“It is not unheard of for such gossip to spread about the royals,” Frey noted. “Indeed, it’s commonplace for such talk.”
“You are correct,” she nodded and handed my cup to me after pouring in a splash of milk. “But considering the dramatics of assassination attempts and your forthrightness about your regard for one another, this talk has become extreme.”
“Extreme how?” I asked and Mother handed Atticus his coffee then turned back to pouring and answering.
“Minstrels sing of you, storytellers weave tales, it is not just the talk that is sweeping the land. This is all building to extremes, creating legend.”
Ho boy.
“I do not understand why this would cause you both alarm,” Frey remarked. “This, too, is not unusual.”
Mother sat back with her coffee and Father took it from there.
“You are correct, Drakkar,” he stated. “But you are The Frey, The Drakkar and therefore revered. Your union with Finnie heralds continued peace and prosperity for Lunwyn and was already anticipated greatly. The fact that your match appears a splendid one founded in deep affection has served in a short time to romanticize your story to extremes. And…” he paused and held Frey’s eyes, “it makes those who would conspire against you and Finnie, not so much Lunwyn, but instead a love match that is already, even after only a few short months of you being wed, nearing legend, it makes them individuals that inspire more than disgust and anger but extreme loathing.”
“The inns are full,” Aurora put in and I looked to her. “Those citizens with empty rooms have let them out and it is reported there is a large camp that has formed around the gallows just outside Snowdon filled with people who have travelled far but who could not find accommodation within the city.”
“Bloody hell,” Frey growled, taking his arm from around me, his ankle from his knee and leaning forward to set his cup and saucer down with a clatter.
“I don’t get it,” I said quietly and Father looked to me.
“Executions are public, daughter,” he replied just as quietly.
I stared at him as I got it.
“Ho boy,” I whispered.
“Indeed,” Aurora stated, lifted her cup and took a sip, her eyes on me over the rim. Then she dropped her hand and kept hold of my gaze. “Your father has called in extra guard. There are concerns that things will get out of hand. And, my dear, you will be on display to a great number of people.” She hesitated then went on gently as she lowered the boom. “It is estimated to be thousands.”
Great.
Just great.
“Finnie won’t go,” Frey stated and both Aurora and Atticus looked at him.
“I’m sorry, Drakkar, but she must go,” Atticus replied.
Frey shook his head and returned, “Make an announcement that she’s indisposed.”
“Unfortunately, when royal duty calls, indisposed is not an excuse. She’s not missing a state breakfast or a royal hunt but an execution of traitors,” Atticus said quietly, his eyes came to me and he continued to speak quietly. “I’m sorry, Finnie, but as princess of this land, future mother of the king and the target of these plots, now that people know you’re here, you will be expected to attend. There is no way around it. It is a show of the strength of the crown.” As I held his gaze and held my breath, he continued, “We had hoped to waylay you but since this has not happened, it is your duty to attend.” He pulled in breath and finished, “I’m so sorry, my daughter.”
I sat back, looked at the fire, took a sip of my coffee and tried to pull my shit together.
Okay, well, I was princess now and maybe forever. This was the gig. It was a shitty gig, but it was the gig. Apparently being princess wasn’t all about beautiful palaces, fantastic castles, shopping, archery lessons, wearing awesome crowns and kickass underwear and being married to a hot guy who named his ship after you. Apparently there were drawbacks.
And this was a big one.
Hells bells.
Aurora spoke and my eyes went to her as she did. “You will need to be strong, my dear. If she were here, Sjofn would not blink. You will need to look on, show strength and no reaction.” She paused then her eyes got soft before she finished, “It does not take long and we will soon be away.”
“Right,” I whispered, Frey’s arm again slid around my shoulders and he pulled me into his side.
Then he somewhat changed the subject.
“Explain why Grieg is amongst today’s condemned,” Frey demanded and I knew who Hernod Grieg was and Berg Enger. Frey had filled me in.
Atticus’s eyes moved between Frey and me swiftly, clearly catching on that Frey had shared before he asked, “The messenger did not reach you in Hawkvale?” At Frey’s shaking head, Father went on, “And, at your return, you did not received a briefing?”
Frey kept shaking his head. “Ruben arrived in Hawkvale with the news Grieg had been incarcerated and was being interrogated but not tried and condemned. And, as I explained, we made haste to Snowdon for Finnie wished to see you, news of this did not reach us prior to our leaving The Vale and no one met The Finnie with a report.”
Father’s lips tightened before he replied, “Your men picked him up, worked with him and he has confessed to being the man behind the plots.”
“Simple as that?” Frey asked, sounding disbelieving.
“Apparently,” Father answered cautiously, communicating to Frey with his eyes something I could not read but I could tell he didn’t believe it either.
“I’ll want to speak to Balthazar and Quincy,” Frey stated.
