Chapter 43

“Do I really have to go with you? What if it isn’t safe? Think about Balder.”

What I saw now was a side of Kara I had never seen before - or maybe I had, during our trip out of Aston with that river barge.

“Kara, this isn’t about safety or even about Balder, right?”

“No.”

“What is it then, surely you can tell me? Is it about the Princess?”

“Yes.”

“What about her? Have you done something to hurt her?”

“No! Or yes. Maybe. Mother Earth, I don’t know!”

“So, you have seen her before?”

Gradually, carefully and piece by piece, I got the story out of Kara. Some years back, just when Kara had started her studies at the University, a young blond Noble girl had come to visit Kara’s home. The visit had probably been agreed to by Kara’s parents or maybe even by Halvard, but it had happened that Kara had been the only family member who had been at home. Of course, there had been servants and a guard or two, but they had been in their own quarters and Kara had been in the library, alone.

Then came this blonde Noble - ‘I didn’t know that she was a princess, I swear!’ - who had left her servants with the ones working for Kara’s family. She came and wanted to study and maybe borrow some books from the library - ‘She felt a bit stuck-up and I had been taught not to really like the Nobles. As though she had every right to do so and I just wanted to give her a little lesson.’

After that Kara shut up like a clam, and, for a while, I wondered what had happened, what Kara had done to the princess. Then I felt a scent and I noticed the rosy color on Kara’s cheeks. That made me remember the look in Keitha’s eyes once she realized that Kara was alive - and that she was now my wife. That also explained why the princess had wanted to know what had happened to victims of that University Library fire.

And for a while I had thought that it had all been about me.

“Hello, Kara. Or is it Mrs. Elder now? At least it’s a bit complicated since your Stian here is married to Princess Ignatia of Sicels.”

“Your Highness! Princess.”

“Oh shut up, Kara! I’m Keitha to you!”

Then Her Highness took three quick steps towards Kara, and somehow the warrior in me didn’t react to that. Then Keitha kissed Kara on the mouth with such passion that I had rarely seen. The only thing poor Kara could do was to respond to that kiss and, once the Princess pulled back, she turned to look at me.

“Now, Stian, what do you plan to do, now that you found out that there may be some sides in your precious Kara you had had no idea of?”

I looked at the Princess and then Kara. “It totally depends on whether you are going to hurt her, Keitha. That I would not tolerate, not even from a Princess.”

“Hurt her? I would never hurt her. Even though I’m almost certain that when we met in that library, Kara didn’t act from the kindness of her heart, I will always be grateful to her. That incident opened knots that I hadn’t been aware of, and since then I have dared to be myself.”

Maybe Princess Keitha did not actually hurt Kara, but for sure, she made Kara pay for what had taken place in that library some years ago - and even one lowly Baron from Sicels was included in their play. My sensible part tried to tell me that we should not be messing with the Nobility and especially not with the Royalty. Princess Keitha might be a smart young woman, but she also was a young woman who had just met again the woman who had released her sexuality.

“Now you think that I’m just an equally foolish Princess, almost like my sister.”

I wondered if I really was this transparent to some women? “Not really, but...”

“If you two have been talking with Frode Dalaigh, he probably told you about my dear husband. He’s a good man and I like him a lot, but in certain ways, our marriage is just a convenience. Being married to a pretty princess guaranteed the loyalty of an Admiral to our family while it also protected both families against some nasty gossip. Just to be sure, we are often seen close to each other and going into same bedroom. He has one close, reliable friend and they’re happy to keep it that way. I’m happy for him.”

Both Kara and I were going to say something, but Keitha moved into a sitting position from between us and shook her head.

“No, please don’t say anything. You both have a very good reason to stay quiet about this, I’m very happy to find out that my first lover, ever, is alive and even offering me a chance of an heir. Now, Kara, do you think that you can do something to your husband so that he can pay his obligations to our Kingdom while I get another taste of you?”

We met the Princess two more times during the next five days and we even took Balder with us so that Parlan and his wife could take care of him. Elise had already taken all the rescued women - especially Niesha - under her wing and I had also hinted to Elise that there might come a day when a certain Princess might need a friend. A close friend.

The rest of my free time I had to use in trading, for now there were no Elven women to help me. So, it was me making the decisions even though the people from the two families I trusted here and who represented me, made the deals for me.

Before long, I found that we were filling Ljus with merchandise, but this time it wasn’t for sale. It would be for us. Once Tofi noticed what I was doing, he had just nodded. A day or two more and we’d be ready. Ready.

We got that one day. We had just finished our lunch when we noticed two other frigates arriving in the Aston harbor. The two newest ones of the force. It wasn’t that much later when Parlan appeared to the harbor with an exhausted horse.