The princes stayed for a few days. As promised, shortly after their arrival Eden and I had given them a tour of the garden where we relayed the tale of how we'd first started going into town and the events that lead to the three days we'd spent tearing apart our father's office. After that though, I mostly kept out of the way and gave Eden time to shine. Occasionally, I would babysit the younger Prince Lucas to give Eden more one-on-one time with Prince Luther, but for the most part, I was on my own.
It's strange, I had lived a whole life before where I got on fine as an only child. I certainly knew how to entertain myself but... it wasn't as fun being on my own anymore.
I wondered how Eden kept himself occupied when I had girlfriends staying over and he'd hide himself away in a different part of the manor.
I hadn't realized how boring this house was.
I continued to wake up in the mornings to exercise, but dance lessons were put on hold until after our visitors left. We'd all eat together in the mornings and at dinner but I'd mostly have the day to myself. I spent a lot of that time in my room, reading select chapters from the medical books I'd collected. A lot of the stuff I read was horrifyingly incorrect but in reading those passages I'd remember a lot of my old knowledge through thinking things like, "that's not right, isn't it like this?" I started to scribble the correct information into the margins, or in spare notes as thoughts struck me. It was important to archive my knowledge now before I forgot more.
From my window, I could sometimes see the boys out together. It looked like they were having a good time. It at least seemed like Eden was doing a good job of entertaining them.
I wasn't sure how he'd get on given how long it took for him to find a rhythm with the boys in town but his social skills had increased a lot since he first met them. At one point I even saw him pull out the soccer ball and they kicked it around.
I was pretty proud of my little big brother.
On the last day of their visit I found myself wandering aimlessly down one of the halls to the main foyer. It was a nice day, I might as well go on a walk in the gardens, even if it was by myself.
What I hadn't expected were two familiar figures at the front entrance.
"Briar! Hi!" Gwen waved at me excitedly, her red corkscrew twin tails bouncing as she ran towards me, leaving servants in her path confusedly holding her luggage and outerwear.
She gripped my shoulders. "Is he still here?" She asked.
"Who?" I asked in confusion.
"My fiancé silly! Prince Luther!" She let go of me and walked around, giving one wistful twirl. "Oh this is such a marvellous opportunity! You know, I haven't seen him since our engagement announcement, but then I heard from my grandmother, the dowager duchess, who had heard from the queen that your brother was on the list of aide-hopefuls! So I knew eventually Prince Luther would have to come here! Then I investigated and I heard from my lady servant that she knew someone who knew someone who was cousins with a stable boy at the castle who reported the princes had already left to your manor!"
"Wow," I said.
The second visitor came over and stopped Gwen's pacing with two firm hands.
"Clara Winters," I said to the blue haired daughter of the Marquis. "So then what brings you here? Got an eye on Prince Lucas?"
"Hardly," She said. "He's a little young for my taste. I'm just here to keep this one in check."
"I thank you for your service," I nodded.
"Gwen," Clara said. "Remember what you promised. You aren't going to hijack Briar's brother's time with the prince. This visit is a big deal for the Bell family. Plus, you will only hurt yourself if you come on too strongly again."
Gwen waved her hands in exasperation. "What exactly is 'too strongly' we're engaged for heaven's sake!"
Oh boy. This visit might not turn out to be a good thing but despite that, I was happy to see them.
"Even if you didn't actually come for me, I'm glad you're here," I said.
"Oh hush now," Gwen said, "Of course we're also here to see you!
"Well then, that warms my heart-" I said but I had barely finished my sentence before Gwen chipped in.
"Where is my Luther by the way? Are they in the house or gardens right now?" She asked, looking around as if he'd magically appear if she stared hard enough.
"Don't mind her Briar, she just gets this way when it comes to her fiancé," Clara said apologetically.
"Don't worry about it, we have every other day of the year to spend time with just each other, I understand you are on a mission this time. I will be more than happy to facilitate a meeting." It only made sense she had a bit of an obsessive streak about her bae, she was after all, the villainess of the game. If she was mild on her feelings for him, she'd hardly obsess over bullying the protagonist.
Gwen sent me an admiring look. "Oh dear sweet Briar, you really are my little angel."
"I think they're taking their swords lessons together in the yard," I said. Clara noticeably perked up.
"Oh lovely," Gwen said, rolling her eyes, "There will be something for both of us then. I will get to observe my dear sweet prince and Clara can have her brutish swords."
I looked at Clara quizzically.
