Like the Dawn (Lark #3) (10 page)

Chapter Thirteen

             
I
haven't really seen much of the kingdom outside the castle since Grey took me around when I first arrived in Álfheimr.  Even now it reminds me of a Disney village with a magnificent landscape so picturesque it could easily be a painting.
              The quaint little cottages that dot the forest landscape are surrounded by lush, fragrant greenery and stunning blooms. Everywhere I look I'm reminded of the immaculate castle gardens and their breathtaking exotic-looking flowers. Although the palace grounds are meticulously landscaped with plants and flowers naturally indigenous to the kingdom, these same floral varieties take on a different personality outside the castle gates.  As much as I love the gardens of Álfheimr, it’s hard to match the wild, untamed beauty of nature.                           
              To the west, the silhouette of the majestic gray mountains tower in the distance. It's weird now that I know that there is another kingdom on the other side of them.
              We follow along the stone path as it circles its way through the village and back around to the castle. Though the walk is pleasant, it takes almost the entire day to make our way through on the main path.
              “What's down there?” Klaus points to a narrow but well-worn path that branches off from the stone ones we've been sticking to.
              “It's one of the many riding trails,” Grey answers.
              “Do you ride?” Klaus asks curiously.
              “I do.” Grey smiles.
             
“Of course he does,”
Jacoby says in my mind.
“As you are certainly aware.”
              “He actually has two horses,” I pipe up refusing to acknowledge Jacoby. It's not fair for him to just pop in my head whenever he wants, but then turn around and completely avoid me.
              “Oh really?” Klaus's eyes are twinkling. “I do have a special fondness for horses.”
              “
I'm not avoiding you to be mean
,” Jacoby continues.
              “Grey has beautiful horses. Apple and Midnight,” I tell Klaus desperately trying to ignore Jacoby.
              “
Don't you know that?
But I can't see you,”
he whispers. I can hear the hurt in his voice. “
I just can't.
It would kill me to be that close to you and not be allowed to touch you.
”
              My steps halt as my heart clenches achingly wanting to tell Jacoby everything that I know I can't say.
              “Well, why didn't we tour your lovely kingdom in style, princess?” He is eyeing me expectantly probably wondering why I suddenly stopped walking.
              “Uh. I—”
              “That would be my fault,” Grey interjects. “I didn't have time to get the horses saddled.”
              “Perhaps another time?” Klaus asks eagerly. “I'm sure there's plenty to see.”
              “Of course. The kingdom really is too expansive to explore by foot. We'd need to take the horses for a more representative tour, but even then we wouldn't be able to see everything in a single day.”
              “You will have to show me around more then.”
              “I'm sure that can be arranged.” Grey clears his throat. “Of course, there's not much to see outside of the village, except for farmland and the surrounding forest.”
              “And the mountains are certainly lovely,” Adele offers.             
              “And aren't there a couple of waterfalls?” I ask.
              “Yes, yes I suppose,” Grey concedes.
              “All of that sounds lovely,” Klaus says brightly.              He seems more than satisfied with the promise of future tours.
              “After the war with the Dökkálfar is over, you should plan a visit to my kingdom,” Klaus says, eyeballing Grey coyly.
              “Of course, I'm sure the princess would love to pay a visit,” he deflects. “Wouldn't you, Mia?”
              “Most definitely.” I smile and exchange a look with Adele. It seems that Grey has finally caught on to Klaus's unrequited crush. 
              When we return to the castle, Freya meets us in the front entrance. The fragile looking elf is more flustered than normal.
              “Oh, Mia! I'm so glad you're back. His Majesty wants to see you.”
              “What is it?” I ask her.
              “He didn't say, but he appeared quite solemn about whatever it is.”
              “That's no good,” I mutter to Grey. Without saying a word, he knows exactly what I need him to do.
              Reluctantly, he turns to Klaus and says, “Shall we continue our tour? I can show you around the castle if you would like.”
              “Oh, yes, that would be delightful!” Klaus beams. “Princess, I hope everything is okay.”
              “I'm sure it's not.  It’s beginning to seem like nothing is okay these days. I'll come and find you guys later, okay?”
              After Grey and Adele lead Klaus away I turn to Freya and ask, “Where is he?”
              “He's in his sitting room.”
              “Okay, thank you.”
              The fact that he wants to see me alone makes me nervous. If it's something to do with the Dark Elves I would expect it to be the business of the entire council and not just me—unless, of course, it's so bad that he wants to tell me privately first.
              No sooner had I knocked on the sitting room door, my father jerked it open and beckoned me in anxiously.  He whisked me inside the room and shut the door behind us.
