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Maude didn’t answer. He saw her tighten her mouth as if she had to force herself to remain quiet. Herrick knew she wasn’t going to trust him again so soon; he had broken that trust when he hadn’t told her who he really was. He’d seen the betrayal on her face when she saw the welcoming party he had never expected.

While they had both been dishonest with each other, he knew that his withholding would hurt more as they had all pushed her to go to Veter with them. He knew he should’ve told her instead of running the risk of being intercepted the way they were.

Maude turned to look at Herrick and pulled her hood down now that they were in the privacy of his rooms. Herrick almost took a step back when he saw her eyes. Now that he was standing close to her, he saw her eyes were not black but the deepest moss green he had only ever seen in his dreams.

With her natural hair, Maude’s face transformed from the harsh and beautiful pit fighter with black hair and eyes to the stunning Heir of Flame. Her hair, the color of red wine in the growing darkness, contrasting with her tanned skin and green eyes, made it seem like there indeed was a Helcat beneath her skin, stalking and waiting for its release. Her scar stood out pink against her skin, adding to her fierce beauty rather than diminishing it.

He reached for her face and ran his fingers through her braid, loosening the pins keeping them in place. This caused her lengthy hair to fall to her waist, where he had placed his arm to pull her closer to him.

Herrick kept this hand twisted in her hair, tilting her head slightly to look him in the eyes as he said, “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you who I was. I’ve wanted to since Engate, but you were just starting to trust me, and I wasn’t strong enough to break that trust by telling you the truth about me.”

Maude closed her eyes, her hands gripping his biceps.

“I know why you didn’t tell me. I’m not angry. I didn’t tell you who I used to be either,” she said quietly.

“That’s still who you are, Maude,” Herrick said quickly, holding her tighter as she tried to pull away from him.

“The day I ran from that Hel was the day I stopped being Maude Helvig, Heir to the Kingdom of Flame. Now I’m just Maude, a pit fighter who goes through life alone because she never had any other choice. I will always be running, Herrick. Do you understand that?” Maude lashed out at him, trying to pull away again.

Herrick brought his forehead down to meet hers as he closed his eyes and brought both hands to either side of her face.

“Yes, you are Maude, the pit fighter who bites anyone who comes close enough. But you are also the woman who noticed Eydis was afraid and was the only one who bothered to stop and comfort her; the woman who saved my life by creating a sling and carrying my dead weight down a wall; the woman who wanted to be a healer when she was young, never losing her gentle touch, even in the face of whatever horrible things that have happened to her.”

Herrick pulled back to look at her as he spoke the last few words of his short speech, running his thumb over her temple. He had expected anger but only saw resistance shining in her green eyes.

“I’m not a good person, Herrick,” she whispered. “Don’t paint me out to be one. You don’t know me.”

“Let me know you,minn eldr,” he pleaded, voice dropping to a whisper. “Let me in.”

There was a knock on the door, their bubble of tension evaporating like the mists of the early mornings in Veter.

Maude pulled away quickly and faced the city again, her hair billowing behind her in a dense curtain as the wind picked up. Herrick sighed and left her alone to answer the door. He hesitated at the entrance to his rooms and turned to look at Maude in her solitary state, admiring the strength this incredible woman didn’t seem to realize she possessed. She would not let him in right now, but that didn’t mean he would stop trying.

Herrick opened the door leading to the hallway that would take him to Gunnar’s room and found one of the handmaidens who worked for his mother. She curtsied as he inclined his head to her.

“Good evening, General. I come bearing a request that Princess Maude and you attend a private supper with Her Majesty in two hours' time. I am to escort the Princess to her rooms and dress her.”

He cringed, already hearing the outrage that would spawn from the title.

“I don’t imagine it’ll go over well if you refer to her as a Princess. Do me a favor and just refer to her as Maude; it will make her more comfortable.”

“But Her Majesty—”

“Please, as the General, I am trying to avoid a future conflict. Wait here, I’ll bring her to you.”

The handmaiden nodded and waited as Herrick turned back to the balcony. Maude stood still like a statue in the wind, eyes closed and focused on some inner exercise. He saw her mouth moving as she counted to herself. When she opened her eyes, she turned to Herrick as if she felt his eyes on her.

“My mother is requesting we join her for a private supper tonight. I imagine she wants to speak with you. One of her handmaidens is at the door and is going to escort you to your rooms so you can dress.”

Herrick winced as he relayed the message to her, watching for any resistance to play across her features, but only reluctant acceptance appeared. She nodded and walked past him toward the door. As she passed him, Herrick gently gripped her hand and brought the back of her palm up to his lips, placing a soft kiss on her warm skin.

“I’ll see you at supper,” Herrick said as he winked at her.

The hint of pink that had begun to appear on her cheeks disappeared as she rolled her eyes at his attempt to charm her. She slipped her hand from his, leaving a trail of her fire that Herrick felt keenly.

She walked out of his room and glanced over her shoulder at him, a little uncertain, one last time before she was led to whichever rooms his mother had set up for her.

Herrick didn’t know when Maude had dropped her front; maybe it was when they finally left Logi behind, or perhaps it was when they had fought the raiders who attacked them, and she had saved his life again. Maude had kept her barriers up from the moment he had met her, had fought bitterly to keep them solid, and while they were still present, she had let him see through the cracks a bit.