He grinned back, his body shaking with laughter and he accepted my challenge by dropping his head and kissing me.
Incidentally, several hours later, after dinner, when I was in Frey’s arms in our warm, soft bed in Rimée Keep, not once did I think of shopping.
Or executions.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Conjecture
Two weeks later...
Frey Drakkar stood between to Max and Thad and watched Gunner putting Finnie and Sky through their paces, Finnie atop her new mount Caspia.
Drakkar had presented his wife with her horse two days after they arrived in Snowdon. It was a dapple gray; its dapples an extraordinary shade that bordered on lilac and when he saw her, Drakkar knew she was Finnie’s. He was correct. Finnie had been entranced the moment she met her, named her within a second and fell in love with her the second after. As for Drakkar, he’d become entranced the moment his wife did and he made note to bestow gifts upon her far more often.
Now, every day, as with her archery and knife work, she and Sky spent an hour or more with Gunner learning what Finnie termed, “Raider Horse Maneuvers”. And at that very moment she was bent over Caspia’s neck, snaking her gray at a gallop closely around obstacles Gun had set out after which she (and Sky) encountered a fence that they had to jump. Once they achieved that, they were to rein their mounts around sharply, re-jump the fence and snake again through the obstacles, this time snatching pennants from the top (Finnie’s, blue; Sky’s, black) only to end having to jump another fence.
His bride, Drakkar noted, was taking to her Raider Horse Maneuvers far quicker than she had archery or daggers and he knew why. Firstly, she had experience on a mount. Secondly, she was fearless. The speed, the maneuvering, her position in the saddle nor the jumps fazed her. She faced it all unblinking and drove herself to excel. Horsemanship was part skill, part finesse and part daring and she had the latter of those in abundance.
That said, she was beginning to excel at archery, having achieved three more direct bulls-eyes. Therefore, Annar had advanced her to stalking young, male servants who volunteered to wear padded cloaks and tripled wool caps and were set to skulking through a local forest where Finnie would, if she found them, shoot at them with arrows that had no points but instead pads wadded with cotton. Her volunteers, Annar reported, enjoyed this tremendously, looking on it as a game even when Finnie’s arrow found its unharmed target. This was because, Annar told him, Finnie made it a game.
She was, also according to Annar, excelling at that too.
Although proud of his wife, Drakkar couldn’t contain a sense of amused disquiet that she seemed so determined to gather all the skills required of a Raider.
It would be good when she fell pregnant with his child. This, he hoped, would turn her mind from adventuring with him and his men, something he was getting the not so vague sense she was intent on doing, to caring for herself and their child.
Drakkar watched as Finnie re-jumped the fence and wound through the seven obstacles, missing only two pennants as Sky followed her much slower while missing five of his and one of the ones he’d gained, he dropped.
“Finnie takes to this Frey,” Max muttered, his eyes on Finnie who had jumped the last fence and reined Caspia in to trot over to where Sky was atop his mount, shoulders slumped having given up in his dejection therefore he pulled back on his horse and did not make the final jump. “Gun will have to increase her challenge soon,” Max finished.
“He will,” Thad concurred. “But Sky is nowhere near equaling her and she’ll not advance until Sky can advance with her.”
Drakkar watched as Gun cantered to his wife and the boy and both started speaking with Sky who was obviously dissatisfied with his performance.
Thad was right, there was no hope of Finnie leaving Sky behind which Drakkar thought was good. She needed to slow. They were leaving for Kellshorn on the morrow but would likely stay there no longer than they had Snowdon. The summer thaw had already begun and the resulting waters favored by the well-to-do throughout the Northlands would be bottled. And every year at the thaw, all of Drakkar’s ships were loaded to capacity with Lunwyn water and then set sail to Middleland, Bellebryn, Hawkvale and Fleuridia where they sold for ridiculous prices and were, by far, his most lucrative payload regardless of the fact they were simply water.
