The Eagle Princess

Chapter 13

Chapter 13

The bed was still warm when Larissa rolled over into the spot where she expected Kaz to have been laying. Her hands reached out for him, still half asleep. A frown crossed her face when her grasping fingers didn't meet his body. Even as her eyes were opening to scan for him, she knew that he wouldn't be there. He hadn't been there the morning after the last night she had spent in his bed either.

Sitting up, yawning, cold now without his body beside her, Larissa frowned towards the open balcony to frown at the pre-dawn light. He must not have left very long ago at all.

Ale Santeri training took him from her arms before she could awaken. And, so it would every morning for the rest of their lives.

Clutching the fur blanket closer to her body, Larissa shivered. Cold came quicker in the mountains of Methone than it did in Poseidonium. Kaz promised her that snow would lay thick on the ground in the dead of winter. They would move from this room into one with no windows or balcony as it became colder and the open room unlivable.

Larissa pulled her hair over her shoulder, brushing through the messy strands with her fingers as she contemplated what to do with herself now. She didn't typically wake up this early, but she didn't particularly want to fall back to sleep.

A black mass in the corner, perched atop Kaz's dresser, told her that Ink had flown in sometime after they had fallen asleep. She was going to have to think of something to do with him once the real cold set in if he wasn't comfortable in the weather. She would have to ask him.

Soft sounds started floating up through the balcony and she turned, frowning out at the view where it pointed out into the valley. She didn't recognize the sound immediately, though that didn't cause her overly much concern just at the moment.

As it continued, however, she found herself curious enough to push herself out of bed and reach for a robe that Kaz had over a nearby chair. It was his and hung loosely on her, but his scent clung tightly and she took in a deep breath of it as she tied the belt around her waist.

The sounds were continuing as she padded, barefoot, towards the open balcony. The stone was cold under her feet and she made a mental note to create thick slippers to banish the chill even as she was reaching the railing and leaning over curiously.

A stone staircase that she hadn't noticed before came down from around the side of the balcony and down towards a lower balcony. Below, she saw Kaz and her personal Santeri. They had gathered, coming from a door down below under the staircase to another room she couldn't see. They were going through their morning exercises together.

They had finished their stretches and strength training for the morning. Now, they had moved on to sparring and weapons training. Wooden staffs had been distributed. However, they hadn't all paired off as they normally would. Instead, they had created a ring around Kaz. He stood in the middle, staff poised at the ready, taking on each one of his brothers as they took turns rushing at him. They did it randomly, with no warning to him, demanding that he react immediately.

Kaz was wearing his new uniform.

Larissa leaned her head against her hand, watching as he fought off his attackers. None of them noticed her, they were too focused on trying to attack him. Trying to test the uniform to see if it really would hold up under a combat situation.

Kaz looked supremely confident. He didn't mock or tease, but there was a slight tilt to the sharp grin on his face that bespoke assurance.

It was interesting to watch the way he moved in the new uniform. She knew that the outfit would perform well, but there was still an adjustment period as he accustomed himself to the new cut and weight of the unfamiliar fabric. Despite that though, he was quick and alert. He had already become used to the trailing ends of the long tunic and the fit of the pants. The belt was tight in only the right places, twisting with his body as he needed.