by Lily Thomas
“Don’t feel too bad about getting lost. We all get lost every once in a while despite living here for most of our lives.” The woman said kindly as she began to lead the way.
Adorra followed after the woman quickly. The woman was about a head taller than her, and her stride was a lot longer, and she’d nearly left Adorra in the dust with a couple of steps.
In just a couple of minutes, she heard the sounds of people having a jolly good time. They had to be nearing the great hall, and her stomach eagerly growled at her at the thought of some good food. Mathar had been kind enough to share his dried meat on their journey, but she wanted to eat some real food.
The soup and porridge Lisag had given them had been a good start, but she wanted some meat, cheese, wine, and perhaps any desserts the ice giants might make.
“Here we are.” The woman waved her forward as she dropped back.
Adorra walked forward and peeked out of the doorway into the great hall. Candles and fireplaces lit up the room, and the heat was once again welcome.
Taking a deep breath, she held her chin high and strode into the hall. There were so many giants wandering around and a lot of exposed skin and muscle. It was definitely a bit intimidating, and she found her feet faltering every once in a while. Especially when a barely dressed ice giant man strode past, nearly brushing up against her.
As Adorra walked into the great hall, her eyes sought out the familiar face of her sister. It didn’t take her long to find Jasmine sitting across the hall in deep conversation with the fierce-looking ice giant king.
Pausing, she took a moment to take in the sight Jasmine and Dryden presented. The king leaned in and whispered something into Jasmine’s ear. Her sister hid a smile behind a hand and patted his hand lovingly.
Adorra pursed her lips. She couldn’t understand why her sister believed she was in love. These people would never accept her as their queen. It had to be a lie. She just wasn’t sure why the ice giants would tell her sister such a falsehood. It wouldn’t gain them anything and bewildered her.
As she crossed the great hall, she felt several eyes glance her way and watch her as she continued to the other side. It was hard not to draw similarities between their two people. There was nothing going on in here that wouldn’t happen back at the king’s castle. People were drinking happily, talking boisterously, and eating a lot of good smelling food.
As she neared the table, Jasmine rose to her feet and welcomed her with a broad smile. “Glad you came down from your chamber.”
Adorra rounded the table and hugged her sister in a tight hold before taking a seat next to her. “You didn’t get me?”
“I wanted to make sure you were allowed to rest.” Jasmine patted her hand. “I figured you could eat later, but a nap might be needed after the rushed journey through the mountains.”
“It was needed, but so is a good meal. Mathar was only able to provide dried meat and as good as that was, I can’t wait to have another hot meal.”
“Well, you’ll enjoy their food. Absolutely delicious.” Jasmine assured her.
Adorra tossed her sister a smile. “Only one way to find out.” She reached out and snatched a slice of bread. Raising it to her mouth, she gave it a few quick nibbles.
A servant passed by, and Jasmine motioned them to bring Adorra a plate.
“Wait until you have a hot meal to judge their cooking.” Jasmine rushed to tell her.
In no time, a servant placed a plate in front of her, and Adorra was able to fill it up with meat and vegetables, all steaming hot and ready to warm her from the inside out. She dug in. She needed a hot meal. It was just the thing to make her feel like a person again.
Jasmine turned to talk with Dryden, so Adorra took the opportunity to study the ice giant people. Her eyes wandered over the giants in the great hall until her eyes landed on one in particular.
Mathar.
Her heart sped up. She told it to stop its thundering, but it was like it had a mind of its own.
He was sitting with other ice giants, a mix of women and men. He looked comfortable and even chatty from where she sat, which hadn’t been her experience as they’d been traveling through the mountains. He’d come off as cold and distant for the most part… until their passionate night together near the fireplace.
As Adorra sat there staring, she got the feeling the women were trying to catch his undivided attention. She clutched one of her hands into a tight ball. He was attractive, yes, and she was feeling a bit… jealous. An emotion she really ought not to be feeling.
They’d shared a few moments on the journey, and she felt a bit embarrassed by it. He could be her husband’s killer, and he’d already moved on to other conquests. He must have pulled the wool over her eyes.
It didn’t help her jealousy that the giant women’s clothing barely hid anything. And the women were well endowed. She continued to glare hot circles into the women hoping they would freeze to death, but alas they were ice giants, and resistant to the iciness of her glance.
Then she felt an intense gaze focus in on her, and the small hairs on the back of her neck rose.
Glancing back over at Mathar, Adorra found his dark obsidian eyes focused in on her.
A slow smile crept across his lips as he stared at her silently. Then he reached over and grabbed an ice giant woman and plopped her on his lap. The woman immediately wrapped her arms around his neck.
Adorra was done. She may have fooled around with her husband’s killer, but now he was just being an ass. Bile rose up in the back of her throat. To think she’d slept with him! That decision would haunt her for the rest of her days.
Turning to Jasmine, Adorra grabbed her elbow, interrupting her conversation with the king.
“What is it?” Jasmine asked leaning over.
“I’m going back to get some more rest.”
“Is something wrong?” Jasmine asked picking up on Adorra’s sudden mood swing.
