by Lucy Roy
Freya arched a brow and sipped the wine, its vibrant, summery flavor bursting across her tongue. “Only your first, hmm?”
Laz patted Jonas on the shoulder. “Our new friend here is quite the drinker, it seems.”
Aer flashed Jonas a smile. “Understandable, considering.”
“So what have you all been up to today?” Freya asked, sliding one of the plates of food forward. “Gods above, I’m starving.”
“Hiding from our parents, mainly,” Laz said. “My mother keeps on me about my attire for the wedding. I’m the cousin of the groom, for heaven’s sake. No one will be looking at me.”
“You’re also a governor’s son,” Collin said, his tone implying this wasn’t the first time they’d had this discussion. “You can’t stand beside your parents at a royal wedding dressed for a dinner party.”
Laz waved a hand in annoyance. “Yes, yes, I already know. Can we talk about something more interesting, please? Freya, Aerelius, how was your meeting with the humans?”
Aer and Freya exchanged a quick look, one that wasn’t lost for a moment on Jonas.
“Ah, King Willem is quite… something, isn’t he?” Jonas asked with a knowing smile. “How long did it take him to insult you, Freya?”
“What makes you so sure he insulted me?” she asked, blinking in surprise.
“The man is quite the misogynist, if I’m not mistaken, and a bit of a bigot,” Jonas said. “He wouldn’t speak down to your betrothed, but seeing as you’re not a royal yet, he wouldn’t hesitate to do so to you.” He picked up a piece of bread and dipped it in jam. “Other monarchs will test you, my lady. He’s just not very good at it.”
“How do you mean?” Aer asked.
“When I visited Dystone a while back, he saw me as he likely sees Freya—a peripheral royal, if you will. He tried several times to get me to… snap, perhaps?” He shook his head. “No, maybe that’s not the right word. It just seemed he wanted to be irksome, get a rise out of me.”
Freya couldn’t help but notice how similar Willem seemed to Lessia in that regard, although something told her that Lessia’s centuries of experience weighed heavily in her favor when it came down to the effectiveness of such a tactic.
“Did it work?” Lea asked, smirking as she rested her elbow on the table and propped her chin on her fist. “I can’t imagine it did.”
He gave her a brilliant smile in return. “Not in the least.” He looked to Aer and Freya expectantly. “Will we be having dinner in the main dining room this evening?”
“No,” Aer said. “Guests are still arriving and getting settled in. Tomorrow, though.” He jerked his chin toward the call bell near his bed. “I’ll call for dinner now if you’d all like to stay. With so many to cook for, it will take a bit for them to get up here.”
“I’d be delighted,” Jonas replied.
As Aer stood to call the kitchen, Freya rested her forearms on the table and smiled at Jonas, trying to put her lingering annoyance with him aside. “So, did you meet many of the human royals when you were in Dystone? I feel as though I know so little about them.”
“I did. While the king and queen have no children yet, their families are quite extensive. Willem has three younger brothers, two of whom have a handful of children each, and two younger sisters. Isadora has just the one brother but a whole horde of cousins. They had a dinner with the entire family while I was there, and needless to say, I and my escorts were vastly outnumbered,” he said with a laugh.
Freya’s eyes goggled at the thought of such a large family, and she couldn’t help but feel a twinge of jealousy for how easy the humans seemed to have it when it came to offspring. Linds and Jotnar alike were, as a rule, slow to procreate. The thought of having six children in such a short time frame was mind boggling.
“Were you in Dystone long?” Collin asked, seeming genuinely curious.
Jonas paused, then looked around the table and laughed. “If I didn’t know better, I’d think you only invited me to stay to pump me for information.”
“Not at all,” Freya said easily. “It’s a benefit, surely, to have someone who’s familiar with our guests here tonight, but we’re all friends here.” She tipped her glass in salute. “Let’s get to know one another a bit better, what do you say?”
Tipping his glass in return, Jonas nodded. “I think that sounds wonderful.”