Therefore, he would need to be in Sudvic to assist Kell managing this as well as discuss with his captains what their cargo holds would be filled with on their return. He and Finnie would then board The Finnie for Fleuridia and he didn’t want Finnie’s head filled with new adventures and training for them when their course was set simply to unload water on Fleuridia.
He wanted Finnie’s head filled with what she’d name their child and how they would be raising him.
And as his bride trained to become the Raider Drakkar was never going to permit her to be, Drakkar was putting a fair amount of effort into siring the child which would slow her down.
He heard hoof beats in the snow behind him, turned to see Oleg heading their way and tensed.
Outside the execution, their time in Snowdon had been good. Finnie enjoyed the city even more than Bellebryn or Hawkvale and when she wasn’t with him, training or tutoring Sky, she was holed up with her girls giggling or she was in the city with her mother shopping, eating in restaurants and partaking in copious pastry sampling at cafés. He had, unfortunately, been called to duty to see two plays with her, one which he fell asleep during only to have Finnie prod him very hard in the ribs waking him in time to hear her burst out laughing which caused the patrons close to the royal box to glare at them which made Drakkar laugh and Finnie laugh more.
His talk with Hernod Grieg had garnered no more than what Quincy and Balthazar had learned and he’d unfortunately had no time to get creative. Grieg was adamant he was the man behind the plot and his desire, he said, was to unite Lunwyn and Middleland as they should never have been separated by Atticus and Baldur’s father, King Halldor.
Drakkar could not argue with this though, obviously, he would never consider assassination which was a coward’s play not to mention, in the present circumstances, that target was his wife. And he knew there was a not small faction of Lunwynians and Middlelandians who agreed that Lunwyn should never have been split. Those in Middleland were not fond of Baldur as their king and those in Lunwyn were displeased with losing the land granted to Baldur. Not to mention citizens of both countries had been parted from family members who were forced to live in different borders by Halldor’s decision which was arguably fair to his sons but not-so-arguably unfair to his people. And even though Atticus and Baldur had assumed their thrones at very young ages, the decades passing had not changed these sentiments.
Atticus had made two attempts through his reign to affect some kind of compromise with Baldur in an effort to settle this ongoing dissatisfaction. Both attempts were offers to build an alliance between nations including providing all in both countries with dual citizenship and uniting their taxes, treasuries and currency, but Baldur would not hear of it. This was likely because his taxes were high, they were expected in gold, silver or copper but his treasury printed currency he expected his citizens to use on anything not tax-related. He printed this at vast amounts beyond what was held in his country’s coffers making the printed tender mostly useless but Baldur extortionately wealthy.
His people were, with reason, restless and if Atticus, or King Ludlum of Hawkvale and his son Prince Noctorno who ruled Bellebryn were different kinds of rulers, this would make Middleland ripe for invasion.
Unfortunately, they were not.
With this, Drakkar knew there was unrest but Finnie being a target of that made little sense and in fact seemed counterproductive unless Baldur or the leader of a House wishing to take the throne as his own was really behind the plot. Further Grieg was ruled by coin, not patriotism, and would not be moved to act in a manner that courted, and indeed had ended in his execution unless there was something exce
ptional in it for him.
However, whatever that was he’d gone to his noose without sharing it.
Therefore, Drakkar did not feel Finnie was safe yet.
Quincy and Balthazar agreed with Drakkar and Quincy remained behind to continue to dig locally because both were suspicious of Grieg’s quick trial and his being scheduled to hang with Viola and Enger. Enger and Viola were both only pawns whereas Grieg was clearly a player and more time should have been allowed to glean information from the man.
Drakkar had learned this push had not been instigated by Atticus but pressed by his father, the head of the Houses of Drakkar (with the excuse that Finnie was a Drakkar and they wanted immediate retribution) and backed by the Houses of Lazarus and Ravenscroft (who also both claimed Finnie as their own for their blood, they thought, flowed in her veins and this was true with Sjofn as Aurora was of both Houses). But it was also pressed by Apollo, the young head of the House of Ulfr and Drakkar’s cousin for Ulfr was his grandmother Eugenie’s House. Apollo’s reasoning was that he felt Baldur was clearly behind the plot and their act of reprisal should be swift in order to deter future attempts on Finnie’s life.
