Page 62 of The Crown of the Last Fae Queen
Astrid ushered her to her feet and led her to one of the doors—there were only two doors, one that led to the bathing room and one that led to the antechamber, she assumed.
She held the door open for Kolfinna and said, “You’ll always have a guard in this room for you. Commander Alfaer was furious when he discovered the runes that kept you in your tower didn’t stop anyone from entering. This time, the runes in these rooms stop people from entering from the windows, and it stops everyone from using their magic.”
The antechamber was just as heavily decorated as the bedroom. There were thick rugs strewn on the polished, dark wooden floors. Bookshelves lined one of the walls and the other held giant windows overlooking the fortress city; gold-threaded brocade curtains framed the windows, and Kolfinna could make out the glowing runes surrounding the border. Velvet couches with silver tasseled pillows, a tea table with gold accents, and a marble hearth on one side of the room set a cozy, but luxurious mood.
Her gaze momentarily paused at the guard stationed near the hearth, his head bowed low and his gloved hand placed on his chest. The lower half of his face was covered in a black mask, and he was dressed in the usual dark leathers of the fae army.
Dread built in the pit of her stomach. How many more guards was she going to have, now? How would Blár be able to sneak into the room if the security was tighter?
“Let’s go,” Astrid said when Kolfinna remained rooted in position.
She hesitated, but followed the fae female. When they entered the hallway, she noticed the masked guard trailing behind them, and three more guards joined in formation.
“Is this really necessary?” she whispered, throwing a furtive glance at the four guards. Three were male, and one was female.
“Of course it is,” Astrid said with a shrug. “These extra measures are necessary to keep you safe.”
They walked in silence for the rest of the walk to the dining hall. All four of the guards entered the room and stationed themselves against one end of the hall, where Astrid joined them. Kolfinna then drifted toward the empty seat beside Vidar. Rakel was seated beside her, with Freyja, Agnarr, and Floki directly across from them. Vidar sat at the head of the table.
The smell of roasted meat, venison stew, and freshly baked bread made Kolfinna’s mouth water and her stomach clench together tightly. She cast a quick glance at the rest of the table as she sat down. Freyja was frowning at something Agnarr was telling her, Floki was staring at the roast duck like he wanted to devour it that instant, Rakel was picking at something underneath her nail with a sharp dagger, and Vidar sat motionless in his seat surveying the room with narrowed eyes.
“Good evening, Princess Kolfinna,” Floki said with a sharp grin. His pale blue eyes appeared more calculating than before, but she wondered if that was because of her new knowledge about what he and his men did. “I’m glad to see that you are in good health and good spirits.”
“Good evening,” she murmured, resting her hands on her lap. “And thank you.”
Vidar snapped his attention to her. He scrutinized her carefully, taking in the new dress, her face, the rest of her body—as if he was searching for injuries. When he seemed satisfied with what he saw, he picked up his eating utensils and asked tersely, “Are the new accommodations to your liking?”
She didn’t want to tell him that they were far too fancy for her, or that she wasn’t used to being in such extravagantrooms, but she didn’t want to stroke his ego or give him that satisfaction, so she shrugged. “They’re all right, I suppose.”
“Just all right?” Rakel snorted, setting down her dagger. “Don’t pretend you weren’t living in squalor just a few weeks ago.”
“I was never living in squalor,” she bit out.
“Oh, Kolfinna.” She laughed as if she was a little child. “I was in the human fortress when you were a soldier, remember? I saw the state of that place, and let me tell you, you were certainly living differently to now. If you choose to call that decent living, then be my guest. But you aren’t fooling us.”
Everyone began to serve themselves, and Kolfinna was left sitting there with her cheeks warming. Floki immediately ripped off a giant chunk of the duck and tossed it on his plate with a ravenous grin. Freyja plated roasted vegetables on hers and noticeably grimaced at the meat. Agnarr piled his plate with a little of everything. Rakel and Vidar chose a balance between meat and roasted vegetables.
Kolfinna opted to grab a big bowl of venison stew and some fluffy bread to go along with it; she figured her stomach wouldn’t be able to handle anything more than that, especially since she hadn’t properly had a meal in days.
“Your room is on the same floor as mine.” Vidar cut into a slab of red meat, the juices running into his plate. “I’ve also increased your number of guards.” As if to punctuate his point, he motioned toward the four guards, plus Astrid, standing rigid on one end of the room. “Since you love humans so much, I thought you would be comfortable with a few Ragnarök guards. Perhaps they can help you acclimatize to your new life here.”
Kolfinna’s spine tingled uncomfortably and she gritted her teeth together after hearing that new, terrifying, piece of information. She didn’t want to be anywhere near Vidar. It would make it much harder to escape if he was close by.
They ate in silence for a few minutes. The only sound in the hall was the clanking of eating utensils, chewing, and clothes rustling as they shifted in their seat. Finally, Floki broke the tension by tearing off the skin of his grilled chicken with his sharp teeth and saying between mouthfuls, “This is delicious. Who made this?”
“The chef,” Rakel said with an amused grin. “Who else?”
“Isn’t there usually a team of chefs who cook?” Floki asked. “Whoever was in charge of the meat did a splendid job.”
“All they did was grill it.”
“Are you looking down on the art of grilling meat, Rakel?”
“Even I could do that,” she said with a snicker. “Come now, Floki. Are we so out of conversations that we have to discuss meat to fill the silence?”
“Out of conversations?” He appeared mock-offended. He speared a roasted potato and popped it in his mouth, chewed, and then grinned at her. “You make it sound like we’re all boring people with nothing to talk about! Surely Commander Alfaer has something interesting to share. Or perhaps Kolfinna?”
Kolfinna straightened in her seat, glancing at Vidar, who was unfazed by the subtly rude comment, and then at the others. Rakel frowned and shook her head before continuing with her meal.
