The Princess and the Pea Page 9

  Channing shook his head. “Word of the jewel is still spreading,” he argued. “It needs to be protected.”

  “Fear not, my boy.” King Albion scooped up the jewel from Lis’ hand and gave his son a sly smile. “I think I know just the place for it—where it will be forever safe and secure.”

  Channing clenched his hands into fists. “But Father…”

  The king leaned over to murmur to his son in a tone Lis was fairly certain she wasn’t supposed to hear. “You cannot hide behind the jewel any longer, Channing. She deserves that much. Step out in courage and trust yourself and her.” He smacked his son on the back with a smile, then turned to address the soldiers.

  “Arrest them. We must question them all to make certain there are no other informants in our castle. But know tonight, men, you have made your country proud!” When King Albion raised a fist, the soldiers cheered. As he strode back to the castle, the guards scurried around like ants, securing the would-be thieves and beginning the trek to the dungeon.

  Vorah happily passed Haywood off to a pair of soldiers, then rested her hands on her hips. “That was an exciting evening—but very satisfying!”

  “It’s finally over.” Lis rubbed her neck as she tried to determine how she felt about it.

  “The worst has passed,” Channing acknowledged. He slid his sword back into its scabbard as he watched the soldiers march the bandits towards the castle. “With Haywood uncovered, we should be able to find the other informants—if there are any—and I believe we will have successfully shut down his bandit ring. Though his betrayal will grieve my parents.”

  “It was a surprise,” Vorah agreed. “He was always so friendly and attentive. But Lis outsmarted him!”

  Lis shrugged. “I took precautionary measures that paid off.”

  “I know humility is supposed to be considered a good trait, but sometimes I think you have rather too much of it, Lis,” Vorah complained. She shook her head as she adjusted the chain of her daggers. “I’m going to follow the soldiers—I wouldn’t put it past Haywood to try to escape—and then I’m going to clean my gear. I assume you are up for the day, Master?”

  Lis exhaled heavily through her nose at the title.

  “That would be a yes!” Vorah said cheerfully. She grinned at the pair as she sauntered off, her red hair glowing in the dim light. “Good luck, Prince Charming! You’re going to need it!” She cackled as she followed behind the soldiers dragging Haywood, jingling the chain of her daggers for good measure.

  Lis flexed her fingers and rubbed her palm as she watched the last of the soldiers—and bandits—disappear into the castle.

  “Though I am glad we caught the information leak…Haywood’s words implied this is bigger than Torrens, didn’t they?”

  Channing shrugged. “Who can say? We will continue to be on our guard, but for now it is enough to track down those who turned Haywood.” He glanced in her direction. “We captured him, and you guarded the gem. We cannot let the reveal of Haywood’s character and the possibilities of a grim future ruin our celebration in what we have accomplished tonight.”

  Lis cracked a smile. “Thank you for your help. I couldn’t have avoided that attack.”

  Channing bowed slightly. “It was my honor. Thank you for all you have done—for my family and for Torrens.”

  “Of course.” She waited a moment longer, but Channing stared at his feet and seemed to be finished speaking. Nodding in acknowledgement, she started for the palace.

  “Lis,” Channing called. “Please, wait.”

  Lis turned back around. “Yes?”

  Channing prowled back and forth in front of her, his footsteps quiet and stealthy.

  Lis watched him curiously. When she shifted to put more of her weight on her right foot, Channing stopped directly in front of her and stared at her.

  His golden eyes glittered, but the slight furrow of his brows and the determined set of his jaw spoke of worry and resolve. He swallowed sharply, then blurted out, “I love you.”

  Lis stared at him, stunned. I know he says all matter of strange things, but—

  “I am sorry for dragging you here, for mixing you into this business with Haywood, but I can’t find it in me to really regret it, for I don’t think I would have had the courage to interact with you any other way.” He ran a hand through his russet brown hair and shook his head, then once again raised his gaze to meet hers. “I hope you stay—I want you to stay.”

