The fenced-in yard outside was nearly the same size as the home, and Koji followed him when he stepped outside to look at it. It was a lovely little garden, flowers of all sorts creating a bright splash of color and life against the cool gray sky and the dark ocean in the distance. The village seemed quiet, but against the rhythmic noise of the tide Florian thought he could hear the sounds of life not too far away—indistinct voices, seabirds calling, the creak of wood like a boat being moored, or maybe a cart rolling down the main path.
“It’s all so different,” Koji murmured, more to himself than Florian, as they walked the length of the garden and peered out at the village beyond. He seemed to catch himself, then grinned. “I’m glad I decided to come with you.”
Florian smiled in return. “Me too.”
It was nearly two hours before Rune came back for them. Florian and Koji had retreated to the sitting room to stay warm by the fire as they waited, so Florian heard Rune coming in through the door before he saw her. Her steps were fast and urgent—frowning, he turned around to watch her come bustling inside.
“He’s coming here,” she said sharply, her face pinched with irritation. “He’s already in a bad mood, so—”
Heavy, thudding footsteps came quickly behind her, making Florian jump to attention. He hadn’t realized Rune meant Torsten wasrightbehind her. Unsure of what to do, Florian stood up; and after a beat, Koji stood as well.
The door swung open again, and a tall man came striding into the sitting room. He had a weather-worn look to him, the skin of his clean-shaven face lined with sun and wind. His hair was a dirty blonde similar to Rune’s, but kept in a short-cropped style. The man stopped in the middle of the room, looking first at Rune, then at Florian with a hard expression. His eyes were the cold, pale blue of the afternoon sky.
“King Florian,” he finally said, folding his arms across his chest. “My condolences about your father.”
Florian blinked—he had no idea what to expect of the man, but that still took him off-guard.
“Thank you,” he said, then added, “King Torsten. I appreciate your hospitality—”
“Rune’s hospitality is all you can expect of us, I’m afraid,” Torsten continued, still looking at Florian with the same cold gaze. “I’m sure you’re here for the same reason Jerah would come. We have no interest in helping you in your...quest.”
The way he spat out the last word was just as dismissive and mocking as Tetsuo had been, making Florian’s face flush warm and red.
“I haven’t even said anything about it,” he protested.
“You don’t need to,” Torsten replied, shaking his head. “Why else would you be here? Is there some other reason you’ve come all this way?”
He had no answer to that, and Torsten scoffed at his silence.
“I’m sorry to say you’ve wasted your time coming here,” he continued. “We have never had any intention of helping the fae. Maybe you can take the hint better than your father could.”
“Really? Just like that?” Rune burst out. Florian’s head whipped to look at her in surprise. “They made it all the way here, and you just want to kick them out?”
“Rune, Itoldyou—” Torsten started, his voice a low growl. He let out a huff of frustration before continuing in a sharp whisper. “You just love defying me, don’t you? Are you really going to do this in front of them?”
“I don’t enjoy it, but I’m not going to go along with you if you’re being an idiot,” she snapped back. Florian could feel Koji stiffen with shock—who was she to speak to the king in such a way? She hadn’t said anything about being related to him, but considering how prickly Torsten obviously was, would he allow just anyone to say such a thing to him?
His face reddened with anger, but his voice remained low as he replied, “If you care so much about their suicide mission,yougo with them.”
“Fine. I will,” she retorted. Florian stared dumbly at her, the whole exchange still rendering him immobile with surprise.
This, finally, seemed to pull Torsten from his anger. His shoulders sagged as he scowled at her, his righteous fury deflating all at once.
“You don’t mean that,” he muttered.
“I don’t say things I don’t mean,” Rune snapped. She met Torsten’s gaze steadily, as if daring him to say more. For a long, tense moment, they only stared at each other. Florian glanced between them, then looked sidelong at Koji, unsure if he should interrupt.
“I can’t stop you,” Torsten finally gritted out, openly glaring at her. “But you’re being foolish.”
“I don’t care. Iwantto help,” she replied. Torsten snarled wordlessly, then to Florian’s surprise, he turned around and stormed right back out of the room. The front door slammed shut behind him, and his footsteps disappeared.
For a long moment, the three of them stood in silence, Florian still processing what had happened.
“Uh,” he finally said, looking at Rune, who was still glaring at the door with her arms folded across her chest. “That... didn’t go how I thought it would.”
She surprised him all over again by laughing, though it was a strained sound, before rubbing her hands over her face.
“I guess I owe you guys a bit of an explanation, huh?” she sighed, then gestured toward the fireplace. “Sit back down.”
