9. Purely hypothetical, of course #3
Maksym sighed as I passed behind him. “You were raised in a court, weren’t you, Miss Wynn? Or are you not used to having anyone respect your title because you’re illegitimate?”
I tensed but didn’t give him the barbed answer I’m sure he wanted as I lowered into the chair and let the mage push it in for me. I was not about to get into an easily explosive conversation over my controversial lineage with the king who’d committed patricide.
“Thank you,” I said quietly to Jasper.
I had expected nothing back, but he dipped his head and said, “You’re most welcome,” before taking his own seat.
At least one of the two men I was forced to breathe the same air as possessed some damned manners.
“I figured you wouldn’t mind if Jasper joined us.
” Maksym didn’t look at me as he filled his mage’s glass.
He tipped the bottle in my direction next, but I shook my head.
“I’m not making any assumptions, of course, but should you decide to stay, the two of you will spend quite a lot of time together. ”
Poor Jasper had been just about to take a sip of his drink, but he set it down quickly, coughing out, “What?”
I sank back into my chair. “Servitude and a keeper. What an appealing option.”
“Not a keeper, no.” Maksym didn’t deny the first. “All in the name of your informed decision, there is a…stipulation to my offer.”
I closed my eyes and rubbed my brow, sensing an impending headache. So much for those damned tonics. “Go on.”
“As I’m sure you’re very aware, monarchs usually have councils full of all sorts of beings who make their lives far more difficult than it has to be, and I am no exception.”
A lengthy pause followed, and I opened my eyes to find the king setting his glass back down while his mage sat silently, the lower part of his face looking as hardened as ever.
I cast Maksym an expectant look, and he winced. “Should you stay, you’ll have to take part in the upcoming Agōn Ferr before the council will fully support our marriage. A test of your worth, to earn the respect of my council and our people.”
The way the mage was shaking his head didn’t bode well.
Cautiously, I asked, “And this Agōn Ferr is…what exactly?”
“Let’s see…” Maksym reached for the bottle to fill his already drained glass, but he paused and tipped it towards me again.
I shook my head. “A tournament of sorts, I suppose. To see that the most elite of my forces stay well-stocked and never complacent. Agōn Ferr happens every couple of years and has since the dawn of our history. We are due to have one start soon, so the timing is actually rather fortuitous, depending on how you look at things.” He gave a halfhearted shrug.
“So let me get this right.” I slid my plate up so I could rest my elbows on the table and count out this absurdity on my fingers.
“My options, currently, are to either be taken to be executed, be dropped in the Wastes to fend for myself, or agree to marry you as repentance, but I have to prove my worth first?”
“Correct.”
That was all I needed to grab that tempting bottle from in front of him and pour myself a generous glass. The first sip was uncomfortably dry on my tongue but full of blissful warmth as it slid down to my stomach, my whisper of nausea be damned.
“And where does he come into this?” I tipped my chin towards the stoic mage. “Hypothetically, of course.”
“Hypothetically, he will train you. I wouldn’t trust anyone else with such an important task.”
“Train me?” Good goddess, that drew a chuckle from me. “I’ve been a soldier for ten years, Your Majesty. I’ll be alright in a tournament.”
“A cavalry soldier, yes. I’m aware of that,” he said slowly.
“But the Agōn Ferr will not be assessing your trivial abilities to saddle and mount a steed, Miss Wynn, or fire off a few arrows. Elixia are ruthless in every sense of the imagination. You don’t know any of my people’s ways, or our history, or how to survive on our lands, for that matter. ”
It sounded so trivial when the king first posed it, but of course, how foolish of me to take anything he said at face value.
“If this Agōn Ferr is as important and demanding as you say it is, then why wouldn’t you train me yourself?” I took another healthy sip of my wine. “Hypothetically, of course.”
“Because I’m forbidden from interacting with any participants in that capacity, and you will need a mentor throughout the entire process.” He gestured at the mage. “There is no one better suited for the task.”
Much to my surprise, Jasper spoke up.
“My liege,” came his strained voice, “when did the council seats decide on this? When we last spoke…”
He didn’t need to finish for me to understand he was as surprised by this development as I was. Whether that made me feel better or worse, I wasn’t sure.
The shift in attention was appreciated, though.
“This afternoon,” Maksym said curtly. “But that’s enough of that for now. No point in getting ahead of ourselves about anything. We don’t even know if Miss Wynn will grace us with her presence permanently, after all.”
“And I still have two days to decide,” I muttered from behind my glass.
The king didn’t deign to acknowledge that.
“Let’s eat, shall we?”