“I said…cease speaking,” Frey repeated through clenched teeth.
Franka’s father opened and closed his mouth like he was fighting for air at the same time he clawed at Frey’s arm at his throat.
“You better hope Valentine returns with Anneka, reporting Kristian and his family are safe, healthy and whole, or I swear to the gods, uncle, I’ll press for you to fucking swing,” Frey warned.
Franka’s father made a gurgling noise and Frey dropped him to the ground where he crumpled, landing on a hand and his knees.
Frey turned immediately from him to one of the men standing close to Noc.
“Thad, go to Finnie. Franka’s maid woke her along with me and no doubt she’s still awake seeing as she wasn’t keen on not accompanying me to the kitchens. Ask her to go to Noc’s room, attend Franka as the physician sees to her and ask her to stay there,” he ordered.
Thad nodded and took off.
Frey looked to one of the other men close to Noc and demanded, “Lund, fetch the constable. Nils Drakkar is being arrested tonight for child cruelty and assault.”
Lund didn’t nod. He smiled a humorless smile and then he left the room.
“Arrested?” Nils Drakkar asked in a choked voice, still on his knees, only his head was tipped back to look at his nephew.
“You’ve been committing crimes for decades, uncle. You’ll stand trial for those crimes and pay the penance,” Frey announced.
Nils pushed himself to his feet, declaring, “That’s absurd.”
“It’s the law,” Frey returned.
The older man’s back shot straight. “I’m a Drakkar!”
“You’re a gods damned useless piece of shite,” Frey bit out, turning again fully to his uncle. “I still cannot grasp what I saw when I walked into this room. I don’t even want to. How could you mark your child that way? It’s unfathomable to do to a son. But it’s unconscionable to do it to a daughter.”
Nils tossed his head. “You know Franka. She earned many punishments.”
“And her punishment was tearing open her flesh?” Frey asked with incredulity.
“As her father, it’s my decision what her punishment would be.”
“And that decision you made will land you in a cell,” Frey fired back. “And if I have anything to do with it, and in case you haven’t grasped this, uncle, I have a great deal to do with everything, you’ll stay in that cell until your dying day.”
Nils expression filled with disdain as he snapped, “You cannot mean that.”
“Look at my face,” Frey demanded, “and tell me if I do or I do not.”
Nils obviously looked at Frey’s face because his paled.
Even so, he fought his corner. “I cannot believe you stand in defense of her after she committed treason.”
“Excellent,” Frey weirdly replied, crossing his arms on his chest in a way it looked like he was settling in. “Let’s talk about that. How, precisely, did you know of that?”
The older man lifted his chin.
“Anneka and I keep informed about our children,” Nils informed him.
“Not surprisingly you do this likely with spies, paid sneaks and unlawful magic, because I’ve noted that for years neither of your children have had anything to do with you,” Frey retorted. “Now I know why.”
“I’ll remind you, nephew, she came to this buttery of her own accord,” Nils shared.
It was time for Noc to butt in and he did just that.
“She came to this buttery to protect her brother.”
Nils’s eyes went to Noc. “Weakness. The both of them. My bloody son, I’ve no idea how he makes it through a night, petrified of his own shadow. And her. My daughter. Twisting herself in knots to hide her brother’s affliction from me and her mother, like we wouldn’t notice it and lament it. Putting herself in line for his punishments because the boy faints and cries and begs, and she can’t bear it. Even going so far as misbehaving, courting our ire, so we’ll turn our attention to her. It’s obscene. A flaw in her character.”
“And I’m sure you punished her for that too,” Frey said in a quiet, dangerous voice.
“Of course I did,” Nils snapped. “She’s a Drakkar. She was taught to know better. And that boy…” He sniffed before he declared, “My son should have ascended to Head of the House. You didn’t want it and neither of your soft-hearted brothers deserved it. Instead, my son attached himself to a sniveling woman who pushed out a worthless child, causing his mother and myself inexpressible shame.”
Noc watched as Frey held his uncle’s eyes, and he did this for a long time before he turned away and dropped his head. Lifting his hand to the back of his neck, he wrapped it there and squeezed.
He released his neck, his hand falling, his gaze coming to Noc’s.
“How is she?” he asked.
“In pain, but still uppity as all hell and worried sick about her brother,” Noc answered.
Frey nodded.
“The other Heads of the Houses will not stand for my incarceration,” Nils declared.
Frey turned back to him. “This is a delusion. When they hear of what you’ve done, they’ll stand in line to condemn you. But even if what you believe were to be the case, I would not care.”
“You hold great power, nephew, but you do not rule this land,” Nils fired back, his face twisted.