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Maude said nothing. She could never forget the burden placed on her when she was so young. But Hakon was being forced to marry when she had been forced to become an assassin, a thief, and a killer—a monster.

Not wanting to burn the pub down in a fit of her emotions, she brushed it off and nodded.

“Yes, I remember. It’s not easy or pleasant having your entire life planned for you without factoring in what you want out of life,” Maude said, looking back at Eydis.

Maude’s eyes briefly landed on Herrick, who had also been glancing at her. She wondered what news he had received but dared not ask. Turns out, she wouldn’t have to.

“Funny enough, that’s what Herrick is struggling with right now. Did you know there is a rule in the treaty between our kingdoms that prohibits members of each royal family from having a relationship? Something about their children being too powerful with all four elements. I believe that treaty rule extends to any mixing ofgalder, even amongst the citizens of each kingdom.”

Maude froze as he processed his words. She waited for relief to fill her, but all that came was despair. For the second time in her life, she cursed the gods for the fate they dealt to her.

Clearing her throat, she said, “No, I did not know that.”

“I say to Hel with that,” Hakon grumbled.

Yes, he wouldfeel that way, she thought.

Five steins of mead were placed in front of them, and Hakon flipped a few coins onto the counter. He grabbed three of the steins and turned to leave.

Before he walked off, he paused and said over his shoulder, “I say that we should get to be with who we love. I say we should get to do the things that light us up from within. I say we should get to choose.”

“Hear, hear,” Maude replied half-heartedly.

Hakon’s words echoed through her mind as she walked back to the table. She agreed with him, but that never changed anything. She had taken the coward's road and ran from her problems while Hakon was still clearly fighting for his right to choose how he wanted to live.

Yes, they should get to choose. That didn’t mean they would get to.

Hours later, their small party had finally left The Broken Axe and headed back for the palace. Liv and Eydis were laughing as they sang a crude song that had been playing earlier that night, swaying back and forth as Hakon laughed with them.

Maude had ended up in the back of the group with Herrick somehow, and the strained quiet between them was starting to weigh on her. Having downed another three tankards of ale before they finally left, Maude had begun to feel like the world was spinning around her.

Perhaps that last drink had been too much.

Maude’s head had been plagued with the information Hakon had dropped on her that night about the treaty rules. She supposed it made sense to control thegalderin family lines to limit any claims to the throne outside the royal families, but from what she knew and felt about hergalder, it didn’t enjoy being restricted.

Maude also didn’t know what to do with the fact that she had felt so disappointed by the news when she should’ve felt relief. She knewthis was the right thing for her and Herrick, and yet she mourned. Herrick had clearly been unhappy with the news. So much so that he had tried to avoid her, and now he refused to speak to her.

Maude didn’t know what hurt more: the news that anything between them would not be tolerated or his evasion of her now that they both knew.

Herrick walked beside her stoically, but now and then, she felt his eyes on her, their golden hue almost glowing in the night.

Maude turned away from him quickly, but the alcohol in her system caused her to stumble. Before she could hit the ground, though, strong hands wrapped around her and pulled her up to her feet again. Feeling another wave of dizziness, her knees almost gave out, and she grasped Herrick’s shirt.

Liv, Eydis, and Hakon were far enough away now that their singing had become distant. Maude knew that she should step back but she found herself unable to move away from the cage of his body. Herrick’s grip on her loosened slightly while she relaxed her grip on his shirt, laying her palm flat on his chest and feeling the steady, rapid beat of his heart under her touch.

Maude looked up into Herrick’s face, unsure of what she would see. Her breath became shallow when she saw the pain in his eyes, so she withdrew and wrapped her arms around her chest. Herrick opened his mouth to speak but then closed it quickly.

They both turned to the palace and quickly made their way up the Grand Staircase to the floor that housed their rooms. Her earlier companions were nowhere to be found, so she was left to walk with Herrick alone.

As they neared the hall that would split and lead them each to their rooms, Maude stopped and faced Herrick. “You’ve been quiet today.”

“What would you like me to say, Maude?” Herrick asked, facing away from her.

The use of her name shouldn’t have been a knife to her heart.

“I don’t know, anything is better than this silence,” she huffed.

Herrick only looked at her for a moment before he started to turn toward his room and walk away.