DUALITY /#Wattys 2021

Chapter 33

Ridley turned around to stare at the King. "So that wasn't full speed?"

"No, I sort of held her back, for your first ride."

Ridley swallowed. "Oh."

The King laughed.

Reb was nowhere to be seen. They clambered from the track, and the King grabbed the sled by the handle.

"I'll tell you one thing," said Ridley as they headed back up the hill, "when I watched you win the Olympics all those years ago, I never dreamed I would be your luge partner one day!"

"I never dreamed I'd be kidnapping my own granddaughter."

"Did you ever dream you'd win a gold medal?"

The King glanced back at her. His eyes widened and he gave his head a rueful shake. "I prayed for it. Things were tough at home."

"How did you get recruited to train for the team?" asked Ridley. "I got recruited when they sent scouts around to watch the kids play at the weekend school, but I don't think they had sledding there."

"They send scouts around to watch kids do all kinds of things," said the King. "You know where they put the landfill, in that hill outside of town?"

"Yeah." Ridley panted to keep up with him.

"That used to be prime sledding territory in the wintertime. We used to make our own sleds and cross our fingers for snow. That's where the recruiters hung around and watched."

"Oh," Ridley said. Then, "Simon was on the team that managed us, when I got to senior level. He always kept in touch with us. That's how we met."

The King stopped to let her catch up to him. "Simon? Oh—Sannah's father."

"Right," said Ridley.

"When did you two start dating?"

Ridley smiled, remembering. "I was really kind of dense, when Simon became the team concierge from the Olympic committee. I thought he was just taking us girls out all the time because he wanted to make sure we were happy, doing okay with our training and all, and that we didn't need anything. But my teammates always teased me about him. Turns out, they were right."

The King said nothing for a moment. Then he said, "I've always envied couples who looked as if they had good relationships. Didn't meet too many in my royal duties, though."

Ridley scurried abreast of him. "Your Highness ... I always wanted to apologize for all I heard that night when Sannah was sick. I didn't mean to stand there and hear all that. I was just waiting for a break in the conversation, to walk through the room and go back to bed, and it just ..."

"Got worse and worse?" The King glanced aside at her with a chuckle.

"Um. Sort of."

The King's blue eyes met hers. "It's all right, Ridley. Forget it. When you get old enough you start to understand that that's just the way marriage is."

Ridley opened her mouth, but she just wasn't sure what to say. Then motion stirred the trees up ahead—Reb coming down the hill with Ridley's coat. He reached them and held it out to her and she put it on, shivering.

"How was the trip?"

"Uh, okay," said Ridley. "I hear the sled goes faster than that, though."

Reb looked at the King. "How fast did you take her down?"

"Oh, about half speed."

"Half speed?" said Ridley.

***