A Queen Named Victory

Chapter Twenty-Nine

The day that I learned to appreciate Montver finally came. Peace washed over my body when Grendel and I laid under the blanket of our shared bed with legs entwined and bodies pressed close together. Lovely dreams entertained me through the night, and I rose to the soft chimes of daybreak.

Montver welcomed the Vanatyrs. They fit in well with the soldiers in the barracks. Vanatyr strength rivaled Montverian tactically. Their spearmanship amazed Grendel's troops. They had not seen such aim and precision with short spears in their lifetime. Montverian armor attracted the Vanatyr warriors, and they easily adapted the chain-link over their thick leather attire. They thought the steel blades of the Montverian swords were too weak for their brute power, but Sangyr gained their wholehearted approval.

Ochre fell into a teary fit when she saw me.

"I'm so sorry!" she wailed.

Ochre returned from mourning to startling changes in Montver. Ritual mourning in Tolkniat, and Montver, required her to enter a trance state where she collected her father's memories. She had two choices: use herself as a vessel or transfer them to a karlik until she met the same fate, and her next of kin repeated the process. She discarded the traumatic experience into a karlik and buried it. She needed time to consider the worth of destroying the book stained with his atrocities. There were some things in his memories that she knew she had to revisit if she wanted to heal completely.

"Will they wage war with us?" Ochre asked as she paced beside the small boat.

I shook my head. Ivar had his only purpose for fighting in his possession. Our squabble over Geriset ended after I surrendered my twin. Whether or not it was a good idea no longer mattered since it was out of my control. I honored my mother's wishes until the end. "It would not be in their favor to raise a war. Not when we are in our prime," I answered confidently, brushing my hand along the sleek crossbeam of the oak boat.

"There's still a chance that they might."

Ochre lowered herself to reach an overlapping panel in need of her talents. She traced a design onto the plain wood with her finger, leaving a trail of shimmering magic.

"All the more reason to improve ourselves, and Montver."

Our main protective spells needed strengthening. Lupa's ability to break through to retrieve me proved that. I scrubbed the lavender wood into the wood panels after Ochre's designs cooled. War waged outside of the frost kingdom did not sway my confidence unless Ivar led the charge. He knew that too.

Then there was Tolkniat. Their skilled Dimikyr soldier's matched Montver in strength and outnumbered us in population. Deinoth's followers quieted after his death, but they did not die with him. The threat lingered within hushed whispers.

"Are you trying to fall into the water?" She asked as she held me from falling from the dock.

"Good catch."

"I did not know you were a seafarer."

"I once dreamed of it," I admitted. "But this is more of an apology than it is a gift for me."

I ruined my chance with my sister. The moment when she looked into my eyes after stabbing me revisited my dreams. I had time to prevent the same outcome with my brother. Like the rest of us, Ulf dreamed of a world filled with exploration, thrills, and freedom. Maybe that was our father's attribution as a traveling merchant, or it was our Vanatyr nature. "My queenly duties bind me within the mountain," I explained. "But my brother deserves to be free. As did my sister, so I guess she's free too."

"Her freedom is an illusion," Lupa's voice neared the boat. She examined the overlapping panels and strakes for mistakes. Ulf popped out from behind Lupa. She grew surprisingly fond of my brother for a woman who detested the idea of our mother bearing a son. "Freedom, in general, is an illusion," she appended. Ah, the wise one joined us with another pearl of wisdom to add to my collection.

"Speak of the devil," I grinned.

Ulf admired the boat. He looked at the ribs and intricate designs with child-like wonder. It had been years since I had seen him that happy over something other than a full plate.

"Mine?!"

Ulf wasted little time hearing my detailed explanation and apology. He did not need to hear it for him to forgive me. The thought of trailing the world on his own sent him into deafening excitement.

"Fear not," Ochre murmured lowly for me to hear. "Our magic combined is impenetrable."

I pulled my brother aside from his new ship. He looked up at me with Ingrid's golden eyes. I ran my thumbs over his temple in a teary goodbye. "Mother wolf runs with you." My brother rested his hands over mine on his chin. He did not blink away his tears. "Be brave, yeah? Be smart. Speak the merchant's tongue to get a good deal." My voice trembled.

"And no sweets before you sleep."

"I'll miss you, Siggy."

His tears thanked me for more than the ship or his ability to follow his dreams. He recognized my purpose in his life. I lived as his mother, his father, his protector, his friend, and his older sister. All of which I nearly destroyed. Ulf prepared the ship by drawing the sails. He had something that fate stripped from my childhood. We waved Ulf off as he traveled down the Sepkar river.

"He will return as a man. You've done your mother proud," Lupa slapped my shoulders.