Crown of Iron (Book 1 of the Crown Trilogy)

Six

With my face turned to the late morning sky, I concentrate on the babbling brook Nortus and Leif's horse drink from. The sharp edges of a boulder I'm perched upon dig into my palms and the back of my thighs. My boots and leather pants lay discarded next to the water, leaving me in a flimsy pair of lace undergarments and my tunic. The sharp end of a knife nicks just below my hip and I jump with a whimper.

"Hold still," Leif demands, placing a hand on my knee.

"I will if you quit stabbing me."

"If you didn't feel compelled to take on outlanders, I wouldn't be trying to remove thorns from your ass." Leif catches a thorn between the edge of the blade and his thumb and rips it out. "Tell me you're not following me back to Basecamp, Elle. You know they're going to send you home the minute they find out who you are."

I dig my fingernails into the stone, curl my toes in the tall green grass, and squeeze my eyes shut. We fall silent for minutes, and as he pulls each jagged point from my skin, I breathe in through my nose and out my mouth. The rhythmic intake of air helps to calm my nerves and restore my resolve.

"Don't tell them who I am," I say through gritted teeth as he pries another thorn from my flesh.

"You can't be seri—"

"I am. Let me find my father's regiment and tell them who I am on my own terms."

"You've lost your mind," Leif mumbles, running his hand over the side of my leg.

I cringe when he pats the bizarre scar on my outer thigh. The flower-shaped skin has always made me feel self-conscious. It shimmers like an opal in the sun and is rough to the touch. I cover the damaged skin with my palm and cross my legs.

Leif sits back in the grass across from me. "Your father's soldiers have spent every waking moment trying to devise a plan which will not compromise his safety. They want him back as badly as you do."

"I don't want to lead them; I just want to help rescue him."

"That's good to know because their loyalty to his second in command won't be swayed."

"Perfect. I'll need the new general's help too."

I'm in no position to lead an army, but I want to help. They need to see that their general has a family who misses him and will do anything to get him back. I want to motivate them and be a part of the forces who bring him home. My father would go to the ends of the five kingdoms for me, and I will do the same for him.

With a puff of air that sends his hair fluttering from his forehead, he says, "I should take you home."

"You wouldn't do it against my will."

He quirks his lips and says, "I'm your future husband."

"I'm your future queen. I win."

Our predestined futures feel easier to accept when we can laugh at them. The heaviness of what is to come is more bearable when accompanied by humor and quick wit. We have a way of keeping each other grounded while giving the other space to be who they are instead of who others expect them to be.

A warm chuckle drifts along with the breeze, and I glance up to find Leif shaking his head. "How the hell did we get to this place, Elle?"

I lift my brows and say, "Promised to marry each other?"

"Yeah. Have you ever looked at Micah and Borin and felt sad you will never have a bond like theirs? Maybe you have a parah out there."

"No. I never had a reason to dwell on the bond when I knew who I would marry."