"She's from that war-crazy Winters family," Gwen explained. "They got their titles and that land on the border from their military victories and they continue to foam at the mouth at the chance of another battle. Such a shame we're at peace."
"I don't wish for war," Clara huffed. "But I'll be ready for it." She mumbled under her breath.
"Well isn't that a fun, new, terrifying side to you I had not known about," I said. "I'm surprised though, you're allowed to fight as a girl?" Had I known this, I would have replaced lady training for sword training in a heartbeat.
"It took years of arguing with my father on the matter," Clara said. "But I eventually got him to cave. I'm very good at it if I do say so myself, and now I've got reinforcement magic which covers for some of the disadvantages of being female. If all goes well, I'll be the first woman ever in the royal army."
"Smart," said Gwen, "Surrounded by all those noblemen, you'll have your pick of husbands."
Clara looked unenthused. "Hardly, boys are such whiny babies when I spar with them. They don't like being beat by girls. Believe me, I've seen a lot of charming-types' true colours come out after a 'light-hearted' match. They aren't so appealing after that. Plus anyway, boys just want girls who will swoon and fall into their arms."
"OOo I think I see them over there!" Gwen said pointing across the field at three boys standing with an older knight. "He's even handsome far away," she sighed.
"Should we really be interrupting their practice?" I asked with worry.
"They look like they're almost done," Gwen said. "And anyway, this is an amazing opportunity! I hand embroidered a handkerchief for my hubby-to-be and I can give it to him to wipe off after practice!"
"Don't you usually give the handkerchief before you get engaged?" I asked.
It was a tradition in this world for women to gift the men fancy handkerchiefs on a number of different occasions. The act has evolved to practically being its own language and is honestly, very complex and confusing. You can give it as a platonic thank you, or an apology, but more often it's a romantic gesture.
I think it all started with an old fairy tale about a kindhearted peasant girl who fell in love with the distant kingdom's prince. When he went off to war she spent all of her savings on a small square of linen and spent the entire night before their departure stitching a beautiful tapestry of flowers. He kept it with him on the battlefield and it made him think of her and when he was injured, it gave him the strength to press on and survive. They married and lived happily ever after upon his triumphant return.
So now girls give handkerchiefs to guys as an indication of romantic interest, like a sort of green light for the man to begin courting her.
And now practicing sticking a needle over and over again into a piece of fabric for hours a day is 'my responsibility as a young lady'. Boo.
"I'm a romantic alright?" Sighed Gwen. "Neither of you two would get it. I've been dreaming of giving the man of my dreams a hand-embroidered handkerchief since I was two! It's not my fault the engagement came first before the courtship!"
"Who are we to spit in your dreams," I said. "Shall we go over then?"
They had found a pretty secluded part of the gardens to practice. A small clearing adjacent to the property wall, on the opposite side of the grounds to the wall we'd hop to go to town. The area was as remote as you could get while still being on the estate.
I was getting cold feet approaching, they clearly wanted privacy to have gone so far out. Or maybe this was Eden's usual training ground seeing how worn down the grass was. He didn't like to practice anywhere he could be seen.
Unfortunately, the opportunity to leave them there and quietly retreat had passed. Gwen and Clara were already making their way over so I followed ruefully.
The boys hadn't noticed us, even when we were right there. They were too engaged in a sparring match between Prince Luther and the knight instructor.
He was skilled, even the older man seemed to struggle a little under the Prince's swift and precise swipes and jabs. He was definitely naturally athletic.
Finally, after a vigorous bout, the two separated and the knight said, "Good!"
I wasn't well-versed in sparring since even I wasn't allowed to view Eden's practices. I tilted my head. "I don't get it, did someone win?"
The sweaty group turned to us in surprise.
"Briar!" Eden greeted happily.
"Gwendoline?" The prince asked in disbelief.
He didn't look too happy to have her here, I didn't really blame him. Her visit wasn't very appropriate and honestly, came off a little desperate. She was young and didn't have the self-awareness yet to be embarrassed by her actions but I kind of was on her behalf. I quickly attempted to cover for her random appearance.
"My apologies your highness," I said. "I had invited my friends over earlier last week before we knew of your arrival and then... well... I've been dreadfully lonely since you stole my brother from me, I didn't want to postpone."
"Oh lovely," the prince smiled. "Sorry Gwendoline, I thought for a moment you'd followed me again... even though I know we'd talked about it."
