Chapter Two
My back, legs, and arms were stiff by the time we pulled into the parking lot of the motel we had booked for the night. Owen had offered to take over driving, but given everything the Royal Elves had thrown at us, I wasn't about to relinquish that small bit of control. Still, it meant that my mood left much to be desired, especially since it was well past dark before we stopped.
Although, apparently, that wasn't good enough for Mr. 'I'm the Prince.' Victor sat straighter in his seat and frowned when I turned off the engine. "Why are we stopping? We just had a bathroom break."
"We're staying the night here," I told him. "We've got a room with two beds, so you and the princess should be comfortable enough."
It meant that Owen and I were going to have to sleep on chairs or the floor, but whatever. It was better than trying to snooze in the hummer. Not that we could, anyway. If there really was some elf dude after Charlotte, then we had to stay vigilant. Resting in a room was safer than trying to rest on the road.
"Staying the night." Victor scowled. "Why? We should just drive through. Aren't dwarves supposed to be able to go for weeks without sleep?"
I climbed out of the hummer, scanning the darkness for any sign of lurking elves. "That's a myth. And before we left, we heard some rumors that trolls might be targeting the princess." Actually, it had been that trolls were targeting hikers in Banff. Three had gone missing, although I thought it was probably just humans being stupid about the backcountry again. Trolls liked to keep to themselves. "They're most active during the night, and we're on the edge of Banff. There are quite a few colonies in the park and we can't risk it. We stay tonight, and tomorrow we'll have a fresh start and daylight on our side."
Charlotte murmured sleepily. "Don't argue, Victor. I need to stretch out, anyway. The baby is bruising my ribs."
We didn't have much to take into the motel and soon were settled in our room. Charlotte claimed the bathroom first, and I longingly thought of a hot shower to relax my muscles. Maybe after the elves were sleeping I could take a quick shower-nap while Owen kept watch. I'd let myself get too tense over the drive. It wasted a lot of energy.
"Right," I said, glancing around the room. The two double beds were separated by a nightstand, and there was one chair by the window. "Here's what we're going to do."
"We should just keep driving," Victor grumbled again.
I ignored him as Charlotte returned to the main room. "The princess will take the bed closest to the door. Those are big windows and will be more easily breached. If something comes through them, run," I added to her. "The prince will sleep on the other bed. We'll keep the bathroom light on with the door partially closed so that it's not completely dark in here. Owen and I will take turns keeping watch, and whoever isn't awake can rest on the floor. One of you elves will have to give up a pillow and a blanket, though."
I stared daggers at Victor, hoping he'd be man enough to sacrifice that bit of comfort for his pregnant sister. He stared back, clearly unimpressed with me.
"That will be unnecessary," the prince said coolly. "I will be staying awake tonight, to help watch for the trolls and whoever else might attack. You can sleep on the bed, Eloise."
The way he said my name made it sound like a song title. I was so surprised that it took me a moment to realize what he was saying. My brow furrowed. "You're giving up the bed?"
He nodded. "You look quite tired. I would gladly let you take my spot. After all, you need to be well awake for our continuing journey tomorrow."
Was he insulting me? Making a snarky comment about stopping, no doubt. I narrowed my eyes. "With all due respect, no. I already said what we are going to do and that is what we are going to do."
The prince's eyes narrowed. He rose his chin and folded his arms. If that was supposed to mean something to me, though, he was mistaken. I copied the pose. I didn't need some elven prince to tell me what to do or to make snide comments that I wasn't doing enough according to what he thought I ought to be doing. If he wanted to drive through the night, he should have told us that from the beginning. I had paid good money for the room.
Charlotte sighed. "He's got his stubborn face on. He's not going to back down."
Owen chuckled. "Yeah, she's got her stubborn face on too. Once saw her spend a week in a staring contest with a mule before it broke down, you know. When Eloise sets her mind to something, expect the sun to grow cold before she changes."
I glared at him. "Gun, remember? I am willing to shoot you."
"So you've said, but you haven't done it yet." Owen yawned and removed his claw. The twisted, scarred flesh of the stump of arm jiggled as he flexed his arm. "Ah, that's better. I'll just take a little nap while they're arguing about who gets the bed."
