The Goblin's Throne

Chapter Fifty: Nightmares

Snorri, for example, was stalking around the sweet shop when we came back out of it with our own horde of delicious things. I had a bag of caramels. Knut's pockets were full of lemon cookies, which he happily shared with Odd. Frit was gnawing on an enormous chocolate tart and I'd talked Floki down to just one item. He'd settled on a strawberry and cream cake thing that was big enough for the entire family. Cat got a variety of chocolates that were filled with different flavors. Some of them had pistachios in them, which I thought was an odd choice. She used to hate them, but I supposed tastes could change as well as looks as one ages. 

"Is there anything left?" Snorri asked, grinning crookedly at my children whose faces were already smeared in chocolate and cream. 

"Snorri!" The twins squealed, bouncing around the large goblin, holding their sweets up over their heads. "Look what we got! Look! Look! Snorri!" 

Snorri pretended to be amazed by their treasures and smiled, not seeming annoyed in the least by how they pulled at his arms and tried to climb him with their tarts and cake precariously tucked beneath one of their arms. 

"That's enough children. Stop climbing Snorri like he's a tree." I finally grabbed Frit and Floki by the backs of their shirts and pulled them off of him.

"Depends on what you're looking for," Knut answered him, passing another cookie to Odd who was sitting on his shoulders. "The Little Beast and I have cleared this shop out of lemon cookies."

"Damn, I'll have to check the bakery next door then." Snorri chuckled, jabbing his thumb towards the shop that literally shared a wall with the one we'd just come out of. I loved fresh bread and sweet things, sure, but even I knew that Knut and his architect goblins had gone absurdly overboard. You couldn't go a step without stumbling into a bakery. "I was..." He looked down at his feet almost bashfully. "I was actually looking for a gift for you, Empress." 

"A gift? For me?" I gasped.

"Is everyone trying to steal my wife now?" Knut grumbled.

"I haven't heard anything about a celebration feast or anything." Snorri quickly tried to explain. "And I thought you should at least get some sort of welcome home present." He lifted his eyes back to me. He slipped the feathered hat from his head and twisted it in his hands. "I feel awful for failing as I did at The Winter Solstice. If I hadn't been killed so easily...maybe we could've saved you back then and you wouldn't have been gone so long. I'm really grateful that King Knut remade me and I'm really happy you're back, Empress. Ib's nice and all, but I don't like it when he rides me. You're much better at it."

Knut doubled over in laughter, nearly dropping Odd in the process. Even Cat turned around to hide her snickering. The boys looked at them both curiously, not understanding what was so funny.

"You don't owe me anything, Snorri, just for the love of the Hollow, never say that again." I scolded the goblin beneath my breath.

"What? What did I say?" Snorri asked, tilting his head slightly. "I only meant that you're better at giving directions."

"It's better not to know." I patted him on the shoulder. "Just treat yourself to some cake."

"Ah, I haven't laughed that hard in ages!" Knut coughed up the last of his giggles, wiping tears from his eyes. He leaned into my ear and purred to me in a low voice. "Who knew you were such an accomplished equestrian?"

"Shut up." I swatted his chest again, feeling my face go hot. "Why is your mind so quick to go into the gutter?" 

"Well, you do tend to push it there."  He whispered and quickly stole a kiss.