Chapter 29

Ireturned to Steingard with five mine carts full of gold. As much as I'd wanted to carry straight on to Rockheim, I needed a fresh change of clothes and a pair of trousers that didn't have a massive rip in the arse. Dozens of dwarves were clustered around my front stoop, pacing and muttering with worry lining their faces. There was Yulla, of course, fussing over my plants. Jostein was there, too, sitting on my outdoor cot with his head in his hands. Several of the trial contestants were there, including Knut and Puldur. Tormund's friends, Meral and Altan, were there. Even Balfor had showed.

When the clattering of five heavy carts echoed through the chasm, every single head jerked our way. Jostein leapt to his feet.

"Ah, there you are!" Yulla called out cheerfully, then she ran over and jabbed Balder's chest. "Told you she'd come back winning."

A silver-haired elf shoved through the plants crawling across my front door and raced across the bridge. When she reached me, she flung her arms around me and pulled tight. Into my hair, she whispered, "I'm so glad to see you. Did you really find Hita?"

"Hita? Is that the dragon's name?"

"Yes." She sighed in relief. "She's one of Rivelin's. She went missing a few months ago, and he's been looking for her ever since. We were trying to find her when you left. I wish I'd known what you were up to, or we would have helped!"

"It's all right. We managed." And then I filled her in on everything that had happened.

When I finished the story, she hugged me tight, then said, "That's her, all right. She loves cake more than the rest of them. Thank you so much for finding her and for feeding her. Do you mind if I go find my brother so I can tell him? He's worried sick."

"It's fine, Lil. I understand."

She searched my eyes, her brow furrowed. "You sure? I know the last few days have been a lot. Do you need any help travelling to Rockheim?"

A smile twitched the corners of my lips. "I have company."

She nodded, a spark of evil glee chasing away any sign of worry. "Yes, about that. I've heard some very interesting tidbits from Yulla about you two. And by the looks on your faces, all of it was true!"

She bounced up and down, clapping. A flush poured across my entire face. I was extremely aware that far too many of my friends were standing on the ledge, listening to this entire conversation. And if they hadn't been near enough to hear her voice, the chasm's echo would have done the job.

Word would spread fast, if it hadn't already. Every dwarf in the surrounding villages would know Astrid Balstad had finally found a partner. But it was bound to get out eventually, especially when Tormund moved in and started a life with me.

I beamed up at him. He beamed right back. "All of it's true."

"I knew it." She clapped again, practically dancing down the length of the bridge. "The second you met him, I knew there was something about him you liked. Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to get under your skin like that." She laughed. "Trust me. I know all about that."

"I'm sure you do." I patted her arm. "Now go on. Find Rivelin. I'm sure he's missing his dragon."

She thanked me again and scurried off. Tormund and I approached the others. They all clapped us on the backs, thanking us for finding enough treasure to bargain with the other dwarves. Meral and Altan teased Tormund about me, then exclaimed with happiness when he showed them the gem that could help Tahir.

Others drifted over as we told everyone our story until it seemed like the entire village of Steingard had come to hear the tale. Kegs were brought out. Ale was passed around. And, funnily enough, moss cakes started making the rounds.

It was only Jostein who avoided the festivities. He remained on my stoop, watching the celebration with despondent eyes. While Tormund welcomed some new arrivals and filled them in on our adventures through the mines, I ambled over to Jostein.

I settled onto the stoop next to him. He wouldn't even meet my eyes. "What's going on, Jostein? With the way you're acting, one might think you don't want us to trade the coins for the Everstone."

"No, no, I most definitely want that," he said quickly, then sighed. "I just hate it was my fault we lost it, and I made you go off to find a fix."

"I offered to do it," I said. "I was happy to do it, in fact."

"I know. You found a purpose. I always knew you would." He gave me a sad smile. "And I can also see there's something different about you now. There's a light in your eyes that wasn't there before. Some might think it's because of Tormund, but it's not, is it?"

"He's made me very happy, Jostein," I said quietly.

"But there is something else."

"Yes." I propped my elbow on my knee and put my tankard on the floor by my feet. Jostein had been acting so oddly since the start of the competition. And if I thought back, he'd been acting oddly before it, too. I'd wanted to pretend otherwise. He was the father I'd never known, but this sadness, this regret… "You never wanted me to break my curse."

He winced, his eyes trained on the daisies beside him. "No, I did not."

Frustration rattled through me like a vicious wind, even though I'd suspected it. "Why? You knew I wanted it more than anything."

"Because I am the one who asked the witch to gift you the curse," he said tightly, his hands gripping the sides of the stoop.

I hissed and pulled back. Surely I'd heard him wrong. Surely the man who'd raised me as his own wouldn't have trapped me here without any hope of ever moving on. Surely, surely, surely. Jostein loved me like a daughter. Didn't he?

"I'm so sorry, Astrid." He dropped his head into his hands. "After your parents died, the witch appeared. She showed me a future where you wandered the world for decades, so lonely you cried yourself to sleep every night. I couldn't bear it. And so I asked her to find a way to make you stay. Here with all of us, your dwarven community."

"Jostein," I whispered, my heart pounding.

"I know it was a terrible thing to do, and it's caused you so much pain. I was just…I wanted you to be happy, and I thought you'd be happiest here, surrounded by all your friends and your plants. That's why I fed them all that moss cake the other day. I thought if you saw how much they thrived here, you'd want to be happy in Steingard." He lifted his head to meet my eyes, and tears tracked down his cheeks. "I was wrong."

I pressed my lips together. He had done a terrible thing, and a part of me wanted to hate him for it. But as I stared at his shaking shoulders and his genuine tears, I found I couldn't. He'd only done what he did out of love.

"And the Everstone? The competition?" I asked him.

He sniffled. "I entered you. I thought if you competed for the ‘stone' and lost, you might be able to give up your single-minded obsession with it. You were so focused on it, it seemed like you were missing out on life. All these years were passing by, and all you cared about was finding a way to break free of this place."

"Oh, Jostein," I sighed.

"I know you can never forgive me, and I know you'll leave as soon as the Everstone is back in its rightful place, but—"

"I'm not leaving, Jostein," I said quietly.

He looked up at me, raw hope in his eyes. "But you broke your curse. You're not bound to the mountains any longer."

"This is my home. I'm not leaving," I said, louder this time and firm enough that he knew just how serious I was. "I mean, I'll venture above to watch a sunset here and there, but I'm staying in Steingard."

"You're not leaving," he repeated.

"I'm not leaving," I confirmed, then held up a finger. "But I'm going to need you to promise you'll never make a decision about my life without my input again. No more entering me into competitions or asking witches to curse me. Next time there is any kind of problem, just…I don't know, talk to me about it?"

Tears gushed down his face. He laughed, pulling me in close for a hug. "You are far too understanding, my love, but I will gladly accept your forgiveness."

My stomach decided to respond by emitting a very obnoxious growl.

"Well, I will ask for one thing in return." I pulled back and eyed his leather satchel. "You got any chocolate?"

His booming laugh warmed my soul, and that was when I knew everything would be all right. We'd get through this. It might take some time to forget what he'd done, but I could never hate him. Especially since he was pulling three bars of chocolate from his bag.

He handed me the lot of them. "Don't tell anyone I gave you these. I might just have loads more where those came from."

"Loads more?" I asked hopefully.

"Loads," he confirmed. "How many do you want?"

I grinned. "All of them."