"Daivon?" Rain asked. "Would you rather follow me and Keir more than Torian or Aspen?"
"Wait, what?" Keir asked.
So Rain gestured at him. "Like with Poppy. You know, picking their season."
But Daivon looked back at me almost nervously. "Um..."
"It's nothing more than an honest question," I assured him. "There's no right or wrong answer, and it's certainly not something I'd judge you for. Trust me, I know what it feels like to wish you had another option."
"Yeah," Daivon said. "I kinda like the whole idea of celebrating that I'm from here. I mean, I also like the 'one court' thing too, so I dunno."
"All you have to do is kneel," I told him.
"And us?" Bran asked. "I mean, Pascal's already made a big deal to Aspen, but what about me and Axel, Torian?"
And I knew he was right. I did, yet it felt so odd to have someonewantto show their respect for me. But these guyshad proven themselves. Over and over, they'd stepped up - even before Aspen and I had been revealed as royalty. They were the heroes here, and we were just the ones getting the glory for it.
"I would behonoredto take oaths from you two," I told them, hoping they could hear the truth in that.
"Kneel," Hawke told them. "I think that since we're changing everything up, we might as well make group loyalty vows a thing too. So, face the leader of your choice and repeat after me."
Three of the four sentinels knelt. Pascal stepped back, but he was smiling. Aspen and Wilder moved to my side while Keir and Rain shifted over so Daivon was clearly facing them.
"Pick your leader," Hawke said, his mouth curling sideways, "and say either Your Highness, Torian Hunt, Prince of Summer, Heir to the Summer Crown, and representative of our season on Earth - or Sir Keir Delaney, Defender of the Morrigan, and the Steward of Earth." And he nodded.
The guys repeated that, picking which one of us they wanted to swear loyalty to, and Hawke kept going. "I offer you my service, in all ways I can provide. My life, my power, and my loyalty are yours until the end of time, as long as your loyalty remains true to the season or crown you serve as a part of the balance of all magic: Winter, Summer, and Wild. May my loyalty never be tested, but among the balance of the court, I swear to follow you first in all things."
I heard what Hawke said. I noticed the subtle changes to the standard oath of fealty all nobles were required to give the Mad Queen. I also liked it enough I found myself smiling again. Not a cold one or a cruel one. This time, the curl of my mouth was torn between relief and happiness as all three men repeated Hawke's words - and two of them had their heads bowed to me.
"Rise, sentinels," I said formally.
"Please rise," Keir muttered right after, clearly following my lead.
"And I am pleased to accept all of your vows for the one court. May you always have the bravery to keep me in line and prevent me from making the same missteps as those who came before."
"For the onetruecourt," Bran corrected, looking up at me as he pushed to his feet. "It's nice to finally feel like I'm appreciated, my liege."
"Not calling you 'liege," Daivon whispered to Keir.
"Fuck, no," Keir agreed. "I'm just a damned knight. And speaking of that, how about we makeourprince sweat a bit?"
Bran stepped forward and offered me his hand. "I respect you, Torian. That doesn't mean I'll always like you or agree with you."
"Which is why I realized you were right," I told him. "And that maybe being a good guy isn't something I should see as a cause for distrust. It seems your kind do exist."
"Oh, we do," Pascal said, heading toward the mats. "We also had a damned good teacher beat it into us." He jerked his chin toward the back corner of the room.
I looked over to see Bracken leaning against the door to his office. Clearly, he'd witnessed all of that. From the look on his face, he approved.
Chapter Fifty-Eight
TORIAN
They made me work for it. Not just the sentinels, either! My entire court got a chance to beat me back with a sword, and I was shocked to realize we were starting to get good. Even my sister was holding her own now - and when we added in magic, it was even better!
But in all of that, I'd noticed something. It was the sort of thing that put a little spring in my step as we headed back to our room. Like normal, Aspen and Rain headed up to their room to clean up. Hawke and Wilder went to the dining hall to get a snack that would hold them over until dinner. Keir? He followed me.
"Well, you seem like you're in a better mood today," he teased as we rode the elevator up.
