“Shh!” I waved a hand at him to shush him.
With the coast appearing clear, Elora opened the front door. A gust of icy wind blew inside the hall, and Elora had to grip the door tightly to keep it from slamming back.
A woman slid inside as Elora pushed it back, fighting the door with as much grace as she could muster. A dark green cloak hung over the woman’s head, shielding her face from us. Her burgundy dressed appeared to be satin, and the hem pooled around her feet, looking tattered and wet from the elements.
“So good of you to make it in this weather,” Elora smiled at her, that tight condescending one.
She smoothed her hair, making it lay so it covered up the white streaks better.
The woman said nothing, and Elora gestured to the upstairs, which didn’t make sense. The South Wing on the main floor was where all the business was conducted. Elora was directing the guest to her private quarters.
“Come,” Elora said as she and the woman started walking. “We have much to discuss.”
I grabbed Duncan’s arm and dashed across the hall before Elora began ascending the steps. The only thing at the top of the stairs was a small broom closet, and I opened the door as silently as it would let me.
Once inside, I shut the door almost all the way, leaving a small gap for me to peer through. Duncan was pressed against my back, trying to peek out the crack too, and I elbowed him in the stomach so I could have some room to breathe.
“Ouch!” Duncan winced.
Quiet! I snapped.
“You don’t need to shout,” Duncan whispered.
“I di-” I was about to tell him I hadn’t shouted when I realized I hadn’t said anything at all. I’d merely thought it, and he’d heard me. I’d done the mindspeak trick that Elora always did.
Duncan, can you hear me? I asked in my head, trying it out, but he didn’t say anything. He just stood on his tiptoes and looked over my head.
I would’ve tried again but I heard Elora reaching the top of the stairs, and I turned my attention to her. Elora stood between her guest and the broom closet, so I couldn’t see her guest’s face. Besides that, she still had that green cloak up.
I waited a few beats after they passed before pushing the door open. I leaned out, looking down the hall at their diminishing figures. They walked past the room where a tracker stood guard outside of Loki’s cell, but that was the only guard on the second floor.
The main floor was crawling with guards. I usually had one or two in my vicinity, but otherwise, the second floor was empty.
“Why would Elora bring someone up here?” Duncan asked, stepping out from behind me to watch them.
“I don’t know.” I shook my head. “Do you know where they’re going?”
“No, the Queen doesn’t invite me into her personal space,” Duncan said.
“Yeah, me neither.”
I decided that I needed to trail the Queen and find out why she was being so secretive. I slunk along the wall, staying as close to it as I could. Duncan came with, and we looked like a couple of Looney Toons characters trying to hide behind skinny trees and small rocks.
Elora pushed open the massive doors at the end of the hall, and I froze. That was her bedroom, or at least that’s what I’d been told. I’d never actually been there before. I pressed myself against the wall as flat as I could go, and when Elora turned to shut the doors behind her, she didn’t look up.
“What the hell is she doing?” I asked.
“I could ask you the same thing,” Loki said, catching me off-guard.
His room was only a few doors down from where Duncan and I attempted to hide against the wall. Loki leaned on the doorframe, as far out as he dared go anymore, and his guard glared at him when Loki spoke to me.
With all my attention on Elora, I’d forgotten Loki was down here. I stepped away from the wall and stood up straighter, smoothing out my damp curls as best I could.
“That’s really none of your concern.” I walked slowly and purposely to him, and he smirked at me.
“It’s all the same to me, but you and your friend there -” Loki nodded to Duncan, “- looked like a couple of Acme Spy School dropouts.”
“I’m glad it’s all the same to you.” I crossed my arms over my chest.
“But I am curious.” Loki’s forehead crinkled with genuine interest. “Why are you stalking your own mother?”
“Princess, you needn’t answer his questions,” the guard said, giving Loki a sidelong glance. “I can shut the door, and you can be on your way.”
“No, I’m quite alright,” I gave him a polite smile, before turning my severe gaze on Loki. “Did you see who my mother was with?”
