Page 49 of Their Trials

“Still, she's no Genevieve,” Frederick said, nudging his buddies as he raised his eyebrows, their gazes finding the blonde through the crowd.

She was a handsome woman, I’d give him that, but her personality marred that beauty beyond repair. Baer's gaze followed theirs, stiffening slightly beside me, his smile slipping. I made a mental note to ask him about it later.

“That may be the case for now, but eventually her glamor will break, and she’ll be seen as a competitor on that front as well,” I told them confidently.

“You've got me there.”

We all laughed and joked around while I slowly slipped in positive things to say about my Chosen. Rhowyn eventually came over to speak with us, and I introduced her. They all remained respectful, even while teasing me. They were right, though. I had always been a stickler for right and wrong, unable to compromise my convictions, even as a youngling.

I watched as the Queen arrived, holding my breath that we didn't have a repeat performance of our last interaction between the Queen and Rhowyn, which had left her broken and scarred before me. Even entering the room had her tensing up, but she wasn’t the only one fighting their instincts, which were screaming at me to flee. It was only my military bearing that allowed me to maintain my stoic façade.

Now she was being called to the dais, to be presented with her reward as the winner of the trial, her curtsy rough but passable. Her skin was washed out, and her hands were buried in her skirts, all ways she was trying to hide her fear. Those details were small, likely to be missed by others who didn’t know her like I did. I’d made it my mission to be well attuned to her, studying her every word and action so I could serve and protect her to the best of my ability.

Not hearing a word from the Queen, I continued to study Rhowyn, ready to intervene as soon as she needed me. As the Queen dismissed her, she curtseyed and then froze. It wasn’t obvious to anyone else outside of the people who knew her, that slight hesitation, her hold on the curtsy lasting maybe a minute longer than it should have.

What was obvious, though, was the flinch she gave as the Queen placed a hand on her shoulder for her to rise. I saw it there in the Queen's eyes, the satisfaction at having Rhowyn so rattled.

When she turned around and headed back over to us, Rhowyn's face was stormy in anger, a look I had never seen from her before. All of us Consorts made eye contact, knowing immediately that we needed to get her out of there before all of our work was undone.

I made our excuses to the others, explaining that Rhowyn was still tired after the first trial and needed rest. They didn't bat an eyelash at the lie, hopefully buying every word. The last thing we wanted was for the Court to think we were fleeing. What I regretted was the fact that I wouldn’t be able to speak with any other courtiers, but Rhowyn came first.

Lennox rejoined us as we slowly made our way from the room, trying to make our retreat not seem suspicious. We all rallied around her without the need for words. In this moment, I was proud of the team we were becoming. While we still had a way to go, we were slowly but surely coming together.

We finally made it to the doors and were able to slip out without notice, our postures all relaxing as soon as they closed behind us. All of us except for Rhowyn. Her fists were clenched at her sides, her strides long and quick. Baer tried to speak to her, but she just ignored him as she pushed toward our suite.

I noticed the dejected look on his face, most likely a result of their joining earlier in the day and the rejection he was receiving now. I placed a hand on his shoulder as I caught up to him, his pace slowing after getting no response from Rhowyn. I shook my head and whispered, “Don't take it personally. She's not mad at us.”

“How do you know that for sure?” he asked harshly but still whispering, his eyes darting to our Chosen, who was following Callum since she still didn't know how to navigate the Castle.

I looked at Rhowyn as I tried to find the words that he needed to hear and yet were also the truth. “I've spent a lot of time studying our Chosen. This anger seems to be born more from frustration than from anything that we have done. I've seen her angry with us before and this...” I gestured to her, “...is not the same. This is something darker, something we need to figure out before it consumes her.”

My words sank in, the subconscious thoughts now having a voice, becoming real as soon as they had been set free into the world. The gravity of that truth sank in, and I knew that if I didn't figure this out, we might lose her altogether.

We had so many other problems we were facing that the last thing she needed was this anger eating at her, tearing her and the progress we’d made as a group down. If this thing wasn't nipped in the bud, then it would destroy everything we had been working toward this entire time.

Arriving at our suite, Callum went to turn the doorknob, but Rhowyn slammed her palms into the door, shoving it out of her way to bang into the wall as she barged into the living area, heading straight to her bedroom.

We all stood there in shock for a moment, dumbfounded by this change in her. Sharing glances, we all seemed at a loss for how to fix this. Exhaling to build up my fortitude, I walked to her room, not sure exactly what I'd find but knowing we needed to at least try.

I knew she hadn't had much of a support system back on Earth based on the comments she’d made, but she needed to learn that it was okay to trust us, that we would be there to catch her when she fell, to pick her up when she stumbled, and to stand beside her when she needed it. We weren't going anywhere. Now, I just needed to find a way to get her to see that.

I knocked on the door, getting no response, not hearing a thing. I eased the door open and peeked around it, seeing that she wasn’t in her bathroom or closet. I slipped into the room, searching for her. As I turned to my right, I found her standing there on the balcony, gazing off into the distance in nothing but her underwear.

Staggered at the sight, I inhaled sharply to clear my mind and stay focused on the task at hand. I approached her on soft feet, coming to stand beside her on the balcony, not looking at her. If I did, then we wouldn't accomplish anything.

“Rhowyn,” I said softly, searching for the right words.

“I don't want to talk about it, Arryn,” she snapped, neither of us looking at each other, but her knuckles were white as she gripped the railing.

“Okay. How about something else then?” I suggested.

She turned to me, caution in her puzzled gaze. I sighed, daring to face her, forcing myself to keep my eyes on hers. “Put some training clothes on. We'll work through this by letting you hit something.”

Still guarded and wary, she nodded and walked away. I turned, unable to keep from taking her in. Her shapely, muscled legs were thick and strong. They'd be able to wrap around me and hold on tightly, holding herself up without any help from me if I fucked her against the wall.

I wanted to grab her ass in both hands, feeling the way it overflowed my grip as I controlled her movements. Her flat stomach showed slight lines and hints of muscle with her movements, but there was cushion there too, still soft despite her rigorous training. Her small, juicy breasts were the size of apples and just as inviting. I needed to taste them, nibbling and sucking as she came apart beneath me.

Fuck, I thought as she disappeared into her closet. Breathing deeply a couple of times, I adjusted my erection in my pants to disguise just what she did to me. I had never found any other woman this attractive, this alluring, and it was taking all of my self-control to stay on mission. Which was helping her with her anger. She didn't need me lusting after her while she was this vulnerable, and I'd be damned if I was the type to use her. She deserved so much more than that.

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