Аманда Хокинг - Torn

Also, I wanted to get in a moment alone with Loki before he left. It might be the last chance I ever got to speak with him.

This time, I didn’t use Duncan to do my dirty work. I sent the guards away myself.

They protested, but with an icy glare, I reminded them I was the Princess. I didn’t care if anyone talked about it. Loki was leaving anyway. There would be nothing left to gossip about.

“Ooo, I love it when you’re feisty,” Loki said after I made the guards leave. He leaned on the footboard of his bed, his usual cocky grin plastered on his face.

“I’m not being feisty,” I said. “I wanted to talk to you.”

“You’ve come to say goodbye, I take it?” He arched an eyebrow. “You’ll miss me terribly, I know, but if you want to avoid all that, you can always come with me.”

“That’s quite alright, thank you.”

“Really?” Loki wrinkled his nose. “You can’t actually be excited about the upcoming nuptials.”

“What are you talking about?” I asked, tensing up.

“I heard you’re engaged to that stodgy Markis.” Loki waved his hand vaguely and stood up. “Which I think is ridiculous. He’s boring and bland and you don’t love him at all.”

“How do you know about that?” I stood up straighter, preparing to defend myself.

“The guards around here are horrible gossips, and I hear everything.” He grinned and sauntered towards me. “And I have two eyes. I’ve seen that little melodrama play out between you and that other tracker. Fish? Flounder? What’s his name?”

“Finn,” I said pointedly.

“Yes, him.” Loki rested his shoulder against the door. “Can I give you a piece of advice?”

“By all means. I’d love to hear advice from a prisoner.”

“Excellent.” Loki leaned forward, as close to me as he could before he’d be racked with pain from attempting to leave the room. “Don’t marry someone you don’t love.”

“What do you know of love or marriage?” I asked. “You were all set to marry a woman ten years older than you before the King stole her away.”

“I wouldn’t have married her anyway,” Loki shrugged. “Not if I didn’t love her.”

“Now you’ve got integrity?” I scoffed. “You kidnapped me, and your father was a traitor.”

“I’ve never said a nice word about my father,” Loki said quickly. “And I’ve never done anything bad to you.”

“You still kidnapped me!” I said dubiously.

“Did I?” Loki cocked his head. “Because I remember Kyra kidnapping you, and me preventing her from pummeling you to death. Then, when you were coughing up blood, I sent for the Queen to help you. When you escaped, I didn’t stop you. And when I came here, I’ve done nothing against you. I’ve even been good since you told me to be. So what terrible crimes have I committed against you, Princess?”

“I-I-” I stammered. “I never said you did anything terrible.”

“Then why don’t you trust me?” Loki asked honestly.

“I do.” I furrowed my brow, confused by own admission. “I do trust you. I just don’t know why I do, and I don’t know why you’ve been helping me.”

“I already told you, Princess.” He smiled at me, and there was something sincere and sweet underlying. “You and I aren’t all that different.”

“You say that like it means something,” I said.

“Doesn’t it?” Loki asked.

“No, not really. You’re leaving today, going home to my enemies.” I let out a deep breath. “If I’m lucky, I’ll never see you again. Because if I do, that means we’re at war, and I’d have to hurt you.”

“Oh, Princess, that’s perhaps the saddest thing I’ve ever heard,” Loki said, and he looked like he meant it. “But life doesn’t have to be all doom and gloom. Don’t you ever see the silver lining?”

“Not today,” I shook my head. I heard Garrett saying my name from down the hall, which meant that lunch was over and meetings were about to start up. “I have to get back. I’ll see you when we make the exchange with the Vittra Queen.”

“Good luck,” he nodded.

I turned to walk away, and I hadn’t made it very far when I heard Loki calling after me.

“Princess!” Loki leaned out in the hall, so far it made him grimace with pain. “If you’re right, and the next time we see each other is when our kingdoms are at war, you and I never will be. I’ll never fight you. That I can promise you.”

The meetings continued on with their same grueling pace. They kept repeating the same things. What to do if the Vittra reneged on the deal. What to do if the Vittra attacked. What to do if the Vittra tried to kidnap me.

And it all boiled down to one answer - fight back. Tove and I would use our abilities, the trackers would use their strength and skill, and the Chancellor would cower in the corner.

We waited in the War Room for Sara to arrive. Aurora said we didn’t need to look too eager. At two-thirty, Elora released Loki, and he promised to be on his best behavior. Just the same, Thomas and Finn treated him like they thought he was a bomb about to explode.

Since we were meeting a warring dignitary, I thought I’d better look the part of the Princess, especially since Elora was unable to join us. I dressed in a dark violet gown, and I’d enlisted Willa to help me with my hair.

“If I’d known you’d look so beautiful, I would’ve gotten dressed up,” Loki teased when Finn and Thomas brought him into the War Room. Finn shoved him into a seat unnecessarily hard, but Loki didn’t protest.

“Don’t get familiar with the Princess,” Duncan told him, giving him a hard look.

“My apologies,” Loki said. “I wouldn’t want to get familiar with anyone.”

Loki looked about the room. Duncan, Finn, Thomas, Tove, the Chancellor, and I were the ones set to meet Sara. The rest of the house was on standby, should we need them, but we didn’t want to look like we were ambushing Sara when she arrived.

“Did you change your mind and decide to execute me?” Loki asked, looking us over. “Because you all look like you’re going to a funeral.”

“Not now,” I said, fidgeting with my bracelet and watching the clock.

“Then when, Princess?” Loki asked. “Because we only have about fifteen minutes until I leave.”

I rolled my eyes and ignored him.

By the time the door chimed, I’d taken to pacing the room. I nearly jumped when I heard it. This exchange was supposed to be clean and simple, but I wasn’t sure what to expect. My father had lied and betrayed the Trylle before.

“Here we go,” I said and took a deep breath.

I led the way down the corridor to the front hall. Duncan followed directly behind me on my left side, and Tove was at my right. Finn and Thomas each took one of Loki’s arms, in case he decided to struggle or fight, and the Chancellor brought up the rear.

Two other guards had let the Queen in, and they waited with her. She stood in the center of the rotunda, flakes of snow sticking to her crimson cloak. She’d pushed the hood down, and her cheeks were rosy from the cold. She’d arrived alone, except for Ludlow, the small hobgoblin I’d seen in the Vittra palace.

“Princess,” Sara smiled warmly when she saw me. She did a small curtsey, and I returned it, making sure to keep it equally small.

“Queen. I trust you traveled well,” I said.

“Yes, the roads were a bit icy.” She gestured to the doors behind her with velvet gloved hands. “I hope we didn’t keep you waiting.”

“No, you arrived on time,” I assured her.

“She’s here now,” Loki said, but I didn’t look back to see him pulling at Finn and Thomas. “Can you let me go?”

“Not until the agreement is finalized,” Finn said through gritted teeth.