Till Death Do Us Part

11. A Little Bit of Magic

The following two months passed in a blur. Skylar's days were so packed that she got up at dawn, and it was already late at night when she returned to her room. She rarely had the strength to do anything but collapse on the bed and sleep.

Thanks to being included in the Queen's entourage, Skylar made enormous progress. It was hard at first. The nobles still loved making fun of her and tried to get under her skin, but she got better at controlling her emotions and temper. Elinora became the closest thing to a friend Sky could hope for. She was still a bit wary about the Queen, as something of the predator in her kept everyone else in line, but she had only shown Skylar support so far.

Gawyn kept his word, and they dined together almost every evening. Skylar started anticipating those meals pretty quickly. After all the bustle of the court and putting on a false mask for the whole day, it felt good to unwind. The first few evenings were a bit awkward when neither knew how to talk to each other. But as soon as Skylar stopped trying too hard, it all came naturally.

Her first impression of Gawyn was that he was an unfeeling and distant statue, but now she realised he was just terrific in concealing his genuine emotions. He seemed cold and unapproachable when he was in public, but she noticed he also started to let down his guard when they were alone. He had a dry sense of humour - sometimes, he was saying the funniest things with a solemn face. He usually looked at her in surprise when she was snorting with laughter as if he weren't used to people finding his jokes funny.

They still clashed, though, especially when Gawyn discovered that she continued with her training, going out long after the sunset for, as he called it, waving Preston's sword around. Or when he insisted that she should have taken off her family's pendant when they were going out, which she refused every time. But luckily, in the last few weeks, Skylar realised she genuinely enjoyed her husband's company.

"You are unusually thoughtful today," Gawyn said, throwing her off her reverie. "Something on your mind?"

"Actually, yes. I've been thinking about this idea for some time now, but I'm afraid you're not going to like it," Skylar replied.

The General sighed. "Probably not. What is it?"

"You know how we still have trouble convincing some noble families to unite."

"That's nothing new."

"Well, Elinora thinks they would be more willing to cooperate if we show more openness towards the public."

"Meaning?" asked Gawyn taking a sip of his wine. "What do they want? More entertainment? I think enough invitations for ridiculous parties at the court are sent out every week."

"She suggested that we should host an official gathering here, in Evergreen," said Skylar quietly, getting ready for an argument.

The General narrowed his eyes. "Absolutely not. That's the worst idea I've ever heard."

"Why? I think she's right. We keep saying we need all the kingdom to unite, but at the same time, you still keep distance from everyone."

"So what, suddenly you love parties so much, you want to host one?" he mocked.

"Of course not! If it were up to me, I would never go to the court again, and you know it." She scoffed. "Unfortunately, none of us is in the position to ignore the social protocol."

Gawyn laughed mirthlessly. "To think I will see the day you will use social protocol against me."

"Isn't that what you wanted? For me to be a well-behaved noble lady to attend all the fancy banquets and such?" Skylar asked and pulled her lips into a pout.