Glass Princess

Chapter 2

Chapter Two

“Use your sword, Dell, not your body!” King Alexandre rubbed his side where Dell had rammed him.

Dell stopped. “Shouldn’t I use anything that will help me win?”

“Of course. But in most fights that’s going to be the blade you have in your hands.”

“Unless I’m awful with the blade.”

Alex grinned. “Unless that. Take it from someone who knows, you don’t want to be awful with the blade.”

Dell groaned. He was a boxer, a brawler, not a swordsman. “Why are we doing this again?”

“Why indeed.” Etta clapped from her position at the side of a large oak that had shielded her from their view.

“Here we go,” Alex grumbled. “Aren’t you supposed to have meetings all morning?”

“Still no word from Ty, so Matteo and I postponed a few until tomorrow.” She turned to Dell. “Did you know, Mr. Tenyson, that you have the great pleasure of being trained by Alexandre Durand, worst swordsman in Bela.”

Alex shook his head. “I’ve trained for years to get rid of the title and she won’t let me.”

Etta walked toward him and patted the side of his face. “He’s lucky he has a wife who can protect him.”

Alex trapped her hand against his cheek. “Very lucky.”

She grinned and kissed him before disarming him and shoving him away. Picking up his discarded sword, she passed it between her hands.

Dell backed away as she advanced.

“Sword up,” she commanded. “Stop staring at the blade. It can attack from any direction before you get the chance to react. Watch my feet and my body position. They will give you warning.”

She shifted her feet forward and lunged. Dell only had enough time to block the attack before she made her next move. He ducked out of the way, almost falling to the ground.

Dell had never considered himself unskilled and had even done okay against Alex, but Etta moved with the stealth of a cat while using the strength of a boar.

She peppered him with attacks before finally stepping back and wiping sweat from her brow. “I never feel right if a day goes by where I don’t hold a sword in my hand.”

Dell chuckled. “Bet that works great as the queen of a peaceful kingdom.”

Etta’s smile spread across her face. “I like you, Dell. Come. You and I need to have a talk.”

He looked to Alex, but the king only shrugged.

Etta started down the forest path without glancing back to make sure he was coming.

“I don’t have much time.” She pushed open the palace door. “But we can’t go on as we have been.”

He followed her inside. “I don’t know what you mean.”

“Sit.” She pointed to the table on her way into the kitchen. When she returned, she carried two mugs brimming with ale.

“Thanks.” He chuckled.

“What’s so funny?”

“I may have been fathered by a powerful man, but I basically raised myself on the city streets. Now I’m having an ale with a foreign queen.”

“And protecting a princess.” She raised an eyebrow.

He took a long drink, avoiding her gaze. As much as he tried to help Helena, the princess wouldn’t let him. It was as if she’d forgotten everything that happened before the rebellion. He no longer existed for her.

“Look, Dell…” Etta sighed. “Bela has been through a lot, lost a lot. So, I know the toll it takes. It hasn’t been easy rebuilding our kingdom, but this peace is our reward. I lived most of my life beholden to others, but more importantly, beholden to my own secrets. I recognize the signs. I have tried everything I can think of to get my Edmund back. There was a time when he saved me, kept me sane. When he chose to become our ambassador to Madra, I felt every moment of his absence. But it’s as if he’s still gone. He returned to us, but part of him is still across the sea.”

Dell almost told her. Of Estevan and his relationship with Edmund. Of everything Edmund had done to prevent the rebellion.

But those weren’t his secrets to tell.

“I’m sorry, your Majesty. I can’t help you. Just… don’t give up on him. Edmund is the only reason I’m sitting here today. He’s the reason Helena and Kassander made it out of Madra. I’ve never met anyone like him… but the sacrifices he had to make…” Dell shook his head. “I know what it’s like to watch someone you care about lose bits of themselves.”

Etta put a hand on Dell’s arm. “Then I’ll tell you the same thing. Don’t give up on her. She’ll come back to you.” She drained the rest of her ale and stood. “I must attend to a few things. Thank you for this.”

Before she made it to the door, a frazzled Matteo rushed in, his blonde hair disheveled from the wind and his cheeks rosy from the cold. “Tyson has returned.”

“About time.” Etta followed him to the throne room.

Dell joined them as the young man burst through the door and rushed to his sister, throwing his arms around her.

Was nothing formal in Bela?

Helena appeared at Dell’s side. “I was with Aron when they rode through the valley. For a moment, I thought it was Quinn.”

“I’m sorry.” Dell gripped her hand. She stiffened but didn’t pull away.

Alexandre appeared and reached Tyson is three long strides. “You were supposed to return two days ago.”

“You know mother.” He grinned. “She wanted to fatten me up.”

Dell would never wrap his head around the dynamics between Bela and Gaule. Alex and Tyson were the sons of the Gaulean queen but had different fathers. Tyson shared a father with Etta who married Alex. And then there was Camille who was still in Madra and the sister to both princes.

Alex’s smile dropped. “You went to see her, didn’t you?”

Dell had spent most of his time either following Helena to the lookout post or among the people of Bela. It was there he learned everything he needed to know about the family they now relied on for protection.

The young prince Tyson was in love with a girl who’d only ever been his friend. Once Dracon suffered defeat, the girl returned to Gaule to run her family’s estate.

Tyson studied the ground. “Amalie wasn’t at her estate. I tried, but…”

Alex put a hand on his shoulder. “I’m sorry, brother. What word do you have from Gaule? Does mother know of the happenings in Madra?”

