“I’m good, considering.”
“Did the Queen explain things to you?” Finn asked.
“I don’t know.” I shook my head. “I don’t know that I’ll ever really know everything.”
“She told you she’s dying?” Finn asked, and hearing him say it made it worse.
“Yeah,” I said thickly. “She told me. And she finally told me what makes me so special. That I’m the perfect blend of Trylle and Vittra. I’m the ultimate bloodline.”
“And you didn’t believe me when I said you were special.” That was Finn’s attempt at a joke, and he smiled ever so slightly.
“I guess you were right.” I pulled down my hair, which had gotten messy from laying on it, and ran my fingers through it.
“How are you taking that?” Finn asked, coming closer to my bed. He stopped by the end bed post and absently touched my satin bedding.
“Being the chosen one for both sides in an epic troll battle?”
“If anybody can handle it, you can,” he reassured me.
I looked up at him, his eyes betraying some of the warmth he felt for me. I wanted to throw myself into his arms and feel them wrap around me, protecting me like granite. To kiss his temples and cheeks, to feel his stubble rubbing against my skin.
I stood up, and something in his eyes told me he would let me. If I ran to him now, he would take me in his arms and kiss me so hard I couldn’t breathe. He would crush me to him the way he had before, and my body flushed with warmth at the thought of it.
Despite how badly I wanted that – I wanted it so much I ached – I knew that I had to become a great Princess, which meant that I had to use some restraint. Even if the restraint killed me.
“Elora wants me to marry Tove,” I blurted out. I hadn’t meant to tell him that way, but I knew it would ruin the moment. Break the spell we were under before I acted on it.
“So she told you?” Finn said with a heavy sigh.
“What?” I blinked at him, startled by his response. “What do you mean she told me? You knew? How long did you know for?”
“I’m not sure, exactly,” he shook his head. “I’ve known for a long while, before I met you or Tove.”
“What?” I gaped at him, unable to find the words that matched the confusion and anger inside me.
“The marriage had been arranged for some time, the Markis Kroner and the Princess Dahl,” Finn explained calmly. “I believe it was only finalized a few days ago, but it was what Aurora Kroner had always wanted. The Queen knew it was her best chance to secure the throne and keep you safe.”
“You knew?” I repeated, unable to get past that part. “You knew that she wanted me to marry somebody else, and you never told me?”
“It wasn’t my place.” He was confused by my reaction.
“Maybe it wasn’t your place as a tracker, but as the guy making out with me in this bed –” I pointed to my bed next to us, “– yeah, I think it was your place to tell me that I’m supposed to marry someone else.”
“Wendy, I repeatedly told you we couldn’t be together–”
“Saying we shouldn’t be together isn’t the same thing, and you know it!” I snapped. “How could you not tell me, Finn? He’s your friend. He’s my friend, and you never thought to tell me?”
“No, I didn’t want to change the way you thought of him. I didn’t want to interfere with your relationship.”
“Interfere with what?” I asked.
“The way you felt about him. I saw that you liked him, and I thought if you knew about the engagement you might stop,” Finn said. “I was afraid you might hate him to spite your mother, and I didn’t want that. I wanted you to be happy with him.”
“You… what?” My heart felt like it had ripped in half. For a moment, I didn’t speak. I couldn’t make my mouth work. “You expect me to marry him.”
“Yes, of course,” Finn said, almost wearily.
“You’re not even gonna try to…” I swallowed back tears and looked away from him. “When Elora told me, I fought with her. I fought for you.”
“I am sorry, Wendy.” His voice had gotten low and thick. He stepped towards me and raised his hand, as if he meant to touch me but dropped it instead. “But you will be happy with Tove. He can protect you.”
“I wish everyone would stop talking about him that way!” I sat back on the bed, exasperated. “Tove is a person! This is his life! Doesn’t he deserve better than being somebody’s watchdog?”
“I can imagine worse things in life than being married to you,” Finn said quietly.
