A Princess Torn (Alys Book #2)

Chapter 19

Endolynn's arm and ribs hurt even more the next day. Unwilling to admit how injured she was, she forced herself to be present with her family members and their visitors throughout the day. She stayed in a chair most of the time and was acutely aware of the concerned watched Dastrehan kept upon her while he socialized with her father.

They spoke of foreign affairs and kingdoms that Endolynn had never been to nor know much about. Jatova joined in now and than, but Elspeth and Atheena kept him occupied with their babbling most of the time.

Atheena had not spoken to Dastrehan since he had informed them that he was betrothed to someone already. Whenever he greeted her, all she gave him was a silent nod. It was Jatova that she had turned her interest to, and the two sisters seemed to almost be competing for his attention.

Endolynn inwardly rolled her eyes at their absurdities. She found them utterly exhausting as human beings.

By mid-afternoon, she had had enough of her foolish cousins. She carefully stood, forcing a face of calm through the agony as her bones ached.

"I'm going for a walk," she said to her father, flashing him a smile.

"Do you want us to join you, Love?" he asked, but she could hear in his voice that he was not quite up to it.

"No, thank you though. You enjoy your company."

She quickly met Dastrehan's eyes and gave him a hint of a smile.

She wandered slowly through the courtyards and gardens, making her way to the back of the palace where the graveyard was. It felt like the right kind of time to visit her mother.

The warm air gently whipped around her as she sat down on the patch of grass in front of her mother's gravestone.

"Jatova beat me in a match," she whispered, pretending she could speak to her mother, "He got me good."

She sighed and smiled, "I think I would have got him if I had been training all along. If I had not become soft."

A soft pink wildflower was in bloom to her right, and Endolynn leaned over to pluck it, groaning from the pain shooting through her ribcage.

"The twins are vying for his attention," she placed the flower carefully on the gravestone, "They both want to be a princess of Arkala."

She laughed softly to herself. As irritating as her cousins could be, they did make for some lively entertainment.

Endolynn stayed where she was until she could feel her skin starting to burn form the sun.

She stood to her feet and placed a hand on her mother's gravestone as she whispered good-bye. When she turned, she saw Jatova leaning against the back on the palace, enjoying the shade.

Endolynn immediately felt an invasion of her privacy.

"How long have you been there?" she tried to keep the edge out of her voice, but was not entirely successful.
"Not long," Jatova said, pushing himself off the wall and walking towards her, "Only a couple minutes. Your father wanted me to check up on you."

Endolynn eyed him carefully to see if he seemed to be lying, but his dark eyes seemed to be holding no secrets.

Or he is a good liar.

Endolynn decided that this time, she would decide to believe him. If it happened again, she would be more hesitant.

"Well, I was just going to head inside to find form refreshments," she said as she nodded towards the palace, "Want to join me?"
Jatova smiled and fell into step beside her.