Their Trials (The Reluctant Royals #2)

1. Chapter One Rhowyn

Chapter One: Rhowyn

My eyes were wide as I stared at the guys in disbelief. The trials were starting, and I could barely walk. How was I supposed to even complete them in this condition? I felt panic starting to rise within me, partly my own emotions and partly what I received from the bond with the guys. Standing there, the resounding emotion screaming between all of us was shock. No one spoke. No one moved. We all were just trying to process the fact that we were at a serious disadvantage.

The burning in my shoulder slowly started to register again and I swore it was growing more intense. “So, what do we do?” I asked them.

We all turned to Arryn who seemed just as flustered as we were, as if he held all the answers. He ran a hand through his hair, taking a deep breath and exhaling. “First, we need to get you healed. Do you think you can do it yourself?” he asked, studying me closely.

“Do I have a choice? I can barely walk.” I told him angrily. He just stood there, waiting for me to answer him, not reacting to my outburst. “Yes.” I finally said on an exhale. “I should have enough energy to heal myself a little more. Are you sure I can't try to go faster? Maybe heal myself a little more than we have been?”

“You can try, but we don't want to make things worse than they already are,” he muttered, his words revealing that he was unsure if we should take the risk or not. I could feel it in my gut, and it bled into my own emotions.

He turned to Baer. “Can you pick her out some clothes to wear? Plan for physical. Although we don't know what we’ll face, it doesn't hurt to be prepared.”

“Sure,” Baer said, snapping into motion quickly, eager to have something to do.

“Lennox, she'll need something quick to eat to refuel after she's used her magic.”

“On it.” Lennox said, storming from my room to do as instructed.

“I think you should heal her,” Callum said to Arryn.

“You heard what the Queen said. No one is to heal her,” he argued back, but I could sense how on the fence he was.

“If we don't survive the trials, it won't matter what punishment she has in mind,” Callum retorted. “If we had time, I'd be fine with letting her heal herself, but we don't. You know I'm right.”

Arryn studied Callum, running a hand through his blond hair, his green eyes conflicted.

“For what it's worth,” Baer said, peeking out of the closet to put in his two cents. “I think you should heal her as well.”

“Think about it. We can always tell the Queen that she healed herself with your magic after we bonded to her. It's what we were going to tell her anyway,” Callum said again.

Arryn wanted to heal me. I could see and feel it, but he didn't want to make things worse for us. Taking the decision out of his hands, I told him, “Arryn, it's okay. Just heal me. Callum's right. I can barely walk as it is, and I won't be responsible for y' all getting hurt or worse. Just heal me, and we'll deal with the consequences later. We're all on board with this.”

With my words, I saw the moment I pushed him over the edge into the decision. He ran his hands through his hair again and crossed to kneel in front of me, still not happy about our options. “Okay.”

He placed his hands on me, one on my shoulder and one on the opposite hip, skin on skin. I closed my eyes at his touch, warmth seeping from his palms, doing more to my body than simply knitting my flesh together. The intimacy of his touch had me opening my eyes to gaze into his green ones, watching as they shifted from fresh cut grass to deep emerald.

Both of us knew we were about to walk into a situation that we couldn't ever really prepare for, and the magnitude was finally hitting us. Whereas before, the trials were some distant problem I had to deal with; now, it was sinking in just how real this was. I couldn't help but acknowledge the fear of what we were about to face, the unknown and uncertain future we were about to head into.

The warmth intensified from Arryn's healing, easing not only the pain from my wounds, but his steady nature calmed my nerves. He didn't have to tell me. I knew he would be with me through whatever came our way. The sensation of having someone dependable like him, in this moment, almost overwhelmed me.

“Good,” Baer said, breaking up our moment. “Looks almost brand new. You did good, Arryn.”

Baer held out some clothes for me, and I grabbed them from him, jumping up without any of the agony I had experienced before. I needed to get away from them for a moment, the emotions threatening to choke me. “Thanks,” I mumbled to them both as I pushed past them and Callum, heading to the bathroom .

The burning in my shoulder continued, and it was only escalating, slowly becoming sharper and more unbearable as time passed. I turned to look at my shoulder in the mirror and saw the scars that now crisscrossed my back, both old and new. Lines and circles marring my skin, an ever-present reminder of the evil that lurked in this world and on Earth.

I underestimated the evil on Earth once before taking control of my life and refusing to be a victim again. However, crossing into this realm, I couldn't have prepared myself for what I'd face. Now I knew. And just like before, I would make myself stronger so I would never be a victim here again.

I threw on the clothes that Baer had chosen for me, dark brown leather pants that fit me like a glove but somehow stretched like leggings. Nice . A sports bra and blouse went on next, followed by a dark brown vest that had slots for knives. Even better . I laced up the boots he had also provided before pulling my hair up in a ponytail.

I took one last look at myself, trying to find the headspace I went into before a fight. I just couldn't seem to find that calm center I needed. When I went into my fights, I knew I had prepared myself for everything I could, but now, I found myself so wholly unprepared to the point that I knew victory was nigh on impossible.

