Page 33 of The Crown of the Last Fae Queen
When they came to a set of double doors, Astrid pushed them open, her grip on Kolfinna’s wrist tightening. Inside, a long dining table took up the center of the room. There were candles along the top of the table and a roaring fireplace warmed the room and bathed it in cozy, orange light. Vidar sat at the head of the table, his helmet off and his long hair pulled back to reveal his sharp ears and the mapwork of scars along his face. An empty spot was beside him, and four other people snapped their attention to her when she entered. She only recognized Rakel.
Astrid bowed before swiftly leaving and closing the door. Kolfinna stood awkwardly, her legs leaden and her stomach knotting together uncomfortably. She spotted another set of doorways at the opposite end of the room, and giant windows onone of the walls, which overlooked the purple-hued evening sky, and the fortress city sprawling below it.
“Come, Kolfinna.” Vidar rose from his seat and his wings unfurled, stretching out to their full length. They appeared like velvet and leather, the ends sharp and lethal. He lifted his hand to indicate the seat beside him.
She stiffly walked toward him, her gaze flicking over to the inquisitive stares from the other three. Directly across from her seat sat an older man with graying black hair and pale-blue eyes. His sharp ears were lined with tiny metal pins and rings. He grinned sharply when their eyes met, and she quickly directed her attention to the other two.
A tall woman with slicked back reddish-blonde hair, sharp cheekbones, and even sharper ears sat next to Kolfinna’s seat. Her features were harsh, but beautiful, and her silver eyes flashed with something intense as she narrowed them at Kolfinna. Across from her, a beautiful, muscular fae male sat with his massive arms crossed over his broad chest. His lips were curled back into a frown, and his emerald eyes seemed to blaze with rage. His hair was golden and brushed back neatly. While the woman appeared severe yet noble, he appeared simply brutish.
All of them, she noticed, were wingless. Most of the fae here, it seemed, preferred to keep their wings dematerialized, unless in battle. Only Vidar kept his in view at all times.
Kolfinna lowered into her seat gingerly at the same time Vidar sat down. She fiddled with the edge of her long sleeve. She didn’t like to be the center of attention, and right now, everyone was staring at her expectantly. Searching for her flaws, she was sure, and most likely comparing her with the little princess they likely knew from a thousand years ago.
“Introduce yourselves.” Vidar narrowed his red eyes at the group.
“General Floki.” The older man across from her lifted his hand to his chest and lowered his head, his yellow eyes never straying from hers. “A pleasure to meet you again, Princess Kolfinna.”
Again. She had no idea when they had initially met.
The noble woman beside her smiled faintly. “And I am Freyja Vigdisdóttir, Your Highness.”
Everyone turned to the golden-haired man, whose scowl only grew darker.
“Agnarr,” he said flatly.
“And that’s everyone.” Rakel clapped her hands in the tense room. “Shall we begin our meal, then?”
Vidar picked up his eating utensil, which seemed to signal everyone else to do the same. Kolfinna finally peered down at her plate and then at the rest of the table. An array of roasted meat on porcelain platters cluttered the center of the table, along with crusty bread, cheeses, and crisp vegetable dishes she couldn’t name. The cuisine was similar to the current food of Rosain, but also …. different. There were more fruits, vegetables, and honey on the meat, making it both sweet and savory. It was a strange combination.
She had a little bit of everything on her plate, and the more she chewed on it, the more ravenous she became. She hadn’t realized how starving she was until that moment, and she scarfed down her food hungrily.
Freyja watched her. “Have you not eaten today?”
“A little.” She chewed slowly, aware that everyone was staring. She could feel the heat clawing up her neck. “Well, I lost my appetite for a while …”
“Why?”
“Because we are herenemies, Frostfang.” Agnarr didn’t even try to hide his revulsion. He tore into a chicken leg savagely, and then plunked the naked bone onto his plate.
Frejya narrowed her eyes at the handsome fae male. “Do not call me that.”
“What else shall I call you?” There was a challenge in his tone. “Coldhearted, perhaps?”
“Agnarr.” Freyja bared her teeth at him. “You never cease to amaze me at how truly insensitive you are.”
“Enough, you two,” Rakel said with a sigh, and Kolfinna got the impression this wasn’t the first time the two of them had argued that day, from the nonchalance from both Vidar and Floki, and the annoyance in Rakel’s tone.
“You are as beautiful as I assumed the princess of our empire would be,” Floki said with a wink as he stabbed a hunk of beef smothered in caramelized, honeyed onions. “You remind me of my daughter. She used to be your nanny when you were younger.”
Kolfinna stared at the older man. He was smiling gently, but there was something dark within his eyes. She swallowed down her food, her appetite once again waning. She didn’t want to ask what had happened to his daughter.
Vidar ate slowly. “Do you like your accommodations?”
Do you mean my prison cell?Kolfinna wanted to ask, but she didn’t want the others to dislike her further, so she instead kept her tone level and said, “Yes.”
Beside her, Freyja stabbed at a hunk of meat, her knife loud against the plate as she glared daggers at the golden-haired fae.
“We will begin your training tomorrow morning,” Vidar said. “You must learn to wield theDød Sværd.”
