Looking around as we arrive at the palace gardens, I am disappointed that there is no blue-skinned king, only hordes of giant warriors positioned on every corner.
When one catches me staring, I quickly look away.
Rholker must be worried. If his kinghood is not supported, this ceremony could turn into a fight. Depending on how angry the lords are, someone might even try to kill him. All in all, there’s a real possibility that this will be a shitshow of a party.
The biting cold and too-loud crunches of snow beneath my boots soon end as I am taken through the back door and up three sets of stairs to a place I have only been once before.
Rholker’s old room.
The door is still closed, but even seeing it from the hallway causes memories of the night of his engagement to come back. I breathe through each one.
When the door to the former Second Prince’s room is pushed open, I am surprised to see that it has been expanded.
Melisa stands in the middle of the room, clad in her familiarshade of red, waiting with her head bowed. She’s flanked by two women who smile with hardened eyes as the giant holding my leash pushes me in.
I stumble and grab hold of a gilded red chair.
The guards stop at the door. “She must be prepared by the time we come to collect her.”
Then the door is shut tight, leaving the four of us alone together.
“Hola, ?1Melisa,” I say with a smile.
“Estela.” She returns the gesture with a familiar smirk—the kind she shows when the giants leave. “This is Abi—she belongs to Foreman Juan, and Paoli belongs to Lord Rejok. We three met in the breeding pens years ago before we were plucked up by our masters.”
Each of them nods before straightening to stare at me.
“I’m Estela,” I say slowly.
Three comfort women, soon to be joined by myself.
Both of the newcomers are beautiful, but Abi has a scar on the right side of her face that covers her cheek and stretches down her throat. Her full-bodied frame is squeezed into a dress similar to Melisa’s, though it is blue over red. The curves of her hips and breasts accentuate the curve and roll of her belly.
I flinch, picturing how such a scar could be made.
Paoli is silent, but not unpleasant. She looks at me as if she could hear my thoughts, but doesn’t wish to broadcast them—merely to store every secret away forever. Her hair is long enough to graze her bottom, and her cheekbones sit high and sharp on her face.
“I was never sent to the pens,” I say.
“We know, but we won’t hold it against you,” Melisa says. “I personally only participated one round before Eneko came for me and made me take brews to ensure I would never be withchild. Not something your Enduares can likely fix, though I am hopeful for Abi.”
Her voice is light, but hope blooms in my chest.
Something tells me that she’s going to come with me when I escape.
Abi smiles as Melisa throws her hand around her shoulders.
“This perfect creature wants all the babies, and her own house, and everything dreamers dream of,” Melisa explains.
Abi glares at her. “Don’t make fun of me. You told me she said there’s such a thing as mates with the trolls.”
“Enduares,” I say, trying not to sound defensive.
Melisa shrugs, but Abi looks at me, her lips twisting downward.
“It all sounds like a fairytale, to be honest. But I can’t help but hope. Juan isn’t cruel to me like some of the other foremen are, and it was a fair trade for the freedom I’m allowed, but I want more,” Abi says.
“You don’t have to explain yourself to me,” I say quickly, taking a step toward her. “And, yes. Everything I told Melisa was true.” I look at the other woman, Paoli, and ask, “Did you have a child in the breeding pens? Is your lord cruel to you?”
