Page 29 of The Crown of the Last Fae Queen (The Heartless and the Wicked #4)

FOURTEEN – KOLFINNA

In the morning, Kolfinna was allowed to eat breakfast outside in the courtyard of the fortress while she waited for her next trial.

Apparently, the general who she was supposed to do her training with was running late, so she was allowed to relax in the sun until it was time to head inside.

At least that’s what Astrid told her. So the three of them—Yrsa, Astrid, and Kolfinna—sat beneath a large, gnarled tree that offered a sparse canopy from the harsh morning light.

Kolfinna munched on her crusty bread and scanned the courtyard; soldiers walked, sat, ate, sparred, and milled about.

A few of them flew above, their wings spread out in the bright sky, appearing ethereal against the sunlight.

She noticed that Astrid stared longingly at the ones who flew above, her eyes riddled with grief

She had thought that maybe she had been wrong last night, and that Astrid had been the one guarding her all along.

She had half-expected to be dragged to Vidar, her plans of escape laid out in front of them all, and to finally be chucked into a dungeon cell.

But none of that had happened, surprisingly.

“Good morning, ladies,” a cheerful, smooth, familiar voice called in front of them.

Kolfinna jerked her attention to Gunnar, her mouth nearly dropping open at the sight of him.

She had expected him to be here—Blár had literally told her Gunnar’s plan hours ago—and yet she couldn’t stop the surprise that stiffened her spine.

She hadn’t expected him to approach her so soon.

And seeing him here, with the fae in the background, made her uneasy—he was an imposter, and if they found out … She didn’t want to think about failure.

Gunnar’s black hair was slicked back neatly, with a few strands falling over his forehead. His dark brown eyes appeared black in the shadows the tree provided. He grinned widely, dimples forming on both of his cheeks. Clad in the dark leathers of the fae army, he looked like he fit in seamlessly.

Kolfinna blinked away her surprise; a quick glance at the other two revealed that they hadn’t noticed her momentary shock. It was better if no one picked up on the fact that she recognized him. He was supposed to be a stranger in that moment.

Yrsa narrowed her eyes at him while Astrid finally ripped her gaze from the flying fae.

“I couldn’t help but notice you three from across the courtyard.” His voice came out velvety, but she noticed he wasn’t paying much attention to her, his gaze flicking between Astrid and Yrsa. Assessing. Analyzing. Likely trying to make out his target. “Mind if I join you for breakfast?”

Kolfinna shoved the rest of her bread in her mouth to keep from saying something stupid. It was better if she didn’t talk at all. She chewed, while the other two scrutinized him carefully.

“Yes. Leave,” Yrsa snapped. “You’re not supposed to be here.”

He canted his head to the side, a frown tugging on his lips. “I’m not allowed to be here? That’s a bit harsh.”

“Do you not realize who she is?” Yrsa stuck a thumb in Kolfinna’s direction, her thin eyebrows raising. “If you did, you would know you’re supposed to stay far, far away.”

Gunnar finally looked over at her, a frown still etched into his handsome face. Kolfinna had to hand it to him—he really was playing the part of a wounded, charming, clueless man, because she would have been fooled.

“I don’t understand?” he said slowly.

“You don’t?” Yrsa made a low throaty sound. “Are you daft?”

Astrid stared at him a moment longer. “Are you human?”

His frown melted, replaced with an easy grin that stretched across his full lips. “I am.”

“Then you must be new,” she said, returning his smile. “You should keep your distance. Ask any of the soldiers here and they can fill you in on the details.”

Gunnar’s grin sharpened as he stared at Astrid.

There was a calculating gleam in his eyes that could have easily been mistaken for something else—desire, maybe, but Kolfinna knew better.

“Forgive me for being too forward, and na?ve, but truthfully, I only approached because I noticed you from afar.”

Astrid blinked, her violet eyes widening. “M-me?”

“I was wondering if you were free for lunch?”

Yrsa scoffed while Kolfinna watched the two of them.

Gunnar, with his cheerful smile, and Astrid, who was …

blushing . It was the last thing she’d expected.

Astrid was supposed to hate humans, and Gunnar’s approach had been too brash, too clumsy, too on-the-nose with what he wanted.

But she supposed, maybe, it didn’t matter too much, since he was handsome.

Maybe he was used to women falling for his smile alone.

“I am working right now.” She fiddled with the end of her braid, her fingers brushing against her snow-white hair.

Gunnar crouched down until he was at her level. “What about dinner, then?”