“Don’t.” I shook my head. “Don’t joke. Don’t be nice.” I glared up at him. “You kept this from me. But worse still, you didn’t fight for me.”
“You know why I can’t, Wendy.” His dark eyes smoldered, and his fists clenched at his side. “Now you know who you are and what you mean for the kingdom. I can’t fight for something that isn’t mine. Especially not when you mean so much to our people.”
I wiped at my eyes and didn’t say anything. What did I have to say to that? He was right, but it still hurt like hell.
I lay down on my bed and rolled over so my back was to him. After a few minutes, I heard him walk away and the door shut behind him.
22. Accord
Sara Elsing, Queen of the Vittra, was set to arrive at three in the afternoon to collect Loki Staad, so the morning was filled with a series of defense meetings. I went, along with Tove and Aurora Kroner, Garrett Strom, the Chancellor, and a select few trackers, like Finn and his father.
Elora was noticeably absent. She didn’t have the strength for it, and she wouldn’t be able to regain her strength until after Loki left. It was killing her to keep him here.
When we stopped for lunch, Tove invited me to join him, but I declined. I liked Tove as much as I always had, but I felt weird around him knowing that we were expected to marry.
Also, I wanted to get in a moment alone with Loki before he left. It might be the last chance I ever got to speak with him.
This time, I didn’t use Duncan to do my dirty work. I sent the guards away myself. They protested, but with an icy glare, I reminded them I was the Princess. I didn’t care if anyone talked about it. Loki was leaving anyway. There would be nothing left to gossip about.
“Ooo, I love it when you’re feisty,” Loki said after I made the guards leave. He leaned on the footboard of his bed, his usual cocky grin plastered on his face.
“I’m not being feisty,” I said. “I wanted to talk to you.”
“You’ve come to say goodbye, I take it?” He arched an eyebrow. “You’ll miss me terribly, I know, but if you want to avoid all that, you can always come with me.”
“That’s quite alright, thank you.”
“Really?” Loki wrinkled his nose. “You can’t actually be excited about the upcoming nuptials.”
“What are you talking about?” I asked, tensing up.
“I heard you’re engaged to that stodgy Markis.” Loki waved his hand vaguely and stood up. “Which I think is ridiculous. He’s boring and bland and you don’t love him at all.”
“How do you know about that?” I stood up straighter, preparing to defend myself.
“The guards around here are horrible gossips, and I hear everything.” He grinned and sauntered towards me. “And I have two eyes. I’ve seen that little melodrama play out between you and that other tracker. Fish? Flounder? What’s his name?”
“Finn,” I said pointedly.
“Yes, him.” Loki rested his shoulder against the door. “Can I give you a piece of advice?”
“By all means. I’d love to hear advice from a prisoner.”
“Excellent.” Loki leaned forward, as close to me as he could before he’d be racked with pain from attempting to leave the room. “Don’t marry someone you don’t love.”
“What do you know of love or marriage?” I asked. “You were all set to marry a woman ten years older than you before the King stole her away.”
�
��I wouldn’t have married her anyway,” Loki shrugged. “Not if I didn’t love her.”
“Now you’ve got integrity?” I scoffed. “You kidnapped me, and your father was a traitor.”
“I’ve never said a nice word about my father,” Loki said quickly. “And I’ve never done anything bad to you.”
“You still kidnapped me!” I said dubiously.
“Did I?” Loki cocked his head. “Because I remember Kyra kidnapping you, and me preventing her from pummeling you to death. Then, when you were coughing up blood, I sent for the Queen to help you. When you escaped, I didn’t stop you. And when I came here, I’ve done nothing against you. I’ve even been good since you told me to be. So what terrible crimes have I committed against you, Princess?”
“I-I-” I stammered. “I never said you did anything terrible.”
“Then why don’t you trust me?” Loki asked honestly.
“I do.” I furrowed my brow, confused by own admission. “I do trust you. I just don’t know why I do, and I don’t know why you’ve been helping me.”
