Page 2 of The King’s Bodyguard (Catkin Trilogy #1)

Corrin

T oday marked the first day of my employment for the King’s Royal Guard.

After ten years spent living in the province of Velamere, I finally returned to the capital city of Rimefrost. After the initial rush of excitement had faded, I became more aware than ever that I was far from my natural environment.

This wasn’t a land of thick pine forests and the towering cliffs of snow-capped mountains.

Like the city of Rimefrost itself, the Royal Palace seemed like a maze.

Within an hour of arrival at the palace, I had gotten lost in one of the hidden side corridors.

As I moved down the hall, a golden flurry of ears and tail burst out of a door and rammed into me.

At first, I struggled to get my breath back.

Then I looked down and glimpsed a familiar head of golden curls.

Suddenly, I was at a loss for words. The young tom who had run into me was none other than Prince Landis!

There was no mistaking it—from his slight build to his tan skin and signature brilliant gold hair.

Not Prince Landis anymore , I reminded myself. Not Landis anymore. It’s ‘Your Royal Highness’ from now on. Best you remember that, Corrin.

Before I could say anything, it seemed like Landis—King Landis, now—had remembered me.

For a moment, it seemed as though he was going to embrace me.

But then, as though he had come to himself, King Landis had stiffened, pulled away, and avoided my gaze.

Before I could say anything, he pushed past me wordlessly and rushed off to a doorway behind me.

At first, I hesitated. I half turned, part curious to figure out what had just happened.

Part of me wanted to hold onto him. Feeling him cling to me brought back a host of memories.

The weight of his arm linked with mine when we had walked beneath the trees together.

The warmth of his hand clasping mine as I pulled him up into the willow tree.

The joyous lilt in his voice when he called my name.

That was long ago, though. We had both been young then when titles and positions had not separated us. He had only been eight winters old. I had been ten. Still, we discovered a shared love of exploration, of tree-climbing, of apple stealing.

That was then , I reminded myself. This is now. He might not remember anything. After all, we only played together for the space of a summer. After that, I was whisked away by Mother, and I never returned. He is Prince—King—Landis now. And I’m just another guard.

Yes. There it was. The voice of commonsense.

It sounded like my mother. As a Seeress, my mother had quite a few opinions on matters of the state and the affairs of Sumarene.

She was the one who had arranged for me to take a position in the Royal Guard when Lord Elthorne requested specific Munni recruits for the King’s personal guard.

“It’s a show of respect and unity,” Mother had said. “Nothing more, Corrin. You would do well to remember that. When you arrive, you will find few friends waiting for you there.”

“Prince Landis...” I had tentatively said.

I remembered the golden glint of his hair and his sky blue eyes. Even more, I remembered his laughter, when I was able to chase away the sadness within him. Forgetting Landis was impossible.

”—is a king now,“ she had finished my sentence with a certain finality.

Then, her blue-green eyes had softened, and she leaned forward to pinch me hard on the chin.

“But perhaps you will find yourself a place even within the hard walls of Rimefrost. There is a hidden garden there, neglected, I fancy, that needs tending. As a child of the Moon Mother and the Goddess of Love, you will, I hope, rise to the occasion.”

I always hated it when my mother spoke in riddles. It was her job, I knew. As a Seeress of Velamere and Matriarch of our tribe, her words had kept us safe through the years of war and poverty.

When I was a young child, she had forged begun to forge new bonds with Landis’s father, King Lansson, in an attempt to bridge the divide between the catfolk of the night and those of the day.

Walking with the gods, my mother would on occasion be gifted with an oracle.

She had been told by the Goddess of Fate herself that there was hope for our land.

Oracles , I grimaced. Father would have bristled at my mother’s words.

He would have gotten defensive. Derisive.

Dismissive. I tried to listen, but it was hard.

Her riddles were as slippery as eels, elusive to catch the meaning.

It would drive any kin to drink. Besides, it’s not like she’s thinking about you, Corrin , I reminded myself.

Her eyes are ever fixed on the horizon. Your fate is incidental.

And here I was, as she had hoped and planned, in the heart of the Royal Palace, thoroughly lost. Once upon a time, Landis and I had romped through these halls and played hide and seek within abandoned rooms.

Since then, much had changed. The old halls had been redecorated. New statues, new lamps, new cabinets and drawers. It was difficult to chart my path. Yet, somehow, I had already found the person I had been most curious about.

King Landis. When he collided with me, the prince seemed to be in some sort of turmoil, so I hesitated before turning and slowly following him out of a half-open wooden door.

Mother would advise me against getting caught up in the affairs of the state.

That is for Seeresses, she’d say. But I had to know.

No doubt he had gotten a head start on me and was long gone.

Still, I pushed the door open. My breath caught in my throat at the sight that unfolded before me.

An ancient pavement covered by a peristyle upheld by an arched colonnade, decorated with mythical and historical figures.

In the center lay a square garden divided by four streams that flowed into a majestically sculpted fountain.

I knew this place. This was one of the gardens that the now-ruling King and I had played in.

I lingered at the edge of the path that led down to three oak trees placed strategically by more fragile flowers—blue columbine, violet forget-me-nots, and pale turquoise elandarin.

Beyond, a great willow lowered over the streams, drifting its pale green tendrils into the water.

The quiet burble of the streams, the creak of the tree branches, and the rustle of wind through the leaves made me feel right at home.

