Authors: Amanda Hocking
I shook my head, not understanding, and my ponytail swayed behind me. “What do you mean?”
“I wanna see how you handle yourself in a fight. If we’re going to protect the Skojare Queen from possible attempts on her life, I need to see how well you can do that.”
For a moment, I hesitated out of a strange sense of intimidation. I’d fought guys as big as Kasper before, and Bent Stum had actually been much stronger than him. So that wasn’t the issue. It was reverence for his title, and my fear that I wouldn’t live up to the expectations of a proper H
ö
gdragen.
But Kasper had decided that it was time to start, so when I didn’t move, he did. He came at me, and I quickly slipped out of the way. I was stocky and strong, but not as strong as him, so I knew that I’d have to use my agility and smaller stature to my advantage.
I swooped around him and crouched on the ground, preparing to kick out his legs from under him. As soon as I crouched, he grabbed my leg and flipped me back, so I landed on my back on the mat with a painful
thwock
that echoed through the hall.
The vision in my right eye blurred again for a moment, and I was beginning to wonder how long I’d have to deal with the aftermath of my injury. But within a second, I had jumped to my feet.
“The true testament of a good fighter isn’t the ability to not get knocked down, but in how fast they can get back up,” Kasper commented as I dusted myself off, then he grinned. “Though I’ve found it never hurts to avoid getting knocked down in the first place.”
“Want me to go again?” I asked.
He nodded, and that was all the incentive I needed this time. I ran at him, and when he grabbed for me, I dodged around his side. This time, I jumped on his back and wrapped my arm around his neck, hoping that either my weight would throw him off balance or I could put him in a kind of sleeper hold.
But neither of those things happened. Instead, he threw himself back with all his might, crushing me against the floor before he hopped to his feet.
I got up again, just as quickly as I had before, even though that fall had hurt twice as badly, and it took longer for the vision in my eye to correct itself. As soon as I did, Kasper commanded, “Again.”
So I went at him again. And again. And again. Sometimes our skirmishes went for longer, while others were over in a matter of seconds. I got the best of him a few times, knocking him down or pinning him.
By the time Kasper had knocked me on my back for the twentieth time that morning, I was not getting up so fast anymore. I lay on my back, staring up at the overcast sky through the skylights, and catching my breath.
I expected Kasper to tell me to go again, but instead he sat down on the mat next to me. Sweat glistened on his brow, and he appeared a little winded himself. I might not have beaten him as often as I’d have liked, but he was on the H
ö
gdragen. He was supposed to be a much better fighter than me, and the fact that he was tired at all showed I was doing something right.
“What do you think?” I asked.
His hair was cropped rather short, and he usually kept it back with gel, but the sweat had loosened a few curls so they fell forward. Kasper leaned back, propping himself on his arm, and absently pushed back the locks from his forehead.
“You’re good for a tracker,” he said with a light laugh. “We’ll take five, and then I’ll show you a few moves that I think can help you out where you’re getting stuck.”
The door at the end of the hall opened, and I craned my neck to see who was disturbing our practice. If it was somebody important, like another member of the H
ö
gdragen or the King, I’d have forced myself to my feet, but it was only Tilda, carrying two bottles of water, so I could keep relaxing.
“I thought you two could probably use a bit of a break by now,” Tilda told us with a smile and she sat down cross-legged on the mat.
“Thank you.” I sat up so I could take the water from her and quickly guzzled it down, while Kasper gave her an appreciative peck on the mouth.
“Aren’t you working this morning?” Kasper asked, motioning to her uniform.
“I am, but they’re just running drills, so I snuck out for a few minutes.” She smiled when she looked up at him, but it was bittersweet. “If you’re leaving soon, I want to get in as much time with you as I can.”
Kasper slid across the mat, moving closer to her. He wrapped an arm around her waist and leaned in even closer. “I’m sorry. You know I wouldn’t leave if I didn’t have to.”
“I know.” Tilda let out a heavy sigh and stared down at her lap. “I’ll miss you, but I understand. I just wish that this didn’t mean we’d have to postpone our wedding.”
