Page 60 of The Crown of the Last Fae Queen
“How?” Kolfinna whispered. “Did the assassins kill her? But surely someone could have healed her if she was attacked badly. I could hear the battle going on for some time.”
Her head was spinning again and she wanted to vomit. She definitely hadn’t liked Yrsa, but the thought of her dying while protecting Kolfinna sent a wave of shame over her. The woman had died for her, and Kolfinna had been doubting her loyalty.
“Elves can only heal themselves or their blood relatives,” Astrid said after a moment. “The fae are able to heal with runes, but … but it was too late for her, Kolfinna.”
“Too late for her? So the assassins killed?—”
“No.” Astrid fiddled with the cuffs of her dark tunic sleeve. She kept her gaze averted and a long stretch of silence filled the space.
Kolfinna bunched her hands together and waited for her to speak. Her heart pounded wildly and a pressure built in the back of her head, making her lightheaded. Finally, when she couldn’t handle it anymore, the tension too thick, Astrid spoke.
“Commander Alfaer … he … he executed her yesterday m-morning.”
An audible gasp ripped from Kolfinna’s chest, stealing the lungs from her body. Out of all the things she had expected thewoman to say, that wasn’t it. Yrsa had beenexecuted? She had been loyal to Ragnarök, the fae cause, to the point that she had infiltrated the Royal Guards, befriended Kolfinna, and even tried to murder her—she had risked her life for this cause, and Vidar had herexecuted?
“Y-you have to understand,” Astrid continued, wringing her wrists together. Her violet eyes shone with a mixture of guilt and fear—maybe the latter because it could have been her that night. “It’s a great, great honor and responsibility to be guarding the princess of our empire. A task that we shouldn’t take lightly. I … I had told General Rakel recently that I wasn’t sure if Yrsa was the right fit for the job, since she was rude and dismissive of your wants. Couple that with the fact that the night you were attacked, she … she was asleep. You have to understand, Kolfinna. You were at death’s doorstep! You almost died! Commander Alfaer has no need for those who shirk their duties.”
Kolfinna’s stomach clenched and she closed her eyes to keep the room from spinning so much.
Yrsa had been executed.
Bile climbed up her throat.
Executed!
She hadn’t even liked the woman, but … but she had still fought for Kolfinna’s safety that day. And now she was … gone? Killed?
Kolfinna shouldn’t have cared so much, but she couldn’t help the sadness that gripped tightly in her chest. She remembered their days as Royal Guards, and how she had considered her a friend. How they had dined together, shared jokes, and trained together.
It was just another reason to hate Vidar.
“He shouldn’t have killed her for that,” she found herself saying. “He made an example out of her.”
“He wants to protect you.”
An awkward, strained silence filled the room for several minutes.
Astrid cleared her throat and waved to their surroundings. “Commander Alfaer assigned these rooms to you. This is your new bedroom, and you also have an antechamber to relax in. You even have a small library there.” Astrid placed the shabby book she had been reading on the nightstand and rose to her feet. “You have several new guards, as well. Some are from Ragnarök and others are fae like me. General Rakel made sure they’re more powerful than Yrsa and I, so you’ll be more protected and something like last time won’t happen again. One guard will always remain in your antechamber to ensure your safety.”
Kolfinna swung her legs around the giant, queen-sized bed and rose to her feet unsteadily. Nausea curdled her stomach and she gripped one of the vertical columns of the bed to balance herself. Astrid was already talking about dresses and whatnot as she flipped through one of the trunks at one end of the room.
“How long was I asleep for?” She walked over to the full-sized mirror near the dressing table and frowned at what she saw. Her black and white hair was sticking out in every direction, the curls tangled together, and her nightgown was loose and shapeless over her figure. Her cheeks were gaunt and her skin was pale, making her pink eyes more vivid.
“Two days.” Astrid held up a deep blue and silver embroidered dress, a grin raising up her cheeks. “Isn’t this gorgeous? I think you should wear this for dinner.”
“Isn’t that too fancy?”
“It is, but I think this will be the last dinner with all the generals present.”
“Why?” She spun around to face Astrid, but the guard had her back to her as she laid the gown onto the bed and hurriedover to her side, then led Kolfinna by the shoulders to the vanity and plopped her down on the seat, grabbing a comb and a few silver pins from the vanity’s surface..
“General Agnarr and General Freyja have to go back to their military posts,” Astrid answered airily, combing through Kolfinna’s hair quickly.
The teeth ran over her scalp and she gritted her teeth together as Astrid gently tugged at the knots.
“Nothing will change much for you, though. Your training will continue with Commander Alfaer, and General Rakel will remain here too.”
“What about General Floki?” Kolfinna still didn’t know much about him, and she hadn’t seen him at all since the first dinner she had been introduced to him.
