Her Mating Scheme

Chapter 2

TRYSON’S POV

Tryson stood there stunned as the Master of Ceremonies' voice, boosted by magic, called out to the nobles who were gathering. He had to watch her fight the urge to turn away from him. He almost reached out and touched her. His eyes caught as the women surrounded her and turned their backs on her.

It's not possible.

It's not possible.

He couldn't help but want to be with her again. He had to be cursed by her. However, he did not feel sick. He thought he might walk right off the ground and into the clouds, though.

He closed his eyes and huffed at his own silly thoughts. He wasn't a girly guy; he was a man! But she was surrounded by the Lords and Ladies of her Court, and he fought very hard not to just run through them and grab her.

A harsh voice sighed, "Poor, sad, little future-King."

Tryson turned around and rolled his eyes.

People thought Nike was his personal court clown, but he was actually his hidden bodyguard and spy. He stood behind him, his sharp eyes following the crowd of nobles who were drooling over all the royals who were there. Not that anyone cared, but he had one of the brightest minds on the Continent. In fact, that was why Tryson's wise Summitran King father gave Nike two roles when Tryson was a child.

To keep up the act, he wore a silly pair of tights that were painted in diamond shapes in yellow and red. There was more than one knife hidden in the puffed shoulders of his matching tunic, and his hands were strong enough to juggle and play the lute.

Nike always made sure to keep the right amount of space between himself as a worker and Tryson as the heir to the throne when they were out in public. Tonight, Nike took a few small balls out of his pocket and started to juggle them while talking. At first, he did it in two crossing rings, and then he did it in one hand. His Joker's mask was leering at him in a very disturbing way.

He asked too lightly, "Do you know who she is?"

"No." He didn't think so, anyway.

"Would you like me to find out?"

"No. That's something I need to do." If what he thought was true...

Nike said with a sarcastic, over-the-top bow, "Very good, Your Highness." "Though, if you really want to find a wife, you'll have to lower your nose around the Nouthurnns. Otherwise, that Lion's snout might blind you. I'd hate to see you walk into a hedge while you're being polite," he said under his breath as he nodded at a nearby noblewoman who was watching him juggle with great interest. It made the bells on his silly shoes jingle when he tapped one foot on the floor.

"Perhaps you can fumble your backflips again at the stroke of midnight and save me from notice, just in case," Tryson said wryly.

Nike laughed, but Tryson was already taken with something else. Even though she was buried in that cloud of young lords, she looked back to beg him to find her. And now... that awful pulling had started up again in his chest.

He had to find her. But how can you do it without being seen?

"I know it isn't what we planned, but I think I shall go to the unmasking after all. It isn't as if the others won't see my face tomorrow anyway."

"Has one of the ladies caught your interest? Don't let yourself be too easily caught, Highness—the ladies of the royal stable are more often interested in the size of your… banknotes, than your heart's devotion."

He spun around the man to protect his Lady's good heart, but he stopped himself. No one would trust Nike after that. Tryson snapped, "Stop...teasing me to sound smart."

Nike stopped juggling and turned his back on the woman, who looked sad. He pretended to fix the cuffs of his shirt while telling Tryson something in a low, harsh voice. "You complain about me baiting you? About my words? You think the people in these halls will give you any mercy, Et? Do you believe they'll wish to soothe your ruffled feathers? Make no mistake, there are rulers and heirs here that will slit your throat the moment they're given the opportunity—and celebrate your death. Do you think if you gas and whine when they abduct you, they'll change their minds and let you go?"

"Of course not!"

"Then stop complaining and instead take hold of what is yours to control. Step into the shoes of a man—more than a man, a King!"

Tryson asked, "Why do you think I'm here?"

Nike tapped his chin as if he were thinking about what to say. "You do seem oddly fond of the Nouthurnn-made silk underthings."

"Be serious."

"I am. I'm certain I heard you instruct the Master of Servants to purchase four sets while we are here—"

"Nike! Please! I am here to find a wife, and you know it."

"Ah, yes, the ever-urgent quest for love," Nike said in a soft voice. He pulled out a caramel from somewhere in his impossible clothes and chewed it slowly while glaring at a young, drunk Lord who stumbled by.

Tryson gave him a strange look. Nike, as the Heir's Defender, swore he would never get married or have a family of his own. This way, he could always be true to the Heir. Tryson wondered if his friend, this amazing man, ever felt bad about what he did. He was about to ask, but Nike spoke up first.

"While I agree with the King's summary that this is the most efficient way to find a wife, given that all the royal lasses will be in one place for a full month, I do wonder if you're suited to the… scramble."

Tryson asked with a frown, "What do you mean?"

