58. Maddy
Chapter 58
Maddy
F reydis is leaning against my father's cell door. Kain pauses at the entrance, gazing at me. My heart skips—his curse is gone. I could reach out and squeeze his hand right now. I could even lean over and kiss his lips.
We inch closer.
But Freydis needs me first.
"I have to go to her now," I whisper.
His voice fills my mind. "Princess, we have waited this long. When I finally feel your lips on mine, we will be alone and have all the time we need."
Heat rushes me, and I nod, staring into his beautiful face.
"Promise?" I whisper.
"Oh, I promise. And don't forget, you're a Valkyrie now. You can reply to me in your mind." His smile makes my pulse race.
"Really?" I project the thought toward him, and he laughs softly.
"You're a quick study, princess. Take care of your sister. I will be in the vault if you need me."
"Choosing your new weapon?"
His eyes gleam.
"I wouldn't want to waste an opportunity. But princess, I'll be thinking of you the entire time."
He melts into the shadows, leaving me red-faced and too hot.
I take a deep breath, start a small snow flurry over my head, then move into to the room.
Freydis snaps her head up to me, then throws herself into my arms, her chest heaving with sobs.
"Maddy, it's all my fault. Everything that happened was all because of me."
"No," I tell her firmly. "It was all because of her."
A choked sob echoes from the cell. I can't bring myself to look at our father.
"Come." I take her hand. "I don't want him around for this conversation."
We wind through the catacombs to the small boat, her tears a constant, steady stream as we cross the water. I guide her to the temple garden, grateful not to bump into anybody on the way but flinching at the fire damage Featherblade has taken. Thankfully, the pretty flower garden, and most of the temple, has evaded damage, and I settle Freydis onto the grass. The same patch of grass I sat on when I arrived here.
Thyrvi immediately rolls on the ground, crushing flowers in her paws and throwing them around herself.
"Freydis, none of this was our fault. Do you blame me for what I was forced to do?"
She shakes her head quickly.
"Then you must not blame yourself either. You must afford yourself the same kindness you give me."
If I'm being truthful, I'm saying the words to assuage my own guilt too. It's my fault Kain was punished. He spent two hundred years alone because my magic backfired.
"Freydis, neither of us would ever have done any of that if we'd had a choice. And, in fact, it was refusing to do her bidding that caused this. Our morals were true."
"You think?"
"I know. Look." I flutter my wings. "I wouldn't have been given these otherwise. And whatever we did, we did it together. You can do so much good now." I squeeze her hands. "You'll be Queen of the Ice Court, ruling with honor instead of corruption and lies. It's our time to set everything right."
She takes a shuddering breath. "You think I can make it right?"
"Do what you can, not what you can't," I tell her. "We can't change the past, but we can shape the future, make Yggdrasil better."
"But what if I'm like them? You've always been different, Maddy. I haven't. What if I'm just another power-hungry, cruel?—"
I cut her off, my voice sharp. "Freydis, listen to me. You are nothing like them. You raised me when they wouldn't. You were relieved to die so that you didn't have to cause others' deaths. You never stopped fighting for me, and you put yourself through hel to try to help me. You are good. Kind. Fair. And you are so, so strong. You will be the best queen the Ice Court has ever seen."
She blinks through tears at me. "Well," she whispers, "this is a role reversal. You reprimanding me." I grin at her, and she sniffs. "I love you, Maddy."
"I love you too. Nothing will ever come between us again. Ever."
"Ever," she agrees, and hugs me tight. When she pulls back, her tears have dried. "Father has to stay locked up forever."
I don't want to mention Mother, so I don't. "I know. So will Erik and Ishild."
She bites her lip. "About Ishild…"
I squeeze her arm, worried she feels guilty about the Frost Giant. "I understand why you tried to stop her killing Mother."
She shakes her head. "No, that's not what I was going to say. I… I think I can change her back."
I stare at her. "You do?"
"Yes. I only had the tiara on a short while, but I really believe I can change her back, and if that was the original deal…" She drops her gaze, staring down at her hands as she twists them in her lap. "Do you think I should?"
"Whether she's a Frost Giant or a fae, she'll be imprisoned," I say.
"I know, but it feels like the right way to start my reign, honoring a promise."
"Freydis, about the tiara. I think we should leave it in the vault here," I say slowly. "It's too powerful to have out in the world."
She nods. "Plus," she says with a small smile, "you seem to be friends with Featherblade. I'm sure you could retrieve it if needed."
I laugh. "Well, Sigrun's sealing the vault soon. If you want to try, we should go now."
Determination fills her intelligent eyes. "I do want to try."
"Then let's go."