1. The Royal Engagement
"One more time!" Skylar banged the sword at her shield, taking up a defensive position.
With a curt nod, the man in front of her picked up his sword and dashed at her again. He swung his blade in a wide arc at her unprotected right side. Skylar dodged swiftly and smashed her shield to the man's shoulder. He stumbled and fell on one knee, splashing the mud all around.
"Again!" she shouted, not missing a beat.
"Skylar!" a high-pitched shriek sounded.
The warriors looked up from training grounds, covered in mud.
The scream's source was a dainty little figure dashing towards them in a whirl of the lacey pink skirt.
A doll-like woman's hands formed fists shaking from barely contained fury.
She stopped at the edge of the muddy field and put her fists on her hips.
Despite her unimpressive height, all the men gathered in the pitch cowered instinctively.
"What on all the gods do you think you're doing?!" the little woman demanded, her dark eyes throwing daggers.
"Sparring," Skylar said with a shrug, but she lowered her weapon. She smirked at her sister. "Want to join me, Rori?"
"Sparring? SPARRING? Do you have any idea what day it is? What time?"
Skylar slowly sheathed her sword and took off her helmet. Her dark hair was sweaty and clinging close to her head. She wiped it with her muddy forearm, no doubt leaving it even more filthy than before.
The stare Rori gave her expressed utter disgust. "The Royal delegation is coming to visit. Today! There is no telling how soon they will be here. And you, young lady, look like a disgrace!"
"Ugh, I had a feeling I forgot something," Skylar muttered, handing her shield to her sparring partner. "Sorry, Dun, we'll have to finish it another time. It seems I need to go and pretend to be a lady for a while."
The man laughed. "Next time, I'll get you, Captain!"
"In your dreams!"
"Come on!" howled Rori tapping her foot impatiently. "If you are late for the feast, I swear that...."
She was interrupted by the short signal trumpet from the main gate.
"Oh no!" Rori's face paled suddenly. "Oh no, please don't let it be them... Please!"
The sound of hooves reverberated on the courtyard's stones, and an entourage of soldiers trotted towards them. At the head of the pack was a man in his late twenties, wearing a crisp red and black uniform decorated with several silver pins.
"Oh, gods. It's him!" Rori gasped. But before Skylar could pose a question about the visitors, her sister dropped her exasperated expression, putting on a mask of the beautiful lady that she was known as. "Come on, Sky. We have to greet him."
"And who is he exactly?" she asked, following her sister.
"It's HIM!" Rori hissed, careful not to crack her perfectly charming face. "The General! Gawyn Gryphonheart!"
"Oh, him," Skylar murmured when the realisation finally dawned on her.
She didn't care much about politics and the long list of nobles that she was expected to know.
That was mainly her sister's responsibility.
But that name she did recognise, as it was the man that Rori was going to marry.
She felt a little stab of guilt at the thought that she had embarrassed her older sister in public once again.
But in the end, she didn't matter, so it would probably be fine.
The entourage reached the middle of the courtyard and stopped their horses. Rori stepped forward, spreading her arms in a welcoming gesture. "General Gryphonheart! It is a great honour to welcome you to our humble estate." She curtseyed gracefully.
The General hopped off his horse and strolled towards them.
His back was straight, his uniform crisped and perfect even after a long horseback ride.
Skylar had to admit that the man was handsome, his features sharp, piercing grey eyes framed with lashes so long, it probably made most of the women green from jealousy.
But even with all this picturesque beauty, Skylar felt immediate antipathy towards him.
It must have been the way he poised himself.
His chin high, eyes scanning his surrounding with evident distaste.
Like he was far too good to be here. Which, as the youngest son of a royal family, he probably was.
He didn't even spare her a second glance. He stopped in front of Rori, his face carefully neutral. "You must be Lady Aurora."
"Indeed, my lord," Rori said, curtseying again and then offering her hand.
The man took it and raised it to his mouth, barely grazing the tips of her fingers with his mouth and then swiftly letting go. "It's an honour to meet you finally," he said, but his voice sounded strained as if he was forcing himself to say it.
"You're early, my lord. We were expecting you later today. If we knew, we would prepare a proper greeting."
"I don't like to travel with the whole royal delegation. I thought I'd go ahead and check the premises before his Highness the King arrives."
