Of Legends and Roses by Ashley W. Slaughter

Author:Ashley W. Slaughter [Slaughter, Ashley W.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: ya fantasy, ya fantasy romance, fantasy romance, young adult fiction
Publisher: AWS Writing
Published: 2021-08-30T14:00:00+00:00

I paused for a second, quill hovering over the parchment. Was this too serious? I knew it was of course a serious matter, but I hadn’t spoken to King Theon or Queen Alys in such a long time. So, I decided to send along a bit more comradery. I’d arrange it with my advisors.

Please, accept this wine as a token of thanks and well wishes.

Warmest regards, Queen Rosemary Avelia of Lecevonia

There. Concise and direct.

I folded the parchment and sealed it with a dab of molten wax, pressing Lecevonia’s coat of arms into the yielding blue drop.

After handing off my letter to my advisors, I turned to Zeke and smiled. “Ready to continue my lessons?”

From my entourage of guards, Amos exclaimed, “Ah! So, it’s true! We heard that the queen was learning self-defense.” He side-eyed me with an approving wink.

I laughed. Amos was definitely my favorite. “I’m sure you and Thomas can show me how it’s done, as well,” I promised, returning his wink.

We made our way to the Great Hall, the rest of my guards arguing over which moves were most important for a beginning swordsman. When we entered the open room, the clamor of a hundred voices took me by surprise. I then guessed that, as Celeste always said, word had, very effectively, traveled.

Gryffin was already there, lunging at the empty air with his sword. He smiled widely and bowed as we approached. “Perfect!” he exclaimed, striding toward us. “I was hoping that my opponent would show soon.” But he was eyeing Zeke, and I was suddenly sure that Gryffin had not been talking about me.

Gryffin took my hand in his and brought it to his lips. “Mmm,” he murmured, and his eyes shifted upward to glance at me. “Good morning, Rosemary.”

I felt a flirtatious smile spread across my face. “Good morning, Gryffin.”

But he didn’t stop after his initial kiss. The tip of his nose brushed my skin as he planted his lips lightly and quickly several more times, up to my wrist, before releasing my hand. Goosebumps had involuntarily risen on my arms, and I was grateful for the convenient sleeves of the tunic.

Despite my internal fluster, I managed a bright laugh and clapped my hands together in front of me. “What’s your lesson plan for today?”

“Well,” he began, wrapping his arm lightly around my waist and leading me forward, “I suppose we should review the stances we practiced yesterday. Then perhaps, very slowly, we could begin practicing a bit of one-on-one combat?” He ended his sentence as if it were a question. He was leaving it up to me.

Though the thought initially terrified me, I steeled myself. My father, and every ruler before him, knew how to defend himself with a sword. Why should I be an exception?

But before I could answer, Zeke interjected with a brazen snort.

“Of course she should practice one-on-one combat. She can’t be left to defend herself with only theory.”

Gryffin turned his head to face Zeke, a mischievous smile on his lips. “Maybe a few more examples before then?”

Zeke narrowed his eyes combatively.

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