“Others?” I asked.
“You’ll meet them soon enough. In fact, tomorrow evening sounds great, doesn’t it? We’ll have dinner together. Don’t be late.”
“Don’t forget to prepare a chair for him,” I derided, pointing my palm towards Marshen. “He sits beside me just as your brother will.” If I were to get into some meeting with people I didn’t know, I would go on my own terms.
“You twist the knifeandyou give me seating orders.” He looked towards his brother, who I could see was suppressing a smirk. “What a lovely woman you have found for yourself.”
“Only the best,” Aegir murmured, giving me one of those knee-wobbling winks.
King Ryvar snatched one of the hanging lanterns and nodded at me. “Welcome to the world of the living, Queen Briartide.” Then he marched straight up the stairs.
“I don’t know how to thank you, Delia—I mean, Queen Elara,” Marshen said.
“You don’t have to thank me. No, actually, you can thank me by not getting yourself into any trouble. I know that youdesperately want to see her, but don’t you dare do anything stupid, all right? I promise you that I will take you to her myself.”
“Men cannot enter the Ice Temple, so I don’t have much of a choice.”Thank the gods.
“Let’s go find the Queen of Ilma’s royal advisor a nice room, shall we? And then head back to ours,” Aegir said, looking my way.
Ours.
CHAPTER 74
It was strange not being the one carrying the tray of food. Aegir and I made our way back to his room in silence. The second Aegir closed the door behind us, he said, “I’m so proud of you,” just as I blurted, “I’m so sorry.”
“Sorry? What are you sorry for?” he asked with a creased brow.
“Galen, he—he died in my stead,” I replied, my lips turning wobbly. “He shouldn’t have.”
Aegir set the tray on the coffee table. “All right, come with me.” He grabbed hold of my hand and walked us towards the bedroom.
He removed my coat, leaving me with a silky blue mini-dress that moulded to the soft curves of my body. Aegir blinked, as if he wasn’t the one who fetched me the clothes. He kicked off his boots, then sat on the bed, his back resting against the furry headboard. With a reaching hand, he pulled me onto him. I wrapped my legs around one of his and nestled my face against his chest. He caressed my cheek and pressed a kiss on my forehead before murmuring to me, “Tell me about him.”
I had to suck in a breath before starting, already holding back tears. “The first memory I have of Galen is him kneeling in front of my mother. He swore the oath of tears. It was the day he became our personal guard and Captain of the Vanguard of Water. My father was often busy with his teachings and so Ispent most of my mornings with Galen. Him and his training.” Aegir let out a small huff through upturned lips.
Then my eyes prickled. I swallowed. “On my tenth birthday, when Naar attacked us, I remember my mother, Galen, and a dark woman—a witch—holding me down against the table. I fought so hard. The only moment I stilled was when I watched Galen shifting into my form, his brown eye turning blue. I remember going to sleep as a wild-hearted girl—who believed she could take the Fire King down all by herself—and waking up as a scared and lonely child bearing the surname of the person I once was. Aegir, he—he sacrificed himself for me. I wish he didn’t. I’m sorry.”
Aegir wiped away my tears. “Cordelia, you don’t have to be sorry. None of what happened is your fault. I always thought of Galen as my brother, and now—now that I know he sacrificed himself to spare the life of my soulbound, I have never felt so grateful.” He pulled me closer. My face snuggled against his neck. “All this time…we always wondered what happened to him, wondered if he was truly dead or somewhere out there, suffering day and night.Yougave us the answer to that, and now we can ease our pain. Aunt Emika can finally have closure.”
“Aegir, I—I may have upset your aunt.”
“Oh, I know.”
“You do?” I asked, daring to peek at his face.
“Mmhmm. Eldric and I stopped by on our journey north. Eldric couldn’t shift. We got caught up in a bad storm, so we sought shelter there for a couple of nights. My beloved aunt welcomed me in her home with a slap on the head, demanding to know what was wrong with me.”
“Oh,” I said, hiding my face beneath his own. I pursed my lips, suppressing the start of a laugh that I felt building up.
“But don’t worry, she took your side. Even after explaining that it was just a misunderstanding.”
“She deserves to know. We must tell her,” I whispered, lifting my face once more.
“We will,” Aegir assured me, brushing his lips against my forehead.
“Tell me something else,” he whispered, nuzzling his face against mine before tightening his grip on my waist.
And so I did. I told him something else, then another, and another. I told him everything—from Elara Briartide to Cordelia Wildheart, from princess to servant, and from servant to queen.
