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“Prince Vale, spare heir to the throne.” Again, his full lips went flat.
“You don’t seem to be a fan.”
“We have a history—one that cost me many fae.” His tone soured as he spoke, and a hard glint formed in his eyes. “I despise the prince, though I must bow to him all the same.”
He truly looked furious, even without the prince nearby. I could not help but take his hand. “What happened?”
“I—,” he paused. “It was a long time ago, not important anymore, but it still rubs me the wrong way.”
“Your face and words say otherwise. If you’re still upset, it is important.” I looked Roar in the eyes and saw the pain there. He’d helped me so much, and I wanted to help him. At the very least, if I couldn’t do that, I wanted to understand him. He didn’t offer insight into his past often and I couldn’t pass up this chance. “Please, Roar.”
The warden let out a long breath before pulling me over to the side of the narrow street and motioning for the knights that had been following us and carrying packages to stand watch. “I haven’t talked about this for a very long time, and I can’t say that I’m happy to relive it.”
“I understand. But I want to support you, like you’ve been doing for me. You can trust me with this.”
His lips curled up a touch. “I know. And because you’re going to the court for me, I will tell you. But you mustn’t tell others.”
In the street, someone called out the warden’s name, and he broke our stare to wave at them. When he looked at me again, he took my hand and pulled me close.
“I won’t say a word,” I promised.
“It happened when the prince and I were just twenty turns of age,” he started his story. “Back then, orc tribes raided the villages around the Ice Tooth Mountains daily, and the king commanded me to bring my army southeast. I did, and there we joined forces with the prince.” He let out a long breath. “Vale and I have never been friends, but back then we put aside our differences and worked together to eradicate the tribes—until one day . . .”
His face hardened, and I swallowed, worried about what he’d say next. “We’d just moved closer to the foothills of the mountains and had battled one of the largest tribes I’ve ever seen—orc, goblins, and even ogres were united.”
“No!” I sucked in a breath. “Ogres?!”
Ogres lived in small groups, and they viewed anyone outside that group as food. Even other ogres. I found it astonishing that they teamed up with other ogres.
“Yes. It was a massacre for our soldiers. I was fighting in a valley and things were going poorly. I sent a rider for the Warrior Bear’s help, knowing that he wasn’t far away, and I expected him to come, and he did.” His tone dropped into a growl. “Almost. I saw Prince Vale and his forces crest the mountain on the western side of the valley. But the minutes passed, and I fought, my soldiers still fought to the death, and Vale’s forces didn’t help. Instead, they fled back down the hill, the other way, out of sight.”
I shook my head. “But why? Those are his people too!”
“I can’t say. Soon after, the army dispersed to take on smaller tribes. All I know is he left my forces to fend for themselves. Since that day, I have despised him to my core.” His fists clenched.
I stared at his hands, not sure what to make of the story. What kind of ruler left their people to fight and suffer like that? “Did you tell the king?”
“Prince Vale is his son who had already been in many battles and won the hearts of fae in the east. You haven’t met them yet, but the Aabergs always stick together, no matter the cost to others. The king would have sided with the Warrior Bear over me.” Roar sniffed. “The king cares more for the fae of his city, and his ancestral seat in the midlands, than those in the west. No matter that my territory provides the most soldiers, the most gold too.” He paused, hate burning in his eyes. “No, it wouldn’t do to complain to the king. I merely had to live with the deaths. The bodies that I sent home.”
My mouth fell open. How could someone do that to those of their own kingdom? It was cruel and uncaring. Prince Vale had treated the fae beneath him as though they were disposable, much like the vampires had treated me.
Tears tracked down my cheeks, and before I could wipe them away, Roar’s hand lifted and caressed my cheek. I cupped his hand. “I’m so sorry that happened to you. To your people.”
“I was too. Still am.” Roar swallowed. “The soldiers who survived that day know the story of what happened, but others don’t, and it’s not a good idea to spread the tale. Vale is a celebrated prince of the realm, Neve. Since then, he’s cinched his reputation as a savior of sorts. The royal army is deeply loyal to him.”
“I understand. I won’t mention it again.”
He pulled me into a hug. “I don’t want to put you off, and you should feel like you can ask questions, but thank you for understanding. It’s for our safety.”
When we broke apart, I smiled up at him. Though we hadn’t known one another long, at that moment, I understood him a bit better and felt particularly close to the warden.
He pivoted and pointed across the street. “Now, we need to get down to business. We’re going just over there. Please be careful when we walk inside. Forges are hot.”
“You don’t say?” I replied playfully, trying to lighten the mood.
He smirked and shook his head, but as we entered the forge, the warden’s mirth left his face and the regal lord of the city appeared.
A faerie lad of about fourteen ran up to us. He wore just a tunic and pants as the forge was so hot that furs and cloaks weren’t needed. “My lord! Are you here to see my master?”
