Chapter 23
Twenty-Three
Rose
"More games," Rose hissed up at Magnus, who was looking far too much like a cat that had gotten cream. "Why is life a game to you?"
The prince, with all his arrogance, didn't even flinch at her angry words. "I think this will be fun."
She could feel how tense Gunnar was standing next to her. He didn't say a word. He didn't even look at her, which she could only assume was code that he hadn't wanted to do this, and she felt horrible about it. What if there was another woman he was interested in?
The mere thought made her want to scream. She hated the thought of losing him to another woman. It was why she was here, but also he wasn't hers to keep.
Maybe she was just drawing all of this out. Maybe he was too. They both had to know this was going nowhere. There was no more healing for her, and he certainly deserved a life better than all of this. He'd already given her so much of his time and energy, and she... she...
She was broken. No one deserved to be tied to someone like her.
Rose curved in on herself, slowly lifting her hands and picking at the skin around her nails.
She usually did this right before she ducked out into that other realm, but she couldn't do that now.
So instead, she just worried at her fingers as the others started chatting.
She could hear how excited the other potential brides were, and how the people who were competing for their attentions flexed and showed off.
All the while, the two men who had chosen her were silent.
But then a big green hand touched hers. It was a gentle grip, not hard or on her wrist in a way that might have set her off. Instead, he enveloped her fingers with his own. Big and strong and steady as a stone in the center of a river.
She glanced up at him, surprised that he'd touched her so easily. Surprised she wasn't reacting to that touch.
"Stop picking at them," he said, his voice low and smooth. "You'll hurt yourself."
How had he...?
Rose looked down at her fingers that he slowly released, realizing that the skin around her nails was very red. She had been picking at them so much that she would have made herself bleed if she’d continued.
Swallowing hard, she balled her sleeves into fists and nodded. "Sorry."
"Don't apologize. You aren't doing anything wrong."
She almost argued, but they were both interrupted by the king's booming voice again.
"Competitors! It is time to ready yourselves for a hunt! A good partner knows what their bride may like." The king winked at the few men who had stood on Rose’s side. They weren’t competing. Instead, they were being fought for.
A few chuckles rose from the crowd. Of course the trolls weren't uncomfortable with that. They were remarkably accepting of anyone who came to their kingdom, at least once they got to know them.
The king lifted his arms. "The entire kingdom is yours to hunt! Bring back something that will impress."
The competitors all took off at once. A few of them leaned in to steal a chaste kiss on the side of a cheek before disappearing into the woods.
Neither of Rose's competitors would dare.
Magnus just shot her a saucy wink, and Gunnar looked even more determined as he raced off at a speed that was merely a blur to her eyes.
And then she was standing alone. Again.
Rose didn't like being alone just as much as she didn't like being surrounded by people.
Her thoughts were a problem. Her mind was an enemy she couldn't easily beat or silence, no matter how much she argued with herself.
She had to focus on something other than the memories that always tried to rear their ugly heads.
Footsteps approached, and one of the stunning troll women stopped beside her. Her skin was nearly black, it was so purple, and Rose remembered she had a lovely talent for the harp.
"Hello," the troll woman said. "My name is Vigdis, if you don't remember."
Oh, right, that was what her name was. Rose had heard practically everyone in the entire kingdom talking about her and her talent recently. Maybe that was why she was here to talk to Rose at all.
"Magnus should have chosen you," Rose said, already curving in on herself.
It wasn't that she thought Vigdis would be unkind. It was just that in the labyrinth, women had fought with each other. Often. Everyone had wanted the kinder gladiators, the ones who’d been more likely to fuck than they were to hurt.
Rose had always been the one at the bottom.
They’d shoved her, laughed at her sometimes.
Others had been kind and tried to get her to eat, but Rose had been so isolated from everyone that she hadn't seen a lot of that kindness.
The memories were ugly, and they hurt her to think about. Because part of her felt guilty that she hadn't tried to help the others who’d been in that place with her. And the other part of her was too hard on herself for not leaving more than she already had.
Vigdis sighed and waved a lovely hand in the air as though dashing away what Rose said.
Her fingers glittered with diamonds, an unusual choice for a troll.
