Luckily Prince Lief spent most of his time in the training room, or at his mother’s side in the throne room, so we didn’t run into him often. For the rest of the week Charlotte and I just sort of drifted around the palace. Erik showed us the entire place, which took nearly half a day, and the Queen ordered the servants to make us new clothing that actually fit properly.

            I spent hours in the seamstress’ room, standing in front of the wall of mirrors, being measured and pricked by pins.

            “Miss, please, if you stand still there’ll be no danger of poking you,” the seamstress was a robust woman whose honey colored hair curled over her shoulders. She was much more vocal than the other servants, and I would guess her position was a coveted one. Right now she was staring at me with stern blue eyes.

            “Sorry,” I mumbled, and turned to watch Charlotte, who was wandering about the shop marveling over different types of fabric, running her hands over the silks and satins.

            “Look,” she held up a roll of blood red silk, “wouldn’t this make an amazing evening gown?”

            I nodded, and then sucked in air through my teeth when I felt another sharp poke in my ribs. The seamstress shook her head and made a “tut tut” noise at me.

            “Oh,” Charlotte sighed, “this dark blue one is so pretty.”

            I bit my lip, hoping that she wasn’t mad. It was pretty obvious that the seamstress was spending way more time on my measurements. And the rolls of fabric that the Queen had picked for Charlotte and I were different. My outfits were clearly going to be far more lavish.

            “Done,” the seamstress shooed me off the box I was standing on, “your clothing will be delivered to your room when it’s done, miss.”

            “Thank you,” I collected the fur wrap I’d been wearing over my thin cotton dress and turned to Charlotte, “can you tear yourself away or do you want to hang out here for a bit?”

            “No,” Charlotte put down the fabric she was caressing, “I’m good.” Her face brightened, “let’s go to the kitchen and get some more of those pastries they gave us last night. Those were so good and I’m starved. It’s got to be lunchtime.”

            As we were exiting the room her stomach rumbled audibly, as if to prove her point. I laughed, “Okay, but we shouldn’t fill up too much. I’m sure they’ll be another huge lunch in the great hall.”

            We walked down the icy corridors, and I found my mind wandering back to yesterday. The servants brought breakfast to Charlotte and I every morning when they came to stoke the fire, but lunch and dinner was held in the great hall. Each time, the Queen had acknowledged our present with a gentle smile and a nod, but she hadn’t said anything further to me yet, not since the day I’d met her. Was she trying to give me a chance to settle in? Was she planning on talking to me one on one eventually? Or maybe, now that I was here, this was it.

            Footsteps echoed down the hallway, and a woman rounded the corner. She was a head taller than me, her hair done up in elaborate braids that coiled at the back of her neck. It had only taken me a few days to realize that the Queen wore a hairstyle one night, and the next day every female in the palace was sporting it. As she neared us the woman examined me with dark blue eyes. I noticed she moved with a confidence that bordered on aggression, head up, shoulders thrown back. The sharp clip of her high heels on the ice slowed down as she approached us.

            “You must be Amora,” her voice was honey sweet, and I instantly pegged her as completely fake.

            “Yes,” I said cautiously. Charlotte and I stopped, and I frowned. This woman was vaguely familiar. Where could I possibly know her from? When she smiled at me with ruby red lips I remembered. The woman who had been in the courtyard when we first pulled up to the palace, the one walking with the man in leather and chainmail…

            “I’m Edda,” she said, “how do you like the palace so far?”

            I paused, unsure if I even wanted to talk to this woman.  There was something about her I didn’t like. Maybe it was the arrogant way she held herself, or the way she arched one nearly white brow at me, as if she was skeptical that I would have anything intelligent to add to the conversation. “It’s nice,” I said shortly.

            Edda’s laugh was high and tinkling, like the blue fountain outside in the courtyard. I hated it immediately. “Nice,” she said, like I’d just said the most ridiculous thing on earth, “is that all? This marvel of modern architecture and magic is nice?”

