Page 51 of Prize for the King
Well, it’s time. I should weep. Any moment now.
“Hediddie trying to kill you,” Magnar says in a reasonable tone of voice after swallowing his food. “So if you’d rather he was buried under a ton of fresh manure, or dismembered, or maybe hung from the castle walls as a warning to everyone who wants to attack you, just say the word. I’ll be glad to oblige.”
Hysterical laughter bubbles in my chest as I imagine those options, and I stuff a piece of bun in my mouth to stop my giggles. Magnar doesn’t sound like he’s joking. If anything, his suggestions are delivered with a vicious sort of helpfulness.
“Respectfully, my king, the queen already said she’s happy with the burial you arranged,” Raduna speaks up, his voice reproachful. “Besides, hanging a decomposing body is much harder than a fresh one. I should know.”
I stuff more bun in my mouth, ridiculous mirth choking me. This entire conversation sounds like a morbid jest, and if they weren’t speaking about my father, who I still can’t bring myself to mourn, I’d howl with laughter.
Mad Princess is out to play.
“No, it’s not that hard if you stuff some fabric in your nose for the smell,” Arvi says, leaning in from the other side of Magnar. I close my eyes, chewing studiously as my shoulders shake with suppressed laughter. “And then you just wrap it all in a wire. I mean, the skin is slimy and putrid, so you gotta wash your hands after, but if you use enough wire, that corpse will hang nicely for weeks until birds peck off all the flesh. Oh, and you can give it a funny expression with the wire if you know how. It’s an art.”
A heavy hand settles between my shoulder blades.
“The queen has a delicate stomach,” Raduna says with an exasperated sigh. “You should stop, Arvi.”
That’s when I give in. The last of my food swallowed, I bury my face in my hands and shake with snorts of laughter. Silence falls around me, Magnar and his knights probably staring. A giggle bursts forth, then another, and soon, Iamhowling as tears stream down my cheeks.
“You did it now,” Raduna says. “She’s crying because of your insensitive comments.”
I shake my head, lifting my face, and look at Arvi, who watches me with a mixture of chagrin and defiance from around stone-faced Magnar.
“Do you… only wash your hands…” I begin, unable to hold back hoots of laughter. “After you play… with cadavers?”
There’s a beat of silence, and then, our entire table bursts into laughter, Magnar and his knights snorting along with me. I keep laughing until I can’t breathe, their laughter egging me on until Iforget what started it. Raduna’s hand is on my back, and Magnar’s head presses to the top of mine as he shakes against me. It’s… I don’t think I can name it. I’ve never felt so… so included.
Like I havefriends.
“Oh, fuck,” Khay snickers, wiping tears from his eyes. “Arvi, you nasty, dirty slug.”
And just like that, we’re off again, hooting all together while Magnar’s soldiers give us indulgent or baffled looks. No one says I’m crazy for laughing at corpses. No one scolds me or threatens me with the cellar. My heart swells, and I put my hand on Magnar’s thigh, suppressing my final giggles while the others compose themselves, too. My stomach hurts in the best possible way.
“Hey, I wash my hands often,” Arvi says, lifting his palms to show off how clean they are. His skin is dark gray, claws the longest and sharpest I’ve seen. “And I made the queen laugh unlike you sad fucks. I deserve a reward. Please, my lady, will you ride with me today?”
“You’re gonna poke her,” Khay says, at which everyone, me included, snorts with more laughter. “She’s better off with Raduna.”
I look at the gentle giant at my side, who suddenly hangs his head, his round cheeks darkening. He mumbles something, and Khay snorts.
“Louder, my friend.”
Raduna takes a deep breath and turns to me, seeming deeply embarrassed. “Since the queen promised to wear my underpants today, I’ve been quite… disorderly.”
“Disorderly? How many times did you wrestle the eel thinking about your pants on her shapely ass?” Khay asks with a snicker, at which Raduna’s blush grows much darker.
My cheeks heat, too.Shapely ass.
“What do eels have to do with anything?” I ask, inexplicably making them laugh again. Even Raduna chuckles, hisembarrassment dissipating. He turns to me with an apologetic expression.
“I’m afraid I won’t be able to refrain from poking you, my queen.”
I shake my head with irritation, because no one’s explained about the eels, and I feel left out after being gloriously included for a moment. It makes me speak carelessly again.
“Honestly, what is it with Agnidari men getting aroused while riding? It seems like quite a predicament, if you ask me.”
Raduna takes a deep breath, Magnar mutters something I can’t make out, and Khay and Arvi burst out into a fresh bout of snickers. I look around the table, waiting for an explanation until Magnar leans down and speaks quietly above my ear, his head as low as he can bring it.
“Darling, it’s not the riding that makes us horny, it’s you. None of us have bedded a woman in years, and now we have you, and it’s killing us. It doesn’t help that you’re so delicious. So forgive us ourpredicaments. We’ll probably calm down after the wedding night. Well, the honeymoon, more likely.”
