The Valkyrie's Bond (Halfblood Rising Book 1)

by Lucy Roy

  She paused to look at each of them in turn. “You three chose me as Aerelius’ betrothed based on the commander’s status in our world, my mother’s power, and the skills you knew those things would give me as an adult. I’ve worked hard since then to hone those skills, to be the type of female worthy of the crown because I know the good we—” she glanced at Aer “—can do.” Now, she directed her words at the king. “But Your Majesty, for all intents and purposes, I am one of those citizens you’re casting such disdain toward. I might be a Lady of Allanor, but I’m no royal. Let me prove my worthiness to the people of Lindoroth before I take my crown. Let them see me for who I am, base their reverence for me on truth, not title.”

  She held Salazar’s gaze steadily, refusing to blink as he appraised her through narrowed eyes.

  “Sal…” Ordona murmured.

  With a clenched jaw, the king nodded tersely. “Alright. I will allow you to live at Aldridge for now.” He held up one finger. “But you will have two guards with you at all times.” He inclined his head toward Aerelius. “Same as the prince. And once this term is over, you’ll move in here.”

  She bit hard on the inside of her cheek, wanting desperately to argue her ability to defend herself. Aerelius’ quick tug of her hair stopped her.

  “I can accept that. But if you don’t mind me asking, why not assign them to me when I arrived?”

  “No one knew who you were when you arrived, and that would’ve raised too many questions. And that’s another thing!” the king snapped, his face reddening with temper again. “Now that this is out, I will expect the two of you to behave as future mates when you’re in public. Not tossing each other about in the combat ring!”

  The room was silent for a moment, then Aer laughed as Freya shifted uncomfortably in her seat. “And how is that, Father? Handholding? A kiss between classes? Fornication on the campus lawn?”

  Freya elbowed him as her cheeks flamed red.

  “Be nice to one another,” Byrric told them. “No snark, no sass.”

  “I won’t have my future bride changing herself to suit some fabricated idea of propriety,” Aerelius said, his voice turning serious. “I quite like her sass, as you call it.”

  “No one is asking her to change who she is,” Ordona replied patiently. “But anyone who spends two minutes with the two of you know you’ll take any opportunity to swipe at one another.”

  “In good fun!” Aerelius exclaimed.

  “Aer,” Freya murmured. Then she gave her father a tight smile. “As I said when I arrived in Iladel, I will be the picture of propriety.” Sending a pointed look at Aerelius, she added, “As will he.”

  He smiled, then brushed a hand against her cheek before resting his arm along the back of the sofa. “Of course, my love.”

  “Well, I think we’re done here,” Ordona said. “Why don’t you two take a walk? It might do you some good.” She smiled at Freya. “We’ll meet soon to begin planning.”

  Freya gave her a small nod as her mind continued to try and catch up to the sudden turn the night had taken.

  “Thank you, Mother.” Aerelius stood up and held out a hand to Freya. “Come, let’s let these stodgy old fools continue their discussion without us. There’s something I’d like to show you, anyway.”

  Freya slid a look at the others and could tell any further discussion was closed for the evening. With a small sigh, she let the prince help her to her feet and lead her from the room.

  Chapter 21

  Freya and Aerelius walked in silence for a few minutes as he led her to the gardens they’d gone to the previous week. Now that they were away from the eyes of their parents and partygoers, the mood between them shifted, as though neither were quite sure how to proceed now that their betrothal was no longer a secret.

  “Where are we going?” she asked after they’d been walking for a few minutes.

  “You’ll see,” he told her, turning down a path that appeared far darker than the rest of the garden, despite the full moon overhead.

  Freya bit her tongue a half dozen times before finally speaking again.

  “Are you planning on murdering me?” she teased. “I can assure you, there are far better places than a darkened palace garden to do it.”

  “Ah, but those places wouldn’t allow me the benefit of palace guards who will assist in covering up my crime.” He stopped in front of a towering honeysuckle bush and slid a section of the sweet-smelling flowers out of the way. “Or secret passages.”

