My brows lift in surprise as I look to Zale. "These men trapped down here with you were your royal guard?"
"Some of them," Merrick says while laying out a table full of food. "We're not sure how many more of them survived, but these males trapped here with us have proved their loyalty unequivocally. I'm sure the princes will agree to giving them the honor."
All three of them nod their agreement. I've barely had time to adjust to things the way they are now. Just how different are they going to be when the curse is broken and we're on the surface again? Am I ready for the responsibilities that come with being mated to princes who are soon to be kings? Letting my eyes drift over them as they fill their plates and converse with each other, I realize that I don't have much of a choice anymore. I haven't since the day I fell off that cruise liner and Zanthus put that necklace around my neck. All of it pretty much sealed our fates and tied them all together. As if the fates themselves knew the opportunity to help the clans of this realm and their princes were going to be too tempting for me to pass on.
"What are you thinking so hard on?" Zanthus asks, his posture rigid and food untouched as he stares at my face.
I don't want to add to their list of crap to worry about, but I don't want to lie to them either. Answering truthfully, I reply, "I'm worried about how much things are going to change once we break this curse. I come from another realm and don't know the first lick about being royalty. I know nothing of your laws or how I'm supposed to act. And...that's if we aren't in full out war still once this bubble is broken."
"You do understand that you weren't born a human, correct? This realm is as much your home as it is ours," Zephyr offers around the cup in his hand.
Then I hear myself saying something that I didn't know was a fear until the words leave my mouth. "What if your people don't accept me? I may have been born here, but I was raised as a human. Plus, once it's known who my father is, they may turn on all of us. That's not fair to you or your clan to ask them to accept the daughter of one of your worst enemies."
Zanthus' fury makes itself known in the palm that he slaps down on the table, but Zale holds his own up in the air to stop his brother’s rant.
"It's respectable of you to consider our people before yourself. It's what a true leader would do. However, they are just that, our people. Not only will you be aiding in freeing them of the curse, but you are our mate. It's one thing for us to declare you queen of the kingdom as an outsider. You are our mate, Rubi. The only way that can be refuted is if we sever the bonds between us. If we are to rule the kingdom then you will be by our side," he says softly.
He's right, of course, proving those worries to be null and void, but the last part makes me wonder, "Is there a way they can be broken? Our bonds, that is."
They all turn to granite in their seats, even my playful mer across from me. Realizing how bad that probably sounded, I amend my question by adding, "Not that I want to or anything. I just didn't know something like that was possible."
I fully expect Merrick to answer, but it seems he disappeared at some point during our conversation. It's Zanthus' now gruff voice that finally cuts through the quiet. "Yes, love. It's possible, though, neither party would likely make it out with their sanity."
"Having second thoughts already, little siren?" Zephyr asks with a sly grin.
There's a thump on the bottom of the table that makes me and the diningware jump in response as Zephyr winces and reaches down.
"Keep your feet to yourself," Zanthus growls at him.
Zephyr's lips are turned down in a frown as his hand works over a spot on his shin, "I thought that was her. Damn brother, why'd you have to kick me that hard?"
Crumbling all of the serious walls down around us, I burst into a belly rolling laugh that has Zale joining in almost immediately and Zephyr not long after. Zanthus only huffs, but it's good enough for me. We eat the rest of our meal in companionable conversation with Zeph trying to regale us with stories of the trouble the three of them used to get into. He's cut off more than once by one of his brothers, but that only makes me want to pry harder. Eventually they concede and allow Zephyr to finish his tales leaving me in joyful tears more than once. It's nice learning things about my mates, but it's even better taking this moment to enjoy this thing building stronger between us. Who knows how many more of these chances we'll get in the not too distant future. They seem to feel the same. Especially after the subject switches over to me and more specifically why my best friend banned the truth or dare game.
Lunch with the three of them and their reassurances is apparently what my confidence needed to hear. After we're finished, I let them know that I'd like to train in self-defense at some point. I half expect an argument demanding one of them always be there to protect me, but it doesn't come. They know the score as much as I do because this game we’re about to play is dangerous and could be deadly.
Zanthus and Zephyr lead us out of the Keep, leaving Zale behind in the study at his request. He'd told us that he'd be joining us soon but wanted to research a couple more things. I'd pecked him on the cheek and wondered if he was always been like this or if the curse had changed him. I could imagine him as a small boy walking around a palace with his nose stuck in a book. Tucking that question away to be reconsidered later, I file out of the main door with the other two Zs.
The scene we come upon stops my feet in their tracks. Where all of the men I saw on my first day lazing about like cats in sunlight, they've now turned the space beneath the barrier into their own personal sparring sections. There are four of them just in my line of sight. In each circle of bystanders, two men clash together with the sharp sound of steel grinding against steel. Watching them makes my heart thump hard in my chest, even knowing they aren't actually trying to hurt each other. Another huge difference is that all of their torsos are now covered in what appears to be chain-link armor. I'm no expert, but I'm almost certain ancient chain-link doesn't flash a multitude of colors as different angles of light hit it.
As we near one of the groups, I reach out to touch the flashy material. The male jumps underneath my hand and spins as Zephyr plasters himself against my back. A sword that I didn't even realize he had makes itself known flush against my leg.
"Sorry," I mutter, holding my palms up to the male.
"No, highness. My apologies," he replies, dropping to a kneel.
Reaching out a hand to him automatically, I only get half a second to understand I've messed up.
The male's eyes flash over my shoulder in fear then I'm yanked backwards a step, and Zanthus' silver sword is pressed against his throat.
"Zanthus, stop!" I yell, fearing for the man's life more than embarrassment for myself when everyone's heads turn our way. A pin could be heard dropping in the silence that follows, but my only thought is to stop my mate from killing one of his people for a misunderstanding.
Zephyr doesn't let me step out of his arms, but that doesn't stop the demand that I throw at my brutish mate, "Let him go. I was curious what the armor felt like and it startled all of us."
Zanthus immediately drops his weapon and leans down to whisper something into the male's ear that has him paling even further. He gives a short nod of understanding that has Zanthus straightening again. Before I can get anymore words past my lips, I'm being half-dragged, half-pushed away from the scene.