Her Graceful War Song by Summer's Blaze

The stables had already been thoroughly inspected. The horses were fed and groomed, ready for the day's festivities. The four children chattered excitedly, each tending to their own mount while exchanging lively remarks about the grand occasion.

Despite Sylvia's fall from favor, Cecil seemed entirely unaffected. His face was bright with a cheerful smile.

Naturally, Sylvia was present as well. No matter how she was treated within the harem, she remained, in the eyes of the public, Cecil's mother and an esteemed concubine of the kingdom.

However, Jeanette had been too unwell to make the journey and had remained behind.

Leading their horses out for a short ride, Cecil decided to test himself. Previously, he had always required assistance to mount. Today, he attempted the feat alone. To his delight, he succeeded in swinging himself onto his horse's back without aid.

His face lit up with triumph. "Connor, Caden, Ryan! Look at me! I did it all by myself!"

His exuberance was infectious. The others doubled over with laughter and showered him with praise.

"That's only because your horse is smaller. If you could mount any of ours, then I'd be impressed," Caden said with a smile, clenching his hand inside his pocket.

Cecil's competitive nature flared at once. Sliding off his horse, he strode determinedly toward Ryan's mount.

In truth, there was not much difference in height between their horses, though Ryan's and Connor's were slightly taller. But the challenge lay elsewhere-the other horses did not recognize Cecil as their master and showed signs of resistance.

last, he managed to hoist himself onto Ryan's horse. His

me—I did

continued to prance about in mild agitation, unaccustomed to the unfamiliar

about a potential disaster, Ryan stepped forward at once. "All

from the

to try every horse in turn, leaving Connor's for last. Having successfully mounted each steed, he turned to Caden

yield now?" he

brother down. "I concede defeat. Our dear younger brother is nothing if not

ground, but the boy was heavier than expected. It took Caden two or three tries to manage

you look," Caden said with a chuckle, though his

says the more I eat, the taller

I want to be as skilled as he is too. T master

Rafael was a hero-a figure of legend. They

to one day prove themselves worthy of

hesitated and cast his eyes downward. He had always thought Connor's talent for combat was middling at best, and

may not