Perian stiffened.
Brannal wasn’t done. “Do you have any idea what would happen if she were hurt? Do you think you can do whatever you want with her and there won’t be consequences? Do you know how it looks when you put her in danger?”
Perian’s voice was clipped when he asked, “How it looks for you, or how it looks for me?”
A furrow appeared in Brannal’s brow. “What?”
Stiffly, Perian said, “It sounds like you’re saying I reflect badly on Summus. Is that it?”
And Brannal… hesitated.
Perian scoffed, even as he felt his heart sink. But he didn’t let that distract him. He marched up to Brannal and poked him in the chest. “Well, you know what? You might be Summus, but I’mnotone of your novices or one of your Mage Warriors. You don’t get to berate me!”
Brannal’s eyes flashed with annoyance. “I wasn’t berating you.”
Perian raised an eyebrow and challenged, “Oh, no? Clearly something’s happened, and you think I didn’t behave appropriately. Did you come in here and ask me about it? Did you discuss it with me like I was your equal? Or did Summus storm in here and yell at me like he had the right to dictate my behavior and actions?”
Brannal sucked in a sharp breath. His eyes flickered closed, and when he opened them again, they looked much calmer.He nodded.
“The latter. I, uh, definitely did the latter. I apologize.”
“Thank you,” Perian said crisply, still a bit hurt, though it helped that Brannal had acknowledged it. “Was there something you wanted to discuss like calm, rational people?”
Brannal’s lips quirked up faintly. “Is that more effective communication than berating someone? Are you sure?”
Perian felt himself begin to properly relax at the attempted teasing. “Yes, I’m pretty sure.”
“Could I… hug you first?”
Smiling properly for the first time since the other man had stormed into the room, Perian said, “Yes, please,” and was soon wrapped in Brannal’s arms.
“I’m sorry,” Brannal told him. “Truly. I don’t always get the balance between being just me and being Summus right. But regardless, I should have known better than to yell and accuse. That’s actually not the best approach with Mage Warriors, either. And it’s definitely not how I should ever approach you. Let’s sit down.”
They sat in the armchairs by the fire.
“What, exactly, was I accused of doing?” Perian wanted to know.
“Reckless riding with the Princess,” Brannal told him. “Modeling Prince Horsey as a horse she could handle, and encouraging her in behavior that would cause her harm.”
Perian frowned. “All right, first of all, I would never do anything to harm Renny, and if you don’t know that, we have a serious problem.”
Brannal grimaced. “I do know that. I’m not ever concerned you’ll do something out of malice. I guess I’m more worried than I realized that something you perceive as merely ‘fun’ could go wrong and have consequences you don’t anticipate—but that’s on me. Will you tell me what actually happened?”
Perian summarized the event, glossing over the beginning. “When it came time to turn back, Prince Horsey was a little bit fidgety, which upset Renny. So I offered to race Prince Horseyandaccompany them back. Itwassilly and immature, if that matters to you. I don’t think it qualified as irresponsible or reckless, personally. I’m a good rider, and I would never have asked Prince Horsey to do anything I didn’t think him capable of.”
“What did you do?” Brannal asked.
“Ran Prince Horsey in circles around everyone else. Not just around Renny—I knew that would be tight. We raced around her and all the Warriors and Mage Warriors, first one way and then the other, so that we stayedwith them but Prince Horsey could go much faster. Then once we got close to the castle, we fell back in with everyone else and walked back to the stable yard.”
“Oh,” Brannal said, a little bit blankly.
Perian sighed. “I imagine that’s what someone meant with putting ideas in her head. But that’s like saying she should never see regular people doing regular activities. She is constantly surrounded by active, able-bodied Warriors and Mage Warriors. Every ride, she’s surrounded by people on horses larger and more active than her own. True, they don’t run circles around her, but sheknowsthey’re capable of more. If I’d done it to goad her, of course that would have been inappropriate, but it was to cheer her up, and she agreed that Prince Horsey should get the chance to show off. She’s not six anymore, Brannal, and she has clearly been navigating the world for years with the uncomfortable knowledge that there are many things other people can do that she isn’t capable of.”
“That’s very true,” Brannal said, looking as saddened by this as Perian was. “I should have asked more clarifying questions.”
“Maybe take stories that you hear about me with a grain of salt?” Perian suggested.
“It was very convincing when it was relayed to me,” Brannal said tightly, voice hard. “But believe me, I will find out exactly what Cormal was told.”