Yrsa laughed harshly. “Are you truly trying your hand at picking up a fae woman? We are not the same as them?—”

But he ignored her, his smirk only growing as Astrid became flustered. “Dinner?” he asked again. “I can’t let the opportunity to meet a beautiful woman pass me up.”

“Oh, I don’t know,” Astrid said with a short laugh. “I don’t even know you.”

“We can become acquainted.” He placed a hand over his heart. “My name is Gunnar.”

“Astrid.”

“Astrid,” he murmured, tasting the name. “What a beautiful name.”

Astrid tucked a strand of hair behind her ears, glancing at Kolfinna and Yrsa before turning back to him. There was a soft, reddish glow on her cheeks. “I’m working.”

“Have dinner with me. I insist.”

“I …” She laughed awkwardly. “You must do this all the time.”

“Never.” Gunnar only had his eyes on her, even as Yrsa mumbled something under her breath.

Kolfinna felt awkward being here, witnessing this right now—it almost felt too intimate to be a third-wheel to his obvious flirting.

She wondered, briefly, if Astrid wasn’t accustomed to being flirted with; maybe that was why his charm worked so well? She had no idea.

“You don’t have to decide right now.” Gunnar rose to his feet, his gaze never straying from hers. “But I would love to take you out, Astrid. I will see you around?”

“Ah, yes.” She stared down at her lap.

“Wonderful.” He beamed at her, and then nodded at Yrsa and Kolfinna, before departing from them all.

Kolfinna watched him disappear into the throng of people before shifting her attention to Astrid, who was still blushing. She lifted an eyebrow. “What was that about?”

“I have no clue,” Astrid whispered, reaching for a cluster of grapes in the food basket and popping them into her mouth. She ate quickly, her face still flushed. “But oh my, he was so handsome. I have never seen anyone so beautiful. Are all humans like that?”

Yrsa frowned at her. “No, they’re not.”

“Did you think he was handsome too?” Kolfinna asked.

“I don’t like dumb men,” Yrsa said with another scoff. “And especially not those who don’t know their place. How did he not know that you’re the princess? Either he’s too stupid, or he pretended not to know.”

Kolfinna forced a laugh—Yrsa’s intuition was a tad bit scary. “Are you sure you’re not jealous that he didn’t approach you instead?”

“What? No?—”

She turned her attention to Astrid, quickly shifting to a different line of conversation to distract them both. “So will you be having dinner with him? He seemed very interested in you. I don’t blame him; you’re beautiful, Astrid.”

Astrid continued to fidget with the leather cord at the end of her braid. “Oh, I don’t know. That was incredibly random, and I don’t have time to even mentally prepare?—”

“I think it would do you some good.” She bumped her shoulder with hers. “You should loosen up. Have some fun. Do you have anything planned for dinner?”

“No. I was going to go to the dining hall as usual.”

“Perhaps he will seek you out?”

“I don’t know. I’ll have to think about it.”

Yrsa continued to frown at them, and Kolfinna wondered if she actually was jealous of Astrid, which seemed completely ridiculous since she hadn’t shown an ounce of interest at Gunnar.

She could have easily been at the receiving end of his flirtatious advances if she hadn’t been so rude.

But maybe she was the kind of person who didn’t like when another woman was receiving attention.

Kolfinna had to remind herself that she didn’t really know her; the Yrsa she knew in the Royal Guards—the no-nonsense, direct, and serious woman—had likely been a facade.

This was what she was really like—mean, rude, and blunt.

Later that morning, Yrsa and Astrid led her inside one of the four towers of the walled city.

This one, similar to the tower she was kept in, was packed with so many runes that even in the distance, it loomed a glowing gold.

When they went through one of the many sets of double doors inside, Kolfinna was surprised to find Vidar sitting in an antechamber on a velvet couch.

He looked out of place in the luxuriously decorated room; the silk curtains embroidered with gold, the plush royal blue and purple rugs, the intricately carved mahogany furnishing—it made him look all the more ominous and jarring against such a welcoming backdrop. Like a general of darkness.

Astrid and Yrsa froze at the sight of him, and dropped down to their knees, their hands going to their hearts. Kolfinna didn’t bow; she only stared at him, not even trying to veil her surprise—or her disappointment.

She scowled. “I thought Rakel or one of your generals was supposed to be here?”

Vidar’s wings stretched along the couch. His helmet sat on the tea table in front of him, its black scales glimmering against the firelight. He had been staring at the fire when she entered, only the scarred half of his face visible. When he turned to her, his red eyes appeared deadlier than usual.

“Rakel is occupied with other duties,” he said.