            “I like it, “Charlotte said, “say, do you…”

            Edda moved forward suddenly, her arm blurred and there was a sharp crack and Charlotte fell back with a cry. Edda drew herself up and pulled the white fur shall around her shoulders, her face angry, “You shouldn’t even be looking me in the eyes, never mind addressing me without being spoken to, servant.”

            Charlotte was staring at her with wide, tear-filled eyes, clutching her cheek. My mouth was hanging open, and I snapped it shut when Edda turned back to me to resume the conversation like nothing had happened. Anger was buzzing in my chest now, building up until I could hardly see straight.

            “As I was saying…”

            “You bitch!” I launched myself forward, arms flailing, and Edda screamed in shock. I felt my fists make contact, and then my body slammed into hers. The room blurred as we fell, and I hit the ground on top of her, still swinging. Her hands were in my face now, her nails gauging my skin, making burning trails down both my cheeks. I didn’t care, I could hardly feel it I was so angry. I kept punching, landing blows here and there. Edda tried to grab my throat, and I curled my fingers around her wrist and attempted to freeze her, putting all the force of my rage into it.

            Edda shrieked as a thin layer of ice crept over her skin. “No! How are you doing that? You should be able to…” She bucked wildly underneath me, and I was launched sideways. My head struck the wall, and my vision swam suddenly, blackening at the edges.

Someone was wailing and heavy footfalls were clumping down the passage toward us, someone was calling my name in a high, distressed voice.

            “Charlotte?” I mumbled. My lips felt swollen and tight. Did she manage to land a blow there? I couldn’t remember. My vision started to return to normal, and it was accompanied by an instant throbbing headache. It felt like someone had been playing kick ball with my skull.

            Three guards came shooting around the corner, chainmail jingling. The one in the lead saw Edda lying on the ground and skidded to a halt with a cry of horror. He ran to her and knelt down beside her, gathering her into his arms, “Edda! My Edda, what happened?”

            A face loomed in front of me, “Miss? Are you alright?”

            “Huh?” I blinked, and the worried face of the guard came into clearer focus. He was obviously young, not much older than I was. His sky blue eyes were round with fright,

            “What happened?”

            His companion, an older man with blonde curls and cloudy grey eyes knelt down beside him, and Charlotte appeared over top of their heads, staring down at me with frightened eyes, chewing her fingernails, “Megan? Are you okay?”

            Too many pairs of eyes staring. I felt like a specimen being examined under a magnified glass. I struggled to sit up, which sent another fit of painful throbbing through my head, like someone was playing the drums inside. Scratch that, an entire Metallica concert was going on in there. I groaned and clutched the side of my head.

            The younger guard grimaced, “look at her face. The Queen is going to kill us.”

            Behind the two guards I could hear Edda saying in a high, angry voice, “She just went crazy and came at me!”

            I struggled against the headache, trying to get up, “You slapped Charlotte!”  The younger guard took my hand and helped me up, “Lean on me, miss. You look like you’re about to fall over.”

            “Get them both to the Queen,” ordered the grey-eyed guard. “Now.”

            Edda’s boyfriend looked suddenly worried as he helped her up, “What will she…”

            “You better hope she’s in a good mood,” the older guard said gruffly. “Now move.”

            They half marched, half helped us down the hallway. I shot glances over at Edda and her guard boyfriend as we went, noticing that his face got progressively paler as we approached the throne room. Edda herself was whining and crying, asking him how her face looked. She looked terrible actually, it was hard to believe I’d done so much damage. Her bottom lip was swollen and bloody, and she was already developing a large purple bruise in the socket of her left eye.

            I felt horrified with myself for a half a second before I remembered how she’d treated Charlotte.  Then I smiled, but it made my lips sting fiercely, so I stopped and turned to the young guard, “Does my face look as bad as hers does?”

            He grimaced and didn’t say anything and I snorted. Well, that can’t be good.

            The older guard opened one of the double doors to the throne room and even Edda fell silent. My escort helped me walk forward, and I allowed myself to lean heavily on his arm. My head was still spinning. As we entered the soft strains of classical music stopped completely. People stopped laughing and talking as we moved forward, and the crowd cleared a path for us immediately.

