The Hollow's arena swarmed with goblins. Their bodies twisted and mingled, thrashing in the throes of battle. The air rang with their cackles of glee as they tore each other to shreds, honing their inborn talent for killing and aiding their god with his own.
Knut sucked in the stench of sweat and blood and exhaled contentedly. "Ah, I love the smell of battle first thing in the morning. Don't you, Precious?" The Goblin King stood at the very edge of our mushroom seat, his hands behind his back in a kingly pose as he smiled back at me over his shoulder. Beneath us was gathered but a tiny fraction of our assembling army. Each day, he created as many warriors as he could without overtaxing himself again and each day, he found he could create more than the day before.
"You're enjoying this way more than you should," I said, restraining a smile of pride. He was powerful. Far, far stronger than he thought he was. More than I think he or any of his predecessors fathomed. I had tasted my own power in Mab's prison. I couldn't wait to witness Knut's when it would be exposed in its full grandeur. I still hadn't mentioned my little conversation with The Hollow. I wasn't entirely certain it had ever happened. I'd asked Agi about it, but he'd just looked at me like I was stupid.
"What are you talking about, My Queen?" He'd asked, tilting his head at an odd angle. "I've been on patrol since you left. I definitely didn't go into the hole. I'd remember that." Maybe I'd just imagined it and it had just been Knut's power that had freed us. I didn't know.
"It's been ages since we've had a proper war. And for the first time, we're not following someone else's orders. I actually get to plan my own strategies." He said, giggling happily. "I've never had so much fun!"
"At least one of us is enjoying themselves." I sighed, cringing as I shifted on my seat. My healing baths were either starting not to work so well or Llinos was hitting me harder than before. "Speaking of strategies, what's ours?" I asked.
Knut sauntered over to a silver cart some servants had brought up. On it was a steaming teapot and a selection of sweets. Knut had acquired an addiction to sugar since he'd created the bakery for me. "Knowing how pissed she is, Mab's bound to rush into our first battle with some half-baked plan. For now, we wait for her to make the first move. Tea, Precious?"
"Yes, please. And a lemon cookie if you haven't eaten them all already." He poured me a cup and handed it to me with a small yellow cookie on a saucer. His hands were ugly, knobby and clawed, but his movements were always strangely graceful. "What if she attacks the Underground?" I asked, nibbling on my cookie as I watched Llinos slice a willowy-limbed goblin's legs off at its knees. It toppled over like a tree and bit off another goblin's head as it did. A soul returned to Knut's belly and a new goblin leaped from his brow and rejoined the fray below us. Knut didn't even flinch. The more he used the power of the seed, the less he reacted to the pain it caused.
"If she attacks the Underground, we'll all come swarming out like wasps from a kicked nest. We'll decimate her forces. If only she's stupid enough to try it. If she plays smart, she'll be cautious and take her march on our territory slow and try to take over the boundaries of my land to draw us out, to force us to march north. If that happens, we'll have to leave many to guard the Underground, while the warriors fight her forces, splitting our hoard. Until then though, we'll do just as we've been doing. Keep building our army and testing my limits." A sudden gentle wind blew through the Underground, stirring his dark gray hair, making it dance around his shoulders. His eyes snapped to the side, gazing upward towards the abysmal darkness of the inner tree. "What was that?" He said lowly, tossing his teacup to the ground below.
"What's wrong?" I asked. I tossed my tea away and hastily climbed to my feet.
"Someone's here that shouldn't be." He answered. His eyes shifted as if watching something move across the sky.
"Is it Mab?" I choked, my throat tightening with anxiety. I was very glad to still be wearing my training clothes and grateful to have the knives and training sword still tied to my belt.
"No." He whispered. His brows furrowed. "They're gone now?" A question rang in his voice. "It was a faerie, but a Seelie, not one of hers."
"Queen Lady! Queen Lady!" Ebbe tugged at my pant leg. Suddenly there. I nearly jumped out of my skin. The smaller, less man-like goblins had a strange ability to pop out of nowhere. I still was not used to it. He held a scroll up above his head. "You gots a message!"
"From who?" Asked Knut, reaching for it.
Ebbe ducked behind my leg, hiding the scroll behind his back. "Not for King! For Queen Lady!"
Knut grunted. He crossed his arms with irritation. "Give it here, you little snot!" He growled.
I knelt down to Ebbe's level. "It's from my secret lover, I'm certain. Mind your own business, Knut." I snickered over my shoulder. A smirk broke his pout. "Who is it from, Ebbe?" I asked again.