“Quincy is not far,” Father told him. “Once we received your message, I sent word to both of them you would be arriving and learned your man Balthazar is away, I do not know where. When the messenger arrived, I had assumed he’d heard word you were back in Lunwyn and rode to you. But Quincy is close. I’ll have him brought to you.” He paused a moment before continuing, “But, Drakkar, Grieg’s name is on the proclamation. The people will expect him to be there. There is no circumventing that. He will be hanged tonight.” Atticus leaned forward slightly, his eyes intense and said quietly, “Therefore, if you wish to have a word, your time is short.”
I had a feeling something was going on here I didn’t get but I also didn’t get the opportunity to ask.
Frey didn’t hesitate to stand, saying, “Then I have little time so I should make haste.”
Father nodded and stood too, setting down his coffee before he straightened. It was then I heard my cup clatter in its saucer and I looked down at my hand to see it shaking.
At about the same time, my cup and saucer were swept away by Frey. I watched vaguely as he set it on the table and then I saw nothing but his face for he had bent close to me and lifted his hand to my jaw.
“I will be with you,” he whispered and I nodded, knowing he meant at the executions and his eyes moved over my face before he noted, “They do not do this in your world.”
I shook my head and said softly, “They do, it’s just not public and criminals aren’t hanged. They’re injected with poison and, well… whatever, but it’s private and it happening at all is controversial. Many of my world do not believe in the death penalty and some are vehemently opposed to it.”
“And your opinion on that?” he prompted and I bit my lip.
Then I replied, “I’m not a big fan.”
Frey’s eyes softened before he assured me, “It is rare here, my love, and the only times this sentence is carried out is for traitors, rapists and murderers. And your attendance would only be expected at the executions of traitors.”
Well, this was good news except for the fact that there just happened to be three traitors who needed hanging.
“Fabulous,” I muttered.
“That is rarer still, my Finnie,” Frey whispered, his fingers tensing at my jaw briefly. “I only remember one other in my lifetime and that was decades ago.”
I nodded and that made me feel better, just not much.
Frey lean
ed in, touched his mouth to mine and that made me feel better too, this time a lot more.
“It will be swift and we will be away,” he said gently.
I nodded again and he again tensed his fingers on my jaw.
Then he said, “I must make haste to talk to the conspirator.”
I nodded yet again.
Frey went on, “I will return as soon as I can.”
That was when I realized that he was keen to get away but he was worried about me and staying to make sure I was okay before he went.
So that was when I lifted my hand, curled my fingers around his wrist, squeezed and gave him a small smile.
“I’ll be all right,” I assured him.
He still didn’t move as he replied, “I do not like the light I see in your eyes.”
“Well, honey, you probably won’t for awhile because this is an adventure, if given the choice, I would say a big, fat no to but I’ll get through it then I’ll get over it.” I gave his wrist another squeeze and finished, “Promise.”
His thumb stroked my cheekbone then he leaned in and slid his nose along mine as I pulled in a fortifying breath.
Then he must have been assured I wasn’t going to fall apart for he straightened, nodded at Mother, jerked his chin at Father, Father smiled his approval at me briefly (and that made me feel better too) and they moved out of the room.
Mother regarded me over the rim of her coffee cup through another sip before we heard the doors close behind Father and Frey.
Then she dropped the cup again and drily observed, “It upsets me to note that it appears your husband doesn’t like you much at all, my daughter.”
I blinked at her then saw her mouth twitch as I watched her eyes light.
Then I leaned forward, nabbed my own cup, sat back and remarked, “It’s terrible. We simply do not get along,” then I took a sip.
“I see this,” Aurora murmured.
“He’s insufferable,” I added.
“Mm.” This she murmured into her cup while her eyes danced.
“And he thinks I’m a shrew,” I informed her.
“He made that quite clear,” she replied.
“The last few months have been a nightmare,” I shared.
She lifted her chin slightly. “My profound sympathy, my dear, that you are suffering so greatly,” she returned and I couldn’t help it, I grinned, that grin grew to a smile then I burst out laughing.
Aurora of the House of Wilde did not laugh with me but she did smile.
And when I stopped laughing, she leaned forward, picked up the delicate, china plate of petite fours and extended it to me while inviting, “Tell me all about your adventures with your Raider, my Finnie.”
And therefore Mother deftly took my mind off the coming events and to better places, something I not only let her do but was extremely grateful for and we sat, drank coffee, ate cakes and had a long, fabulous mother daughter chat in a beautiful room next to a roaring fire.
I would have preferred our welcome home not to include news of my required presence at a triple execution.
But it ended up great.
And, by the way, the petite fours tasted even better than they looked.
* * * * *
“Don’t be cross, Penelope,” I whispered as I cuddled my cat who I’d been reunited with a few hours earlier and who, I had found, was holding a pretty mean grudge for being left behind.
She stretched her neck over my arm and looked to the side, clearly wishing to be put down and not receive snuggles and soft words from her Momma who she considered abandoned her.
“You told me you didn’t want to go on a ship,” I reminded her.
“Mrrrr that was before you, mrrr went away for, mrrr ages,” she retorted.
“Next time, I’ll take you with us,” I promised.
“Mrrr, let me down,” she demanded.
“You cannot tell me my girls didn’t take care of you,” I stated.
“Mrrr, they didn’t let me go, mrrr outside,” she replied.