              “Come in, my dear, and sit down,” he says somberly. “I'm afraid I have some bad news.”
              “What is it?” I don't want to postpone the bad news any longer—I won't be able to breathe until I know what’s going on.
              “There has been an attack in Manhattan.”
              I sit down then, afraid I will pass out if I don't.
              “What happened?”
              “It seems the Dökkálfar are playing games with us. They inflicted quite a bit of damage on—what's it called?” he asks, searching his mind for the right word. “The building where humans buy that coffee you seem to enjoy so much?”
              “Starbucks?”
              “Yes, that's it. The Starbucks. The Dökkálfar demolished it.”
              “Starbucks?” It seems like such an odd thing to do. What was the point? What could they possibly have against coffee?
              “I'm afraid so.”
              “Wait—” I start. “Which Starbucks?”
              “Is there more than one of these places?”
              “Yes, there's probably thousands but two specifically in Manhattan. Which one did they destroy?” I ask again, but really, I don't need him to answer. I already know which one. Hannah must've reported back to Dugan that I was there.
              “I am uncertain at this time but I can find out for you if you'd like?” he offers.
              “No. It's not important,” I mutter. “What happened and what is the media reporting as the cause?” I was pretty sure if a newscaster blamed it on evil Dark Elves they’d be locked up in a padded room.
              “They are saying it was a terrorist attack though, of course, they are having a difficult time determining the motive behind it.”
              Of course. There's nothing significant in Manhattan. It's just a small town in the Midwest.               “This is horrible. How many were hurt?”
              “Right now the total injured is around twenty, with—” He seems reluctant to tell me the rest. He clears his throat before continuing quietly. “There have been ten reported deaths.”
              My stomach tightens and I feel like I might throw up. Ten deaths? A part of me realizes that it could have been worse, but ten innocent people is ten too many.
              “We have to do something, Dad. This is out of hand. How many more deaths is it going to take before everyone realizes that we are wasting precious time?”
              “I know. I wish that we could guarantee the support of at least one more kingdom, but until we do I'm afraid my hands are tied.”
              “When do King Valdar and Queen Isla arrive?”              “They are expected tomorrow.”
              “Tomorrow. Okay. I need to figure out a way to get them to agree to the alliance as soon as possible.”
              Alberico looks at me sadly.
              “What?” I ask.
              “Nothing, it's just that this isn't exactly how I wanted—I never wanted you to experience this kind of pressure.”
              “I only have myself to blame.”
              “That isn't true. The fault it not entirely yours. I cannot help but feel if I would've explained everything to you in the beginning that you would have trusted me enough to come to me after Finnegan told you about the black crystal.”
              “It's not that I didn't trust you—”
              “But I only ever wanted to keep you safe and happy,” he interrupts. “I feel I am much more to blame than you are. It is my fault that you were thrown into this mess to begin with.”
              “You're my father,” I tell him. “I'm thankful every day that I know you.”
              “I'm happy to have you in my life now too,” he says as he hugs me. When he releases me he asks, “How are you getting along with Klaus?”
              “Just swell.” I can't help but smile.
              “Oh?” Alberico eyes me curiously.
              “Though I think Greyson has a better chance of persuading him to help our cause than I do.”
              “What makes you say that?” He furrows his brow.
              “Oh nothing.” I bite my tongue. “I'll see you later, Dad.”
              “Okay, Mia.” He's still obviously confused which makes me giggle.  “One more thing before you go.”
              “Yeah?”
              “King Valdar and Queen Isla are a little—well, a little more traditional than King Magnus and Lord Klaus. Their manners will be more formal than what you are used to.”
              “Crap.”
              He chuckles. “Don't worry, I just wanted to give you a small warning.”
              “Thanks,” I grumble. “I guess that means I should really work on looking the part of a princess, when I meet them, huh?”
              “You already do.” He smiles reassuringly. “But if I can make a suggestion? The ivory and gold gown you wore the other day is my personal favorite.”
              “I'll keep that in mind. See you later.” I slump out of the room.
              Looks like I'm going to have my work cut out for me tomorrow. Here's hoping that the heir of Raumelfr doesn't also have a soft spot for indigo blue eyes so at least I stand a chance—a small one but a chance nonetheless.
              I can't believe I'm making jokes right now—just minutes after learning of the devastation in my hometown. They don't even know what's really happening. They all must be so scared. It makes it even worse knowing that I'm the one who's responsible for unleashing the Dark Elves on the world.
             
