Sage in the Sea

Not my King

"I have some news to share with you," Piers told me the following morning as I stood at the first counter of the kitchen. I had been watching the servant who Eleanor had her eye on as he diced onions. I turned away from the scene in front of me to look up at Piers.

"Is it about my brother?" I asked, clasping my hands in front of me.

He shook his head, the corner of his mouth twitching. "Unfortunately it is not. Rather, it is about my own sister." I arched an eyebrow. During my time in the castle, he had said very little of his sister. "She's coming to visit us tomorrow. Her husband has some business with our father, so they shall be staying here for a few days. My sister insisted."

"I would have thought her parents would have wanted to have her in their home considering they spend so little time with her," I responded. He offered his arm to me and I accepted it, allowing him to lead me up the stairs and down the hallway towards the library.

"Let's just say that my sister and my parents have a complicated relationship," he replied. He looked down at me before he continued. "She does not get along with either of our parents. They had a tense relationship before Freya married Prince Austen. To be honest, I believe that she was thankful that Austen accepted her hand in marriage so she did not have to remain here any longer."

He held the door open to the library for me to pass. I paused and looked up at her. "Do you think that perhaps she knew what would happen if she did remain here?"

Piers placed his hand on the small of my back, gently pushing me into the library. He shut the door behind him and walked towards the table that was piled with the books I had been using to study with Miss. Dolloway.

"Perhaps," he replied as he thumbed through one of the language books. "However, I do not believe that anyone could have seen this coming."

"Of course not. The king does not share his plans until he is required to."

"No," Piers said with a sigh, tossing the book back onto the pile. "He does not." He put his hands in his pockets and leaned against the table. "I have some other news to share with you." I walked over and leaned against the table beside him. "You have been asked to return to the facility to give a speech to the incoming...class."

"I don't know if I can do that."

"You have to. You have been ordered by the king himself," Piers said with a shrug. "You will not be required to write a speech or anything like that. Everything will be taken care of. All you have to do is remember your training, memorize the speech, and effectively deliver it to the girls."

"When?" I asked, wrapping my arms around my waist.

"The day after tomorrow. Father would like it if you were to meet Freya, but you will leave the following morning," Piers replied. "I will not be able to accompany you, however, as I have business to attend to with Austen. I believe that he may have some resources that we can use to prevent my father from putting his plan into action."

"I can't go there alone, Piers," I told him, stepping away from the table so I could look at him properly. "After what they did to me and now with what your father is planning, it is hard to tell if they will let me leave."

"I told him that you were to not go alone, although he was sure that Fergus Jeffries would be ample protection," Piers replied. I shook my head, turning away from him. Fergus was the last person that I would want to accompany me to the training facility. "So, I informed him that Fergus and Lysander would both accompany you. After the way Lysander took care of you when your parents showed up at your introduction to the kingdom, I believe that he will take care of you. Not to mention that the two of you appear to get along better than you and Fergus do."