Because of course they did.
I didn’t even know what to do with that. I’m pretty sure I was sweating in my tight trousers. “Today has been so weird,” I side-whispered to Gary.
“I think the word you’re looking for is erotic,” he said back. “Today has been so erotic.”
And then Ryan looked toward the King and knelt on one knee, bowing his head.
“He looks good like that,” Gary murmured in my ear. “Right where he belongs.”
I choked on my tongue. And spit. And air. And coughed quite loudly. It echoed around the stone throne room.
Every single person in the room turned to look at me.
“Sorry,” I said to everyone with a little wave. “Sorry. Bug flew in my mouth. Unavoidable. My bad. Please continue with the… knight. Thing.”
Gary snickered.
Justin was not amused.
My parents had buried their faces in their hands.
Tiggy was giving me a thumbs-up.
Morgan looked resigned to his fate.
King Anthony glanced at me fondly.
And Ryan’s eyes were still trained on the ground, but I saw him fighting back a smile. I wanted to tell him I’d swallow anything for him just to see him smile, but I realized that didn’t sound promotion-ceremony appropriate, so I managed to bite it back down and instead thought of what spell I could use to modify everyone’s memories to forget the last four minutes had ever happened. I didn’t know if we had any eye of eagle back in the lab. I thought we’d used the last of it after that thing with the fire geckos. Fucking fire geckos.
Eventually, everyone looked away from me, convinced I wasn’t about to do anything else completely stupid.
King Anthony turned back to Ryan and pulled his sword and by the power of the Kingdom of Verania and words, words, words, he now decreed Knight Ryan Foxheart to be Knight Commander Ryan Foxheart, in charge of the Eighth Battalion, and didn’t that make my heart stutter a bit. Because the Eighth were kept close to the castle to ensure the safety of His Highness. The Castle Guard of the King. Of the Prince.
And of the King’s Wizard.
And any apprentice said Wizard would have.
I was so completely and utterly fucked.
Because this was an oath to the King. An oath was the most important thing a knight could ever do. It meant that he was giving his life over to those he pledged to. Oaths were rarely broken and if they were, it was only done because of extraordinary circumstances. Essentially, Ryan was giving everything to the King, everything that made him who he was. And since I was technically an extension of the Crown, he was doing the same for me.
Mostly.
And so everyone stood and cheered for Knight Commander Ryan Foxheart and he gave that goofy grin of his, the one that was crooked and sweet and caused my heart to do a weird little dance in my chest. Especially since it was directed at me for some reason. I decided right then that his jawline was fantastic and that his forehead was the best forehead to have ever forehead. And also? Muscles. (Not that I could see them under the knight’s armor, but I had a very vivid imagination and I was not ashamed to use it.) The smile faded as he turned toward the cheering crowd.
Then the King decided to drop two bombshells in such quick succession that I’m pretty sure it caused everyone within a four-mile radius to collectively shit themselves.
The first?
The King said, “And I am so very happy to say that just this afternoon, my only son, Grand Prince Justin of Verania, asked for the hand of our new Knight Commander in marriage. And I could not have given my blessing more proudly. Once Prince Justin assumes the throne, Ryan will be the King Consort of Verania.”
Everyone gasped.
Gary said, “The fuck?”
My parents looked upset.
Tiggy looked murderous.