“You sit there like some beautiful, useless jewel, and that’s exactly what she wants. ” She sighed disgustedly again. “Oh, and the way you gaped at that boy—”
At that, she abruptly stopped. She shook her head, as if too weary to continue, then turned and walked back to the sitting parlor. I swallowed back my feelings, and Finn gently touched my arm, smiling at me.
“You did just fine,” he assured me quietly. “She’s upset with Aurora Kroner, not you. ”
“It sure sounded like she was upset with me,” I muttered under my breath.
“Don’t let her get to you. ” He squeezed my arm, sending warming tingles through me, and I couldn’t help but return his smile. “Come on. We need to get back to the guests. ”
In the sitting parlor, Garrett and Willa waited for us, the entire atmosphere far more relaxed than it had been at dinner. Finn even loosened his tie. Her outburst seemed to have calmed Elora completely, and she lounged on the chair next to Garrett. He seemed to capture a disproportionate amount of her attention, but I didn’t mind.
Soon a whole other side of Finn emerged. He sat next to me, his leg crossed over his knee, making charming small talk with the group. He was still gracious and respectful, but he chatted easily. I bit my tongue, afraid to say the wrong thing, happy to let Finn entertain Garrett and Willa. Even Elora looked pleased.
Garrett and Elora started talking politics, and Finn became more engaged in the conversation. Apparently, Elora had to appoint a new Chancellor in six months. I didn’t even know what that was, and I thought asking would only make me look foolish.
As the night progressed, Elora had to excuse herself because of a migraine. Garrett and Finn offered their sympathy, but neither of them seemed particularly surprised or concerned. When they continued with the whole Chancellor business again, it became clear that Willa had grown bored. She said she needed fresh air and invited me to join her.
We went down a long hall to a small alcove with nearly invisible glass doors. They led out to the balcony that ran from one end of the house to the other, lined with a thick black railing that reached up to my chest.
I froze, remembering the painting I had seen in Elora’s locked room. It was this marble balcony I had been lying on, my hand outstretched at nothing, my face contorted in horror. I looked down at my dress, but it didn’t feel right. This one was lovely, but the dress in the picture had shimmered. Broken glass had littered the ground also, and I didn’t see any.
“Are you coming?” Willa glanced back at me.
“Uh, yeah. ” I nodded and, taking a deep breath, I followed her out.
Willa went over to the farthest corner and leaned on the railing. Out here, the view was even more intimidating. The balcony hung over a hundred-foot drop. Below us the tops of maples, oaks, and evergreens stretched out as far as the eye could see. The secret garden remained hidden from sight.
Farther down the bluff I could see the tops of houses, and way down at the bottom the turbulent river ran past us. Just then a breeze blew across the balcony, sending a cold chill down my bare arms, and Willa sighed.
“Oh, knock it off!” Willa grumbled, and at first I thought she was talking to me.
I was about to ask what she meant when she lifted her hand and waved her fingers lightly in the air. Almost instantly her hair, which had been blowing back in the breeze, settled on her shoulders. The wind had died away.
“Did you do that?” I asked, trying not to sound as awed as I felt.
“Yeah. That’s the only thing I can do. Lame, isn’t it?” Willa wrinkled her nose.
“No, actually, I think it’s pretty cool,” I admitted.
She controlled the wind! Wind was an unstoppable force, and she just wiggled her fingers, and magically it stopped.
“I kept hoping I’d get a real ability someday, but my mother only had command over the clouds, so at least I did better than that. ” Willa shrugged. “You’ll see when your abilities start coming in. Everybody hopes for telekinesis or at least some persuasion, but most of us are stuck with basic use of the elements, if we’re lucky. The abilities aren’t what they used to be, I guess. ”
“Before you came here, did you know you were something?” I asked, looking over my shoulder at her. She had her back against the railing, and she leaned over it, letting her hair hang down over the edge.
“Oh, yeah. I always knew I was better than everyone else. ” Her eyes fluttered shut and she waved her fingers again, stirring up a light breeze to flow through her hair. “What about you?”
“Um . . . kind of. ” Different, yes. Better, not at all.
