“Hethoughtit was for the good of the island,” Odel countered. “But he has done too much damage. And if he’d had his way, thousands of innocents in Fafnir would have died.”
For a moment, no one spoke. We stood there in our huddle and let Odel’s words sink in, understanding how easy it could be to lose sight of things. Emperor Isveig had gone to war, believing himself to be the world’s savior. And Viggo would have done the same thing. It could have become a vicious cycle of rage and blood until it was the only thing left, until everything good was gone from this world.
“Luckily, all that’s over.” I turned to Thuri. “Now let me introduce you to Mabel. She makes a mean mushroom pie.”
* * *
The entire village was out for Midsummer. The sky was lit with a million stars, and a soft breeze rustled the grass at my feet. I popped another cube of Elma’s cheese in my mouth, leaning against the side of Lilia’s wagon, where lanterns cast their light on the dancing crowd. Haldor had taken it upon himself to loose some fireworks between each song, dazzling everyone in attendance with theiroohsandahhsthat rippled across the meadow in waves.
It was a beautiful, mystical night, and for the first time in my life, I no longer feared what tomorrow might bring. I had no idea what would happen next, but I was safe here, and I was free. That was enough.
“There you are.” Rivelin stepped from the shadows to join me in the quiet calm, away from the merriment of the crowd. “Why are you hiding all the way over here? Some of this celebration is for you, you know. You won the Games.”
“I believe that wasyou, Rivelin.”
“I’m not the one who baked hundreds of cupcakes and rode on the back of a dragon. The win is yours, and I know you like to dance. Shall I ask the bard to play that tune about Isveig?”
“The troll one?” I grinned. “Oh yes, please. I just…first, I want to take it all in.”
“Take all what in?”
“My freedom,” I breathed. “And all that comes with it. Look at Hege twirling her wife through a meadow beneath a blanket of stars. Have you ever seen any two people more in love? And over there is Elma, cheerily serving up her cheese and her olives, and Lilia beaming every time someone asks her for an ale. Even Godfrey seems happy here. He’s been so quiet and reclusive these past few weeks, but now look at him. He’s dancing with wild abandon.”
I felt the weight of Rivelin’s stare, and I wondered if I’d gone on for too long.
He reached out and brushed a strand of hair behind my ear. “You see the beauty in things. It’s one of the first things I noticed about you.” A pause. “One of the first things I loved about you.”
I started and met his gaze, my heart pounding.
His smile matched the gold in his eyes. “Would you like to dance with me?”
“You, dance? I thought you hated parties.”
“With you, I would dance until the world ends.”
My heart rattled in my chest as a wave of emotion rushed through me. I slipped my hand into his, mesmerized by the steam that fogged between us.
Rivelin pulled me against him, and I draped my arms around his neck. As I dropped my head against his chest, we swayed in the grass beside Lilia’s wagon, the scent of summer weaving around us. I closed my eyes and memorized the feel of him and the sound of his pounding heartbeat against my ear. The rhythm of it was so familiar to me now, soright.
For so much of my life, I’d never had a home. Somehow, despite everything, I’d found one. With him.
And then, from the stage, the bard began to play my new favorite tune.
Once there was a northern troll
Whose face looked like a big blue mole!
He pranced around as if to rule
But he was nothing but an icy fool!
I grinned and unwound myself from Rivelin, then grabbed his hand and tugged him closer to the meadow where the revelling crowd went wild. “You said you wanted to dance with me. Well, come on, then. Let’sreallydance.”
I thought he might bow out of this one. After all, he was the grumpy blacksmith who enjoyed his quiet solitude up on his roof, and this was quite the opposite of that. But when he saw my beaming smile, he matched it with one of his own and followed me into the meadow.
We reveled until dawn while dragons danced in the sky.
Epilogue