"I mean, dear Tryson, that you have a soul and care about other people. You also have good manners—the Light knows that more of the noble sons could use some of those." He glared at two of the rude lords across the floor. “Are you ready to compete? No noble woman who wants to find a husband will stand aside and wait for you to quietly approach when six Princes, Dukes, and Masters will jump to fight for her hand." He took a deep breath and turned away from Tryson so it didn't look like he was talking to him. Nike carefully looked to the left and right before appearing with another candy. "I understand your desire," she said. "But you must show great discernment if you wish to succeed. Great discernment."

Tryson said "yes." "Will you help me?"

Again, Nike's face showed that she meant business: "Of course. And not just because the King would kill me if I didn't." "You are the light of the future, Tryson. I know what the Light has given you, and I'll do everything in my power to Defend it—and help you thrive. I pray daily you find a woman who appreciates what you bring to her life."

Tryson cracked a smile. "I am moved. The Clown does have a heart after all. What a friend!" He said as the man slapped his hand and glared at him. Tryson bowed deeply and said, "Thank you for your loyalty, brother." He kept his eyes on Nike, as was the way in their land. "Now, stand aside while I go find a diamond among women. Preferably one who can ride."

Nike laughed out loud. He said, "Just make sure she's not a horse herself." "I want to help you train your children for Court, not break them to saddle."

The Nouthurnn Court Lords and Ladies who were around Tryson's future wife gave him mean looks, but he threw his head back and laughed.

DIANE’S POV

"… and celebrate our anticipation that all the Kingdoms represented today shall prosper for decades to come, united under the Accord of Harmony!" The Master of Ceremonies called out. "Now, as this celebration comes into its last hour, your Royal hosts have prepared a final treat. Let us head together to the Maze of Mystery where, on the stroke of midnight, we will remove our masks and finally be revealed!"

Some people in the crowd were shocked and shocked with shame at the thought of letting the young (and, if Diane knew the men, mostly drunk) Lords and Ladies loose in the dark garden together. Diane laughed, but before she could turn around and ask her lion lord to take her on a walk through the Castle and grounds to figure out what was pulling her, her Ladies in Waiting rushed around her, fluttering and squawking like a group of geese.

"Quickly! Quickly!" the girls laughed as they walked her out of the hall, rubbing elbows and talking about other things as they went. "We're to go to the maze for the unmasking!"

Diane would have cursed like her Knight Defender if she had been less polite. She desperately wanted to turn around and get one last look at the young man, but all she could do was crane her neck. He was still standing there, his green eyes fixed on her, but the crowd blocked her view of him.

Joyce, who was her First Lady-in-Waiting, teased, "Diane! Are you even listening?" They asked Diane a lot of questions and talked about the first night of the Festival among themselves. Diane tried to show that she cared.

"Did you see the way Lord Miller swept me around the dance floor?"

"Oh, please, Sonia . He stood on your foot at least twice that I saw!"

"He did not!"

"Who was the Lord you danced with, Highness? He seemed quite taken with you!"

"Who knows the fastest way through the Maze? Should we beat the men to the centre, or wait for them along the rows?"

"Or behind the trees."

"You're a scandal, Joyce!"

Keep going. The girls talked and poked fun at each other all the way through the Castle, down the stairs to the garden, and across the mowed lawn to the maze's entrance. All over the kingdom, young lords and soon-to-be kings and queens gathered in groups, pairs, and sometimes by themselves. They all moved together towards the tall hedges in the eastern garden, which were lit up by a silvery halo of moonlight on a perfect summer evening.

Diane shut her eyes and sighed for a moment. Then she felt that pull inside her again. It felt like something wrapped around her heart and pulled her tight, this time pulling her west. She quickly opened her eyes and turned, but no matter how she craned her neck or turned her head, she couldn't see the guy who was calling her.

She had never felt this way before. It was like...like her fate had shown up and put its fingers on the back of her neck. Though every time she turned, she didn't see a pair of sharp green eyes or broad shoulders. Instead, she saw familiar Lords or yard hedges. Her sadness was...not really in line with what she knew about the man.

What was going on with her? Did he put a spell on her?

She shook her head. No, she knew what magic felt like. Her mum was an Adept. This wasn't the strange urge she'd seen her mother use. With a determined sigh, she sped up her steps to tell her women to move faster. The faster she got through the maze, the faster she could find her Lion Lord and figure out what she liked so much about him.

*****

After twenty minutes, Diane made a right turn, yelled, "Oh for shitting's sake!" and then blinked once. For some reason, she still didn't think she had that one down. Being alone meant no one would hear her being so rude, so she looked over her shoulder.