  “Channing, I’m not a rich princess. I’m not even aristocracy. I’m not ‘accomplished.’ I’m not book smart. I can tell you how to fight a man, but that’s not what you need in a princess. I can’t help Torrens—I won’t be a good wife,” Lis said.

  “Don’t you see what you’ve done already?” Channing asked. “Through your honor and thoughtfulness, you pointed out what a hypocrite I’ve been with my actions and how we can change Torrens. You caught Haywood; you saved the Pea—and you did not fear it! Lis, I don’t want a rich wife or someone schooled—and Torrens does not need that either!…. I just want you.” He finished in a voice that was barely above a whisper. “I don’t need anything from you, but I’m hoping you can love me.”

  Lis bit her lip and folded her hands behind her back in hopes that Channing would not notice how they shook.

  “I know it has been only a few weeks since you met me,” Channing said. “It seems sudden, but wherever I traveled as Apex, I listened for news of you, and I watched you. I’m aware it’s not the same for you, and it might take time before you come to care for me the same way.”

  Lis nodded and a hiccup of a laugh escaped her. “But I do.”

  Channing blinked. “You do?”

  Lis glanced at the sky and couldn’t help but think Vorah was probably laughing her guts out somewhere in the castle. “Yes,” she said. “Because you don’t fight for me—or on my behalf. You fight with me.”

  “Then…?”

  “I’ll stay,” Lis said.

  Channing stepped closer to her, so close, in fact, that she could feel the warmth he radiated and smell the faint scent of cedar that lingered on his clothes.

  Everything in the world stilled as his golden eyes glowed and he lowered his head. “Lisheva,” he whispered, his lips on hers.

  Lis leaned into Channing as he slid his arms around her and she gripped the collar of his cloak. Her heart thumped in her throat as she tasted the sweetest moment in her life.

  She had spilled her blood for others, had devoted her life to fighting nobly and honorably, to helping those in need, no matter what pain it would bring her. And Channing loved her for that.

  His warm embrace and their shared kiss…it filled Lis with life and simultaneously made her realize what she had really fought for all this time.

  Channing finally pulled back, and Lis leaned into his shoulder.

  “I want you to know, my parents approve.” He pressed his lips to her temple and rubbed her back with one hand.

  “That’s good. You’re still going to have to ask Vorah for permission,” Lis said.

  “I thought that might happen,” Channing said. “I have taken the liberty of ordering her a complete knight set of armor.”

  Lis laughed. “No wonder you could handle being Apex.”

  A slight smile curled the edges of Channing’s mouth. His lips brushed her ears as he whispered, “Only for those I love and hold dear.”

  “And that includes me?” Lis asked.

  Channing chuckled—that deep throaty sound Lis had come to love. “Naturally—only you are capable of catching such a legendary thief.”

  Lis snorted. “That’s a bit—”

  Channing kissed her again before she could finish.

  And so, the thief-of-a-prince and a warrior princess fell in love, all because of a pea.

  Epilogue

  Months later, Lis spent the morning of her wedding obsessively polishing her sword. Over an hour ago, she had cleaned it to a beautiful gleam, now she was approaching the territory of
accidentally blinding herself or her opponent with the shine of her blade. Still, she cleaned.

  Across the room, her wedding gown—a cream-and-gold creation with gauzy sleeves and a train long enough Lis could comfortably use it to strangle someone—spilled out of her armoire.

  Lis loved her dress. It had a matching gold belt and a small dagger! But at the moment, the very sight of it made her stomach roll.

  Can this really work? My nickname might be Warrior Princess, but I don’t know how to rule! I’m not even from Torrens!

  Her thoughts turned darker and darker, and she almost missed the sound of Vorah clomping down the hallway.

  “Master!” Vorah shouted through the door. “We’re coming in!”

  Lis finally set her sword aside and smiled nervously as Vorah—wearing a beautiful blue, Torrens-style dress—swept inside the room. Queen Theodora was behind her, carrying a covered object on a pillow.

  “Congratulations on this special day, Lisheva.” Queen Theodora set the pillow down on a sideboard with a smile.