Chapter 37
Freya and the others were up until late into the night talking, getting to know their new friend and each other a bit more. Jonas was far more enjoyable to spend time with than she’d expected, and she was surprised to find he shared a number of common interests with them.
While admittedly fun, Freya was feeling the aftereffects of a late night of drinking fairly hard the following morning, when she grunted at Dina to leave breakfast on the table and tugged the pillow back over her head.
She wasn’t sure how much later it was when she felt Aer flop into the bed beside her and begin stroking her back.
“Time to get up, sleepyhead,” he crooned. “The day awaits.”
Rolling onto her back, Freya rubbed at her eyes, then turn toward the window, where the sun was blazing.
“You let me sleep in,” she murmured.
“Not so much,” he replied, tucking her hair behind her ear and smiling down at her. “It’s nearly nine. The ship carrying the rest of the humans has just docked, so they’ll be here in a few hours. I thought you might want to take some time to yourself before they arrived.”
She groaned. “Why not let me sleep, then?”
He grinned. “The younglings are in the training yard with Ervic and a few others.” He tapped her nose. “You’ve been tense and I think tossing some knives about might help. Perhaps show the children a thing or two?”
Her heart leapt at the idea, but her stomach’s answering grumble stopped her.
“Food first,” Freya replied, sitting up and gesturing toward the tray Dina had left. “Then yes, I’d love to.”
After wolfing down a breakfast of eggs and sausage and taking a quick bath, she tugged on a pair of fur-lined leather pants and topped them with a long-sleeved ivory tunic trimmed in silver. She touched a few dabs of rouge to her lips and cheeks and brushed out her long hair, then tied it back in a loose braid that hung over her shoulder.
“You look quite lovely,” Aer commented. “Not at all like you’re planning on chucking knives at targets for the next hour or two.”
“That’s the point,” she told him, pulling her weapons case from under her bed. “Strong yet delicate is exactly the image I’m going for right now.”
“You’re anything but delicate, Freya.”
“True, but I don’t want to come on too strong.” She a sheathed knife at either hip. “Especially with children.”
“I hope the irony of you saying that as you strap daggers to your belt isn’t lost on you,” he said, grinning. Stepping forward, he slipped his arms around her waist. “And you are strong. That’s not something that should be concealed.”
Smiling, she laid her hands on his chest. “I know, but we’re not at school anymore. I’ve got a different sort of impression to make and I want it to be one that shows balance. I won’t wander around all day in fancy dresses, but I can’t very well wear my leathers all the time, either.”
“But I like your leathers.” He hooked his thumbs in the waistband of her pants at the small of her back, then dragged his teeth along the shell of her ear. “Especially these.”
She released a quiet breath as shivers ran through her. “We should go,” she said reluctantly.
“We will,” he whispered, brushing his lips along her jaw. “In a minute.”
When she tilted her head to the side, he continued placing soft kisses down the column of her neck, then he slipped his hands down to cup her backside, pulling her closer.
She sighed contentedly as his lips found hers again, all too willing to stay away from the throngs of people who would soon be flooding the palace for
just a little while longer.
Reluctantly, she nudged him back. “As enticing as this is, we’ve got guests coming here for us, so we need to be visible.”
“They’re coming here because they were invited, and to deny a royal invite would be in poor taste,” Aer murmured, nipping at her ear. “But I suppose I see your point.”
He gave her one last kiss. Then, letting his hand drift down her arm, he wrapped his fingers around hers and tugged her toward the door.
“So, has there been any word on our mystery guest?” she asked quietly as they entered the hall.
“No,” Aer said. “But all things considered, I would imagine there’s a good chance he’s already here and will likely be at dinner tonight.”
“That won’t be a bit awkward,” Freya muttered. “Any thoughts on who it might be?” She’d been going over the faces of the human monarchs’ party since she’d met them, but none seemed to stand out to her and their scents had been too muddled for Freya to tell if the human they’d scented was present.
