Page 2

CHAPTER 2

BJORN

T he blonde-haired beauty on my arm gave me a heated smile, lowering her long lashes and then gazing up at me once more as we twirled around the room.

“I am quite adept at all styles of dance, of course. I’ve trained since I was a young girl. Is there a waltz you prefer?” Ingri asked, beaming a smile that could probably be seen from the southern kingdoms.

“No. I feel equal toward them all,” I replied, my true meaning being I disliked them all equally, but I wouldn’t be rude enough to say so to the chieftain’s daughter.

It was not her fault I disliked dancing, loud parties, or rooms packed with people—such as the one I found myself currently trapped in.

The noise in the great hall reverberated off the carved timbers overhead.

The king, my father, laughed loudly.

His booming laughter filled the entire room and warmed it too, which was no small feat in Frostfjord, where even our summers felt like winter to southern visitors.

Pounding his fist on the table, he laughed at a joke one of his men had told him.

Beside him, my mother, her long hair pulled into a braid over her shoulder, leaned across the table to speak to Princess Bibka, the frost giantess princess whose family was visiting Frostfjord for trade.

My mother’s eyes kept darting between me and her target.

I flicked a glance at Princess Bibka.

The giantess princess was a beauty with her pale blue skin and long, dark-blue hair, but she looked even more uncomfortable than me.

She was, however, precisely the sort of person my mother deemed perfect.

Ingri had been my mother’s primary target until Bibka arrived.

“So, your wife would have access to all her husband’s royal allowance, would she not?” Ingri asked, pulling my attention back with the subtlety of a battering ram.

“With that, she could purchase whatever she liked, right? I don’t mean to be rude to ask, but my father has always been very sparing with his wealth, and all my dresses are nearly threadbare! Just look,” she said, gesturing to her bodice which was decidedly not threadbare.

She jutted her heaving breasts toward me with such force I nearly had to step back, leaving me wondering how she’d managed to keep them from popping out of the top of her gown.

Ingri smiled coyly.

“Do you see, Bjorn? I mean, do you really see?”

“I…”

She grinned, then exhaled sadly, a practiced pout forming on her lips.

“I would want to ensure I looked my best for you at court in Frostfjord. A prince’s wife should sparkle as brightly as his treasury, don’t you think?”

I smiled politely, but out of the corner of my eye, I saw my mother signaling to the musicians to wrap things up.

Thank the Nine Gods.

“I… Yes, I suppose so.”

“I knew you would see. I hope you don’t find me forward in asking. I’m just a future-minded kind of girl. Are you future-minded, Prince Bjorn?” Ingri asked again, giving me what she clearly thought was a sweet smile and pressing her chest against mine with such determination I feared she might leave an imprint.

Ingri was very beautiful and smelled heavenly, and I was not blind to the allure of her threadbare bodice, but in terms of having anything in common, we were somewhere in the negative.

Possibly in another realm entirely.

“Well, I…” I began, but blessedly, the reel ended.

I took a step back, giving Ingri a polite bow.

“Lady Ingri,” I said.

“It was a pleasure.”

Ingri’s brow flexed, a flicker of worry crossing her features as she realized her quarry was about to get away.

“Shall we dance the next?—”

“Bjorn,” my mother’s voice called sharply across the hall.

“Come.”

“If you will excuse me,” I told Ingri, bowing to her again, nearly dizzy with relief.

“Of course, Prince Bjorn. Don’t stay away for long,” she said, blowing me a kiss while her eyes glinted with a coy smile that didn’t quite reach their calculating depths.

I turned, catching sight of my family seated at the long table at the front of the room.

My eldest brother, Alvar, was talking with my father and his men, all of them laughing.

His wife, Astrid, who regarded my existence with vague notice, was gossiping with her sisters.

Beside them, Magnus, my other older brother, was engaged in what looked like a torturous conversation with his new fiancée.

It was apparent to everyone but my mother, who had arranged the pairing, that they were a terrible match.

Magnus, one of the bravest of our men, looked like he wanted to crawl under the table and hide.

I cringed at the sight.

My baby brother, Fen, all of fifteen, was too young for my mother’s attentions yet .

He had escaped with a gaggle of other boys his age.

They were holed up in one corner of the room comparing their…

forearms?

What were they doing, exactly?

I chuckled lightly, and then my gaze shifted to my younger sister, Asa.

When Asa caught my eye, she laughed gleefully at my apparent misery.

I gave her a knowing, don’t laugh, you’re next , look.

