“Feeling a little jaded against the king, are we?” Farrin asked.
Phile scowled. “Oskar has him making oaths by thieves, like winter is as cold as a thief’s wallet, and air is just as weighty as a thief’s word.”
“I’ve always admired Oskar’s sense of humor,” Rakel said.
“Little Wolf! You’re supposed to be onmyside.”
Farrin chuckled, and Rakel laughed, drawing attention from camp. Sensing the lack of sympathy from Rakel and Farrin, Phile pounced on her next victim—Captain Knut.
“Captain! You should linger by the Sarthe border a few days. The Sarthe king has a pretty bauble I’ve decided I want.”
Knut sputtered. “General Halvor ordered us to return north as soon as possible.” The rest of his protests were swallowed by the happy murmur of the camp.
“We should join them,” Rakel said.
Farrin offered her his arm. “Wherever you go, I will follow, Princess.”
Rakel took his arm. “Thank you, sir mage.”
The End
CHAPTER 6
A TOUR OF OSTFOLD
The following short story is written from the point of view of Gemma—the heroine of my Timeless Fairy Tale adaptation of Rumpelstiltskin. Gemma’s story is set in Verglas, centuries after the events of “Heart of Ice,” but some of the landmarks seen in her story have their origins in Rakel’s tale.
“Doyou have enough weapons for the trip? I should give you more weapons,” Lady—now Queen—Linnea said. Her forehead furrowed as she studied her close friend.
Gemma patted Linnea’s hand. “I have no need of more weapons, My Lady.”
“Are you certain? Your husband is not the most competent in the art of fighting.”
Stil poked out from behind a bookshelf. “I resent that implication.”
“I’ll have Hvit,” Gemma said, referring to her large, white dog.
“Yes,” Queen Linnea acknowledged. “But perhaps I should travel with you, just to be safe.”
King Toril kissed her cheek. “You cannot leave yet, Linnea. You haven’t even begun your army inspections, and the summit doesn’t meet for weeks.”
“But—” Queen Linnea fell silent when a bell rang. “That’s the noon bell—I need to check in with some of the army officers. This conversation isn’t finished, Gemma,” Linnea called over her shoulder as she strode from the room.
Gemma waved farewell.
King Toril sighed and rubbed his head, mussing his hair. “You might have to leave when she’s making an inspection.”
“If My Lord thinks it is best,” Gemma said.
“Did you mean it when you said I could borrow some books?” Stil asked.
“I did—but I thought you said the royal library wouldn’t have anything the Loire Royal Library didn’t have,” King Toril said.
“Yes, but you have some surprisinglyoldtomes about magic,” Stil said.
Gemma and Stil were due to return to Loire in several days, but while Stil had traveled to Verglas to pick her up, the famed Prince Severin of Loire had requested that he would attempt to search for any useful information Verglas might possess. King Toril, in response, had brought him to the Verglas Royal Library.
“That’s only natural,” King Toril said. “I believe Princess Rakel used the library as the first meeting place for mages before a school was built.”
