“No, no, I’m fine.” Finn waved her off.
“Nonsense.” Tove clapped him on the back and nodded at his mother. “Finn saved the day. He deserves a little help. Aurora, wanna take care of him?” She looked uncertainly at her son, then nodded and walked over to Finn.
“Of course,” Aurora said.
She looked him over for wounds, trying to pinpoint what needed fixing. I glanced away from them, and I saw Rhys sitting on the edge of a table. He held a bloody cloth to his forehead and stared down at the floor.
“Rhys!” I shouted, and when he looked up and saw me, he smiled.
“Go see him,” Finn suggested. Aurora poked at something painful in his side and he winced. “She’s taking care of me.”
“I got him.” Tove took Finn’s arm, so he would be leaning on Tove instead of me.
I looked back at Finn, but he nodded at me to go, clearly trying not to let on how much pain Aurora was causing him.
I really didn’t want to leave Finn, but I felt like I should at least say hi to somebody who tried to save my life. Especially since Rhys had been the only person all night who had told me I looked beautiful without sounding really creepy about it.
“You’re alive!” Rhys grinned. He tried to stand up, but I gestured for him to sit back down. “I wasn’t sure what happened to you.” He looked past me at Finn, and his expression faltered. “I didn’t know Finn was back. If I had, I wouldn’t have worried.”
“I was worried about you.” I reached out and carefully touched his forehead. “You took quite the punch there.”
“Yeah, but I couldn’t get one in,” Rhys grumbled, looking down at the floor. “And I couldn’t stop him from taking you.”
“Yes, you did!” I insisted. “If you hadn’t been there, they would’ve hauled me off before anybody had a chance to do anything about it. You kind of saved the day.”
“Yeah?” His blue eyes were hopeful when he looked at me.
“Definitely.” I smiled back at him.
“You know, back in the day, when a guy saved a Princess’s life, she would reward him with a kiss,” Rhys commented.
His smile was light, but his eyes were serious. If Finn hadn’t been standing a few feet behind me, watching, I probably would’ve kissed him. But I didn’t want to do anything to spoil having Finn back, so I just shook my head and smiled.
“Maybe when I slay the dragon. Then I’ll get a kiss?”
“I promise,” I agreed. “Would you settle for a hug?”
“A hug from you is never settling.”
I leaned over and hugged him tightly. A woman sitting nearby looked aghast at the new Princess openly hugging a m?nsklig. Things were really going to have to change when I was Queen.
After Aurora patched up Finn, she suggested we both get some rest. The room was still a disaster, but Tove insisted that he and his mother were taking care of everything. I wanted to protest and help more, but I was exhausted, so I didn’t put up a fight.
Using his abilities during the fight had focused Tove. His entire personality shone through, and he took control of the situation with ease. I had a feeling that for the first time I was seeing the real Tove, and not the kid trapped behind the noise of his powers.
In a sense, we worked in opposite ways. I projected intensely, which was why my persuasion was strong, whereas Tove received everything. He could pick up on my emotions and thoughts whether he wanted to or not. But I imagined that he sensed other people too, and his mind had to be a fog of everyone’s emotions.
Finn went with me to my room, just in case it wasn’t completely safe. Before we even reached the stairs, Finn had taken my hand in his. Most of the way I was silent, but when we got close to my door I felt like I had to say something.
“So . . . are you and Tove like pals or something?” I was teasing, but I was curious. I had never really seen them even speak before, but there seemed to be a kind of familiarity between them.
“I’m a tracker,” Finn answered. “I tracked Tove. He’s a good kid.” He looked over at me, smiling a little. “I told him to keep an eye on you.”
“If you were so worried about me, why didn’t you stay in the palace?” I asked more sharply than I meant to.
Finn shook his head. “Let’s not talk about that now.” We had stopped in front of my bedroom door, and there was a playful glimmer in his dark eyes.
“What should we talk about, then?” I looked up at him.
“How beautiful you look in that dress.” Finn looked me over appreciatively, and he put his hands on my sides.
I laughed, and then he was pushing me against the door. His body was so tight against me I could barely breathe, and his mouth searched for mine. He kissed me in the same frantic way he had before, and I loved it.