The Princess and the Guard (Book 1)

Twelve

Odette walked gracefully up the stairs toward the observation booth. Her spirits were much lighter than they were yesterday. It had been almost a week since Dr. Violet had begun development of her serum. A week of giving them to Juliette in small doses and monitoring her results.

So far, so good.

Odette felt like finally, finally, she was moving in the right direction, making notable progress as queen. With each step she took, she ticked off an item. Her soldier serum was well underway, showing signs of success, her country's infrastructure was growing stronger by the day, she was on the very of establishing trading routes with the rest of the world.

The list went on, but she ran out of stairs.

"This way, Your Majesty."

Odette walked to the edge of the balcony, wrapping her hands around the banister and scanning the crowd of guards-in-training below. There were so many of them. It sent a wave of relief through her mind, seeing just how many there were. What with all the insurrection reports, she'd been uncharacteristically anxious about her safety.

"As you can see, Your Majesty, the new training methods we've implemented per your order are already making changes in the upkeep of our current guards, as well as improving the stamina of the new trainees," Aaryn, the head of the training program there at the palace, said proudly. "It's only been two weeks and already our averages are soaring. The striplings are already running as fast at the medians, and the medians are almost able to lift the same amount of weight as the seniors."

Odette had to remember which group was which. She was pretty sure the striplings were the ten to thirteen-year-olds, the medians were the fourteen to sixteen-year-olds, and the seniors were the seventeen to eighteen-year-olds. She'd never spent much time learning of the training ranks in the guard, and only now was she wishing she had.

"Of course, we still have a long way to go. Many of them are reaching fatigue faster than we're used to."

Odette shifted her lips. "Is that normal?"

"Oh very. Any time one's physical limits are pushed, you reach your breaking point much sooner than you otherwise would have."

Breaking point. The words made Odette's chest swell. She wanted—no, needed—to break them. These boys were mere children today, but they would be the ones holding her country together.

All at her call. Her order.

"But then their overall strength limits are increasing," Aaryn continued. "In the long run, it's excellent."

"And these are being applied to my military training camps throughout the country as well, yes?" she asked, turning partially around. Having at least a strong foundation would hopefully help bolster the intended effects of her soldier serum.

"Yes, of course, Your Majesty. From what I understand, perhaps even more strictly."

Odette dipped her head in a single nod, not sure yet whether to be impressed. Or, rather, not sure yet whether she wanted to show she was impressed.

"Do any additional changes come to mind?" Aaryn asked, glancing down at the tablet in his hand. "The curriculum is still new, so it will be quite simple to add or eliminate whatever you wish."

Odette thought about it, her eyes continuously scanning the room, so big she couldn't look at everything at once. Most of the trainees were quiet, save for grunting and panting. It was the trainers whose voices filled the massive hall, echoing off the stone walls. "Nothing that I can think of, at the moment."

Odette swept her eyes over the guards training beneath her. She liked watching them. Liked seeing what kind of men they were turning into.

"Nice job, Noah," one of the trainers called, his voice rising above the roar of hundreds of others.

Odette snapped her gaze toward the voice, just as one of the older boys jogged over and smacked his trainer's hand in a high-five.

Odette missed what he did to earn praise, but the name stuck out to her. Noah.

Noah turned, sagging against the wall. Recognition hit her and the smile dropped from her face. He was the guard from the hallway, the one Juliette had tried to protect.

"That boy down there, who is he? Is his family here?" Odette asked, tilting her head and trying to see what Juliette saw in him. He certainly wasn't unattractive, just not the type of man Odette would have focused in on. Not when there were so many others to choose from.

Aaryn stepped forward and Odette pointed to Noah again.

"Ah, that's Noah Ryder, Your Majesty. His parents passed away during a quake when he was two, and his brother, Philip Ryder, is also a guard. Noah turned seventeen about two months ago, and he's always been one of our top trainees. He graduated early and was been working as a junior guard for about two years."

Odette hummed to herself. "Is he still a junior guard?"

"No, Your Majesty. He was promoted last month and has been on Princess Juliette's personal guard. Given that he's only seventeen, he will continue with this level of training until he turns twenty-two."

Odette knew that, but she didn't comment on it. Him being on Juliette's guard explained her infatuation. She only had a handful of them to choose from, whereas Odette had the entire palace. "I want him watched," she said instead. "He's been spending a lot of his time with the princess, and if he slackens off even the smallest bit, I want him punished for it. He shouldn't be spending so much time with her in casual conversation, and vice versa."

"Yes, of course. I can speak with him if you wish."

"No. I'd like to see what comes of it on its own."

Odette kept her eyes trained on Noah, glad that the trainers were adhering to the new training methods she'd implemented. Watching the way the boys' strength visibly waned toward the end of the session was satisfying. Breaking point. She involuntarily sought out Noah again, watching with satisfaction as he leaned back against one of the walls again after another round and sank to the ground. Even from this far away she could see how fast he was breathing.

Someone tossed him a water bottle that he caught, downing almost the entire thing in a single gulp. He recapped it and then hurled it at one of the boys in his group.

Odette bristled, thinking she was about to witness a fight, but the other boy broke out into a laugh, and he threw it right back.

"Do they think this is playtime?" she hissed under her breath, her cheeks warming. She wished there was something handy she could throw down at them to get their attention.

Noah leaned his head back on the wall, heaving a tired sigh.

Odette was just about to bring his lack of consideration to Aaryn's attention when Noah's eyes flickered up, catching Odette watching him.

Odette smirked, the corner of her mouth tilting in a smug grin. I'm watching you, boy. If you step one toe out of line, I will take great pleasure in inflicting as much punishment as I need.

Instead of standing up to bow or even dipping his head, as she would have expected, he shot her a half-hearted, two-fingered salute that hardly looked genuine. If anything, it looked like he was mocking her.

The smile dropped from Odette's face, only to appear on Noah's.