Romances de ButterflyVicky

Freya I couldn't sleep.I had tried and God, I had tried.I had gone to bed at a reasonable hour, which felt almost laughable considering everything waiting for me in the morning. I had washed my face, changed into a loose nightdress, climbed beneath the blankets, and closed my eyes with every intention of forcing my body into rest.My body was tired, but my mind was not and the moment I closed my eyes, tomorrow appeared.I saw the council chamber, the raised platform, seven council members watching me, Thorne, the ritual and more importantly, my child.Every possibility seemed to split into another possibility before I could finish thinking about the first.I turned onto my side, then onto my back, then onto my other side, before I pulled the blanket higher.I closed my eyes, opened them again, but nothing worked, and Eliza wasn't helping.She had been restless since I lay down.Usually, when I was exhausted, she quieted with me. Tonight, she prowled slowly through the back of my

Freya I reached for the handle, but Ravenna still didn't move. I opened the door and held it for her, then I looked back at my sister.“I appreciate the warning.” Her expression remained unreadable as I continued. “I'll see you at the ritual.”For several seconds, neither of us moved. Then Ravenna stood. She smoothed the front of her dress with the same effortless elegance she had worn when she arrived.She walked toward me, but when she reached the doorway, she stopped.For one brief moment, we stood close enough that I could remember being sixteen again.Her brushing my hair before a ceremony, her telling me to stand straighter, her whispering that people were always watching, her hand in mine, and her smile.All those years, all those memories, and now I couldn't tell which ones had been real.Ravenna stepped past me without another word. I watched her walk down the corridor until she disappeared around the corner. Then I closed the door.My hand remained on the handle as I lea

Freya “Ravenna… were you ever pregnant?” the words echoed in the room, even after I'd asked. Ravenna’s smile on the other hand, held for one second, or maybe two. It was barely noticeable, but I caught it.I had spent sixteen years learning my sister's expressions so I knew the difference between her genuine smile and the one she wore when she was entertaining someone she didn't particularly like. I knew the slight lift of her left eyebrow when she was annoyed, the way her fingers curled against her palm when she was lying, and right now, Ravenna's smile held for exactly one second too long.Then it changed, not completely, but just enough.“What kind of question is that?” Her eyes sharpened.“A direct one.” I leaned back in my chair, studying her, because now, the room suddenly felt smaller.A moment ago, she had been sitting across from me in that beautiful dress, speaking softly about my health, my pregnancy, and my future. She had looked every inch the concerned older sister.

Freya Ravenna arrived two days later. Nobody had invited her and that was the first thing I noticed.The second was that she had apparently decided that not being invited was only a minor inconvenience.Her message arrived shortly after breakfast.Sera handed it to me while I was sitting near the window, sorting through the papers I'd received from the council."Someone left this at the door."“Oh.” I looked at the folded parchment in her hand."Who?""One of Ravenna's attendants." Sera answered and my fingers stilled.Sera watched my face carefully as I took the message. The handwriting was elegant, but I recognized it immediately.I unfolded the paper, and started reading. Freya,I hope you will forgive me for coming without warning. I have been worried about you since hearing of your disappearance from the capital, and I would very much like to see you.I know there are things between us that have been left unsaid. I don't want another messenger or another person's interpretati

Freya The following morning, I chose the chair facing the door.It wasn't an accident.If Ragnar was going to walk into the room, I wanted to see him coming.I sat with my hands folded loosely in my lap, my back straight against the chair, and my feet planted firmly on the floor. Sera's private sitting room was warm despite the cold morning outside, sunlight filtering through the tall windows in pale strips across the rug.The adjoining door stood open.Sera was exactly where she had promised to be. I couldn't see her from where I sat, but I knew she was there.So did Ragnar.A soft knock sounded against the outer door and my heartbeat gave one hard thud.“He's here.” Eliza immediately lifted her head.I didn't answer her and the door opened. Davan stood outside first, but he stepped aside almost immediately, then Ragnar walked in.For a moment, everything inside me went completely still.I hadn't seen him in person since the day I left the capital. Not across a council chamber, no

Freya The note arrived just after sunset.I was sitting at Sera's kitchen table with a cup of tea between my hands when there was a quiet knock at the front door.Sera looked up from the book she had been pretending to read for the last twenty minutes."Expecting someone?" She turned in my direction. "No." I shook my head. “Why would I?” My question hung in the air as she pushed herself to her feet and disappeared into the hallway. I didn't mean to listen in, but I heard the door open and a man's voice murmured something too low for me to make out, followed by Sera's quieter reply.A moment later, she returned holding a folded piece of paper.She didn't hand it to me immediately .Instead, she looked at it, then at me."It's from Davan." There was a hint to her voice, but I told myself I wasn't going to dwell on it. Not yet. “Oh.” My fingers tightened slightly around my cup. "Why?""He didn't say." Sera crossed the room and placed the note on the table in front of me.A quick s