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Trying to focus on the night sky to calm her raging emotions, Maude blocked out her traveling companions.

Gunnar and Liv were silent, each person absorbed by their task.

Hakon and Eydis had stayed bundled up together in the back of the longboat, exchanging whispers and the occasional hidden kiss.

Hakon had seemed determined to remain faithful to Eydis during his Betrothal Ball, and Maude could not fault him for wanting to follow his heart.

She had been trying to outrun her fate for ten years and still found herself in its clutches from time to time, but at least she only had to contend with herself in this.

Hakon, torn between his kingdom and his love for Eydis, was finding it impossible to decide to do anything but run from his responsibilities.

Pity swelled in Maude at their circumstances.

Eydis was lovely and seemed to dote on Hakon endlessly, while Hakon was always careful with her but supportive and encouraging.

They had found each other in a world that separated them by class as well as a kingdom.

Still, they held firm to the belief that they would end up together. Maude hoped they were right.

Gunnar whistled to Herrick then, a short burst of sound to signal the boathouse ahead of them.

Herrick broke from his statue-like vigil at the bow and stood to gather the ropes used to tie the boat down.

Sitting up, Maude turned to face forward and saw a small village set on the banks of the river illuminated by the dawn breaking over the eastern horizon.

The borders consisted of a solid wall of forest that separated them from the shore of Ahland, creating a mostly impenetrable force for the citizens of this village.

Gunnar and Herrick made quick work of docking the longboat while the rest of them exited onto the docks.

“Welcome to Tafeld,” Liv said theatrically, wiggling her fingers as she motioned toward the sleepy village with her hands.

Maude rolled her eyes and scanned the small village, noting the clay houses and rudimentary town square centered around a water well.

Seeing no immediate threat, their group crept into the sleeping village and made their way to an unnamed tavern in hopes of bartering for horses.

Liv and Gunnar led the group, with Hakon and Eydis sandwiched in the middle, while Herrick and Maude covered the back of the group.

Maude had assumed he would lead but had wordlessly insisted on staying close to her.

She tried to ignore the bubbly feeling in her chest, crediting her exhaustion for the strange feeling.

Gunnar went inside to purchase some supplies while Liv asked after horses, which left Maude and Herrick alone with the young lovers.

Maude flashed a warning look at Herrick and then eyed the couple.

Herrick, without needing the verbal warning, nodded at Maude and then called to Hakon, asking for an opinion on their best travel route.

As the brothers crouched over their map, Maude walked over to Eydis and leaned against the side of the tavern next to the young woman.

“I don’t know how straightforward anyone else has been with you, Eydis, but this…

thing between you and Hakon won’t end well,” Maude said, ever the straight shooter.

Seeing her face fall and eyes fill with tears, Maude softened her tone.

“I just mean that while you and Hakon seem to care for each other very much, bigger forces are keeping you apart. And I don’t want to see you get hurt in the crossfire of a decision that was made long before you arrived in this kingdom. ”

Eydis was quiet for a while as she watched the brothers argue over routes to Dagsbrun.

“We don’t get to choose who we love,” Eydis whispered, calling back to the exact words she spoke to Maude.

“I don’t know how to handle this, though.

You’re not the first person to warn me about how this can end for us.

I know my chances of a happy future with Hakon are slim, but…

he has shown me a new way to live. He has shown me a stronger way to exist, just like you and Liv have.

He has shown me a passion I have never known before. ”

She turned to face Maude, her tears flowing freely now at her overwhelming emotion, making her caramel eyes glow in the early morning light.

“Hakon kept me alive in that desert and then showed me how to keep myself alive. He makes me feel like there is something worth living for after so much death and destruction.”

Maude controlled her features at her words.

“I tried to stay away,” Eydis sniffed. “I tried to distance myself after we discovered who he is, but I couldn’t. Every night, I felt myself being pushed toward him like I had no control over myself. And when I did, I would run into him like that time we spent at The Broken Axe.”

Maude gave her a half smile, but it fell quickly. This was too similar to how she felt about Herrick.

“I gave up trying to stay away, but I have not forgotten who he is and the responsibility that weighs on him,” Eydis continued. “I won’t let myself come between him and his kingdom.”

“Easy to say, harder to do,” Maude pointed out.

