Muttering to herself, she wiped her hands on a strip of linen that had been tucked into her waistband before walking over to Gunnar.
"I need to step away for a moment, finish your tonic, and avoid pushing yourself too far. I'll return later with your next dose," Dahlia said, her eyes glancing at Herrick as she spoke.
"Yes, Matron," Gunnar nodded, his eyes grateful as he took the tonic from Dahlia.
She rolled her eyes at his friend before heading toward the door. As she passed Herrick, her eyes landed on the iron and lingered. He couldn't be sure but worry seemed to flash there before she finally opened the door and left.
Before the heavy door could fully shut, Liv burst through it, making a direct line for Gunnar. Halfway there, however, she stilled as she took in Gunnar's wide eyes. She had not donned her glamour again, her pointed ears demanding all of his attention. Gunnar stood, shakily and tried to make his way to their friend. Kneesabout to give out, Hakon and Liv both lunged for Gunnar and caught him before he could hit the ground.
"I have missed a lot, it seems," Gunnar said quietly as he looked over Liv.
The color seemed to drain from Liv's face, her skin becoming ashen in the bright morning as she waited for Gunnar's reaction. It seems the Kolbecks had not reacted well to her truth. His cheeks burned at the thought.
Gunnar's eyes cleared of his exhaustion, quickly taking in the female in front of him who was holding him up by his elbows. Humor sparked in Gunnar's eyes and Herrick breathed easily again. Liv gave him a shaky smile and surged forward, wrapping her arms around his waist and squeezing. Their friend only chuckled and patted Liv's back as he returned her embrace.
"Please tell me this means I am not the oldest anymore," Gunnar breathed as his energy started to wane again, moving to the seating area with the help of Liv and Hakon.
Laughter, familiar and bubbling, filled the room as they all sat together for what felt like the first time in many months. While the horrors of what had happened still lingered around them all, each person having a story to share, Herrick felt warmth swooping in his chest as he took in each of his friends— his family.
"There is something I've been meaning to tell you all since speaking with Sigurd," Liv said quietly when the conversation lapsed after they told Gunnar about Herrick's rescue. "But I need you to understand that I was under a gag order until today. Not that it excuses all the lies I've told over the years."
Dread pooled in Herrick's gut. What more could there possibly be?
He glanced over at Hakon to see if his brother had any idea what she might be hinting at, but the guarded look he gave her only made Herrick's worry for him grow.
He had become silent the longer they all sat together, and an awkward tension was building between them. He'd offered little to no detail about these last few weeks and only chimed in when their stories all aligned. Gunnar eyed him with thatknowing look that told Herrick that he was going to come down on their future King with all the candor he possessed once they were alone.
When it had been his turn to speak, Herrick told his friends a little about what had happened in the palace dungeons but found himself hesitating to give the full details. Whether it was because he was still processing the events himself or because their group was missing a vital piece that Herrick felt acutely, he couldn't be sure.
"You can be open with us, Liv," Gunnar reassured her, his calm voice bringing Herrick back from his memories. "We promise not to be angry with you over something out of your control."
Herrick almost snorted— his friend, the ever present voice of reason in their group tying them together.
"Don't be so sure about that yet," she muttered before taking a deep breath.
The last thing he expected Liv to do was start speaking about Ahland's history and how the treaty was created after the Elemental War.
"Ahland was a desolate place in the days after the war ended," his friend explained, her ebony skin taking on a bright sheen to it that seemed to pulse faster the more she spoke. Her lightgalder, he realized. "With the King of Light dead, the Elven retreated to Nida, leaving the human kingdoms the freedom to do what they wanted with the ruins of their lands."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Hakon bit out, the venom in his voice cutting enough to make Liv wince.
"It means that the previous system that had been in place to elect rulers was dismantled and in its place, the Helvig and Kolbeck families drafted a treaty that protected their power. The treaty you are all so familiar with, the one you hate so much, was put in place by your ancestors to ensure your families got to hold on to their rule."
Liv spoke slowly but her words pummeled into Herrick with each syllable uttered until he was sure that the only thing left of him was the imprint of his soul on the Norns tapestry.
The treaty he detested, the one his mother pushed on him every chance she got when he and Maude arrived in Veter all those weeks ago, was yet another twistedand corrupt grab at control of the people of Ahland. Except, this time, his ancestors had been complicit. No wonder the gods were fighting against the treaty creation— the limitation ofgalderwas something they would not stand for.
He thought of the family he'd heard speak at the people's court in Veter, how his mother brushed off their concerns and then chalked it up to infidelity. Now more than ever, Herrick was grateful he went against his mother's orders for surveillance to be set up on the family. They were innocents victims in a systemhisfamily had crafted two hundred years ago.
The Kolbeck's were just as much the villain as Helvig was.
A chuckle escaped him once before he laughed a few more times, his hands running over his face as the bitterness in the sound spoke volumes. Liv watched him, alarmed, while Hakon got up and left the room, which only made Herrick laugh harder.
"How could we not know about this part of our history?" Gunnar asked. Always the sensible one who knew the right questions to ask. Gods, how he'd missed that.
"The truth was buried by those who never wanted it to be found," Liv shrugged. "The Elven had long memories, but a part of my cover included being unable to discuss the true history of Ahland."
That explained why Liv had always been so cool towards his mother: she knew that their rule was a forced one.
