Chapter 30

Noora

Lulva hopped down from the sink and grabbed Josephine’s hand. “Let’s show Spike your new haircut.” Seconds later they were both rushing outside, their giggles echoing off the palace walls.

“I was just about to go, I have to clean my swords,” Tyra said, greeting her brother with a small nod. Aileen trailed after her, “I will help you with it. It is nice to see you, Nikolai.”

The king nodded at Aileen but his eyes were still stuck on Noora who stood slightly lost in the middle of the bathing chamber, the tissue still stuck to her finger, even though the bleeding had stopped.

“What is wrong with your finger?” He stepped forward, his brows drawn in and his hand stretched out as if he wanted to capture her wrist.

Noora quickly stepped back, getting rid of the tissue and throwing it into the sink. “It’s fine, just a small cut.”

“I’m only a few days gone and you procure a new cut and almost got your hair cut off.”

“Don’t forget getting struck in the face.”

His gaze hardened. “She hit you?”

Noora tried to walk past him. While the bathing chamber was far bigger than anything she ever lived in; it still felt too small for the two of them. Nikolai stopped her, blocking the doorway with his frame.

“Noora.”

She looked up at him. “I was just joking, I don’t care what your mother did to me.”

“That is not true,” he insisted and Noora scoffed. “Now you know better how I feel?”

“I am saying how you should feel. No matter if a queen or a beggar insults you or touches you in a way you do not want to, you can be angry about it. Why are you not angry?” He looked at her baffled.

“I am angry, Kai. I have been angry my whole life. I just know how to hide it better. Because despite what you say, I cannot do anything about a queen treating me badly, she is the one in power, not me.” With that, she ducked under his arm and got into the sleeping chamber.

The sun was already setting despite it being late afternoon, now that winter was on its way to the kingdom.

“You’re wrong.” Nikolai trailed after her. “She might have more power than you but she is not more powerful than a king.”

Noora scoffed and turned around. “You’re telling me that you would go against your mother?”

“I did go against my mother when I sent you and Jo out of the library. I think I have made it clear enough that I am your ally in this palace.”

Noora nodded bitterly. “Yes, you made that clear enough. So clear that everyone knows you banned Kekoa because of what I thought.”

Nikolai blanched, his features tightening. “I banned Kekoa from the training rooms because he went far over the task orders and dismembered the wolf without it being necessary to retrieve the crystal. Not everything has to do with you.”

Embarrassment made her cheeks flare up. This was Pika’s and Tyra’s fault, they made her think that Nikolai did this because of her. They were all getting into her head and instead of focusing on her training and preparing for the next trial, she was spending silly thoughts on a king that barely liked her.

He might stand for fairness but that was all.

“You thought I bannedhim for you?” He let out a small laugh, deepening Noora’s embarrassment further. “Of course not,“ she spat, not knowing what else to say as the king strode over to her slowly, stopping until the tips of their boots touched.

His hand raised, he captured a white strand of hers between his gloved hands. He wrapped it around one finger covered in emerald cloth, tugging slightly.

“How sweet, you have a crush on me?” His lips spread into a predatory smile and Noora slapped his hand away, shaking her head. “Don’t be ridiculous, it is just what the others said.”

She walked over to the windows, her back towards him.

“It doesn’t matter anyway, I would like to go to sleep now.”

“In the afternoon?”

She whirled around to glare at him. “Is there anything else you wanted, Your Majesty?”

His jaw hardened but he stayed determined. “Yes, I originally came here to apologise for my mother’s behavior.”

“There is no need for that, I was out of line.”

“You were protecting my sister.” He took a step forward.

“I didn't do it for you.”

“Heavens forbid you do anything for me.” He rolled his eyes and Noora narrowed her gaze.

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing. Hell, just stop provoking me for one damned second so I can apologise and thank you properly. Every time I try to have a civil conversation with you, you twist my words and make me out to be the villain, even though I am trying. You don’t know how much.”

He tipped his head back to look at the ceiling, exposing the slope of his throat. When he swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbed, his pale skin shining in the afternoon sun.

“Am I supposed to feel sorry for you?” Noora crossed her arms in front of her as he turned his head to look at her.

“I thought I wasn’t supposed to tell you how you should feel.”

She clenched her jaw at his words.

“This is going nowhere,” he figured,rubbing his hands over his face. For a moment Noora watched him cave in on himself, his shoulders slouching, his head leaning forward as if he wanted to crawl into himself.

Then he took a big breath and straightened himself.

“I respect your wish not to hear an apology, though I can promise that my mother will not dare to treat you like that again, or anyone else. I personally made sure of that.”

Noora tried to school her features when he searched for a reaction on her face. He was not going to get one of her, she would not let him trick her into thinking that he was such a generous, kind person. It was easy to be generous if you had everything you ever wanted in the palm of your hand.

“I brought this for you.” His hand slipped into the pocket of his trousers and took out a small metal tin that Noora would’ve recognised anywhere.

“But I see that you have already taken good care of your wound on your own.” His gaze slipped toward her hand that was out of the gauze.

“Though I hope not, maybe you will need it in the future.” He placed the tin filled with her wonder salve on her bed, before turning and starting to leave the chamber.

Noora bit on her tongue until she could taste the tangy blood gathering, trying to stop herself from saying something. She didn’t owe him anything but she could see how much harder this tournament would have been if he didn’t help, for whatever reasons he did.

“Kai.” She stopped him but he only hovered, turning his head lightly to the side to tell her he was listening.

“Thank you,” she gritted out, the words feeling acidic on her tongue.

