It wasn’t until Sodaren had switched the singers a third time, complaining that it was past their bedtime, and that they needed to keep their throats rested, especially with threats like what they had seen today, that Gryshen allowed herself to be pulled away.
They had danced every single dance together, her and Coss, and the two pods were humming about it. She could hear the chatter on the way out of the feast room, in the cavern corridors, even from a pair of barely older leens beside her at the air chamber. They signaled so quietly, they must have thought she couldn’t hear.
“Looks like we’ll be getting a new king before long. The princess makes quick enough time.”
She knew the pair, sisters Helda and Velda. There wasn’t much that their dark eyes missed. Gryshen placed a hand over her heart, as if it would hide this one thing, protect this connection she shared with the prince. This wasn’t for prying eyes or chatty sisters. This was for her and Coss alone.
Chapter 6
“Princess, a word?” Bravis’s tone was difficult to read. Gryshen considered what he might want as she held up a hand to let him know she was nearly finished. She took one last draw of oxygen, but it barely tempered her nerves. The billows of silver hair couldn’t hide the two pairs of eyes that kept making furtive glances her way.
No one needs that much oxygen, she thought to herself, as the leens remained in position while she joined Bravis.
“This way, please.”
She followed, knowing why he swam farther than would normally be necessary from the air chamber. Once they were safely out of range of the sister’s hearing, he still signaled quietly. “Princess, I—”
“Bravis, no one can hear you. You’ve made sure of it. Please, you know it makes me uncomfortable to be called by my title.”
“I needed to get you far away in order to maintain discretion.”
“We’re discreet. What is it?”
“I would like to begin by offering something for your consideration, Princess,” he began, with an edge of coldness that was unlike him, “If I may—”
“Speak plainly, Bravis. No one can hear you.”
“If only you would, Gryshen!” He seemed to have startled himself. He took a quick pause, steadying himself in the water. “It appears that you are getting carried away into something. It appears to most. And your father—”
“Basically gave us every blessing.” Now her arms were folded tightly. Encouraging her to take Coss for a ride was the same as a blessing, right?
Didn’t Bravis want to be free from obligations? Losing her father seemed inevitable. The heavy crown, inevitable.
At least if she was with Coss, she could feel some kind of power in her life, some measure of control in all that was uncontrollable.
Bravis closed his eyes for a moment. Gryshen felt a twinge of something she was not going to pay attention to.
“Your father, being the wise leader that he is, looks out for the good of his kingdom. He strives to unite and comfort. He recognizes an opportunity here, but—”
“Are you saying my father isn’t looking out for me? Are you accusing my dad of being opportunistic with me?” Gryshen thrust her face in his. She’d never been close to him like this, the waters muddying between their eyes.
“Will you stop interrupting me? What are you so defensive about?”
She pulled back a few paces.
“Gryshen, when have I ever questioned your father’s heart? Ever?”
She couldn’t help but notice a wounded expression in his usually composed gaze.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that. It’s just that it’s none of your business.” She straightened her back in her best authoritative impression.
“But it is my business, Gryshen. Your father asked me to be his eyes and ears with the pod when I took this position, and this situation is what the pod is discussing at the moment.”
“Let them. Who cares what they think of my love life?” She couldn’t believe she had just used those words.
Apparently, Bravis could. “You need to care. You will be their leader, and they must respect your judgment. Gryshen, there was talk of a Rakor prince in the tribe’s counsel!”
“What, Helda and Velda are your sources now?” she scoffed.
“Go ahead and mock, but those two are almost always an accurate gauge for the feelings of the pod. They’re just a bit more . . . vocal.” A tiny hint of a smile threatened to creep up on his face.
It started to threaten Gryshen’s, too. “Those harpies,” she sighed. “But Bravis—can we keep something between us? As in, you won’t tell Father? Not until I’m ready to?”
Bravis said nothing. She went ahead just the same.
“Bravis, he is different. I think he loves me. Even Dad seems on board now. Wouldn’t this be a good thing for everybody? We could deal with that father of his together. He’d be on our side!”
“Do you love him?” It seemed to be the only word that had caught him.
“Yes.” And there it was. Her cheeks filled with dark blood, but she didn’t care. She was free of secrets now, too.
Bravis floated, perfectly still.
She narrowed her eyes at him. Why did everyone question her ability to judge character? If he spent a minute with Coss, instead of robotically assisting her father, he would see what he was made of, just how special he was.
“I know what I’m doing. Really. Truly.”
Bravis considered her for a minute. “Gryshen, it doesn’t have to be me.”
Gryshen was silenced.
Bravis’s signal carried something with it she couldn’t decipher. “But it cannot be him.” Bravis handed her his lantern and swam into the dark.
“I wondered where you were, I thought that maybe you, well . . .” The voice that lit everything up inside her signaled from behind. Coss pulled up wearing an anxious expression.
Gryshen looked at him, waiting for him to say more.
“I kept hearing whispers. I know what people think of my father. I know what they think of me.”
“Then you must be extremely arrogant, because those leens in there—”
Coss grinned. “No, I mean, your pod is suspicious.”
“Not of you. Not after how you protected me.” She couldn’t help it—she kept swimming closer to his face. Or was it he to her?
“But your father—”
“Doesn’t hate you.” She smiled. “He’s protective, but he trusts my judgment.”
“Your judgment? And how do I measure up? How do you find me?”
Just as he was getting the words out, her face was pressed against his. No telling who moved there first, but with her new freedom came a wild courage. She would kiss him and kiss him, and she didn’t care.
A sharp whistle emerged, and Gryshen pulled away to see maybe the one iloray who could muddy her spirits. Had Morfal been waiting for a while, or had he just come upon them? Time was so tangled with this lax. But there was his father, and if it wasn’t clear from the tone of his interruption, it was certainly clear from the look on his face that he wasn’t planning a binding for them anytime soon.