Page 125 of A Light So Blinding
“You are safe, Rose,” she murmured, repeating it over and over again. “You can come back. I would never let anything happen to you, nor would anyone else here.”
The words seemed to cut through Rose’s mind, at least a little. Her sister came back to herself, blinking as though the sun was a shock even though it had been sunny all day.
“Oh,” Rose said, blinking so fast it was almost like she was trying to dash away tears. “I’m sorry. I did it again, didn’t I?”
“Where were you this time?”
Rose’s expression turned dreamy. “A garden just like this one, except it was so much bigger. The cabbages were the size of my body, and I was just a little ant wandering among the other animals. Did you know caterpillars are very talkative?”
They might’ve been in her dream world, but not in the real one. Astrid just smiled and brushed a strand of Rose’s hair behind her ear. “What was it this time? I didn’t think this was too many people for you, but I’m sorry if it was.”
“I just overheard what you were all talking about. The king wants to pair us all off.” Rose’s pale cheeks somehow turned even paler. “I don’t know if I’m ready for that.”
“No one will force you.”
“No, I suppose they wouldn’t. But it was easier to drift away than it was to think about everything that came with that thought.” Rose shook her head. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make it awkward. Your party is so pretty, Astrid.”
“You didn’t make anything awkward at all.”
Something stuck in Astrid’s mind, though. Her sister was so adamant that she didn’t want to be paired up, but she knew there was one particular troll who would take care of her. Not that Rose ever had to be paired with anyone. But it might be easier if she were cared for by a troll who adored her.
“Can I ask...” She shouldn’t. Astrid should keep her mouth shut and not scare her sister back into her mind. But the words kept coming. “Why are you so against giving Gunnar your time?”
“I spend time with Gunnar.”
“No, you don’t. He’s very interested in you, Rose. And he’s put a lot of effort into making sure you are safe and happy. I guess I’m just confused why you aren’t willing to allow him to be more.”
“He’s my friend.” Rose’s nose scrunched. “He wouldn’t want to be anything else.”
“I think he very much would like to be more than that. You keep putting space between the two of you, though. He’s...” She struggled to find words that wouldn’t scare Rose. “He’s trying, Rose. And it sounds to me like he’s been trying for a very long time.”
The sound of footsteps approached through the garden, and she could hear her cabbages bursting beneath their giant feet.
Gunnar headed toward them with an almost wild expression on his face, like he was terrified. “Astrid! Oh, good. You found her. I took my eyes off her for just a second, I swear. Then she disappeared on me.”
“Not the first time, and likely not the last,” Astrid replied with a smile. She stood, dusting off her skirts before moving out of the way. “She’s fine, and she’s back. I noticed her wandering off through the garden and thought I’d catch her before you had to.”
He blew out a long, blustering breath. She could see how badly he wanted to scold her sister. It was the same way she’d felt when they’d been children. Sometimes she’d get so scared that she would yell at Rose when she found her, screaming how it wasn’t fair for her to have to take care of a child who lived in daydreams.
Astrid had the thought to warn him that Rose didn’t enjoy being scolded, but he didn’t do it, anyway. He took another deep breath and then turned to her sister.
“You worried me,” he said quietly. “I didn’t know where you were.”
“I’m usually fine.”
“Usually. But the one time I take my eyes off you is going to be the time you walk off a cliff.” He gestured with his hand for Rose to stand. Never touching her. Never even offering to touch her. “Let’s join the party. I found you a seat that’s far off from the others and thought we could try Astrid’s bread.”
Rose’s nose scrunched again. “Astrid’s bread is terrible.”
At least her sister had found her sense of humor again. Astrid quipped, “I’m still here.”
But then she headed off to find her husband. Her sister was well taken care of. That much she knew for certain. She onlyhoped Rose figured out how much Gunnar was doing for her before it was too late. After all, the king apparently wanted to match up his best trolls and... Well, Gunnar was certainly one of those.
If Rose wasn’t careful, she was going to lose a very good man who just wanted to see her happy.
Astrid shook her head, deciding that now was not the time to ruminate on such things. She headed straight for Bjorn, tucking herself underneath his arm as he talked with his friends. Torben and Ragnar laughed at some joke he’d said, and Bjorn looked decidedly proud of himself.
For a moment, she allowed herself to look around and see all that had changed in such a short amount of time. She had so many friends now. People who were willing to eat and drink and laugh with her. She wasn’t beholden to politics, lords, or anything other than her own life.
