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Chapter 14
Alrick
Sitting on the back of Fiona, I watched Mina’s face resting motionless between my chest and upper arm. Her features looked serene, angelic. After her eyes had fallen shut, she had naturally placed her head there for comfort. It must have been a few hours since I had checked back on my horse and found Henrike sitting next to it, the reins of her own horse in hand. We decided it would be better to let the horses and our own beaten bodies rest before the sun rose. The rain had stopped, making way for the bright light of the moon. Judging by its position in the sky, I guessed it was around midnight. My whole body was aching from the fight last night. I had taken quite a few blows and even a shallow cut to the chest, so rest sounded welcoming, yet I didn’t move. I was too worried I would wake Mina if I tried to get us both down off the horse. It seemed a sin to disturb a face so peaceful. And I didn’t want to face the questions I knew she had, either.
The Rhine King’s proposal was a messy one to begin with. When I visited him that night of the ball to say my farewell, I had expected nothing in return. I wasn’t even certain he would see me. But then he told me of his worries for peace in all of the kingdoms, not only the war-torn North. He thought Louis the Great was scheming against him, binding the North by marriage to his daughter, only to use it to build his army. An army waiting for the Rhine King’s death and the day his hated daughter would take the throne. The Rhine King had blamed himself for this dilemma, as he was the one who’d banned her from his sight because she reminded him too much of his beloved wife. Now his daughter had grown selfish, spoiled, and unkind. The Night Queen, they called her—hated, feared, and said to be a witch.
If it was only the riches and lands he had offered me, even if it was enough to rebuild my estate and provide for my people again, I would have said no. His plan of traveling north disguised as commoners was mad. But I did understand the dilemma he was in and hated the prospect of a wider-spread war.
So, I agreed to take his daughter north and make her believe she was fleeing of her own will, hoping the hardships of an uncomfortable journey would bring some change to her.
But I hadn’t anticipated her hardships would include a merciless hunt for her life. I tried to make sense of it, had gone through last night’s events a hundred times in my head, and still arrived at the same conclusion. This was no attack by common thieves. Their worn and dirty clothes were a farce. The quality of their swords and the way they handled them were proof. These were mercenaries. Northern soldiers. But sent by whom? Nobody but a selected few even knew we were on this road.
Mina’s brows furrowed in her sleep. I stared at her. This woman was more than any ordinary man could handle. Those soft, full lips were full and rosy. I tried with all my willpower not to picture what they’d feel like brushing against mine, but it was hopeless. When she had leaned forward onto Fiona’s neck last night, her soft curves had fit perfectly between my legs. Never had I felt such a wanting for anything. It was ridiculous. But she wasn’t mine to claim. And never would be. The thought of another man lucky enough to make her his one day caused a raging jealousy in me that was more painful than the wound on my chest.
But besides her beauty and seductive curves, there was something else about her. Something that drew me to her even more than any physical want ever could. The Night Queen, they called her. Selfish and unkind. At the ball, she had confirmed all of those rumors. She’d ridiculed the North, shamed and embarrassed me with her words. Yet I had witnessed another side of her. She had fought for Fiona, covering her snow-white hands with mud. She’d complained at first but overall quietly endured the hardships of those filthy inns like a soldier. Even my sister, who was used to fewer comforts than her, had complained about our travels. But beyond all of that, Mina had saved my life yesterday. When I had fallen from the blow to my chest, she could have used that moment to flee, but instead, she’d stayed and saved me—endangering herself.
But why? I had no doubt in my heart that she hated me more than anything else on this planet. Especially now that she knew I had lied to her. She knew who I sincerely was. The sheer thought of having to confront her about it made me nauseous. More so than the memory of killing those men.
Her brows slowly unfurled as the first sun rays hit her face.
“May the gods save me from this woman,” I mumbled to myself as I stared at her perfect facial lines.
“Alrick,” she said as her eyes blinked and opened. Her head tilted, and her gaze found mine. As if she had forgotten all the pains and horrors, her lips curled into a faint smile.
I wanted to kiss her so bad it hurt. Feel those soft lips brush against mine and have her whisper my name again.
“Are we safe?” she asked, her long eyelashes still blinking at me.
I sucked in a painful breath. Why did the gods torture me?
“For now, my sweet elf.”
Her smile widened. Then, suddenly, the magic was gone, and Mina’s elfin face tensed in anger.
“You!” she growled, swinging off Fiona, almost hitting me in the face with her elbow.
The loss of her warm body made me shiver.
“Liar!” she said, pointing at me, then over to Henrike. “Both of you are filthy liars. You made me believe you were commoners, made me beg you to take me north.” She ran her fingers through her hair, looking flabbergasted like she was searching for the right words. “How foolish I was to trust two Northerners. Lord or carpenter. None of you can be trusted! For all I know, last night was just another of your tricks to get more gold out of me. Scare the princess a bit, huh? Teach her a lesson and make her grateful for saving her life. By God, she might throw another gem into the reward.”
“Mina”—I jumped off Fiona—“that’s not at all what’s happening.”
She huffed out a sarcastic laugh. “No? So you didn’t lie to me about who you were to drag me up north?”
Her words hurt because they were true.
“I did,” I said. “You are right about that part.”
“I know that already. Thank you. What I don’t understand is...why? Just for gold?”
Her amber eyes sparkled like little stars as she narrowed them at me. I wanted to say something to appease her but was lost for words. Suddenly her eyes widened, overcome with sadness.
“He knows, doesn’t he?” Mina shook her head in disbelief. “My father. He knows about all of this. Maybe he was even the one sent those—”
I grabbed her by her shoulders before she could go on. “Don’t say it. He cares for you deeply.”
My heart shattered to a million pieces just thinking about how lonely and unloved Mina must feel to even think such a terrible thing. That her own father wanted to kill her.
