battle, where we might expect. He no longer seems to care about honor or dignity. He and Tyr have threatened you, which means they have threatened us all—including royalty."
"What do you mean?" I couldn't quite wrap my head around his words. If royalty was threatened then that meant both he and Orion—even Sorrell—were in more danger than I'd originally believed. "You're not planning on going out to the battlefield are you?" I demanded.
Roan frowned. "Of course we are," he said.
"You can't!"
"Cress." When I would have moved away from him, Roan's hands found my upper arms and held me still in front of him as his head dipped and his eyes met mine, colliding with what I was sure was a show of fear and panic in my own expression. "We are used to this. Sorrell, Orion, and I—we've all been on the battlefield before. We can handle ourselves."
"That was before I knew you," I said. It was before I had come to care for them, to love them.
Roan's hands tightened on my arms, squeezing roughly. "Our race was betrayed by one of our own," he stated. "You, as my fiancée, are by extension considered part of the Royal Court families. Tyr went after you. It's only a matter of time before they come after all of us. We have to hit them before they hit us." I gulped at his words, but I didn't say anything. His hold loosened until finally he released me and took a step back. The second his skin left mine, I felt bereft, but I couldn't make myself reach out to touch him. I was in too much shock, trying to process his words, and think of something—anything—that I could do to fix it. "The Court of Frost is talking about coming to Amnestia. They want to provide more soldiers and support to us when we retaliate for your abduction."
"What? I didn't think they had that kind of power anymore. I thought they remained in Alfheim because they couldn't move to the human realm?"
Roan blew out a breath. "The Queens are determined. They know that if we were to attack the King on our own, we'd be weak. They are also very angry over Tyr's deception and betrayal. They've contacted the Court of Midnight to determine whether or not Tyr was acting on his own, but the Midnight Royals aren't responding to the messengers."
"What have the messengers said?" I asked. Surely, whoever had gone had gotten the information about the Court of Midnight would know something we didn’t. "I'm pretty sure that Tyr is working alone," I said. "He didn't speak as if he had partners—at least any that knew of his plan."
"The Queens have sent messengers, but when I say there's been no response," Roan replied, "I mean that there's been absolutely nothing. The messengers haven't returned. If what you told us is true and Tyr is expecting to rule what's left after this war—the Queens would rather die in battle than live to see that happen."
I bit my lip in frustration, but before I could say anything, the older guard from before stepped around the table and called out. "Your Highness?"
Roan huffed out a breath, turning towards him. "One moment, I'll be right there," he called out before pivoting back to me. "I have to go, Cress."
I crossed my arms over my chest and stared up at him.
"Don't be upset," he said.
"I'm not upset," I said. Upset was far too tame a word for what I was feeling. "I'm scared. I'm worried. I'm frustrated."
Roan lifted a hand and cupped the back of my head, bringing me towards him as he leaned closer. "I know," he whispered. "But I promise you, this will all be over soon."
I shook my head. I couldn't see how that was possible. Though I knew the war had been going on for decades now, it felt as if recent events had made it all new again. It felt as if it had just begun. "I'm going to head to the library to see Groffet and Nellie," I tell him.
"Okay, have fun. Don't harass Groffet too much," Roan said. His fingers slipped out of my hair and he sighed, turning away. I watched him take several steps back towards the table and just as I was about to leave, he jerked to a halt, flipping back around and moving faster than before until he reached me.
My eyes widened as Roan grabbed me around my waist. My hands lifted and flattened