There was no avenue anymore and before us the crowd jumped away, parting on their own as Frey, me, Tyr and his men all galloped straight through them and away to Rimée Keep.
* * * * *
It took half the time to get back to the Keep than it did to get to the platform because Frey rode Tyr hard all the way there. Once we arrived, he dismounted and, while doing it, dragged me down right along with him.
Then he dragged me up the steps.
Then he dragged me through the doors that were opened by a footman before we arrived.
Then he dragged me right by my hovering girls who all rushed forward at the sight of me.
Then he dragged me down the hall and into the room we’d been in earlier with my parents.
The girls followed as did, by the sounds of the hustle and bustle, every one of his men as Frey pulled me inside then turned on me.
I took one look at his face, knew he was pissed and did not care.
So I yanked my hand free, lifted it palm up toward him and shouted, “Don’t start!”
He looked beyond me (and my hand) and barked, “Go!”
I looked over my shoulder and shouted, “Stay!”
Both men and women looked between Frey and I and Frey repeated, “Go!” so I fired out, “Do not dare go! Stay!”
“Gods damn it, Finnie,” Frey growled and I looked back at him.
“They were pelting her with snowballs, Frey, right before she was to hang from the neck until dead!” I shouted. “She’d done wrong but wasn’t her sentence as it stood bad enough? Did she have to endure –?”
I stopped talking because suddenly I was crushed in Frey’s arms and his mouth had slammed down on mine whereupon he laid a hot and heavy one on me.
I was clutching his shoulders and blinking up at him dazedly when he lifted his head and started speaking, “It would have been nice to have privacy when I told you how gods damned proud I was of my wife this eve but since you seem to wish a continued audience for your night’s performance, so be it.” I blinked again, realizing vaguely that he wasn’t pissed, the intensity of emotion I read on his face was something else altogether. He gave me a squeeze and stated, “I’m proud of you, Finnie Drakkar. What you did took courage and showed compassion and if your people didn’t already love you, witnessing that, they will.”
I blinked again then asked, “You think?”
“Absolutely,” he answered.
I felt my body melt in his arms.
“What’d she do?” I heard Jocelyn whisper from behind me.
Then I heard Thad answer, “I’ll tell you but I’ll do it outside.”
Then I heard the shuffling of bodies moving right before both Frey and I were rocked to the side as arms came around both of our thighs. I looked down to see it was Skylar giving our legs a hug and I melted even deeper in Frey’s arm as I moved a hand to touch Skylar’s hair. But Skylar, being Skylar, didn’t wait around for that. Without a word or look, he let go and raced out of the room. I twisted in Frey’s arms to watch him as he did it and saw the only one left was Kell.
He was standing, feet planted, arms crossed on his chest, eyes glued to Frey.
“Don’t know if it’s the spirit she’s got,” he remarked. “Don’t know what the bloody hell it is. Never seen the like from a woman.” His eyes shifted to me before he finished brusquely. “Only know whatever the bloody hell it is, it’s good.”
Then he uncrossed his arms, stomped out of the room like coming to this conclusion was beyond annoying and indeed rocked his world to its very foundations and he didn’t like that all that much and he slammed the door behind him.
I turned back to Frey feeling warm inside and out.
“I think Kell likes me,” I whispered.
“You would think correctly.” Frey didn’t whisper.
My eyes went to his chest as my fingers went there to fiddle with the strap of his cloak. “So, uh… you’re not mad at me for losing it, you’re, um… proud of me?”
He gave me a gentle shake and my fingers quit fiddling as my eyes lifted to his.
Then he stated, “You weren’t born princess, Finnie Drakkar, but that does not mean you’re not one.”
I closed my eyes and dropped my forehead to his chest as his words washed over me. And when I did my crown dug into my forehead so I immediately pulled it right back.
“I need to get rid of my crown,” I whispered.
He nodded but didn’t move. Instead, he asked, “Are you all right?”
I answered honestly, “No, that was heinous and I hope no one else tries to kill me because that isn’t much fun at all and watching them hang for it isn’t much better.”