As a member of the H
ö
gdragen, Kasper really had no choice. King Evert hadn’t consulted with him last night about whether he’d be willing or able to go, and he hadn’t needed to. Being on the H
ö
gdragen was essentially like being property of the kingdom. Everyone in Doldastam had to follow the King’s orders, but none so strictly as the H
ö
gdragen. If the King said jump, they didn’t ask how high—they just jumped.
“I shouldn’t be gone for very long,” Kasper assured her. “We just have to make sure the Queen is safe and help set up a more functional guard, and then we’ll be home. And as soon as I get back, we’ll be married.”
He put his hand on her stomach, rubbing the bump where their child grew, and Tilda smiled at him. They kissed again, more deeply than the last time, and while it wasn’t a crazy makeout session, it was enough that I began to feel uncomfortable.
And not just because I felt like a creepy voyeur. They were so clearly in love—evident in the way they looked at each other and touched one another. For a fleeting second, it made me think of Ridley and wonder if I had made the wrong choice pushing him away.
But then I remembered why they were kissing in the first place. Kasper was comforting Tilda because he was leaving her, because he wasn’t in control of his own life. He’d given himself to the H
ö
gdragen, and no matter how much he loved her, she’d have to come second to the job.
I didn’t want to do that to anyone else, and I never wanted to be forced to choose between love and duty. So it was best if I just avoided love altogether.
“I can give you two a minute alone, if you want,” I offered.
“No, we’re fine.” Tilda laughed and blushed before putting some distance between her and Kasper. “I should probably get back soon anyway.”
“And we should get back to training,” Kasper agreed.
“How is that going?” Tilda asked me. “He’s not being too rough on you, is he?”
“No. He’s not dishing out anything I can’t take.”
“I’ll have to try harder then,” Kasper said, and Tilda laughed.
“You two just better not hurt each other,” she warned us. “Or you’ll have me to deal with.”
“Yes, ma’am.” I saluted her, and she rolled her eyes.
“I really should get back,” she said, and she kissed Kasper before getting to her feet. “I’ll see you tonight?”
“As soon as I’m done working the dinner for the Skojare King and Queen,” he said. “Then I’ll be over.”
“I love you.” Tilda looked between the two of us. “Both of you. So play nice.”
As soon as she was gone, Kasper and I got up, and he told me to come at him again like I had before—only this time, he would teach me how not to end up flat on my back.
Even though there were only eight of us attending the celebratory dinner, we still waited in a line to be announced by King Evert’s personal guard, Reid Kasten. It was a meeting of royalty, which called for formality. King Mikko Bi
â
else of the Skojare, and Linnea’s grandmother, Marksinna Lisbet Ahlstrom, had arrived to retrieve Linnea.
They were so grateful that Ridley and I had found her that we were invited to attend the dinner as honored guests, which felt a bit odd for us. I would always have rather been working than making awkward dinner conversation, but I would be lying if I said that I didn’t enjoy a reason to put on the new dress I’d gotten from the town square.
As much as I loved working out and showing my strength—the way I had been all day with Kasper—I loved getting dressed up almost as much. For most of my life, I’d been pigeonholed as purely a tomboy, but that wasn’t accurate. I could hold my own wrestling in the mud with boys, and I could hold my own in a gown in the ballroom.
The dress I wore today was silvery white with a damask design in pale blue velvet over it. The front hem of the dress fell just above my knees, on the off chance I’d need to fight or run, and the back flowed out much longer behind me, trailing on the ground.
As strange as I felt waiting beside Ridley in line to enter the dining hall, Kasper seemed even more awkward. He’d only planned on working the party—standing at attention by the door. Instead, Markisinna Lisbet had insisted he join as a guest, and he stood behind us, fidgeting with his uniform and muttering anxiously.
Reid loudly announced King Mikko and Queen Linnea, and they entered the dining hall to formally greet Evert and Mina before taking their seats at the long table. Since Lisbet was of a lower rank than them—a Markisinna is a step below Princess—she would be introduced after them. While waiting, she took a moment to turn to Ridley and me.
