FREYA
When I come downstairs, nobody pays any kind of attention to me and I find a safe place in a dark corner to see what is actually going on here. Everybody crowded at one of the armchairs near the fireplace and I hear them all saying words on top of each other.
“We are so happy you are here!”
“It’s been a long summer!”
“I have ordered our cook to prepare the best meal for you!”
What is this exactly? The second coming of Christ? They step away just for a second and I notice a young man in his early twenties in expensive-looking clothes sitting by the fire. He is a redhead with locks falling onto his forehead as if he walked straight out of a salon. In which he spent hours. Seriously, a man's hair cannot look this good! And not in this colour! He notices me instantly with his sharp blue eyes.
“And who do we have here?” he smirks at me and my heart clenches warning me about trouble. My “family” turns to look at me with distasteful gazes.
“That’s her”, I hear Eliza say as if she spits my name. My oh my, how unladylike!
“Your cousin who is going to attend the academy this year?” the ginger guy looks at me as if I am some kind of fun and unknown animal he found.
“Yes,” Kai snorts, “Freya Winter, the ice lady. She is freezing anything and anyone around her with her “fun” personality.”
I want to slap them all. Hard. But I say nothing. I already learned the hard way that if Freya messes up, Rickie is the one actually paying the price. And I am not going to do it to the poor kid, I do feel like he is a brother of mine now.
“Say something,” the guest says as if daring me.
“Good evening,” I raise my chin and try not to roll my eyes. Although it takes a lot of inner strength.
“Hmm,” he acknowledges my reply, “And you think you can attend the Royal Academy? Do you even know what kind of requirements they have there?”
“No,” I say honestly, “But professor Arsene says that my case is unusual and I should attend still. And who am I to argue with him?”
“Bold Icicle,” the guy chuckles, “Sit next to me at the dinner. It’s entertaining.”
I can literally hear the screws in my family’s minds tighten at that. Whoever he is – they want his whole attention.
“I am afraid my place at the table is predetermined,” I smile my fakest smile, “Our wonderful family has rules and…”
“You will sit where Troy tells you to sit!” Kai turns to me, his eyes throwing daggers. Eliza turns an ugly shade of red. Well, I think I can even enjoy this a bit.
“All right, cousin, if you and Troy say so,” I grin.
At dinner, this Troy guy is sitting at the head of the table. Which is strange. Usually, lady Beaufort takes this place. But now she sits at one side of him, while I sit at another. Kai is next to me and Eliza is next to her mother, looking at me with the intention to kill. Yet every time she looks at Troy, her gaze changes to that of adoration. I think this little brat has a crush on him.
They talk mostly about the Academy and some people that I don’t know so I am just enjoying the meal which is far better than usual. Rickie is not downstairs, they didn’t let me leave the room and Annika was too busy working, so I guess he stayed in his room once again. God, I hate these people so much! But Annika whispered to me that she is taking a good meal to him upstairs and that helped me to calm down a bit.
“So, are you excited to go to the Academy?” Troy’s fingers brush over mine as if by accident and I hide my hand away.
“It hasn’t been decided yet”, I reply, “The Academy’s headmaster needs to see me first.”
“Why?” he raises his brow.
“Because I need the scholarship to attend, my family has no…”
“Don’t bother Troy with all those details!” Kai interjects. His hand shamelessly goes to my thigh, giving me a harsh squeeze. But the next moment he takes it away, hissing, with frost all over it. “You!” he grits through his teeth.
“I am sorry, cousin, I cannot control this. You know it very well,” I take a spoonful of the most delicious dessert, “You should avoid touching me as much as possible for your own safety!”
And yes, that’s a warning that hopefully, he would get one of these days.
“Anyway, Eliza, have you prepared for the tournament?” Troy suddenly changes the subject.
“Yes,” the girl blushes at the unexpected attention.
“Why, are you going to fight?” I ask in disbelief and in a second they all burst out laughing. They laugh and laugh and this time I just roll my eyes. Yes, I do not feel embarrassed for not knowing stuff about this world. I have a perfect excuse – my memory loss. Everyone bought this story and I can get away with a lot with its help.