  “Yes, well done on bagging a prince.” Vorah winked before she threw her arms around Lis in a hug. “Now, why aren’t you dressed, and why do you look as if you’re being dragged before court?”

  Lis shook her head slightly and glanced at her wedding gown. “It’s nothing. I just needed to clean my sword. Can’t have a dirty sword.”

  Vorah and Queen Theodora exchanged glances.

  “Lisheva,” Queen Theodora said as she once again picked up the pillow. “I have a gift for you—from the royal family and Torrens itself. Normally, this would not be given to you until you are officially crowned after your wedding ceremony, but I thought we ought to make an exception given what it stands for.”

  Queen Theodora tugged the silken cloth off the pillow, revealing a delicately crafted—and beautiful—crown. “This marks you as the royal you are; not because you married Channing, nor because my husband and I declare you so, but because of what you have done. See?”

  The queen set the crown in Lis’ hands and turned it so the front of the crown faced Lis, revealing the thumbnail-sized, green jewel at the center of the crown.

  Lis blinked. “The Pea of Primeorder?”

  “You’re the only one strong enough to protect it, Master,” Vorah grinned.

  Queen Theodora nodded in consent. “You have proven yourself, Lisheva. Through your strength of character, your desire to protect, and the honor you live by. You are a true princess.” Queen Theodora smiled and set her hand on Lis shoulder.

  “When my son and husband came up with their idiotic idea to send for you and then attempt to steal the Pea of Primeorder from you, I agreed. Not because I believed Channing would succeed—I still cannot believe he truly thought he would be able to best the two of you even after he had spied on you no less than a dozen times—but because I knew Channing admired you and very likely loved you already even though he was too shy to speak a word of it.”

  Lis brushed the Pea of Primeorder with her thumb and listened as Queen Theodora continued.

  “Channing had told me of your many escapades. How even though many might call you a mercenary, you were far more noble and honorable. You would fight for those who didn’t have much money and would refuse a contract if it was ignoble or hurt someone. It was your character that made me eager to bring you here. For you could gather a hundred of the gentlest daughters of nobility and princesses with the bluest blood, and I know none of them would be worthy to stand in your place, for none of them would possess even half of your heart and spirit.”

  Queen Theodora placed her hands under Lis’ chin and tilted her head up. “Trust yourself, dear one. Trust in Channing’s judgement, and see yourself for who you really are: a beautiful, noble, warrior princess.”

  Tears stung Lis’ eyes, and she swallowed sharply as she raised her eyes from the crown. “Thank you.”

  “There is no need to thank me. Indeed, it is I who should be thanking you—and Vorah as well.” The queen smiled at the fiery-haired female warrior.

  Vorah grinned as she leaned against Lis’ chair and placed her hand on her shoulder. “Are you ready to put on your dress, now?”

  Lis nodded. “I am.”

  Vorah knelt at her side and hugged her again. “Congratulations, my friend. I can’t wait for this next leg of our journey!”

  Lis couldn’t stop smiling as she whispered, “Me, either.”

  “I heard the christening of Princess Rosalinda was ruined by a rogue mage,” Lis said as she settled into a settee. She was careful to sit on the edge so her sword didn’t stick out awkwardly. (What was the point of having a specially designed overcoat that resembled a dress and effectively hid her weapon, just to reveal it with poor posture?)

  “You heard of that?” Lord Enchanter Evariste—a famous magic user who had made his home in Torrens—asked as he picked up a teacup painted with red roses. “The Sole royal family was making an effort to hush the matter up—though I don’t believe they will succeed in hiding it for very long.”

  “Lis has contacts in Sole from her days as a warrior for hire. It was they who informed her of the situation.” Channing smiled slightly as he ruffled the hair of their six-year-old adopted son, Godfrey.

  Godfrey was staring at Evariste’s apprentice with huge eyes. To be fair, the girl was lovely.

  Her eye color couldn’t seem to settle between blue and green, and even her hair seemed to shift from a warm honey brunette to copper in the span of a breath.

