{Music Recommendation: Rescue ~ Lauren Diagle}

"Let’s welcome Freya!" the princess’s voice echoed as she introduced Freya to the other girls.

Freya stood in the corner, her mind racing after she had fled the passage. She hadn’t stopped running until she was outside, breathing heavily. First, there was what she had witnessed earlier. She didn’t need to be told that what she had seen was sinful, but... why didn’t she run or scream? Why wasn’t she disgusted like she had been the last time she saw Rowan and Princess Jasmine? Why did she just stand there when no one had forced her to?

And... most importantly, why was Rowan acting like he hadn’t seen her? Their eyes had locked, yet he was out there behaving as if nothing was wrong, touching her face and calling her sister? They were in no way related. All of these thoughts raced through Freya’s mind.

"Freya... sit here. All the maidens want to hear more about your brother. Though I have told them that he is mine, it’s okay; I still want to hear more about him," the princess tugged her hand, making Freya sit beside her.

Freya sighed. She was really trying to get Rowan out of her mind, and here was this princess making it difficult for her. She sighed again, noticing that everyone was now waiting for her to talk.

"Um... my brother," Freya cleared her throat. "Well, he is just a strong person," she replied, not ready to say anything more.

The princess frowned. "What do you mean ’just a strong person’? We all already know that. Tell us more, like the things we can’t see but you’ve seen because you’re his sister."

Freya could swear that if she heard the word sister again, she would literally throw up. It was almost like the name was there to haunt her, with the way everyone kept calling her that.

"What does he like eating? Anything... just tell me everything about him," the princess begged, holding Freya close.

Freya inhaled deeply. The only thing she knew about Rowan was that he wasn’t a man of principles, and that was because he had slept with a married woman. He was an insufferable man who only knew how to taunt her with his words. But she wasn’t about to say all of that to the princess. Though the princess was young and impulsive, she still seemed like a good person. For that reason, Freya decided to feed her curiosity.

Trying to think of a good side of Rowan, Freya closed her eyes and then opened them. She remembered the day she got lost in the woods, and how Rowan had carried her and Walter, ensuring they were safe. She also remembered how he had taken care of her father, making sure he was well cared for the first time they were rescued from Queen Gwen’s slavery. It wasn’t just that, but also when she was almost taken away by a man at the inn. She also recalled how her father told her that Rowan had risked his life for him during the war. Looking at all of this, Rowan still had a little bit of kindness in him.

"Rowan always cares about his family instead of himself. He can be insufferable most times, but that’s all there is... I guess. He likes to tease and taunt one with his words. And the look in his eyes is always mischievous; he’s never up to any good," Freya began, saying the things she knew about Rowan.

"Also, his hands..." Her voice trailed off when she remembered how his strong hands had once caught her by the neck, and how he also used them to touch her face and her nip-

Impatiently, the princess tapped Freya. "And what? What happened to his hands?"

Freya blinked, shifting the thoughts behind her. "They’re big and strong." She mentally slapped herself for giving such a stupid answer.

One of the maidens chuckled. "If one didn’t know better, they’d think you’re in love with your brother."

"But I heard they’re not related. What if Freya is actually in love with him?" Another chimed in, drawing everyone’s attention to Freya.

Freya widened her eyes, shaking her head as if to dismiss those words; both the ones in her head and the ones the maidens had said.

"Never! I don’t have such feelings for him. I already have someone I like."

"I knew it! Freya isn’t that kind of girl... she would never hold such feelings in her heart," the princess smiled, hugging Freya. Then one of the palace maids walked into the room, whispering something in hushed tones to the princess.

"My attention is needed inside now. You all should make Freya feel comfortable. I will be right back," Princess Lirien stood up and followed the maid, though Freya failed to notice how the maid held the princess’s back.

With the princess gone, the other girls continued talking amongst themselves, ignoring Freya. It didn’t take long for Freya to get tired, and without anyone noticing, she quietly slipped out of the room. It was time to end the night, which had been nothing but stressful and disastrous for her.

As she left the room, she saw a group of men playing with some of the maidens outside. Freya kept her head down, trying not to make them uncomfortable by staring.