“No, you mean they didn’t let you go outside every ten minutes and then jump to let you back in ten minutes after,” I amended.
She blinked at the distance, granting this point with ill-grace by repeating, “Mrrrr, let me down.”
“Just give Momma a cuddle before I do,” I urged, she turned her head and blinked at me then she turned it away again to look over my arm.
She was being ornery and I knew she wasn’t going to give in (just yet) so I moved her to the bed and dropped her on it. She waddled to the pillows throwing a disdainful look down her fat body at me then she collapsed on the comforter at the edge of the pillows and glared at me a second before she curled into herself and started to clean her big belly.
I sighed. Then I looked around the room which was more elegant furniture, tapestries, glittery stone walls and floors but it was decorated in whites and the palest of pale greens and lavenders. It was fantastic.
The other thing that was fantastic was that the sleighs with our things, as driven by Kell, arrived about an hour ago. They included our trunks and much more precious cargo, Skylar.
And lastly Skylar had taken Frey’s spun glass dragon down and now it was sitting on its feet, its wings spread wide, on a bed of silk on a dresser. My girls had been called close after the message was received that Frey and I would be arriving, they’d packed for themselves and me and made haste from the Winter Palace to Rimée Keep, arriving, Alyssa told me, just twenty minutes before Frey and I did. Therefore, next to the dragon, Esther had set my wedding bundle in a beautiful, crystal vase.
I studied the beauty of the adela twigs and Frey’s glass beast and decided in that moment that wherever we went, those two things would be with us. No matter where we were, they would always be with us.
Always.
Then the door opened and Frey walked through followed by Alyssa and Bess.
The girls went to the wardrobe, Frey came to me and I could tell by the look on his face it was time.
He stopped close, both his hands came to my neck and he bent so his face was near mine before he whispered, “We must be away.”
I knew it therefore I nodded.
He pulled in breath. Then he stated, “Finnie, the last traitor to be hanged was hanged when Sjofn was a young lass. She did not attend due to her youth. Although you are princess and the people think you have been trained thus since birth and much is known about Sjofn, no one can know how anyone would react to what you will see this eve.” His fingers gave me a squeeze before he whispered, “It will be difficult, love, and therefore you must not add to that difficulty by feeling the responsibility of guarding your reaction and displaying one that is not your own.”
Uh… what?
“Sorry?” I asked.
“What I’m telling you is not to worry about what people see, Finnie,” he said softly, “just be yourself.”
I closed my eyes because I loved that he knew me so well and therefore knew that would be weighing on my mind (or, one of the things) then I opened them, looked in his eyes and shared, “I don’t want to disappoint Mother and Father.”
“I know you don’t but I’m also not certain you could do that,” Frey replied, I closed my eyes again because his words felt nice and then I felt his lips on my forehead which felt nicer so I opened my eyes and he looked back down at me. “We must be away,” he repeated on a whisper.
I nodded.
Alyssa and Bess were waiting outside the door holding a pair of dove gray, suede gloves and a fur cloak made of fluffy white pelts dusted in dove gray hairs and they gave me understanding glances before Frey led me down the hall, down the curving stairs and into the great hall where Aurora and Atticus were having their outer garments arranged on their shoulders.
Both of them were wearing crowns and I saw Jocelyn and Esther rush to me as we made it to Mother and Father, Jocelyn carrying a wooden box. Bess and Alyssa settled my cloak on my shoulders and shoved the gloves on my hands as Jocelyn unveiled m
y fabulous icicle crown in its bed of ice blue silk which Esther took out and brought forward, settling it low on my forehead.
“You are ready, Finnie,” she whispered before she stepped back, I nodded and Bess squeezed my hand before all four girls stepped away.
Frey put his hand in my back and we followed Mother and Father out the front doors. Once outside, at the foot of the steps I saw two sleighs, each one fronted by teams of four horses and around the fountain there were a number of royal guards and what seemed like all of Frey’s men on mounts and this included Kell and Skylar.
The minute I saw Skylar, my step faltered and my head shot back to look at Frey. “Honey, Sky… I don’t –”
Frey cut me off with a muttered, “He asked to come.”
I shook my head and grabbed his arm, dragging my feet and whispering, “He could ask to wrestle a rattlesnake for the fun of it but we wouldn’t let him do it.”
Frey looked down at me, brows raised, “A rattlesnake?”
“You don’t have those?” I asked back as he stopped us at the last step.
“We do but why on earth would he ask to wrestle a rattlesnake?”
“Exactly!” I cried, my voice rising.
“Finnie –”
“I don’t wish him to go.”
“Wee one –”
“Frey, tell him he can’t go. It’s macabre, this interest in death. It’s unhealthy. It’s even wrong. In my world we had public executions but they stopped ages ago. I mean, I think some lands may still do it but most of them don’t because it isn’t humane. And I feel Sky should learn he shouldn’t be that way.”
Frey got close as his brows knit and he bent his neck so he could hold my eyes, “My wee Finnie, he does not wish to go to see the condemned hanged. He wishes to be a part of your guard.”
I blinked up at him as my heart jolted.