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Maude could only stare. There were no thoughts in her mind. No emotions. She was an empty vessel that the information poured through, swirling and intensifying with every second it sat with her.

They sat in silence for so long that Maude felt they were suspended in time. Her reality had warped into something she couldn’t understand.

“You’re lying,” she whispered when she found her voice.

“My dear, I understand that this is difficult to accept, but she married the King of Flame as a way to get close to him so she could feed us his plans,” Alva said, her face filled with sympathy that sparked contempt deep in Maude’s soul.

“Sylvi was a fire vitki from Dagsbrun that had sought shelter in our kingdom from the Flame soldiers patrolling nearby. They had heard rumors of a girl with a talent for fire and came to seek her out for the Betrothal Ball that would be held for Harald to choose a wife so he could ascend his throne,” Alva began.

Maude could only fix her stare on the Queen’s face, unable to do anything but listen.

“She entered our kingdom when I was still the Heir Apparent. Sylvi was only seventeen when she came to Veter and begged for asylum. She and I grew to be fast friends when she received a place amongst the handmaidens in the palace. ”

Alva paused as the staff placed steaming plates of food in front of each of them. Once the room settled into silence at the departure of the staff, Alva waved to them both to eat. Feeling the dizzying effects of the wine mingling with her shock, Maude took a few mechanical bites of the food.

She only tasted ash in her mouth.

“We had lessons together growing up, and both became very skilled in our galder use, surpassing our skill with blades quickly. Sylvi had always had a quick mind and a sharp tongue. She was charismatic and beautiful, the envy of all the women in Veter with her deep red hair and golden skin. My father had taken an interest in Sylvi’s charm and offered her a position as Emissary within our court when she had turned twenty.

She had been delighted by the idea but said it hadn’t felt right to accept. ”

Maude tried to process all that was being said and was struggling to align this fantastic woman with who she remembered to be her mother.

“How did she end up married to Helvig then?” Herrick asked his mother, sparing Maude the need to speak the question that was burning through her.

“A year after she had turned the position down, Harald had ascended to the Throne of Flame after the sudden death of his father, preceding the need to marry before he took the crown. We had gotten distressing news from our spies in Logi quickly after his ascension,” Alva answered.

“They had intercepted a message meant for Harald about preparing their armies to march on the Kingdom of Rivers.”

Maude saw that Herrick seemed surprised by the information. She still felt numb, unable to do more than listen to this tale of who her mother really was.

“Shortly after that message, there was silence from our spies. No one was able to get through to them. By this point, I was set to marry Njal and take our throne over from my father. Sylvi came to me with an idea for her to serve as our spy; she would travel to Hallifell and make it known that she was a fire vitki in hopes that the Flame Soldiers would find her and bring her to Logi. She would orchestrate the same event that drove her to Veter: she lost her temper and accidentally burnt down an inn outside Dagsbrun. She figured it wouldn’t be difficult to do it again in Hallifell.

She never imagined what would happen when she made it to their court. ”

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. Many details 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.

He knew Maude well enough now that he knew she was still hiding something, but he also knew he could not push her. Only the gods knew he tried every day.