Chapter 21: 21_A royal bedchamber

She turned on him with wide eyes of incredulous anger. “Th-this?! This is… this is the best? For *me?”*

His eyes widened. “My, poppet. You don’t need to get so touched, it’s hardly anything.”

Her blood rushed, heart pumping as anger drove her to the end of her wits. “Have you… have you *lost* your sanity?”

Watching her struggle to breathe calmly, he stifled the curve pulling at his lips. “I walked into your castle with the intention of taking it even after I ran into you. You still believed I had any sanity? I’m charmed.”

She straightened and looked at him, biting her bottom lip. There was no use. The man had rock for a brain. She had to leave, she would risk the self-loathing that would come with forfeiting their battle. “I’m done with this. With you.”

“But why?” He had the audacity to seem offended. “I got you your fancy little bed chamber.”

*“You call THIS a bed chamber?!”*

Several of the men raised their heads and Amie timidly lowered her voice at the cold eyes that looked over at her. How bloody loyal they were to their master, they seemed about ready to break her in two for yelling at him.

And how smug he was about it. Looking down at her, he did not smile, but that glint in his grey eyes was unmistakable. “Give a good reason why this isn’t a bedchamber?”

“It’s a place unworthy of even the most basal of creatures to relieve themselves in. Even my father’s canines would refuse to grace it with a single trickle of pee!”

There was a quick crack of lightning in his stormy eyes and his entire face darkened from amusement to cold regard, every inch of his expression stitched with bitter displeasure. When he spoke, his voice was a deep rasp. “You know, poppet… I haven’t really a fuck to give. You regard yourself so highly, but this place, I deem worthy of you.”

Her mouth fell open, eyes filling with hurt. How dare he? “Worthy of *me?* I… I am Princess Amethyst of Gadon—”

“And I am Thoran Steel, King of Barbarians. What’s your point?”

Amethyst gaped up at him. She’d already been outraged but, with the harsh insult he’d just thrown in her face, she found herself fighting the prickle of angry tears.

He didn’t waste any more time on her, turning around to signal across the camp. He marched away from her then and she watched him go, keeping her eyes on him until he smacked open the entrance to another tent and disappeared inside.

“Well, then!”

A cheerful voice snapped her back to focus.

Ivar smiled at her, his beard looking pricklier than usual as he stood before her.

“What do you want?” she demanded quietly.

At the deflated sound of her voice, his own smile grew. Excellent! Steel had put the girl in her place then, hadn’t he? Oh, happy day!

“Only to give you a tour of your new chambers, Steel is busy with more important things, so he had to go.”

She crossed her arms, glaring tiredly at him. “You call this a bed chamber?”

He blinked. “Why, of course. It’s so large and spacious too. You should see how crammed some of the other tents are, you’re getting princess treatment here.”

Her left eye twitched, but standing still, she kept herself calm. “Okay, fine. What about my adjoined bathroom?"

With a grin, Ivar took a few steps toward the side of her tent and pointed.

Frowning, Amethyst went over and looked, following his pointing hand. Confusion filled her eyes. “I don’t see a bathing room.”

“Why, it’s right there,” he said, shaking his hand as he pointed.

She was only puzzled for a moment more before the horrifying meaning of his words sunk into her mind. Slowly, she turned to look at him, her mouth parted. “You cannot mean… surely not... the *forest?!”*

With a widening smile, Ivar slowly nodded. “That’s right, pr— my lady.” They’d agreed to hide her true identity. “The forest has many places where you can relieve yourself—”

“They’re all insane…” she whispered dazedly, staring blankly around her. She couldn’t even get angry anymore, she didn’t have the strength. How had she ended up with these madmen? They expected her to relieve herself in the bushes?! With... insects and other creatures?!

Swallowing hard, she reigned in her temper. She couldn’t let him see he was getting to her.

