” I asked.
“It’s not as terrible as I expected,” he commented before taking another bite.
My eyes narrowed. “It’s not terrible at all. Look at you. You’re basically inhaling it.” I nodded towards Erik. “It’s your turn.”
His attention settled on me once more. “You first.”
Obliging him, I took a bite, savoring every moment. “Mmmm, so good.”
Erik looked down at his fork, suspended just above his plate, ready to be eaten. His expression was unreadable. Finally, he brought it to his mouth, and I could hardly contain my eagerness. He chewed painfully slowly before finally swallowing.
“Well?”
Erik reached for his glass of water, taking a leisurely sip without paying me any attention. When his eyes finally locked with mine, he worked at suppressing a laugh, knowing that the wait was torturing me.
“It isn’t bad,” he answered and took another bite, smiling while he chewed.
“Why can neither of you just say that it is good, and you enjoy it!”