            The Queen stood up from her throne, eyes sweeping over us. They fell on me and widened. “What’s this? What has happened?”

            We stopped in front of the steps to the dais. The older guard stepped forward and bowed briefly at the waist. “Your majesty, we found Amora and Lady Edda involved in a…disagreement.”

            Lady Edda? I swallowed hard and glanced over at her. She shot me a poisonous look back and smirked, then winced at the pain it caused her.

            So I had just beat the crap out of royalty? I shuffled my feet nervously, face hot, aware that everyone was watching the unfolding scene.  I looked up, stomach twisting, as the Queen descended the stairs and glided over to me.

            “Amora child,” she grasped my chin, tilting my face upwards. Queen Eira let out a gasp, “Your face.”

            Charlotte spoke up in a small voice, “Your Majesty, she only did it to defend me.”

            Edda’s face turned ugly with rage, “She did this over a servant…”

            “Enough!” The Queen’s voice was hard, dripping with ice. She faced Lady Edda, and only the light in her eyes showed just how furious she was, “I am shocked at you cousin. Shocked at how foolish you are.”

            Edda whined, “but she…”

            “I don’t care!”

            Edda flinched back when the Queen raised her voice, and for the first time she looked truly alarmed.

            Queen Eira placed her hands behind her back, her mouth firmed into a thin line of displeasure. She addressed the listening crowd, “Listen well. This is Amora and she is my own. I treat her as my own daughter. This girl,” here she gestured to Charlotte, “is to be treated with as much respect as you give Amora.” She turned on Lady Edda, eyes blazing “and you have given respect to neither one. You offend me.” She snapped upright and flicked a wrist at the guards, “take her away and out of my sight. Tomorrow, we will see another execution.”

            Shock tore through me. On the steps beside me Lady Edda wailed, and her boyfriend the guard looked stricken, clutching at her arm, his face porcelain white. I gasped in a lungful of air and shook my head, “wait!”

            Queen Eira paused, turning back to look at me. The full weight of her gaze felt like a blanket of snow had settled over me. Cold and heavy.

            “Amora? You have something to say?”

            My brain was racing. What did I have to say? I hadn’t thought that one out. But I couldn’t let Edda die, even if she was a total bitch. Who the hell still executed people in this day and age anyway?

            I folded my arms over my chest and planted both feet solidly on the icy floor.

            “I have in mind a better punishment.”

            Queen Eira raised one brow, and a small smile tugged at the corner of her red mouth, “Pray tell us, Amora.”

            I swept my hand toward Charlotte, “Lady Edda scorned my friend as a servant. Let her be one for a period of time. Send her to the quarters. Dress her as one, treat her as one.” I turned to look at Edda, who looked horrified and confused. “let her become one.”

            There was silence in the throne room, so complete that drops of water falling from a melting icicle would have been heard. The Queen stared at me for what seemed like eternity, then to my shock she tilted her head back and laughed. The listening crowd joined in, a low murmur of amusement.  Lady Edda’s cheeks went bright red, but the guard that clutched her arm looked relieved, color rushing back into his face, his shoulders sagging.

            The Queen spread her arms, “Let it be as Amora proclaims. Poetic justice indeed!”

She flicked a hand at the gaurds, “take her away. Leave me with my daughter.”

            They went, dragging a distraught Edda with them. I watched in disbelief as she continued to whine and cry. Anyone else would have been grateful they’d so narrowly missed death, but apparently not Lady Edda.

            Queen Eira smiled down at me, “Child, come with me. We’ll have tea in the parlour and a private conversation. I have many things I wish to discuss with you.”

            The minute she stepped forward there were three servants moving at lightening speed to carry her fur train and clear the crowd in front of her. I trailed after them down the aisle formed by Jotun bodies. They bowed low at the waist when the Queen stepped past, only standing up straight again after she was several feet ahead of them. It felt strange to have an entire crowded room of frost Jotun bowing and scraping. As I followed in her wake I could almost imagine they were bowing to me.