Wildest Dreams (Fantasyland #1)(59)
At first, he did not share his knowledge of her coming from another world with Finnie because he was still adjusting to it himself. Then he found her consistent blunders endearing, her cover ups even more so and her reactions to things that surprised her deeply amusing. He enjoyed them all… greatly. Too greatly. Time had passed, not much, but enough that it had gone beyond when he should have shared he held this knowledge. Now, it seemed uncomfortably like he was keeping something from her, a secret that was important, so important, keeping it from her was a lie.
However, she’d just the night before witnessed him and Thad taking lives, she had not reacted to that well and took the news of her life being in danger even worse. With the additional anxiety she carried at again spending time with her parents, it was now not the time to discuss the knowledge he held about her.
But he knew he must find the time to do it and the words to explain why he didn’t do it earlier.
And he must do it soon.
“I don’t understand,” Atticus called Drakkar’s attention to him, “why –?”
“An attempt was made on her life, Atticus,” Drakkar explained. “She is not, to my knowledge, a princess in her world and from observing her closely, seeing her immensely friendly demeanor with others, this bears true unless royalty is vastly different in her world. She has never had, nor foiled, an assassination attempt on her life. She has not ever seen a life taken and in one night, she saw three. She reacted to this negatively and this reaction was fierce. She is not your daughter, she does not hunt, she has not been trained in swordplay, knives or archery. From what I understand from her speech, behavior and reactions to things, her world is infinitely different from ours. For instance, animals do not speak to humans.”
Both Atticus and Aurora’s eyes widened in surprise at this unusual news but Drakkar carried on.
“She is getting used to a great deal, in fact, with the frequency things surprise her, it would seem nearly everything around her is new or unusual. After she settles and hopefully after we uncover who is behind the plot to take her life, and, it would seem, mine, for the first two assassins targeted me, I will speak to her about what we know of where she comes from and I will explain to her that she will be staying in this world with us without return.”
The king nodded then stated, “It is good you mention the plot, Drakkar, for we need to discuss it. Your...” he again hesitated before again trying out the name, “Finnie may be from another world but in this world she is my daughter. And her life has been targeted twice.”
“Yes,” Drakkar agreed unnecessarily and impatiently to a statement he very well knew.
“Obviously, I do not like this no matter who she is. My realm is in the balance,” Atticus pointed out.
“And my wife’s life, Atticus,” Drakkar returned, Atticus glanced at his queen but she did not return her husband’s look. Aurora’s gaze stayed steady on Drakkar.
“True,” Atticus agreed after he looked back at Drakkar. “So what have you learned and what has been done?”
Drakkar answered swiftly, “Ruben interrogated the man he captured last night. The man who hired him is Lunwynian.” Drakkar watched both king and queen’s faces get tight at the news the conspirator was a citizen not a foreigner but he kept speaking. “I have sent Quincy and Balthazar to find him. They will make short work of that, as you know. Once found, he will be brought before us.” Atticus nodded and Drakkar continued speaking. “In the meantime, those of my men who do not have to stay to see to my ships will come to Fyngaard. I assume you increased the guard at the Palace as I asked?”
“Of course,” Atticus crossed his arms on his chest and leaned against his desk, “it is doubled.”
“Excellent,” Drakkar muttered then went on. “My men will stay in Fyngaard to increase the watch on Finnie. She does not leave this Palace, not even to wander the grounds, unless she is in my presence or she has at least four of your guard and four of my men with her directly as well as scouting for danger that may be around her.”
“That seems excessive,” Aurora put in then threw out a graceful hand in a way that was uncannily like Finnie. “This is Fyngaard.”
“And it was on the steps of this Palace in which we now stand where the assassin was felled by your daughter’s dagger, was it not?” Drakkar returned and he saw Aurora’s teeth clench.
Atticus butted in. “This is true, Drakkar, but the Fyngaardians are sophisticated and cultured. A doubling of the king’s guard and the men of The Drakkar wandering the city will cause unease. They are unused to this. Especially if their Winter Princess wanders her city under heavy guard. Normally, she wanders it freely and her guard, as it didn’t need to be,” he stated this unable to hide his pride, “was never heavy.”
“They can have the guard, my men and a secure princess or they can have Baldur’s rule,” Drakkar clipped. “Which do you think they would choose?”
Atticus closed his mouth.
Drakkar continued and when he did, his voice was low. “I will remind you of what I am sure you will never forget. Finnie is not Sjofn. She has not, from a very young age, participated in the hunt. She has not felled numerous deer and other wild animals. Indeed, the sight of a dead deer made her visibly retch. She does not carry a dagger on her person at all times and if she did, she would have no idea how to use it. Your daughter proved she could defend her person and her guard understood even before she proved it that, in such an event, she could handle herself.” He paused to drive his point home. “My Finnie cannot.”