Page 70 of Terragnata and the Heir of the Earth

He rose, extending his hand to mine, pulling me to stand. “But will you wear it? It doesn’t have to be a promise of anything. I’ve always wanted to see my mother’s ring on your finger. Especially now, after so many years thinking I would never get the chance.”

I paused for a moment. I hadn’t said yes to his public proposal, not really—he’d slipped the ring on my finger before I knew what was happening. And though this wasn’t a proposal, it felt significant. My stomach clenched, the image of Ezren seeing yet another ring on my finger sending a pang to my chest. But Cas had mourned my disappearance for so many years, and if wearing this ring would give him solace…

I met his gaze. “Yes, Cas, I will wear it.”

At that, he slipped the ring onto my right ring-finger, and a zing went through my hand. I jolted slightly, my eyes shooting up at Cas to see if he noticed the reaction. He only gave a quick brush of his lips to my cheek. And then he turned to go, taking my hand with him, leaving me to wonder if the ring was more than just a gift.

My heart brokeas we ran the geldings back to the palace, and away from the forest. Cas guided his horse next to mine once we slowed to a walk.

“You’re apprehensive about the Skøl,” he said flatly.

I sighed. “It isn’t just the competition, per se, though I do find the conceptcompletelyarchaic. It’s what comes after. The marriage. In Argention, I spent years dreading the village’s matching ceremony, knowing it might end in my engagement. I’ve always wanted more than that, Cas. It doesn’t always feel the same—sometimes overwhelming claustrophobia, and sometimes a slow burn. But it always comes back to one thing.” I paused. “I want freedom.”

“I don’t know if freedom is possible for people like us. Whether we like it or not, we were both born with the weight of a crown. It is our duty, and our honor, to carry that weight as best we can. For the sake of our people.”

Though I didn’t like his words, they rang true. The problem was, I didn’t know whomypeople were. Cas felt a clear responsibility for the Viri folk, and the Rexiseemedto care for the Nebbiolons. But since I was ripped from my life so early… did I feel a responsibility to the Fae? To the Witches? I matured in a human land—Argention, the only community I knew. In a way, I felt more human than Fae or Witch.

I chewed my lip, Jana’s advice tugging at the back of my mind. “I will compete in the Skøl. But I want there to be an understanding between us. I still don’t know what wearing a crown or being a leader means for me. I’ll do my best to figure it out—whether it means standing beside you, or not. But I need time to figure out whatIthink, what I feel.”

And who I feel for.

“Can you delay the Skøl as long as possible?” I asked.

“For you,mi karus, anything.”

I lifted my brow. “Anything?”

Cas groaned in mock sincerity. “I have a feeling you’re going to make me regret saying that.”

I laughed. “There has been one thing on my mind. Jana told me I had family here—relations from my birth father’s side. Well, I just wondered… can I meet them? Would they… want to meet me?”

Cas’s expression was unreadable. “They live north. I… suppose we could arrange a visit, but it’ll have to be after the Skøl, given you’ll be training nonstop between now and then. And then there’s your mother. I’m not sure she would approve.”

“Speaking of my—” I hesitated, the wordmotherstuck in my throat. The image of my mom laughing in the kitchen after one of my brothers made a joke popped into my head. “The queen,” I said, my tone careful.

“What of her?” Cas asked.

“Who does she expect to rule Nebbiolo, if I marry you?”

“We would rule jointly,” he said simply. “Just as we would over Viribrum.”

“But then, why did she send me away in the first place?”

“As I said, I’m working out her motives. Likely, she only supports our union publicly but will seek to undermine it behind the scenes. What she wants from you or any of us, I cannot say.”

I paused, considering his words. Our horses swayed, snaking through the narrow Valfalla alleyways, the rhythm of their hooves a metronome on cobblestones.

“Maybe I should talk to—” Firm hands yanked me from Romeo’s back. Before I could scream or resist, someone shoved a cloth in my mouth and bound my hands behind my back. Andthen the light slipped from my view as a black sack covered my head.

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

ROLE PLAY

Ibucked and struggled against my captor’s grip, Cas shouting in the background.

“Fight more, and he dies,” a voice said. An oddly familiar voice, but I could not place it. Cas’s yells faded to silence, so I cooperated.

Just minutes later, I heard a door open and the cool, damp air of a cellar settled on my skin. The bag still covered my face as someone shoved me down and tied me to a chair, making my breath swarm hot all around me.

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