A Guardian's Fate (Book #2)

Chapter Seven

Nearly a week had passed.

They were a few days away from docking in Aristol.

In the days that had gone, Henry had spent his time sharpening the iron heads of his arrows, flicking his coin, and watching his cousin struggle to get herself comfortable whenever sea sickness kept rushing back to her in spurts.

Currently, however, Ivy was on her back, indulging herself in some sort of book, while Henry paced back and forth on the deck. He kept darting his eyes from her to the crew members who were tidying the ship.

After a few more minutes of this, Henry's patience finally waned.

"What are you reading?" Henry finally asked Ivy, halting nearby and leaning against the railing.

Ivy glanced up at him. Her tan skin had drastically paled the moment they set foot on this ship. He figured she wouldn't be regaining the usual rosiness on her cheeks until they were on land again and her stomach was completely settled.

Nonetheless, she smiled. "The history of Aristol's past rulers. I find it fascinating that although queens are far more powerful and far more loved than kings, there's actually been more kings. However, you won't find much about them."

Then she scrambled to her feet and stood beside him, her attention never leaving the faded pages. "Here's a fun fact: Queen Lisbeth, who ruled from years thirteen hundred and seventy-eight to fourteen hundred and three, was rumored to have had four different lovers after the passing of her husband."

Henry could hardly care about these "facts." But for his cousin's sake, and partly for the sake of his own boredom, he humored her. "I see. She did not want to be lonely?"

Ivy smirked up at him. "That wasn't the fun part."

"What is it, then?"

"They were all women." Ivy flipped the page and sighed dreamily. "Yet another reason I often wish I were born and raised in Aristol instead. There is no discriminations against who you love and marry."

Henry folded his arms across his chest and shook his head solemnly. "That is not entirely true, Ivy." He turned away from her and stared out at the miles of water surrounding them. "A queen will still need to wed a man in order to produce an heir."

"That does not mean she cannot have fun after having an heir or if her husband passes."

"When you say it that way, it sounds morbid."

Ivy grinned and continued reading in silence. Henry leaned forward and took a deep breath.

"I can't believe we left," he whispered. "If I'm ever discovered, Victor might have me locked up in the tower for the rest of my days."

"He will never find you," Ivy stated, and he didn't miss the sharpness in her tone. He blinked and looked at her, yet she was smiling sweetly. "I promise you he won't."

Henry took a deep breath and closed his eyes, focusing on the sounds of the waves, the footsteps of crew members walking behind him, and the occasional laughter from below the deck. And it was the feeling of Ivy's hand on his arm that yanked him from this moment. He questioningly eyed her again, and she offered him another smile—a softer and more hopeful kind of smile that eased the tension in his chest.

"Could you do me a favor?" she asked.

He nodded.

"Should anything happen to us..." She paused and shifted her gaze to the open sea. "Should we get captured, I want you to just run. I will do what I have to let you get away, and I don't want you worrying about me."