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Chapter 3
The last two weeks had been terrible. Father and I had barely talked. He was dead set on inviting the suitors for my birthday. The castle had awoken from a long sleeplike state, like in that bedtime story Frida used to tell me about that princess that had fallen into a deep sleep waiting for a prince to kiss her awake.
Every room in the castle was spotless, and there were countless rooms. They shimmered like rays of golden sun. The gardens had been restructured, adding flowers from near and far to create colorful plays of nature.
The sun was shining on my face; its warmth felt like hope alighting on my skin. I was staring at the silver rose that had just been planted in the garden yesterday. Louis the Great, the mighty king of the Western kingdom, had gifted it to me for my birthday. It was glittering like a silver spoon. Never had I seen such a beautiful flower.
“There are only two of them in all the kingdoms combined.” My father’s voice caught my attention. I briefly turned to ensure it was indeed him, then redirected my gaze back at the rose.
“Magnificent,” I said.
He stepped next to me, towering two heads above mine. It had been so long since he had stood so close that I had forgotten how tall he was. My ancestors were said to have come from barbaric tribes that had sailed all across the continent. They settled on these green, river-crossed lands, and my father’s lineage has ruled here ever since, making it one of the wealthiest and most powerful kingdoms.
My father leaned toward the rose, his face in awe. “Louis the Great had planned to gift it to his daughter on her wedding day to King Algar’s oldest son, the future king of the North.”
“So why is it in my garden instead?” I asked. I’d claimed the garden as my own since my father wasn’t the type of man who strolled past pretty flowers to calm his mind. He would ride his horse, drink too much wine, or stare into a fire with that dreadful nut clenched in his fist.
“A message. Louis promises to stand by me and not support the war in the North even if his daughter marries its future king.”
“Meaning, in case you become a target of King Algar by marryingyouronly daughter to a Northern nobleman,” I said. “Forcing her to marry a barbaric monster.”
My father sighed. I hated that our conversation was going this way again, that we were unable to have a friendly exchange, but the sheer thought of having to waste away under the shadow of some monstrous man from the North made me nauseous.
“They aren’t all like King Algar. There are respectable noblemen in the North just like everywhere else. You still have a cousin there, and your own mother...” He paused and cleared his throat. “Your own mother was from the North.”
You are going too far, Father.“Her grandmother was, but that hardly makes her Northern.” My father’s lips twitched as if he wanted to say something but then decided not to.
“Besides, if you want to talk of Mother, what do you think she would say if she knew you were forcing her beloved child to—”
“I’m not forcing you to marry anybody,” Father interrupted me, raising his voice. “All I’m asking is that you give the suitors a chance to prove themselves.”
I frowned.A chance?
“So if I were to deny them all, that would be the end of it?”
My father remained silent, his brows drawn together.
“Or will you simply look at other kingdoms? The West? East? Our own?”
“You make it sound as if I don’t have your best interest at heart,” my father said. “The world is not what it used to be. The war in the North has driven many to desperate acts. Noble or poor. You will need strong support by your side once I am gone.”
This threw me off. Of course I knew he wasn’t immortal, and for someone who had lost a mother so suddenly, one might think I would be more prepared to lose another parent, but to me, he was just as invincible now as he was when I was a little child.
Yet...were those silver strands in his beard? I studied his face and saw new wrinkles creasing his eyes. He wasn’t old or fragile by any means, but he did seem more aged. When had that happened?
“I can be strong for this kingdom,” I said.
“You know nothing about politics.”
“I have studied politics for years.”
“In books, away from battlefields and greedy kings.”
I let out a loud breath of frustration. “Then teach me. Take me with you on your next travels.”
My father pinched his lips and looked at me, almost as if he were actually considering it.
“Your Highness.” A footman came running into the garden, stopping beside my father to bow his head.