At eighteen, my sister Asa was Queen Maren’s next target once our mother had secured a match for me.

Luckily for Asa, I was making things difficult for our mother.

Apparently, being uninterested in marriage made you a poor candidate for everyone—except Ingri.

Pulling on a placid smile, I joined my mother.

“Bjorn,” my mother said politely.

“You will join Princess Bibka for the next dance.”

“Of course,” I replied, turning to the princess and extending my hand.

“Princess.”

Princess Bibka gave a grunting assent, took my hand, and joined me on the dance floor.

If anyone thought I was stiff when I danced, they had not seen Princess Bibka.

She was…

glacial.

I smiled.

Perhaps I had finally found someone I had something in common with.

“How are you finding Frostfjord, Princess?” I asked.

She paused a long moment, then said, “Hot.”

“Yes, I would imagine even Frostfjord is warm for those of you from The Northern Reach.”

She didn’t reply.

We more veered than twirled around the dance floor.

Struggling to find a topic of conversation, I finally said, “I admit I’m not much for dancing or singing. I can warble our royal song, badly, when forced, but I prefer more active hobbies. I spend much time with my father’s Master of Horse. I prefer to be outside, tending to our unicorns or on my father’s ships. Do you have any hobbies you enjoy?”

She did not respond for so long that I thought she had not heard me.

Finally, she said, “No.”

“I… What do you enjoy?”

“Sitting.”

Struggling for a moment, I finally said, “Yes… I…I also enjoy a good…chair.” I flicked my gaze to the princess’s family.

Alvar had joined them.

He was smiling and laughing with Frost Giant King Rarki.

They were all cheerful and engaged in animated conversation.

Confused by the stark contrast and worried I had somehow offended the princess, I said, “Princess, I’m sorry, have I done something to?—”

“You are the third prince.”

“Yes.”

“You are too far from the throne. And too short,” she told me, then turned and left me on the dance floor.

Clearing my throat and willing my cheeks not to turn red, I mustered up my dignity and rejoined my sister, slipping into the seat beside her.

“What happened? Step on her foot?” Asa asked.

“I’m too far from the throne and too short.”

Asa laughed loudly.

“So, no rune glow?” she asked, touching my forearm.

When Rune elves found their true love matches, the runes deep within us would awaken and glow on our skin.

I huffed a laugh.

“Hardly. Maybe I should tell her that Alvar is prone to colds, and Magnus is reckless. By the Nine Gods, if I stay here another minute, I think I’ll implode.”

“That will be messy. Don’t worry, Brother. Mother will find someone willing to marry you.”

“Ugh,” I groaned.

“I’m not interested in marrying anyone.”

“You sure?” Asa teased, elbowing me in the ribs.

Asa was right.

I wasn’t being entirely truthful.

I wasn’t opposed to a partner.

I just hadn’t found anyone who interested me.

Everyone saw me as Prince Bjorn.

I wanted someone who saw just me .

“Okay, well, I am not interested in marrying anyone of Mother’s choosing…or sitting in meetings, presiding over festivals, counting coins, or anything else.”

“Princess Bibka should be glad you’re not the eldest brother. You would make a terrible king. And you’d probably pass a law requiring everyone to keep at least three magical creatures as pets. Where is Smoke, anyway?” she asked, referring to my firewolf.

“Escaped. I told him to save himself while there was still time.”

Asa laughed.

I glanced toward my eldest brother, Alvar, who was clapping King Rarki on the back, smiling and laughing.

“Alvar will make an excellent king. As for me…” I said, my eyes drifting across the room where I spotted Ingri, who gave me such a sultry look that I felt like I had been physically assaulted.

I shuddered.

“Be a good sister, and go distract Mother so I can get out of here before she finds someone else for me to marry…or before Ingri pins me in a corner and forces her tongue down my throat while ransacking my pockets.”

“And what do I get for my trouble?”

“My goodwill?”

Asa frowned at me.

“How about a packet of peppermint bites from the confectionary in the village,” I replied, referring to the confection that could make a person invisible for fifteen minutes, and one of my sister’s favorites.

“Asa, please. I just need to get away for a moment.”

“All right,” she said with a soft smile.

Rising, I bent and kissed my sister on her golden hair.

“You’re still my least favorite sibling.”

“Obviously.”

I slipped away while Asa went to create what I was sure would be the perfect distraction.

Exiting the hall, I was met with a chorus…

“Greetings, Prince Bjorn.”

“Honors to you, Prince.”

“My prince.”

“My prince.”

“My prince.”