Ebbe placed the scroll in my hand. "Messenger came. It just for Queen Lady Matilda, they says." He grinned happily, his cheeks full of color, looking every bit like a toddler proud of himself for not missing the chamber pot.
I pat Ebbe's head and unrolled the scroll revealing a long letter written in elaborate scrolling text I couldn't even begin to read. My fingers passed over the beautiful words, feeling the indentations made in the parchment by a quill being pressed down on it too hard. "I don't think I can-" I stopped mid-sentence as a woman's strong and dignified voice bombarded me, flooding my ears with her sound. I knew the voice at once.
Goblin Queen,
I request an urgent meeting with you to discuss the war. I have already designated a proper place on human land, on neutral ground. Tonight, at precisely Midnight, hold this letter and you'll be taken there. Just be sure not to wear that hunk of iron of yours as the spell may not work. There are to be no weapons. No goblin spies hiding in the trees. Tova of the elves will be accompanying me and she too will be unarmed. This is a meeting between queens. As such, your husband is not invited so keep this to yourself. I risk a lot by meeting with you. I expect you to treat my requests with respect. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity. Do not waste it. I will not offer you my aid again. We hope to see you there, Lady Matilda.
With warm regards,
Titania
Titania's voice faded just as abruptly as it had come. I gawked at the letter, overcome with shock. She, the Seelie queen, wanted to help us? I heard Knut walking towards me and quickly rolled the letter back up. I wasn't sure if he could read it or not, but I wasn't about to take chances. I jumped to my feet and stuffed the scroll into one of the pockets of my leather breaches.
"What is it?" He asked eyeing the pocket. "Did it say who it was from?"
"I'm afraid I can't say," I replied, turning to face him. "It's a private matter. Queenly business. That's all I'll tell you." I pat his cheek with a playful smirk.
"Already keeping secrets from your beloved?" He chuckled. "Our marriage is doomed."
"Who said you were beloved?"
"You did."
"Did not."
"Maybe not in those exact words."
I punched him in the shoulder. "Enough. We should get back to work." Midnight. I had to make sure I could leave at Midnight. A difficult task when your husband insists on following you around like a puppy. I needed to make him good and tired. Maybe then I could slip away while he slept. I strode over to the edge of the mushroom seat and goblins swarmed, tripping over each other to make my staircase with their bodies. "What do you say to a little sparring match?"
Knut rubbed his offended arm. "You want to train? After the beating Llinos gave you this morning? You've been whining all afternoon about how sore your muscles are."
"Are you trying to worm your way out of getting beaten by your wife?" I teased.
"Not at all." He grinned wolfishly. "Sounds like fun." He leaped off of the mushroom. The goblins below rushed to get of his way. He landed soundlessly, his springy legs taking the force of the fall with ease. I took my time making my way down the staircase of bodies. Feeling them move under toe no longer bothered me in the slightest.
Knut removed his jacket and pulled his shirt off. He discarded the garments and they slithered off to put themselves away until he needed them. His ribs flexed beneath his blotchy skin with each breath, "No weapons. This is just hand to hand sparring." He wagged his bony finger at me. "That means no knives, Princess Stabhappy."
I groaned and rolled my eyes dramatically as I started removing knives from my belt and tossed them away, making a little pile.
"The ones in your boots too, Precious." He pointed at my feet.
"You know me too well." I yanked a pair of daggers from my boots and added them to my pile, hating the naked feeling that remained once they were gone. "It's so annoying." I rolled up my sleeves. My feet slid naturally into Llinos' low fighting stance. The fighting style of the goblins. Low to the ground. Feet set wide apart, ready to spring. Teeth and claws bared.
Knut mirrored my actions and shamed them. His body shifted into form effortlessly. As simple and thoughtless as taking a step. We sprang at the same time. He swiped at me with his claws. I brought an arm up to block and kicked away his other arm. Goblins fought with their whole bodies. One arm to swing a sword. The other free to tear open your guts while you defended against the blow. Feet to kick you to the ground. Teeth to tear out your throat. "You know, it occurs to me that you don't have any pet names for me." Knut ran his mouth while we exchanged blows. I kicked and punched. He blocked and dodged, landing light, halfhearted taps at my sides, which I was stupidly leaving open. "I have so many for you. Mouse. Precious. Princess Stabhappy. Others I can't say in public. I'm a little jealous."
"I can think of a few, but I don't think you'll like them." I landed a jab to his throat. He staggered back a little, coughing.
"You're improving." He complemented. His eyes sparkled with pride at me even as he rubbed at his adam's apple.
No. This was not good enough. Not when it was plain to me that I was being coddled. "You're holding back," I growled. "Fight me like you mean it. Llinos has beaten me black and blue every day. I can take it."
