Page 27 of Romancing the Throne
“Thank you,” I said, my voice catching.
The conversation carried on around me, but I ignored it, busy trying to make sense of my mess of tangled feelings. Because I’d come here to meet and marry the prince, and if I’d been asked last week, I would have said that was my greatest wish.
And it still was—of course it was! I’d spent my entire life preparing for this. But for reasons I couldn’t quite work out, I wasn’t as eager to meet the prince as I had been before I’d spent the day tangled in Elowin’s arms.
CHAPTER 12
ELOWIN
The morning dawned brilliantly enough that I wished I’d remembered to close the curtains last night before bed. When a shard of light stabbed me in the face, it woke me up enough to wake my bladder in turn, and I had no choice but to get out of bed. While I was up, I went downstairs to the pump to wash. No point in bothering Thanafern for hot water when no doubt he’d already be busy preparing for Aldian’s arrival. Indeed, as I passed the largest room in the corridor on my way downstairs, I could hear Thanafern directing his maids like a general in command of his troops.
I washed under the pump by the stable yard and then went to visit the stables. One of the horses, a stubborn, foul-tempered beast, stamped her hooves and shook her head as I approached.
“Good morning, you evil creature,” I said, looking around for a handful of oats to feed her, though she’d as soon eat my fingers.
Rainsilver was Teon’s horse. I had never forgiven her for biting me on the ass once when I’d walked past her, and Icould tell by the gleam in her eye that she’d never forgotten the moment either and was eagerly looking for a chance to repeat it. The worst part? She’d been my horse first. A gift from the prince himself. But she was far better suited to Teon than to me. They were both petty and evil in the best possible way.
Still, she condescended to allow me to pat her neck while she ate, and her attempted attack as soon as the oats were done was half-hearted at best.
I thought of Teon, and of the others I’d had relationships with in the past. Most of them had been as snappy as Rainsilver, and I’d loved that. I’d never imagined myself wanting anyone who wasn’t sharp-eyed and sharp-tongued in equal measure. And then I’d been sent to Hillstowe and met Sparrow, who was sheltered and soft and sweet. I’d meant everything I’d told him yesterday. Yes, he was naive, but he was eager to learn new things that would challenge his narrow view of the world, and he was as courageous as anyone I’d ever met. He was a jewel, and not because his parents had kept him locked away in Hillstowe all his life, growing his hair to look pretty for a prince, but because you took him out into the sunlight and he shone.
“Goddess,” a voice drawled from behind me, and I turned to see Teon entering the stable. They were wearing their dress uniform—a cerulean blue tunic with the royal crest embroidered above their heart, silver leggings, and thigh-high black boots. They smirked. “If I had a cute little thing like Sparrow waiting for me upstairs, I wouldn’t be here talking to a horse.”
“Sparrow’s not waiting for me,” I said. “He’s waiting for Aldian.”
“He doesn’t even know Aldian,” Teon said.
“This Fyreham Lathian thing,” I said hesitantly. “It’s difficult to explain how important it is to him. It’s not just apolite invitation to him; it’s his purpose in life. He deserves a chance to make his case in front of Aldian. I don’t want to dash his hopes before he even meets him.”
“But you know Aldian’s not interested in marriage,” Teon said. “He’s only here to shop and get a new tattoo. Do you really think he’s going to take one look at your Sparrow and decide that actually, yes, he does want a husband after all?”
“He’s not my Sparrow,” I said, ignoring the way my heart clenched at the question. Because as much as I didn’t want Sparrow to be disappointed, what if Aldiandidsay yes? The prince wasn’t a fool. What if he looked at Sparrow and saw that he was a treasure? The idea settled deep in my gut, heavy and unpleasant.
Teon raised an eyebrow.
“He’s here for Aldian,” I repeated. “And he deserves that opportunity.”
“You’ve gone soft,” Teon said, rolling their eyes. Then they surprised me by smiling slightly. “It suits you. But do try to remember that you deserve things too, hmm?” Their smile grew. “Now get out of here before Rainsilver remembers how good your ass tastes.”
I snorted and headed for the door.
“I know,” Teon said to the horse. “Itisdelicious, isn’t it?”
Their laughter carried me all the way outside into the sunlit yard.
It was almost noon when a boy came running to tell Thanafern that Prince Aldian and his retinue were approaching. Sparrow, who had been sitting at the long table in the dining room with a book about birds open in front of him, gasped and sat bolt upright. Then, clutching hisbook, he dashed up the stairs to his room, his ridiculously long hair streaming behind him.
Teon followed him with their gaze. “What do you suppose that’s about?”
I shrugged. “I’ll go and find out.”
I wondered if he was still anxious about his new clothes. He loved them, but he’d confessed softly over breakfast that he wondered if he ought to wear the clothes his parents had sent him with instead. I wished Rowan was here, but she was at her stall. This was her busiest week, with everybody rushing at the last minute to find an outfit to wear at the Market Pavilion that was brighter and more ornate than what anyone else was wearing, in an effort to catch the eye of a suitor. Whatever reassurance Sparrow needed, he’d have to get it from me.
I climbed the stairs and knocked on his door. “Sparrow?”
The door opened slowly and Sparrow peeked out at me. His brow was creased with worry.
“Can I come in?”
