It helped that his paranoia kept work flowing for her. Vera knew she wasn’t the only person working on blades that would be shipped out. She wasn’t stupid, she knew one person couldn’t possibly supply the entire army with swords no matter how diligently she worked. But she liked to pretend it was just her, a mere slip of a girl, helping to keep the soldiers armed and Aleron protected. She appreciated the ego boost, no matter what was true.
She’d just finished up for the day, enjoying the smell of worked metal and the twinge in her tired arms, when the door finally opened. Elric didn’t say a word as he stepped in and pushed it shut behind him. She was instantly tense, her worries slamming to the forefront of her mind as if they’d never left.
Glancing at her briefly, his eyes moved over the finished swords next to her. He grunted in approval, and Vera’s body relaxed slightly, a tiny weight lifting from her chest.
She had a dozen questions for him. Was the prince angry? Did he ask who she was? Did any of the guards figure it out? Should she run away and never return?
But instead, she asked the most important question, the one she was most scared of. “Will you be punished, Elric?” She bit the inside of her lip and couldn’t help but shift side to side, waiting for his answer.
“No.”
The breath she’d been holding whooshed out of her. She wasn’t sure what she would’ve done if she’d gotten Elric in trouble. He was all she had. “Thank the gods. So…” She didn’t finish her question. She didn’t need to. It was apparent what she wanted to ask.
Elric folded his arms across his chest. “What on Aleron could you possibly have been thinking, Vera? Dammit, you knew better.” He didn’t raise his voice, though the disappointment coating his words was somehow worse.
“I know, I just got angry. I didn’t really think it through…obviously,” she added, at the look he gave her. “He insulted the men and blatantly disrespected you. I assumed he was just a guard, and I didn’t—” she sighed. “I let my emotions dictate my actions instead of my intellect. I’m sorry Elric.”
Grumbling to himself, he uncrossed his arms and finally walked away from the door. “I can handle verbal spurs, Vera. I’m not a newborn babe. The fact you thought I needed to be defended wounds me more. And those men deserved his comments.”
“I beg to differ. He was an asshole.”
“For good reason. He came to inspect their abilities, and they failed. Those men had become complacent but will work twice as hard now. Wounded pride is a heavy motivator.”
She fiddled with the tools on her worktable. “So, what happened after I left? Was he angry?”
He scoffed. “No. His highness found it amusing more than anything else. He wanted you to come back, but I was able to persuade him to leave you to your duties as punishment for skirting your work.” He looked at her sharply. “The work you should have been doing instead of sparring with the Crown Prince.”
Vera wanted to curl up into herself. Maybe mold a nice shell out of her shame and crawl inside of it and never come out. At least the prince had accepted Elric’s explanation and left her alone.
“But he expressed an interest in sparring with you again the next time he comes to inspect the guard, likely to recruit you.”
She took a step back and raised her hands as if to ward herself against his words.
“But—”
“I wasn’t exactly in a position to refuse, Varian,” he said sharply. “However, the prince will spend the next several days preparing for a trip to Midpath to inspect the squadron stationed near there. The emperor has demanded his highness become more involved in overseeing their forces, and Prince Eithan requested I join him.”
He looked at her pointedly, “It will be several days before we leave and several more before we return. So, you’ll have a reprieve for a while, and if you’re damned lucky, he’ll have forgotten about you upon our return. If not, you’ll have no one to blame but yourself.”
Vera knew she should apologize again and let it drop, but as soon as “Midpath” left Elric’s mouth, all his other words passed straight through her ears, suddenly unimportant. She’d never traveled outside the capital, at least not in the years she could remember, but she’d heard the guards tell stories about Midpath’s pleasantries.
It was a stopping point about midway between the capital and the far eastern city of Eastshore—hence its name. Soldiers, travelers, and merchants alike all stopped there to rest and restock provisions. Midpath’s popularity came not only from its convenient location but from what it offered. Comfortable inns after days sleeping on the road, vendors, bars, brothels, entertainment, food—Midpath had it all.
Vera had wanted to go from the moment she’d heard of it, but Elric rarely left the capital, and she certainly wasn’t allowed to leave alone.
“I know what you’re going to ask, I can see the wheels turning behind your eyes. What are you going to do? Ride next to the Crown Prince and hope he doesn’t notice you’re not a man?”
He looked at her like she was the most idiotic person to ever stand before him. “Use logic, girl.”
She chewed on her lip. There had to be a way for her to go. He was right, she wouldn’t be able to blend in with the prince’s personal guard. They were a selected few and would instantly notice her like a cuckoo in their nest.
“What if I go as Vera instead of Varian?” she blurted, watching Elric walk toward their quarters.
He didn’t bother stopping. “Are you expecting me to answer that?”
“It’s well known that I can be found in the armory. It may be highly frowned upon, but it’s no secret you have a female ward.”
She felt slightly flushed with a mixture of excitement and desperation. “Everyone knows you never leave here, you’re practically a hermit. Which means it’ll be no surprise for them to learn you’ve never left me before. Do you really want to leave me alone, knowing that all the men outside will know I’m alone? I’m just a defenseless woman, Elric. You wouldn’t want to risk my safety.” She batted her eyelashes. She was a genius.
“Don’t be an idiot twice in one day,” he threw out behind him. Not bothering to say anything else, he entered their main room, deliberately ending the conversation.
Knowing she’d have to walk past him to get to her room, Vera made sure to stomp the entire way and slammed the door behind her. She was acting like a child, but she didn’t care. She had a good life, and she loved her work and looked up to Elric, but she wanted more.
This was the only home she’d ever known, but that didn’t mean she wanted to stay there forever. Elric was content to stay because he’d already lived and traveled Aleron. She just wanted the same opportunity, the freedom to travel and see other cities and meet people. The thought of never seeing anything other than the armory walls for the rest of her life made her feel trapped.
She fell back onto her bed, dirty clothes and all. She was tired of being shut behind doors and told to keep quiet because she was born with the wrong equipment between her legs. It wasn’t like men’s fragile junk was anything to be proud of.