  Curious, Freya came to a stop beside him, then bit her lip and grinned when she saw the unassuming door that stood before them.

  “Where does it go?” she whispered, her eyes widening in excitement.

  Aerelius shrugged. “I only found it a few days ago. I thought I’d wait for you to find out.”

  Freya smiled, touched by his forethought, then frowned. “This is hardly well-hidden. All you had to do was push those branches aside.”

  “We scoured this garden top to bottom when we were children,” he reminded her. “Or so we thought. I stopped searching here long ago, so it was easily missed.”

  “Hmm. As I recall, this bush was always full of bees, correct?” Freya asked, touching one of the pink blooms. Their excursions through the palace gardens had always been during the day, when pollinating insects were most abundant. A bush full of bees was as likely to draw them in as a pond full of snapping cinderfish.

  “It was,” Aer replied. “And pixies, although they stay to the more brightly-lit areas after sundown.”

  Freya cast her eyes up, then along the wall that the door was cut into. She couldn’t tell from her position which portion of the castle it was attached to, but her fingers were itching to pull up the ancient latch and find out.

  “Shall we?” the prince asked. “Or would you prefer we wait until we have to fight off legions of bees to satiate our curiosity?”

  She smirked. “I’m sure if I shoved you in front of me as bait, the bees would leave me be.”

  Aerelius pulled open the door, the hinges protesting loudly as he did. “Are you saying I taste sweet, Lady Balthana?”

  She stepped past him into the darkened tunnel, patting his cheek on the way. “Only that I’d put my own well-being above yours should we be attacked by a swarm of stinging bugs.”

  “I think my mother might protest that.”

  “Unlikely. Your mother adores me.”

  The prince chuckled quietly as he pulled the door shut behind them. Once they were in full darkness, Freya rubbed her fingers together and conjured a small, glowing orb of light, illuminating the space around them.

  They were in a narrow stone tunnel, barely wide enough for the two to walk abreast without touching. The floors were covered in a fine layer of dust and the walls were spattered with green and white lichens. Freya raised the light a bit higher, but aside from a slight right curve in the tunnel, there was no indication where it led.

  “Your lights have improved,” Aerelius commented, tapping a finger lightly to the glowing orb.

  “I did a lot of hunting in the dark in Allanor,” she murmured, staring into the darkness. “Where do you think it goes?”

  “Straight and to the right?” Aerelius replied.

  She shoved him and rolled her eyes. “I can see that, you imbecile. I would imagine it goes a bit further beyond that, though.”

  He gave her a grin. “What do you say? Shall we go exploring tonight?”

  Freya gnawed at her lip. She was dying to go into the recesses of the tunnel and find where it went, but it was getting late and she could practically hear her father chastising her for behaving improperly with the prince.

  “You’re adults now, Freya. You can’t go galavanting off in the dark like children.”

  Freya sighed. “Another night, I promise. It’s getting late and I’ve already suffered enough of my father’s ire this week.” She smirked up at him. “Besides, I don’t know that I trust you not to abandon me if a rodent pops out and startles us.�
�

  He sent her a withering look. “That happened once, and a rat had no business in that passageway.”

  “It was a rat, not a legion of draugs,” she said.

  “It startled me and I had no proper defenses yet, Valkyrie!”

  “Are you saying you’d react differently now?” she asked as they stepped back into the moonlight.

  Aerelius shut the door behind them and resituated the branches, ensuring it was concealed before turning to face her. “Well, I can’t say. As my betrothed, I suppose the chivalrous thing would be to protect you at all costs, even though you seem perfectly content to do the opposite for me.” He slipped an arm around her waist and touched a finger to her chin. “Although, your feathers and witchcraft are far more useful on a vicious rat than my powers of persuasion.”

  “Powers of persuasion?” She laid a hand to his chest and nudged him back a step so that he released her. “Is that what you call it?”