“I already told you, Princess.” He smiled at me, and there was something sincere and sweet underlying. “You and I aren’t all that different.”
“You say that like it means something,” I said.
“Doesn’t it?” Loki asked.
“No, not really. You’re leaving today, going home to my enemies.” I let out a deep breath. “If I’m lucky, I’ll never see you again. Because if I do, that means we’re at war, and I’d have to hurt you.”
“Oh, Princess, that’s perhaps the saddest thing I’ve ever heard,” Loki said, and he looked like he meant it. “But life doesn’t have to be all doom and gloom. Don’t you ever see the silver lining?”
“Not today,” I shook my head. I heard Garrett saying my name from down the hall, which meant that lunch was over and meetings were about to start up. “I have to get back. I’ll see you when we make the exchange with the Vittra Queen.”
“Good luck,” he nodded.
I turned to walk away, and I hadn’t made it very far when I heard Loki calling after me.
“Princess!” Loki leaned out in the hall, so far it made him grimace with pain. “If you’re right, and the next time we see each other is when our kingdoms are at war, you and I never will be. I’ll never fight you. That I can promise you.”
The meetings continued on with their same grueling pace. They kept repeating the same things. What to do if the Vittra reneged on the deal. What to do if the Vittra attacked. What to do if the Vittra tried to kidnap me.
And it all boiled down to one answer – fight back. Tove and I would use our abilities, the trackers would use their strength and skill, and the Chancellor would cower in the corner.
We waited in the War Room for Sara to arrive. Aurora said we didn’t need to look too eager. At two-thirty, Elora released Loki, and he promised to be on his best behavior. Just the same, Thomas and Finn treated him like they thought he was a bomb about to explode.
Since we were meeting a warring dignitary, I thought I’d better look the part of the Princess, especially since Elora was unable to join us. I dressed in a dark violet gown, and I’d enlisted Willa to help me with my hair.
“If I’d known you’d look so beautiful, I would’ve gotten dressed up,” Loki teased when Finn and Thomas brought him into the War Room. Finn shoved him into a seat unnecessarily hard, but Loki didn’t protest.
“Don’t get familiar with the Princess,” Duncan told him, giving him a hard look.
“My apologies,” Loki said. “I wouldn’t want to get familiar with anyone.”
Loki looked about the room. Duncan, Finn, Thomas, Tove, the Chancellor, and I were the ones set to meet Sara. The rest of the house was on standby, should we need them, but we didn’t want to look like we were ambushing Sara when she arrived.
“Did you change your mind and decide to execute me?” Loki asked, looking us over. “Because you all look like you’re going to a funeral.”
“Not now,” I said, fidgeting with my bracelet and watching the clock.
“Then when, Princess?” Loki asked. “Because we only have about fifteen minutes until I leave.”
I rolled my eyes and ignored him.
By the time the door chimed, I’d taken to pacing the room. I nearly jumped when I heard it. This exchange was supposed to be clean and simple, but I wasn’t sure what to expect. My father had lied and betrayed the Trylle before.
“Here we go,” I said and took a deep breath.
I led the way down the corridor to the front hall. Duncan followed directly behind me on my left side, and Tove was at my right. Finn and Thomas each took one of Loki’s arms, in case he decided to struggle or fight, and the Chancellor brought up the rear.
Two other guards had let the Queen in, and they waited with her. She stood in the center of the rotunda, flakes of snow sticking to her crimson cloak. She’d pushed the hood down, and her cheeks were rosy from the cold. She’d arrived alone, except for Ludlow, the small hobgoblin I’d seen in the Vittra palace.
“Princess,” Sara smiled warmly when she saw me. She did a small curtsey, and I returned it, making sure to keep it equally small.
“Queen. I trust you traveled well,” I said.
“Yes, the roads were a bit icy.” She gestured to the doors behind her with velvet gloved hands. “I hope we didn’t keep you waiting.”
“No, you arrived on time,” I assured her.
“She’s here now,” Loki said, but I didn’t look back to see him pulling at Finn and Thomas. “Can you let me go?”