I felt like I was being chased by a flock of formal seagulls.

I responded politely, then escaped down a side corridor and stepped outside.

A soft breeze hit me, wiping away the heaviness of the hall.

I breathed deeply, savoring the tang of sea air from the fjord.

The smell of the sea breeze cleared my head.

I got the same feeling of freedom whenever I visited the countryside.

There was nothing quite like the simple pleasure of tending to unicorn herds in complete silence, just enjoying being in their presence.

I made my way down the stone streets toward the harbor, passing shops whose weather-worn signs swung in the breeze.

Where the hall was all pomp and ceremony, here were ordinary people living ordinary lives, their laughter genuine and their bows mercifully brief.

A cluster of children huddled on a shop stoop caught my eye—or rather, the suspiciously smoky bundle in one boy’s arms did.

I recognized a firewolf pup when I saw one, having raised Smoke from the same adorable menace stage.

Glancing about and seeing no sign of my furry troublemaker, I whistled for him.

Surely, he was lurking somewhere about, then I went to join the children.

“What do you have there?” I asked, crouching down.

The children looked up, eyes widening.

“Prince Bjorn!” the boy holding the pup exclaimed.

“Look what my father brought from Smoke Island. A firewolf just like yours!”

“May I?” I gestured to the pup.

The boy nodded and handed the puppy to me.

I lifted him.

He already had that familiar glint of mischief in his eyes.

He was a tiny thing, all fluff and ember-tipped ears.

“Firewolves make excellent companions,” I told the boy.

“They’re fantastic bed warmers in winter but tend to singe your socks if you sleep late.”

The boy’s eyes grew even wider.

“Really?”

“Oh, yes. And once, when I was younger, Smoke set my formal cape on fire right before a big ceremony. The queen was convinced I’d goaded the wolf into it,” I said with a grin, knowing that was exactly what I had done.

I scratched the pup under his chin, earning a happy yip and a small puff of smoke.

Firewolves were notorious for their ability to breathe fire, their tails becoming pure flame when they were determined to get into trouble.

Generally, their magical fire was not dangerous, but they could turn up the heat when they wished.

Their dark fur was alive with glowing embers, like coals in a hearth, perfect for the endless winters of Frostfjord.

Less ideal for royal wardrobes.

“Do you have a name for this little troublemaker yet?” I asked.

“Cinder,” the boy declared proudly.

“Hello, Cinder.” The pup licked my chin.

“That is an excellent name.” I returned him to the boy, who promptly forgot all about me as he and his friends returned to cooing over the pup.

I smiled at the children and then continued on, stopping at the magical confectionery.

The shop was full of whimsy and warmth.

Every time I stepped inside, I was instantly warmed by the sweet scents.

Somehow, the setting was comforting and familiar in a way I couldn’t place.

“Is that you, Prince Bjorn?” Mother Urd called from behind the counter.

The confectioner, an ancient woman whose practiced hands had been wrinkled by time, came out of the kitchen to greet me.

“It is, Mother Urd.”

She smiled.

“Ah, you escaped the hall. How did you manage it?”

“With Asa’s help.”

“Which means you are here to keep up your end of a bargain. Peppermint bites, then?”

Chuckling, I nodded.

The woman packaged up Asa’s sweets then handed them to me.

“And these,” she added, including a small pack of troll noses.

The troll noses, which were cone-shaped confections with a candied shell and a soft, gummy center flavored with elderberries, were my favorite.

“I made them this morning. Still your favorite?”

“They are,” I said with a laugh, then reached into my coin purse, but Mother Urd waved me away.

“A gift, a gift… Princess Asa has already extorted you. This is my way of restoring balance in the world.”

Grinning, I took her hand and placed a kiss thereon.

“Thank you, Mother Urd.”

“You are always welcome, Little Prince Bjorn,” she said, then waved to me as she returned to her kitchen.

Popping a troll nose into my mouth, I exhaled a contented sigh and then made my way to the dock.

There, the ships creaked against their moorings in the harbor.

Vessels came and went between the islands of our kingdom.

While the islands offered plenty of opportunities for trading, what I loved most about our lands were the magical creatures.

I seized any excuse to sail away to study them, whether it was the uni-seals of Eld Island or the winged reindeer of Frost Isle.

A familiar warm presence at my side announced Smoke’s arrival.

I patted his head.

“And what mischief have you been up to?”

He shook himself, his black fur momentarily sparking with embers.

Turning, I spotted a lanky Sylvan elf, his clothing drastically ill-suited for Frostfjord’s mild summer weather.

