“At some point, you will need to assert your position in Axian.”

“I understand.” And she would when she was ready. “Why don’t you tell me about the army and how it’s structured?”

She’d expected him to talk nonstop, leaving her to observe her surroundings without having to contribute much. However, he didn’t say a word. “What’s your rank in the army?” she asked.

He shrugged, still not speaking.

Reid narrowed her eyes. “Did Prince Dexter order you not to discuss any aspects of the army with me?”

He shot her a smile. “You’re quick.”

What were they supposed to talk about then? Obviously, Dexter didn’t want her to gain any knowledge about his army, but what about those around him? “Can you tell me about Gytha?”

Markis chuckled. “That I can do.” He reached over his left shoulder, adjusting the bow slung across his back. “Captain Gytha grew up in the City of Radella. Her parents are blacksmiths. She joined the army when she was only fifteen.”

“Why so young?” Reid thought she remembered Nara saying people had to be eighteen to join. Anyone younger required parental permission.

“Dexter recruited her.”

“How come?” What qualities had Gytha possessed at such an early age that caught Dexter’s interest?

Markis smiled. “If you ever have the privilege of seeing Captain Gytha fight, you’ll understand.”

Jealousy started to worm its way into Reid, which she didn’t like. It was an unfamiliar feeling. Shoving it aside, she asked, “Prince Dexter and Captain Gytha have been courting for about a year?”

“Officially, they are nothing more than friends,” Markis said. “Unofficially, they’ve been sneaking around for years. However, they became pretty serious over this past year.”

“Why have they been sneaking around?” Was it because Gytha wasn’t well-born and therefore not considered suitable for a prince?

“That’s a complicated, loaded question, which I’m not comfortable answering. You’d have to ask them.”

“In Ellington, where I’m from, parents decide who their children will marry. If two people fall in love, they cannot marry unless both sets of parents agree to the match. Is it the same here in Axian?”

He eyed something up ahead and to the left. “If I’m not careful around you, I’m going to say something I shouldn’t.” He slung his bow off his shoulder, placing it across his lap. “In Axian, people are free to marry whoever they choose. That’s not to say parents don’t encourage or discourage certain matches.”

Before Reid could ask another question, Gytha dropped back to ride alongside Markis.

“Are you even paying attention?” Gytha hissed.

“I am,” Markis replied. “I was just about to take care of it.”

Gytha glared at Reid before nudging her horse and returning to Dexter’s side at the front.