“Not until the agreement is finalized,” Finn said through gritted teeth.
“My Queen, can we settle this please?” Loki called to her, sounding irritated. “This tracker is getting handsy.”
“The Markis hasn’t been too much trouble?” Sara asked, her cheeks reddening with embarrassment.
“Not too much,” I replied with a thin smile. “When we return him to you, you agree to peace until my coronation. Is that correct?”
“Yes,” Sara nodded. “The Vittra will not attack you as long as Elora is Queen. But as soon as you become Queen, the embargo is over.”
“Now they can let me go?” Loki asked.
“Yes,” I nodded once.
I heard a skirmish behind me, and then Loki walked past me, smoothing out his shirt. Sara gave him a disapproving look, and he took his place at her side.
“It’s all settled then?” Loki asked.
“It appears that way,” Sara said. “Princess, you know you are always welcome at our palace.”
“I do,” I admitted.
“The King wanted me to extend an invitation to you,” Sara said. “If you return to the Vittra to take your rightful place at his side, he will offer amnesty to Förening and everyone who lives here.”
I faltered for a moment, unsure of how to respond. I didn’t want to go there, and I certainly didn’t trust the King, but it was hard to pass up. It would protect everybody I cared about, including Matt and Finn.
“And we can continue our late night chats,” Loki grinned.
“Princess.” Tove touched my arm, just above my elbow. “We have other business to attend this afternoon. Perhaps we should see our guests out.”
“Yes, of course.” I smiled thinly. “If you’ll forgive me, I do have things I need to do.”
“Of course.” Sara smiled. “We don’t need to take up any more of your time.”
“But if you ever want to take up ours, you know where we’re at,” Loki winked at me.
“Markis,” Sara said coolly.
She did another curtsey, which I reciprocated, then turned to away. Ludlow the hobgoblin never said anything, but he gathered up her train so it wouldn’t drag on the ground. As they walked out, Loki started to say something, but Sara silenced him.
Once they were gone, I let out a deep breath.
“That wasn’t so bad,” I said. It wasn’t bad at all really, but the buildup befor
e it had been nerve-racking.
The Chancellor was sweating like a pig, but this was nothing new. I put my hand on my side, and smiled gratefully at Tove. It had been nice having him at my side. Backup and support were never a bad thing.
“Those little hobgoblins freak me out.” Duncan shuddered at the thought of Ludlow. “I don’t know how they can live with them.”
“I’m sure they think the same thing about you,” Finn muttered.
“I think we all know what we have to do,” the Chancellor said, wringing his pudgy hands together.
“What?” I asked, since I had no idea what we had to do.
“We need to attack them while the embargo is on,” the Chancellor said. Sweat dripped down into his beady eyes, and his white suit had wet circles all over it.
“The whole point of the embargo is that we have peace,” I said dubiously. “If we attack them, we negate that, and we’re back at war.”
“We need to get a drop on them when they’re not expecting it,” the Chancellor insisted, his jowls shaking. “This is our only chance to have the upper hand!”
“No, this is our chance to rebuild after the last attack and find ways to handle this conflict peaceably.” I shook my head. “We need to work on uniting the Trylle and being as strong as we can be. Or coming up with something we can offer the Vittra to get them off our back.”
“Well, we know what we can offer them.” The Chancellor eyed me up.
“We’re not negotiating with them,” Finn interjected.
“Of course you’re not negotiating with anybody for anything,” the Chancellor glared at him.
“We can’t cross negotiations out,” Tove said, and before Finn could protest, he went on. “Obviously, we’re not giving them the Princess, but we can’t rule out other options. Enough people have died already. And after all this time we’ve been fighting, nobody has won. I think we need to try something different.”
“Exactly,” I agreed. “We should use this time to figure out what that might be.”
“You want to find something new to barter with?” The Chancellor scoffed. “We can’t trust the Vittra King!”
“Just because he plays dirty doesn’t mean we have to,” I said.
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