“None. I haven’t seen hide nor hair of the humans since yesterday, so the only glimpse I got of them was in the throne room. Most will be at dinner tonight, so it’s quite probable he’ll be there.”
“And how do you expect either of us to keep a straight face if that happens?”
“You’re a good actress, Valkyrie, even if you don’t know it.” He elbowed her lightly. “I almost believed you wanted nothing to do with me that first day in combat.”
She gave him a deadpan look. “That’s because I wanted to throttle you quite thoroughly.”
Wrapping his arm around her shoulders, he kissed the top of her head. “You’ve been in love with me since we were children, just admit it.”
“Perhaps,” she said with a slow nod. “I suppose you’ll have to wait until after our wedding to find out.”
He tsked. “Typical Valkyrie, stubborn as always.”
She slid him a look. “I’m fairly certain that’s one of the main reasons you’ve fallen hopelessly in love with me.”
His lips quirked into a smile. “Just wait and see, Freya. Wait and see.”
Freya’s steps felt a bit lighter when they arrived at the training yard, where the palace knights were working on skills with pages and apprentices who hoped to become squires one day. It was a familiar place, one in which she’d spent a lot of time during her summer visits having duels and archery contests with the others. Some of the children there now were as young as ten, shifters, witches, and warlocks who, like Freya, had begun training to become castle pages not long after they could walk. Others were into their teen years and would soon be getting their official title of squire. The excitement she knew they felt just now was one she’d often been envious of when she’d been working alongside the others her age when she was younger. She’d never actually wanted to be a squire or knight, necessarily, but the idea of having such an exciting assignment at a young age—even if it did require things like polishing armor and gathering firewood for patrols—was something she wished she could experience.
That was long before she’d been given the opportunity to prove her worth with the marshals, putting the skills she’d learned into practice in ways many of the squires didn’t get until they’d reached knighthood.
When the children and knights saw Freya and the prince walk in, all movement ceased as they turned to face them
“Sir Ervic!” Aer called to the guard in charge of the group. “My betrothed has an itchy hand today. Would you mind if she worked with you a bit?”
“We would be honored, Your Highness,” Ervic said with a bow.
“Sir Ervic,” Freya said in greeting, smiling broadly at the knight. “It’s lovely to see you again.”
“Likewise, my lady,” he said. “I’ve been telling this lot stories of your skill as a child. Are you here to give us a demonstration?”
“I’d just like a bit of exercise,” she said, tapping her blades. “So long as I’m not intruding?”
“Never, my lady,” he said with an easy smile. “It would be nice for the children to see someone else’s technique for a change.”
Freya looked around the yard, suddenly realizing all eyes were on her now, not her prince.
“Alright, then,” Aer said after a moment, his eyes twinkling. “I’ll leave you to it.”
“You aren’t staying?”
He shook his head. “My father needs to see me about something, so I’ll see you at lunch.”
“That sounds lovely.” Gripping his forearms, she stood up on her toes and kissed him. “Thank you.”
With a final wave at Ervic, the prince walked off.
“Was there anything in particular you’d like to do, my lady?” Ervic asked once he’d gone.
“I’m interested in the Valkyrie’s knife skills, myself,” Jonas called from the other side of the yard, an easy grin on his face as he met Freya’s eyes. He’d appeared seemingly out of nowhere, although with the dark overhang he was standing beneath, it was more likely he’d been observing the whole time.
Ervic’s jaw tightened. “My lady?”
Freya narrowed her eyes appraisingly at the children, all of whom seemed a bit uneasy in her presence. “I think a bit of knife work sounds perfect, actually,” she told Ervic. “Although I’d love to see how your charges are coming along first, if it’s not too much trouble?”
“It would be an honor to have your feedback, Lady Balthana. Your father has spoken highly of the skill you acquired while in Watoria, and these will be your knights soon enough.”
She blinked, a bit taken aback at the unintended boldness of the statement. All her life, the knights under her father’s command had been his knights, despite being in the king’s army.
