"Because all I've done is destroy. I want to learn how to do something good… I want tobegood. If I can heal, maybe I'm not as wretched as I thought."
Dahlia watched her as she spoke, her body and flat features frozen like the statues of the gods in the courtyards. After what felt like a small eternity, her exterior cracked, and she smiled.
"We'll start tomorrow."
Maude grinned and released her breath as the doors to the dining hall opened. Before she could see who opened the door, she was pulled into the warmth of someone's embrace. She stiffened for a moment before desert lavender overwhelmed her.
Though the hug was slightly out of character, the spicy sweet scent of the lilac Elven wine on her breath accounting for the public display of affection, Maudesqueezed her sister tightly for a second more before releasing her to admire the vision of delicate but brutal femininity Bryn cut in the darker shadows of the dining room.
Her sister wore a pale silver gown that was tight around her chest and flared out from her waist in soft waves to dance across the marble floor. The light from the torches on the walls flickered over her pale skin, and the freckles that dotted her face and arms laid out over her flesh like constellations in the night sky. Her hazel eyes seemed to glow, the flecks of yellow in them burning like starlight. Behind her sister was Liv, the tall warrior dressed in black leggings, her black tunic cinched tight at her narrow waist by the leather corsets that were popular in the Kingdom of Shadows.
Together, they were a blade as ornate and beautiful as the ceremonial daggers in the weapons room at the Midnight Palace, but just as sharp and dangerous. For a moment, soft yellow and lavender threads pulsed in and out of Maude's vision, their intricate and delicate pattern draping themselves over Bryn and Liv before they disappeared into the bright sky lights that flared above them.
Bryn seemed more at ease here than she ever had in Logi; the constraints of living under a tyrant had clearly taken their toll on her little sister all these years. Before her stood the soft and gentle warrior from her childhood that wanted to defend her kingdom but also braid flowers into her hair. Ulf had beaten that gentle nature out of her sister. Not for the first time, Maude regretted that she hadn't been the one to end his miserable existence as she watched her sister slowly transform back into the person she would have been before Helvig had turned them into hateful creatures.
"I knew it; I look ridiculous," Bryn said as she watched Maude take in her appearance.
"Absolutely not!" Maude said quickly as she grasped her sister's arms. "You are stunning; I was just surprised."
Bryn smiled at her before rolling her eyes. "You're a shit liar. Come on, let's sit down. I'm starving."
Maude followed her sister, tugging Gunnar along with her and seating him closest to the door with Dahlia. The long table that stretched from one end of the room to the other was decorated with fat pillar candles that dripped wax onto the glossy wooden table, ceramic plates and bowls that were matte in the candlelight, and longvines of gardenias and moonflowers whose alternating white and deep purple added a warmth to the table that Maude reluctantly found cozy.
At the head of the table was a chair that was only slightly larger than the rest but no grander than the others, which Maude assumed would be where Aeric would sit, so she tried to avoid that end of the table. Liv had other plans, however, and steered her and Bryn to sit directly to the right of Aeric's chair. The chair opposite to her was still vacant so Maude hoped Liv would be seated there, but her friend opted for the chair directly in front of her sister.
Maude flashed a warning look at Liv as she caught her friend staring at Bryn, her grey eyes glossed over and soft. Catching her eye, Liv quickly looked away, striking up a conversation with Dahlia as her ebony skin darkened at her cheeks for a moment before dissipating. Bryn was still mourning Revna, and Maude didn't want Liv to get hurt in the crossfire if Bryn could not return her attraction. That's what she told herself, anyway. Surely it had nothing to do with Maude being protective over her little sister, the genuine heart that lay beneath the exterior of fire and steel.
As she pondered over her sister's current emotional state, the seat across from her became occupied. Herrick had slipped into the hall with Hakon at some point under her nose and silently made his way to the seat in front of her as his brother sank into the last spot in front of Dahlia. She thought the Elven stiffened as the Heir of Rivers ignored them all and reached for the wine, but Maude wasn't sure as her focus was solely on the man in front of her.
His dark brown hair was shining in the torchlight; the curls that Maude knew slid over skin like the finest silks hung over his forehead loosely as he met her stare. The firelight gilded his eyes until they were molten as he studied Maude as intensely as she studied him. Even in a simple black tunic and pants, his new axe fastened to his side in a rich leather belt that was surely a gift from her birth father, Herrick was devastating. The iron band around his neck screamed at her and reminded her of the scars he now bore, but his calm presence was a balm that only he could provide.
Suddenly, her skin was too tight. The air she breathed was too thin. The sound of their friends talking and laughing died to a low buzz as the world around them fell away. Herrick's gaze traced over her curves like a physical graze, causing her verycore to throb with need. She clenched her thighs and cleared her throat as Herrick's gaze traced her lips with agonizing attention.
He looked at her like a starved man who had been served his final meal. Ravenous.
Needing to move her body, to know she was still in control of it, Maude gathered her long hair and brought it over her shoulder. Her hair brushed over her shoulders and neck, the sensitive flesh breaking out in goosebumps.
Through each movement, Herrick's predatory gaze traced over each reaction and breath she took. His eyes landed on the jasmine she had tucked behind her ear, and Maude held her breath, waiting to see how he would respond. Before she could find out, the double doors opened again, and Aeric entered the room, effectively dousing her desire for the man in front of her and bringing on an onslaught of new emotions.
Uncertainty. Curiosity. Longing. Wariness.
Back and forth, her emotions warred with themselves. Only when she remembered her mother's journal entry about him did she see him in a new light: the teasing, curious, gentle male who only wanted to protect his people. The mental image cleared some of the unknown haze that surrounded the man who had sired her.
Everyone seated at the long table rose at Aeric's entrance, the soft scraping of chairs on the floor grating against Maude's ears as she tried to force her body to move.
"Please, sit," Aeric said, his melodic voice silky like the darkest part of the night. "There is no need for formality amongst friends."
Maude, unable to do anything but sit frozen in her chair, watched Aeric make his way to the seat next to hers. Under the table, the soft nudge of a booted foot tapped against her ankle. Her eyes flashed up to Herrick, but he was only watching her father greet their friends as he passed them.
Too soon, Aeric sat next to Maude, his silver eyes softening as he took in her position at the table. She supposed there was no use in telling him that Liv had forced her to sit here. Until tonight, Maude had managed to avoid being alone withAeric or even speaking to him for an extended period. She knew that as soon as he knew her, he would see her for the dark creature Helvig had made her into.
She didn't know why she cared so much, but her game of avoidance was coming to a crashing halt now that they sat inches away from each other. The thought stained the rest of her mood, its dark tendrils seeping into the very corners of her remaining good nature as she tried to focus on the conversation at hand.
This dinner was as much a meeting to plan their next steps as it was a small celebration for freeing Herrick, but any excitement or eagerness that Maude might have had for tonight started to disappear as soon as she had spotted that diadem in her room. Responsibilities she had not accepted were hovering over her head like a blade ready to slice deep, and that silver diadem was a reminder of that.
She had escaped one crown and run right into the shackles of another.
Large trays of food were being brought into the hall and placed on the table when Maude was finally able to pull herself from her spiral. The aroma of spiced meats and roasted vegetables filled the room as tray after tray of decadent food was placed in the center of the tables. Sugared pears and wild berries adorned the plates of roasted meats that had been slathered in rosemary, thyme, and sage. Small bowls of soft, salted butter were placed next to the still-warmrugbrødin the woven baskets lined with cloth. Small potatoes that could fit in the palm of her hand were boiled until they were as soft as the melted butter poured over them, the sprigs of dill on top adding a fresh, light scent to mix with all the heavier foods.
