King of Blades (Blades #2)

Chapter 2

Coulta felt completely recovered the next morning. A full day of sword duels had been as enjoyable as he'd expected, but it had also been exhausting. He hadn't used magic at all against his opponents, out of fairness because Rohan and Yvona didn't have magic. He still hadn't lost any of his duels, and only Rohan had come close to losing any of his.

The rest of the tournament wouldn't be as enjoyable for him, though. The second day was the archery contest over which Wildas had to watch with all of his spouses. At least Coulta was able to dress more comfortably than Wildas could, in black and silver velvet. The only disadvantage was that he got hot in the summer sun, despite the canopy over the platform where he sat beside Wildas. Servants brought food and drink frequently, but it didn't help the fact that the day was the warmest they'd had so far, despite it being the middle of summer. Both Anil and Myri had hand fans, but Anil eventually asked to return to her room with her lady-in-waiting, which Wildas was happy to allow.

"If people mutter about it, we'll make the formal announcement," Wildas told Coulta and Myri after Anil had left. "Normally it wouldn't be announced until next month, though."

"Why wait that long?" Coulta asked, curious.

"To make sure she doesn't lose the baby early," Myri explained. "It happens occasionally. Better to announce it when she's less likely to have a miscarriage."

The rest of the day consisted of watching the contestants shoot fifteen arrows each at targets that were positioned at varying distances and angles. A few entrants were much better than others and earned more attention from the spectators, but most only got mild applause for their efforts.

Coulta was thankful when the day's contest was over, and they were able to return to the castle for the evening.

"Did you notice anyone questioning Anil's absence with your improved hearing?" Myri asked as they walked back to the castle with Shelton, Rohan, and Yvona.

"Nothing truly serious," Wildas explained. "Just a few, 'oh I wonder where the queen went' comments that didn't progress into any false ideas."

"Why is court such a difficult place?" Myri questioned.

Shelton snorted behind them. "Because it's full of old fools who think they need to prevent things from happening that they don't want to happen. Because people like to believe they have real power, when really they have very little. The Grand King doesn't need to listen to them. He only listens to keep everyone happy. As long as he does what his aunts and uncles want, things aren't difficult. When he doesn't, he'll need to assert his power to keep the dogs at heel. It was like this when Deandre came to power. Whispers and grumbles from the court until he had both had an heir and proven himself worthy of their loyalty. It would be easier if we weren't being faced with impending war."

"Hopefully I prove myself to them soon," Wildas grumbled.

"It will get easier as your aunts and uncles retire and are replaced at court by your brothers and sisters," Shelton assured him. "And once you have an heir."

Coulta hoped, for all their sakes, that Anil's child would be a son. Wildas had enough to deal with without constant nagging on the part of his advisers, none of whom ever seemed to agree on anything, except that Wildas needed to be molded to their needs and not his own. At least, that's how it seemed to be to Coulta.

***

Anil had enjoyed watching Coulta fight the contestants on the first day of the tournament, but the archery hadn't been as interesting to watch, especially when she started to feel ill again. Watching the mounted contest was much more pleasant, aside from the fact that it was raining. They were dry under the canopy on the platform, but the air still felt damp. She didn't mind, though, because watching the Ryal warhorses doing what they had been trained for was so enjoyable to watch.