Torn (Trylle Trilogy, Book 2) (25 page)

Willa bailed early on the planning. She said she had to have supper with her father, but I suspected that she couldn’t take Aurora anymore.

We were in the ballroom. The skylights were finally fixed, but a layer of snow covered the top of them, making the ballroom dark and cave-like. Aurora assured me that the snow would be removed in time for my engagement party, as if I were worried about that.

She went about the room, mapping out where the tables and decorations would be. I helped as often as she let me, which wasn’t very often. Her poor assistant was running around like mad to do everything Aurora asked.

When she finally let her assistant go for the night, I was sitting at the grand piano, playing the opening to “Fur Elise” repeatedly, since it was the only bit I knew.

“You’ll have to take piano lessons,” Aurora said. She had a thick black binder filled with all her wedding information, and she dropped it on the piano, making it twang. “I can’t believe you didn’t already have them. What kind of host family did you live with?”

“You know what kind of host family I had.” I continued playing the same bars, louder now since it was getting on her nerves. “You’ve met my brother.”

“About that,” Aurora said. She pulled a few bobby pins from her hair, letting her loose curls fall free. “You need to stop referring to him as your brother. It’s in poor taste.”

“I’m aware,” I said. “But it’s a hard habit to break.”

“You have many habits you need to break.” She ran her fingers through her hair. “If you weren’t the Princess, I wouldn’t bother to help you break them.”

“Well, thank you for your time and consideration,” I muttered.

“I know you’re being facetious, but you are welcome.” She opened her binder, leafing through it. “We don’t have time for Frederique Von
Ellsin
to make you a gown for the party, so he’s bringing over some of his best pieces tomorrow at noon so you can be fitted.”

“That sounds fun,” I said, and I wasn’t lying. Frederique had made my gown for my christening ceremony, and I enjoyed meeting him.

“Princess!”
Aurora snapped. “Will you stop playing that song?”

“Of course.”
I closed the piano cover. “All you had to do was ask.”

“Thank you,” Aurora smiled thinly at me. “You do need to work on your manners, Princess.”

“My manners are fine when they need to be,” I sighed. “But right now, I’m tired, and we’ve been at this all day. Can we regroup tomorrow?”

“You are so
lucky
I’m letting you marry my son.” She shook her head and slammed her binder shut. “You are rude and ungrateful and so unladylike. Your mother has almost gotten us killed repeatedly, and my son should be next in line for the crown, not you. If he didn’t have some unfounded fondness for you, he would overthrow you and take his rightful place.”

“Wow.” I stared at her with wide eyes, and I really had no idea what to say to that.

“It really is a disgrace that he’s marrying you.” She clicked her tongue. “If anybody found out the way that tracker Finn tainted you, he’d become the laughing stock of the kingdom.” She touched her temple and shook her head. “You are just so lucky.”

“You are absolutely right.” I stood up, clenching my hands at my side. “I am so lucky that your son is nothing like you. I’m going to be Queen, not you. Know your place,
Marksinna
.”

She looked up at me, her dark eyes startled, and she blinked, as if she couldn’t believe it. Her skin blanched. The planning had been as daunting on her as it had been on me, and for a moment, she’d forgotten her role.

“Princess, I am truly sorry,” she stammered. “I didn’t mean that. I’ve been under so much stress.”

“We all have,” I reminded her.

Aurora finished gathering her things and mumbled several more apologies. She hurried out of the ballroom, saying she was needed at home, and I don’t think she’d every left so quickly before. I didn’t know if I’d done the right thing standing up to her, but right then, I didn’t care.
 

What I did know was that I had a rare moment where I was completely alone. No guards around me. No Duncan or Tove or Aurora. And I could really use some fresh air.

I hurried before someone could find me. If I waited, I knew someone would come along and want something from me. Probably a conversation, but I didn’t want to talk. I wanted a moment to breathe.

I ran down the hall of the North Wing, and I burst through the side door onto a narrow, gravel trail lined with tall hedges. It curved around the house, leading down to the bluffs before it opened into a beautiful garden.

Snow covered everything, making it glitter like diamonds under the moonlight. The wintry weather should’ve killed off all the plants, but the blue, pink, and purple flowers were in full bloom. The frost on their petals only made them more beautiful.

The vines of ivy and wisteria that grew over the wall remained green and vibrant. Even the small waterfall that ran through the orchard of blossoming trees still flowed, instead of freezing solid the way it should have.

The thin blanket of snow crunched cold under my bare feet, but I didn’t care. I ran down the side of the bluff, slipping in a few places, but I never fell. Two curved garden benches were next to a pond, and I sat down on the nearest one.

The garden was a little piece of magic, and I loved it for that. I leaned back, breathing in the cold night. My breath came out in a fog, and the moon sparkled off the ice crystals in the air. I’d been locked in the house for far too long.

A snap of a twig behind me pulled me from my thoughts, and I whirled around. I couldn’t see anyone, but I saw shadows moving along a hedge near the brick wall.

“Who’s there?” I asked.

I assumed it was Duncan or another tracker sent to fetch me. When nobody answered, I began to worry that I’d made a rash decision coming out here alone. I could defend myself, but I didn’t want there to be a need for it.

“I know somebody’s here.” I stood up. I walked around the bench and weaved through the trees.

