The Steel Princess

Chapter 15: Suitors

It was impossible, Skye had realised, to mention any little thing to a courtier and not have it get out of hand. In this case, it wasn't even her Council she'd told, but Helida, when she'd talked of inviting potential consorts to the castle. The ambassador, presumably, had rushed off to tell Varren of this plan, and either Varren himself or some other minister had made the whole thing public knowledge.

Which meant, though nothing was yet official, when she left her chamber the next morning, the castle was abuzz with new arrivals from all over Eskeleth, and a surprising number from farther afield, too.

A fair few of them were waiting right outside her rooms, lounging in the corridor. One or two looked a little disappointed at the sight of her, but most jumped to attention, straightening velvet surcoats and lace cuffs, brushing freshly cut hair from their eyes. Three of them were even old enough to grow beards.

At her back, Auda made a strangled noise of amusement. Young men weren't going to get her attention, of course, but Skye also had to fight the urge to laugh. She suspected it would have sounded somewhat hysterical. This was utterly ridiculous, and despite what she'd told Helida, absolutely not the time to be thinking about marriage.

Except, when she swept past the boys, every one of them presenting her with a courtly bow - but no gifts, thankfully - she found Borlas waiting in a window seat. Though he looked wryly amused, there was approval in his eyes.

"Your Highness," he said, getting to his feet. "A clever ploy, this, to get the Empire off your back. We'd all be thankful to have a strong Eskelene consort. I hope you find someone suitable."

Skye cast a despairing look over her shoulder. At least half the boys had shuffled round the corner after her. "How many of them are here?"

"In the whole castle? A good forty, I'd say. Most of the Council have a son or grandson to present, and a few merchants and lesser nobles have sent boys, too." Borlas must have seen her dismay, because he grinned. "Don't worry, Your Highness, I'll keep them in check. You can meet them all officially tomorrow; I'll make sure they're out of the way until then."

It was impossible to hide the relief on her face. "Thank you, Duke Borlas. That would be perfect."

It was tempting, after that, to return to her rooms and hide for the rest of the day, but Skye was restless, desperate to stretch her legs, and she wouldn't be cooped up or imprisoned. This was her home, and she'd treat it as such.

Still, it was difficult not to be distracted as she walked through the castle, every corridor and public room containing at least one bewildered young man. Some looked pleased to see her, and only Auda's stern presence kept them back; others seemed to wish they could be anywhere else. Skye didn't blame them.

Finally, she stepped out into the castle gardens. It had rained in the night and the sky was a washed, robin's egg blue, all the herbs and flowers drooping under their crowns of dew. Skye breathed in deep, wet earth and fresh growth and cool air, all the smells that had been missing in Imaldra. There were days when it really was good to be home.

"Maybe we should practice your sparring," Auda said, and it wasn't difficult to see why. There were boys here, too; perhaps seeing her attacking Auda with a pair of daggers would scare a few of them off. The Shenlander went on, "I'd even let you win."

Skye gave her a grateful grin. She needed to train, but she wasn't much in the mood for sparring. Getting close to Auda was a lot safer than getting close to Josselyn, of course... But after gutting that Nocturne in the cellars, wielding a blade suddenly seemed a lot less desirable.

"It takes time," Auda said, seeming to know exactly what Skye was thinking. "Nothing can ready you for killing a man, and it never becomes normal - it never should - but you get used to it."