Page 66 of A Kingdom of Fire and Fury
I blushed and avoided her gaze. “Because I need something to do that’s not just being a dragonsguard. I’m surprised you like archery.”
“Because I’m a Lady who must’ve spent all my time playing dress up?” The edge in her voice was unmistakable. “Just because I’m a noble doesn’t meanmy childhood was entirely restricted.”
I winced. “I’m sorry.”
Nimue studied me before inclining her head. “It’s fine. It’s just—a touchy subject.”
“Still, I—I shouldn’t have assumed. You’re right.”
“You’re damn right you shouldn’t have assumed. You need to be careful. As a dragonsguard, everyone will be looking at you for answers. Luther won’t be so forgiving if you stick your foot in your mouth.” She softened. “Sorry for snapping. It’s hard sometimes. I always loved archery, even before I could hold a bow. But once I got replaced as heir, everyone questioned everything I did. When I kept up the practice, people assumed I was trying to compensate for something when I merely loved the sport.”
I reached forward and squeezed her hand.
Nimue squeezed back. “I’m fucking amazing at chess, too. I’ve won national competitions and became a grandmaster at chess at eleven. When I faced Luther at thirteen, I kicked his ass. I didn’t give a shit if I risked the stocks, because I wasn’t going to let a boy—even if they were the prince—win to protect his pride. I won’t lower myself for anyone.”
“You’re amazing.”
Nimue blushed. “I know I am, but it’s nice to hear it from someone else.” She set down her mug and wrapped her arms around her thighs. “It bothers me sometimes. The Noble Houses used to be pretty progressive, but in the last hundred years, so much of that has been undone. I hate being helpless to stop it.”
“You’re not helpless, and you’re not alone.” I bumped our shoulders against each other. “I’m here for the long haul. We’ll fight that front together.”
Nimue’s smile was so bright, it outshined the sun. “I look forward to it.”
My heart swelled, and I grabbed my mug so I’d have something to do. “You know, I’ve never played chess before.”
“When we have free time, I’ll teach you.”
“Do we ever actually have free time?” I used to think the dragonsguard sat on their asses all day. My first week proved how wrong I was.
She snorted. “Of course we do. You got recruited at a busy time. Things will cool down in a bit, though. Hopefully. If we could just end those gryphons all at once, we’d be set.” She sighed. “But that’s a fantasy I refuse to entertain so I get my hopes up. Instead, I’ll look forward to the day you beat someone in chess. Not me though because I’m a genius.”
And for the first time since I arrived, I felt settled.
Damn you, Kieran.
He’d be so fucking smug when he realized I took his advice.
Or he would be if he stopped hating me.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
The next day, Nimue forced me to hang out in the living room, specifically at the chess table tucked into the corner of the room, partially hidden by a bookshelf. How she had the energy to want to do anything after a grueling training session was beyond me.
The first part of the lesson included going through the pieces and seeing what knowledge I had of the game. “Do you know what this piece is?” Nimue held up the tallest chess piece. It had an odd design at the top of its head.
I frowned. “The queen?” It looked like something a queen would wear, especially since the piece beside it looked like it wore a crown.
Nimue’s expression spasmed. “It’s the king. You, uh, weren’t exaggerating when you said you didn’t know a lot about chess. But don’t worry. Give it a month, and you'll be playing chess like a champ. Anyways, here’s the queen. We’ll go more into detail as we play about exceptions to the rules, but essentially, the king can move one space in any direction on the board. The queen is the most powerful piece on the board. She can move in any direction as well—horizontally,vertically, and diagonally. Unlike the king, she’s not limited to just one space. She can move any number of spaces so long as she’s not blocked by another piece.”
I blinked. “So the king’s useless and the queen’s badass?”
She snorted. “Did you expect anything less? The king needs all the help he can get. The game isn’t over if you lose the queen, but you’re in for a hell of a disadvantage.”
I glanced down at the board and all the other pieces she’d yet to name. “Do you really think I can learn this in a month?”
“Definitely. Maybe notwell,but you’ll learn the rules by then and some basic games. What’ll take longer is learning how to strategize and come up with your own style of attacking. Some favor a subtle approach or a reckless one or a dominating one. Each person is different.”
“What do you prefer?”
