Chapter 29

Noora

Noora spent the next three days in the same ordeal. She got up before the sun rose in the sky, Lulva was still cuddling the pillows beside her. Even though they offered Lulva a separate room, both girls decided they wanted to spend it together, they always had and it would feel wrong not to.

After cleaning herself up, Noora went on a run around the palace grounds, which was quickly followed by stuffing herself at breakfast before Pika and her went down to the training chamber. While Pika showed her how to fight with a sword, building muscles by throwing big chunks of logs over and over again, she taught him about various parts of plants, how to quiver a bow and make one’s steps unheard.

Soren often watched the both of them, his eyes as big as saucers when Pika’s blade accidentally grazed her skin, a small trickle of blood trailing over her cheek.

After their training session, they would go to dinner and stuff their starved selves with food. Noora could feel herself becoming stronger, building muscles even though she landed completely exhausted into the soft pillows of her bed every night. Lulva would then tell her about the day she spent with Spike, the wolf, and Josephine.

Even when Kekoa was allowed back to train he stayed mostly quiet, besides a few jabs here and there they were able to coexist.

It was as if the contestants somehow grasped the importance of the tournament.

Noora still waited for the prince to come back into the picture but she knew from Tyra that he was at a congress a day’s ride from Oy Frossen and was not to be expected back before the next task.

So while her days were spent in familiar routines, it was a particular afternoon, while she was stuffing herself with meatballs that a horrific scream echoed through the palace walls.

Pika’s and her gaze met over the table and even Kekoa looked up in concern and it was as if they decided as a group.

The contestants got up, butter knives drawn while Soren tried to get up, his legs tangling in the chairs, the table cloth sticking to his tunic and resulting in him ending up on the floor. Pika grabbed his collar and quickly brought him back to his feet before the four of them made their way into the hall.

“Why? Why did you do that?” The voice wailed as it echoed through the hallways and it sounded like it was coming from the royal library.

Knives drawn, they rushed past the library doors and came upon a peculiar scene.

Noora deflated as she saw the queen herself, standing in front of Josephine completely unharmed, the latter having a small smile on her face.

“Your hair! How will you ever go out in public again? You look like a boy!” Queen Euphemia wailed again and this was probably the first and only time Noora saw the queen close to crying.

It looked like Josephine took matters into her own hands and cut all her long golden locks, only leaving a short bob of hair across her crown.

The Queen finally noticed the intruders, her icy gaze sharpening on them in an instant. “What do you think you are doing here?”

They all shuffled, unsure beside Noora.It was Kekoa who was brave enough to speak up, “We heard a scream, Your Majesty, and rushed to come for help.”

The queen shifted her weight slightly, raising a brow. “And what makes you think that you are more qualified to protect me?”

“Maybe the fact that no guards rushed here?” Noora couldn’t help from saying. Now the queen focused on her, a slow smile spreading on her red lips.

“That is because they know I am perfectly able to protect myself. Besides, there is no danger here. I would ask you all to leave now. You come with me.” She took hold of Josephine’s arm, the girl grimacing slightly.

While the other contestants made sure to leave as quickly as they could, Noora took a step forward. “You are hurting her!”

“You don’t have a say about my daughter, orphan.” Queen Euphemia waved her away, trying to drag Josephine away.

“No, please let me go. I’m sorry.” Tears rolled down her cheeks and horror buried in Noora’s stomach.

“This is all your fault! Would you just listen and stop parading in the mud, shooting arrows you would not have to bear the consequences.”

Noora watched them struggle but her body acted on instinct when the queen raised her hand in a slap.

Her hand shot out and grasped the wrist of the woman before she could strike Josephine.

“She is a child!” Noora breathed out, shocked as Josephine finally slipped out of her mother’s hold and hid behind Noora.

The queen’s gaze turned so fiery, that Noora let go of her wrist as quickly as she could.

“Who do you think you are that you can touch me? This is my child and she is living under my roof where my rules count.”

“This is Kai’s palace, not yours.”

Without time to think, the Queen slapped Noora across the face. The hit was so hard it made her head fly to the right but she did not show how it affected her.

The queen leaned closer. “Without me, Nikolai wouldn’t even have this palace. And without me, you would not even be here you half-blood whore.” Her hand wrapped around Noora’s braid and she tugged hard. Her head tilted back as the queen hissed at her, eyes narrowed and filled with hatred and rage.

“How would you feel if I cut all your hair off?” In a moment she pulled out a small pocket knife holding it over the very top of her braid.

Noora clenched her teeth, knowing that this was her fault.

“Let her go!” Josephine screeched.

“Quiet,” the queen barked.

But she could not just watch another child get hurt, this was what she always did. She protected Lulva from the matron and she would protect Josephine from the queen if she had to.

“I know how important your hair is to your species. That is why it’s so white, like snow, it channels all your magic. So I’m wondering, the longer the hair the more powerful the witch. Let’s find out,“ she growled and dug her knife into her hair.

“Mother.”