“No.” Loki’s smile grew broader. “And I’m guessing, neither did you.”
“Princess, this really doesn’t seem all that relaxing,” Duncan interjected.
“Duncan, I’m fine.”
“But Princess-” Duncan! My mindspeak kicked in again, surprising me, and I hurried to use it while I still could. I turned to face him. I’m fine. Now please escort this guard somewhere else.
“Fine,” Duncan sighed. He turned to the guard. “The Princess needs a moment alone.”
“But I have strict orders-” The guard started to disagree.
“She’s the Princess,” Duncan said. “Do you really wanna argue with her?”
Both Duncan and the guard seemed reluctant to go. As they walked away, Duncan stared at me, and the guard continued to sputter things about how much trouble he’d be in if the Queen found out.
“I see you learned a new trick,” Loki grinned at me.
“I’ve got more tricks than you’ll ever know,” I said, and Loki arched an approving eyebrow.
“If you want to show me a few tricks, my door is always open.” He gestured to his room and moved to the side, in case I wanted to step in.
I don’t know exactly what I was thinking, but I took him up on the offer. I went inside his room, narrowly brushing past him as I did. I sat down on his bed since he didn’t have any chairs, but I sat up as straight as possible. I didn’t want to look comfortable or give him the wrong impression.
“Make yourself at home, Princess,” Loki teased.
“I am at home,” I reminded him. “This is my house.”
“For now,” Loki agreed and sat down on the bed. He made sure to sit close to me, and I scooted away, leaving two feet of space between us. “I see how it is.”
“Tove told me about you,” I said. “I know how powerful you are.”
“And yet you come into my room, alone?” Loki asked. He leaned back, propping himself up with his arms and watched me.
“You know how powerful I am,” I countered.
“Touché.”
“The King put you to guard me because of how strong you are,” I said. “You let me go.”
“Is that a question?” Loki looked away and picked a piece of lint off his black shirt.
“No. I know that you did.” I kept looking at him, hoping that would make him give something away, but his expression only grew sullen and bored. “I want to know why you let me go.”
“Princess, when you came into my room, I thought you wanted to play, not talk politics.” He pouted and rolled onto his side, so he could stare up at me despondently.
“Loki, I’m being serious,” I scoffed.
“So am I.” Loki sat up straight, but since he’d rolled onto his side, he’d moved much closer to me. He put one hand on the bed, and it rested right behind me, so his arm brushed against my back.
“Why won’t you tell me why you let me go?” I asked, forcing my voice to stay even as I looked into his eyes.
“Why do you want to know so badly?” he asked, his voice deep and serious.
“Because.” I swallowed. “I need to know if you’re playing some kind of game.”
“And what if I am?” He kept his eyes locked on mine, but he raised his chin, defiant. “Will you have them kill me?”
“No, of co
urse not,” I said. He tilted his head, examining me.
“You’re actually appalled by the idea,” Loki realized.
“Yes, I am. Now will you tell me why you let me go?”
“Probably for the same reason you don’t want to kill me.”
“I don’t understand.” I wanted to shake my head, but I was too afraid to break eye contact with him. I wasn’t using persuasion on him or anything, but I was keeping his attention, and if I lost that, he might stop talking.
“I think you do, Princess.” The corner of one side of his mouth curled a bit, and he leaned in closer to me. For a moment, I was afraid he might kiss me, but he stopped just short of it. “I wanted to know that when you stayed, you did it because you wanted to, not because you had to.” He paused. “And right now, you’re not moving.”
“I-I-” I tried to stutter out some kind of response, and I looked away and jumped up off the bed.
“Now who’s the one playing games?” Loki sighed. He leaned back on the bed and watched me.
“I needed to know why.” I took a deep breath and crossed my arms over my chest. “That’s not the real reason, is it?”
“Wendy!” Duncan shouted from down the hall, and I turned to see Finn standing in the doorway, glowering at both Loki and me.
