Chapter 19

 

When I awoke late the next morning, it was to a full room of smiling faces peering down at me, quite the stark contrast from the moonlit night with Andric. He was the first one I saw, leaning next to Jesson with a smile on his face. The circles under his eyes had lessened, but not by much; I felt a pang of guilt for keeping him up with my nightmares, but his expression was carefully guarded and didn’t let on what he thought about the night.

Captain Jashe and Falen were there, along with all of the Crowns. Tisha and Kaerdra had tear stains on their cheeks. Trevin's arm was wrapped and bound in a sling, while Danyen had a bandage around his forehead. I saw Kimber peering anxiously from the doorway, and gave her a smile which she returned immediately. Drade, some of the soldiers from our trip, and even Smithy Hensas watched me with encouraging smiles. My cheeks flushed from the attention.

“How do you feel?” Jesson asked as he checked my pulse.

“I think I'll make it,” I told him; chuckles rose around the room in response.

He grinned. “Do you think you can sit up? I need to check those bandages.”

I remembered not to nod. Kaerdra surprised me by helping me up while Tisha pushed the pillows behind my back. The room spun and I closed my eyes, but it slowed quickly. I was embarrassed at the concern on everyone's faces when I opened them.

“I'm alright,” I said, blushing again.

Andric grinned. “I think we all have things to do,” he said to the others.

Smithy Hensas laughed. He stepped forward to ruffle my hair, towering over me. “Your sword's done,” he said with a wink. “A little late, but it's perfect. I might be a bit biased, but I think it's the best sword I've ever made.”

“Hey!” Kenyen protested behind the Smithy.

I laughed. “I can't wait to see it,” I told him sincerely.

He nodded with a beam of pride and turned to leave the room. When no one else followed, he motioned, “Give the Princess a little space. She's had a rough couple of days.”

The others hurried to obey his gruff tone; before they left, each came over to tell me how glad they were that I was alright until I was certain I couldn't be more red with embarrassment at all the attention. By the time Trevin closed the door behind him, leaving only Prince Andric, Jesson, and Kimber, I wanted to curl up under the covers and hide.

“They're just glad you're safe,” Jesson said, reading my expression accurately.

“I hope they’re as concerned for the rest of the Antorans that were injured during the fight,” I replied, overwhelmed.

Andric chuckled. “It's not the same, you know. It's not every day a foreign princess risks her life to save an Antoran citizen.”

I frowned at him, then winced when Jesson touched the sensitive spot on the back of my head.

Andric's tone changed. “Is it bad?”

Jesson put new bandages on the wound and began to wrap my head again. “No; it's better than it could have been. When I saw all the blood I feared the worst, but it's just a gash. You're lucky you're skull wasn't cracked,” he said, addressing me now. “It sounds like you hit that rock pretty hard.”

I frowned, remembering. “Was Mylena hurt when I pushed her?” In my fear, I remembered shoving her hard to get her out of the mountain lion's way.

Jesson shook his head. “Mere scrapes; nothing compared to what she would have suffered if the lion had gotten her.” He gave me a kind smile. “They want to thank you, you know. Bown is under orders to stay in bed until Jesson clears him, but he's already asked Prince Andric's permission to have a party for you when he's better.”

Concern filled me. “But what about the families who lost loved ones in that fight? Wouldn't it be cruel to have a celebration while they're in mourning?”

Jesson finished tying the bandage around my head and turned to get his salve for the cut on my cheek.

Andric answered my question. “Not in Antor. Loved ones are remembered for the joy they brought while here, not the sorrow left behind. We celebrate life and help each other to not get lost in the death of a family member. The celebration will be as much for them as for you.” His brows drew together when he said this, as if he feared I would think the Antorans callous for their traditions.

But it made sense to me. I thought of families who had lost loved ones back in Zalen. The tradition was for the family members left behind to wear black and mourn solemnly for a year. I had a clear memory of a young boy about nine years old who had lost his father a few months earlier in a ship accident. He was having fun with his friends in the street when his mother scolded him roundly for playing when he should have been mourning like a grateful son.

How much better would it have been for the boy to rejoice in the memory of his father rather than focus only on the pain of losing him? I'm sure the father would rather his son play a game of ball in the sun with his friends instead of mourning indoors in black.

I nodded. “Then I'd be honored to have a celebration with their families.”

Jesson smiled and Andric looked relieved. “It'll be done.”

A polite tap at the door announced one of Andric's heralds. “My Prince, your presence is required in the judgment room.”

Andric's face clouded. He turned to me apologetically, but I smiled. “Go ahead, your country needs you more than I do.”

“Does it?” he asked, his eyes unreadable.

Before I could figure out what he meant, he left the room.

Jesson smoothed the salve on my cheek. “You'll have a slight scar, but it could be worse.”

“A lot worse,” I agreed distractedly. I hesitated, then said, “Prince Andric’s tired.”

Jesson nodded, unsurprised. “He works hard, and the people love him for it.” He wiped his hands on a clean white rag as he continued, “He started young and put a great effort into it because of that, convinced that the only way the Antorans would take him seriously was if he dedicated himself to them entirely.” He gave a slight smile and a wink. “What he didn't realize is that they loved him already. They knew to some degree what happened to his father, and couldn't help but love him when he gave up everything to serve them in the King’s stead.”