The queen faltered at the new voice, the knife leaving Noora’s hair. She could finally stand up straight and turn to see Nikolai standing in the doorframe to the library.

“Nikolai, I didn’t think you would grace us with your presence until the next trial.”

He stepped slowly into the room, his green eyes placed on his mother and nowhere else. “Well, then I think we got lucky I just got here earlier.” It was then that his gaze turned towards Josephine, completely ignoring Noora’s presence.

“Jo, why don’t you take our guest to her chambers?”

His sister nodded quickly, the shock still sitting in her bones. Her little hand slipped into Noora’s calloused one and tugged but the latter still tried to meet Nikolai’s gaze in vain.

Pushing the stinging of her eyes away she left the room without a second glance behind her.

“She wanted to cut your hair?” Tyra’s voice screeched. Noora helped Josephine up on the stool so she could lean her head over the bathing tub.

“Yes, but I don’t think she would have actually gone through with it.” She opened up the tabs waiting for the water to turn warm enough. Noora tried to appear calm, though she still felt rattled. She did not give much about her heritage but it seemed her hair was more sacred to her than she had thought.

Tyra blanched as she sat on the other side of the tub. Aileen was leaning against the sink, a thoughtful look on her face as Lulva swung her legs beside her.

“You don’t know my mother then. She is like a viper, first, she zeroes in on you and tries to find your weakest part and then she strikes. Is your weakest part your hair?”

“No,” Nora said, filling a small bucket with water before carefully tracing it over Josephine’s short hair.

“What is it then?” Josephine’s eyes regarded her curiously.

“I do not have one.”

“That is not true, everyone has a weak part. Your Achilles heel, my brother calls it that.”

Noora hummed, her hand going through the short strands. “I have not found it yet then. Is the temperature all right?”

“Yes. But she also slapped Noora!” Josephine added, making the other three girls gasp.

“It was not that bad and I did disrespect her. I should’ve never touched her.”

“Thank the heavens you did! Or else she would’ve spanked me for hours,” Josephine said eagerly as if she was talking about a mere bunny and not a mother who was prone to hurting her children.

Noora looked at Tyra, who saw the question in her eyes and nodded. So she would actually do it.

When Josephine’s hair was all wet, she sat up again and Noora wrapped a towel around her shoulders. The princess grabbed the ends in her little hands and waited patiently for Noora to take the brush and scissors from the sink.

“I think the hair looks great on you, Jo,” Lulva piped up from her place, making the princess grin.

“Thank you! I wanted to look like my brother, but it looks a bit different.” She turned to Noora, who was brushing her hair.

“Could you cut it like Nikolai’s hair? It always looks so soft and wavy!” Josephine asked excitedly.

To her horror, Noora felt herself flush lightly, agreeing that the king’s hair did indeed always look very smooth. When she met Tyra’s gaze she quickly took the scissors. “I can try.”

Now that the gauze around her hand was finally off and the stitches were only covered by a square sticky cloth, her thumb slid easily into the hole of the scissors.

“Your hand looks well. The thyme and Camomile helped?” Aileen asked and Noora nodded quickly as she took strands of hair and held them diagonal from Jo’s scalp before cutting a few centimetres off.

“I was wondering why the healer bound it up so securely, they never did that when I cut my hand. What sutures did they use?”

Noora snipped off more hair, feeling Tyra’s gaze on her back. “Polypropylene.”

“I thought so,” Tyra said and Noora relaxed slightly.

“My brother used the same one on my hand, he is very good at stitching up wounds, considering how frequently he had to.”

Noora accidentally snipped at her hand and yelped. “For Hel’s sake,” she cursed, as she watched the small drop of blood gather at the side of her finger.

“Here.” Aileen gave her a small cloth tissue. “Thank you.” Noora pressed it against the small cut.

“And you, Tyra Sophia Gyldenlove, stop teasing her. Your sister’s hair is currently in her hands and your taunting is not making this any easier.” Aileen never sounded so authoritative before and to Noora’s amazement, it worked perfectly on Tyra or maybe it was the usage of her entire birth name.

She stayed quiet for the rest of the procedure and Noora tried her best to imitate Nikolai’s haircut. When the cut was finished she kneaded Jo’s hair, the structure creating small waves on its own.

When she was finished, Jo hopped off the chair to walk over to the mirror, hanging over the sink. “This is awesome!”

Lulva grinned back at Josephine, her hand reaching out to softly weave through her hair.

The princess turned, shining brightly like a star. “Thank you, Noora!” She wrapped her arms around Noora’s middle in great enthusiasm, squeezing her with more force than Noora anticipated.

“I tried my best.” She patted her head lightly.

“And succeeded amazingly.” Tyra got up from her place on the floor and slid to Aileen’s side who nodded. “It looks amazing.”

“It certainly does.” Everyone in the bathing chamber turned at the voice. The king was leaning in the doorframe, in a casual white shirt half untucked and hanging out of his trousers.

“I wasn’t aware there was an audience being held in the chambers of a contestant. I am deeply hurt that I wasn’t invited.”