Get a grip, Mia.
I scold myself. I have a part to play. The best thing I can do is convince the other kingdoms to form an alliance with us. I have to remember that. We need them.
             
             

Chapter Fourteen

             
K
ing Valdar and Queen Isla are arriving this afternoon, and if they accept the invitation to my stupid birthday ball, they will be staying for at least a week. I am hoping, however, that it won't take that long to convince them to join our coalition.
              Isobel seems quite certain that Lord Hugo will be easy to charm into joining our side.  But unless he considers social awkwardness to be endearing, we are all doomed to fail if this union rests solely on my shoulders.
              “I prefer the red one,” Freya offers. “But the other gown is lovely as well.”
              “The red just seems so bold to me.” I scrunch up my nose. I don't think I will ever get used to this whole idea of wearing ball gowns to eat dinner. I know people say to 'dress to impress' but I'm guessing whoever coined the phrase wasn’t wearing a fifty pound taffeta dress and trying to walk in heels.
              “I vote for the red one as well,” Isobel offers.
              There is a light tapping on my bedroom door so Freya turns to answer it.
              “Hello, Lady Adele,” Freya says with a curtsy.
              “May I come in?” she asks.
              “Yes, of course. You can help me decide which stupid dress to wear tonight.” I let out a heavy sigh.               This whole thing still seems so disgusting to me. I should not be worrying about something as petty as choosing a dress—I should be figuring out a way to end this war with the fewest number of casualties possible, including my own.  I may technically be immortal, but I seriously doubt I'd be able to heal myself if Dugan happened to slice off my head.
              I suspect that the mall incident was just a warm-up and I need to figure out a way to stop Dugan before he can follow through with his main event.
              “Red. Definitely.”
              “You don't think it's too 'in your face'?” I ask self-consciously.
              “No, it's exactly right. It's beautiful and classy, yet bold enough to inspire confidence. You want to show them you are the personification of confidence,” Adele says expertly.
              Freya nods in agreement, so apparently I'm out-numbered and seriously lacking in judgment.
              “I know I keep saying it, but this seems like such a huge waste of time. I don't want to do it.”
              “You have to,” Isobel says. “I know that it seems silly but it's important. They can help us. You know what is riding on this and as the future Queen you must find a way to deal with it.”
              “I still don't understand why we are wasting energy dressing up and stuffing our faces when we could just as easily sit down in the War Room and hash this out. The entire future of all the kingdoms is at stake and it seems like nobody is taking it seriously!”
              “Trust me, Mia, we're taking it seriously. What you have to understand is that this is how things are done here.  If you want to persuade a group of elves to join your cause, you're going to have to, for lack of a better word,
woo
them. Much like I suspect their most eligible elves will be attempting to woo you.” Adele gasps, wide-eyed and quickly covers her mouth with her hand.
              “You’ve gotta be kidding me. You know too?”
              “I'm afraid so,” she answers guiltily. “How did you find out?”
              “Blaise opened his big, fat mouth. He wanted to 'put forth his offer of marriage' before the other kingdoms had a chance.”
              “Does Alberico know you know?” Isobel asks.
              “No, not yet.”
              “I suspect he won't be able to put off the council much longer,” she mumbles quietly. “I'm sure if an alliance isn't formed soon, they will become more insistent upon you taking a mate to speed up the process. Especially after the recent attack.”
              “Taking a mate?”
              “You know what I mean,” Isobel says with an indulgent smile. “A union with one of the other kingdoms would be a sure way to solidify a guarantee of their support.”
              “I still can't believe
that
is their great solution! Make nice by forcing me into a meaningless marriage so they will help us defeat the Dökkálfar? No, that doesn't seem cruel or absurd at all,” I say, my voice thick with sarcasm.
              “I didn't say you would be forced to, I simply said I suspect that the council will soon start making the suggestion,” she clarifies.
              “Well, isn't that just peachy!”
              “Come now, Mia, you need to take a deep breath and finish getting ready,” Adele reminds me. “I'm sure they will be arriving soon.”
              “I'll be right down. I think I need a moment.”
              “Of course. We shall see you down there.” Isobel says as she shuts the door behind her and Adele.
