I use the washroom and dress for the day. As I pull on my boots, Ari sits up in bed. "What time is it?" she asks.
"Well past dawn," I tell her. I know she wants an hour and minute, like in her world, but we do not track time in the same way.
She climbs out of bed and stretches. "Thank you for letting me stay here last night."
Baron, who slept by her side all night, springs out of bed and paces the room. He needs to be let out to run, to hunt. And I need to feed. It has been too long and I can feel the bloodlust building in me. Sleeping with Arianna only made it worse.
"It was no trouble," I say. A small lie. "Get dressed and we'll eat. Then I have work to do. In a few days, I'll need to head back to High Castle."
She frowns at my words. "Why?"
"I need to continue the investigation into my father's death."
"Don't forget you also promised to teach me how to sword fight."
"I haven't forgotten," I say. "When I can't be with you, I'm going to leave Baron and two guards I trust to make sure you're safe."
She nods and leaves the room, and the space feels too empty without her.
While she's changing, I take Baron to the woods outside the city. I need to chase something, to catch prey and drain its blood. I need to feed before my cravings overcome me. I can't afford any weakness while Arianna is here. Until she is gone for good, I must remain in control.
The sun is high in the sky and the air is cool but not frigid. We still have a fortnight at least before the coldest part of winter sets in. "Ready to hunt, boy?"
Baron raises his head to the sky and howls. I am faster than my wolf, but I pace myself to keep stride with him. It's better to run with him than alone. Blood pumps through my body, invigorating my senses. Everything around me is heightened. The scent of the lingering snow on the ground, the crunch of branches underfoot, the insects swarming deep undercover of brush and bark, the critters scampering through trees and bushes to get out of the way of the predators they sense coming into their world.
There are small creatures we could hunt, but I need something larger. Something that will put up a fight. So we go deeper into the woods, running so fast, so far, that I can no longer see Stonehill. It is then that I smell what I'm after. A black bear.
Baron backs away, uncertain, but he knows I'll watch his back, so he follows. I tear through the trees until I see the bear emerging from a cave. It shouldn't be so close to the village. It's a risk to my people. These are my justifications as I throw myself at the beast, teeth extended, power surging, and end its life.
After my blood lust is quenched—as quenched as it can be on animal blood and not human—I sit on a rock in the sun as Baron hunts smaller prey. He's content with his rabbit for breakfast, and then we return to Stonehill.
***
Ari is already sitting at the dining table when we arrive. Baron rushes to lie at her feet, and she pets his head with affection. I sit across from her.
She's dressed for a day of training in pants and a form-fitting tunic. Her hair is pulled back in braids.
Once I'm sitting, Olga, the cook, brings in plates for us both. She's been in my service for many years and knows the routine of this house instinctually. Though she looks to be in her early 30s, she is actually an immortal Fae. Her pointed ears attest to that, which at the moment are prominently displayed over the white hair that is pulled back in a bun.
"Thank you, Olga," Ari says. "This looks delicious."
Olga smiles. "You're welcome. I added extra apple dumpling since you seemed so taken with it."
When Ari smiles her whole face lights up. "Wonderful. I can't wait to learn how to prepare it myself."
Olga pats her hand. "Not that you should ever need to, Your Highness."
When Olga leaves, I stare at the girl across from me. "What was that about?"
She shrugs, spooning the porridge and apple dumpling into her mouth and taking her time to chew before answering. "I got bored waiting for you, so I introduced myself to the kitchen staff and offered to help. Actually, I had to insist since they wouldn't let me. I'm afraid I created quite a scandal, but I do plan on repeating the experience." She raises a spoon with more apple dumpling. "I must learn how to make this. It's amazing."
I shake my head as I take my own spoonful. It's odd, seeing someone ranked so high take such a personal interest in the servants. She definitely does not behave the way royalty here are used to. "I've a feeling you'll be creating quite a few scandals while you're here."
She grins. "Here's hoping."
***
I take her to the outside training arena after breakfast and hand her a wooden sword. "We start with this."
She frowns at it. "Seriously? I'm not a child. This looks like a toy."
There are others out here training. Some are my soldiers staying in battle shape. Others are children just learning their sword. I whistle to one of the soldiers. "Mario, come."
Mario jogs over. He's about my height, with slightly less bulk, but he's strong and trained well. I trained him myself, so I should know. I toss him a wooden sword and take up one myself. "The Princess here thinks these are toys. Care to help me demonstrate what they can do?"
Mario grins. "Yes, sir."
I don't hold back. Much. If I put my full power into the fight I'd break both swords and probably Mario as well. He throws himself into the fight, though. Ari watches wide-eyed as we circle one another in the yard, parrying blows and attempting to strike each other. A few others stop to watch, so we put on a show. In the end, I disarm Mario and pin him to the ground with my sword. I look over at Ari. "If I was trying to hurt him, I could kill him with this thing you call a toy. It just wouldn't kill as easily or as fast as one made of metal, which is the point. Until you learn control and technique, I can't risk you using a sharpened steel sword. But once you're ready, we'll have one made for you."