Read with BonusRead with Bonus

Chapter eight part one - Enemy lists

"I feel that we should sit with him," Freya suggests, glancing towards Link, who is sitting on one of the tables, along with his supper. Since I'd helped him last week, Freya mentioned he was relatively a quiet person, having never spoken to many.

"I don't think he wants company," I comment back, holding onto my plate of venison. Every day so far, he seemed to enjoy being alone during meals.

"How could he not!" Shaking her head, she links an arm around mine. "Come." She drags me across the mess hall, and even if I'd object, I don't think she'd let me because we're already by his table.

Link doesn't look up at us, causing Freya to clear her throat. "Hello." She smiles. Link's eyes finally drift to her, but he keeps wordless as she says, "Mind if we sit here?"

Still nothing.

I lift a brow towards Freya, implying how we honestly shouldn't have bothered him. She ignores me, slamming her plate down and pushing me onto the benches with her. "Link, right? I'm Freya." Her hand comes out to meet his, yet he doesn't respond to it. I'm wondering if there is a chance that I can run away from this. Again, she clears her throat and points to me. "This is Nara—"

"I know who she is," he mumbles, lowering his head. Those golden-brown waves drift over his light tan forehead.

"Oh! Because she saved you!" Her smile returns. "Or is it because she's an Ambrose?"

I impede the grimace forming on my face as I focus on my food. Despite my father's known status, Freya had told me she met my father when she was young. I'd made sure to hear all the tales. Except she didn't have much memory of it other than my father's taunting comebacks to General Erion, something she said reminded her of me.

"So, I took a new liking to painting. Nara told me she adored my portrait of flowers!"

I didn't have the heart to tell her the flowers looked more like a pile of disfigured animals.

"Do you do anything in your spare time? Nara here carves! I asked her if she could carve lilacs on my chest of drawers since they are my—"

"Would you have really broken Adriel's hand?" Link interrupts, and I snap my head up as he looks at me, his finger idly sliding around the rim of a tankard mug. It's like everything Freya was talking about for the last minute went entirely over his head.

"Of course," I say, thinking back to the two guys who'd cornered him. Adriel and Oren, Freya had said they were called. "You see, back home, I had an enemy list."

"An enemy list?" Link repeats like he finds that hard to believe.

Nodding, I say, "Whoever wronged my brothers or me—" I pause midway through scoffing down food. "—I'd write their names somewhere and then later threaten them."

"What did you do if..." Freya trails off, and the corner of my mouth flutters upward.

"Well," I say. "Once, I broke a man's wrist for thinking it was acceptable to touch me when I'd said no multiple times."

"Solaris!" Freya gasps, her dark bronze skin glowing as she smiles. "You are wild, Nara."

"And you never got in trouble for that?" Link's brow curves up.

"I did... mainly with my eldest brother." I drop my gaze as my mind starts thinking about my brothers. A week seems too long without them already. I know we'd write each other letters, and Illias would likely have the longest summaries of what he'd done throughout the day, but it still wasn't the same.

With a small intake of breath, I glance up at Link. His lips bloom into a soft smile, and dimples form on both sides of his cheek. It's a smile that showed more with his eyes than anything.

He starts to say something when the mug in his hand rattles as it hits the floor, cutting him off, and whatever tinge of happiness he had before fades once I see gaunt hands press against the table.

"Seems the new girl has taken a liking to orphaned pigs," Adriel says as I look at him and Oran standing beside him, both with vile grins on their lips. "Oh wait... aren't you an orphan as well considering what happened to your father?"

So, these assholes have learned nothing from last week.

"I heard your mother died of a Rumen's bite," Oran chimes in, laughing. His long dark hair plunging past his shoulders.

"That's not true," I say in quiet wrath as heat slips through my fingernails.

"Shame, perhaps she couldn't burden herself with looking after a child like you—"

"Adriel, I think you should leave before—"

"What are you going to do Freya, tell your father, who doesn't even acknowledge your existence?"

Freya's shoulders sink low at Adriel's words, and I eye the knife to my right. I picture grabbing it then holding it to his throat.

