Ashputtel

XIX: Winston

[X]

This time I wasn't going to mess this up. I was certain of it. I had the kitchen give us some small sandwiches as appetizers, pack some meats and cheeses, as well as a good wine compliment in a wicker basket and we'd be eating in a nook overlooking the gardens by the east end. Every area of the gardens was breathtaking, despite the snow, but this one was the furthest from those godawful red ones that sent Asher into a sneezing fit, and houses the wallflowers.

It would be another few weeks, after this final snow had melted, that the flowers would bloom and then I'd take him out on another date just outside. What a site that would be, him amongst his own. I'd want that painted, just for my own collection, a joke that would surely be lost to time and end up gods know where.

"Springs nearly here," he commented, looking out. "I miss seeing the flowers in bloom."

"This section should be by the end of the month. We'll take a stroll sometime." He hummed in response, turning his attention back to me. "How was your morning?"

He rolled his eyes in annoyance. "Robin plays dirty. He cheated himself a victory when we went riding, the nerve." I laughed at that. Asking Robin to play fair was like asking a fish to survive out of water. "After that, I took a walk with my militia. Wanted to make sure the perimeter was secured."

I scoffed. Asher will be fighting the guards until his dying breath, I was sure of it. Honestly, I'm surprised he hasn't just shaken them, but he's already on thin ice with Robin on that front, so it wouldn't have been wise to do so so early. The extra after our forest excursion were, of course, Robin's doing but I'm sure he passed it off as a mutual decision so Asher doesn't riot.

"Well, commander, glad someone's seeing to it that we're all safe." He crossed his arms, clearly wanting sympathy, not jokes at his plight. "I'm sure you can work something out with Robin to have him remove his seven, then we'll see about the other eight."

He sighed. "He wants to get me a teacher. I don't see the importance of it. Why should I know so much magic? I'm not eligible to be a mage, I'm not battling anyone, it's not like I'll have use for whatever they instruct." I've only seen him this agitated when Alto and Cinder's tension was at its peak. Only, this was surprising, because by all accounts, the man enjoyed learning. It didn't make sense that he was bothered by the opportunity to learn from a master.

"I'm sure Robin has his reasons. I'm sure he didn't mean anything insulting by it," I try to reason. "It probably wouldn't have to be anyone brought in, maybe your mother could just–"

"So I can be a laughing stock needing the basics taught to me and they can further question my mother on my upbringing? Respectfully, I'll pass."

So that's what it was about. I knew the court here better than most, they were brutal to newcomers, no matter the status. I'd been through it, but as a teenager, I didn't imagine they kept up that nasty habit from our youth, but clearly whatever they said had been getting under Asher's skin.

"Have you brought up the matter of appearance to Robin?"

"He brushed it off."

That upset me. Robin should've been more understanding and seen that Asher was struggling in that regard, not just prioritized what he deemed fit. "I'll talk to him. We may not have all the free time in the world, but I'm sure he could carve out a time to tutor you and we can have your brother or his mate fill in the gaps. Those three are masters in their own right, and it'll be seen as you just sparring with them rather than having a governess."

He seemed much more pleased with my solution which made me abundantly happy. It was curious how the bond did that, made such simple actions cause you to fall helplessly for someone. I had always heard stories of it, but to experience it myself was entirely different.