Total pages in book: 79
Estimated words: 77730 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 389(@200wpm)___ 311(@250wpm)___ 259(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77730 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 389(@200wpm)___ 311(@250wpm)___ 259(@300wpm)
Clearly, the life she knew before the palace was cold and hard… and maybe lacking in food.
What would happen to her (and this safe haven she’d created for herself) when I went back to my lake? Would she be ripped away from this new life she was clearly enjoying?
Guilt stabbed into my side, making me press a hand there as Nira went to her wardrobe to grab me something to wear.
But I couldn’t stay.
This wasn’t my life, my fate.
And more importantly, my lake wasn’t here.
Even if I decided to stay— to what?—become a princess and eventual queen, I couldn’t. I would waste away. Sure, the water being brought in was helpful, but my soul was crying to swim in the cool water, to listen to the frogs on the shore, to feel the ripple of the water when a dragonfly touched the surface, to feel a fish graze my leg.
“Did I lose you?” Nira asked, making me snap back to the moment and reach for the pile of clothes she held out to me.
“Pants?” I asked as I unfolded them.
“I’m assuming you’ve never worn them before.”
“No.”
“Well, there’s a time for everything. You’ll either love or hate them. But they are what you need to wear for practice, so get them on.”
I yanked the clinging material up my legs under my skirt before pulling off the dress and putting on another tight garment that had a strange little shelf built in that my breasts nestled into.
“Trust me,” Nira said when she caught me adjusting myself into it, “you’re going to like how they keep things in place. Nothing is more frustrating than trying to swing a sword and your tits swing with it.”
“I, um, I’m not sure mine are capable of… swinging.”
Nira inspected the breasts in question and nodded. “Yeah, you’re probably right. How does it feel?”
“Naked.”
“You’ll get used to it.” She reached into a scabbard to produce an impossibly shiny sword half the size of her body.
“I’ll be training with that?”
That got a snort out of Nira as she went into the dresser and brought back a wooden sword that was half that size.
“This is what you’re training with.”
“Is that a toy?”
“Yep. I made it when I was small. But it’s the perfect size for you to learn with.”
With that, she led me into Jet’s office for more open space, taught me how to hold the sword, then led me through many slowed-down drills, our bodies moving almost like a dance as I learned how to control my movements and the sword as I transitioned from one position to the next.
It wasn’t long before muscles I hadn’t been aware of before started to ache, but not in the way they had when I’d been unwell, not in a sick way. In an, I don’t know, strong way. It felt good to know there were muscles there and that they were strengthening and learning how to help me protect myself.
“Okay. Don’t move,” Nira said. “I’m going to grab your magic water.”
With that, she left the room, but I moved myself through the sequence again, smiling to myself as it went more smoothly than the one before.
I was still smiling as I saw a movement in my periphery, ready to get praise from Nira. But it was Jet standing there. He was leaning against the wall, arms crossed, looking like he might have been there for a bit. Watching.
I don’t know why, but the thought of that had more of those little sizzles coursing across my skin.
“Good form,” he said, his voice thick. “Got a wardrobe change?”
I straightened and waved down at myself. “I borrowed from Nira. I didn’t have anything else to wear.”
“Yeah, we’re going to need to remedy that. Immediately.”
“You seem serious.”
Jet sighed hard. “I had a meeting with my father this morning. He is insisting you join the royal feast. Which is in three days. You need a gown appropriate for a princess. And knowing him, he’s also going to demand you be a part of the tournament and the ball. He’s big on the whole ‘united front’ thing right now.”
Some part of me swelled in excitement while the other part deflated in anxiety.
“I wouldn’t even know what to do at those events.”
“That’s why you’ll have me. If I need to step away, you will have Vishen and Nira close by if you need to ask questions. The feast just involves eating. The tournament involves watching. The ball is the only one where you might need to speak to others or dance.”
“Dance. I don’t… I’ve never…”
“Well, you never did all this before, and you learned. You can learn to dance.”
“Will you teach me?”
Jet swallowed hard, then took a deep breath. “Yeah, I’ll teach you.”
“At this feast…”
“Yeah?”
“Will Grimwood be there?”
Jet’s chest expanded, and I knew I had my answer. “Most likely, yes.”