Her golden hair was carefully coiffed on her head, and her elegant gown easily surpassed mine in loveliness. Large diamonds and sapphires adorned heavy rings on her fingers. Even though she had to be in her sixties, she still had an incredible, refined beauty.
“I am so sorry about the way things went in Storvatten when you were there before,” Lisbet said, her brilliant blue eyes moist with tears.
“There is no need to be,” Ridley assured her.
I wasn’t completely sure what she was apologizing for, other than when Victor D
å
lig had slammed my head into the wall. But that wasn’t her fault. That was mine.
She smiled and took my hand and Ridley’s in each of hers—her skin soft and warm like thin velvet. “I cannot thank you enough for bringing my granddaughter safely back to me. Anything—
anything
—either of you ever need, let me know.”
“Marksinna Lisbet Ahlstrom of the Skojare,” Reid announced.
Lisbet squeezed our hands and mouthed the words
thank you
again before letting go. She gathered up the length of her dress, then entered the dining hall.
Since Kasper was a member of the H
ö
gdragen, it meant he outranked us, so he was called next, leaving Ridley and me alone in the foyer. As the
Ö
verste, Ridley could’ve worn his uniform the way Kasper had, but instead he’d chosen a well-tailored suit.
As we waited, he readjusted the cuff links in the sleeve of his black dress shirt. I stood with my hands clasped neatly in front of me, watching as Kasper stiffly greeted everyone in the room.
“Are you heading out tomorrow?” Ridley asked, still fixing the diamond cuff link.
“I believe that’s the plan. We’re leaving first thing in the morning to head back to Storvatten.”
“It’s a really good opportunity for you.” He’d finished his readjustment and folded his hands behind his back, standing tall and proper. “Working with the H
ö
gdragen like this. And you’ve earned it. Nobody has worked harder for recognition than you have.”
“Thank you.”
“But I have to be honest,” he said in a low voice. “It’s not gonna be the same here without you.”
He looked at me then, his deep-set eyes under a veil of thick lashes. The heat I’d been longing to see in them had returned, and for a moment, there was nothing else. It was only me and him, and the warmth growing in my belly, and the way he made me feel so light-headed and wonderful all at once.
And then, “Ridley Dresden, the
Ö
verste of the Kanin,” Reid announced so loudly it almost felt as if he were shouting inside my head.
Ridley walked away from me, leaving me behind to catch my breath. Which was just as well, because I’d never have made it through the introductions without a moment to gather myself.
I was seated next to Lisbet, and after I’d gotten settled in I realized that must’ve been a deliberate choice. All the Skojare—me, Lisbet, Linnea, and Mikko—were on one side of the table, a row of pale blonds across from the darker complexioned Kanin: Ridley, Evert, Mina, and Kasper.
For a second, before I got myself under control, I felt a wave of anger wash over me. I hated being singled out or deemed as “other” simply because of the color of my hair and skin. Even though this hadn’t been done out of malice, it still stung every time I was deemed “un-Kanin.”
But then I reminded myself that it was an honor to even be here, that I was still seated next to royalty. And maybe the decision had to do with ranking, and since I was the lowest one here, I was seated with our guests instead of next to our King.
Maybe. But I didn’t really believe that.
Mikko started off dinner with a toast, standing and raising his glass of sparkling wine. The last time I’d seen him in Storvatten, he’d been a wreck—an overacting wreck, I’d suspected. But now he showed no signs of wear. His handsome face was unreadable, even when he looked down at his wife.
“I want to thank you all for returning my wife to me and for showing her so much hospitality,” Mikko said, his deep voice betraying no emotion. “Your kindness and bravery will not soon be forgotten, and the Skojare are indebted to you.” He raised his glass higher. “
Sk
å
l!
”
“
Sk
å
l!
” We all cheered in unison, then took a drink of our wine.
“I would also like to extend a special thanks to both Kasper Abbott and Bryn Aven,” Mikko went on, still standing and taking turns looking between Kasper and me. “You are taking on the responsibilities of another tribe, which goes far beyond your duties. While I don’t know if the Skojare
need
you, it will provide my wife great comfort, and it is as she wishes.”