"Right," said Gwen, "You thought it would be more special if we waited until the flower ceremony to see each other again. I just couldn't-"
"-say no to my invitation," I butted in and finished her sentence.
"Briar can be very persuasive," Clara added weakly.
"Well, I'm happy you are such a good friend to my fiancé," the prince replied, "Sorry to have taken up so much of your dear brother's time. I'll give him back to you by the end of the day."
"Do you have to your highness?" Eden joked. "I've gotten so accustomed to being allowed to sleep in."
"We get up with the sun..." Lucas said in confusion.
"I know, it's great," Eden replied.
There was a loud crack. The knight instructor had whacked a rock with his sheathed sword. "Gentlemen, did I say practice was over? It's time to ask your lady friends to leave. They can flock like hens over you later."
"Sorry to interrupt practice sir!" I apologized brightly. "We'll be on our way!"
Despite what I had just promised. Clara wandered over to one of the wooden swords lodged into the damp earth and pulled it out, shaking off some of the clinging mud. "Your match before was pretty impressive your highness," she said, testing the weapon's weight in her hands experimentally. "Care for another bout?"
Luther looked at her with a questioning smile but not missing a beat said, "I would reply to your offer, but I believe it's Eden's turn."
"Oh... me?" Eden asked, tentatively picking up a sword. "I guess I could... do you have experience, um, Lady Winters?"
"I can handle myself," Clara said defensively.
Oh lord, I hoped she'd go easy on him. If Eden's swordsmanship was anything like his general athleticism, this wasn't going to go well. Clara seemed like the more logical of the two girls though. She knew this was an important moment for Eden to win over the prince.
The knight shook his head in disbelief, walked over to her and yanked the sword out of her hand. "Absolutely not. You are going to get yourself hurt young lady! Even if they're wood, swords are not toys!"
"If these boys are old enough, so am I," Clara replied with an ice-cold calmness.
The knight shook his head and looked at Eden. "There's a reason girls aren't allowed in sword practice. This is just another desperate attempt at getting your attention but this is not the time for flirting, she's going to get hurt and this training is too important to fool around, it could mean the difference between life and death for you someday."
He reprimanded Clara sternly. "Little lady, it's time to get back to your arts and crafts and let the men work. They can come have a tea party with you later. You best focus on becoming a wife. If you play here you'll get all ugly and burly and all this jostling around could harm your reproductive parts. There's no future for a noble lady who can't have babies."
When you look at Clara, the first thing you notice is her hair, but her eyes are equally shocking; completely black. Sometimes it's cute, like puppy dog eyes or a cat when their pupils dilate all the way. Now they just looked terrifying and hard to read. The colour of a cold, deep winter lake, staring at him directly.
He sighed, got down on one knee, and put a hand on her shoulder. "Sweetheart, it's my duty as a knight following the chivalric code to ensure no harm comes to you. Girls can't fight with boys. Your delicate little hands aren't made to grip a sword and your skin is too porous, making you naturally less durable than men."
I actually had read that stupidity in some of the less credited medical books but even there it was described as an 'unproven theory'. There is an unsurprising lot of those theories on how the female body works in this world.
"Well if I'm so frail, it should be simple to put me down easy and gentle," she said with steely confidence, grabbing a sword from Prince Lucas and gripping the handle so hard her knuckles went white.
I really hoped she wasn't about to take all this anger on Eden.
She did.
Within a moment of the knight ruefully agreeing and saying, "Begin!" Clara launched a full-on assault, overpowering Eden in a second. Sportsmanship had been thrown out the door, it seemed as if she just wanted to make an example out of him.
He tried to block her strikes but she swung at just the right angles that she blew each of his guards away. The onslaught was relentless, each time he was left open, She'd take another swing or jab: a hilt to the stomache, a strike to the ribs. Each blow making a cringingly loud impact.
I was horrified. "Clara!" I protested, my voice coming out strangled.
She continued; Eden was unknowingly stepping backwards the whole time until his back was pressed against the wall.
Panicked, he took a last-ditch swing at her but she stepped gracefully out of the way and tripped his legs. He fell forward on his knees into a puddle.
Only then did she stop, flourishing the sword once for good measure.
Eden stood up slowly, still a little dazed.
Water had soaked through the front and inner legs of his pants, from the crotch to the ankles, making it look a bit like he had an unfortunate accident.
Everyone was stunned silent for a second.
Then Lucas began to giggle. "He peed."
Gwen held a hand to her lips to hide her amusement and even Prince Luther chuckled. The knight just scowled at him in disappointment muttering "useless" under his breath.
