“Yes, Commander.” I guess that thirty seconds of bonding was all we were going to get. She looked like she was about to put me through Hades.
“Calston!” Regina called someone away from a group of other warriors that he’d been talking to.
A tall man a few winters older than me with broad shoulders and sandy-blond hair approached us. He wore his hair in the same style as the king, the sides shaved and a long braid down the back. The designation of a warrior of high ranking.
He stood at stiff attention before Regina. “Yes, Commander?”
“Can you show Lady Arwen to the armory, and then bring her to the pup training field? I need to get down there.”
Pup training field? That was what they called us?
He nodded to her and she left.
He then turned and faced me. “Lady Arwen.” He bowed.
It was weird to be bowed to and to be called a lady, but I guessed it was protocol now that the king had outed me as a highborn.
“Er, Calston?” I curtsied and he grinned, causing me to be taken aback by his handsomeness. There was a deep dimple in his right cheek.
“You don’t curtsy to me, I’m not a highborn,” he told me. “And now that you are in the king’s Royal Guard, you only have to bow your head to him briefly.”
I swallowed hard, my cheeks reddening. “Noted. I’m not really a highborn either. I mean, I guess by blood, but I grew up in Cinder Village.”
He smiled easily at me, flashing bright white straight teeth. “I’m from a tiny village outside Grim Hollow, and my friends call me Cal.”
“Cal.” I nodded.
He reached out and touched the small of my back, leading me away from the busy crowd and to a side door. After opening the door for me and waiting until I walked through it first, he met me in the silent hallway.
“Be honest,” he asked me as we walked down the corridor and past the library. “How awkward was that for you back there at the ceremony in front of everyone?”
I laughed, instantly liking his realness. “So awkward. Regina didn’t warn me that there would be that many people.”
“She likes to see the new pups squirm.”
“How long will I be called a pup?” I grumbled.
He chuckled. “Until you’ve seen your first battle.”
I puffed my chest up. “I’ve killed a Nightfall warrior while riding on the dragon king’s back.”
He gave me a side look that indicated he was impressed.
“I heard. Wait until you’ve killed a dozen of the enemy in the span of a few minutes. Then we will no longer call you a pup.”
A dozen? The thought made me sick, but I was a member of the Royal Guard now so I’d have to get used to it.
Kill or be killed.
I nodded and he opened a door at the end of the hall, stepping outside. We crossed the courtyard to another building and then stood before two giant iron doors.
“Thad!” Cal pounded on the door and it opened, revealing a short man with a giant belly who was holding five wooden swords.
“Training swords?” Thad asked.
Cal nodded, plucking one of them off of the pile and handing it to me, then taking the others to bring them to the training field.
It was heavier than I expected but not as heavy as the king’s blade. I didn’t want a little weak training sword, especially not after the king said I needed a proper sword and bow and arrow, but I kept my mouth shut.
“Have there even been any other women in the Royal Guard?” I asked as we walked across the green rolling lawn.
Cal gave me a serious look. “No, lady. Just you and Regina.”
I hoped that wouldn’t be a thing… I wanted to be accepted like any of the rest of them. I was a good hunter, and I was sure I’d make a great fighter given some proper training.
“You must have great power for the king to have asked you into the Royal Guard,” Cal said, and I suddenly grew quiet, holding the sword awkwardly as we continued our trek.
“I guess,” I mumbled.
Cal stopped and faced me, which caused me to stop as well and meet his blue eyes. “The king doesn’t allow women in the Royal Guard unless they are so powerful he fears not having them close.”
I swallowed hard, because it sounded like a warning. “Is Regina powerful, then?” I tried to steer the conversation away from me.
He chuckled. “She’s got the most power out of all of us. She could burn a tall building with one breath if she desired.”
She could breathe fire that large? That was incredible.