“It is more than a legend. The belief in prophecies was enough to form a long-held agreement with Gerard, one written in blood when you were still a babe. Arion unknowingly broke the peace alliance when he came against our isle.”
“What prophecy?”
“An old mortal seer spoke of the alliance of the elven, destined to be led by a consuming power that would lead them from obscurity. Arion has strength with the light few in his clan do, and when we heard of the Dokkalfar child who could swallow whole beings, Gerard and I agreed, this was the way to see our clans rise. Now, I wonder if you were always meant for a different fate.”
“So you thought you would pair us and we would take battle to . . .” My words faded when a thought burrowed into my skull. “Wait, what do you mean, you heard of the child? You found me by my own mistake.”
The king held my gaze. “I found you, but only after I had been searching for you since you ran away. I knew a great deal about you from many meetings with your mother and father.”
Sweat coated my palms. “You knew them?”
“They could not be reasoned with. I did what I could to bring them to understand what a benefit it would be for their child to be adopted bythe crown and aligned with the Ljosalfar. They were wild hearts, treetop elven, and would not hear of it.”
“You asked them to give me up?” I dug the heel of my hand against my forehead, trying to dull the ache building behind my eyes. My heart stuttered when I looked to the king again. “All gods, no.”
Eldirard appeared as a broken man. “As king, they were my subjects, practically kin. But Gerard . . . he had his guard take white iron to them, then planned to deliver you to me. You must’ve woken up sometime through it all, saw the guards, and ran. No one could find you. Then again, treetop folk are loyal and utterly suspicious.”
I was going to retch.
“No.” I could still hear my father’s laughter when he would toss me into the ponds in the wood. I could still feel my mother’s gentle touch braiding my hair. “You told me I killed them.”
“We had to convince you of your strength.”
“You had to crushthe firein my soul!” A sob broke from my chest. “You needed your docile princess to see your schemes of domination into fruition. I loved you. I idolized you.”
“And I love you.” The king’s voice broke. “It is why after such loss, I wanted you to always be free of your affinity when it came to your vows.”
“To soothe your guilt.” Each word was jagged and lined in hate.
“No. So you could voice your thoughts. It is why when a second choice arose with the alvers, I wanted you to have it.”
When he reached for me, I pulled away. “You arevile.”
“Skadi—”
“No.” I stepped back until my spine struck the window. “You killed a mother and father who adored me. You’ve taken me from a man who loves me, just me. Not for my affinity, not for my title, forme. So don’t you dare tell me you love me, for I know too well what real love is.”
Silence fell, its sharp teeth dug into my flesh until I could hardly stand the emptiness between us. A gaping divide of a life I thought I understood. The thoughts, the pain, the fears, they were all lies.
I was not the fearsome beast two kings made me out to be. They were the monsters.
Eldirard placed his bronze circlet on the edge of my bed. “You are right. For turns, I have felt the shame of my actions, and have done all I can to ignore it. It is why I cannot fade the isle alone any longer. I have lost its trust.”
“That will be your legacy.”
His eyes were rimmed in red and pain. “Greed. It is not the legacy I desire. I grow weary of it all, my girl. You may not believe me, but I do love you fiercely. Forgive me for loving my own ambitions more. Allow me to begin making amends in the only way I can.”
The king left me bewildered and unsteady for a moment, but soon he returned with Cara. She was pale, still contorted in a bit of fear.
“Please sit, Cara. I have need of a witness for what I am about to do.”
Chapter 51
The Mist Thief
The king positionedCara on a velvet bench near the vanity, then plucked his circlet off the edge of the bed.
He studied the sharp points of bronze. Intricate stars and peaks of Natthaven were etched in the metals. “This has always symbolized the strength of the Dokkalfar clan. Made from the metals of this isle, it is designed to sit atop a leader who cherishes its people, one who is trusted by the powers in its soil.
