Page 61 of The Crown of the Last Fae Queen
“I’m not sure. General Floki has always been …” Astird seemed to struggle to find the words. She twisted Kolfinna’s hair a few times and slipped a few hairpins into it. “Mysterious. His legion of men is terrifying, if I’m being honest.”
“Why?”
“Well, General Agnarr and General Freyja have extremely powerful men, right? It makes sense. They both are tough as nails. And then General Rakel is in charge of the elves, or any fae who have elf lineage.” She braided a section of Kolfinna’s hair and looped it behind her head, securing it with another shimmering pin. “But General Floki’s men are more … uh,shadowy, I guess? They do the dirtiest work. The assassinations. The spying. The information gathering.” She shrugged. “Of course not all of them do that, but they all are basically the outcasts.”
Kolfinna hadn’t expected that from Floki, who had appeared the kindest out of the generals—though that wasn’t saying much since all of them appeared ruthless. She had expected Rakel, maybe, to be in charge of the dirty work, since she seemed crafty.
“Oh, you should see General Floki’s son,” Astrid continued with a grin. “All the ladies go wild for him. I heard General Floki was quite the looker when he was younger, too.”
Astrid then began to rattle on about court life and fae males; Kolfinna listened intently, but she eventually grew tired of the useless information. She didn’t know any of the people Astrid was talking about, anyway. Soon, her attention strayed to thoughts of Blár, and her heart clenched tightly in her chest, making it hard to breathe.
What was he doing right now? Did he know she had almost died?
“Astrid,” she said, suddenly remembering something. “What ever happened with you and that human soldier you met?”
A blush spread over Astrid’s cheeks immediately and she ran her hands over her thighs as she went to collect Kolfinna’s dress. “Oh, you mean Gunnar? Nothing, really. We’ve been having lunch and dinner together, lately, but that’s about it.”
“He seemed rather interested in you.” She tried not to show her relief; Gunnar hadn’t been found out yet. After the assassination attempt, she was sure the fae’s defenses would tighten tremendously. It would probably be harder for Blár to sneak in and out, and maybe even more difficult for Gunnar to blend in.
“Oh, I suppose.” Her face remained flushed as she held up the stunning dress. “Let’s get you dressed.”
After Kolfinna washed her face and had a quick sponge bath, Astrid helped her into the gown. The full sleeves were embellished heavily with silver crystals and embroidery, and the dress clung to her figure in a flattering way, accentuating her full hips and breasts. The neckline showed a hint of cleavage, but it was partially masked by the gauzy mesh overlaid that climbed up to her neck. Tiny, glittering crystals covered the entirety of the mesh, and was sprinkled along the skirts as well.
It was too beautiful a dress to be worn by her, she thought as she stared at the mirror. Astrid had pulled her hair up into an artful bun, with silver pins interwoven throughout it. Two strands of curls framed her face.
“You look gorgeous.” Astrid beamed at her.
“Really?” She hated the lilt in her voice, and she cleared her throat. “I think I look … all right.”
Astrid frowned, her hands fluttering over Kolfinna’s hair as if she was about to fiddle with it, but then she halted. “Do you not like your hair? Maybe I can do it differently? Is it not to your taste?”
“Oh, no. I think you did a wonderful job.”
“Then?”
“I just …” She didn’t even know what to say. She figured telling Astrid that she wasn’t particularly beautiful in this day and age would sound rather pathetic, but she didn’t know how else to say it.
“You’re beautiful, you know?” the fae female said slowly, as if she could read her mind. “You look like Commander Alfaer.”
Kolfinna frowned. “Is that a compliment?”
Astrid giggled. “It is. Trust me.”
Most women wouldn’t like to be told they looked like their father. Especially when their father was as sinister-looking as Vidar was.
Kolfinna smoothed her hands over her skirt. “I hardly see how any of this is necessary.”
“What do you mean? You’re our princess.” Astrid’s smile only widened. “You symbolize so much for us, Kolfinna. You give us hope. And that is a very necessary thing here.”
An uncomfortable feeling passed over her and she couldn’t look at her reflection anymore. These fae and elf soldiers were pinning their dreams on her.
“Everyone here has lost their life,” Astrid said, her voice small and distant as she stared at Kolfinna through the mirror. She absentmindedly played with the end of her braided hair. “Everyone we knew is dead. We left behind sons, daughters, mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, friends … The life we knew … We were supposed to wake up soon after going into hiding. Not … not hundreds of years later. Everyone here has losteverything. Do you know how terrifying it is to wake up and realize everyone you know is dead? That the people you left behind to fight for their future, are all gone? The guilt kills me. Realizing that they must have thought I either died, or abandoned them. I left them to fend off the humans alone, and they clearly lost. We all are living with guilt, and hatred, and shame.” Her voice warbled and her eyes shone with unshed tears. “All we have left is our vengeance and our hopes for a future. You symbolize that, and we all need it. Truly.”
They both stewed in silence for a moment after that; Kolfinna stared down at her hands, unable to form any words that could convey her sympathies without sounding patronizing. She was similar to them in that she had awoken hundreds of years after her birth, but at least she didn’t remember everyone in her life who she had lost. She didn’t have memories of her life before being sealed away.
Astrid quickly wiped her tears away and gripped Kolfinna’s shoulders with a cheery, forced smile. “Enough of that depressing talk. Look at you! You look beautiful, Princess Kolfinna.”
“Thank you, Astrid.” She placed her hand atop her guard’s, smiling up at her. For being her friend. For making her feel not so lonely. Truthfully, she was glad that Astrid hadn’t been there the night she had been attacked. She was sure that, unlike Yrsa, she wouldn’t have fallen asleep, but the thought of Astridfending off those three assassins and possibly dying … sent a knife twisting in her stomach.
