Page 41 of To Fight and To Fold

The curl to his lip was… something else. “Lucky me, then. Care to enlighten me?”

Aaryn braced herself. “I’d like to fight.”

He thumped a book back onto a shelf and spun to face her, eyes wide. “Fight?”

She was standing tall, and yet she felt exceptionally tiny as she faced off with the prince of the kingdom. “Yes. I’d like to be trained as a guard. Or a knight.”

He tilted his head, looking unconvinced. “Well, that’s⁠—“

She talked over him, which was possibly rude, but she needed him to understand that lying idle was not in her blood. “Prince. I have no dragon to care for. I am adrift. I need something to fill my day and do not—“ she interrupted his parted lips “—tell me to go to the markets for shopping.”

He closed his mouth and studied her.

“I will do anything to free my dragon,” she vowed. “And you can place guards around me at all times of the day, but wouldn’t it be better if I could protect myself? Better yet, if Thea attempts to meet with me again… I could do something about it. Something that mattered.”

Jarrick at least had the decency to look thoughtful. “I don't want you to put yourself in more danger."

"The danger is in not knowing how to protect myself," she argued.

He sighed and spread his fingers on the desk as he considered. "The Tethered are of such high honor. To train one of you as a knight…” His lip curled. “It would be dishonorable."

Aaryn's heart fell.

"So it would… have to be a secret. Perhaps one we couldn’t trust anyone with but ourselves.”

Aaryn’s lips popped open, surprise filling her. “Prince. I wouldn't want to impose myself, or distract you from your duties.”

He stopped before her, and tilted her chin up. Her breath caught. “Aaryn, the Tethered are my duty. And you are a Tethered. If this is what you need to feel safe in my kingdom, I would be honored to provide it.”

She hesitated to agree. Would placing herself so near the prince draw ire from those around? The Tethered, his guard, or, scales forbid—the king?

“If what makes you hesitate is the murmurs of those around, feel assured that they would dare not speak against me.”

“Would the king approve of this?” she asked.

“I believe so,” he said, lips twitching. “Shall I ask and report back to you?”

Her cheeks colored at the idea of a prince reporting anything to her. But it would alleviate her worries. “Is it frustrating if I say yes?”

“Only because it delays our time together,” he said.

Aaryn’s heart flipped. Was the prince… flirting?

Great scales, her mother would just perish if she knew.

“Alright,” she agreed, and nodded, breaking the eye contact. “It would be an honor to be trained by one of such high status and sure ability.”

“You flatter me,” he murmured, leaning closer.

Aaryn was suddenly aware of the dark lighting, the privacy of the library. The locked door. The lack of guards.

She hated that this was exactly what her mother had asked of her, and she hated that apparently, it was working.

Dark skies, what was she doing?

“Training starts early, yes?” she interjected, feigning distraction. “Just how early should I expect? And where should I report to?”

The prince nodded, his expression sliding back into one of authority, and not…