How Far

Chapter 6

It was raining the next morning, and Guy's plans to work out in the garden were spoiled. Waving a long blade of metal in the air during a lightning storm probably wasn't the best idea.

He was still getting used to having the run of the palace. He was a guest, technically, but he was also betrothed to the princess. In a few weeks, this would be his home. Everything here was at his disposal. It would take some time for him to remember that and feel comfortable taking advantage of all the facilities.

Such as the gymnasium.

Natalia was already there when he arrived. She had tied a scarf over her hair and was wearing a sleeveless top with a short pleated skirt, well-suited for easy, unrestricted movement. A quiver of arrows was slung over her shoulder, and across the room, four targets were set up in a neat row. The centers of the first two targets were packed with arrows, and the third was well on its way to matching them.

Guy kept quiet so he wouldn't distract her. Setting his sword on the ground, he began stretching, his feet planted apart and his eyes on her at all times.

As she moved her aim to the fourth target, she changed her stance. If previously she had been working on accuracy, she used this last chance to focus on pure speed. Each arrow whipped through the air and hit the center of the target so fast he could barely follow it. The cluster of arrows building in the center was almost as densely packed as the other three. She never missed.

And with each shot, her skirt rustled, giving him a quick peek of something white and lacy underneath. He swallowed a groan and pretended any physical reaction was simply due to his exercises. There was bound to be some friction in his trousers as he stretched from side to side.

After the last arrow, she lowered her bow and examined her work, wiping sweat from her forehead with the back of her free arm.

"It's almost boring how good you are," he said.

She jumped a little at his voice before turning around. "Oh?" she replied. "I never tire of being perfect." Exchanging her empty quiver for a full one, she said, "Would you like to see something I've been working on?"

"Sure." He brought his feet back together and stretched his arms one last time over his head. As he did so, he could have sworn her eyes dipped down to the front of his trousers, then quickly scuttled away. Damn, was it that obvious?

She wiped her forehead again, her cheeks pink with exertion, and removed her scarf. "Can you bring those three training dummies over?" He was planning on using them himself, so he agreed. She helped with the last one, arranging them in a line with about a meter in between. "Good," she nodded. She folded her scarf into a long rectangle and tied it over her eyes like a blindfold. "You may wish to step back now."

That was all the warning he needed. He returned to his place behind her, making sure his shoes trod heavy on the lacquered wood floor so she'd know exactly where he was.

Three arrows were nocked and ready. She raised her bow slowly, paused in a moment of concentration, drew, and fired.

With a quick, resounding thwap, each arrow found one of the dummies, piercing them all in the exact same spot: right between the legs.

Guy winced. "Ow."

Natalia tugged her blindfold down and let it hang loose around her neck. Grinning at her success, she turned back to him. "Never cross me, Guy."

"Noted." That little demonstration was enough to make his earlier problem wither away. "So, can I have a go?"

"What do you mean?"

He picked up his sword and moved to the other side of the gymnasium, taking a place in front of the dummies. "I mean, try me." He planted his feet in a ready stance and raised his blade.

"I'm not going to shoot at you, Guy."

"Why not?" His sword sliced though the air, and he wanted to make swooshing sounds like he did when he was a kid. "Think I can't deflect you?"

"No, I've seen you. I know you can."

"Then let's do it."

She gave him an exasperated look as she retrieved her arrows and refilled her quiver. "If I impale you…."

"I'll return the favor later."

The exasperation was still there, but he could see her trying not to laugh. "Fine." She raised her bow. "Ready?"

"Go."

Despite her concerns, he knocked the first arrows away easily. She was giving him plenty of time between shots, but he didn't need it.

"Faster," he said, and she complied. He was quick on his feet, invigorated by having someone to train with. Back in the old days, he would have practiced with Luke or Van. Pere had been his instructor since childhood, but he wasn't as young as he used to be, and Guy hesitated to ask him to do much more than the basics. And Merton would never dream of such activity. In his words, a true gentleman did not sweat. It was undignified.

How Merton stayed in shape without sweating was a mystery for the ages. If Guy were to ask, Merton would likely reply that the stress of dealing with his trying young employer and such ridiculous questions was enough to expend any unnecessary calories. Just wait until he had to deal with Natalia on a regular basis. He'd probably waste away to nothingness.