“No,” Adorra waved away her concern, “I just need to get some more rest. I find myself still fatigued from the journey.”
“Do you require help getting back to your room?”
“I’ll find it.” And if she got lost, she’d ask another kind ice giant. For some reason, the ice giants around her seemed to be proving all that she’d heard as a child was wrong. No one here had done anything to her. In some ways, she was hoping they would so she could prove to Jasmine that they weren’t as nice as her sister thought they were.
Mathar watched Adorra storm out of the great hall in a rush. The moment she disappeared, he shoved the woman off his lap who stumbled a bit before catching herself. She sent him a puzzled look, but it didn’t take her long to find another man’s lap to sit on.
He scowled at everyone around him.
He’d been a fool to think he would want another woman, and now that he’d royally pissed off Adorra he felt like an ass.
He rolled his eyes.
That damn woman! One night together, and she had him wrapped around her finger. It wasn’t even like they knew each other. But he knew this much, they wouldn’t be good for each other.
Not only had Dryden fallen for a human woman, but it was looking like Mathar might be falling for one as well, and it irked him beyond measure. Their night of passion was supposed to be nothing more than two lustful bodies joining for a moment of release.
Another ice giant woman sidled up beside him. “It’s been a long time since you were last at the castle for more than a couple of minutes.”
“Not interested,” Mathar growled, surprised to find it true.
“Did I do something wrong?” The woman leaned over and looked him in the eye her silver hair falling over her shoulder.
“It’s not you.”
The woman glanced up and over at Jasmine, and then the same doorway Adorra had disappeared through. “Ah.”
He looked over at her and grumped, “What?”
“You’ve fallen in love with the human you brought back.”
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�Love?” he snorted as he shook his head. “Not likely.”
The woman frowned. “Admit it, Mathar. You are drawn to her, and no other woman will fill the spot you want her to hold.”
He gave her silence instead of an answer.
“I’ve known you for years.” The ice giant woman leaned in. “I’ve serviced you for years. I’m probably the only person who’s seen more than your grumpy side. You’re in love, Mathar.”
He glanced up at the woman. She may have serviced him, but all he knew was her face. He couldn’t even come close to thinking of her name. “All I know is that I want a cabin in the woods and no one around to bother me.”
She leaned over and whispered in his ear. “You want the human to bother you.”
He turned to growl at her, but she was already gone, seeking another man to warm her bed this night.
What he needed was a cold dunk in some water and a good night’s rest to help his mind and body forget Adorra.
He glanced over to Dryden’s table, and his king raised a goblet in his direction. Or not. Tomorrow would be the start of his shadowing Adorra, which meant she would be right there under his nose, teasing him without mercy.
Snorting, Mathar rose from his seat and left the great hall. He’d never be able to escape her until she left the castle.
Adorra had dreaded coming out of her room all morning, but eventually, hunger drove her forward. After last night, she wasn’t sure she even wanted to set eyes on Mathar again. Jealousy ate at her. The way those women had been throwing themselves at him bothered her, despite the fact that she had no claim to him.
Shaking her head, Adorra pushed Mathar from her mind.
She felt like she was failing her sister. She was having a hard time convincing Jasmine that this wasn’t the place for her, and she was beginning to wonder how long it would take her to convince her sister that she needed to come back home. There was no telling how long she might have to stay here.
Slowly, Adorra found her way back to the great hall hoping she hadn’t missed the morning meal. She was still in need of more hot food and looked forward to another meal. Mathar had caused her to miss most of last night’s meal with his philandering ways.
As she entered the great hall, her eager eyes searched the faces in the hall, and she was disappointed to see that she couldn’t find Mathar among the crowd.
She chastised herself for searching for him. He was nothing to her. Nothing. And she’d best remember that. At some point, she and Jasmine would leave these people behind, and she would never see him again. Because the moment she got back to her manor she was going to hire more men to patrol her land. Her kidnapping shouldn’t have happened.
“Good morning, Adorra.” Jasmine beamed from the table at the front of the hall.
“Good morning to you as well.” Adorra greeted her. She took a seat next to her sister, happy to have found Jasmine alive and well after so many months apart. She quickly shoveled some eggs, ham, and bread onto her plate.
“Hungry?”
“Definitely,” Adorra confirmed as she began to eat.
“I thought you might be interested in taking a look around the village.” Jasmine ventured. “It’s a lovely town, and I think it might help you acclimate to the way of life around here. Who knows, maybe you’ll enjoy it.”
Adorra shook her head as she swallowed her latest bite. “I’d rather think up an escape plan with you. I don’t want to remain here, and I’m not about to leave you here either.”
Jasmine took hold of Adorra’s hands and yanked her hands until they landed on Jasmine’s stomach. “I’m having a child with Dryden. I don’t wish to leave.” Her sister pierced her with her hazel eyes. “What can I do to convince you that I’m happy here, and I want to remain here with him? I’ve found love, Adorra.”
Adorra just shook her head, her ponytail waving behind her. Then she felt the child kick under her hand, or maybe it was her imagination playing tricks on her mind. “He must have forced you.”
