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I thought about the man who had thrown his sword onto the ground and towered in front of me like a bear over a deer. There had been something strange about him, something I couldn’t quite place.
“Can he be trusted not to hurt me?”
“Trusted? On the battlefield...no. During an audience where you have his promise that no harm will come to you? Yes. His alliance would be a tremendous strike against Algar. Many say Rune might be the only reason Algar still has an army. Men on both sides of the war respect him and trust his word.”
I crossed my arms. “I don’t see how anyone could respect Rune. Why would any man with honor fight for a monster like King Algar?”
Alrick ran his hand over my cheek. “The world is not always black and white, my beautiful elf. Most of the time, I find it more of a dark gray.”
Placing my hand on his, I nodded. “Can you stay?”
Alrick’s smile vanished. “Not for long. The noble families are constantly debating whether or not to turn around. Some fear this might be a trap or that you will lose your crown soon enough, and they will be killed by Algar’s allies here.”
I brushed my lips against his. “Let’s not talk about these matters any longer, then.”
Alrick kissed me back.
Suddenly my stomach growled. Alrick looked at me.
“You are not eating enough.”
I wasn’t. The stress and constant anxiety of keeping my crown, trying to stop the war, and finding my father’s killer while also fighting to marry the love of my life...it was a lot. I felt as if I was always one step away from shattering like glass. But why whine about it to Alrick and make his life harder? Certainly, he had his fair share of worries.
I was about to brush it all off when another loud growl rumbled. But this time, it wasn’t my stomach.
“Not eating much lately, Alrick von Wilbrandt?” My lips curled into a cheeky grin.
Both of us broke out into laughter. I placed my hand over his mouth. I had the guards placed at the end of the hallway on top of the stairs instead of at my doors, but still.
His eyes sparkled with firelight as he looked at me. God, I loved this man. Yet...out of nowhere, it dawned on me how little I knew about him. The journey to the North was not exactly filled with happy conversations about one another. He was brave, honest, and made me feel like I had swallowed a beehive by simply looking at me, but who was he? What was the saddest moment of his life? His wildest dreams? Did he think the endless ocean prettier than the mysterious night sky? If he had one wish, what would it be?
“Sesame artichokes,” I randomly said.
His eyes widened.
“What?”
I rose to my feet and walked over to a silken rope that was hanging off the ceiling next to my bed.
“Don’t you remember?” I grinned, pulling the rope twice. “When we reached the first inn on our journey, I insisted on ordering honey-mustard ham and sesame artichokes. You thought me spoiled.”
“Oh, I remember well...Berta.”
I laughed out loud. “The name of your dog.”
“You know?”
“Henrike told me.”
Alrick pretended to be serious. “She was a good dog. Kind, loving—”
“Lazy and whiny,” I said, still smiling.
He laughed. “So, not like you,” he said.
“You are very smart, Alrick, Lord of Kulgrat, but don’t even try!”
We both chuckled but stopped suddenly when someone knocked on the door.