"More." The clang of steel and aluminum echoed from the high ceiling, accompanied by the sound of Guy's shoes shuffling across the floor and the occasional grunt of effort.

The original plan was to work off his frustration. This… wasn't helping much.

Kissing her had kept him up half the night. Turning an abstract attraction to her into something real was both easier and more difficult than he would have imagined. Finding her beautiful wasn't the difficult part, nor was it new. Any man with functioning eyes would be attracted to her beauty, and any man with a functioning brain would be attracted to the rest of her. If she hadn't proposed to him, this would still be true, only it would have remained in the realm of the hypothetical, an intriguing but ultimately inconsequential aspect of their friendship.

After so many years spent terrified of even incidental contact, it was all he could think about now. Kissing her soft, pliant lips, remembering how they'd opened to him. Touching the silk of her hair, sliding her delicate fingers through his as they'd said good night and retired to their separate chambers. He was ready for any excuse to do it again.

Then there was the king's question. Was he in love with her? He'd never considered it. After Luke, Natalia was his best friend. She'd known him longer than Luke had, and in many ways, knew him better than Luke did.

Yes, he cared for her a great deal. He'd do anything for her. He'd give up his own life to protect her.

But love?

That Guy could concentrate on their workout at all was a wonder in itself. The threat of physical injury was the only thing keeping him focused.

He swatted her last arrow to the ground, breathing heavily, sweating like he'd run for hours. He had hoped to feel some sense of relief. Instead he was just exhausted, every muscle aching.

Natalia looked somewhat the same, but even sweating, she had a glow about her. Her exhaustion must have been much more satisfying than his. She let out a long breath, wiped her flushed face with her scarf, and smiled at him. "What do you think?"

"I think I'm wishing I'd let you go easy on me after all," he answered, and she laughed.

"Well, I don't know about you," she continued, kneading her draw shoulder, "but I'm going to have a soak in the whirlpool before lunch." A tilt of her head indicated a door on the right side of the gymnasium. He knew from previous visits that the door led to a spa, sauna, and lap pool, all for the private use of the royal family and their guests.

A soak in the whirlpool sounded like heaven. A soak in the whirlpool with her sounded like irresistible torture. "You know," he said, "you're making it very hard for me to leave tomorrow."

She tossed her hair and glanced back at him over her shoulder. "I have to make sure you come back, don't I?"

-x-x-x-

Refreshed, redressed, and ravenous, Natalia pulled her brush through her hair once more before heading for the dining room. It would just be the two of them for lunch, and they had plenty to discuss before he left tomorrow.

Already Guy was leaving. She found she enjoyed having him around, which was a good thing, she supposed, as they were getting married in ten weeks. That had been the whole point of choosing him, after all. She'd wanted someone she liked.

To her great surprise, it was turning out to be so much more than that.

There had been a moment in the whirlpool this morning, as the hot water and pulsing jets had soothed her aching back and shoulders, when she'd looked at him. He'd leaned his head back, closed his eyes in bliss, and said, "Yeah, you're going to have to throw me out of here." With his hair dripping and his bare, lightly tanned skin flushed and slick, she'd felt a heat spreading inside her that had nothing to do with the water.

She got out quickly, wrapped a big, thick towel around her, and announced that she was starving. Otherwise, she might have been tempted to do something a little too forward and unladylike.

Now she almost regretted not taking advantage of the opportunity.

But she was starving.

As she approached the main corridor, the new maid stopped her. "Excuse me, Your Highness," the girl said with an awkward curtsy. "You have some guests."

"It's lunch time, Eliza. Ask them to return with a proper appointment." Oh, how proud Merton would be if he heard that.

"Yes, Your Highness." She bowed her head, apologetic. "But he says he's your cousin, and that it's important."

"Luke?" What on earth could Luke be doing here?

Luke wasn't the only one. When she met him downstairs, Anise and Tear were with him.

"Natalia!" Anise squealed, running up to her for a hug. "Why haven't you been to visit us? We're feeling awfully ignored."

"I'm sorry," Natalia replied, "I've been meaning to. I've just been so busy lately."

"Too busy for Daath?" Anise wagged a finger. "That's not good for relations, Your Highness."

"Oh, believe me, I know," she said, turning now to embrace Tear. Tear's hug was more restrained but no less warm. "It's good to see you."

"You too."

