Chapter 24

**"AYE**, and then he said, how pretty my yellow hair looked,” Aster said, nearly doubling over.

“So, he thought you were someone else all along?” Maple gasped.

“Aye—I set him straight!” Aster said, eyes twinkling.

I grinned. It was hard to imagine a male courting the lovely Aster, especially one who mistook her raven-colored locks for golden ones.

“He was intoxicated, wasn’t he?” Arden asked.

Aster winked at him. “Indeed, he was. He never trifled with me after that, nor did any of his friends!”

“What a relief,” Aiden said dryly, “To be free from courtship.”

“Indeed,” Aster sighed, a slight grin falling onto her lips.

“But you truly never wished to marry?” Maple asked. I glanced at her sharply.

Aster shook her head dismissively, but Terran interrupted. “That’s enough talk now, let’s stop and train for a while.”

I was paired up with Pecan, who, whenever I sparred with him, beat me. But I was getting better.

“We’re partners again, Princess,” he said, lifting his sword. I nodded, doing the same with mine.

We’d switched partners in a while, and I was opposite Arden. He was far ahead of me in swordplay, like his twin. In fact, Arden was better than Aiden—though Aiden, of course, would never admit it.

Finally, we stopped to take a break, drinking from a nearby stream and eating the food we’d found.

“You need work, girl,” Terran grumbled, watching Maple pointedly.

Maple blushed. “Yes, sir.”

Terran grunted. He’d taken to personally overseeing Maple’s training after claiming how weak she was.

Aster stood up, stretching her shoulders. “I’m going to take a small walk, I’ll be back in a moment.”

We sat, eating and talking, until a shout shattered the stillness.

I jumped up, grabbing my sword as we ran in the direction of the shout. We found Aster, standing over a soldier—silver armor shining.

She grabbed her sword as well, putting it to his throat, but as we watched more soldiers emerged from the trees.

“The Queen will be pleased with this lot,” one of them said, hefting his sword grimly.

“I don’t think she will,” Pecan muttered.

In unison, they leaped at us. Swords clanged around the meadow as we met, and I found myself face-to-face with a soldier.

He looked so young, not older than me at all. Only a boy. Still, his face contorted, and he aimed at my side.

I could see right away that he hadn’t been trained for long. His blows were sloppy, his limbs uncoordinated. So were mine, though.

Still, I managed to dodge and whirl, my arm flying around to pierce his neck.

I drew back, staring as he fell to the ground. He moaned painfully as blood gushed out of his wound, the same blood coating the silver of my blade.

The light winked out of his eyes.

I felt everything around me go silent, the blood roaring in my ears. I’d killed him —

Loud shouts.

I turned slowly. Branches had wrapped around the soldiers, stopping their movements. They squirmed in the branches, but they couldn’t move.

The rebels were looking at me.

I felt the Forest humming, and I knew. I’d done this. I’d trapped all of them.

I looked at Aiden. He gave me a sharp nod before turning to the soldiers. “Drop your swords!”

They did so, all now looking terrified. Arden walked around them, gathering their swords.

Terran stepped forward, hands clasped behind his back. He barely looked wounded, only a few beads of sweat trickling from his brow. “If you tell us all you know, we might spare your lives!”

I was going to be sick.

One of them sobbed. “We don’t know anything, please sir!”

My fingers curled into fists as Terran glared at them. “What is the Queen planning?”

“We don’t know!” Another begged.

“They’re ordinary guards, Terran, they don’t know anything. Just kill them,” Aster said grimly.

Kill them? In cold blood?

They glanced at me—waiting, I realized, to let them die. I blinked at them, my eyes shooting to the twins.

Aiden stepped forward, grabbing his sword. He stepped towards a soldier, one who looked dangerously close to passing out. “I’ll make it quick.”

I closed my eyes as I heard the sword going in, the soldier’s scream. I heard the grass rustle around me, and I knew the others were doing the same, judging by the shouts that went around.

The last shout died out, and I opened my eyes.

Bodies—bloody, bloody bodies—

I turned and ran out of the area, leaning over a large root some distance away from there. Bile rushed up my throat as I retched, closing my eyes. I could still see their bodies, tied up to those trees.

“Calm down, girl.” I knew the voice—Aster, her hand rubbing my back firmly. Finally, my stomach calmed, and I straightened.

Aster handed me water from a container. I drank, taking long swigs, trying to remove the taste of vomit.

“Fine now?” Aster asked, watching me carefully. I nodded, not quite trusting myself to speak. “Let’s go back.”

We walked towards the others, Aster leading the way. My cheeks flushed—Nalvia, I was the future Queen to them, and I’d run off like a child. Aster glanced back at me, lips pursing.

“You’re not the first one to be sick, the first time you see an elf die, you know,” she said dryly.

It wasn’t just that. I’d seen my sisters’ dead bodies—but not like those bloody ones. They’d been practically unharmed. And—it was the first time I’d killed an elf.

Still, I gave Aster a grateful nod. She didn’t say anything more as we reached the place we’d been, before the attack. Only Terran and Pecan were there, conversing silently.

Both gave me gentle nods as we entered—no sign of disdain.

“Where are the others?” I asked softly.

Terran gestured at the trees behind them. I stepped towards him, first. “Are we safe?”

He gave me a nod. “We believe they were a small scouting party. It was just bad luck.”

“Still, we should move,” I said. He nodded. “I’ll get the others.”

I walked past him, weaving through the trees, seeing them in the distance. Aiden spotted me first.

He’d washed his hands—they were fresh, blood no longer staining them. Still, now I knew he killed. He wasn’t just the rebel boy—he was a rebel fighter.

I gave him a nod as I entered, glancing around. Arden sat on the ground, eyes shut and back against a tall tree near his brother.

Maple sat on her knees in front of the stream, watching her rippling reflection. I walked over and crouched beside her, meeting her eyes in the water.

“I nearly died,” she said quietly. I waited. “I would have, had Arden not killed the soldier. I need more training—I need to not be so useless.”

“You aren’t,” I said, putting a hand over hers. “You weren’t for me.”

Her lips twisted. “And I betrayed you,” she said, her voice bitter. Her eyes glanced away from mine in the water.

“I understand why you did that. I can’t be angry with you,” I said.

She sighed heavily, pushing to her feet. “I suppose we have to go on.”

I nodded, standing up as well. “Yes. Come on.”

Arden opened his eyes and took Aiden’s arm, pulling himself upright. His eyes met mine. “The first time I killed,” he said quietly, “Is a moment I have never forgotten.”

I gave him a grateful nod. I knew the twins would understand how I felt. “I didn’t know his name,” Aiden said roughly, scratching the back of his neck, “But I dreamed about it.”

Aiden’s eyes fluttered up, meeting mine resolutely. “But it was necessary.”

“Thank you,” I whispered.

“Come,” Arden said. We turned and walked back to the others, who had packed up. We took our packs.

“Let’s go,” Terran said, leading the group away.