“Now then,” Winter said as he swung his sword around so it was facing Tristan. “The fight is fairer now, wouldn’t you agree?”
“Winter? Do you even know how to use that thing?” Rupert sounded worried, but he wasn’t Winter’s concern in that moment. Tristan had dropped the sneer, and for a second,Winter thought he would give up and drop his weapon. But then, as if he realized he genuinely had gone too far to come back from what he’d said and done, Winter saw a look of resolve come over his features.
“As I said. Nothing left to lose.” With a loud yell, Tristan raised his sword and swung it down, fully intending to split Winter’s head open.
Winter parried easily. He’d had barely any alcohol at all, his wits were still about him, and while his wound objected to the strenuous exercise he was suddenly getting, Winter still managed to parry and lunge in his own way, moving Tristan back through the crowds of people who had gathered around them. He wanted Tristan out of the room, out of the mansion, preferably, before his wild swings hurt anybody.
To his credit, Tristan didn’t make things easy on him. Winter was jumping on chairs and tables, and then back to the floor again, defending and attacking all in one go.
Tristan had a height advantage. He was a lot taller than Winter, although not as tall as Rupert. But Winter had been fighting since he was four years old, and his life had often depended on his skills with a blade.
Chairs crashed over, glasses broke, but Winter remained focused, moving Tristan, herding him away from others and toward the door. As he got closer to the main doors, he caught a flicker of movement out of the corner of his eye and grinned.
“You really shouldn’t have done this, Tristan,” he said as he lunged forward, his blade pointing straight for Tristan’s heart. He knew Tristan would move, and that’s exactly what he intended. Within two seconds, Pippin was behind Tristan and trussing the man’s hands up behind his back, his sword clattering uselessly to the ground.
“Two guards are coming through the main gates now, sir,” Pippin said gruffly, tugging on Tristan’s bonds and forcing him to his knees. “Are you hurt at all, Your Highness?”
He gave a pointed glance at Winter’s middle, and Winter noticed that there was blood appearing through the white of his jacket.Damn it, I should have worn black for the night.
“It’s just a scratch, nothing more. If you can take care of Tristan for me, thank you, Pippin.”
Winter turned, resting his hand lightly over the blood. Rupert was standing about four feet away, his fists still clenched and his jaw tight. “I do hope you’ll forgive me if I say my introduction to the Middlethorp estate did not go as planned. I, for one, am not impressed.”
“You’re hurt.” Rupert took a step closer. “I can call a healer…”
“I’m sure it’s nothing serious, although I appreciate your concern. I realize you have matters to deal with here, Rupert dear, so you’ll forgive me if I take the carriage back to the castle. I would prefer to be attended there, if that’s acceptable.”
Rupert nodded, his face showing his concern.
“As for the rest of you, standing around and not even bothering to intervene, I’m shocked at your lack of concern and respect for royal blood. Even if I wasn’t married to your crown prince, I was still a prince of Martingale. Were you still stunned by your friend’s crass talk? Perhaps you believed his lies? I will state here, clearly and proudly for all to hear, I definitely do not believe any of Tristan’s lies about his imaginary position in my husband’s life.
“I intend to see that man face full punishment for attacking my husband’s reputation and my physical person through the World Court. The truth-sayers won’t be so easily swayed by his lies, andthere are enough witnesses here who will have no choice but to report that Tristan attacked me first, regardless of their opinion of me personally.”
He tilted his chin up and smiled softly. “You would all do well to remember who I am and what position I now hold. Your own position in life might depend on it.”
He looked down at the blood which was spreading. “In the meantime, I’m so glad this robe wasn’t one of my fancy ones. Getting blood out of gemstones is such a tedious business. I’ll see you back at the castle, Rupert dear. As for everyone else, good night. This has been…educational.”
Don’t stumble, don’t stumble.Winter turned and strode out of the room just in time to see two guards take over a wiggling Tristan from Pippin. “The World Council will send guards to pick him up in the morning,” Winter said sharply. “He is being charged with a physical attack on a royal person and for uttering complete fabrications about Crown Prince Rupert in a public setting. I’m ordering you to have him restrained in the dungeons of this estate until he is collected by the appropriate authorities.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
The guards bowed before they tugged Tristan away. He didn’t look happy, but Winter didn’t expect him to. He managed to make his way to the carriage, which Pippin had parked right out front when they’d arrived.
Pippin had the door open, helped him climb the steps, and made sure he was seated before shutting the door. Winter groaned as he tried to get comfortable. The pain was spreading fast.Sigmund’s going to be so angry at me. Not even being right is going to make him feel any happier.
Reaching up with his sword, Winter tapped the carriage roof with the last of his energy. “Go as fast as you dare, Pippin,if you please,” he yelled over the noise of the wheels on the cobblestones. “I really need to get back to my bed.”
“You probably should’ve stayed there in the first place, Your Highness,” Pippin yelled back. The carriage lurched as the horses sped up, and Winter groaned again. He couldn’t get back to the castle fast enough.
Chapter Fourteen
Rupert was totally out of his element. Yes, he was used to balls and social events. Yes, his friends were as familiar to him as anyone else in his orbit. They were the people he had grown up with. Yet in that moment, as Winter strode out of the ballroom, his head held high, and his hand still pressed against his wound, all Rupert wanted to do in that moment was go with him.
But it was Winter who reminded Rupert in his quiet, firm manner that he had responsibilities, and the best thing Rupert could do was discharge those responsibilities as quickly as possible.
It wasn’t easy, his mind was still trying to process everything that had happened in the past half an hour. He didn’t think he would ever forget the splash of blood on Winter’s robe, standing stark against the immaculate white material.
Rupert wasn’t sure how that happened. It had to have been from Tristan. But why had Winter arranged to have his sword transported, likely with the carriage driver?Didn’t he think he would be safe here?Rupert couldn’t complain. Winter had been right, but the fact that Winter had been attacked was making Rupert second-guess everything he knew about his so-called friends.