  “‘My ability to lull victims into a lust-addled stupor’ sounds odd when we’re discussing rodents, don’t you think?” He slid his hands in his pockets and began to walk beside her.

  “I suppose that’s a fair point, although it won’t stop me from tossing you in the path of danger the first chance I get.”

  Aerelius laughed and draped an arm around her shoulder. “You are a horrible creature, Freya Balthana.”

  “And yet you hope to woo me,” Freya said with a sigh as she leaned into him. “That’s quite the conundrum.”

  “Oh, I don’t have to hope.” He put a hand on her hip, stopping her, then turned her to face him. “In all seriousness, though, I would like you to allow me to do what I can to make you happy with this arrangement, Freya.”

  Softening, she smiled. “I’ve never doubted that, even while I was away. I’m just reeling a bit from this new timeline.” She laid her hands on his arms, testing the way the show of affection felt when they were away from gawking onlookers. “What about you?”

  Sensing what she was doing, he looped his hands around her waist, linking his fingers together behind her back. “What about me?”

  “Are you happy?”

  “I am, although I think practicing some more of these ‘shows of affection’ our parents want from us might boost my mood a bit.” He inclined his head toward a path that disappeared off to their right. “Right down there is the fountain we stood beside when you let me kiss you the last time you were here.” He grinned suggestively. “We could take a trip down memory lane, if you’d like. That would certainly make me happy.”

  “You’re insufferable, did you know that?” Freya shook her head, unable to keep from smiling at the memory. “I meant, are you content with this arrangement?”

  “With making you my queen? Yes, without question. Our parents are pragmatic in all their decisions, political and otherwise, and this pairing was no exception.” His arms tightened when she frowned, as though sensing her slight offense at his response. “As far as the arrangement… no, content is not the word I’d use. We were so close as children, and when my father told me you wouldn’t return until it was near time for us to marry, I was furious. I know the girl you were, but not the female you’ve become. We should have spent the past six years getting to know one another, not half a world apart.”

  “Maybe.” She bit her lip, then sighed. “I don’t know. I think… I think growing on my own, living side-by-side with the people I’m going to rule, learning from them, will make me a better queen. I meant what I said earlier. Isolating myself from the outside world will only isolate me from my future subjects.”

  He gave her a soft smile. “See? Pragmatic, just like Byrric.”

  “Pragmatism is why I never fought this betrothal, at least not outwardly.”

  “And here I thought it was my wit and charm.”

  She let out an exasperated sigh. “Are you ever serious?”

  “When the mood strikes,” he replied airily. “Come, I’m sure the commander is eager to get you back to Aldridge.”

  Freya nodded, then the pair turned and began strolling back through the garden.

  After the prince escorted Freya back inside, Byrric insisted she ride back to Aldridge with him instead of her friends, citing the need to discuss a few things. Despite her protests and the female officer who now accompanied Rissen, he wouldn’t budge.

  When they were inside the carriage and the door was closed, Freya turned and glared at her father.

  “You knew he was going to do that, didn’t you?”

  Byrric folded his arms and stared at her evenly. “I had an inkling, yes, and had I told you—”

  “I wouldn’t have come?” Freya finished. “Why does it seem like no one in this blasted city has any faith in me?” With a huff, she slumped against the wall of the carriage. “I’ve lost the ability to choose my own clothes, I’m incapable of choosing logic over desire, and the gods only know what else! Gods above, Father, has there ever been a time when you thought I might run from this? I know my obligations!”

  “Is that all Aerelius is to you?” he asked.

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” Freya snapped.

  “Is the prince simply a duty you must fulfill?”

  “I’m not in love with him, if that’s what you’re asking, but perhaps if I’d been allowed to visit Iladel a few times over the past six years, I might be able to say otherwise!”

  “You seemed quite enamored when you were dancing,” he pointed out.

  “Appearances can be deceiving.”

  “Meaning?”

  “I threatened to stab him with his own sternum if he ever put me in a position like that again,” she said flatly.