“He's young to be ruling,” I mused quietly.

“Very young, but my wife often says he seems older than all of us.” Jesson gathered up his supplies. “Thank you.”

“For what?” I asked, surprised.

“For being his friend.” He gave me a kind smile. “And for not being biased by what you were taught about Antorans before you came here. We're not that bad.”

I laughed. “No, not bad at all.”

With his help, I rose from the bed and waited on wobbly legs while he summoned Kimber, and then left me in her capable hands. She practically beamed when she saw me up and set about helping me change from the soft beige sleeping gown someone had dressed me in, which I found to my relief had been her.

I sat patiently in a light blue dress while she gently worked a comb through my hair. The bandages were in the way and very inconvenient, but when I offered to just take them off, Kimber turned white in dismay. I then had to convince her I was just kidding. I could tell by her worried expression that she thought the bump on my head had caused more damage than Jesson surmised.

“Your hair is so long,” she commented, then caught herself and glanced at me in the mirror as if afraid she had offended me. “It’s beautiful, m-my Lady,” she rushed on. “Most hair around here is dark, and yours is like spun gold. I didn’t mean-“

I cut her off with a warm smile. “It’s alright, Kimber. I appreciate your opinion. You can say whatever you’d like, even if you hate it.”

Her eyes widened and she shook her head. “But I don’t hate it at all. I love your hair and I’m honored you allow me to brush it.”

I met her eyes in the mirror. “Kimber, be honest with me.”

Her face paled. “I have always been honest with you, my Lady.”

I held up a hand to appease her. “I know, and I appreciate it. What I want to know, honestly, is what you would like to do if you weren’t attending me.”

She opened her mouth, saw how serious I was, and shut it again. She ran the comb a few times down my hair in silence.

“Honestly, Kimber,” I prompted.

She swallowed and her eyes darted to the door, then back to my gaze in the mirror. She took a nervous breath, then let it out in a loud rush. “I want to work in the gardens.”

At my smile, she dropped her eyes and looked embarrassed. “It’s silly, really. It’s just that my mother always grew flowers in our window box, and they remind me of her. I thought I might have a green thumb like she did.” Her voice caught and she turned away.

I grabbed her hand. “It’s not silly at all.” I smiled up at her from my seat on the bench. “My mother likes to grow things, too.” A lump rose unexpectedly in my throat at the thought of her excitement when Father brought a wagonload of rich dirt from the forests near Veren. “I miss her,” I admitted out loud.

Kimber raised her eyes slowly to mine. “I miss my mother, too.”

I gripped her hand tightly and blinked back tears at the loss in her voice. “Us girls have to stick together,” I said in a conspiratorial whisper.

She grinned and the lines of worry disappeared from her face. “I’ve seen the way you take care of yourself. You need someone to remind you to take it easy.”

Her eyes tightened as if she worried she had stepped over the line, but I laughed and touched my head meaningfully. “I definitely need someone like that.” I paused, then smiled. “Tell you what. Help me take better care of myself and I’ll see to it that you get a chance to work in the gardens.” I glanced at the snow that fell past the window. “If they do garden here.”

“There’s a small garden,” she reassured me. “It’s just covered in snow right now, and most of the year.” The relief and happiness in her voice cheered me. She ran the comb through my hair again, then asked, “Would you like me to braid it like you usually do?”

I was about to say yes when I remembered my promise to Andric that I would wear it down. “I think it’s alright unbraided.” I met her eyes in the mirror. “What do you think?”

She hesitated, then another smile lit up her face. “It’s beautiful down. You’ll be the envy of the entire city.”

I grimaced at the dull, persistent ache from the back of my head. “I doubt that, but we can pretend.”

We smiled at each other and I felt like a young girl for the first time since arriving at Antor. It was good to feel carefree if only for a moment, and the way Kimber’s expression practically glowed when she left the room made even my aching head worthwhile.

I was grateful dinner was to be in the room on the second floor. I didn't think I could deal with many people all at once. Freis met me on the stairs and walked with me to the door. I kept a hand on her head and it steadied me.

At my entrance, the Princes and Princesses rose and I blushed again. The girls rushed over and led me to my seat while the boys all tried to get my chair, leaving the servant whose job it really was to stare at them in amusement.

I caught a smirk on Andric's face from where he waited quietly behind his chair for the others to resume their seats, and it was all I could do to keep from sticking my tongue out at him. He was enjoying it way too much. But when I sat down I had to put a hand to my head to stop the pounding caused by all of the commotion, and I glanced up to see a worried expression on his face. I shot him a reassuring smile and turned to the others.

“You look so much better!” Nyssa exclaimed. Brynna, Kaerdra, and Tisha all nodded in agreement, making me wonder how bad I must have looked when they brought me home.

“I can't believe you killed a mountain lion single-handedly,” Trevin said, his eyes wide in awe.

I laughed, then regretted it at the increased ache in my head. “Actually, the lion did most of the work.” When they pressed me for details, I explained what happened from my point of view in my best storytelling voice. The girls’ eyes widened with horror, while the boys kept asking for all of the grisly details. Andric listened quietly with his face an expressionless mask and his eyes concealing any thoughts he had about my story.