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Alva paused to sip her wine, so Maude took the opportunity to ask a question, finally shaking her stupor.

“Why did she go to Hallifell?”

“It’s a small town close to our borders up north, so travel there would be quick. We were able to send her with what she needed to make the journey, including fine silks and jewelry, to blend in at court once she contacted our spies,” Alva said as she placed her glass down on the table.

Maude’s fingers had begun drumming on the table, impatient to hear the rest of the story.

“She left us thirty years ago, and yet, it feels as if she was just here. I miss her friendship every day.”

Alva placed her hand on top of Maude’s fidgeting hands and gave her a warm smile. “Sylvi was my closest friend. It is a privilege to know you, Maude.”

Unable to even process the story she'd been listening to, Maude couldn’t smile back at her just yet.

Unswayed, Alva continued, “Two years after she left, we finally received word from her that she had settled in Logi. Sylvi had found that the spies we had employed had been captured and killed. The most unsettling news she sent to us, though, was that she had been able to disguise herself well enough as a noble, and the King had decided to court her. She wrote that he had been ‘enchanted by her beauty and modesty’ or something indignant like that,” Alva said as she rolled her eyes.

“Yes, that sounds like him,” Maude muttered as she sipped her wine, altogether abandoning her meal.

“The next letter we received confirmed that she had played her role well enough that they were to be married. After that, her updates were infrequent and short, as she had so little time to get these messages through to us, but she did take the time to write about you and your sister often. She loved you both dearly.”

Tears pricked Maude’s eyes, and shame washed through her at Alva’s words. Maude closed her eyes before she could shed tears in front of the royal family.

“Sylvi did a lot for this kingdom in her time as our spy, Maude. She saved many lives by warning us of any attacks that were planned, forcing them to fall through and keep the peace treaty between our kingdoms intact,” Alva finished as she set down her wine and turned in her chair to face Maude fully.

“The rest you will know better than me, I suppose. I received word that she had died ten years ago, but the circumstances were unclear. Her last letter hadn’t been unusual in any way, and then it seemed as if she had been wiped off the face of the earth,” Alva said, her voice dropping into a leading tone.

Maude looked at the Queen and knew what question would drop from her lips next, so she interrupted Alva when she opened her mouth to voice it.

“I ran from the castle when I was sixteen, ten years ago. In my hasty and impulsive escape, soldiers had tried to stop me in the courtyard of the eastern wall. I slaughtered them all.” She paused. “I made it to the top of the wall before I heard her scream my name,” Maude said in a quiet voice, not sure if Herrick or Alva had heard her words.

Maude shot a look at Herrick before continuing and saw the encouragement in his eyes, sealing her fate.

“It was too late; she was already dead. I couldn’t do anything, so I jumped and ran for my life. I’ve been running ever since,” Maude finished quickly.

Herrick gave her a slightly puzzled look before he covered it up and faced his mother.

“I found Maude participating in the illegal fighting pits, and she helped us get out of some difficult situations we found ourselves in when leaving Logi,” Herrick said, tone neutral.

It was Maude’s turn to shoot him a look of bewilderment.Manydetails were missing from his story about her.

Alva seemed impressed at the idea of Maude fighting in the pits, which seemed odd to her, but Herrick was her son, and perhaps Iduna’s apple didn’t fall far from the tree.

Clasping her hands together, Alva said to them, “I’ve given you both a lot to think about tonight; it is clear this all came as a shock to you. Please excuse me; I plan to retire for the evening.”

She stood, Herrick and Maude following suit.

“Thank you for supper tonight, Alva. I may not look like it, but I am also glad we got to meet. Thank you for telling me so much about my mother. I think of her every day, and this has helped me feel a bit closer to her, even now,” Maude said to Alva, inclining her head and hoping the Queen could not pick up on her honeyed words.

“It’s been a pleasure, my dear. We will speak again soon.”

Alva gave her a warm smile and grasped Maude’s hand, squeezing her fingers lightly. Herrick walked his mother to her door. As she walked with him, Maude could see Alva give Herrick a worried look after she glanced back at Maude that he didn’t seem to notice. After Maude’s succinct speech about how she slaughtered her father’s soldiers with half a thought,she supposed Alva might warn her son to stay away from someone like Maude.

Maybe the warning would stick with Herrick this time.

Tense quiet followed Herrick and Maude as he walked her back to her room for the night.

The joking and lighthearted woman who had exited Maude’s bedroom was a ghost now as they made their way through the empty halls of the palace. When his mother told them of Maude’s mother, Sylvi Helvig, the Queen of Flame, Herrick listened but was more concerned with Maude’s reaction. She had been quiet, her eyes glazed over.

Maude had told them that she had run away from her life, that she slew anyone who stood in her way. She had sounded hollow as she recounted her escape. Herrick had noticed right before she finished her story that she had looked at him and scrutinized him for a moment. He had tried to appear supportive, but it seemed that was not what Maude had been looking for because she ended her story abruptly after.