“You’re younger than most of us, though,” Willa commented. “You’re still in school, aren’t you?”
“I was. ” Nobody had made any mention of school since I got here, and I had no idea what their intentions were for the remainder of my education.
“School sucks anyway. ” Willa stood up straight and looked at me solemnly. “So why did they get you early, anyway? Is it because of the Vittra?”
“What do you mean?” I asked nervously.
I knew what she meant, but I wanted to see if she’d tell me. Nobody seemed that keen on talking about the Vittra, and Finn hadn’t even mentioned their attack since I’d come here. Inside the compound I assumed I was safe, but I didn’t know if they still wanted me.
“I’ve heard stories that the Vittra have been prowling around lately, trying to catch Trylle changelings,” Willa said casually. “I figured you’d be a top priority ’cause you’re the Princess, and that’s kind of a big deal here. ”
She looked thoughtfully at her bare toes and mused, “I wonder if I’d be a top priority. My dad’s not a King or anything like that, but we are kind of royalty. What’s lower than a Queen in the human world? Is that a Duchess or something?”
“I don’t know. ” I shrugged. I knew nothing of monarchy and titles, which was ironic, considering that I was now integral to a monarchy.
Page 34
“Yeah, I think I’m like that. ” Willa narrowed her eyes in concentration. “My official title is Marksinna, and that’s like a Duchess. My dad is a Markis, which is just a male Marksinna. We’re not the only ones, though. There are maybe six or seven other families in Förening alone with the same title. The Kroners were next in line for the crown if you didn’t come back. They’re real powerful, and that Tove is a catch. ”
While he was attractive, nothing had impressed me about Tove other than his telekinesis. Still, it felt weird knowing that they were vying for my spot, and we had just eaten dinner with them.
“I don’t have to worry that much about it, though. ” Willa yawned loudly. “Sorry. Boredom makes me sleepy. Maybe we should go inside. ”
It was getting cold, so I was happy to oblige. As soon as we went back in, Willa lay on the couch and all but fell asleep, so Garrett excused himself shortly after. He went to say good-bye to Elora, and then helped Willa out to the car.
The butler was cleaning everything up, so Finn suggested that we head up to our respective rooms. The night had been surprisingly tiring, so I was eager to comply.
“What’s going on?” I asked after the Stroms left. It was the first chance I’d had all evening to really talk to him. “What is this ball or party or whatever that’s happening next Saturday?”
“It’s the Trylle equivalent of a debutante ball, except that boys go through it too,” Finn explained as we climbed the stairs.
Dully, I remembered how grand I had felt coming down the stairs a few hours earlier. For the first time I had felt almost like a Princess, and now I felt like a child playing dress-up. Aurora had seen through my fancy trappings (which she didn’t even find all that fancy) and realized that I wasn’t special.
“I don’t even know what a debutante ball is. ” I sighed. I knew nothing of high society.
“It’s a coming-out party, your presentation to the world,” Finn elaborated. “Changeling
s aren’t raised here. The community doesn’t know them. So when they come back, they’re given a small amount of time to acclimate, and then they’re introduced to society. Every changeling has one, but most are very small. Since you are the Princess, you will have guests from all over the Trylle community. It is quite an ordeal. ”
I groaned. “I’m not ready for that at all. ”
“You will be,” Finn assured me.
We walked in silence the rest of the way to my bedroom as I fretted and worried about the upcoming party. It hadn’t been that long ago that I had gone to my very first dance, and now I was expected to be the center of a formal ball.
I could never pull that off. Tonight had only been a semi-formal dinner, and I hadn’t even performed well at that.
“I trust you’ll sleep well this evening,” Finn said as I opened the bedroom door.
“You need to come in with me,” I reminded him, then pointed to my dress. “I can’t unzip this thing on my own. ”
“Of course. ”
Finn followed me into the darkened room and flipped on the lights. The glass wall worked as a mirror thanks to the black night. In the reflection, I still thought I looked nice, and then I realized that was probably because I had other people picking out my clothes. My judgment was too flawed. I turned away from the glass and waited for Finn to unzip me.
“I really botched things tonight, didn’t I?” I asked sadly.