              All I want to do right now is curl up in my bed and forget about everything, but heaven forbid I should wrinkle my precious dress. I never thought such a ridiculous option would be seriously considered as a solution for our problem, but I think Isobel’s concern is valid.  It really sucks that they expect me to marry simply to gain an alliance. Is this just a normal part of princess life, being used as a political pawn? It hardly seems fair. Up until now, I had no intentions of getting married anytime soon. However, if this was the key to moving forward with our attack on the Dökkálfar, was it worth it? Maybe it's exactly what I need to do.
              I’ve already given up so much as it is, what will one more thing hurt? It's not like I'm going to get my happily-ever-after anyway. If it will save the future of my kingdom I guess I should just suck it up and go with it.
              I guess I’d better hope that Hugo is tolerable since I’m obviously not going to be Klaus’s first choice as far as life partners go. 
              On second thought, maybe I could persuade Klaus to agree to the union on our own terms with the added benefit of securing the alliance.  It might not be too bad being married to him since I think we could at least be friends.
              My frequent Harry Potter marathons would be much more fun with him around.  We could even honeymoon in Orlando at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios! After all, it would be extremely awkward to visit a typical romantic honeymoon destination for obvious reasons.
              Do elves even take honeymoons?
              Holy smokes, why am I even thinking about this?
              Marriage wasn't something I ever thought about when I was dating Jacoby—I don't think there are many eighteen-year-olds that do think about it.  Not seriously anyway.
              When I finally pull myself together and make my way down to the dining hall, I'm prepared to try my very best to be charming and endearing and possibly even flirtatious with the heir of Raumelfr.
              I'm thankful that Grey is nowhere in sight—I don't think I'd be able to openly flirt with anyone under his watchful gaze. Even if it was for the good of the kingdom, something that he would certainly understand.
              As relieved as I am about his absence, I can't help but find it a little odd. He is always present for these types of formal gatherings; knowing my anti-social tendencies, he never makes me face them alone. It's odd that he would skip out on such an important dinner. I take my place beside my father.
              “May I present my daughter, Princess Mia,” Alberico booms, gesturing toward me. “Mia, this is King Valdar of Raumelfr and his lovely wife, Queen Isla.”
              “How do you do?” I greet them formally.              “Very well, Princess. It's lovely to finally meet you,” Queen Isla says.  She seems friendly enough. She is a stunning woman with vibrant red hair. Like most elves, it appears that her hair is fairly long, though at the moment it is intricately braided and twisted at the nape of her neck. Her milky skin is smooth and her eyes are as gray as a stormy sky.
              King Valdar eyes me warily and I find myself questioning the dress choice once again. He kisses my hand and simply says, “Your Highness. May I introduce the heir to my throne, Lord Hugo.”
              Hugo has golden hair that curls neatly at the ends and eyes of a similar metallic hue with flecks of green and brown.  A strong jawline complements two perfect dimples that are revealed when he offers me a warm smile in greeting. Elves are naturally attractive but it's safe to say that he would definitely stand out in a crowd.
              “Princess, I've waited so long for this opportunity; I’m so pleased to finally make your acquaintance,” he says before kissing my hand in the same fashion as King Valdar, minus the guarded demeanor.  He does, however, seem to be focused on something behind me.  Curiosity forces me to turn my head to see what has captured his attention but there's nothing behind me except a large mirror.
              Realization dawns on me as I gather that Hugo apparently finds himself to be quite handsome and cannot seem to resist checking out his reflection in the glass.
              Okay, well that just docked him a couple of cool points. I stifle a giggle and the urge to roll my eyes.
              “It's nice to meet you as well,” I tell him.  I then ask dutifully, “How do you find Álfheimr?”
              “You have a lovely kingdom.”
              “Thank you, shall we be seated?”
              Hugo offers his arm to me and I accept it as we walk toward our seats. I surprise myself with this new regal-sounding voice and how formal I’ve become. I know that is what is expected of me but it doesn't seem real. I'm not altogether sure how I feel about it—this change in me. I feel like I don't know who I am anymore. 
             