“I know,” Eydis said, deflating. “But for now… for now, I want to enjoy our time together. ”

Maude nodded her understanding. A tense silence filled the air between them as Eydis eyed Maude.

Deciding on something, Eydis nodded and said, “I know we don’t talk about it, and we don’t have this relationship, but you are the Heir of Flame, Maude. I heard you talking to Liv about the ambush.”

Maude did not respond.

“Helvig wanted them to bring you back to Logi, didn’t he? He wanted to drag you back into your old life again. That’s why those assassins attacked you tonight.”

Still, Maude did not respond.

“I won’t ask you why you ran away,” Eydis said. “But I will say that I’m happy that you did. Even if the kingdom needs an Heir like you, I’m glad to know you as my friend and not as the Heir Apparent.”

She tensed at her words —my friend .

Looking at Eydis, Maude saw nothing but the truth shining in her face.

Eydis had faced the death of her parents and the uncertainty of the desert to save her siblings after her galder manifested.

She had traveled through brutal terrain, keeping her head up and eyes sharp with little to no training, and had shown no changes in how she treated Maude or the Kolbeck brothers after their lies were uncovered.

She had stopped Maude from making a huge mistake by leaving in the dead of night.

She had seen Maude’s explosive temper and thought nothing of it.

Eydis had remained soft and hopeful in the face of so much doubt because she believed in her love. She was stronger than Maude in all the ways that counted.

“I’m glad you are my friend too, Eydis,” Maude whispered, unable to speak over the emotion clogging her airway.

Eydis grinned, her face lighting up the dank alleyway. Then she slapped Maude’s arm .

“Hey!” Maude exclaimed.

“Then, as your friend, can I ask what is stopping you from going after your happiness?” Eydis asked, looking pointedly at Herrick and then back at her.

Maude faltered for a moment before looking between Herrick and Eydis.

“Because if he gets too close, he’ll get hurt. Herrick represents all that is good in this godsforsaken world, and I am…not,” Maude said, avoiding eye contact with Eydis.

She was quiet for a moment. Then, she smacked her on the arm again. Maude jumped back and glowered at her new friend.

“You are full of shit, and you know it,” Eydis scolded as she rolled her eyes.

Maude gaped at her before she let out a startled laugh, Eydis following suit quickly.

“Herrick is the only other person who speaks to me like that,” Maude chuckled as they both straightened.

“Well, he may be onto something,” Eydis said, grinning. “It seems to be the only way to get through your thick skull.”

Eydis reached for Maude’s head and gently nudged it as she spoke, forcing another sharp chuckle from Maude.

She only shook her head at the woman as the brothers made their way back to where they stood.

Herrick had been eyeing her when she had been laughing with Eydis and opened his mouth to speak when Gunnar exited the tavern at the same time, packs laden with food and supplies for their trip.

Herrick quickly relieved Gunnar of some of the packs while Maude did the same, giving herself a reason to avoid looking at Herrick. Gunnar protested but Maude only shushed him. A knowing glint entered Gunnar’s eye, having noticed how she avoided Herrick .

“Hey! Over here!” Liv’s voice came from behind the small tavern.

Rounding the corner of the alleyway, the group stepped into a small open field that backed the small town right before the tree line. In the center stood three horses. Maude stopped dead in her tracks.

“This has to be a joke,” she huffed.

“I’m riding with Gunnar,” Liv said, winking at Maude.

They all split up into their pairs and started loading the packs onto the horses. Maude grabbed Liv by the arm and pulled her aside.

“Switch with me,” she growled.

“Nope,” Liv said flippantly. “I’m forcing you together. Just get over yourselves and spare us all the longing glances, will you? It’s getting old.”

Liv winked and quickly evaded Maude’s further attempts to stop the flighty woman from running off again. Maude watched her walk away with an incredulous look on her face. Moving toward the horse she was to share once more with the General of Rivers, Maude focused on their journey ahead.

“Problem?” he asked, humor in his eyes as his dimple made an appearance.

“Of course not,” Maude grumbled as she pulled herself up onto the horse, not even fighting it when Herrick settled himself behind her again.

The memory of Herrick’s lips on hers threatened to overwhelm her again, so Maude quickly went through a breathing exercise Liv had taught her.