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A lock of dark hair fell into the prince’s eyes as he leaned over the wide table before him. Two strong arms supported his frame, fingers splayed upon the polished wood. His dark eyes scanned the map before him, tracking the movements of his enemies. Before him, small figures had been gathered between two drawings of mountains. Similar figures were set at the bases of those mountains.
“We have them trapped in the pass.” The prince’s general was a tall, wide and particularly gruff man. “We’ll have these men advance, and these shall act as a second wave.”
Duke’s black eyes narrowed in annoyance. “And, pray tell, what shall we do when the Skippers decide to retreat? That would leave our troops trapped in the mountain pass.”
The general fell silent, looking at his comrades for other ideas.
“I had thought you were allied with the Metal-Marks.” All eyes turned to the new voice in the room. Amra’s bright orange hair contrasted markedly against the dark blues and blacks of the men in the room. “Don’t the Metal-Marks supply weapons and armor for your men?” A haughty smirk pulled at her full, pouting lips. It wasn’t often that Amra could show up a room full of generals. “Have the Metal-Marks flank the Skippers in the mountain pass. Cut off their retreat.”
Duke frowned, ignoring his top general who was now taking notes on what the Monarch Princess just said. “You do not belong in here.” He shook his head. “Can’t you see that we are working here?”
Amra’s lips pouted. “But, Duke…” The prince almost visibly winced when he heard her tone. “You have had me cooped up in this palace for days, and you’ve hardly looked at me.” She crossed her arms over her ample bosom. “Neither of our parents would be pleased to know the royal prince is ignoring his queen to be.”
“We are at war, Amra—“
“And I fixed your mountain issue. So spend some time with me.” She almost stamped her foot to punctuate her point, but Amra thought better of it at the last minute.
“Sire…” The head general looked at Duke sympathetically.
Duke threw up his hands, exasperated. “Fine. We will go spend time together.” He almost rolled his eyes at the thought. He had better things to do than babysit a spoiled princess. Duke wanted to ignore the princess and continue to plot with his generals. But he knew how her mind worked. She would whine and pout and complain until he gave in. Or, if she grew tired, it would be his father that he heard from. Duke wanted to avoid either king getting involved.
“Good!” Amra hugged Duke’s arm, nearly dragging him out of the war room. “It’s so beautiful today. I am sure the garden will be especially beautiful.” Duke grunted his reply, but he said nothing. The prince simply let the woman lead him to the garden. He hoped she would have her fill of him then let him go.
“Of course the garden is beautiful.” Duke sounded bored. “We pay people to make sure the garden stays beautiful.”
Amra stepped into the garden then turned to look at the prince. She was taken with the prince the moment she laid eyes on him. He had a noble brow, strong jaw and natural pouting lips. Amra knew that the moment her engagement to the prince was announced, she became the envy of two kingdoms. If only their subjects knew how moody the handsome prince could be. “Come walk the garden with me.” She pouted again. “Our parents wanted the two of us to get along.”
Duke let his eyes wander over the garden. It was a beautiful day, and the roses he loved so much were in full bloom. A distraction would be welcome, even if the distraction included a spoiled princess – or spoiling her further. “Alright.” He sighed, resigned. “I was in need of a break either way.” Amra, pleased with the prince’s decision, hugged his arm and drug him into the garden.
“NOW!”
From behind Duke’s beloved rose bushes, a black clad duo of men leapt out. “In and out.” The taller of the two intoned. “In and out and no more war.” He held a blade in each hand, sliding one along the other. “In and out. Leave them bleeding out.”
“No more war.” The second one chimed in. “No more prince. No more war.” He lunged at Amra, causing the princess to cry out. She pressed her back to Duke’s, protecting him as much as she was protecting herself. “No bride. No heir. No prince to lead them.”
“In and out.” The tall attacker slashed at Duke with one of his blades. Duke, being a trained swordsman, withdrew his own sword just in time. The two blades crossed, clashing and leaving Duke blinking from the sun’s reflection on the steel.
“No more prince. No more prince. No more prince!” The shorter assailant lunged at Duke, hoping to attack while the prince was distracted. Amra threw herself at the man then, hugging him around the waist and dropping to her knees, so the weight of her body brought him crashing down.
Duke pushed the taller man off of him, searching for Amra – his eyes wide with panic. “Amra?”
A company of guards rushed in, hearing the commotion. Before the pair in black could attack again, the guards put them in irons and dragged them away. Amra climbed to her feet, looking a little pale. Duke silently offered her his arm. “Your wing…”
The princess looked down, seeing a small tear where the assailant had cut her. She had not even felt the wound during the scuffle. “It’s… it’s fine. I’ll heal.” She looked up at Duke, not realizing how close the prince was right then. She could almost reach out and…
Duke leaned in, pressing his lips to hers as he cupped the back of her neck. It was as if he were silently saying everything he didn’t have the words for. He pulled away, but only just enough so their eyes met. “Thank you.” For once, Amra found herself speechless. Instead, she simply smiled back.
The prince offered his arm to his bride to be. “We’ve had enough of the garden today. We’re needed in the war room.”