Luke, however, was not in a hugging mood. "What the hell is this?" he asked, and he held up what looked like a letter.

If she answered as such, he would not be amused. "I don't know. May I see it?"

He handed it to her, scowling. "My mother says I have to marry you."

"Oh, my, news does travel slowly, doesn't it." Her eyes passed over her aunt's words. "For goodness sake, Luke, did you even read this?"

"I tried to tell him," Tear said. She knew what Natalia had known for years. Luke was a selective listener.

"Your mother explained the situation exactly," Natalia continued. "The Council wanted to reinstate our betrothal, but my father and I convinced them to accept someone else."

"Like who?"

"Guy!" Anise ran to the entry hall's new arrival with much more enthusiasm than she'd shown Natalia. He didn't even have a chance to say hello before she'd jumped into his arms and locked her legs around his waist in a way that made Natalia… almost jealous. Why was it so easy for Anise to be spontaneously affectionate like that, without having to worry about propriety and decorum? Without having to balance their years of friendship with the transition of whatever was happening between them now? If Anise wanted to touch someone, she just did it. No overthinking necessary. "You're here, too?" Anise said, squeezing harder as he tried valiantly to disentangle himself.

"Looks that way." Once free, Guy took Tear's hand and brought it to his lips like the gentleman he was. "And, Tear, lovely as ever, I see."

She blushed with pleasure behind her veil of long hair. Such flattery still embarrassed her, likely because she never heard much from Luke. For all Luke's good points, he was still hopelessly unromantic and clumsy when it came to relationships. In an odd way, it made Tear his perfect match.

"Boo," Anise pouted, her hands on her hips. "You didn't say I was lovely."

"Because you know it already." He turned to Luke and held up his fist for a quick bump. They were too manly to hug. "Hey, Luke, what's up?"

"Hey, tell Natalia I'm not going to marry her," Luke said.

With the most impressive straight face she had ever seen, Guy said, "Luke's not going to marry you, Natalia."

"Well, that's a pity," she answered, placing her index finger along her chin in faux contemplation. "I suppose then as Luke's best friend, you'll have to step up, Guy."

Guy shrugged, careless as could be. "Sure, whatever."

"No, man, there's got to be something else—" Luke's words were interrupted by a delighted squeal.

As expected, Anise was the first to notice the ring. Her berry-brown eyes had zeroed in on it like an owl with a field mouse. "Oh, my gosh!" She gripped Natalia's hand hard. If she'd had a jeweler's loupe with her, she would have been inspecting the sapphire and diamonds for quality and resale value, Natalia had no doubt. "I don't believe it!"

"Congratulations," Tear added, and Natalia gave her a grateful smile.

"What?" Luke could be most oblivious sometimes.

"They're already engaged."

"Just since yesterday," Natalia explained. She'd planned to tell them at the first opportunity and wanted it clear that she hadn't been keeping this a secret.

"And the emperor still has to sign off on the betrothal contract, but… yeah." Guy's nonchalance was for everyone else's benefit, but the sparkle in his blue eyes was for her.

If only he'd kiss her again.

Anise dropped Natalia's hand and turned back to Guy, her excitement replaced with a pretty frown. "Boo, you were supposed to be saving yourself for me!"

"Sorry, kiddo, but Natalia asked me first." He gave Anise's long ponytail a playful tug, but Natalia noticed his gaze was focused on Luke, who had yet to express an opinion.

Meanwhile it was obvious that Anise's reaction was ping-ponging between annoyance over being called a kid and curiosity to hear all the details. "No way!" Settling on curiosity, her eyes now did the ping-ponging between them. "Natalia's the one who proposed?"

"Let's talk about it over lunch," Natalia said before the conversation went any further here in the entry hall. She'd never get to eat at this rate. "Eliza," she said, addressing the maid, "please let the kitchen know we'll be five instead of two."

"Yes, Your Highness," Eliza answered with a quick curtsy, then scurried off. She shouldn't have been standing around idly while they talked, but she was new, and Natalia was feeling generous enough to excuse her just this once.

"Shall we?" Natalia asked her guests, but like before, she looked to Guy, who was still waiting for Luke to react.

"You ladies go ahead. I need to ask Luke something."

