Maeve's Daughter ~ Throne of Glass

Chapter 11- Fenrys

Freya sucked in an imperceptible breath.

Fenrys was sat, alone for the first time, by a nearby campfire that bathed his honey blonde hair in firelight, making it glow like molten gold, framing his handsome bronzed face.

He was looking at her.

Steadily, she looked back at him, a familiar ache tugging in her gut. She needed to talk to him, she would but.... it wasn't that she was afraid.
No, there were only a few things she was afraid of these days, but she didn't want to hurt him, to cause him any emotional or physical pain would kill her.

Luckily for her, the Fae warrior seemed to take the not so subtle advice his queen had just given him, and he stood and approached her, straddling himself comfortably on the log across the fire from her.

Moments passed in silence, neither wanting to break it, it felt almost comfortable.

"So," he began, scratching his neck awkwardly, "you're Valg?"

Her mouth curled into a wry smile at his conversational attempt.
"How do you think I've lived this long pup?" She teased tentatively.

Thankfully he grinned at her, "True, I suppose you do have the temperament of a cranky old woman."

At that she tipped back her head an laughed outright.  The light playful sound entranced him, along with the joyous expression that filled her face, she was really quite stunning.

"Yes well, time works differently for us immortals, as you well know.." her breath hitching on the word, "us".

He smiled and nodded, opening his mouth to reply; but she cut him off.

"Fenrys, I-I need to talk to you about," she paused, anguish clouding her face and his heart clenched.

"About, Connall."

She paused again, waiting for his reaction.

His face dropped, and his eyes hardened, but he nodded for her to continue.

"Connall, well he always knew a little bit about me, he never said if he suspected who I was, but... well I don't know.

Given Maeve's strong control over him, she sometimes allowed me to shift when there was a ball or event that he was attending."

Her voice shook and she took a breath before continuing, "we met when he asked me to dance, and he spoke to me, I had never so freely spoken to someone and somehow we ending up becoming friends.

I never told him my name, so he gave me one, he called me Freya because he said I reminded him of his brother, in some way I still don't know."

Silver began to line Fenrys' eyes, but he made no motion to speak or question, so she continued.

"I naively thought that Maeve allowed it to reward me, for the work I'd done for her, for being a good daughter," she spat bitterly, " and so I treasured our friendship, one of the few I'd ever had in my lifetime.

We were both lonely, and trapped by Maeve, though he didn't know that about me, so we became confidants, he told me everything and I told him..well I told him the truth, but disguised it, for I wasn't sure how much Maeve would allow me to reveal. I feared the day she would rip me away from him."

Something surprising twisted in Fenrys' chest and he spoke for the first time, shocking Freya, "Were you ever lovers?"

"N-no, it was never like that, ever. He was a good and true friend to me and I to him, despite my dishonesty. I was there for him when he couldn't handle spending another second in Maeve's bed, or when he tired of serving the cadre or if he'd fought with you, I was there.