I saw a figure standing by the wall. He was too far away to get a good look at his face, but the moon shimmered on his light hair.

“Who’s there?” I repeated. I straightened up and tried to look as imposing as possible, which is probably hard for a Princess in a dress, alone in a garden at night.

“Princess?”
He sounded surprised and stepped closer to me. When he ducked around a tree and walked towards me, I finally got a good look at him.

“Loki?” I asked. “What are you doing here?”

“I came for you.” He seemed just as confused as I was. “What are you doing out here?”

“I needed fresh air. But I don’t understand. How did you know I’d be out here?”

“I didn’t. This is how I come in.” He gestured to the wall behind him. “I scale the wall. You should really get security on that.”

“Why are you here?” I asked.

“Don’t pretend like you’re not happy to see me.” His cocky grin returned, lighting up his face. “I’m sure you’ve been miserable since I left.”

“Hardly,” I scoffed. “I’ve been planning my engagement party.”

“Yes, I’ve heard about that dreadful business.” He wrinkled his nose in disgust. “That’s why I’ve come to save you.”

“Save me?” I echoed.

“Yes, like a knight in shining armor.” Loki spread his arms wide and bowed low. “I’ll throw you over my shoulder and scale the wall with you like Rapunzel.”

“Rapunzel used her hair to climb down from a tower,” I told him.

“Forgive me. The Vittra don’t believe in nursery rhymes or fairy tales.”

“Neither do
I
,” I said. “And I don’t need to be rescued. I’m where I’m supposed to be.”

“Oh come now.” Loki shook his head. “Princess, you can’t believe that. You’re not supposed to be locked away in a horrible castle, engaged to a boring fool, forced to sneak out in the night for a chance to breathe.”

“I appreciate your concern, Loki, but I am happy.” Even as I said it, I wasn’t sure if that were true or not.

“I can promise you a life of adventure.” Loki grabbed onto a branch and swung over, so he landed on the bench with astonishing grace. “I’ll take to you to exotic places. Show you the world. Treat you the way a Princess really ought to be treated.”

“That all sounds well and good.”
I smiled up at him. I was flattered by his invitation, even if I didn’t trust it. “But… why?”

“Why?” Loki laughed.
“Why not?”

“I can’t help but feel like you’re only trying to get me to shirk my responsibilities as a Trylle Princess so I can aid your cause,” I said honestly.

“You think the King put me up to this?” Loki laughed again and jumped down from the bench, landing right in front of me. “The King loathes me.
Despises me.
Threatens to behead me on a daily basis.
The Queen had to go against his wishes to get me. He wanted you all to execute me.”
 

“Now I really
wanna
go back to that,” I smirked.

“Who said anything about going back? I’m asking you to run away from all of this, from all the Trylle and the Vittra, the silly royals and their silly rules.” He gestured widely around us.

“I can’t.” I shook my head, and I hated how tempting the idea was.
To run away from all the pressure and stress of the palace.
“I can’t let the kingdom down. I have a duty here, to these people.”

“You have a duty to yourself to be happy!” Loki insisted.

“No, I don’t,” I said. “I have too much here. And let’s not forget that I have a fiancé.”

“Don’t marry him,” he scoffed at the idea of it. “Marry me instead.”

“Marry you?” I laughed. “You told me that I should only marry for love.”

“That I did.” In a rare moment of honesty, Loki looked almost stunningly handsome. He stepped towards me, moving so close we were nearly touching. “Princess, marry me.”

“That’s…” I shook my head, astounded by his proposal. “That doesn’t even make sense, Loki. I barely know you, and you’re … you’re my enemy.”

“I don’t care where I come from or who you are,” he said simply. “I can make you happy, and you make me happy. We could have a happily ever after.”

His eyes were on mine, and even in the dim light, they glimmered gold. A slow wave started to wash over me as relaxation flowed through me. Just when I realized that Loki was trying to knock me out, the sensation stopped.

“What happened?” I asked, as the fog lifted from my mind. Loki stood inches in front of me, and I knew I should move away, but I didn’t.

“I’m not going to do that to you,” he said quietly. “What I told you before is still true. I want to know that when you’re with me, it’s because you want to be, not because you have to be.”

“Loki-” I started to protest.

He put his hands on my face, and they felt warm on my skin, even though they should’ve been cold from scaling the wall. He leaned into me, but he paused before his lips touched mine. His eyes met mine, searching them for any resistance, but I didn’t have any.

His mouth covered mine, and warmth stirred inside me. He tasted sweet and cool, and his skin smelled of fresh rain. My knees felt weak, and my heart battered against my chest. His hands moved back, tangling in my hair, and pressing me to him.

I wrapped my arms around him, and he felt strong and powerful against me. I could actually feel his muscles, like warm marble, and I knew he could crush me if he wanted to. But the way he touched me was passionate and delicate all at once.

I wanted to give in to him, to his invitation, but a voice of reason gnawed at me. My stomach fluttered with butterflies, then twisted with knots.

“No, Loki.” I pulled my mouth from his, gasping for breath. I put my hands on his chest and took a step back. “I can’t. I’m sorry.”

“Princess.”
Loki watched me walk backwards away from him. His expression was so desperate and vulnerable, it made my chest ache.

“I’m sorry. But I can’t.”

I turned and ran to the palace, afraid that I would change my mind if I hesitated any longer.