Chapter 182: 182- a trap
182
~Kael’s POV
The hall was filled with noise, laughter, music, clapping, women shrieking with delight as Uncle Fridolf twirled them one after another. He looked the same as I remembered him, only older and rougher. His beard was thicker, streaked with gray, his eyes sharper but full of that same charm he used to wield like a blade.
I leaned back in my chair, arms folded over my chest, watching him. Something about it sat wrong with me. After all these years, after disappearing without a single word, he comes back like this? Dancing, laughing, drinking, as if nothing had happened?
I turned to my brothers, lowering my voice.
"Tell me you don’t find this strange," I said, my tone flat but heavy. "Our uncle returns after years of silence, no word, no letter, no sign of life. And now here he is, drinking and dancing with women like he never left. Doesn’t that bother you?"
Rowan gave me a look, his expression softer than mine. "Kael, not everything has to be an intrigue. Maybe you’re just overthinking. He’s back. That’s what matters."
I let out a short laugh, sharp, humorless. "Overthinking? Rowan, we grew up watching our father slit throats without blinking. We learned early that nothing is ever simple. And you’re telling me I’m overthinking because I find it strange that Fridolf just shows up after vanishing for years?"
Damon, who had been silent so far, finally turned his head toward me. His voice was calmer, more measured than mine. "You’re too quick to mistrust, Kael. Fridolf was there for us when no one else was. Don’t forget that. When Father almost killed us..." His jaw tightened at the memory. "...we only escaped because Fridolf told us what to do. He gave us the idea to end it. Without him, we’d all be dead."
I studied Damon’s face for a moment. Always so steady, so loyal. Always trying to hold the ground for the rest of us. I smirked, but there was no warmth in it.
"You speak like you owe him everything," I said. "But don’t misinterpret things, brother. Fridolf wasn’t there for us because he loved us. He was there because he wanted Father gone. We just happened to be his weapon."
Rowan frowned at me. "Kael, that’s not fair. You don’t know that. He risked his life for us. He could have let Father kill us and taken the throne for himself. But he didn’t. He saved us."
I shook my head, leaning forward on the table, lowering my voice further. "Saved us? Or used us? Think about it. He didn’t strike Father down himself. He told us to do it. He gave us the idea, planted it in our heads. And when it was done, he left. Convenient, isn’t it? He disappears while we carry the burden, the guilt, the blood on our hands. He wasn’t there when we needed protection. And now he returns, just when everything in this land is stable again. Does that not strike either of you as strange?"
Damon’s eyes narrowed slightly. "You always see shadows where there is light, Kael. Always questioning, always doubting. Not every man carries hidden motives."
I scoffed. "You think I’m paranoid, but paranoia is what has kept us alive. I trusted Father once. I will not make that mistake again, even with Fridolf."
Rowan shifted in his seat, glancing toward our uncle as he spun another girl into his arms. The woman squealed with laughter, clinging to him like he was the only man in the hall. Rowan sighed. "You make it sound like he’s an enemy. He’s blood, Kael. He’s family."
"Family doesn’t always mean safety," I muttered.
Damon leaned closer, his voice dropping low. "You’re letting suspicion blind you. Fridolf is here now. That’s all that matters. He came back when he could have stayed gone. Doesn’t that mean anything to you?"
I met his stare, unflinching. "It means he has a reason. And until I know what that reason is, I won’t trust him. Not blindly. Not again."
I leaned back again, my arms folding across my chest, my eyes never leaving Fridolf as he laughed and kissed the hand of another woman.
"You can believe what you like," I said quietly. "But I’ll be watching him. Closely. And if he proves me right, I won’t hesitate."
Fridolf’s laughter rang out across the hall again, deep and rolling like thunder. He had two women clinging to his arms now, their faces flushed from wine and dancing. When he caught sight of us sitting at the long table, he waved with a grin wide enough to split his face.
"Come now, boys!" he called out, his voice booming over the music. "What are you doing brooding in that corner like monks in prayer? Join me! Come and dance, drink, live a little!"
Rowan chuckled awkwardly and lifted his cup in a half-toast. "We’re fine here, Uncle. This night is yours. You’re the center of it all, everyone’s eyes are on you. Enjoy it."
Fridolf tilted his head back and laughed again. "The center, am I? Ha! You make me sound like some pompous lord. I’m just a man glad to be home." He spun one of the girls, who squealed as her skirts flared, then kissed her hand with exaggerated gallantry. "But if you won’t join me, then at least raise your cups. Drink with me!"
Damon lifted his cup this time, his voice steady but kind. "We already have, Uncle. And we will again. But tonight, let the people see you. Let them feel your return. We’ve had your chambers prepared, you needn’t worry about anything. Just... enjoy yourself."
Fridolf’s eyes softened at that, though his smile remained. He clapped his hands together, calling for more music.
"As you say, lads! As you say! But don’t think you’ll escape me forever. Tomorrow, I’ll drag you into the dance if I have to!"
Rowan laughed lightly, shaking his head. "We’ll see about that."
I said nothing, only raised my cup in a silent gesture. My eyes never left him. He looked so at ease, so alive, as though the years of absence had been nothing more than a passing season. And yet... the unease in my chest only grew.
Damon leaned closer to me, lowering his voice. "Don’t scowl so openly, Kael. He’ll notice."
"Let him notice," I muttered, my fingers tightening around the cup. "If he’s hiding something, better he knows I’m not fooled."
Rowan leaned forward suddenly, squinting at me across the table. "You were smiling earlier," he said, his tone suspicious but soft. "When Uncle walked in, when you hugged him, you smiled. Why the change of heart now, Kael?"
I snorted, setting my cup down with more force than I intended. The sound echoed over the wood. "Because it was a trap."