He cleared his throat and spat at the ground. "That's him. Not me." He said, dark eyes boring holes through me. "It's...different."
"Awww, that's so sweet I think I may vomit." Ducking low, I drove a fist into the side of his knee, making his leg buckle. He faltered in his stance but recovered quickly. He'd already proved my point. He was holding a great deal back. On the contrary, he wasn't even trying, putting forth no effort whatsoever. He might as well have been a makeshift punching bag. "Mab's men won't hold back, so you shouldn't either," I growled.
"If I didn't hold back, your insides would be on the outside right about now. You leave your sides wide open when you strike."
"I'm not weak. Not anymore. The Hollow's Blood has done wonders on me. I survived Mab's prison, didn't I? I can take more than you think I can." I assured him. "Come at me properly. I promise I won't shatter. I'll even forgive you afterward. It'll be good practice for when I dethrone the mighty Mab."
"Fine." He sighed, none too pleased. Still hesitant. He kicked at the dirt floor of the arena. "Let's make a game of it then. If you can hit me just once I'll forget all about your secret letter."
"And if I can't?" If he asked for the letter, he could forget it. I'd have to find some other way to tire him out. If there was even a smidgen of a chance that we might be able to get help from the other side in this war, I wasn't going to let him jeopardize it.
Knut laughed at my worried expression. His gaze had fallen to where the scroll was hidden. "Then...you have to come up with a proper pet name for me."
"You're not going to ask for my letter?" I prodded.
"If you don't want me to know what it says, then I can't force you. I'm a good husband. I respect you."
"Right. Oddly, that sounds very wrong coming from you."
A rumbling chuckle echoed through my chest. His laughter in my lungs. A blink and he was there, so close our noses were grazing. He pecked a kiss on my nose. I threw a right-handed punch. It whizzed through the air with immense speed but touched nothing but air as he dodged behind me and pushed against my back. I stumbled forward but caught myself from tumbling onto my face. "Speed up. I'm a tad bit faster than those half-dead prisoners you fought in The Pit." He chided.
"Finally." A smile stretched my lips. "A proper fight." I ran at him swinging, fighting with all my limbs, I punched with my right and slashed with my left. My legs swung at him, but each blow met only air. Knut was quick. Very quick. As soon as one blow came near his body, he was somewhere else, already hitting me. He struck with the heel of hands with just enough force to startle me and knock me off my feet.
This went on for hours. All through our sparring match, he continued absorbing and remaking goblins as our army continued struggling with each other in the swarm. My body started to slow even more. I had already been tired from my morning training and now I was paying for it. Slashing at his grinning face, I lost my footing and stumbled forward. He caught me with an arm around my waist. "I think it's safe to say you've lost." He said. Our faces were so close, his breath cooled my sweaty face.
"I'll beat you. I just need more training." I panted.
"You will. Of that, I have no doubt." Pulling me in tight, he kissed me in the midst of battling goblins. His mouth soothingly cold against my heated skin. "So, what's my pet name?"
"Let me think on it a bit." I breathed against his lips. "Right now, the only one I can think of is Jackass. Not very romantic."
"Who says? I find it endearing." He chuckled before I captured his lips again.
My eyes snapped open as soon as Knut began to snore. Six bottles of wine and a full day of making goblins and sparring later and he was finally asleep. Untangling myself from him, I gingerly slipped off of our massive bed and tiptoed to where my breeches lay. I retrieved my letter from its hiding place.
The door creaked open slightly. Ask curled her finger beckoningly on the other side, calling me out into the hall. "This way." She said when I peeked my head out. "We'll dress you in your old quarters. I've already selected your outfit. We need to hurry. Midnight is only about fifteen minutes from now." She snatched my wrist and dragged me down the hall.
"You...know?" My throat tightened. If they knew, did Knut?
Ask nodded. "The Hollow knows." She answered. I pressed her for more, but she refused to answer my questions. As always. She rushed me into the chamber where I'd spent my last days of maidenhood. She dressed me in a soft sage green velvet dress. The bodice decorated with embroidered ivy in gold thread and brilliant pearls. She didn't have time to style my hair into a more fitting, elaborate style. She pinned it away from my face and let it fall down my back. Finally, I slipped off my pendant and handed it to her. My naked breast felt so very exposed and vulnerable without it pressing against my skin. "It's time." She said.
An unseen clock began to chime, singing the hour, drowning her out. I clutched the letter to my breast. There was a sudden flash of light and I sucked in a breath as a hand touched my shoulder. My lungs filled with the briny scent of the sea; the perfume of the ocean carried on bitterly cold winter wind.
