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Liv shouted instructions to a group of soldiers by the front of the Midnight Palace, her orders ringing out over the noisy hall they stood in.

They all bowed and headed into Nida to ask civilians if they were willing to host some of the vitki Sigurd brought with him from Logi as even more humans were ushered through the large, polished black doors.

Their numbers had quickly overwhelmed the space available in the palace, so Aeric was currently in the process of politely asking the nobles who tended to stay within the palace walls to return to their homes and estates so that they may house the vitki in their rooms. While most of the Elven nobles were happy to help their king, Liv took notice of the few who seemed reluctant or were inclined to turn their noses up at the human refugees that had traveled north in search of safety from Helvig.

She committed every name to memory as they passed her in the halls, their disgusted faces marking them.

Since they'd arrived back in Nida the day before, Liv had not had a moment of rest. She'd preferred it that way; otherwise, she would be paralyzed with worry about Bryn and the others. Busy was better for Liv; stagnancy invited a maelstrom of agony that would never leave her.

Instead, in the brief moments her mind was able to wander, Liv entertained herself with being reunited with the vibrant woman she'd been so drawn to.

Only a few days apart, and already she cursed her thoughts.

It had been too long since Liv had felt like this about someone, and even then, she had never felt this strongly before .

Midsommar's Eve had been disastrous for them.

Even if they had parted ways in Hlidestad on good terms, Liv still felt a deep embarrassment about how she'd acted.

The high energy of the full moon on one of the biggest solar days of the year had influenced her more than she had realized— the wildness of the forest, the pounding beat of the drums played by other worshippers, the ale that she and Bryn had been drinking before they'd clashed in the quiet, forgotten corner of the cabin they all shared.

She had been the driving force and violent cease to their disastrous clash.

By trying to do the right thing, she may have severed any chance with Bryn.

All of it had led to disaster, and now Liv wanted nothing more than to repair whatever damage had been done.

She felt deeply for Bryn and wanted to rebuild their friendship, even if all she could do was imagine all the sounds Bryn would make under her dedicated attention until she was writhing under Liv—sweat-slicked and satisfied.

She had only gotten a taste and Liv would never be the same again.

Even the thought made her skin grow tight, her belly molten as she imagined what it would be like to dip her fingers inside Bryn's inviting heat.

She imagined all the ways she would make Bryn squirm with pleasure, her tall, slender body splayed out for Liv.

She imagined her hazel eyes darkening as her lids grew heavier.

Soon, Liv was clenching her thighs together as her imagination ran off with daydreams about Brynna Helvig for the thousandth time that morning.

"Liv!"

A man called out her name from across the crowded hall she stood in, pulling her from her sultry thoughts of the Helvig heir. In the end, it didn't matter if Liv felt like this about Bryn because if her feelings weren't shared, Liv would not jeopardize their friendship. She valued it too much.

Pushing away her desires, Liv focused on who was calling out to her. Pressing through a group of vitki , Sigurd made his way to her side with a tall man who seemed to be both wary and in awe of his surroundings.

Reaching out with one arm, Liv grasped Sigurd's forearm as he gripped hers. "I'm glad to see you've made it here safely, my friend. "

"It was quite the journey, but I had some help," Sigurd replied, gesturing over his shoulder to a stout woman who appeared from behind him and the stranger at his side.

"Thora!" Liv exclaimed as the older woman grasped her tightly in an embrace that lifted her off the floor. "It's good to see you."

The woman laughed before saying, "I said I was looking for a better fate when ye left me in Engate. It was time to join the rest of the resistance against that bastard Helvig."

"We're happy to have you," Liv beamed at the innkeeper who had offered them refuge too many times to count over the years.

Waving over a young Elven boy who worked in the palace, Liv continued, "This is Frey; he will bring you to your rooms. I have some business to attend to with Sigurd, but I'll find you later. Rest in the meantime."

Thora squeezed her hands and then turned her attention to the young male who held an arm out for her. Without hesitation, Thora wound her arm with the young male's and said, "Lead the way fer these old bones, youngin'."

Liv chuckled as the two disappeared down the hall, leaving her alone with Sigurd and the man who now watched her with suspicion.