"All right." She needed to talk to Luke about this herself, but perhaps it was better if Guy went first. She didn't blame her aunt for apprising Luke of the situation; in case things had turned out differently, he needed to be aware of the expectations placed on both of them. Even without the Score, those around them would still try to dictate the course of their lives, and they needed to exercise their own choices whenever possible.

Natalia linked her arms with the other two as they walked toward the dining room. "So, Anise," she said, "how are your parents? And Florian?"

"They're boring," Anise replied dismissively. "I want to hear more about this proposal. Was it totally romantic?"

"Royal proposals are rarely romantic. I presented him with a practical and mutually beneficial alliance, and he agreed."

Anise sighed. "Geez, you guys are as boring as my parents."

"By the way," Tear said quietly, "I know Luke won't say it, but I want to… thank you."

Natalia tried to mimic Guy's nonchalant shrug. "Luke's made his choice. I just happen to think he made the right one. That's all." A few years ago she might not have been so magnanimous, but everything had changed since then.

Anise was completely uninterested in this line of conversation. "But he kissed you, right? Tell me he at least kissed you."

Any more serious discussion would have to wait until later. "Yes," Natalia answered.

"And was that totally romantic?"

Her heart beat faster just remembering. "It was very nice."

"Oh, come on," Anise griped, "you can do better than that. What was it like?"

"Anise, that's not any of our business," Tear chided, but Natalia could hear a tiny note of curiosity in her voice.

If she didn't elaborate, Anise would never let it go. And as much as she enjoyed Guy's company, she'd missed proper girl talk. "It was rich and warm and sweet, like… butterscotch." She stopped walking and closed her eyes to better recall the sensations. "You know when you have a butterscotch drop, and you suck it between your lips and roll it around your tongue as it slowly melts, and then the warmth spreads all through your mouth?" She could almost feel it again, the gentle sweetness of his lips on hers. "It was like that."

Her dreamy sigh was joined by two others.

-x-x-x-

Even after the girls had left, Luke didn't say anything about this news. There was clearly something happening upstairs, playing out in a variety of expressions on his face; whatever it was just wasn't making it to his mouth.

"So, is this okay?" Guy asked. One of them had to start.

Luke's expression finally settled on confused. "That's what I was going to ask you. You shouldn't have to do this for me."

"No, that's not it. I didn't know it was you, actually." He tried to remember how Natalia had put it. "Someone unsuitable, she said."

"Huh?"

"Nothing." He tried not to grin. Who would have thought that he'd have to save Natalia from marrying Luke? He knew why she refused, of course. They'd all encouraged Luke to find his own purpose, and she wouldn't hold him back or disrupt his plans.

Still, for all the years she'd dreamed of marrying Luke, it was ironic to see her so determined not to marry him now. It showed a selflessness and maturity Guy admired, even if he was the one to benefit from her decision.

"You're really going to marry her." Luke sounded surprised, concerned, and impressed all at the same time.

"Yeah. It's the best solution for everyone, don't you think?"

"I guess. If you're really okay with it."

Okay with it? He got to marry the most amazing woman he'd ever known. Throw in securing his family's legacy and the ability to actively promote peace between their countries, to be in a position with the power to make the world a better place, and it was a pretty damn good deal. "I am. It's what Natalia wants, too, and I know better than to get in the way of what she wants."

Luke finally laughed. "Seriously. Well, better you than me."

"So I have your blessing?"

"My blessing? Hell, you have my sympathy. You'll need it more."

"Thanks." He clapped Luke on the back like old times. "I know Natalia's going to ask the girls to attend her, which means I'll need a best man. Think Jade will do it?"

For just a split second, Luke looked hurt, then simply annoyed for falling for such an obvious joke. "Jerk," he muttered, and he punched Guy in the shoulder for good measure.

"Oh, sorry, did you want the honor?"

"Hey, I've got to make sure you don't chicken out, or else it's my ass on the line." Treating Natalia like a pain in his neck was second nature for Luke at this point, and Guy took it in the way it was intended. They'd all been friends for too long, and he knew that when it came down to it, Luke cared as much about Natalia as she did about him. "Just… watch out for her, all right?"

But he could go overboard with his protesting sometimes. "Come on, she's not that bad."

"No, I mean watch out for her." Luke's expression was completely serious, his tone low and gruff, and his green eyes narrowed. In that moment, Asch was standing before him once more. "Because if anything happens to her, I swear I will kill you."