“No, of course not. ”
Finn’s hand pressed warm on my back, and I felt the dress loosen as he pulled the zipper down. I wrapped my arms around myself to keep it up, then turned to look at him. Some part of me was distinctly aware that we were only a few inches apart, my dress was barely on, and his dark eyes were fixed on me.
“You did exactly what I told you,” Finn said. “If anyone ruined things, it was me. But the night wasn’t ruined. Elora is just sensitive about the Kroners. ”
“Why? Why does she let them get to her so much? She’s the Queen. ”
“Monarchs have been overthrown before,” Finn answered calmly. “If you seem unfit for the position, the next in line can contest it and petition to take the title. ”
All the color drained from my face. There was suddenly way too much pressure on me to perform. I felt sick, and I swallowed hard. The ball had scared me enough before I knew that, if I failed, my mother could be overthrown.
“Don’t worry. You’ll be fine. ” His expression saddened again, and he added quietly, “Elora has a plan to appease them. ”
“What is it?” I asked.
Instead of answering, his eyes got far away and his expression blanked. His brow furrowed, and then he nodded.
“I am sorry,” Finn said. “You’re going to have to excuse me. Elora requires assistance in her room. ”
“Elora called you to her room?” I stumbled over the question, unable to hide my shock.
Somehow it seemed vaguely inappropriate that Finn would be making a late-night visit to her room. Maybe it was because she had just asked him inside his head, and I couldn’t get a read on the exact nature of their relationship.
The fact that I was feeling jealous of my own mother was more than a little creepy, and that added a nauseous feeling on top of everything else.
“Yes. Her migraine is quite severe. ” Finn took a step away from me.
“All right, well, have fun with that,” I muttered.
The door closed softly behind him, and I went into the bathroom to take off my jewelry and change into baggy pajamas. Sleep was difficult for me that night. I was too anxious about all the things I was expected to accomplish.
I knew nothing about this world or these people, and yet I was supposed to rule over them someday. That wouldn’t have been so bad, except that I was supposed to master everything in less than a week so they would believe that I could rule.
If I didn’t, everything my mother had worked so hard for would be taken away. Even though I wasn’t that fond of Elora, I was even less fond of Aurora, and I didn’t like the idea of ruining my family’s entire legacy.
THIRTEEN
being trylle
Lazy Sundays happened even in Förening, thankfully. I woke up late and was happy to learn the chef was still on hand to make breakfast. I saw Finn briefly, passing him in the hall, but it was no more than a nod hello.
I flopped back onto my bed, thinking I would spend the day bored out of my mind. Then Rhys knocked on my door, interrupting my plans for moping, and invited me over to his room to watch movies with him and Rhiannon.
Page 35
His room was a masculine version of mine, which made sense since he had decorated my room. A huge overstuffed couch sat in front of his TV, the one big difference between our rooms. We ended up watching The Lord of the Rings trilogy because Rhys insisted it was much funnier once I’d spent time with actual trolls.
Rhys sat between us on the couch. When the first movie started, he was directly in the middle, but somewhere around three or four hours into the marathon I noticed he’d moved closer to me, not that I minded.
He talked and joked a lot with Rhiannon, and they had a way of making me feel comfortable. After spending the weekend failing to be the perfect little Princess Elora wanted me to be, it felt good to just relax and laugh.
Rhiannon left right after the third movie started, saying she had to get up early in the morning. Even after she’d gone, Rhys didn’t move away from me. He sat so close to me on the couch that his leg pressed against mine.
I thought about moving away, but I didn’t really have any reason to. The movie was fun, he was foxy, and I enjoyed being with him. It wasn’t too long before his arm “casually” went around my shoulders, and I almost laughed.
He didn’t make my heart race, not the way Finn did, but his arm felt nice. Rhys made me feel normal in a way that I never had before, and I couldn’t help but like him for it. Eventually I leaned in to him and rested my head on his shoulder.
What I didn’t realize was that watching all three extended-edition versions of Lord of the Rings in one sitting ends up being over eleven hours of movie viewing. At one in the afternoon on a boring Sunday, that sounded genius. But by the time midnight rolled around, it became a war on sleep, and I eventually lost.
