Broken Dove (Fantasyland #4)(191)

We were barely in when three women swooped down on Finnie. As other servants moved amongst the rest of us divesting us of our cloaks and gloves, they hugged, exclaimed and gabbled like girls.

Aurora allowed this for all of thirty seconds before she ordered, “Sjofn. The girls are here to take care of the children. Adult refreshments are awaiting us in the drawing room.”

It was Finnie’s turn to roll her eyes but Frey handed off Viktor, Circe and Lahn gave over Isis and Tunahn and Apollo bent to Chris and Élan.

“Go, make sure those maids take good care of our wee princes and princess,” he urged.

Chris nodded formally, his chest puffing out, clearly feeling this was an important assignment.

Élan jumped forward to give her father a loud kiss on the cheek before she skipped off toward the waiting women.

Apollo turned me Queen Aurora’s way and I saw she had her arm extended to something. I found that something was a someone when Finnie came forward, latched onto it and leaned heavily into her mother.

They led.

Frey behind them, Apollo and I behind Frey, the rest behind us, we followed.

Thus I was in the position to hear Aurora say to Finnie, “Must you wear breeches when you come to Fyngaard?”

And thus I was also in the position to hear Finnie reply, “You traipse after a toddler in a long dress.”

“My dear, you are not the first woman of Lunwyn in this generations or dozens before who managed to raise a child wearing a gown. In fact, I achieved this same feat.”

“You had servants,” Finnie retorted.

“You could too, if you installed your family at the Winter Palace where the future king of Lunwyn should be raised rather than sailing off into the sunset.”

“Okay, you convince Frey not to sail off into a hundred sunsets,” Finnie returned.

We entered an extraordinary room that seemed entirely made of dark intricately carved wood, including the wood around the blue velvet padding of the furniture, as Aurora retorted, “Your husband would anchor himself to a block of granite should you ask.”

“No, I wouldn’t,” Frey entered the conversation. “So, wife, do not ask.”

Finnie threw a smile over her shoulder but did not unlatch from her mother. “I’d never do that, husband.”

He made no reply because he probably knew this.

I had to admit, I found it beautiful the way Princess Sjofn (who was not really Princess Sjofn) was with Queen Aurora.

I wasn’t privy to the entirety of the story that led to them being that way. I just knew the Sjofn of this world chose to leave it. This was for some reason considered a traitorous act and thus she could not return or she’d be hanged (a little gruesome but then again, a lot of this world was).

Being in love with her man, Finnie never wanted to go. And anyway, she’d never done anything traitorous, questionable or otherwise, in fact, the opposite. So she took the other Sjofn’s place.

I knew Finnie had grown close to the king before he passed and was obviously close to the queen. Very close. Even if they weren’t blood.

And I was happy she had that. It was sweet.

I hadn’t asked after Ilsa’s parents, my mother and father of this world, and Apollo rarely mentioned them. However, if they knew of my existence, the way they lost their daughter, it would be doubtful they’d welcome me with open arms.

But it was a moot point. They’d both passed since Ilsa’s death. They’d lived to see their only child leave this world far too young, and then they both went.

When I’d learned this additional sadness, I didn’t dwell on it.

And I didn’t dwell on it now.

Instead, I sat on a velvet cushion mostly because Apollo planted me there. He followed me down and sat close to my side. The others were doing the same around the four couches that faced each other in a square.

Once settled, I marveled at how warm it was in the room.

Then again, there were two massive fireplaces on each side of it, both of them blazing.

Although we were settling in, and the Winter Palace was the abode of the Winter Princess (meaning it was Finnie’s), that didn’t mean that Aurora didn’t lord over that residence as well.

However, the way she was, I figured she just lorded over everything.

“You could cease this delay with bringing about my second grandchild,” she said, turning her reproaches to Frey. “The longer you wait, the more spoiled Viktor will become.”

Frey draped his arm around Finnie where they were on their couch, which was down from Aurora on the same couch, and drawled, “Fret not, my queen. I’ve seen to that and enjoyed the endeavor. Finnie’s with child.”

I gasped in delight as I felt Apollo come alert at my side.

But Finnie turned to Frey and slapped him on his stomach. “Are you crazy? You don’t tell a grandmother she’s going to be a grandmother like that!”

He turned unperturbed eyes to his wife. “How odd. I just did.”

She glared at him.

I forged into the breach, saying, “Oh my God! That’s so exciting!”

“Yes, indeed it is,” Aurora said softly, her lips tipped up two whole millimeters more than I’d seen them when she’d smiled at me which I took to mean she was super-happy. “Very exciting. Congratulations are in order. We must send away this tea and order champagne.”