Her friend cleared his throat as waves of annoyance seemed to radiate off the stranger.

"Liv, this is Finn." He motioned to the man whose dark green eyes and fair reddish blonde hair seemed at odds with each other. "He is a blacksmith who has been working with the rebellion in Logi."

Liv narrowed her eyes at the mistrust Finn was showing even as she reached out to grasp his forearm.

"Welcome to Nida, I'm sure Sigurd explained the involvement of the Elven to you on your trip," Liv said carefully.

Finn nodded as an equally tall woman with golden blonde hair that hung in heavy ropes down her waist and light hazel eyes came up behind him, a small bundle wrapped around her chest. Though she stood eye to eye with Liv, her straight spine and the way her focus shifted from her to Finn told Liv that this woman was no idle companion.

She would be just as vocal as any of the strong women Liv had known.

"He explained it all, I'm just having trouble believing it," Finn replied, his voice strained. "I thought that when Sigurd mentioned allies in the north, he was talking about nomads in Finniskali."

Well, that explained his hesitation. Liv snorted.

"To be fair to Sigurd, he only just discovered our existence too."

The woman behind Finn chuckled, her serious features cracking with the action and softening her face into one of strong beauty. She put a hand on Finn's shoulder.

"The world is not what we thought it was," she whispered to him. "That is a good thing."

She released him before extending her arm to Liv. As she reached forward to grip the woman's arm, she spied the perthro rune inked on the inside of her wrist.

"I am Frida," she said warmly.

Liv grasped her arm. "You're a seer."

Frida nodded, her smile radiant as she released Liv's arm and put a finger over her lips. "I am, but I'm retired now ever since I married Finn. Someone had to reign in his temper, and I couldn't manage that from the temples in Logi."

Finn wrapped an arm around his wife's waist before ducking to muss her hair with his lips, a smile carving through his fierce features and softening them before he placed his free hand on the bundle at her chest.

"And this is Annika," he said softly, his voice reverent and he revealed the sleeping babe. "She is quiet now, but like her mother, she is opinionated."

Liv smiled then, her instant like for the family overpowering the previous hesitation she had at their arrival.

Sigurd chuckled at Finn's side, his eyes sad for a moment before he shook away the emotion.

Liv's chest tightened at how his life was about to drastically change. She needed to get him alone.

"Well, Finn and Frida, I'll have your rooms set up next to Sigurd's and one of our soldiers will escort you there now so you can rest. I'll come check in on you and introduce you to the King of Shadows later, okay?" Liv said as she waved over one of the Elven standing guard at the doors .

Finn looked like he was going to protest at the dismissal, but Frida put a hand on her husband's arm and shushed him. She gave Liv a knowing look before glancing to Sigurd and pulling Finn away from them. As the family headed away from them, Liv motioned for Sigurd to follow her.

"Finn can be difficult to get to know, but he is fiercely loyal to those he loves and our cause," Sigurd explained with a sigh.

Liv smiled. "I like him. I like his wife more, though."

Sigurd laughed then. "Yes, Frida is the main reason we can reign him in at all."

"They're lovely," Liv said genuinely.

"And what of the prisoners you freed? Have they started to recover from their captivity?" he asked her as Liv started to lead them away from the crowds. "I'm sure they've settled in well?"

Liv cleared her throat. "Actually, that is something I wish to discuss with you."

She led them to a side door that led to the kitchens, the hall acting as a sort of servant's corridor for those who worked in the palace. The hall would exit where Liv and her friends' rooms were. The same hall where Sigurd's family were currently residing in.

As they walked through the silent corridor, Liv studied the pit keepers. He was travel weary— his clothes rumpled but clean, and his beard was a little unruly, but otherwise, he looked the same. The only real difference was in his eyes.

When she had seen him last, he had been jaded and angry. Now, while that anger over Helvig's injustices would always linger, he seemed energized. He had a purpose these last few years and had been smuggling out vitki for years, but now he was doing more than just being the go-between man.

They reached the end and exited into the plush hallway that housed their rooms. As they reached the door that would alter Sigurd's life as soon as she opened it, Liv placed a hand on his arm and slowed him to a stop.