"It's not as if the General would disagree with us," he jeers. "We all saw how he took her glove off the other day."

My hand now hovers above the knife without them noticing, and I stare at it, wanting to wipe the smug look on their faces.

"Hey, how did it happen?" Adriel's voice doesn't sound like he's concerned. It sounds taunting again. "Was it a witch? Are you cursed?"

Clenching my jaw, I clutch the blade harder, ready to dart forward, but a whistle and a musical voice cuts in. "If it isn't, oat head and dry as a toast at it again."

My gaze shifts up at where a man, grinning, wraps his arms around the shoulders of Oran and Adriel. He seems my age, his dark hair cropped and crimped like fresh waves as his eyes slide to me, warm brown and inviting just like the smooth shade of his skin and Freya's too. Only that she was slightly darker.

"What is it you want, Rydan?" Adriel tries pushing away, but Rydan keeps a firm grip.

"I'm simply here to stop you both from being mauled to death by this lovely lady. Hello there." He looks at me, saying it in a sultry tone. I jerk my head back, bemused as he returns his gaze to Adriel. "Let the people enjoy their supper unless you are truly starving for some deer, then I suggest you join my table. I am considered great company in more ways than one."

"You're disgusting." Adriel manages to pull away.

Rydan chuckles, crossing his arms over the dark training armor. "You'd be surprised by how many say that of you here."

A bitter frown from Adriel, but Rydan doesn't step down from it. "Let's go," Adriel grits out, bumping his shoulder against Oran's chest and glaring back at me.

I need to start making a new enemy list.

Rydan turns to us. His eyes travel down to the knife, making me draw my arm back away from it. He'd seen me wanting to use it. That's why he'd come over.

We don't exchange any words as he shoots me a wink and strolls away from us, leaving me with a permanent scowl. "What just—"

"Rydan Alderis," Freya breathes, watching as he goes up to another table and leans against it with that same flirty smile. "Many think he joined for fun since he doesn't take anything seriously and enjoys irritating everyone, especially Lorcan."

"How does Lorcan react?" A question not needed to be asked, but I couldn't help it.

"He tends to walk away once Rydan calls him Lorcano or Lorcy." As she says that, it's like we'd wished on him coming into the mess hall since Lorcan appears by the entrance. Hand on his pommel and calculating eyes stare at everyone before Rydan springs forward to reach him.

Whatever Rydan's saying, Lorcan's jaw tenses, I'd even go as far as to think he wants to use his sword on Rydan, but soon his gaze catches mine. He doesn't seem to shy from it, reminding me of the first day I saw him after killing that Rumen. His lips stay in a firm line as he continues ignoring Rydan, and something odd flickers in my gut, but I push it away, breaking eye contact.

"—With the queen coming over in a few days and whatnot."

I come to my senses upon hearing Freya was in the midst of another conversation with Link.

"The queen?" My brows tangle as I look at her.

She clasps a hand to her mouth. "Solaris! I'd forgotten to tell you! The queen comes by certain days and sees us during training. Most of the time, it's to hold meetings with my father, but it's always ever so frightening."

I'm not sure why I'd thought I wouldn't meet the queen so soon, but a cluster of anticipation does form inside me. "Is she nice?"

"More like intimidatingly beautiful," Link sighs, playing with his food once I glance at him as well. The encounter with Adriel and Oran looks to have put him back in that shell of hiding away. I'd still not forgotten the mention of him being an orphan. But unlike my brothers and me, I don't think Link had anyone at all...

"It's true," Freya exhales dramatically, placing her elbows on the table and cupping her cheeks. "But I just tend to get nervous either way."

Pursing my lips as I stare far ahead, I ask myself if the queen would say anything about my father. He never spoke ill of her when he'd visit us, but again, he didn't tell us much of anything.

A/N

Hi! I updated part two to this chapter as well! Make sure to read and leave comments if you feel like it! <3

A quick reminder that I also post on wattpad and have more chapters up on there otherwise you can follow my instagram for trailers, edits, and news on my stories at rina.vasq :)

Previous Chapter
Next Chapter