Page 41 of Their Chosen

I smiled to myself at the sight of her hair that was messy and disheveled. It would certainly be more appealing if I had been the reason for the state of her hair. “Coffee?” she barked at me, her voice slightly rough from sleep. In every single way, I found her absolutely intoxicating.

“Right here.” I pointed to the pot on the table that had been enchanted by the kitchen to stay warm, along with the rest of the food they had delivered to us earlier.

Baer had already risen, eaten, and then left to train before we got started for the day. Lennox was somewhere in the castle, having left before breakfast. I wasn't sure when he would return, or if he had even managed to get any sleep last night.

Rhowyn moaned as she took her first sip of coffee, completely unaware that she had done so and of her effect on me. Not feeling the need to speak yet, I allowed her to enjoy her morning silence and peace before we ruined it with everything we had to get done.

When they had brought breakfast to us, I had obtained the itinerary from Juniper, the ladies maid assigned to Rhowyn as a Chosen. I gazed out the window as I sorted out the best course of action to accomplish the extra tasks that Rhowyn would need to complete since she hadn't grown up in Avalon.

When she started to load her plate up with food, I finally broke the silence. “How'd you sleep?”

“About as well as could be expected after having someone break into my room.” She piled the food on, but then conceded, “But better than I had hoped knowing one of you guys were with me.”

She seemed like she didn't want to admit that last part, and I smiled behind my own coffee cup. Stubborn girl. “Well, that's good because it seems we have a busy day today.” She glanced up at that, the question evident in her face. “I'll go over everything when Baer returns, which should be any minute now.”

“Where'd he go? I was surprised he wasn't still in my room when I woke up,” she spoke around bites of food.

“If I hadn't been here, he would still be with you, but since I was, he went to do some training before we all got started.”

“That makes sense. Where'd he go to train? I was hoping I'd be able to get a workout in myself at some point today.”

“I can show you later because I was hoping we could all go and get an understanding of how we work individually and as a group, which will be important to know for the trials.”

“I don't mind going, but I really don't plan on being here much longer. I was hoping to speak with Master Jude some more to see how I can get out of being a Chosen. I just don't think I'd be a good fit as a queen, and I already have people who are counting on me back on Earth.”

I held my tongue for now, knowing there was no way I would convince her otherwise in a single morning. She would need to see over time that she was exactly what we needed in a queen and that she couldn't possibly be worse than the one we currently had.

The door to the room opened, and Baer entered, freshly showered after his training, and joined us at the table, pouring his own cup of coffee, preventing me from having to say anything. “Good morning, Sunshine!” he sing-songed to Rhowyn as he sat down. She cut her eyes at his jovial mood and just took another sip of her coffee. Not taking her mood personally, Baer laughed at her grumpiness, which to be honest was quite endearing in my personal opinion.

I smiled to myself as Lennox joined us as well, taking a seat across from me at the table, the bags under his eyes telling me he hadn't slept at all after our talk. He remained silent as he sat there, not making eye contact with anyone.

Rhowyn bristled at his appearance, but I started speaking before either of them could rile each other up. “So, we have a lot to get done today, especially since Rhowyn has so much to catch up on. No offense, Rhowyn,” I stated matter-of-factly.

“None taken,” she replied, not feeling the need to elaborate or take my words personally. I found I really liked that about her, the ability to allow logic to supersede her emotions.

“That said, outside of the tasks the Queen has set in preparation for the trials, we need to all find time to train Rhowyn so we can figure out which magics are innate to her as a fae, as well as how to control the powers she’ll gain with us as her consorts. We’ll also need to evaluate each other so we can determine how to best work together. Which means we need to find the final consort, whom I'm guessing is in the castle somewhere or nearby. We just need to find him, and the sooner, the better.”

I glanced at them all, waiting for a sign of their approval before continuing. “I'm thinking that we can start with Rhowyn and myself to see if she has an affinity to Summer's magic. Then she can go with Lennox since she's already worked some with Baer.”

“Whatever you think, but I've spoken to Master Jude this morning, and he’ll be making time to see Rhowyn at some point today as well. Hopefully, without raising suspicion,” Lennox stated without looking at anyone.

“Sounds good to me. What about you, Rhowyn?” I asked her.

“I'm game to check out my magic, but I’m also eager to speak with Master Jude. Until then, I guess I can keep up appearances.”

“Okay, why don't you go change, and we'll get started on some training,” I instructed her.

“Yes, Sir.” She gave me a smirk and a salute as she got up to leave. I didn't respond, smiling at her behind my coffee cup as I watched her walk away, her hips swaying softly. Little did she know how much that response had gotten to me. Once she had closed the door behind her, I faced the guys.

“How are we going to find our fourth consort? I would have assumed he would have made himself known by now, but he obviously hasn't,” I asked them, thinking out loud.

Baer shrugged, not seeming too concerned, ever ready to go with the flow. Lennox finally met my gaze, and muttered, “Unless he can't”.

“What do you mean?” I asked him, well aware that there could be several reasons as to why our fourth had not made himself known.

Lennox just shrugged, seeming unconcerned, but I could see the subtle lines of tension running through his body. “I mean, there are many reasons, least of which is a fear of Mother dearest.” He smiled at that, but his eyes remained cold and flashed with anger.

I didn't ask him to elaborate, instead moving on. “Well, whatever the case, maybe Master Jude can assist if he hasn't made an appearance by then.”

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