I wasn’t in Rimefrost anymore. I was back home, traveling in the wild woods of Velamere, close by the Grey Mist Mountains.

I was in a forgotten nook, a hidden dale, where clusters of elandarin released their cool scent in the breeze of a late summer night.

And in the center of it all, bright as a gold piece, was Landis himself.

Today, the young king had dressed in a deep blue surcoat over a black, silver-trimmed tunic.

Belted with silver and black leather, the cloth looked well-pressed and warm for a late summer afternoon.

His breeches beneath were also a dark brown-black.

Booted in soft black leather trimmed with blue, Landis’s complete outfit screamed wealth.

He looked every bit like a king... if he weren’t drooping on the edge of the fountain like a scared kit.

As he had done in the past, Landis huddled in the middle of the garden, vulnerable and unprotected.

He had flung himself down as was his wont and drawn up a knee to rest his head, deep in thought.

Clearly, he was distraught about something.

I hesitated and drew back, suddenly uncertain. After all, there was no certainty that he would remember me. I was no one, an untutored bumpkin Munni from the distant edges of the kingdom. Instead, I partially stepped back into the shadows, content to watch over him. It was my duty after all.

For a while, I allowed myself to simply observe him.

I took note of the only other entrance into the garden, checked the perimeter, and assured myself that the king was safe, if unattended.

Then, I returned to watch over him. I couldn’t help but notice how the King’s ears had flattened down, a sure sign of sadness.

His tail hung limply off the edge of the stone fountain. A veritable picture of dejection.

As if reading my mind, Landis seemed to collect himself. He drew in a deep breath, straightened his shoulders, wiped his eyes, and turned.

“Prince Landis?” I blurted out, not wishing to surprise him with my presence.

At the sound of his name, Landis looked up.

For a moment, there was a furrow between his dark gold eyebrows, but then Landis relaxed as he surveyed me from head to foot.

There was a self-conscious edge to his put-upon poise as king.

It made me want to chuckle a little, but I refrained.

While Landis looked me over, I took the opportunity to come to grips with the changes time had wrought in my friend.

Unlike other catkin, Landis was slighter in build and thinly muscled.

He was taller now, but he remained a head shorter than me.

Landis had grown into a well-bred young tom.

His coloring was undoubtedly Royal—tan skin with the traditional golden hair falling in large curls about his neck.

His ears and tail matched in color, trimmed to perfection, unlike my own scruffier tail.

The set of his cheekbones, the firm edge of his jawline, and the severe line of his nose proclaimed his royal heritage as King Lansson’s issue.

But it was his brilliant, gem-like blue eyes edged with the silver of tears that drew my gaze.

Those, and the soft swell of his lips that parted a little as he stared at me in disbelief.

“Cor-Corrin?”

At the sound of my name on his tongue, I couldn’t help but smile with relief.

“The one and the same,” I said.

It came out a bit more cocky than I had hoped. Mentally, I could see my mother and father cuffing me on the back of the head. I stepped forward and knelt on one knee, bowing my head even as Landis approached.

“Apologies, my King,” I added. “I forgot my place.”

“No,” Landis said. There was a silvery edge to his voice that spoke of a thousand feelings, few that I dared to name. “All is forgiven. I had not expected—I did not—I mean, please, rise, Corrin.”

Landis extended a hand. I took his in my own.

My leather gloves barred the touch of our skin.

It made me wonder what it would feel like, to grasp his hand in mine once again.

In that fleeting moment, I couldn’t help but notice the fine-boned fingers.

A noble hand , I thought. First, I gave proper obeisance, allowing my lips to briefly graze the knuckles of our King.

The muscles within Landis stiffened a little, but he said nothing.

I rose to my feet and gazed down at him.

Landis appeared to be staring at the fountain in a daze.

He now clasped the hand he had extended to his chest as though it were not a part of him.

A blush darkened the golden brown of his cheeks.

Looking at the way he held himself, the way his shoulders turned in protectively, the way he ducked his head, Landis looked more vulnerable than ever.

“I—“ Landis’s voice was soft. “I-I’m still not used to—I mean...” He floundered a little and then glanced up at me, offering a shy smile. “It’s still a little new to me.”

“It is new to all of us,” I said.

Understatement of the century. When the death count at Marrasol had been declared, when the royal standards had been retrieved, and the bodies discovered and identified, the entire country had to come to grips with the fact that the various outcomes they had fought for would never come to fruition.

Instead, the forgotten son of the King’s third wife would take the throne. The son no one had cared to cultivate.

At the time, Prince Landis had still not achieved his majority.

His distant cousin, Lord Morne, stepped forward as regent.

The regency lasted only a short time. Within a year, Landis had celebrated his eighteenth winter.

His time had come to rule, but it was clear to many that the newly appointed king was little more than a kit.

But he isn’t a kit , I thought. He is a young tom who simply needs our help, support, and protection.

“But we are here for you, my King,” I said quietly.

At my words, Landis’s blue eyes sparkled. Behind him, his fluffy golden tail flicked from side to side, and his ears perked up a little.

“You are?” he asked.

I barely repressed a chuckle at that. He had completely ignored the ‘we’. Apparently, he was more excited to see me than anyone else. Shooting him a grin, I nodded.

“I am,” I said. “As of today, I have been assigned to the Royal Guard. I look forward to serving you,” I added with a light drawl, “Your Majesty.”