“Anything wrong then?” he asked cheerfully. “Perhaps, you’d like to… *go home?!”*

The last bit was more of an order than a question. Staring firmly at him, she straightened her shoulders. “Oh, of course not, don’t be silly. Why, relieving yourself in full nature is only… it’s only natural when camping. Now, about my maid? Because I’ll certainly need help going into those woods.”

“Ah, yes, your maid! What was it you needed? Excellent cooking skills?”

She nodded hopefully. “Yes.”

Stepping aside, Ivar waved an arm at the brown tent with the open entrance out of which was wafting the most delicious aromas.

A chubby face poked out. “Well, come on out for dinner, you lot of mongrels!”

“Frank,” Ivar said happily. “Your cook.”

Amethyst gaped, slowly blinking as she watched the giant man rush everyone into the tent, smacking Harald on the head with a soup spoon at some snippy remark the boy had made.

A long sigh left her mouth. “Frank. My cook.”

“Yes, m’lady. He can cook everything you need. A roast, a stew, a tossed turkey, a grilled chicken. He can even throw a few blades of grass into a bowl for you if you prefer the bird food for yer figure, as you ladies do.”

Pleased with his own joke, he threw back his head and roared with laughter, holding his belly. Grabbing a nearby dirty rag, she shoved it into his mouth.

Sputtering and coughing, he quickly spat it out, but she was gone before he could complain.

Walking in the opposite direction as the men going in for dinner, she went directly to Thoran’s tent and stood outside.

“Excuse me. I’d like to come in.”

Inside, Thoran closed his eyes in exasperation, burying his face in his hand. He was exhausted, he couldn’t fight her right now. “Tell her to go away,” he murmured.

Gunnar got off the table and closed the book of records he’d been studying, turning to the door. “He said come in, madam.”

Opening his eyes, Thoran simply stared at him. He got half a smile in return before Gunnar walked away, nodding to Amethyst as she entered.

Sighing, Thoran closed his eyes again.

He heard her approach and then she stopped by the table he sat behind. For a long moment, she was silent and he felt no need to say anything either.

“Are you asleep?” she asked then. He was mildly surprised. She sounded too gentle for the vengeful princess he knew.

Opening his eyes, he looked at her. “I’m trying to rest. You’re interrupting.”

At the look on her face, he felt his own hackles lower, tension easing out of him. She looked just as tired as he felt. Perhaps they’d fought enough for one day.

“I’ll be gone soon,” she said. “I’m just here to confirm that Ivar wasn’t lying to me. I don’t have a maid? Frank’s the cook and I have to eat whatever he prepares?”

For a moment, he only stared at her. “I’m waiting to hear what the problem is.”

“Is it true?”

“Yes. Frank cooks for the entire camp, he always has. There’s no reason why you should get an entirely different person to cook for you. Ask him nicely and maybe he’ll cook special meals for you alone, he seems to be quite partial to you.”

She seemed inconsolably upset for a moment, simply staring down at him. Expecting her to burst into tears, Thoran was incredibly relieved when she only released a heavy exhale. “You didn’t give me any of the things you promised,” she said then.

He frowned, not quite sure how to take the disappointment in her words. “Do you mean to say… you *believed* me? When I said I’d make sure you got a bedchamber with an adjoined bathroom and a maid to tend to you. You believed me?”

“Obviously, why would I not? I told you how much I needed those things, I thought you understood.”

His dark eyes watched her. “A Barbarian… understand a *princess?* I’m not certain you realize what you’re saying, *prencessi.* You come from a world where the greatest inconvenience of your day is a cup of tea degrees too hot. I come from a world where my smallest inconvenience is a dagger in one of my men. The stupidity of expecting any kind of understanding from me is solely yours. I'm realizing that I may have been rash in my decision to keep you here, so I’ll let you choose. Spare me the torment of dealing with you and leave. Go and warn your father, do what you must. When the time comes, no amount of warnings will stop me from running Gadon through hell... and back.”