He clutched a scroll in one hand and the bindings on his cloak in the other.

He hurried down the boardwalk, his gaze set on the great hall.

“Good sir,” I called out, “welcome to Frostfjord. You are a stranger here, I think.”

The man laughed through chattering teeth.

“That obvious? I rarely venture this far north, even in summer, such as I find it here.”

I chuckled, then looked the man over.

“You’re a messenger?”

“Yes, I’ve come with a message for King Ramr Runeheart, sent from a village called Moonshine Hollow.”

“As luck would have it, I’m Prince Bjorn. I can deliver your message to my father,” I said, extending my hand to take the scroll, which he passed to me.

“Do you have time to join me for a drink?” I offered, gesturing to the nearby alehouse.

“Our spiced mead is excellent for warming you from the inside out, and I’d love to hear about your journey.”

“Thank you, but I should go before my ship departs for Greenspire. My sister wishes me home for Midsummer. Many salutations to your father, Prince Bjorn,” he said, then hurried toward his ship.

I’d barely unrolled the scroll and started reading when a familiar voice piped up behind me.

“What’s that?” Asa asked.

Pulling the candy from my pocket, I handed her the peppermint bites.

“A message from a southern city asking for help with their unicorns. Some odd ailment has affected their herds,” I said as I scanned the author’s elegant handwriting.

Asa read over my shoulder, standing on her tiptoes to see better.

Apparently, the unicorns of Moonshine Hollow had fallen ill, their magic becoming chaotic in ways that had the elders deeply concerned.

They’d consulted their local dryad, who had no luck in determining what was wrong.

So, they’d turned to us.

Rune elves and unicorns had an ancient history together.

The unicorn even graced the royal house of Frostfjord’s emblem.

While my family shared a passing interest in the creatures, I was the family unicorn enthusiast.

My tutor and my father’s Master of Horse, Keldor Runeson, had indulged my passion, teaching me everything there was to know about them.

I looked down at Smoke, my mind already churning.

“I know that look,” Asa said.

“That’s your I’ve just found an escape look.”

“Hmm,” I mused.

Asa grinned.

“Mother sent me to tell you that she knows you are trying to hide and that it is not becoming of a prince. She also always wants you to speak to Ingri’s father,” she said as she studied my face.

“But…but maybe I got sidetracked on the way to find you. I was distracted by a particularly interesting…door knob.” Asa smirked and then handed me the peppermint bites.

“You’re going to need these more than me, I think.”

“I just need enough time to pack and leave a note explaining that I’ve gone to Moonshine Hollow on a very princely quest. When they find out I’m gone, maybe you could argue that your least favorite brother needs time away to consider the future. Oh, and suggest that maybe they should absolutely not send someone after me.”

“I might be persuaded…for a price.”

“A price? You won’t help just because you love me?”

Asa grinned mischievously at me.

“All right. Name it.”

“A caticorn.”

“A…what?”

“In the Summerlands, they have these adorable little caticorns. They’re nothing like our forest cats, who I’m pretty sure are tiny trolls in disguise. The promise of a cute, fluffy caticorn might help me cope with my least favorite brother’s absence and convince me to convince our mother that you should be left alone. You know I can be very persuasive.”

“Blackmail,” I said with a grin.

“But I’ll see to it.” I gave my sister a soft smile.

“I feel like I’m drowning, Asa. Ingri… I can’t imagine a more unhappy life. When she looks at me, all she sees are gold coins. I need to get away where I’m not recognized and just be for a little while.”

“How are you going to pull this off? Everyone’s going to be all ‘Prince Bjorn this’ and ‘my prince’ that.”

I looked down at the letter.

“Not if I’m Bjorn Runeson , Master of Horse. I’ll book passage south on a visiting ship where I’ll go unrecognized. I’ll tell the elders of Moonshine Hollow that I was sent by the king.”

Asa gave me a soft smile and then hugged me tight.

“Be careful,” she whispered in my ear.

“And you,” I replied, squeezing her.

“Don’t let Mother set her eye on you while I’m gone.”

“I certainly will not.” Asa kissed me on the cheek, then slipped from my grasp.

“Still my least favorite,” she called, waving to me as she hurried off.

“Still my least favorite!” I turned to Smoke.

“Well, you menace, are you ready for an adventure?”

Smoke tipped his head to the side, eyeing me curiously, then wagged his tail.

The Summerlands waited, and for the first time in a long while, I felt excited.

Let the adventure begin.