I watched with my heart in my throat as everyone laughed at my beaten, bruised and humiliated brother.
Everyone but me, and Clara whose black eyes still betrayed nothing. Then her lower lip twitched downwards into a frown, as if realizing she took it a bit to far. She clenched the sword hilt again almost defensively, waiting for my brother's reaction.
Finally, Eden looked at the embarrassing streak of muddy water down his legs and gave a tired sigh. "Well it could have been worse... If I hadn't fallen into that puddle and the fight continued, I might just have soiled myself for real."
I exhaled a little, half in amusement, half in relief.
"That was the most terrifying few seconds of my life," Eden said.
"Definitely not your proudest moment..." Prince Luther stated.
"You just got beat by a girl..." Lucas said, still stifling giggles.
Eden laughed then winced a little in pain. "What else is new? Honestly, if you haven't before, I dare you to challenge Briar to literally any sport."
He limped over to Clara, wiped his hand on the dry outer thigh of his pant leg and held it out for a handshake.
She took it very tentatively, and a little suspiciously.
"You are very talented," he said. "Are you training to be a knight?"
Clara nodded, now dumbstruck.
The knight laughed heartily. "We don't let females in! They're not fit for the battlefield! They're too prone to emotional outbursts like you just saw!" He turned to the boys, "Once she starts ovulating, it'll only get worse."
"Okay there," I said calmly. He turned to me and I looked him dead in the eyes. "You need to shut up now sir."
"I beg your pardon little lady?" He asked in outrage.
"You think you're being chivalrous, but you're just being some weird mix of misogynistic and patronizing. You need to stop talking about things you don't know about, or you're going to lose credibility on the stuff you do," I said.
"I've been an instructor for twenty-five years," he snarled.
"And how many women have you trained?" I asked.
"None," he said, as if proving a point.
"Well then there you go, you know absolutely nothing about the female body or temperament. So stop talking about your opinions and stick to teaching what you actually know or people will begin to think you're completely full of shit instead of just a half-constipated asshole."
Pindrop silence.
He opened his mouth, "This is exactly why-"
"No," I said.
"Little lady, you-"
"No," I said again, shutting him down firmly. "Definitely not."
"Sir Charles," Prince Luther said quietly. "You should probably go."
The knight trainer took his leave angrily stomping about and I rose an eyebrow. "So emotional. Maybe he's being hormonal."
There was a heavy silence. No one was even laughing anymore.
"Well, I should probably change, if you all will excuse me," Eden finally said.
He started to walk away but shuttered at every step. "Eden, are you hurt?" I asked, alarmed but not surprised. Each of those hits looked like they landed pretty hard.
He laughed nervously, "just a little bruised up, it's fine."
Clara walked over slowly. "... I took it too far," she admitted. "You didn't deserve any of that."
He nodded a little. "No. I get it."
She reached into her dress pocket and pulled out her handkerchief. "Can you use this to clean any scapes? I feel awful."
Eden looked in surprise at the cloth, lightly decorated with blue and white embroidered snowflakes. "It's fine, I couldn't possibly get that dirty. It's so expensive to purchase linen that white."
She reached over and wiped the speckled mud off of his cheek. "There, now it's already dirty, please use it."
Eden, who never had a conversation with a girl other than me was speechless.
It would have been a cute scene but I had bigger worries. I walked over and yanked his shirt up revealing a large purple splotch along his side. "You're lucky she didn't break one of your ribs," I said. "Take the hankie."
He complied wordlessly.
"You need to ice this immediately, on and off for twenty minutes. Wrap the ice in the handkerchief, press it on the affected area over your shirt."
He formed an ice crystal in his hands just like he did at the baker's and shattered it into the kerchief, wincing as he pressed the bundle into his side.
"Ice magic?" The older prince asked, sounding fairly impressed.
Eden nodded. "Yeah, can't do much more than this though."
"Still, it's pretty rare," Gwen said.
I pushed Eden, "Alright, get out of here, go get changed."
As he left, Clara watched him go thoughtfully.
"Briar," she said. "Your brother is pretty cool."
"Right?" I agreed.
"You literally beat him half to death and you call that cool?" Gwen asked skeptically.
"Yeah he lost..." Lucas said in confusion and then added, "I still like him though."
Prince Luther ruffled his younger brother's hair. "Father always says that there's strength in being a gracious loser."
The younger boy tilted his head cutely and watched Eden's retreating form which was wobbling away painfully.