The King's Games

10. Teenagers

"Do you really think I can do this?" I asked, tilting my head back so I could look at Tilda.

"It depends on who you're up against," Tilda said, giving the same diplomatic answer she had the other dozen times I'd asked her that this morning.

She sat cross-legged on the floor of the bedroom she shared with her sister. Even though Tilda's sister was five years older than her, she was much messier. Dirty clothes littered her half of the room, and she had dried flowers and pictures of her friends tacked up on the mirror. Her bed was unmade, and she had an Evanescence poster on her wall.

Tilda's bed was already made, even though it was only eight in the morning, and her book shelves and desk were perfectly ordered. She had a couple plants, and hanging on her wall, was a framed reprint of an Arvid Mauritz Lindström painting of a summer meadow.

I was laying on her bed, careful not to muss up her flowered comforter, and rolled to face her better.

"Who do you think I'll be against?" I asked.

"I don't know." She shook her head, making her twin braids sway. "If they disqualify Östen, it's had to say. Isak can't go, because he's hurt. I can't believe they're not letting you know anything until just before the match starts."

"I know. The next two hours are gonna kill me." I groaned and rolled back onto my back. I'd hardly gotten any sleep last night because I'd been too busy worrying. "Do you think I stand a chance against Östen?"

"A chance, yes," Tilda said. "But there's no way I can predict whether or not you'll win."

I sighed, then looked over at her again. "Do you regret not trying to be in the competition? I mean, you're taller and stronger than me, and at least as good a fighter as me. You could've gone far."

"I know, but I just didn't really want to." She pulled her knees up to her chest and wrapped her long arms around them, hugging them to her. "Being really good at my job is good enough for me. I don't have the same urge to destroy my enemies the way you do."

"I wouldn't say I want to 'destroy' them, and I wouldn't exactly call everyone my 'enemies,'" I corrected her. "I'm not like a super villain or something. I just want prove to everyone that I deserve to be here as much as they do."

"I know, and I know that you do," Tilda said. "This mattered way more to you, and I didn't want to go up against you."

"You probably should've gone instead of me."

"Bryn," Tilda scolded. "You're being ridiculous. You want this, and you've done fine so far. I'm sure you'll do fine in the next round."

"Do you really think that?" I asked. "I need you to be brutally honest with me. How do you think I'm doing?"

Tilda let out the most exasperated sigh I've ever heard. "I don't know. You're a good fighter, but you went up against two competitors that didn't really test your mettle."

"What do you mean?" I sat up a bit, since she'd piqued my interest.

"Janus is an idiot, and Simon has a crush on you." Tilda shrugged. "Neither of them really challenged you that much. Östen, on the other hand, is a total beast."

"Wait. What?" I sat up completely now. "Simon does not have a crush on me."

"Oh, come on, Bryn." Tilda rolled her eyes. "He totally does."

"No, we're just friends or whatever," I persisted.

Tilda laughed. "You are always so dense when it comes to romance."

Now it was my turn to roll my eyes. "Like you're some expert. You've kissed one boy."

"That's one more boy than you have," she reminded me.

I shrugged. "I'm busy working on other things."

"Like what? Saving yourself for Konstantin Black?" Tilda teased, and I felt my cheeks reddening.

"It's not like that. I just... really respect him," I fumbled over my words.

"You know it's okay to have crushes, right?" Tilda asked. "That it's like a perfectly normal part of adolescence?"

"I know. It's just not a crush." I brushed my hair back from face. "That's all. I just..."

Tilda laughed again, and she got up and sat down on the bed beside me. "I'm just kidding around, Bryn. I know that Konstantin Black is basically everything you want to be when you grow up. And he's also super hot."

"Yeah, he is," I admitted sheepishly. "But winning this competition would be a really great thing for me. Not just because I'd get to spend some time with Konstantin, but it would look really good on my resume when I go to apply to be a Högdragen."

"I know, but that is years away from now. I'm sure you'll have plenty of other great things to put your resume." Tilda nudged me with her elbow. "You are a bad ass after all."