This was not surprising. Drakkar knew Apollo well, liked and respected him and he knew his cousin returned these sentiments. But he also knew his cousin was most assuredly not a man to cross and for Lunwyn, and his cousin, Apollo would demand vengeance and would be immensely displeased and not afraid to show it in ways no one wished to court should his demand go unheeded. Considering the power, influence and wealth of the House of Ulfr was only rivaled by the House of Wilde and Drakkar’s personal wealth and influence, Atticus bowed to Apollo, and the pressures of the further familial Houses of Lazarus, Ravenscroft and Drakkar.
It was annoying but it was understandable and Quincy, so far, had not uncovered any nefarious reasons behind Grieg’s swift dispatch.
Balthazar had not remained behind but gone forth to see if further information could be gathered to refute Grieg’s claims that he was the mastermind. However, the three messages he’d sent Drakkar since his and Finnie’s return to Lunwyn had shared that Balthazar’s endeavors had not yet borne fruit.
And now, taking in Oleg’s expression as he reined in his horse next to their grouping Drakkar did not think it boded well. Oleg had few expressions and this one was not one of the even fewer good ones.
Oleg did not hesitate to share his news and announced on a grunt, “Valeria and Franka Drakkar are at the Keep awaiting you to attend them.”
Instantly, Drakkar’s mouth got tight. He’d been informed his mother had arrived at her mansion in Snowdon two days earlier. He did not visit her and she did not send official word she was in the city. He was hoping she was there to shop. Now he knew she was awaiting Franka as this was the first word he’d received that his cousin was close and it was highly likely she’d just arrived.
He nodded, jerked his chin to Thad and Max, walked to Tyr and mounted. He raised his hand to Finnie who was watching his movements and she waved in return, her smile for him sunny even though he knew she was distracted and he knew this because she almost immediately tilted her head back to Skylar after she waved. Then he and Oleg galloped into Snowdon, through the city and to the Keep. He dismounted at the fountain, tossed Tyr’s reins to a waiting boy and walked swiftly up the ice marble steps and into the castle.
A servant girl was hovering and approached him the moment he entered.
“Queen Aurora is entertaining the Ladies Drakkar in the state drawing room,” she informed him and Frey nodded.
Aurora had intervened and Drakkar found, as he had been discovering more and more every day the last two weeks as he watched her with his wife, that he quite liked his mother-in-law.
He moved away from the girl and walked to the state drawing room, an official room that was elegant but large, cold and never used when it was simply family.
A statement. Aurora didn’t like the surprise visit and was not afraid to let that be known. She was also happy for Finnie to show allegiance to the Drakkars by encouraging her to wear their House red but she was not happy with how Finnie was treated by his father and mother at the Gales and her stamping this visit as official and not familial was her way of showing that.
Yes, he was definitely coming to like his mother-in-law.
He opened the door and walked through it to see both his mother and cousin outfitted resplendently, Franka’s layering of jewels bordering on ostentatious, his mother’s well passed that. Aurora, her clothing stylish and refined, her manner graceful, next to the displays of the two other women still looked a pauper.
All of the women’s heads turned to him the moment he arrived, Valeria’s face lighting with faux delight, Franka’s lips curling for reasons unknown and Aurora’s expression benign but unreadable.
“Son!” Valeria exclaimed while standing and Drakkar closed the door and walked fully into the room.
“Let’s dispense with the artificial sincerity,” he stated without delay, “and instead let us get to why you both are here.”
Darkness instantly swept his mother’s features and Drakkar found that much easier to bear for it was nearly all he’d known of her when he was a child.
“Really, Frey,” Valeria snapped, “minstrels are singing and mothers are setting their daughters to bed with stories of The Handsome Drakkar and his deep adoration for his Beautiful Winter Bride. It’s been months since I’ve seen you and your lovely wife and you do not allow your mother a moment to bask in the glow of her son’s extreme happiness?”