They liked color. Maybe Vidgis had enough of the rainbow in her skin that she didn't need to decorate herself with anything other than stones that would reflect more rainbows when the light hit them just right.
"No," the troll said. "I never thought he'd choose me. I remember him as a child. He was a nasty little shit. I doubt much has changed now that he's gotten older."
Rose was so surprised she let out a sound that was almost like a laugh. A surprised sound, surely, but it did almost sound like a scoff. "He hasn't changed."
"I knew it." Vigdis's grin was brilliant. "Whatever did you do to catch his attention?"
"I traveled with Gunnar to go get him." Rose wrinkled her nose, staring off into the distance where they had disappeared. "I wasn't very nice to him. So I don't know why he would even think to match with me."
"Some men like women who are mean to them."
"No," she murmured. "I don't think it's that."
Rose didn't know the logic of it. She could tell part of him just wanted to anger his father. Magnus hated being here. She could sense that deep in the very bones of her body. He didn't want to be in this mountain, and he certainly didn't want to be the prince.
How did she know that? She wasn't sure. It was like a whisper in her ear from another person. A whisper that said he needed liberation and understanding, not cruel mockery behind his back.
Vigdis shrugged. "Whatever the reason, I don't think you should choose him."
"Because I'm not a troll?"
"Because I think he'd be a horrible husband." There was a long pause, as though the other woman was expecting Rose to look up at her. But she didn't. She just kept her eyes on the trees. "Gunnar, however. That's a good match for you."
"Gunnar is very kind," she replied absentmindedly.
"Yes, he is. And he's crazy about you."
That did it. Her eyes flicked up to look at the grin on Vidgis's face. "No, he's not."
"He has been for a very long time. It's hard for him to hide it around others.
You know, before you, I used to see him heading into the brothel all the time.
It was hard not to see that annoying swagger as he drank himself into oblivion and enjoyed women almost more than any other in his war band.
But then he came back with you, and the man hasn't had a single drop of alcohol or even been seen on the same street as the brothel. "
Poor man. He'd been so embroiled with her that he hadn't even been having fun.
Rose sucked in a breath and replied, "He's too busy watching over me, I guess. I'm a full time job to keep alive."
"No," Vidgis drew out the word for a long time. "I think it's for another reason entirely."
With one more saucy wink, she headed over to a few other troll women. They all gestured for Vidgis to join them with quick hands, and Rose could hear them all filling her in on what the competitors had said to each of them.
But Rose’s mind was stuck on the thought that Gunnar had stayed with her for reasons beyond his vow. Beyond feeling like he had a duty to keep her alive.
Did he like her? It seemed as though that was what he'd been trying to say for a little while now. It was just... unfathomable.
"Rose?" Astrid called from the crowd. They wouldn't let her through because obviously they weren't going to do that. No one was allowed in the clearing who wasn't part of the competition.
Rose hadn't even spoken to her sister about any of this. That was stupid. But Astrid was very used to Rose not talking, and besides, she had her own life and husband to deal with. Bjorn wasn't anywhere near as bad as Rose, but the man wasn't in good shape, that was for sure.
None of them from the labyrinth were.
Rose sighed and headed over to the fence. Everyone was being surprisingly polite, probably because Magnus was no longer within touching distance. But the moment she stopped in front of her sister, Astrid reached through the wooden slats for her.
And Rose... flinched.
She flinched back because the thought of those fingers touching her made her skin crawl. She hadn't with Gunnar, though. The man had grabbed onto her hand, and she hadn't even reacted at all.
She'd have to poke at that a bit.
Astrid immediately withdrew her hands, realizing a little too late that she'd almost lunged. "What are you doing?"
"You saw me enter the clearing."
"I did. But I didn't think you'd keep going with it!" Astrid shook her head. "You aren't ready for this. You need to come home. I'll have Bjorn talk to the king, and I'm certain it will be fine if you just gracefully bow out."
"Gunnar already had that talk with the king."
"But Gunnar isn't Bjorn. I'm sure if we got the two of them to, then things will be fixed. It's just that this might be rushing things, Rose. You shouldn't feel rushed. Gunnar knows better!"