Moon Blessed

Chapter 5 ~ Pushed and Prodded

The sun was already rising when Nikolai woke and prepared to go to the palace. His mother had left several hours ago, as was her custom, and with any luck, Volya would be gone too. Nikolai dressed swiftly and tucked his journal into a pocket sewn onto the inner part of his jacket.

He made his way downstairs, then paused. Hoofbeats clopped up to the front door. Nikolai squared his shoulders and stepped out of the house just as his brother dismounted. Volya glanced at him through copper eyes, a look of distaste crossing his features.

"Did you forget something?" Nikolai asked.

"No, I was sent back for you, actually. Some of the Lords will arrive this morning. Andrey asked me to make sure you'd be there on time." Volya narrowed his eyes. "And to make sure you won't be sneaking off."

"Are you going to put a guard detail on me?" Nikolai muttered, shoving past his brother.

Volya took his horse by the rains and followed him down the street. "The thought crossed my mind. Did Mother speak to you? She said she would."

"About what?"

"About your friendship with her Highness."

Nikolai clenched his jaw. "There was a time when you called her Nasi, same as me."

"That time is long past. I've grown up. It's time for you to do the same."

"Growing up doesn't mean abandoning my friends."

Volya grabbed his shoulder, halting him in his tracks. Nikolai rounded on him. "Growing up means doing what is in the best interest of you and your family. Haven't you disappointed Mother long enough?"

Nikolai bristled, fury burning through his gut. "The only people I've disappointed are you and Father. Mother doesn't care that I don't want to be a guard or earn a place in the Order of Knights. Those were goals Father set for me. For us. I chose to go my own way though."

"The only reason you chose not to be a guard was because you'd be expressly forbidden from speaking to any member of the Royal Family," Volya sneered. "And you couldn't bear to be distanced from your precious Princess."

Nikolai twisted out of Volya's grasp and stormed away, but his brother continued to follow him. "In a matter of days, she could be betrothed to the Emperor of Andrian. You won't be able to speak to her then, so you might as well stop now."

"She is never going to be anything other than a Princess with duties and obligations of her own," he continued. "A Saint that you were blessed to know for a brief time. She's never been yours to keep." Nikolai didn't answer. He just kept walking. "Nik," Volya barked, grabbing him again.

Nikolai rammed his elbow into Volya's gut. Volya doubled over with a gasp and Nikolai backed away. "You lost the right to call me that a long time ago."

Volya slowly straightened, a hoarse laugh breaking from his lips. "All right, Little Brother." He swung onto his horse. "Oh, by the way, I thought you'd like to know that the little pansy you insist on associating with got the shit beat out of him last night."

Nikolai's eyes widened. "Yuri? What the hell did you do?"

"Nothing. I'm the one who broke up the fight and dumped his ass at a healer's. And before you ask, Balakin was nowhere to be seen."

"What healer did you take him to?" Volya was already riding away. "Volya, what healer did you take him to?"

"Don't bother. You have work to do," Volya snapped. "And if you don't show up, Andrey will flay your hide, and I'll take a turn after him."