Even more dizzying—and laughable—was the idea that, not only would they be her knights, her father would also be under her command.
Unable to hide the smile that thought pulled forth, she nodded at Ervic. “If that’s what you’d like, I’m happy to do so.” Spying an empty space beside Jonas on the side of the archery lanes, she added, “I’ll just go stand with our friend for now.”
Ervic’s lips twitched in amusement. “Thank you, my lady.”
As he turned back to his charges, Freya made her way over to where Jonas stood. Though she still held a good deal of annoyance regarding the presumptions he’d voiced about her to the king, he’d been an enjoyable guest the previous night. While she wasn’t quite sure she was ready to move past his more… irritating tendencies, she was willing to give him a chance.
“Good morning, Jonas,” she said, offering up her friendliest smile. “How has your day been so far?”
“Quite lovely,” he said. “Although I have a feeling the peace and quiet we’ve managed to enjoy in recent weeks is going to be shattered quite soon, wouldn’t you agree?”
“Yes,” she said with a sigh. “I suppose you’re right.” Freya turned her attention back to the pages and squires who’d picked up their weapons and gone back to their training. “I’m surprised you aren’t with your aunt. Is she with the king and queen?”
“Indisposed, as she often is after a long trek.” His jovial demeanor from the night before seemed to have vanished at the mention of Lessia. “She’ll be in her chambers until dinner, most likely.”
Freya nodded, not quite sure what the most appropriate response would be. He didn’t seem overly thrilled that his aunt had arrived. Freya would even go so far as to say a bit of melancholy had befallen him, so she could only assume that he was no stranger to Lessia’s harsh demeanor, despite being her blood.
“What brings you down here today?” she asked him.
“Now and then I come down to observe the various teaching methods of the knights. It’s quite fascinating to see how their varying techniques can change the way a lesson is taught.”
“Do you have an interest in teaching?”
“I do.” He gave her a wistful smile. “Alas, I was placed directly into my aunt’s emplo
y once I came of age.”
“You don’t enjoy acting as emissary, then?”
“At times,” he allowed, folding his arms as he focused his attention on the young squires. “I get to see foreign lands and meet new people, which is nice, and the Lindorothian lands are far more hospitable in most areas than Jotunheim.”
She gave him a curious look. “Your words sound certain, but your tone implies something else.”
“It can be a lonesome duty,” he admitted. “I visit these wonderful places, but I share them with no one.”
Freya was surprised at both his honesty and forlornness, even going so far as to feel a bit sorry for him as she realized that loneliness might play a part in why he’d chosen to stay in Iladel for so long. Compared to the cold, harsh lands in Jotunheim, Iladel was a dream. It held the best of what Lindoroth had to offer and none of the dreariness so often found in the northern lands
“May I ask why you’ve decided to come here today, of all places?” Jonas asked after a moment. His tone held genuine curiosity, not incredulity or confusion, as she might’ve expected. “I know why I’ve ventured out, but I expected you to stick close to your prince and friends.”
“This was one of my favorite places when I was a girl, especially when I felt the need to release some pent-up energy, as is the case today.” She inclined her head toward where Ervic stood helping a young boy adjust the height of his throwing arm. “Ervic was one of the first to teach me proper swordsmanship.”
“I’m impressed, Freya,” he said, his face expressing as much. “Not only can you throw knives and fire an arrow with precision, you can also handle a sword.”
“I can,” she confirmed. “Although I can’t say it’s my favorite weapon. A bit bulky.” She touched a hand to the knife at her hip. “I prefer something more easy to maneuver.”
“Too true,” he mused, flicking a glance at the two bone-handled daggers she wore. They stood in silence for a few moments watching as two students picked up blunt-bladed tourney swords and began practicing. The ability of palace knights to teach their students swordsmanship immediately became evident as the small children, ten if they were a day, dashed and ducked about the ring with rapid precision, a young knight alongside them calling out moves.
