All formality seeped out of the queens as they fell gracefully onto the couch. Koa reached under her skirts to unstrap the long blade she’dattached to her thigh, and Aelfsi unhooked the sword she had hidden down the back of her dress.
“Okay, Solveig, what the Hel is going on?” Koa asked sharply.
“Last we heard from you was that pathetic piece of parchment you called a letter, telling us that you were okay, a week after you escaped from imprisonment,” Aelfsi supplied, her hand reaching for her wife’s.
They gripped each other tightly, the anger in Koa’s face fading with the contact of her mate.
Solveig gaped at them. “You truly believe I haven’t been sending letters for months? I wrote weekly with updates and questions. The replies I received were vague at best.” Solveig let a trickle of frustration bleed into her voice.
“Have you not had my letters either, Your Majesties?” Conalle asked.
“No, Lord Conalle, we have not,” Aelfsi answered tersely.
“The only news we’ve had was when Gerrie arrived, and she was distinctly lacking in knowledge.” Koa tossed an irritated look at Gerrie, who tensed in her seat. This was probably not their first conversation on the subject.
“The Asgardian soldiers we sent to check on you never returned either.”
“No Asgardians ever showed up in the Southern Wilds,” Solveig countered.
The queens shared another look. “It seems there is more going on than we thought. It’s time we heard it all, Solveig—spare no detail.” Her mothers turned to her expectantly.
Solveig took a deep breath and started from the beginning. She wasn’t sure what Gerrie had shared with them, so she began with the raid in the mortal village, the night she was captured, explaining her imprisonment and torture in as much detail as she could bear. Gerrie came to sit beside her as she recounted each day and her escape.
Then her subsequent nightmares, Latham and Trella, Maddock’s involvement, every small thing she could think of. Conalle helped supply any detail she was fuzzy on, until she came to the day the Southern Wilds had been attacked.
She told them about the chasm opening up in Vanaheim, the destruction of her legion, Idavoll and Ragnvald’s scheming. Laeknir’s betrayal and execution. Tears spilled from the queens’ eyes as Solveig recounted what happened. Laeknir had been dear to them as well.
Hours passed while she exhausted her tale. Conalle left at some point to get food and returned with a full tray just as Solveig was explaining how Noren tried to kill her.
“And what of Prince Westley?” Koa asked in a quiet, contemplative way.
Solveig had told her mothers everything, except for Westley’s involvement and her conflicting feelings for the Prince of Idavoll. Knowing she wouldn’t be able to keep this from them, she told them how he was Fear and had captured her, how her magic had awoken and so had his. How he’d helped her escape and saved her life after Noren stabbed her.
Her mothers knew Idavoll’s beliefs and were not surprised to hear of the prince carrying out his duties in the name of the gods.
The silence was loud as Solveig finished, her voice hoarse from hours of speaking without rest. Conalle poured her a glass of red wine, but she shook her head, instead filling a goblet with lavender water. She wanted her head to remain clear.
“So his allegiance lies with you now?” Aelfsi asked.
“I believe his allegiance lies with Asgard, yes,” Solveig corrected. Something passed between her mothers—an acknowledgement? Judgement? She didn’t know.
“That remains to be seen. For now he will stay in the dungeon, at least until after Noren’s execution.”
“What?” Conalle and Solveig said at the same time.
“Solveig, while I understand the complicated scenario at play, you know an attempt on your life cannot go unanswered.”
“The attempt was justified. And only the people in this room and the two in the dungeon know of it. I must ask that you stay your hand,” Solveig insisted.
“You ask for mercy and yet you executed Laeknir with no hesitation?” Koa asked sharply.
Solveig braced herself. “Laeknir betrayed us, leading to the slaughter of our people. Noren is an enemy with the potential to become an ally, especially considering his loyalty to the prince. It’s not mercy, it is a chance. One chance.”
“If I may,” Conalle hesitantly interrupted, easing some of the tension in the room. “Not all Idavoll Fae are allied with Ragnvald. The king and queen are, yes, but Princess North wants a better world, and Princess Easta supports her sister in this. I can almost guarantee that once they find out the whole truth, they will fully join our side. If North ascends the throne, Noren’s allegiance will be with her. He’ll come around.”
“Are Erik and Alvida planning to step down?” Koa asked.
“That has yet to be decided. Westley expects it to happen soon, but I’m not so sure,” Conalle answered truthfully.