“You're still the same to me Lark. Somewhere deep inside, you're still mine. And that's why this is so hard.”
             
My breath catches at the same moment that Hugo pulls out my chair. He notices, giving me a self-satisfied smirk as if this simple gentlemanly gesture has just sealed the whole deal.  I wish Jacoby wouldn't do that—pop into my head at the most inopportune moments. 
              “
Where are you?”
I ask Jacoby.
              “I can't tell you yet, Lark.”
              “Why not?”
              “Now isn't the time. I've gotta go. Something is happening.”
              “What's happening? Jacoby!”
             
But he's already gone.
              “Are you feeling okay, Princess?” Hugo asks beside me. “You look a little pale.”
              “Yes, my apologies. I'm fine—I was just lost in my own thoughts there for a moment.” I force a smile and urge him on. “What were you saying?”
              Hugo continues chatting away without much encouragement from me. I'm not trying to be rude, I just can't stop wondering where Jacoby is and why he chooses the worst possible times to start one-sided conversations in my head. So much for trying to charm the pants off of Hugo. Wait—that sounds kind of dirty. I totally am not even thinking about that—regardless of how attractive he might be.
              “Your Majesty!” Grey suddenly bursts in through the dining hall doors. It's so unlike him to make a scene and the panic in his indigo eyes catches me off guard.
              “What is it, Greyson?”  Alberico asks, rising from his seat.
              “The guards stationed in Manhattan have reported that the Dökkálfar attempted to attack the Princess' family this evening in their home.”             
              “No!” I scream as I jump up, knocking my chair over in the process. I feel like my world has completely stopped spinning. The oxygen leaves my lungs and I grip the chair next to me to keep myself upright.
              “What happened?” Alberico's voice is eerily calm.
              “They were unsuccessful.”
              “You could have started with that,” Alberico says, breathing a heavy sigh of relief. “Okay, tell us everything.”
              Greyson beckons to an elf I'm not familiar with who proceeds to rehash the event but I'm barely able to hear a word coming out of his mouth as he recounts every detail of the thwarted attack on my home.
              “So they were not home at the time?”
              “No,” the guard answers my father. “They arrived just as we gained control over the Dökkálfar.”