Page 16 of Clash of Storms
But the princess was only ever kind.
And lonely.
"Why did you choose me?"she'd asked, one long-ago night."You should have taken a dreki handmaid."
Árdís lifted her head from the book she'd been reading and gave her a wary smile."And have her report every word I say, everything I do, back to my mother? No. No, thank you. I chose you, Malin, because I trust you. Because I know you are not working for my mother."
It was the first time she'd understood the princess stood apart from the court.
The first time she'd considered what it would be like to be the princess.
Árdís had a cruel, vindictive mother who ignored her unless it suited her purposes. Her brothers were banished years ago, leaving Árdís all alone. And though Árdís had no concept of what it was like to live as drekling—sneered at, looked down upon, scrambling to keep your head on your neck—she was kind and interested in knowing more about Malin's people.
The princess sighed. "I'm going to try and free Andri from the dungeons. If he's in any condition to fly, then he can help me. If not, I'll use the Reykjavik portal."
"Good luck." Malin hugged her friend, her heart pounding in her chest.Please, Great Goddess, keep her safe."I hope you find your husband and live a happy life with him."
One of them ought to be happy.
But as Árdís drew back, she looked infinitely sad. "If I run to him then they will follow. And they will find him. I dare not stay with him."
Just long enough to have him remove the bracelet. Malin nodded. It made sense. Árdís's bloodlines were the purest within the court. To take a mortal mate would be such an insult to her mother it would be answered swiftly with blood.
Árdís herself might be executed for such an affront.
There was no point in dragging this out any further. Malin gathered the ropes she'd fetched from the storeroom and handed them to the princess. They'd both agreed it was too dangerous for Malin to be seen as an accomplice. "Please don't put me in the trunk. I don't like the dark."
Árdís bit her lip, and Malin squeezed her hand.
"You are my only friend," Árdís said, bending to kiss Malin's cheek. "I will never forget you. I will never—"
A psychic assault suddenly slammed down upon her. Malin had a split second to try and shield herself, but understood immediately. There'd be traces of it in her mind, if anyone dared look. She let the darkness wash over her as she succumbed to the princess's magic.
The world vanished.
And with it, her dearest friend.
* * *
"What are you up to,sweet Malin?"
It took far longer than it ought to for the question to begin resolving itself in Sirius's mind.
He spent an hour watching over his brother in the private wing near his father's chambers, though Andri never moved. An hour dwelling on the encounter in the hallway.
Big, brown eyes widening as he asked if she wanted him at her mercy.
A hint of red creeping up her décolletage.
Those plump, rosy lips pressed firmly together as she sought to escape him.
He'd been distracted by the queen's sudden proclamation and the sudden urgency to see Malin, to know if there was any reason he should deny the queen—any hint that Malin could ever look upon him as less of a monster.
He hadn't been paying attention to what she was saying. Or the nervous way she kept looking over her shoulder.
"If you'll excuse me...."
"I really should be going."