  Byrric blinked, then burst out laughing. It took him several moments to collect himself, and when he did, his eyes were streaming with tears of mirth. “Freya! If Salazar heard you say that…”

  “Well, he didn’t.” Freya folded her arms and glared out the window, sulking silently for several seconds. “And no, Aerelius isn’t just an obligation. He was a good friend when we were younger, although I think it’s safe to say that relationship could have been cultivated far better if we hadn’t been separated the last six years. I look forward to becoming reacquainted, but I wish it weren’t such a necessity.” She met his eyes. “As for love… I can’t say it won’t happen, but we’ve got to learn about one another all over again. That takes time.”

  “You have more of a starting-off point than most betrothals,” he pointed out. “Your mother and I met only three months before we were to marry.”

  Freya pressed her lips together and stared out the window, the blackness of night the only thing that stared back. Her parents’ betrothal had been far more typical of such pairings, based purely on politics. Cina’s mother, Selinda Cantor, daughter of the governor of Allanor, was betrothed at birth to Caelora’s wealthiest Lord, Jora Enrieth. Selinda had been one of the most powerful witches to come from the Cantor line of witches, magic she passed down to Freya’s mother in spades. Combining Cina’s power with a male Valkyrie was sure to be a union that could potentially produce a powerful halfblood heir, which would prove to be a valuable partnership.

  When it became clear that Freya was a true halfblood, her parents and the king and queen had drawn up the agreement for their betrothal. She’d always thought that was where talk of her marriage to the prince began, but now, according to the queen, that agreement had been in the works for years prior to her birth.

  “I appreciate the chance to form a relationship with the male you’ve chosen for me,” she finally said, meeting her father’s eyes. “I can only hope he and I find that same friendship we had as children.”

  The smile he gave her held nothing but pride. “You did well, tonight, Freya, and despite what you might say, you two already show a clear united front. Based on your interactions tonight, I’d say you’re well on your way to finding what you feel you’ve lost.”

  A smile flickered across her lips. “I certainly hope you’re right.” />
  Chapter 22

  “Are you certain you don’t want to take a day or two off?”

  Freya paused in the middle of tugging on one of her knee-high suede boots and looked at Lea. She and her friends had discussed in depth whether or not it was wise for her to dive right back into classes, with Laz and Collin falling a bit more on her side, while Lea and Aer tended to lean on the side of easing back in.

  “Absolutely.” She finished fastening her boot and let her foot thud to the floor. “I had to fight with the king to let me live on campus. I won’t hide away because I’m worried about what some people might say.”

  A knock sounded, and Lea walked over to let Lazarus and Collin in before responding to Freya.

  “I’m only saying that it couldn’t hurt to let the… fervor die down a bit before subjecting yourself to all of that.”

  “Are you still trying to convince her to avoid classes?” Collin asked as he walked in.

  “The suggestion isn’t without merit,” Lea said haughtily.

  “She’s got us,” Lazarus said with a shrug. “And Aer will be meeting us for lunch before Combat.”

  “And let’s not forget my two shadows,” Freya added as she picked up her brush and began running it through her hair. “Rissen has a partner named Cecilia. It’s utterly ludicrous. I’ve been wandering around here for two weeks without guards at my back. I’ve made myself a bet that I’ll be able to slip them at least twice a day.”

  “I’ll take that bet,” Lea muttered.

  “You still owe me money,” Freya reminded her. Setting the brush down, she picked up her bag and slung it over her shoulder. “Now, shall we go?”

  “I may be regretting this decision,” Freya muttered when she and Laz arrived at Civics. Rissen and Cecilia, a small, brown-haired wolf shifter with a stern face that dared anyone to try something, had insisted on waiting until the hallways were clear of all students before escorting her through the building, so when they entered the room, all eyes were drawn toward them. Her previous class, Toxins, had been similar, except Professor Florian had set a tall atomizer of widow venom on the front table, a clear threat to any students who might interrupt. He dove into his lecture the moment she and Lea took their seats, giving the other students no time for whispers, lest they risk another poisoning.