Jasmine shoved Adorra’s hands off her stomach and leaned back in revulsion. “He would never do that!”
“How do you know?”
“Because I’ve been with him ever since I disappeared. I may not know him through and through like a childhood friend, but I’ve gotten to know the man I spend my night’s with, and he is a lovely man. There isn’t a single cruel bone in his body.” Jasmine went off.
When Adorra said nothing Jasmine continued, “Please, Adorra. Give it a chance. Wait a while before passing judgment on these people. Let them show you what they’ve shown me. My life has been great since arriving here, and I look forward to having more time with them.”
Jasmine’s eyes pleaded with her, and she found it difficult to deny her sister her request.
“I have a lot of questions for you.” Adorra changed the subject because she was ready to get some more answers from her sister. It was about time someone started answering questions about Edmund’s death. She’d waited patiently, but she needed to know more.
“I’ll give you answers in time.”
“I need to know what happened with Edmund.” The mystery had weighed heavily on her for all this time, and now her wound was opening up, fresh and painful. “I remember him being killed, and I know it was a giant, and I’m thinking I know which one.”
Jasmine shook her head. “Not now. First, I want you to see the village. I want to have a good day with no misery, and then we will answer all your questions.”
Adorra wasn’t so sure she could wait. “Can’t you understand how this weighs on my shoulders? Mathar told me you would be able to tell me what I wanted to know.”
“I know,” Jasmine grimaced, the light fading in her eyes, “but I think we should wait until you have a bit longer here before I tell you.” Jasmine pleaded. “I want you, us, to have some time together before we talk about anything sad.”
Adorra gritted her teeth. “I won’t be pushed off for much longer, Jasmine. Imagine if Dryden was killed in front of you, and I wouldn’t tell you what I knew.”
Jasmine cringed looking like Adorra had slapped her. “I know. Just give me a little more time. I haven’t figured out the best way to tell you what I know.”
“Fine.” She pointed a finger in her sister’s face, “But I want my answers.”
She’d hang on for a little longer because she still needed an escape plan and the moment she heard what Jasmine had to say she knew she was going to want to flee. With how everyone was acting she had her suspicions on what had happened to Edmund and who was involved. Maybe she didn’t want to know after all.
The wound had healed, and hearing what needed to be said would only rip it open once more.
Adorra bit the inside of her cheek as she tried to figure out her mixture of emotions. In some ways, she just wanted to put Edmund’s death behind her and not think about it again.
“I’ll join you to the village.” Because she wanted some more time with her sister, and she didn’t want to sit on her hands at the castle all day. The more she saw, the easier she’d be able to come up with an escape plan.
Adorra regretted her decision the moment they were in the courtyard waiting for Mathar and Dryden to finish tacking up the horses.
“Is he joining us?” She tried to keep the contempt from her voice but had a hard time of it. Mathar was not a face she wanted to see right now. Not only was he an annoyance, but he might be a killer. Not that she had any proof either way. Not yet.
“Mathar?” Jasmine asked as she turned to glance over at the man they were discussing.
“Yes.”
“Of course he’s joining us.”
“Of course,” Adorra muttered.
“Don’t you know?” Jasmine cocked her head to the side as she studied Adorra with her hazel eyes.
“Know what?” She turned to face her sister.
“Mathar is to be your guard while you’re here at the castle.”
“My what?” Her eyebrows raised in surprise.
“You mean to make sure I don’t escape.” Adorra corrected her.
“No,” Jasmine rushed to reassure her, “that’s not the reason. We just want to make sure you stay safe here and don’t do something that could bring harm back to the ice giants.”
“Can I change who my guard is?”
“We trust him to keep you safe, and you should as well. Mathar’s a good man. You’ll see in time.”
Adorra still wasn’t too sure about that. Mathar still hadn’t answered her accusation about him being her husband’s killer. She did some deep breathing to relax. She didn’t have any answers, and until she did, she wasn’t going to jump to any conclusions. He seemed like a decent man, despite him being an ice giant.
Dryden finished with his horse first and strode over to them his boots crunching on the thin layer of snow on the ground.
“Adorra.” He greeted her. “I’m glad to see you’re coming to ride with us. I think you’ll find our ride enjoyable and maybe even eye-opening.”
She inclined her head. He might be an ice giant, but he was still a king, and she knew they loved people respecting them. “I’m sure it will be an eye-opening experience.” She agreed thankful for all her days at court.
He held out a hand, like a gentleman, and Jasmine slipped hers into his hand. Their eyes met, and even Adorra could see the sparks of attraction from where she stood. She studied Dryden’s face, but she couldn’t spot any deception. It looked as though this man might actually be head over heels in love with her sister.
She shook her head. She was being fooled. Both of them were being duped. She wasn’t ready to believe that a giant king would just fall in love with a human woman.
Then she looked at her sister as Jasmine was guided over to the waiting horse. Jasmine’s eyes spoke volumes. She was in love with this man before her, and Adorra was still having a hard time accepting it.