I swallow my reaction with difficulty. An advisor isn’t supposed to make decisions of this magnitude without express consent of their superior. In this case…me. But he’s known me since I was a child. He’s my godfather. So while I know the proper thing to do is admonish him, I can’t seem to find it in me. Not with all the members of the palace court present. Furthermore, maybe he’s right. Maybe this isn’t something that can wait and I should be grateful for his proactive attitude. “Thank you,” I murmur.
Which isn’t necessarily an agreement.
The last thing I want to do is send soldiers—soldiers like Rex—into a battle to die. And what of the people who I now rule? What if they are killed or lose their houses? Loved ones? I cannot allow that to happen.
But is my only option marrying a prince for protection?
Surely there must be another way.
Needing some air, I push to my feet.
I start to come down from the elevated throne platform, when a thought occurs to me. There is a chance I won’t be able to avoid marriage, but I am still the queen.
I do have power, don’t I?
“Richard,” I say, lifting my chin, frowning when the crown slides down and I have to push it up. “Starting today, I shall only require one guard, instead of fourteen.”
He whitens. “But, Your Majesty, if anything, you should have more protection now that you are queen—”
“I will retain Rexington Monroe as my personal guard,” I blurt, before I can lose my nerve—and oh my. Saying his name out loud makes me shiver. “The other thirteen brave men will be placed among the streets of Downsriver. I seem to recall my father discussing an uptick in crime near the market. They can better serve the kingdom there. Thank you.”
I don’t wait for another argument, hurrying down the center aisle of the great hall.
I’m shocked at my aplomb, but I do my best not to show it.
When I’m even with Rex, he pushes off the wall and follows me, his big shadow swallowing me up from behind. “I think I’ll go for a swim,” I say, smiling at him over my shoulder.
Do I hear a groan or is that my imagination?
3
Britta
I’ve been coming to this private inlet of water since I was a child, though it has been a while. Specifically, when I got breasts, I started coming here a lot less. I couldn’t very well go frolicking around in wet underthings with fourteen soldiers watching me, could I?
I’m not sure why I feel safe doing it in front of Rex.
Or maybe safe isn’t the correct word.
I find myself…wanting to be daring with Rex.
Last night, lying with a man who wasn’t my husband? That was incredibly daring.
It isn’t unusual for two young people to marry after being caught in such a compromising position…
Marry.
If I’d been caught with Rex, would my parents have forced a wedding to salvage my honor? Or would they have tried to cover it up?
Probably the latter, considering he isn’t a royal.
But it’s an interesting thing to ponder, isn’t it?
Marrying Rexington Monroe.
If anyone could keep a kingdom safe, it would be him, wouldn’t it?
He is certainly more than enough to keep me safe. His watchful gaze and poised posture tell me as much. His hand rests on the hilt of his sword, his deep brown eyes scanning the trees that surround the inlet. “You can relax, Rex,” I say, finally taking the crown off my head and moaning at the sudden loss of pressure in my neck. “No one is going to ambush us.”
“With respect, that’s for me to worry about, Your Highness.”
“Can you please call me Britta?”
“No,” he says, shaking his head. His attention narrows in on my hand where it kneads the sore muscles of my neck. “Are you all right?”
“Yes, the crown is just heavy.”
Rex grunts, his fingers flexing on his sword. Is he thinking of massaging me himself?
That thought sends an arrow of sensation straight to my nipples and they pebble inside the bodice of my dress, fuzzing the edges of my vision.
“Will you marry one of the princes, then?” Rex half-shouts at me.
“I haven’t decided yet. But it can’t hurt to meet them.”
He snorts.
I draw up short. “Are you angry with me?”
“No, love. Of course not,” he sighs, his knuckles white on the hilt of his sword. “I’m mad at the circumstances. I’m mad that you’re being asked to do something so ridiculous.”
“Why is it ridiculous? It’s a common occurrence, royalty marrying for the sake of an alliance. If my parents were still alive, it probably would have been arranged eventually.” Ignoring his thunderous expression, I toe off my slippers. “There are far worse reasons to marry than avoid a war and being responsible for casualties.”
“You wouldn’t be responsible,” he growls. “The king of Northstream would be.”
“No. If I have the power to stop him, I have to do it, or I would be responsible.”
Rex paces away with a curse, turns around and stomps back. “And since you asked, I’ll tell you what would be ridiculous. To marry some pretentious prince when you’re well able to rule the kingdom yourself.”
My lips twitch. “How do you know they’ll be pretentious?”
His expression is pure disgust. “They just will.”
I press my mouth into a straight line to keep from laughing. It seems Rex has more than one mode to his personality. Last night, he was sweet and comforting. Today he’s a grumpy bear. “Do you want to come swimming?”
He shifts uncomfortably, crossing his arms. “No, thank you. But I’ll ask you to be careful, Your Majesty.”
“I’ll limit my number of back flips.”
Now he seems to be the one battling a smile.
Rex turns his big body slightly, giving me a modicum of privacy, while still keeping me in his sights to protect me. Quickly, I strip off my dress, fling it into the grass and wade into the water wearing my slip.
The inlet is warm and clear. It welcomes me, beckoning me to sink down beneath the surface, and I do so, coming up to take a breath and let the sunshine warm my face. Yesterday was long, but today was even longer. But this place I used to come when I was a child soothes my grief with its familiarity. My parents and I didn’t have close relationship and they were often busy with political business, but we loved each other in our own way. Fondly. With respect. And I will miss seeing them in their thrones.
I’m about to sink beneath the surface again when I get a cramp in my toe.
“Ow!”
Rex is already throwing off his armor and splashing into the water, sword drawn. “Britta,” he rasps, panicked. “What is it?”
“You called me by my name!” I gasp, shakily.
A vein ticks in his temple. “You cried out in pain. What is wrong?”
“Just a toe cramp.” The kinked sensation promptly moves to my entire foot. “Oh. Ow!”
“Fucking hell.” Dropping his sword, Rex picks me up out of the water, holding me against his chest with his strong right arm, reaching down with his left to massage my foot. “Right here, love?”