Sharp Flowers

Part 7

Sebastian's offer has kept me up. Not only is it the chance at a new sword unlike any other, but I could fight in this war with an advantage.

"Make sure you get around the edge of the stairs," Felicity reminds me. She sits down upon the edge with her cello and fiddles around with the pen.

"Yes, mam," I answer.

"The cast must be impeccable. And my strings must be in tune as well," Felicity adds, her thin brows knitting together. The pegs of the cello squeak stubbornly against the wood.

"Are you practicing for something specific?" I guess.

"I practice a few times daily," Felicity states, "but also, yes. Sebastian's holding a banquet tomorrow," she tells me.

"At a time like this?" I scoff.

"He said it was important. Some blacksmith will be coming. Hm, they must be some bigshot," Felicity says with a haughty laugh, "He wants me to play for some blacksmith," she adds, "Well, if they're important and he wants to impress them, it makes sense for me to play,"

"You shouldn't let the war interfere with your playing," I tell her. "What if you were to get injured?" I remind her.

"Hm, better I die in the field then. When Tennoford began the war, they invaded the Haybert's home. They took everything my sisters, and I had to show for," Felicity tells me, "I will make them pay for it with each and every arrow," she declares without a break in tuning her cello, carefully plucking its thick strings and letting its sound ring. A smile flashes across her face, like something funny, crossed her mind. She draws the bow across the strings, slow and smooth.

"Your family would be proud," I encourage. She presses her lips into a line, her bow pausing. With a short nod, she takes a deep breath and sighs.

"My cello and archery have gotten me far, but my older sisters claim all the glory," Felicity says with a shrug.

"But you are here. You're just as close to the royal court as they are, if not closer," I remind her. "You know the king-," I suggest.

"Kisomen is a handsome man, but I could never lay with him," Felicity states.

"You mean because he's the demon sword?" I murmur, but her head shaking suggests I'm just clueless.

"It's more than just a curse, Raven. He's not human," Felicity points out, "Kisomenreally is a good king for the people, but he is more monster than he is human," she warns me.

"What a shame you would have made a beautiful Queen," I laugh, earning an eye roll.

"I know," she laughs, exaggerating, and then her face falls flat, "I feel for the king sometimes. What a burden it must be,"

"Why would it be a burden? He has an army to fight for him, trusted advisors, and surely another noble family has a daughter that would love him," I assume. Felicity shakes her head.

"The other five noble families were wiped out a few weeks ago. Tennoford invaded along the southern border. There's just the Haybert's and the Wrenwood representatives now," she explains, and it hits me like a bat to the head. No wonder Peter didn't want to tell me. Distant cousins, nieces and nephews, uncles and aunts, and in-laws are all but dead. And I hadn't a clue. I ball up a fist at my side, trying to squeeze all this burning inside to keep it from coming out. "I'm sorry to talk him down like this, but it's true," Felicity blurts out, popping up to her feet with a hand on her hip. "Alright, it's tuned, so I ought to be getting ready for the rest of the day," she decides.

"Right, I'll talk to you later," I call over my shoulder.

"Of course, then maybe I can tell you who in the Knights are actually cute to look at," she promises with a giggle. I turn back to my work. Next up are the windows. To think that even Felicity said the man is a monster. Even his monstrous nature is enough to ward off Felicity's ambition. I don't want to rise in the ranks like her, so I don't feel pressured to partner with the demon sword. I ball up my fists, grabbing a fistful of my dress's fabric. Not to mention, I don't want to compete with the other females that are standing to fight. Yesterday when the guards took off their gear, helmets, and masks, I realized both men and women were fighting in Kisomen's army. I don't want to challenge any seniors if I can avoid it. There are so many, though, in his army, and they all share the same honor in this fight. So then should not I be just as eager...? I sigh, stepping out to sweep the back steps leading off to the side of the yard. The air feels humid. It smells like rain, too. I brush off the dust that's settled out into the yard. I watch the yard, seemingly still for now. But the flowers along the pathway should be in bloom soon. It is spring finally.