Renit hasn't settled in with the rebels. Each one, down to the quietest assistant, has revealed their hate for him in many ways, shapes, and forms. He's always known there were rebels in the kingdom that not only hated his father but hated him, too. Renit never thought they'd all surround him at once. Exactly the situation he's put himself in.
They tolerate his presence by giving him tasks to do around Arego, like cleaning up rubble caused by his destruction or moving dead bodies away, caused by his witches. That's the worst job, the corpses have been rotting in the streets for months now and taking them to the cliffsides to throw them over the edge is the worst part. Often times, the smell carries them all the way down until salt water consumes them. None of the rebels have time for mass graves, nor the supplies or will power. So throwing them into the ocean is the best option.
Renit is not trying to make friends. He made that clear the first day he arrived and was immediately met by the anger of the rebels. They wanted him gone, one tried to kill him, and it didn't end well. For the sake of him remaining with the only soul in the kingdom capable of carving a plan to save Roux—Renit didn't kill the rebel that attempted to take his life. Instead, he brushed it off and watched as not only Alaric but Bren, too, scolded the man.
That's how he's played this game. Stay out of trouble, allow the rebels to do their thing, and don't get in the way. He's stuck to that strict regimen from sunrise to sunset by completing the tasks asked of him with little to no questions asked. Weapons have been sharpened, supplies have been gathered, meals have been cooked. With his bare, sore hands, he's constructed shelters out of scrap logs left behind from Roux's father. As if he would return, they remain stacked against the side of a building.
Everything Renit is doing will help build the trust of the rebels. Over the past few days, they've stared less, whispers have turned to nothing, and the angered frowns have disappeared. Slowly, they're coming around, but there is still a long road ahead. Renit has to get to the capital without being killed by those rebels, most importantly: Tesha.
She can't stand him. Ever since learning the truth of Akeno's death, she's avoided every semblance of conversation and won't look in the prince's direction long enough for him to discover he has attentive eyes on him.
Her heart is broken. And in result, she's spent most of her days on the outskirts, shooting arrows at straw bales. She doesn't need practice; she was a sniper in the war and one of the best Renit has ever seen, yet there's always a craft to help someone get their mind off of something. For Tesha, that happens to be something she's done thousands of times—pull back an arrow and release. Again; and again.
Training was always the same way for him. Even if he mastered the skills and beat all the guards in the castle, he still wanted to do something in his body. Distractions in the castle, over all those years, were there to help Rent fight the pain he felt over losing his family. He's decided that won't happen again, Roux is not slipping through his grasp; sliding like sand through the king's fingers. He will get her back.
From the shadow of a building, Renit watches as Tesha draws back another arrow and aims for the bale. There're three arrows in the center already, one directly next to the other, and this one should be the final shot. Otherwise, she'll have to split the arrows themselves, using the blunt end as the target.
Someone painted a red target on the straw and the shade is fading ever so slowly in the sunlight. The two outer rings are nearly gone along with the layers of straw holding them together.
Tesha releases an arrow, a perfectly straight shot, and it sticks into the middle of the target with no effort at all. The wind doesn't alter her shots, neither does the company she so clearly recognizes. "You don't have to stand there and hide all day," she says nonchalantly as she steps forward and tugs the arrows from their secure spot in the bale.
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Aligning the Forgotten ✓
Fantasy[Book 3 of the Grounding the Storm series] Renit's worst nightmare has come true. Roux isn't at his side, and he's banished from his throne and his crown, leaving him nameless and on the run. While trying to escape his father's cruel reign, he has t...
