The Unknown Princess

Chapter Thirteen

We weren't at all surprised that nobody from the castle came looking for Carmen. Tybalt was busy arranging the tournament, including a feast for all of the contestants. I wasn't exactly looking forward to the feast, but it would be nice to see who was in the competition with me. I was assuming that my brother Sterling would be there, since Miles was the oldest and next in line for the duchy. Would Sterling be at all civil about seeing me, or being in competition to be archduke? Or would he be angry about the wedding and hold a grudge? I hoped he would be a little understanding of my position, but I wasn't too sure.

But while that was still some time in the future, we tried to enjoy our time in the city while we could. We did a good amount of clothes shopping, and we all got new outfits to wear that were more comfortable. I also spent a lot of time in an empty stable practicing with Alba and Imogen, and I usually ended up exhausted at the end of each day. But the sparring helped, even if I knew that Tybalt would have a huge advantage with his armor.

It took some time for Carmen to cheer back up after the encounter with her brother, but she got there thanks to Alba and Imogen. In the past, Carmen hadn't trained with any weapons beyond a bow, which she was very good with. But now that she knew that her brother had tried to kill her, she decided to get back to it. So, when Alba was sparring with me, then Imogen would help Carmen, and then they would switch places. It took Carmen almost no time at all before she was having fun, and then the smile was back on her face. She wasn't going to be getting into any fights after only a few days of training, but she wouldn't feel helpless anymore, especially with her bow in her hands.

While we got ready, the rest of the duchies did as well, and after four days I got an invitation to the dinner for the contestants, as did Carmen at her brother's request. We'd both picked some simple dresses, nothing too fancy since we didn't have time to get anything tailored, and then made our way to the palace. I'd been keeping in contact with Frivadelth while we were practicing, and she was on the way down to join us, though she stayed in the water, if only because we wanted to have an escape route if Tybalt tried anything at the dinner. She was just hanging out in the harbor, her snout above water behind some docked boats, but otherwise out of sight. Likewise, Alba and Imogen were hanging around the castle gates, ready to storm the castle in case we needed anything.

As it turned out, the dinner was incredibly stressful, but not for the reasons we expected. Both Carmen and I thought that at least some of our family members would be there, though we weren't sure which ones. In fact, as soon as we stepped into the dining hall, I saw my brother Sterling, who met my gaze with a scowl. I'd hoped that he might be the more reasonable family member, but not today. Most likely, he blamed me for saying no, and he probably had a point as far as the traditions of the realms went. But they were stupid traditions. As for Carmen, both of her parents were there, but none of her other siblings. Both of her parents were almost dismissive of her, and it made us both wonder if they had been on board with the plan to have her killed. After all, they were Tybalt's allies now, so perhaps they had helped him even before the archduke was dead.

"I was expecting to see one of my brothers here," Carmen whispered as we took a seat at the far end of the table. "I guess they're not challenging Tybalt's rule."

I nodded in reply. That was good for me, as nobody would be helping Tybalt in any of the other competitions. "It makes sense. He's already their son, so they're already getting exactly what they want without even fighting." I snorted as I realized what must be happening. "They're just here for the coronation after the challenge." Of course, they were really going to see their son die either during the challenge or right afterwards, they just didn't know it. There would be no coronation for Tybalt. But if he killed me, and Frivadelth killed him, would they have to redo it all?