That was an apparent jab at their status. As if the General didn't trust them with the monarch's safety. Skylar narrowed her eyes but only gritted her teeth at the insult. Of course, Rori did not let any of her displeasure at his words show. She was too good at playing politics.
"Then it would be my pleasure to show you around."
"Don't trouble yourself with that, my lady. I only need to meet with the Head of the Guards. Your guard can show me..."
He moved his eyes to Skylar and trailed off, his perfect face broken by surprise.
He probably thought she was a man at first glance.
It was unbecoming of noblewomen to be anything else but a lady at the court.
She was probably not a common sight for the General in chainmail and covered with mud.
She met his gaze straight on and crossed her arms in a silent challenge.
An elegant laugh broke the awkward silence. "Oh, my apologies, my lord. Late introductions. My younger sister, Lady Skylar," Rori said with a straight face and charming smile.
"Lady Skylar?" the General asked, his brows raised high and apparent displeasure written all over his face. "I see."
Before Skylar managed to utter a word, Rori took over yet again. "Oh, look. Master Jeremiah is already here!" She gestured to the older man, striding towards them swiftly. "I believe he is the person you are looking for now, my lord."
"Indeed. Thank you for your welcome, my lady," the General said and bowed his head just a fraction toward Rori. "I will see you later at the feast."
And before she could reply, he was already walking off toward Master Guardsman.
"What a prick!" Skylar hissed quietly, so only her sister could hear it.
"Well, he may be a prick, all right," Rori agreed with a pleasant smile still plastered to her beautiful face. "But he is my husband-to-be and one of the most influential men in this kingdom, so please hold your tongue, Sky."
Skylar was sitting in a tub full of hot water, scraping her skin with a tough brush, trying to get rid of all the mud covering her body in the weirdest places.
The maids were moving about the room getting her evening dress ready.
They knew better than to fuss over her. She hated that and saw no reason she couldn't bathe or dress alone. It seemed like such a waste of effort.
She winced as she rubbed at fresh scrapes and scratches she didn't even know were there. But the warmth of the water was doing wonders to relax her tense and exhausted muscles after the sparring session. The pain was oddly satisfying, a sign that she had worked hard enough for her body to feel it.
Unfortunately, her peaceful bath time came to an end when she heard the door to her room open and shut loudly.
"Lady Aurora."
She heard the maids' respectful voices, and then several more women entered her bathing chamber with Rori in her impeccable dress and fashionably styled hair. Her sister waved her hand, and her servants grabbed the brush from Skylar's hand and started to scrub her furiously from all sides.
"Hey!" she protested fiercely, trying to wriggle out of the women's grasp. "Get your maids off me! I don't need help to bathe!"
"Yes, you do." Rori scoffed. "Just look at you. You look like a dirty beggar. Don't you even dare to protest because you owe me one for this humiliation on the courtyard."
"Fine!" Sky sighed, let the servants do their thing, and only clenched her jaw when they tugged on her hair without restraint.
"You will do your best tonight to look and behave like a lady, Sky," Rori said. "This is the most important moment in our whole history. Who would have thought that one day Shawcross would marry into the royal family? It's finally our chance to shine!"
"Your chance, you mean," Sky mumbled. "It would change nothing for me."
"Oh no, my dear sister. It will change everything. Our family will finally get the respect we deserve. We will finally be included in the highest social circles. Even you! Your marriage prospects will be much better after officially sanctioning this union!"
"I don't care for marriage. I would probably never marry anyone. I stay here and take over after father."
Rori scoffed. "Don't be ridiculous. Even if you'd become the Lady of our domain, you would still be expected to wed. It's not for your pleasure, my dear. Every marriage for families of our status is a political decision."
"Blah, blah, blah," Sky mumbled, rolling her eyes. She hated when Rori quoted her teachers at her. "Politics are your thing, Rori. I'm only good with a sword, and that's what I'm going to do."
"Do you think it's a child's play, Sky?" Rori growled with anger.
Skylar turned to look at her sister, surprised. Aurora hardly ever lost her composure like that. Now her face was pale, and her full lips were forming a grimace that did not flatter her. Her hands balled in fists.
"Do you think I wouldn't like just to toss all the rules away and do as I please like you do every day? I would! Any day! But I can't because someone in this family must be the responsible one! Do you have any idea how many things I had to sacrifice to get us this alliance?"
"Rori, I didn't mean...."