A guilty expression flashed across his face. “She knows of the takeover. The new king has reached out to her and assured Camille’s safety and the continuation of the treaty. Mother intends to honor it.”

A stream of curses flitted through Dell’s mind, but he didn’t voice a single one as Helena squeezed his hand, the first sign she wanted his support.

The only hope they had of a peaceful resolution to this problem was if the other kingdoms put pressure on Madra. Gaule was the key to that.

“It’s happening again,” Edmund said. When had he arrived?

“No.” Etta’s braid slapped her shoulder as she shook her head. “We can trust Queen Catrine.”

“Can we?”

“Watch it,” Alex growled.

Edmund held his hands in front of his chest. “Look, I don’t mean to say Catrine is against magic-folk in the way your father was. But you have to see the signs. Non-magic kingdoms allying in fear of us? If Cana or Andes joins the alliance…”

“Cana will never ally themselves with anyone.” To Dell’s surprise, it was Helena who spoke up.

“We can’t know that,” Matteo chimed in.

“Actually, I’m the one person in this room who probably does. You say your friend is in Cana?”

“Ara,” Etta confirmed.

Helena continued. “That doesn’t mean you know anything about it. Most of the kingdoms live in blissful ignorance of what goes on beyond those borders because foreigners rarely make it out.” She breathed deeply. “Cana has no loyalty to one king or queen. They are separated into clans who are too busy fighting one another to worry about other kingdoms. You should certainly fear the individual Canaans with their assassin’s skill, but don’t worry about them signing any treaties.”

“How do you know all that?” Dell asked.

“It’s not important.”

Etta eyed her curiously. “Okay then. We need to maintain a close watch of Gaule and Madra. We have another matter of import.” She nodded to Tyson.

Tyson pulled out an unsealed letter. “They allowed Camille to write to my mother.” He held it toward Helena.

Helena snatched the paper, unfolding it rapidly. Dell read over her shoulder, his eyes only catching parts of it.

…

honor the treaty, mother. It’s the only way to ensure peace with Madra. The new king is an honorable man.

That didn’t sound like the princess at all, at least the Camille he’d met. “She didn’t write this.”

Most of the letter meant nothing to him until he came upon the words he knew would break Helena in two.

Prince Estevan died in his cell three days ago of illness. Cole was going to let his brother live.

The paper fell from her fingers, fluttering to the floor as tears cascaded down her face.

Dell tried to pull her to him, but she put up a hand to stop the movement.

“You could fix this.” Helena’s voice was so quiet, Dell wasn’t sure anyone else heard her until they all stopped. She lifted her eyes to scan the room, finally settling them on the queen. “Madra would be no match against Bela.”

“No,” Etta cut her off.

“But your magic—”

“I said no.”

“You won’t help? You’ll let me sit here idly for what… the rest of my life?” Helena straightened her spine, sending the queen a scathing look. “Madra is mine. Not Cole’s. Mine. My father is dead. They murdered my mother as I hid. I’m not hiding anymore. I am now the heir to the Madran throne.”

“We can’t.” Remorse mixed with stubbornness filled Etta’s eyes. “We have a responsibility as magic-wielders not to use our magic to overrun other kingdoms. We aren’t tyrants.”

“They. Killed. My. Brother.”

Edmund dropped to the ground at the words, needing to see the letter for himself. A strangled cry escaped his lips.

They’d all assumed Estevan wouldn’t live much longer, but the confirmation brought every emotion they’d hidden since the rebellion crashing into the room.

Edmund held the letter to his chest for a moment before ripping it in two, standing, and stalking from the room.

Etta and Alex’s gazes both followed him.

“Oh.” Understanding lit in Etta’s eyes.

“Len,” Dell whispered.

She shook her head, stumbling back until she reached the door. Dell didn’t follow her as she disappeared.

“I wish we could help them.” Etta leaned into Alex.

“Would it really be so bad?” Tyson asked. “We can’t let Camille marry a usurper.”

“Ty.” Alex fixed him with a stare. “If Bela marches into kingdoms to fix them or use the magic to subdue them, it sets expectations. Etta won’t live forever. We won’t begin down the road of dictatorship. That was how La Dame became so powerful. Magic cannot be used against non-magical folk. It isn’t right.”

Tyson sighed. “Sometimes, I wish you guys didn’t always do the right thing. I want to march into Madra and gut the king who killed Edmund’s boyfriend.”

Alex reeled back in shock. Matteo turned away.

Tyson looked between them. “You guys didn’t know?”

“You did?” Etta asked.

“From the first time I saw him. I know Edmund almost as well as I know myself. He loved the prince.”

Alex cursed. “I need to go find him.”

Dell blocked the door. “Your Majesty, the only person on this earth right now that Helena will let in is Edmund. Let them be there for each other. Just for right now.”

Alex looked as if he’d protest.

“He’s right,” Etta said. “If Edmund wanted us to help him, he’d have let us. That girl means as much to him now as you or I.”

Alex’s shoulders dropped.

Dell left them in the throne room to find some solace of his own. Estevan’s confident face flashed through his mind. Dell went against his family and joined Edmund because Edmund was so sure Estevan would do great things for Madra.

He’d been the hope for many people.

And now, like a candle in the night, he’d been extinguished, and all Dell could see of Madra’s future was darkness.