Without an answer he left her chamber, the soft clicking of the closing door echoing in the lonely space around her.

Nikolai leaned against the closed door behind him, trying to get his racing heart to quiet down in his chest before it pushed past his skin and landed right in front of Noora’s feet.

He could imagine her disgusted grimace as she observed his heart on the floor, still beating rapidly before she crushed it under her boot, making blood squirt all over the marble floors.

He heard the soft slide of the metal tin opening and before he could listen to any more sounds of her, he strode down the hallway, trying to get to his chamber as fast as possible.

The last days had been Hell on earth, the arrest did go as smoothly as one could go but it was the aftermath that escalated.

He knew that the people in his kingdom were growing wary and frustrated. The harvest was next to nothing due to the dying grounds, the animals did not produce any milk for butter and cheese and winter was coming far too early, encasing the kingdom in ice and frost. He knew what the consequences of his actions were bringing but he somehow was na?ve enough to think that he still had time.

Reaching his chambers he threw his doors open, letting them slam closed behind him as he went straight for the sword beside his bed and began to hack at the wooden mannequin resting beside his wardrobe.

The people demanded answers, the crowds pushing in on him, while his soldiers desperately tried to keep them at bay.

And there was nothing Nikolai could tell them to reassure their worries. The land was dying and there was no sight for a cure. His mind flickered to Noora and how she was the first thing he went looking for when he arrived back at the palace. When he couldn’t find her in her chamber he felt an ounce of panic squeeze his lungs, then he heard the soft laughter coming from the bathing chamber. The air was smelling of soap, a small secret of sacrilege. A moment he enjoyed watching, seeing the girls bond with each other.

What he came across was nothing new, Nikolai knew of the tendencies his mother had, regarding etiquette and following rules. As a young boy, he might’ve feared her hand but now that he was king, he was not letting her treat Jo and Tyra that way. They deserved to grow up and have the lives he was never allowed to have.

Sweat trickled down his temples and chunks of wood were flying past him when a voice spoke up.

“She is very pretty, isn’t she?”

He whirled around, sword raised high, the tip of it grazing his opponent’s chin.

“Heavens, Tyra.” He quickly lowered the sword as he recognised his sister. “I could’ve chopped your head off.”

His sister scoffed. “Please, as if I’d let you.”

Nikolai glared at her, before putting the sword back on the side of his bed, pushing his soaked locks out of his face. His chest was heaving, he was getting more exhausted by less exercise over time.

“You didn’t answer my question.” Tyra trailed after him as he walked over to the decanter filled with brown liquid and poured himself a generous amount.

“Who are you talking about?”

“You know who I am talking about. Noora.”

Nikolai turned and took a nonchalant sip from his glass, the liquid burned down his throat happily and he guessed it was the only thing that kept him on his feet.

“I never look at her.”

Tyra laughed loudly. “The only thing you do is look at her.”

Nikolai glared at his sister.

“I know exactly what you’re trying to do, Tyra, I am not one of the royal guards who are easily manipulated by your antics. Go play your mind games with someone else.”

Tyra smiled. “You’re right, maybe I should talk to Noora. She may not know it now but maybe she’s open for a few games with me,” she remarked suggestively.

Nikolai closed his eyes, the grip around his glass so painfully tight he put it down again, fearing that it might burst in his hand.

“We both know you have only eyes for one person.”

Now it was his sister’s turn to glare at him.

Here they were, staring each other down because they were both too stubborn to look the truth in the eye. Many people thought that being a royal equaled getting anything they wanted, it was rather the opposite.

Your life did not belong to you when being a prince or princess, it belonged to your kingdom and the people living in it.

“It is not too late, Nikolai. Should we repeat the mistakes of our parents and spend the rest of our lives with people we cannot stand?” Tyra asked. Her voice turned urgent and Nikolai knew that it was his place again to remind her what family they had been born into.

“What do you propose I do, Tyra?”

She took a step forward catching a hold of his wrists. “You do not need to marry to obtain the South Kingdom’s loyalty, I am sure of that. Aileen is a very kind person, she could talk to her parents. The Sosyemight be convincedof our loyalty to them now that we have the chief in the jury and maybe if Kekoa wins…”

Nikolai raised a brow and Tyra stepped back, surprised. “But he is not going to win, you’ll make sure of that,“ she concluded.“Why?”

“You want Noora to win,“ she spoke slowly and Nikolai practically saw her mind working behind her eyes, coming to terms with enough of his plan that he would let on.

“Noora is good enough on her own, I don’t think she needs my help in winning this tournament,” Nikolai stated as he walked past his sister, dismissing this conversation, even though he knew that was unavoidable with her.

“Why is it so important that she wins? What is it that you have planned?”

“I have nothing planned. Is it not enough that I wish for her to win? After all, she has been mistreated her whole life. She had to fight her way through the remains of her enemies, and she came out still standing. If anyone deserves the gold and the freedom that comes with a sum like that it is Noora.”

“You are not one to pity people, Kai.” Tyra sounded skeptical.

“The last thing I do is pity her. Even though she does deserve empathy. Do not mistake my opinion for kindness, sister, Noora is a means to an end, nothing more, nothing less.”

Tyra nodded and started to leave his room but she hesitated at the door and turned around.

“Just a small piece of advice to make your statement more convincing. Next time she gets hurt it would be clever to not act like a raging lunatic and scream at everyone before you stitch up her hand on your own, to make sure she is fine.”

With that, she turned and left. After closing the doors, Nikolai let himself collapse on his bed, already noticing how his consciousness was slipping out of his grasp, escorting him into the blinding darkness like it always did.