Page 62 of The Champion
“And you want to rule a new country with him?”
“It will be a democratic country, but I’ll be one of the founders and therefore among the leaders to begin with.”
“Among? You should be the highest-ranking leader. You’re practically royalty and you’re a Northlander.”
My father said it as if being from the Northlands made me superior.
“Let’s not forget that we have a wedding to get back to. Tonight isn’t the time to discuss details,” my mother pointed out.
Khan stood for a moment, rocking back and forth on his heels with a thoughtful expression on his face. “Pearl has a point. We’ll continue this discussion tomorrow. If you two are marrying and starting a new country, I have safety conditions.”
Victor dipped his chin a single time to signal he understood.
Turning on his heel, my dad walked over to Magni and spoke in a hushed voice that was loud enough for me to hear. “Get a hold of Tristan. He needs to build Freya her own drone. The minute she comes to her senses and dumps his French ass, I want her to have a drone to fly home in.”
“Understood.”
“We’ll also need to send a team to help them establish the settlement. I won’t have my daughter living in a tent for a year. She’s not as tough as Aubri when it comes to that sort of thing.”
“That can be arranged.”
“Khan… the wedding,” my mother said. She was already by the door and with a hand on Solomon’s and Mason’s shoulders, she nudged them out of the door. “Go drink some beer and digest the shock.”
Thor moved in the same direction but turned to ask me a question. “If I gave up my role as the heir, would you stay?”
I shook my head. “No. I would rather start from scratch. The Northlands will be lucky to have you as a leader, Thor. With Linea by your side, I trust that you’ll do wonderful things for this country.”
He gave a short nod before he exited with Magni and my father, who were still strategizing as they walked.
From the doorway, my mother said, “I’ll give you two a minute to collect yourself and then we’ll have a drink and toast the strong woman you’ve become.” She didn’t have to say that she was proud of me. It radiated from her smile.
Feeling deeply grateful for my mother’s strength and support, I asked her, “You’re not sad about us moving so far away?”
“Of course, but right now I’m proud to see you step out of your brother’s shadow and take a stand. We have much to discuss tomorrow, but tonight we celebrate that Thor and Linea took a chance on love. It’s the bravest thing anyone can do in life.”
When my mother closed the door, I hurried to Victor, who pulled me into his lap and hugged me tight.
“Are you okay?” I asked.
“I thought they were going to kill me.”
“I’m sorry.”
“You were incredible, Freya, but…” Victor moved his head back to meet my eyes. “You made it sound like starting your own country was always your plan. That’s not true, is it?”
“No, of course not. I never realized that was an option until we discussed it. Maybe it was low to use my father’s bad conscience against him. I know he and my mother have been discussing equality for as long as they’ve known each other. For me to blame him for my decision wasn’t fair, but he understands and respects ambition and drive. It was the best I could come up with.”
“You were phenomenal. To see you go up against all those giants and stay loyal to me was the craziest thing that ever happened to me. If not for you and your mother, I would have been begging for my life.”
Brushing his hair back, I kissed Victor. “You might have to when my father learns that we’re not marrying.”
Victor leaned his forehead against the crook of my neck. “Maybe we should.”
I nuzzled the hairs on the back of his head. “You don’t mean that, and I don’t want you to marry me out of fear. I’ll handle my family.”
Victor and I stayed quiet for another long moment. I was still shaking from the drama. “Come on. Let’s go back to the party and have a large drink. I think we both need it.”
“People will have questions about what happened.”