Pushing those thoughts from my head, I opened the door to find my room empty. I heard the guys talking amongst themselves in the living area and followed the sound. I found them all ready as well, wearing similar leather pants and shirts in various colors and tall boots. They all turned to face me, and I couldn't help the arousal I felt looking at them all.

They were all so different, but each one looked delicious, calling to me in ways I had never felt before. I barely kept myself from licking my lips at the sight of them all there, ready to kick some ass. I crossed the distance and joined them, promising myself that I would take Baer up on his offer after the first trial. If we survived.

“You ready?” Arryn asked.

“As ready as I'll ever be,” I said, trying to lighten the cloying mood with a smile.

He nodded at me and turned to leave. “Grab some food to eat on the way, and then we’ll go.”

Baer at least returned my smile, but it didn't meet his eyes. Honestly, their fear was making mine worse, and I wasn’t sure how to tune them out completely so I could focus. Taking the proffered food from Baer, I started to eat as we marched down the hallway in synch. No one spoke a word, but as we drew nearer to our destination, I sensed them pushing their own thoughts aside. Their focus only helped me to obtain mine as well.

I had mastered the art of ignoring my own feelings. It was the only way I had managed to survive and stay sane at the same time. Deflection and Avoidance, anyone? Yeah, I could do both like a pro.

I looked around and found myself in a part of Cashel Rí that I hadn't been to before. The walls were plain stone blocks instead of the veined marble in every other room I’d been in thus far. The warmth slowly seeped from around us as if the walls were leeching it from our bodies. “Where are we going?” I asked no one in particular.

“This is the way to the training fields for the soldiers. We'll meet up with the other Chosen and Consorts there, where we'll receive our instructions for the trial,” Arryn answered before anyone else could.

“No wonder it's so bare. I guess the Queen has no need to impress the soldiers,” I said out loud.

“Don't push your luck, Rhowyn,” Callum chastised me. “The Queen will already be suspicious of how you've healed so quickly. We don't need to give her any more ammunition or reason to punish us.”

“You're right. Sorry,” I told him because he was. I had gotten used to being a nobody, never someone that people paid attention to, but here, I always had eyes on me. It wasn’t something I enjoyed, preferring my previous anonymity to this.

Arryn pushed through a door and the outside light shone through, the dawn just now breaking the horizon, blinding us as we exited the castle into the training fields. As my eyes adjusted, I saw that the other Chosen and Consorts had also arrived, looking in better condition than I did. Some were clothed like us, while others were dressed more finely, as if going to a social engagement. They mingled amongst themselves, the excitement palpable in the air.

Of course, they were all prepared and had less to worry about than we did. It made sense that they'd be excited at the opportunity to become the next royalty of the fae world.

I noticed one group standing toward the back, like we had chosen to do. The less attention we drew to ourselves, the better. A pretty, young fae stood in the middle of a group of young men, her tawny hair in a braided bun, wearing simple clothes. Not quite physical attire and not quite ready for social engagements, more of a balance between the two.

I could tell from a glance that she seemed just as nervous as we were. I approached her, hoping we might commiserate together. “Are you already over all this, too?” I asked, smiling at her and drawing her attention. She startled and then blushed.

“Oh, you're Rhowyn. The fae that looks human,” she said, more to herself than to me.

“That's me. Grew up on Earth. And you are?” I asked her, playing off the awkward tension.

“Oh, sorry. I'm Charity. These are my consorts, Luke, Eoghan, Gavin, and Connor,” she introduced them all, but I couldn't hope to remember all their names. I'd stick with just trying to remember hers.

I eyed the men she presented, noticing how young they all were. They all seemed to be fit and goodlooking but paled in comparison to my guys, both in looks and physicality. While my guys all seemed to have a worldliness about them, similar to my own, Charity’s men were so innocent.

“Nice to meet you all. Sorry we haven't had the chance to meet before this,” I told them. “We've been a little busy.”

She laughed in response, a sweet tinkle that brightened her face and made her look even more beautiful in that wholesome way she had. “I can imagine.”

“What do you think about all this?” I asked her, gesturing with one arm to indicate the crowd gathered in front of us before crossing them both across my chest.

“Oh. I'm just honored to be here. I don't really think I have a chance at winning the trials,” she said, laughing again. “It's all so overwhelming to me, to be honest.”

“Charity,” one of her guys warned.

“It's okay,” I told him. “I feel the same way. This is all so new to me after all.”

“I bet,” she said. “You must really feel out of place.”

“What do you mean?” I asked her, my guard starting to go up.

“Just that after living on Earth, I'm sure this must all seem so weird,” she explained hastily, sensing my defensiveness. “What was it like? Living on Earth?”

“Definitely different,” I said, not sure how to describe it or where to start.

“I wish I could see it, just for a moment. It must have been so exciting.” She said it as if Earth was some kind of hot, destination vacation spot.