  “Ahh, then you’ve heard who saved Princess Rosalinda from certain death?” Evariste asked with a bright smile.

  Lis resisted snorting with laughter and instead shifted her attention to the enchanter’s apprentice. “Indeed, I did hear. You were very brave and did a wonderful job in turning Rosalinda’s curse of death into a curse of sleep, Apprentice Angelique.”

  “Indeed! Angelique did extraordinarily well. Her use of her magic was admirable,” Evariste declared.

  Angelique had been smiling—which only amplified her beauty—but at Evariste’s mention of her magic, she turned slightly green.

  “I was only able to counter the curse because of the guidance of Master Evariste,” Angelique said in a voice that was surprisingly husky but as melodic as a harp.

  Evariste waggled a finger at his apprentice. “I wouldn’t have been able to lead you through it if you didn’t have the skill.”

  Lis smothered another smile as she placed a treacle tart on Godfrey’s plate.

  Evariste was only slightly older than Angelique, for he had earned the rank of Lord Enchanter at an astonishingly young age due to the strength of his magic and his genius-like ability in using it. Privately, Lis had always wondered if the exalted state had robbed the Enchanter of true joy, at least until he took Angelique on as his apprentice.

  The beautiful girl—who had the appearance of a sweet and gentle noble lady but often reminded Lis of herself—made Evariste laugh as Lis had never heard before.

  “Thank you, Mama,” Godfrey whispered to Lis when he took his plate back.

  Lis heart swelled with love for her adopted son as he smiled up at her, his eyes bright. “Don’t eat too many sweets,” she reminded him. “You have your sword lessons next, and riding with Vorah after that.”

  “Will you finally teach me how to roll with a sword today, Mama?” Godfrey asked.

  “Perhaps Papa can teach you later. He would be the better teacher,” Lis said with some dismay. (No matter how she trained with Channing, she still couldn’t roll with such liquid and fluid grace as he.)

  Before Godfrey could voice his disappointment, Channing shook his head and spoke, drawing Lis back into the conversation.

  “While Apprentice Angelique deserves every accolade, it bothers me that the rogue mage was even able to cast such a spell. I thought rogue mages have their magic sealed before they are exiled from the Veneno Conclave,” Channing said.

  “That is still the custom, yes,” Evariste agreed. “But it se
ems Carabosso found a way to reverse the act, or it was improperly preformed upon him.”

  Channing flattened his lips. “It seems to be a dire warning.”

  “I agree with you, Your Highness,” Evariste said. “It does not bode well for the Continent.”

  “As long as we live in Torrens,” Angelique said, her eyes flickering from the open window where they could hear laughter to young Godfrey, obliviously consuming his treat, “we will not allow such things to happen here.”

  The sweet, naive blue in the enchantress-in-training’s eyes briefly bled away to reveal something as solid as silver and sharp as a sword.

  Lis blinked in surprise, and in that instant Angelique’s sweet expression returned.

  “I hope your promise proves to be unnecessary, Apprentice Angelique.” Lis set her teacup down and briefly rested her fingers on the fabric that hid her sword. “But I thank you for your words, and for your protection.”

  Channing nodded in agreement.

  Silence ensued for a moment, before Lis racked her mind for a new conversation topic. “How long do you expect to remain at home in Torrens? The two of you are always so busy traveling for Conclave business.”

  “It seems we will be able to winter here—which I look forward to,” Evariste said. “Though Angelique’s pet cat does love to complain over the snow.”

  “Master Roland, yes?” Lis asked, faintly recalling the last time she had visited the magic users in their home and met the magic, talking cat Evariste had given his apprentice as a pet.

  “Yes,” Angelique confirmed. “He—”

  The salon doors were flung open, and Vorah stormed inside. “Lis—one of the guards spotted an Arcainian river pirate at the market. You coming?”

  Lis was already standing. “If you’ll excuse me, Lord Enchanter Evariste, Apprentice Angelique.” She winked at Godfrey and considered kicking Channing when he also stood and tugged the laces of her full-length jacket loose for her.