Drakkar stopped, crossed his arms on his chest and leveled his gaze on his mother. “Prior to the Gales, and, of course, your attendance at my wedding at which we did not converse, I had not seen you for over a year and when I did, it was in passing. You made no overtures to me for years prior to that and the only one I made to you since I was thirteen was inviting you to my marriage ceremony and it wasn’t me who did that but Queen Aurora’s secretary. You’re not here to bask in the glow of anything. So, let’s dispense with this farce and tell me why you actually are here.”
Valeria glared at her son and then she sat back down.
“Well, for me, though you didn’t ask, dear cousin, I’m looking after my throat,” Franka put in at this point and Drakkar’s eyes went to her as he steeled himself against showing a reaction to her announcement.
“You have news,” he stated blandly.
“Indeed,” she inclined her head and leaned forward to the table that held a coffee service, china and a bowl of candies. Controlled and calculated, as was her way, Franka took her time selecting a white candy-coated almond and popped it in her mouth, chewed and swallowed under Drakkar’s impatient stare before she spoke again. “Baldur is away to the Southlands with thirty thousand men.”
Drakkar noted that Aurora didn’t move a muscle at this extraordinary news though she could not know it for he knew Atticus told her everything and the king also told him everything. Drakkar didn’t move a muscle either except to raise his brows.
“This interests me because…?” he prompted.
“You may…” she paused, studying him closely, “or may not know that Baldur had a plaything. A delightful specimen called Circe.” At these words, Drakkar continued to regard her impassively but fought against clenching his teeth. “A powerful sorceress but unfortunately for the lovely Circe, Baldur had found a nearly equally powerful witch to bind her powers so she could not use them to harm him or to escape him. Unfortunately for the revolting Baldur, he wasn’t shrewd enough to bind her to him so she could not find others to assist her to escape him. And this she did some months ago.”
“I was called here for you to tell me tales of King Baldur?” Drakkar asked skeptically.
“No,” Franka answered, “you were called here because Circe has been sighted and Baldur is off to collect her.”
Again, Drakkar raised his brows instead of clenching his teeth.
He had not spent a great deal of time with the sorc
eress Circe but the time he had, he liked her. Baldur had callously mistreated her for years, imprisoned her, used her in a variety of repugnant ways and through all that, by what had to be a miracle, she’d somehow retained her dignity even as four earlier escape attempts were thwarted and Baldur punished her for each in ways it didn’t bear thinking of.
It was not good news she had been sighted and worse news that her sighting had reached Baldur’s ears.
Drakkar had a feeling he would not be taking his bride to his lodge in Kellshorn or loading The Finnie’s cargo holds with Lunwynian water and onward to Fleuridia but instead sailing directly to the Southlands.
But at this point, he had to learn more without letting on he cared.
Therefore, he said with feigned resignation, “Again, Franka, I’m uncertain why you’re imparting this information on me.”
“The lovely but unlucky Circe has clearly had a misadventure since her escape and it has led to her being included in the Korwahk Wife Hunt,” Franka replied.
Drakkar stared indifferently at his cousin.
But he thought, Bloody hell.
The Korwahk Wife Hunt was well-known and, although it had been happening for centuries in Korwahk, it was considered a savage ritual outside the Southlands. Local women hunted by the Korwahk warriors felt honored to be chosen for this hunt. But those women not of the Southlands who were scouted, kidnapped and included in the hunt most definitely did not feel the same. As they wouldn’t, considering participation in the hunt meant they were paraded in front of the warriors, let loose then hunted and “claimed” as wives, in other words, the moment they were captured, they were raped.
After what Circe had already endured, Drakkar was dismayed to hear she’d now endured this.
Franka continued, “And, word is, she caught the eye of their king. He’s claimed her and made her his queen. The word is, after doing so, he declared great pride at her courageous nature and immense satisfaction with her astonishing beauty.”