“It's really not. It can be dangerous and cold, as I'm sure it can be everywhere. Evil really doesn't discriminate,” I told her bluntly.

She blanched, glancing around nervously. “Um... yeah. I guess you're right.”

“Sorry. Sometimes my big mouth says more than it should.” I laughed as if I had been joking, and she seemed to relax slightly.

“Oh,” she said, and I could see that I had managed to make her uncomfortable.

“It has its moments, though. It can be beautiful and amazing, and some of the people are the best I've ever known,” I said, doing my best to dig myself out of the hole I’d found myself in.

Before we could speak more, someone stepped onto the podium in front of us all. “I better be getting back to my guys. Good luck, Charity,” I told her honestly. She seemed like she might need it.

“You too!” she called out as I walked the short distance back to my guys.

“What was that all about?” Lennox leaned over to whisper in my ear.

“I just wanted to meet someone other than you guys. A girl who might understand what I'm going through. You know, a friend? You've had those before, right?” I asked him sarcastically.

He frowned at me, and Baer laughed. He opened his mouth to speak, but the announcer cleared his throat, drawing all of our attention.

“Thank you all for getting here so quickly. The first trial will begin shortly. But first, I wanted to remind everyone that for the first time ever, you will all be monitored by every fae in the land. Not just those in the stands will be able to witness history in the making, but those unable to join the festivities, thanks to our gracious Queen.” He turned to gesture to the Queen, who was sitting in the stands in a plush box area, a miniature throne beneath her.

“Master Jude will now explain what to expect during the first trial, as it has been revealed to us.” He then turned to Master Jude, who was in his official robes, standing to the side.

“Thank you, Oliver. Thank you for being our Chosen and Consorts. I have just received the reveal of the trials, and it will be a true testament to your strengths and your weaknesses.” He paused to let that information sink in and allow everyone the chance to quiet down again. The hushed whispers amongst each group grew with that information, some worried and some with excitement.

“Each group will begin with a weapon of their choice and in separate areas. You will enter the maze behind me with the ultimate goal of reaching the center, where the prize for the first team to arrive will be revealed.

“Normally, there are no extra prizes awarded, as the right to compete for the prestigious position of Queen is reward enough on its own, but Queen Titania has taken it upon herself to offer up extra benefits for those who show promise throughout the trials,” Master Jude explained, clearly not happy about the reward system.

Each group's excitement rose at the thought of getting a step up on their competition and started to push closer to the podium. Master Jude raised both hands, trying to placate the growing fervor of the crowd. “Please remain calm. We will get everyone into position, and then we will start. Please listen for your Chosen's name to be called and follow quickly,” he instructed before stepping down to allow another priest to step forward to call out names, assigning each group to a priest to show us to our individual starting points.

We all stood there, quietly waiting for our turn. Halfway through, my name was called, and we all filed forward, pushing through the remaining Chosen and Consorts to reach the front where a young priest awaited us.

“Please follow me,” he said before rushing off. We all followed him to an area in front of a wooden door. I turned to him in question.

He ducked his head. “When the bell sounds, open the door and walk through to begin your first trial. What weapons have you all decided on?” he asked as he gestured to a table full of all different types and sizes.

The guys all stepped forward to select their weapons, and I waited, not sure what to choose other than the knives I had on me already. “Can I use my own knives?” I asked the boy.

“I'm sorry, Chosen. You must release them to me for now and select only one weapon from the table.”

I walked over and eyed each of the weapons. Some could have been more appropriately called tools, and I found myself waffling, uncertain about which one to choose.

Callum stepped up beside me, reaching across me for a mid-sized knife, then he held it out to me. “Here. This is a good size for you.”

I went to take the knife, but before my hand closed over the hilt, I pulled my hand back. A tingling in my fingers distracted me, and I moved my hand over the table. As I hovered my hand on the right side of the table, the tingling grew stronger, as if something was guiding me.

I followed the guide until my hand floated over a nondescript rope, bundled up like climbing rope with a carabiner attached. The sensation and my gut were telling me to select this as my weapon , though I couldn't explain it.

“I'll take this,” I told the priest as I snatched up the rope before I could second guess myself. I had learned to trust my instincts, the hard way, and right now, they were screaming at me .

“Why the hell would you pick the rope?” Callum snapped at me, tossing the knife back down on the table and stomping after me as I approached the door.

“Because my gut told me to,” I snapped back, refusing to respond to him further. I didn't have to explain myself to him, especially not with that attitude.

“Are you sure?” Arryn questioned me further.

“Absolutely,” I said, though I felt the need to explain why I was so certain to him. “I can't explain it, but I felt a tingling, tugging sensation that pulled me to the rope. I decided to trust my instincts.”

“How can you be sure it was you and not some trick placed on the items by someone else?” Callum exclaimed.

“I can't. But it feels right,” I reiterated my decision. The feeling hadn't felt malicious, more like a guide or suggestion trying to help me.

As Callum opened his mouth to snap at me further, which I had every intention of ignoring, a loud bell rang out, and the door in front of us swung open.