Crown of Blood and Ruin: A romantic fairy tale fantasy (The Broken Kingdoms #3)(3)

No mistake these serfs had been abused and beaten for gods knew how long. Still, as Tor spoke, more smiles brightened the night, more hope gleamed in dark eyes.
“Stand with us!” Frey called. “Many of you are my people, you are Axel’s people.” He gripped his brother’s thin shoulder.
Axel turned his gaze to me and held my stare for half a breath before he lowered to one knee, fist over his heart. “I stand with the true king.”
Others kneeled, some hesitated.
Brant stepped forward and sliced his palm. His blood held the stink of sweet, like many of the serfs in the trade. “We fight for all magic.”
More smiles curled over lips. Those with smelly blood chuckled and slammed fists over their chests.
Brant hardly understood his own magic, having only discovered he was one of the Alver folk half a turn before. His magic blood proved useful, though. Brant’s gift of premonitions and warnings of danger had saved our necks more than once.
Since I’d revealed my true name, more Ettan folk and Night Folk had traveled to Ruskig for refuge and to join their people. Calder was being forced to trade outside our borders, and he’d brought strange fury—or mesmer as Junie called their magic—and with Brant’s help, we’d taken that from the false king, too.
Mattis came to my side, arms folded over his chest. “Another success, I’d say. Calder grows weaker. He fears you.”
“Us,” I said. “He fears us.”
True enough. Castle Ravenspire had increased its defenses tenfold. They feared the growing threat of fury, but it also meant Calder was desperate. One thing I knew about powerful men hells-bent on keeping their control—they were unpredictable. Dangerous. We needed to rise carefully.
Some still resisted and demanded all Timorans be slaughtered. I thought of Elise. Hated to think it, but there were new faces in Ruskig who eyed her like she ought to join those at Ravenspire when they burned.
It wouldn’t happen.
She would help heal the scars between people in this land. Elise Lysander was the choice of my heart, and these people would need to grow accustomed to their temporary king loving a Timoran royal.
“Calder will bite back,” Tor muttered as Frey and Brant arranged the serfs into travel units.
“Let him,” I said. “He is slipping. We’re close, and he knows it. He will start to bring him out, and when he does, Sol is ours.”
Tor closed his eyes. “Valen, I will not be able to kill him.”
Sol was Calder’s one weapon against me. I’d believed the Sun Prince to be dead, but all this time Castle Ravenspire had my brother—a dark fae—and used his fury to create wicked poisons; they used Sol as their own kind of beast.
In my mind, if Sol were a threat to our people, he’d want me to kill him. But much like Tor, I didn’t know if I’d be able to follow through if the time came.
“I have no plans to kill my brother. But when they bring him back into the light, I have grand plans to take him back. To bring him home to you.” I rested a hand on Tor’s shoulder, then turned away to lead the new caravan back to Ruskig.
Yes, Calder would bite back. But we’d be ready.
Crippled by our attacks, the boy king could hardly feed his own people, and I doubted he cared. He was too focused on taking my head to have time for actual strategy.
Soon enough his head would be mine.

Chapter two

Rogue Princess

“Again! This time actually block. That is what we’re doing, is it not? I’m not going to be the one scraping your innards off a battlefield because you fools forget how to lift a damn blade,” Halvar barked at us.
At the head of the grassy field, he gripped two battered short blades, one in each hand. The emblem of his tunic was an axe crossed with a dagger wrapped in thorns. The Ferus seal. He looked every bit the first knight that he was.
Still, playful as the man could be, Halvar was rather frightening with his weapons and terribly demanding. For good reason, I supposed. And he had a point—no one wanted the innards of our neighbors on the battlefield.
I lifted my seax. The hilt was thick, and the leather binding had come loose, so a bit of sharp metal dug into my palm.
A kiss pressed to my cheek before I struck. Startled, I reeled back only to meet Halvar’s sly grin.
“Of course, you are no fool,” he said. “I exclude you from all my vulgarities.” He looked to Kari, my sparring partner. “And you as well, my beautiful warrior.”
Kari narrowed her eyes. “Halvar.”
He looked to me. “She gets so timid when I whisper my sweet sentiments in public. I don’t understand it.” He turned back to Kari. “I would put my lips upon you in the most indecent places, my love, no matter who saw. You need only let me!”
A few chuckles rippled through the line of sparring partners. Kari’s face turned pink, and her eyes flashed in a warning. No doubt Halvar would pay later, and no doubt he’d enjoy every moment of it.
I grinned and adjusted my grip on the blade. “Step aside and let us spar.”
“So long as we have an understanding. You, my two lovelies, do not take me at my cruel words.”
“Hardly seems fair,” I said. “I am under your tutelage the same as everyone else.”
“Ah.” His voice softened, so only I heard. “But they are not my future queen.”
A rush of heat twisted my stomach. “I’ve yet to be asked by a king to be more than a consort.”
“Pretend it is not fated to happen all you wish, dear Elise.”
I jabbed Halvar’s ribs with my elbow. Others were staring. “Even still, treat me as you treat anyone. I need to learn the blade like a knight.”