Page 26 of Soul Forge

“You asked for it.” She yelped when he reached under the blanket and found her wrist, yanking her out of the bed and onto her feet in one quick tug. The cold stone tiles on her bare feet shocked some of the sleep from her.

She blinked up at the Soul Forge, startled by his strength. He looked formidable in a more intricate version of his scaled black armour, gloved hands resting on his hips.

“Are you aware of how your training is going to go?” he asked.

“Enlighten me,” she ground out, scowling up at him.

His smile was cold. “I say punch, you punch. I say run, you run.”

“Oh, you mean you have a god complex, and you think I’m going to pander to it?” For a fraction of a second, he almost looked impressed. She squared her shoulders, folding her arms across her chest and lifting her chin.

“If you want to call it that.” He shrugged. “Get.Dressed.”

“What do I need to pack for travelling?” she asked irritably. “I’ve never left the city. I don’t know what to take with me.”

“Never? Not even to visit the other monarchs?”

Elda’s smile was tight. “My parents thought it best to keep me home where I couldn’t be ruined by the advances of unknown men.”

“Well, your confinement ends today.” He fiddled with one of his gauntlets. “Your bodyguard is apparently coming with us. She has some clothes suitable for travel.”

“Bodyguard?” she echoed.

“The valkyrie.”

“Reiner? My father would never separate her from his army. You must be mistaken.”

His dark brow lifted, red eyes ebbing and banking with that strange light. “I don’t know, and I don’t care. She’s almost here.”

“You should leave,” Elda gasped, her stomach flipping. “If anyone sees you here without a chaperone–”

“Elda.” The sound of her name on his lips jolted her before panic could make her babble. His head tilted, a faint crease forming on his forehead. “We’re married. We don’t need a chaperone.”

“…Oh. Yes, of course.” She fiddled awkwardly with the fabric of her nightgown. “Before Horthan attacked me, I’d never been alone with a man other than my father.” When Sypher didn’t answer, she looked down at her fidgeting hands. “I’m… sorry. For last night, I mean. I let fear cloud my judgement and projected that onto you when you’ve given me no reason to believe you’d harm me.”

“It’s fine.”

A knock at the door interrupted the conversation before Elda could reply. Sypher inclined his head, and the shadows rose at his command, pulling the handle. The princess stared, open-mouthed, as the wood swung aside to reveal Reiner with a pack slung over her shoulder, silver armour firmly back in place.

“Morning, Your Grace,” she greeted, striding across the threshold. “Your Grace,” she repeated at Sypher, who frowned at the title. The captain didn’t seem to notice, dropping the pack on the bed and pulling out a pair of trousers and a tunic. “Get dressed,” she commanded, handing the clothes to Elda. “There’s enough in the bag for a day or two of travel. Where are we heading?”

Elda blinked. “Uh…”

“Kilmarthen first,” the Soul Forge answered, looking Reiner up and down. “I’m yet to decide where the next stop will be.”

“How long will it take us to get there?”

“We should arrive by this evening.”

The captain nodded. “I’ll have no problem keeping up.”

“Don’t you need to stay with the army?” Elda asked, frowning.

“You don’t need to concern yourself with the army or my whereabouts,” Reiner replied. “All you need to do is concentrate on your training.”

“You don’t think I have a right to know why my father is sending you with me when we’ve only narrowly avoided a war?” Elda pressed. “We may have Sypher as an ally, but our kingdom is still vulnerable. Horthan is unhappy, and if he decides to make a move while we’re away, you should be the one protecting the city. My father is a fool for sending you away.”

Reiner arched an eyebrow. “Your father had nothing to do with it.” And then she turned on her heel and marched out of the room, leaving them alone again. Elda stared at the closed door, trying to process what the captain meant. Had her mother been the one to assign her as babysitter then?

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