AYLETH
The heat in her stomach drove her forward, always forward. After a horrifying conversation with her father in which he explained… men… she'd been left flustered and excited and alight.
What had her mother done to her? It was as if the ember Etan had lit in her stomach the night before had become a bonfire. She didn't just want to see him, she needed him—needed to be close to him. Needed to touch him and be touched. It curled up her insides and made her want to snap at her Ladies in Waiting when they commented on her distractedness.
Then Trayn had commented about the Lords' training for the tournament that afternoon. "They're all down in the training circle trying to beat each other silly."
"We'll go watch," Ayleth said without thought.
All five of them turned, mouths open. It was Dayce who laughed first. "Someone's ready to see their Lion Lord," she said slyly. "Did you ever figure out who he was, Majesty?"
