Chapter 169: Rude Awakening

The last moments Henry shared with the princess weighed heavily on him so he took a slow ride back from the castle to try and clear his mind and let the cold air whip him back into shape. She had almost caused him to lose control.

If he had given in to what he was feeling he would have put so many things at risk including the general opinion of the princess and the king's trust in him.

He fell asleep the night after the banquet thinking of only the princess and hoping she wouldn't feel too awful the following day.

He knew he wasn't going to get much sleep but he was pulled to consciousness in the rudest possible way. There was a firm knock on his door and his eyes snapped open. 

Henry woke up fully when he heard the commander's low, powerful voice permeating through his wooden door.

"Get up. We're going to spar," the commander demanded. "It's the first sunny day in a long time and we're going to take advantage of it."