In the morning, while I slept soundly on the couch in Rhys’s room, I had no idea that a commotion was going on in the house. I would’ve been happy to sleep through it too, but Finn threw open the door in a panic, jolting me awake.
“Oh, my gosh!” I shouted, jumping up off the couch. Finn had scared the hell out of me, and my heart pounded in my chest. “What’s going on? Is everything okay?”
Instead of answering, Finn just stood there glaring at me. Behind me, Rhys was waking up much more slowly. Apparently, Finn hadn’t terrified him the way he had me.
I glanced back at Rhys, who was dressed in a T-shirt and sweats that somehow managed to look good on him, and it dawned on me how this must have looked to Finn when he first burst in.
I still wore my lazy-day comfy clothes, but Rhys and I had been curled up together. And even if Finn hadn’t noticed that detail, there was no denying that I’d spent the night in here. My mind scrambled to think of an excuse, but at that moment even the innocent truth escaped me.
“She’s in here!” Finn called out flatly.
Rhys groaned, so I knew things weren’t good. He looked completely alert now, and he stood sheepishly next to me. I wanted to ask what was going on and why Finn looked so pissed off, but Elora didn’t give me a chance.
She appeared in the doorway, her emerald robe flaring out behind her in a dramatic billow, and her hair hung down her back in a thick braid. She stood behind Finn, but she somehow managed to eclipse everything else.
Several times before I had thought she looked unhappy, but that was nothing compared to the severe expression she had on now. She scowled so deep it looked painful, and her eyes
were filled with fury.
“What do you think you’re doing?” Elora’s voice echoed painfully inside my head, and she had added some of her psychic voice to make it more intense.
“Sorry,” I said. “We were just watching movies and fell asleep. ”
“It was my fault,” Rhys added. “I put the—”
“I don’t care what you were doing! Do you have any idea how inappropriate this behavior is?” Her eyes narrowed on Rhys, and he shrank back even more. “Rhys, you know this was completely unacceptable. ” She rubbed her temples as if this were giving her another headache, and Finn looked at her with concern. “I don’t even want to deal with you. Get ready for school, and stay out of my sight!”
“Yes, ma’am. ” Rhys nodded. “Sorry. ”
“As for you—” Elora pointed a finger at me but couldn’t find the words to finish. She just looked so disappointed and disgusted with me. “I don’t care how you were raised before you came here. You still know what kind of behavior is ladylike and what isn’t. ”
“I wasn’t—” I began, but she held up her hand to silence me.
“But to be honest, Finn, you disappoint me the most. ” She had stopped yelling, and when she looked at Finn, she just sounded tired. He lowered his eyes in shame, and she shook her head. “I can’t believe you allowed this to happen. You know you need to keep your eyes on her at all times. ”
“I know. I won’t let it happen again. ” Finn bowed apologetically to her.
“You most certainly won’t. Now fix this mess by educating her in the ways of the Trylle. In the meantime, I do not want to see any of you for the rest of the day. ” She held her hands up, like she was done with the lot of us, and then shook her head and left the room.
“I am so sorry,” Rhys apologized emphatically. His cheeks were red with shame, and somehow that only made him cuter.
Not that I was really paying attention to how he looked just then. My stomach was twisted in knots, and I was thankful that I hadn’t started to cry. I didn’t even fully understand what I’d done. I knew sleeping in a boy’s room wasn’t ideal, but they were acting like it was a capital offense.
“You need to get ready for school,” Finn snapped, glaring at Rhys. Then he pointed to the hall and turned to me. “You. Out. Now. ”
I gave him a wide berth on my way out the door. Normally I loved being close to him, but not today. My heart pounded erratically, but not for any pleasurable reason. Finn tried to keep his face expressionless, but tension and anger radiated from his body. I slunk across the hall to my room, and Finn barked something at Rhys about behaving himself.
“Where are you going?” Finn demanded when I opened my bedroom door. He had just emerged from Rhys’s room and slammed the door behind him, making me jump.
“To my room?” I pointed at my room and looked confused.