“Princess, you need to leave his room immediately,” Finn said. His voice sounded even, but I could hear the rage seething beneath.
“What is that about, by the way?” Loki asked, giving me a confused look. “Why are these trackers telling you what to do all the time? You’re almost Queen. You have dominion over everything.”
“I suggest you keep your mouth shut before I shut it for you, Vittra.” Finn glared at Loki, and his eyes burned. Loki, for his part, didn’t appear mildly threatened, and he yawned.
“Finn,” I sighed, but I left the room anyway. I couldn’t talk to Loki in front of Finn, and I didn’t want to fight with Finn in front of Loki.
“Not now, Princess,” Finn said through gritted teeth.
As soon as I came out of the room, Finn grabbed the door and slammed it shut. I faced Finn, preparing to yell at him for his overreaction, but he grabbed my arm and started yanking me down the hall.
“Knock it off, Finn!” I tried to pull my arm from him, but physically, he was still stronger than me. “Loki is right. You are my tracker. You need to stop dragging me around and telling me what to do.”
“Loki?” Finn stopped so he could glare suspiciously at me. “You’re on a first name basis with the Vittra prisoner that kidnapped you? And you’re lecturing me on propriety?
“I’m not lecturing you on anything!” I shouted, and I finally got my arm free from him. “But if I were to lecture you, it would be about how you’re being such a jerk!”
“Hey, maybe you should just calm-” Duncan tried to interject. He’d been standing a bit away from us, looking sheepish and worried.
“Duncan, don’t you dare tell me how to do my job!” Finn turned his anger towards him. “You are the most useless, incompetent tracker I have ever met, and first chance I get, I’m going to recommend that the Queen dismiss you. And trust me, I’m doing you a favor! She should have you banished!”
Duncan’s entire face crumbled, and for a horrible moment, I was certain he would cry. Instead, he just gaped at us, then lowered his eyes and nodded.
“Finn!” I yelled, and I wanted to slap him. “Duncan did nothing wrong!” Duncan turned to walk away, and I tried to stop him. “Duncan, no. You don’t need to go anywhere.” He kept walking, and I didn’t go after him. I maybe should have, but I wanted to yell at Finn.
“He repeatedly left you alone with the Vittra!” Finn shouted. “I know you have a death wish, but it’s Duncan’s job to prevent that!”
“I am finding out more about the Vittra so I can stop this ridiculous fighting!” I shot back. “So I’ve been interviewing a prisoner. That’s not that unusual, and I’ve been perfectly safe.”
“Oh, yeah, ‘interviewing,’” Finn scoffed. “You were flirting with him.”
“Flirting?” I repeated and rolled my eyes. “You’re being a dick because you think I was flirting? I wasn’t, by the way, but even if I was, that doesn’t give you the right to treat me or Duncan or anybody this way.”
“I’m not being a dick!” Finn insisted. “I am doing my job, and fraternizing with the enemy is looked down on, Princess. If he doesn’t hurt you, the Vittra or Trylle will.”
“We were only talking, Finn!” I snapped.
“I saw you, Wendy!” Finn snapped. “You were flirting! You even wore your hair down when you snuck off to see him!”
“My hair?” I touched at it. “I wore it down because I had a headache from training, and I wasn’t sneaking. I was… No, you know what? I don’t have to explain anything to you. I didn’t do anything wrong, and I don’t have to answer to you.”
“Princess-”
“No, I don’t want to hear it!” I shook my head. “I really don’t want to do this right now. Just go away, Finn!”
I turned my back to him so I could catch my breath. I could feel him, standing behind me, but eventually, he walked away. I wrapped my arms around me to keep from shaking. I don’t remember the last time I’d been this angry, but I couldn’t believe the way that Finn had talked to Duncan and me.
Elora’s bedroom creaked opened at the end of the hall, pulling me from my thoughts. I looked up to see her opening the massive doors, but I didn’t even bother to hide.
