Chapter Five

I was out of the bath even before I knew it. Conny and Rita's surprised exclaims of “Yer Highness!” faded into the background. I didn't care about the watery mess I'd made or about the embarrassing state of my undress. I'd missed her so much, so very much.

“Mom! Oh my God, Mom!” I cried. She gave a startled “oooph!” as I crushed her in a hug. She smelled exactly the way I remembered: like flowers and citrus. I inhaled deeply, filling my lungs with her comforting scent.

“Get control of yourself, Sigrún. It's rather unbecoming when you behave like this.”

The words were like ice water pouring down my back. I pulled back from her abruptly and met with her sharp gray eyes. There was a stern line between her brows as her eyes regarded me with aloofness.

Right. It had finally sunk in. She might have looked and spoken like my mom, but she wasn't really my mom.

In this weird, messed-up universe I'd woken up in, nothing was as it seemed. The sooner I figured it all out, the sooner I could find my way back home.

The woman before me was regal in every sense of the word, and it was not just the golden crown on her head. Her hair, whitish blonde like mine, was pulled back severely and held atop her head in intricate, complicated knots. Even standing, her back was ramrod straight and she held herself in a way that belied royalty. Her lips were thin and pursed with tiny crowfeet at the ends. It was obvious that she was a woman who rarely smiled. A direct contrast to my real mom, who'd almost always had a smile on her face.

I stepped back a few feet. There was an officious air around this stranger that made me want to bow. She narrowed her eyes at me, her gaze critical.

“Good. Never let yourself lose composure—especially before the servants,” she said steely.

I glanced at Conny and Rita, but their heads were bowed, their postures deferent.

“I—” I began to say something, but she cut me off, her tone as cold as ice.

“And what ever were you thinking running off the way you did, young lady? Are you out of your simple mind?”

“I—”

“If the palace guards hadn't found you, who knows what would have happened to you out there in the night? With enemies of The Crown prowling and waiting for the tiniest hint of weakness to strike. How could you be so selfish and stupid, Sigrún?” Her eyes flashed at me, the only emotion allowed to be seen from the icy statue.

“I'm…sorry?” I muttered uncertainly. Surely this Sigrún she was speaking of wasn't me. I was living my own life until early this morning when I woke up in this strange universe.

“Sorry does not reverse the chaos and disruption your childish acts have caused, young woman. You threw the whole kingdom into turmoil without considering the consequences of your own actions. I understand that the idea of getting married to Varul might seem daunting, but what a way you displayed your fear, Sigrún, running into the night like a weakling. Had I not been the one to birth you, I would have wondered if indeed you were my offspring.”

Her words bit hard, and I couldn't hide my wince. If this was how she spoke to her daughter, then it was little surprise that the girl had attempted—or succeeded, by the look of things—to run away.

I suddenly felt conscious of my nude state. Behind me, I could hear a brief shuffling sound, and soon I felt a warm blanket around me.

Hugging the soft scented cloth tighter, I turned and smiled my thanks to Rita who bowed, darted a glance at the queen, and stepped back into the background quickly.

“Now, what do you have to say for yourself?” the queen asked icily.