With sword in hand, Maksim took a knee in front of my mother and stepfather. “I am here to fight for the lawful hand of my wife, Anika.”
Before my stepfather or mother could answer, Galen stepped in front of him. Though duels were something I knew little about, I did understand that all these old traditions had a way of doing things. The gasp of the crowd told me that Galen cutting in between Maksim and the King and Queen was not at all the way these things were done.
“You can’t marry her,” he sneered. “She’s your sister. There’s no law in the world that recognizes unions like yours.”
Maksim rose, and I could see the anger, not only on his face but in the angle of his shoulders, the way he held his blade.
“She was my sister,” he said. “But from this moment forward, I make no claim on the throne of Estana. And I formally reject my father as my kin.”
Now the crowd exploded in shouts and confusion. I stared at Maria in complete bewilderment. “What is he talking about?”
She searched my face. “Is this news to you?”
I nodded slowly.
My stepfather’s herald quieted the crowd, and my stepfather rose from his seat. The hush of the crowd was total and instant. There wasn’t a sound except the wind in the trees.
The king cleared his throat. “Let us have no confusion on this, son. You’re abdicating. Is that correct?”
“It is,” said Maksim, lowering his head.
If I was confused by this news, the King was absolutely dumbstruck. Though he was a number of yards away from me, I had spent many years studying his face and movements. Never, in all that time, had I seen him so utterly stunned, his mouth moving silently as he searched for words.
Finally, he managed to ask, “Why, Maksim? Why?”
Maksim stood, turning to face me for only a second, though it felt like so much more. In that moment, he gave me a hint of a smile. And my heart almost exploded in my chest.
“Because I love her, more than anything. And the laws of this land give me no choice, father. By stepping down, by rejecting my familial claim, I am no longer her brother by our laws. And that means we are free to wed.”
“Not so fast,” barked the king, and I could almost see his brain working on the problem like a game of chess he was determined to win. “You think I’ll let the Princess of Estana marry you, if you have no title, no lands, no future? Seems to me you haven’t thought this through, son.” Snickers rolled through Prince Galen’s part of the stands.
“Yes, I have,” said Maksim. Now it was his turn for a cocky strut. And oh, it looked so good on him. “Don’t forget, father. I’m the heir apparent to my mother’s kingdom, not just this one. And that’s where I was this past week. Securing a future for me and for my wife.”
The sound of that word on his lips made my toes curl, and a gasp snuck out of my throat. My cheeks burned with a blush. Maria gripped my hand harder, blinking a few times.
“Swoon!” She whispered.
“So that was the message this morning,” Aiden said quietly, in an impressed tone. “Must have been confirmation that his mother’s people would back him. Cunning bastard, he’s played this well.”
I almost grinned at Aiden’s comment, but the sound of Galen’s blade whipping through the air snapped me back to reality. All of that would be for nothing if Maksim died in front of us.
“I don’t give two shits about any of this,” Galen said, with a cross-body practice slash of his sword. “You’re still going to have to fight me. She was promised to me. And I am damned well going to get what I am owed.” He spun on his heel, took two steps into the circle and showed off a terrifyingly well-practiced killing thrust.
Watching the duel was unbearable. I tried to keep my eyes open, just so that Maksim knew I was with him for every step and parry, but time after time when Galen looked to be on the verge of delivering the final blow, my eyes clamped shut instinctively.
In those dark moments, I listened for Maksim’s last breath, his last powerful roar, but again and again, I heard only the sound of his feet on the footing, and a surprised gasp from the crowd. Maria’s grip on my hand would loosen and I would peek out from one eye to see that Maksim had cheated death. Yet again.
It was Maksim’s brute strength and stubbornness that helped him the most. Many other men, I was sure, would have long since given up and been killed. But not Maksim.
And yet, I wondered how long he could go on without tiring, without stumbling. As if my thoughts poisoned fate, he stumbled just then. Galen advanced quickly, grazing Maksim’s cheek with the tip of his blade. At first, I thought he’d escaped injury yet again, but then I saw a red streak appear at the wound.