Charlotte stretched over her bed, laying on her side. "That sounds like a good idea."
Victor broke off his stare to turn to his sister. "Do you need anything? A glass of water? Are your feet okay? They look a little swollen. I could rub them with the herb lotion the midwife suggested."
The tenderness in his voice surprised me, and I glanced at Owen. He didn't seem to find anything strange, though. He had twelve sisters of his own. I was an only child, and the only experience I had with people my own age was the competitions that the guild put us in. Was Victor acting the way siblings normally acted? If this was a movie, they'd be wanting to kill each other… but movies exaggerated everything, right?
"I'm fine," Charlotte assured the prince. "I just need some sleep."
I retrieved a protein bar and then claimed the chair before Victor could offer – I'd have to refuse if he did – and peered between the space in the curtains. Victor stood at the opposite side of the windows, also looking out to the near-vacant parking lot beyond. Silence fell between us, soon interrupted only by Owen and Charlotte's soft snores. I repressed a yawn.
"So," I said eventually, keeping my voice low. "Have you met this Flowerpetal prince that your sister is marrying?"
"Yes. I took the offer of marriage to him."
My brows rose. "You took the offer? So what, Charlotte proposed to him? Or was it an arranged marriage?"
"It was arranged," Victor replied slowly. "But Charlotte arranged it. Prince Thomas agreed it would be a good political match."
"Does he know she's pregnant?"
The prince turned an irritated glance on me. "Yes."
"And it doesn't bother him?"
"Why should it?"
I snorted. "Maybe because she's pregnant with another man's baby? Elves can't be totally cool with that. I thought you were all feudal Europe with your hand-spun cloth and no toilets."
Victor shook his head. "Our custom is that we cannot own that which we cannot make. But our women are just as free as our men to have whatever pleasures they desire. Only mothers can be known for certain; a man is honored that a woman chooses to let him into her child's life."
Okay, wasn't expecting that. Maybe there was more to elves than I thought. "But you guys still have a strict social hierarchy. How much of your clothes did you make yourself, and how much was made for you by servants?"
A sliver of golden light fell over his face from the streetlamps outside. "I understand your point. And what about you? How did you join the guild? Half-dwarf. That's not a common occurrence. How did your parents join? Did they come together for love or was it a practical match?"
"I'm not talking about that."
"Then you know how I feel."
I got his point and turned back to the window.
Silence fell again. Victor turned from his vigil and went to Charlotte's bed, tucking her feet into the blankets. She didn't stir. He got a glass from the bathroom and filled it with water, setting it on the nightstand before he returned to the window. This time, however, he stood just behind my chair.
"Elves don’t have the same sexual constraints that many others have," he said suddenly. "As long as there isn't a reason for two people not to be together – for instance, blood relations, one party being too young to make informed decisions, or one party being in a position of power or authority over the other – then there is nothing wrong with it. It's the authority part which means that the royalty doesn't mix with the workers in any sexual way. We are socially more powerful. The royals don't have the same absolute authority we once had, but if a man or woman said yes to someone who might take off their head for saying no, then their yes doesn't mean anything."
"Okay," I said slowly, brow furrowed. "That's the most I've heard you say at once. What of it? So, you guys are hippies. What does that have to do with me?"
Victor rested a hand on the back of my chair. "You're a beautiful woman. If I gave you your payment immediately, then we would be on equal footing, since you clearly have no respect for my bloodline. I would be honored if you would allow me to share your bed."
I jumped to my feet. He had to be joking, right? I whirled on him, but his expression was as emotionless as I'd seen it. Either this was some sort of deadpan humor or he was being serious. Either way, now was hardly the appropriate time to be asking for sex.
"We're not on equal footing," I snapped. "I can shoot you."
His expression didn't change as he nodded. He walked to the other side of the room again, and silence fell once more. I glared at him for another moment before slumping on the chair. I didn't know whether to be flattered or insulted, so I decided to just push the whole thing out of my brain and hope that trolls would attack us. Violence seemed like a pretty good answer to my situation right now.