The woman with the cloak stepped out, and she had her hood pushed down so I could see her face. She smiled at Elora, that same dazzling, saccharine smile she always had. When she saw me, the smile never changed.
It was Aurora, and I had no idea why she’d be sneaking around with my mother.
19. Arrangements
It took some convincing, but I finally managed to talk Duncan into staying. I’d found him working through his resignation speech. He was terrified of letting the Queen or me down, and once I got him to see that he wasn’t, he agreed not to leave.
I spent the rest of the day listening to every one of his suggestions, which meant I relaxed quietly. My mind raced a mile a minute, but I had to lay still in bed and watch a marathon of Who’s the Boss? on the Hallmark channel with Duncan.
The break was good for me. When I got up the next day, I still didn’t feel like had all my energy back, but I looked alright enough for Tove to believe me.
During training, I told Tove about how I’d done mindspeak on Duncan, but it only worked when I was irritated. Using that logic, Tove spent most of the morning trying to irritate me into using it. Sometimes it worked, but most of the time, I just got annoyed.
We were getting ready to break for lunch when Thomas came down. Since coming back to the palace, he’d been guarding Elora, and she had sent him to retrieve me.
“So…” I began, filling the silence with small talk as we walked to her drawing room. “How is being back in the palace?”
I looked up at him. His brown hair had been slicked down, making him look more like Finn, but there was something much softer about his features. I didn’t know how to explain it, but he looked like a kept man.
“It looked different when I lived here,” Thomas replied in the same cool way Finn always answered my questions.
“Did it?” I asked, “The Queen likes to redecorate,” Thomas said.
“She never seemed much like a decorator to me,” I said honestly.
“People aren’t always what they seem.”
I didn’t have anything to respond with, so we walked the rest of the way to the parlor in silence. Thomas held open the door for me, and Elora was lying on the chaise lounge when I came in.
“Thank you, Thomas.” Elora smiled at him, and it might have been the most sincere I’d ever seen her look before.
Thomas bowed before leaving, but he didn’t say anything. I found something almost sad in that. Or would’ve, if I’d approved of my mother having an affair wit
h a married man.
“You needed to see me?” I asked Elora and sat down on the couch nearest to her.
“Yes. I’d hoped to meet you in my study, but…” She shook her head and trailed off, as if I’d know what that meant. She looked worn, but not as bad as I’d seen her the other day. She seemed to be on the mend.
“Have you made any progress with the Vittra?” I asked.
“Yes, actually.” Elora had been lying back, but she moved so she was sitting up a bit. “I’ve been in contact with the Vittra Queen. She’s quite fond of the Markis Staad for reasons that remain a complete mystery to me, but she’s willing to do an exchange for him.”
“That’s great news,” I said, but my cheer felt a bit forced. I was happy that Loki wouldn’t be executed, but I was surprised to find that I felt a bit sad to see him go.
“Yes, it is,” Elora agreed, but she didn’t sound happy. She only sounded tired and melancholy.
“Is something the matter?” I asked gently, and she shook her head.
“No, actually, everything’s… as it should be.” She smoothed out her dress and forced a thin smile. “The Vittra agreed to no more attacks until after the coronation.”
“The coronation?” I asked.
“The coronation where you become Queen,” Elora elaborated.
“I’m not going to be Queen for a while, am I?” I asked, feeling nervous at the prospect. As much training as I’d done lately, I still felt completely unprepared to rule. “Like a long while, right?”
“Not for a while, no,” Elora smiled wanly. “But time has a way of creeping up on you.”
“Well, I’m in no rush.” I leaned back on the couch. “You can keep the crown as long as you’d like.”
“I will.” Elora actually laughed at that, but it sounded hollow and sad.
“Wait. I don’t understand. The King agreed to peace until after I’m Queen?” I asked. “Won’t that be too late to like kidnap me?”
“Oren’s always believed he can take anything he wants,” Elora said. “But he wants valuable things, and you only get more valuable as a Queen. I imagine that he thinks you’ll be an even greater ally then.”
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