“I don’t want revenge on Latham,” she said suddenly, realizing it was the truth.
“You don’t?”
“No.”
The prince paused and then asked, “Do you still love him?”
“It’s complicated.” The prince stiffened, but she went on. “When we were young, I thought I was in love with him. I thought he was my Hjarta, my twin soul, and I wanted a future where I chose him.” Solveig paused, remembering their youth and how sure she’d been—despite her mothers’ hesitations.
“But when we moved up the ranks together, I began seeing what kind of male he was when under pressure, especially when I became General and outranked him.
“We were both stubborn, but he was not pliable for teaching and learning. Or taking orders. It made me doubt him, and I started to lose faith in us. I wouldn’t let us be together because he was dangerous to be around. He put many of our soldiers in deadly situations because he thought he knew better.
“When our magic was taken, I assumed I would lose that kinship feeling with him, since the Hjarta is a magical bond, but after we spent a night together and nothing had changed, I knew we weren’t meant for each other. Latham could never accept that. I still loved him, in a way, but in my heart, I let him go.
“It’s always been that way. Latham has tried to hold on, to prove himself worthy of the bond, but it’s just not there.”
Besides Gerrie, she had never let anyone in like this before. It unnerved her to be so comfortable sharing with the prince—she chalked it up to the poison from her wound addling her mind.
It was a while before he said anything.
“I used to be pitied for not having a mate. Most Fae find theirs within the century after maturation, but I never did. I was so angry and jealous watching my sisters and brother find their mates. I tried to force myselfinto a bond when I fell in love the first time, but it never took. Even finding someone to marry without a bond, which my parents had tried to arrange, was difficult.
“Eventually, I assumed the gods hadn’t made someone for me. They needed me to focus on my duties for the Riddari. Or maybe I was going to die early and they didn’t want me leaving a broken mate behind.” His voice cracked before he cleared his throat. “Whatever the reason, I count myself lucky that I never bonded. Every single day, I witness the heartache of mates who lost their very soul to the war or had their bond stripped away by the Block.
“To be connected to someone so deeply and then have it torn away would be devastating. It must’ve been difficult for you to feel that with Latham only for him to let you down. I’m sorry.” The apology was so loaded, Solveig didn’t know what to do with it. She nodded and placed her hand on the arm around her, giving it a light squeeze.
“I’m not surprised no one could bear mating with you. You’re an arrogant ass,” she teased. The prince laughed and the sound rushed through her, cracking the walls of her heart.
“Better an arrogant ass than a viperous witch,” he teased back. Solveig chuckled too, and they fell into a thoughtful silence.
The trek back to camp was uneventful, Solveig and the prince trading stories of their respective lives. He was easy to talk to, and Solveig found herself genuinely softening towards him. She made sure to insult him whenever she felt anything more than tolerance.
She insulted him a lot.
By the time they finally made it back to camp, Solveig’s shoulder was searing with pain and it was difficult to speak through her clenched teeth. The prince helped her dismount before they made their way to the infirmary with the other injured soldiers.
When they reached the main medical tent, Laeknir’s back was to them as he directed the flow of soldiers to beds. Solveig’s stomach lurched at the grave look he wore when he faced them.
“What happened?” Solveig whispered, knowing she most likely didn’t want the answer.
Laeknir didn’t give one. Instead, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a crumpled envelope. It was addressed to her from the queens. The seal was damaged beyond recognition like the person opening it hadn’t had time to be careful.
“You opened it?”
“Turn it over,” he said gruffly.
On the other side of the envelope, there were instructions for someone to open the letter if Solveig wasn’t there when it arrived. She didn’t recognize the handwriting as her vision blurred.
“What does it say?” Solveig’s legs began to shake with the effort of keeping herself upright. The pain in her shoulder had spread throughout her upper body. Before she had a chance to collapse, the prince was there, supporting her. Laeknir watched the interaction with blatant curiosity but said nothing.
“Just read it, Sol.”
Solveig opened the letter with trembling hands and began to read. Her eyes grew wide as she took in the five short sentences. The letter was written so quickly it almost didn’t look like Aelfsi’s usually composed handwriting.
Solveig, it’s time. You are summoned to Asgard. Arrive in one month’s time. Not a second later.Gerrie is gone.
Gerrie is gone.I got out.