"Isn’t that his sister? The strong one from Avon?"

Freya squeezed her hands tightly when she heard this. She knew they were talking about her, so she hastened her steps. She was tired of hearing praises about Rowan, someone she was supposed to be cursing.

"Is she ignoring us or what? Come play with us!" One of the men shouted, waving at Freya.

In order not to appear as a rude girl, Freya turned and bowed to them, giving them a small smile. "No, thank you. I should go to sleep."

As there’s always one person in a group who enjoys stirring unnecessary trouble, one of the young men walked up to Freya and pushed her on the shoulder.

"You think we are not worth your attention because your brother is strong?"

Freya waved her hands. "No... no, I’d never think that way. You’re all good-looking men." She replied, still keeping a smile handy.

"Now you’re mocking us. Let’s see if your brother will save you when I do this-" the young man forcefully slapped Freya’s bottom, squeezing it in the process.

"What did you just do?" Freya screamed, pushing the young man away. She felt so disgusted by the action that tears pricked the corners of her eyes.

The young man who had touched her threw his head back in laughter. "She’s crying... why don’t you go and tell your brother to come hit us."

Freya covered her face and turned away. It was all because of Rowan! If he hadn’t assumed the role of a brother, she wouldn’t be facing this.

"Aww... you made her cry..." Another one said in a mocking tone, pointing at Freya as they all started laughing.

Freya clenched her teeth, making her way back inside the palace. She decided to leave Eridor the next day. It had been a bad idea to come here in the first place, and this was a sign. As tears streamed down her face, she thought of telling her father what had happened.

But a thought crossed her mind; there was no need to bother her father when the one who put her in this situation was probably somewhere having fun with a new girl. Freya turned and made her way to where Rowan was. Entering the room, she saw him sitting close to the Crown Prince, looking at his drink with a bored expression.

The Crown Prince was the first to see Freya. "Oh, Rowan’s sister-did you cry?"

Rowan raised his head when he heard this. His eyes darkened when he saw the bloodshot rims of Freya’s eyes.

Freya wiped her tears with the back of her hand. "T-the outside-"

"Can’t you speak more clearly?!" Rowan barked, hitting the table in anger. The whole room became silent as they watched the two of them.

Freya inhaled deeply before speaking. "The man outside, because of you... he gra-touched-"

Rowan didn’t wait for her to finish. He stood up from his chair and picked up a small knife. Walking over to Freya, he held her.

"Take me to them."

"Rowan... please, um... don’t-" The Crown Prince ran after them. "Which foolish person is trying to die tonight? I warned them about this young man."

Everyone in the room followed them outside as Rowan tugged Freya’s hand. He didn’t say anything, but his whole body shook with anger. When Freya got to where the men were still laughing about what they had done to her, she stopped.

"Look, she really called her brother," one of them pointed, and the others started laughing.

Rowan twirled the knife he was holding, still gripping Freya’s hand. In a deep voice, he asked, "Which one of them should I start with?"

"That one," Freya pointed with a shaky finger at the one who had grabbed her earlier.

Rowan nodded. Turning to Freya, he said in a calm voice, "Close your eyes." Freya obeyed and covered her eyes. Before the Crown Prince could intervene and make peace, Rowan was already holding one of the men.

All Freya could hear were their screams and cry of anguish coming from different sides, but she didn’t dare open her eyes to find out what was happening.

"Open them."

Freya slowly opened her eyes, staring right into Rowan’s. She didn’t need to be told what had happened because Rowan’s face was covered in blood.

"Don’t look back. Go back to your room, and I’ll be watching you from here." His words were like a warning tinged with possessiveness.

Freya slowly turned, noticing how everyone was now looking at her. She felt bad because they had come as delegates, and now Rowan was hurting the people of Eridor because of her. Freya just hoped that he hadn’t killed them, but she couldn’t turn to look because he had clearly warned her not to. But most of all, Freya felt secure; a feeling that was strange because it had always been her father who protected her, and then Oriana. Now there was Rowan. This time it was different, because it stirred something inside of her.