"No." I shuttered. I was standing on a hill overlooking the sea in the middle of a mushroom ring. The gnarled branches of a large yew tree hung like a canopy over me. Beneath the tree, was a large stone engraved with ancient symbols and on top of it, perched like cat, was Titania with Tova at her right hand. Titania was not smiling.
Her turbulent sea-colored eyes were glaring straight at the person that stood beside me, his hand still on my shoulder. "What have you done?" She demanded, her voice so forceful, the sound alone could have toppled the great yew.
Bile rose into the back of my throat at the sight of her displeasure. "Fool!" I growled, turning on my husband. I shoved Knut away. "Why did you have to follow me? Do you have any idea what you've done?!"
"Like I'm going to let you have all the fun. I want in on whatever you're plotting." He grinned crookedly at Titania. "Hello, Titania. Always a pleasure to see you. How is Oberon and Aurora? Is the maiden excited for her big day?" Titania merely crossed her arms over her half-bare chest in answer.
I was so thoroughly annoyed I could have drowned him in the sea. "This isn't a game, Knut! She called me here to discuss the war!" I pushed at him. He didn't fight against me and stumbled back. "She could have helped us win this war! But now you've ruined it!"
"How?" He asked, hurt in his eyes.
"I was supposed to come alone!" I shouted, shoving him again. Slowly, the gravity of the situation dawned on him.
Titania slipped from her perch. She stood straight and tall, her head held high. Her translucent silver shroud billowed around her in the wind, rolling like the white caps on the waves. She gazed down her nose at me. "Let's go, Tova. Clearly, this was a mistake. The girl can't even follow simple instructions."
"No! No, wait!" I pleaded. Lunging forward, I grabbed her wrist. She jolted to a stop and stared at where my skin met hers with a look of awe. As if no one had ever dared touch her before. "Please, please don't leave!" I pleaded. We could have had her on our side! Could have beaten Mab into the dust with ease! Now any possibility of that was crumbling in my hands.
"It wasn't her fault," Knut said clearly, looking her directly in the eye. A brave thing to do. Her eyes to me were hard to look into. There was too much power there, trying to hide. Like a riptide beneath the surface of a calm sea. "I touched her just as the spell began to take her. I swear it was not intentional."
She blinked at him, and her eyes softened ever so slightly, but her arm shook away my touch. "Well, I suppose I can overlook the matter." She looked down at me. "I mainly told you not to tell him because I didn't want to deal with him. Knut, run along and play while the women talk." She waved him away dismissively.
"Very well, but I'm taking the baby with me." With a clap, he held out his hands towards Tova. It was only then that I noticed the pair of eyes peeking at me from beneath the veil of brown hair that flowed down Tova's back. The eyes were large and round, taking over the baby's small, round face.
Tova laughed lightly. The leaves on the branches that sprouted from her head and wove through her hair danced in the strong sea breeze. "Are you certain you want him? I just fed him. He'll need changing pretty soon." Regardless, she slipped the baby from her back. She hadn't carried him in anything. He'd just clung to her back with his chubby hands holding onto the branches in her hair.
He took the little elf boy in his arms and held him on his hip. Instinctively, the baby held onto him, his fists clutching his nightshirt. "I'm taking him as collateral. If you intend on trying to kill Matilda, I'll throw him in the sea." Knut warned.
Tova tickled her son, Rikard, if I remembered correctly, under the chin, making him giggle in an unnaturally pretty way. "Be a good little hostage." She cooed.
"Come, Elf Prince, we'll go on our own adventure, what do you say?" He laughed as the baby gurgled an answer in his baby language. Knut gave me one final look, the pain still in his eyes and a painted-on smile. When he walked down the hill and made his way to the shore, his back seemed more hunched than usual.
Tova stood beside me, her footsteps as light as a butterfly's. "I think you hurt his feelings." She whispered, joining me in watching Knut and the baby look for seashells at the water's edge.
"Are you sure you can trust him with your baby?" I asked, swallowing down a lump in my throat.
"Look at him." She said. The wind picked up her long, long hair, threading it into tendrils around us. She gestured with elegant, long fingers at the pair below us. Knut kicked at the frigid waves, making splashing sounds to amuse Rikard and make him laugh. "Do you honestly think he's in any kind of danger with that man? The only thing I'm worried about is getting him back. I think Knut may want to adopt him." She laughed that pretty laugh that made her leaves chime in a different tune than the wind would play.
I felt something inside me twist painfully. I sighed so heavily all my breath left my lungs.