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“The war in the North might finally come to an end,” he said.
“Are you certain?”
“Nothing is certain, but King Algar has secured a marriage with the house of Louis the Great.”
“The wealthy kingdom in the West?”
My father nodded. “With such a powerful alliance, the noblemen and the king of the North have agreed to talks and a cease-fire.”
“That is all great news, but...”
What does this have to do with us...with me?
My father clenched his fist tighter around the little object in his hand.
“The talks will fail now that King Algar thinks himself even more powerful. The noblemen will have nothing to bargain. After all, it was King Algar’s thirst for land that started this war. The noblemen’s land, to be precise.”
“You think King Algar will wipe out the noblemen with help from the West? A very complicated situation indeed.”
My father sighed. “Unless the noblemen of the North were to have a powerful alliance of their own. The fresh blood married into both sides of the conflict would bring the war to an end. Louis the Great has already written to me that if such an alliance were to be made, he would not support King Algar of the North in his war quest, even if Algar’s son marries his oldest daughter.”
I unfolded my father’s words in my head, carefully examining the implications. It all made perfect sense. Algar of the North was already rumored to be close to ruin. If his new alliance would not support his war, and if the noblemen of the North could secure a powerful match of their own, it could indeed mark the end of this gruesome war.
“But why would King Louis write you?” I asked. “We haven’t had connections nor welcomed guests from his kingdom in years and—” My voice broke off.
Fool!It was all in front of me now. How had I failed to see the mouse in the trap?
My father rubbed a hand against his forehead. “Because I would like to invite the noblemen of the North to your birthday as suitors for your hand in marriage.”
A shiver ran up my spine like tiny, cold fingers.
“Suitors? From the barbaric North?” I couldn’t keep the shock out of my voice.
Had I heard him correctly?
My father’s mouth twisted as he turned to face me. His knuckles had turned white from squeezing the nut.
“You will still inherit this kingdom. It will merge with your husband’s lands, and you can rule from here or elsewhere. I know it is a lot to ask, but—”
“A lot to ask?” I cut him off. “No, Father. If you asked me never to speak again,thatwould be a lot to ask. If you asked me to learn twenty languages,thatwould be a lot to ask. But what you are asking of me...especially with a nobleman from the North...those monsters who have been the cause of so much suffering for years. No, Father, you aren’t asking a lot. You are asking everything of me!”
His eyes softened, despite my harsh tone. “I know, my dear child.”
Dear child.Words he had not spoken in years. As much as I hated it, the words warmed that cold loneliness inside me, even if only briefly.
“Well.” I lifted my chin like I always did when my mind was made up. “Unfortunately, I will have to decline your offer. I won’t do it. Not now, not ever. It’s none of my concern if grown men cannot sit down and end a war without forcing their poor daughters into marriages they don’t desire. It is a form of slavery, and I won’t be a slave of a savage Northman. Mother wouldn’t stand for it, and I won’t either.”
“Mina...” My father lifted a slow hand toward me, but I turned on my heel and made my way back to the door. My footsteps echoed after me, louder than when I’d entered.
“They will be invited, and it will be your duty to consider them!” my father shouted after me.
I kept walking, not stopping once. When I reached the door, the guards stared at me, then over my shoulder at my father.
“For Christ’s sake, open the door,” I demanded, but instead, they looked at my father again.
My cheeks flushed as rage, anger, and an unimaginable disappointment mounted inside me. For the first time in ages, he had called me to speak with him. I expected a silent dinner, maybe an awkward conversation on boring topics, but not...this.
I grabbed one of the guard’s spears and pulled him close. “Open the door, I said, or you will find out it’s much worse to upset the Night Queen than my father.” I narrowed my eyes and leaned closer. “He can bring you death, but I can take your souls.”