“Oh, mighty gods!” lady Beaufort clears her throat, “Troy, forgive my niece's stupidity. She has recently hit her head and now the poor thing became even sillier than before. She doesn’t remember a lot of things.”
“That’s all right,” I guest replies, he is clearly in a good mood now, “I am aware of Freya’s story. No, Eliza is not going to fight! There is a tradition that ladies are giving their ribbons to the knights taking part in the tournament. As a sign of their affection or just to support them. If the knight wins, he may invite one of the ladies who gave him a ribbon to any or all of the balls that conclude the events.”
He is looking at me like he is expecting to hear something. But I don’t care for the knights and the stupid ribbons. And I would be crazy to think that Beauforts would let me attend any kind of ball. No, my aim for the tournament is to impress the headmaster of the Academy and get that freaking scholarship! Then find out what happened to me and hopefully earn some money to help Rickie out. My life is a mess of its own. I don’t need to complicate things more here!
“I am ready, Troy!” Eliza says loudly, trying to attract his attention, “My ribbon is of crimson red colour! Just like the flames in my heart!”
I give out a loud snort at that. Shoot! All eyes are on me and I take a sip of my drink.
“Excuse me”, I say, “Something was stuck in my throat…”
“How insolent!” lady Beaufort exclaims, “Troy, forgive her rudeness.”
“It’s fine, my lady,” Troys says quickly, making her blush as well to match her daughter’s face, “I was thinking and the road seems so boring to the tournament. Would you allow Kai, Eliza, and Freya to join me in my carriage on the way there?”
“Of course,” the woman smiles and looks significantly at her daughter. Whoever this Troy is, they would be happy for Eliza to be with him…
I escape as soon as I can and come back to Rickie. We read a book together and chat a bit before he goes to sleep. I blow his candle and walk outside to get some air.
I hide in the garden, no one is usually here at this hour. Nerves are getting the best of me. Soon I will be at the tournament and everything would depend on what will happen there!
The sound of broken branches makes me turn and I see a tall dark figure right in front of me.
“Oh, there you are! I hoped you would sneak out and we can introduce each other better,” Troy’s voice sounds as if he is truly delighted to see me.
“Uhm,” I mumble, “What are you doing here?”
“I think I was clear right now about what I am doing here,” he smirks and moves closer, making me step back until I reach a huge oak tree behind me. He leans down and touches my hair, playing with it with his fingers.
“What are you doing?” I gasp.
“You have a very unusual appearance, Freya,” he smiles, really sure of himself, “And I like it.”
“Uhm, thanks,” I mutter and try to move away but he cages me in between his hands.
“Don’t be in a hurry, Freya,” he whispers into my ear, “Life in the academy can be tough. You need friends there. And I can be your good friend… Protector even.”
Am I hearing what I am hearing?
“I can deal with everything by myself,” I snort. I can’t react seriously to an offer like that. Who does he think he is?!
“No, you can’t,” he says, his nose brushing over my cheek, “But I can. I can even take care of this scholarship thing for you. Sounds good?”
“Sounds horrible,” I push him on his chest and he steps away, although probably he just didn’t expect this turn of events, “Who do you think I am?!”
“Don’t be offended, Freya, this is normal for a poor girl like you to have a… benefactor,” he says, trying to explain himself as if he didn’t just insult me by the offer itself.
“Oh, my!” I roll my eyes, “You are seriously thinking that you are doing something good here? How self-absorbed exactly are you?! Do you seriously think that I am a damsel in distress and you are my knight in shining armour? Offering money and protection in exchange for me warming up your bed?! Some knight you are!”
“How dare you speak to me like this?!” his tone changes and I see that he is fuming, “I am trying to do something good here…”
“You know what, go and do your good to… Eliza, for example! I bet she’d be happy to your generous offer of s*x for money!” I roll my eyes, “And leave me alone!”
“Stupid!” he says and suddenly grabs me, pulling me into his body and forcing a kiss on my lips.
I slap him and I slap him hard! A frosty mark stays on his perfectly tanned cheek and I smirk at that. But then… his eyes fill with fire, real fire! And it looks as if fire flows through his veins, lighting him up… My ice mark disappears…
Aksara