99 Jarnvid's Secret Business

The confident click of Sierra's boots sounded through the hall. She just confirmed that the information from her investigation had been accurate. With each stride, the pride she felt from her discovery was clear in the way she walked. There was no doubt in her mind that the King would be pleased.

When Sierra walked into Freyr's office, she put the folder full of papers on his desk. She grinned smugly, "We dug up the information you wanted." After Macha had been attacked a few weeks ago, Freyr ordered her to investigate Jarnvid's finances, contacts, and relations. He instructed her to find any reason to bring the man to ruin, without making up charges.

Freyr immediately put down a contract he was reading and opened the folder. He leaned back as he read its contents. While he expected there to be something, he did not expect Sierra to fill a folder with Jarnvid's transgressions. After reading a few papers, one of his fine brown eyebrows shot up. Freyr's clear blue eyes looked over the paper at Sierra, "Are you sure he is involved in this?"

While keeping a face devoid of emotion, Sierra gave a curt nod. She knew which paper he read. Before she entered the office, she double checked all the information. It was not surprising to find out that Jarnvid lied about his taxes, but it surprised her to uncover that he helped fund a drug factory. He then used his guild to launder the dirty money in order to feed his exorbitant spending habits. When she had confirmed that information, her face had twisted in disgust. It amazed her how some people could be such slime. People who hurt their own country disgusted her.

It was common knowledge that many rich families hid their wealth from the country, but this was a sin he would not ignore. While Freyr read the report, he silently wondered if other nobles did similar things in the shadows. The thought of the dirty secrets that other families possibly hid, caused him to tap his fingers with annoyance on the desktop.

The clock ticked as he continued to read the rest of the report. Nothing else was said as he continued through Jarnvid's many, many transgressions. He always identified the man as a prick but reading all of his sins back to back angered Freyr. He despised nobles who did not try to set a good example. The rich had everything they could hope for, so there was no reason for them to stoop so low.

The sound of the report hitting the desk broke the silence in Freyr's office. His face was devoid of the warmth it usually held, "You know what to do. Make sure you do it properly. I do not want him to get off because of a technicality."

Freyr understood Macha did not want to have Jarnvid killed because of attempted-rape. After the incident, he realized he acted out of passion and anger. Seeing her so helpless and crying made him forget who he was. If he killed Jarnvid, there would have been many problems. Luckily for him, finding a drug factory was a different matter entirely. He almost wanted to laugh at how easy the man made it for him to exact revenge.

Freyr despised drugs and the problems that occurred when they took hold of an area. He constantly fought back against the people who tried to introduce drugs into his city-state. It had been an endless problem, but one he had to stop from getting out of control.

He stood up to view the city he loved. His thoughts wandered from seeing the destruction. People now tried to rebuild their lives. While the Bacadh Seal was down, the attacks hit many of the poorer sectors hard. Many people died and his heart felt heavy from the disaster.

In the end, the guards who were supposed to protect the seal claimed they saw him and not a woman walk through the halls. Only Macha had seen a woman enter the room with the Bacadh Seal. The Cardinal Mage wanted to study Macha, but Freyr denied his request. He realized that study probably meant kill and dissect her, which would only happen over his dead body. After the attack, they installed new defenses and precautions to keep intruders out of the seal's room. Marseille was not at war with anyone and nothing seemed amiss on the surface, but now he wondered why they bothered to destroy the seal.

After his thoughts, he noticed that Sierra still stood in the room. "You may leave," Freyr said to dismiss her. When she did not make a move to go, he asked, "Is there anything else?" She seemed tense, and he worried something terrible happened.

The news of Macha's whereabouts frustrated Sierra. She was unsure if she should mention it to the King, but decided he should know. She was angry at Freyr for ruining the opportunity she handed him to get closer with Macha. Hardening her face, she said, "It was reported that Macha is currently with Tyr. They've been together since he returned a few days ago."

Freyr expected them to reconcile, so this news did not surprise him. He realized Tyr misunderstood what happened and it would only be a matter of time before they uncovered the truth. Giving a curt nod, he asked, "Is that all?"

"Is that all?" Sierra mimicked. "How can you not be angry? I gave you the perfect chance to be with her. Yet you put her in a room far away from you!" Now she was angry. She felt Freyr took his love too lightly. If she had been in his position, she would have seduced Macha while she was at the palace. Despite not being attracted to Freyr, she understood he was a fine specimen of a man. He could easily hold his own against his cousin. While the two of them were separated, she staunchly maintained Freyr should have made his move and had Macha forget about Tyr.

Freyr spun around. His usually calm and collected self, shattered. His warm blue eyes frosted over with anger and he yelled, "Do you think I'm not disappointed? Do you think I didn't hope they were finished? I want to be selfish! I want her with me, but I will not stomp on Tyr to get what I want." He rounded his desk and slammed his hand down on the corner, "I have spent my ENTIRE life sacrificing my desires for others. Leave me be! I'm trying to be good. If I'm not a good person, what right do I have to lead this country?" After a pause, he added in a softer voice full of longing, "Or deserve her love?" He then turned his back to look out of the window again.

Sierra took a step back. In all the years she had known Freyr, he never yelled at her. She bowed, "My apologies. I meant well. I wish you would find happiness like I have." She understood how lonely his life was. Despite being surrounded by people, there was no one for him to confide in.

Even though she pressured him mostly because of the need for an heir, she still hoped he would find love like she had. She once lived a lonely life like him, but now that she married her wife, Sierra realized what she missed all those years. It was comforting to come home after a long day and have someone to talk to. Freyr did not respond, so she backed out of the room and left.

After she closed the door, he slumped into his chair. He cursed himself for losing his temper. Freyr tried so hard to control himself and put on the personality of the perfect King. It was a life he hated, but he wanted to try his best. Too many people relied on him.

Putting his head in his hand, he sighed. He missed Macha because he felt like he could relax his persona in front of her. She did not care about his title and saw him for who he was. Every moment spent with her was like a precious gift to him.

He looked at the papers that concerned Jarnvid and hoped she understood how much he wanted to be with her. Freyr knew his love for her only left him with feelings of sadness and jealousy. Despite the pain, he was willing to wait his entire life just to be with her. In his eyes, only she would make his life worthwhile.