Chapter 9

“Freja, please prepare to welcome the Hadarim.”

Mother gave me a stern look, and I swallowed a sigh and nodded. It was no use arguing with her. She would only get angry, and maybe I wouldn’t be allowed to come with her when she greeted them.

I turned and walked out of the room, taking the door leading to the stairs. It was the long way around, down the worn stone steps, but it had always been my favourite place, hidden away from the bustle but still close enough to hear the servants gossiping below. It was dark, but my feet knew each step, and I descended and came down to the courtyard.

Holger was talking to Sven, overseeing the last of the preparations, and he turned and smiled as he saw me.

“Freja…”

Sven bowed to me and left, and Holger put a hand on me as I halted next to him. His old, bony hand lay light against mine. I sometimes wondered how old he was, but all I knew was that he had always been there, for as long as I could remember.

“Will you come with the Lady to greet them?”, he asked.

I nodded.

“Will you be there too?”

“Yes, the Lady asked me to accompany her. And so will Bjorn.”

I stared at him.

“Bjorn? Why does Mother want him to come?”

“I do not ask such questions, my love.”

I knew I couldn’t either, but I wondered what she had in mind. He was the fiercest warrior and bigger than a horse, and she had never asked him to accompany her for such a simple task as greeting the traders. But maybe the war had simply taken a toll on her mind, and she was seeing ghosts where there were none.

I followed as Holger hobbled over to the stables, leaned over and peered into the stalls. It had been a year since the traders’ last visit, and I couldn’t wait to see what they brought this time. Mother used to show me all their goods, pointing out where they had come from. But all of that changed when my brother and Father died. She hadn’t been herself since.

“I believe we are ready, my love.”

Holger gripped the wood and straightened his old body.

“Now, don’t be late”, he smiled.

I nodded, and he gently squeezed my hand in his before turning and shuffling towards the castle. He was one of the few who still talked to me, as it had been before my brother and Father were taken by the Dragon. Everyone else simply treated me as the next High Lady, which mostly meant ignoring me, but I knew it was on the orders of Mother. I wished my brother and Father hadn’t died, and Mother would still be her old self.

I sighed and cast one last glance at the disappearing Holger before heading up the stairs to prepare.