Chapter 32: Your Fellow Birds Are Still Here

FREYA

“Your fellow birds are still here. We need to keep them happy until they leave,” Cain whispered as they walked to the head table.

“I’m sure they’ll leave soon. They don’t look happy to be here.”

Hawke Aurelian was sitting at the head table with Vistra. His body was incredibly tense as he made small talk with a grimace.

Vistra on the other hand looked like she didn’t have a care in the world on this chilly night.

It made Freya feel ashamed. She had grown up with the same prejudices against the wolves that her father and former king still held onto. Even knowing that Vistra wasn’t behind the attack Ivar had coordinated, they still didn’t look pleased to be here with the pack.

Vistra looked like the elegant and fierce leader Freya knew her to be. The moonlight shone in her shimmering red eyes that were shadowed in her black war paint. Freya was apprehensive she’d never be able to live up to her example as the Vargar wolf-mother. She was just beginning to learn the foundations of Vargar culture.

Hopefully in the years to come, she could make Vistra proud. Well, and Cain and the rest of the Vargar. There were many of them back in the mountains awaiting their return.

Would the rest of them be as welcoming of Freya as those here at the camp? The initial envoy of warriors that had journeyed here so many moons ago to plan the new peace they were living into now were so much more welcoming than Freya had expected.

When Freya saw her father sitting at the head table picking at a plate of roast, her mind was taken back to when Raga had come home and brought her the news of wolves on the border. Back then, Freya hated the ones she thought to be monsters. But those were the fools who had been working with Ivar. She supposed she could still think of those individuals as unruly beasts.

But not the others. Everyone else wanted peace. The generations of war had tainted every person here in some way.

Freya’s grip on Cain’s arm tightened as they got closer to the head table. Even though Vistra was beaming a marvelous smile in their direction, Freya stared at the fake smile on the Adaryn king’s face.

And then there was her father, looking sorrowful as his only daughter was being held tight by a Vargar.

“Speak to your father while I have words with your king,” Cain told Freya.

“He’s no longer my king. I’m with your people now.” She squeezed his hand before letting go.

Hearing her words brought a smile to Cain’s face, and he leaned forward to plant a reassuring kiss on her brow.

Hawke Aurelian and Lonan Mourning were separated at the table by a few Council members. Freya frowned to see Allen Grouse amongst them, sniffing his cup of mead with disgust.

With all the courage she could muster, Freya let go of Cain and held her head up high as she walked toward her father.

Lonan had a brief look of surprise. He would have been correct to assume Freya didn’t want to speak to him. She was only doing this to appease Cain. Family was important to him.

If it was important for him to make her peace with her father, then she might as well. Anxiety was clutching at her heart the closer she got.

“Freya.” Lonan turned in his seat at the head table to look at his daughter. There was sorrow in his eyes, and the lines around them had deepened. He appeared as though he had aged a century since that morning at the manse when he hadn’t been bothered to tell her goodbye. As much as she wanted to appease Cain and have this moment with her father, it was only hurting her to see him.

She started to turn away from him, but Lonan still had sharp reflexes. He wasn’t yet soft like the rest of the Council. His hand on her arm stopped Freya from turning.

In the corner of her eye, she saw Cain looking at her from his conversation with Hawke and his mother. Cain narrowed his eyes in question.

Freya wasn’t going to disappoint him. “Father, thank you for being here.”

He must have noticed her tone was cold. His face fell in sadness. “I’m so sorry, Freya. Can you ever forgive an old fool for giving away his last daughter to the beasts?” His hand tightened on her arm as his eyes glistened. He looked genuine in his apology.

Still, Freya couldn’t stand the insult. “They are not beasts! You sit here among them and still have the audacity to say something like that?” Her fists clenched. “You would give me away to them, not knowing what was going to become of me and now you want to apologize? You’re lucky I’m actually happy with them. With him.”

Her eyes went to Cain. The moment she looked at him, she felt the rest of the Adaryn at the table watching the interaction between her and her father. Somehow, she didn’t mind that people were watching her now.

“Are you happy, daughter, truly?” His question was like a plea.

“I am.” Freya spoke truthfully.

“I saw you with him. I heard what the last envoy said when they returned. They spoke as though it was blasphemy to see you together, even though they wanted to send you away. Freya, you have to believe I never wanted to send you away. They made me… I had no choice.” His voice was low as he pleaded with Freya. As he spoke, his hand moved to her arm as he held her in place. The sorrow in his eyes deepened.

She wanted to believe that her father hadn’t really wanted to send her away. “Then why? Why am I here?”

“We had to do it, Freya. We all wanted peace and to create an unbreakable alliance. You were the one who was chosen.” His voice trembled.

That only confirmed her understanding that they’d chosen her to get rid of their wingless outcast.

“I am happy. I love Cain and I love his people. I belong more to the wolves than I ever did the birds.” Her tone was a bit harsher than she meant it to be. Even though she believed her father felt bad, it still angered her to know she was so disposable. “Father, I will forgive what you have done. I hope now I can live up to Raga in your eyes. After all, I’m doing my duty, am I not?”

Freya jerked her arm free of Lonan’s grasp and turned her back on her father. Her hands came up to her stomach where she could feel the pieces of her sister’s armor on the dress. The feeling of having that part of her sister with her made Freya feel stronger, and she sent a silent thank you to wherever Raga was in the sky.

Freya dipped her head in respect to the other members of the Adaryn council at the head table. When she joined Cain, she made sure to bow her head deeply at King Hawke.

He nodded back before jumping back into conversation with Cain and Vistra.

“I do believe there’s a great opportunity for trade. Our wine, your mead. We can share resources from our orchards and expansive farms, and we have great interest in the cream you procure. The cheese and butter are very different in flavor to what we have.” The king was authentic in his enthusiasm.

Freya attempted to stay focused on the conversation, but the storm clouds were rolling lower. The chill was seeping into her bones even with the thick coat lined with fur wrapped tight around her. Her skin was as cold as ice, and she wanted nothing more than to fall asleep with Cain’s massive warm frame wrapped around her.

The moon had disappeared behind a black cloud. The stars were starting to vanish behind the wall of roiling storm clouds. The Adaryn were starting to shift uncomfortably. They didn’t want to get caught flying in the storm that was to come.

Lonan continuously cast glances at his daughter, and Freya was refusing to look his way. Although the longer she sat next to Vistra, she could feel both of them giving her that parental glance.

“Freya,” Vistra cooed. “The birds will leave soon. Please, say goodbye to your father.”

“I hate to sound like a petulant child, but why should I?” Freya questioned back. She kept her voice just as low as Vistra’s to avoid the Adaryn overhearing.

“Little bird, I also promised my child to the ones I was raised to think of as the enemy. It is no easy task for a parent to agree to such terms. They must have been heavily persuading your father into this, more so than what we experienced. I at least gave Cain the option to make the final decision for himself. Your father had already lost a child and I’m sure he was forced into losing you. Don’t be so hard on him.” She leaned close and pressed her forehead to Freya’s. It was a common move for the Vargar to comfort one Ir.

“I will say goodbye to him,” she said with a sigh.

Vistra settled back into her massive wooden seat, unbothered by the cold rushing over them in waves now. She had an easy smile across her red lips.

“I’m glad to hear it. I don’t want to be at odds with the one I shall soon share a grandchild with.” Vistra smiled. “Well, someday at least.” The wolf-mother patted the back of Freya’s hand gently before she stood from the table.

Cain looked over at Freya questioningly. Her response was to look in her father’s direction. Cain nodded in understanding before diving back into conversation with the Adaryn king. It made Freya so glad to see that the conversation was flowing smoothly, despite how uneasy a few of the Councilmen looked. Allen Grouse was the worst.

The entire time they’d been feasting at the tables, he’d had the nastiest look on his face. And when he noticed Freya walking back in the direction of her father, he had a smile plastered on his face that better resembled a grimace. She knew she hadn’t liked him that first time he’d shown his face at her old family home.

“Father.” Freya approached Lonan and kept her hands on the solid armor acting as a corset around her waist. That last trace of her sister gave her what she needed to face their father. She said she forgave him, and she needed to act like it. “I came to say goodbye before you all leave—”

Before she could finish her sentence, Lonan had rushed from his chair and threw his arms around his child. He was nearly crushing Freya from the force of his hug as he poured all he could into it.

“You are brave, and you are strong, and Raga would be so proud of you and I’m so sorry. If your mother was well, I know she’d hate to hand you over, but to know you are happy and cared for will bring her joy.” He pulled back to look Freya in the eyes while keeping his hands on her shoulders. “You look so much like your mother, and I wish she were here to see you smile again.”

Freya relaxed and smiled back at her father.

“Please, take care of mother when you go home. She’s still in there somewhere.” And she hugged her father one more time. She was still sad about what had happened to her family, but she wanted peace between their people. And that meant making peace with her family, too.

“Come, my fellows, the night ends for us and we can’t be caught in the storm. We’ll stay at the Valkyrie outpost and then finish our flight in the morning. Now that we know our future brings peace, I think we can all sleep easy tonight.” Hawke turned from Lonan and the other Councilmen to bow low at Vistra’s feet.

She raised an eyebrow at the motion, only nodding her head in return.

“Cain, I think working with you in the future will be splendid. You have a head for leadership, and I trust my son will work with you to meet our efforts for peace when the time comes for you both to lead.” Hawke clasped his fist over his chest and bowed to Cain who lifted his mug in salute to the Adaryn king.

As they left, Freya felt a tug at her heart. Her head was swirling with memories of her father holding her tight and flying her into the sky with her mother and Raga at their sides. There was a small bit of wing envy still in her heart, but now it was less as she had found a people of her own and a love on the ground.

The sight of the king’s golden wings brought Aurik to mind. She was relieved he hadn’t been there. She wouldn’t want him to be in the audience to witness her union with Cain. Especially after she had turned him down. Hopefully what had transpired between them wouldn’t affect their future alliance between the Adaryn and Vargar.

Aurik would be the next king, while Cain was the next alpha with Freya at his side. She hoped Aurik would move on to some other nobleman’s daughter, one who made sense to be on the throne beside him. She still wanted him to find happiness. He would still make a good king when it was his time.

“Freya, now that the birds are gone, would you like to retire to the tent? I want you well rested for the journey tomorrow. It won’t be an easy trip in this weather. The canyon separating our lands is treacherous to traverse, even in good weather.” Cain had scooped Freya up into his arms as he spoke, holding her tight to his chest to share his warmth.

“The pack is enjoying the feast still, look at them.” Freya gestured at the warriors dancing around bonfires and picking at leftover roast pieces on the long tables. “Let us just watch a moment. I want to burn this happiness into my memory.”

“As you wish, my little bird. We will look at all the happy faces of a pack that doesn’t have to worry anymore if they’ll be called to war. See how they celebrate knowing that soon we will go home?”

“I am happy to be a part of this historic night.” Freya snuggled in close to Cain’s muscled chest.

“I am happy to have you, no matter what.” Cain pressed a gentle kiss atop Freya’s head, wrapping part of his cloak around her small frame in his lap.

The wolves were dancing, some of them shifting into their fur after the Adaryn left to play fight and race around the camp. The energy was high. Despite the storm threatening overhead, everyone was thoroughly enjoying themselves and ready for the journey home. Back to loved ones left behind.