“Yes, Mother.”
“Good. I want you to come out of your chambers today.”
My stomach clenched. “But, Mother—”
“Listen. Refusing to come out of here… you’re shutting yourself away. Your fear of being locked up is keeping you locked up.”
She made sense. How could I say I was afraid of my power being discovered when I was the one locking myself up? I wanted to be free, not stuck inside some room. So, I acquiesced. I placed my feet on the cool floor tiles as my door swung open, with Star hanging onto the door handle. “Are you feeling better yet? It’s boring without you.”
“Give your sister some time to ready herself for the day, Starella. You may see Aura later.”
Usually, spending time with Star meant playing hide-and-seek, her favourite game. Perhaps I could convince her to let me read to her instead. I preferred stories much more than silly games.
“Fine.” Star pouted before skipping off the other way to find someone else to bother.
My mother helped me dress and combed my hair. She was much gentler than Hilda. I wished she always had time to take care of me. A queen had her duties though, and one day, those duties would be mine.
After bribing my sister with sweets I’d snuck from the kitchen, I succeeded in convincing her to let me read to her. I didn’t share the fruit tarts with her. I knew my stomach couldn’t handle the rich delicacies yet. I had to stifle a laugh when I peered up from the book about Celestia’s warrior unicorn, Antarus. Her chin and cute, little nose were covered in berries as she swung her legs back and forth. She enjoyed the tart enough for the both of us.
Our kingdom had an agreement with Terra. We traded them gold for food. The warm climate made the soil there fertile enough that they could share the fruit from their orchards and the grain from their crops. Workers from the villages surrounding Ventosa were paid well to bring us some of their goods to cook with. Though the food wasn’t fresh and much of it had to be stored in jars, it tasted delicious to me. I couldn’t fathom what we’d be stuck eating without that agreement. Some of the villages nestled in the valleys around the Acutis Mountains grew certain fruits and vegetables, but not enough to feed a whole palace.
I finished reading the story of Antarus and used my sleeve to wipe my sister’s face. “Go find someone your own size to play hide-and-seek with.”
Star made one of her famously annoying whiney sounds and stomped away, leaving me in peace.
After a hearty meal, Hilda filled the basin in my bathing chamber with warm, steamy water. She left me to soak in the fragrant bath after washing my hair. My silvery locks floated around me as I sank down to my chin, the top half of my head and knees the only parts of me not submerged. Warmth seeped into my muscles. A roaring hearth near the basin kept the water from cooling too quickly. Firelight danced behind my closed eyelids, flashing orange and gold.
I breathed deeply, letting myself relax. The steady rhythm of my heartbeat filled my ears beneath the water. Everything was going to be fine. No one save my mother would ever find out about my power. The power I never asked for. I’d done nothing wrong.
Icy coldness crept along my skin. The water solidified, turning to a block of ice. I tried to move but couldn’t. I was trapped in a frozen basin. I panicked, my heartbeat thundering. I’m going to die, I thought. And they’ll find me encased in a grave of ice. They’d know. The entire kingdom would know I had the same magic Queen Pavanas once possessed. I couldn’t breathe.
My eyelids slammed open as I gasped down a gulp of air, water sloshing up over the lip of the basin and onto the tiled floor.
Water—not ice. The contents in the basin were warm and liquid. It was only a dream. I willed my speeding heartbeat to slow.
“Look at the mess you’ve made,” Hilda’s voice came from the doorway. “I leave you alone to rest, and this is what I get?”
“I’m sorry, Hilda. I—I guess I fell asleep.”
She snatched my thick, white robe off its hook and held it open for me. “I’d say so. It looks like you were fighting demons.” I slipped into the robe, and she tied it tightly around my waist. “Off to bed with you. I’ll clean this up.”
Still shaken, I whispered my reply so quietly she couldn’t hear. “I was.”
I found my bed covered in crisp, clean blankets. I crawled under them and pulled them over my face, letting the tears I’d held back flow. Why was this happening to me? “I don’t want this.” I sniffled. “Take it back. I don’t want your magic.” Of course, no answer came. I didn’t expect one, but I whimpered, “Please,” anyways as I rolled over and curled up into a ball.
Chapter 4
My power didn’t show itself again until three springs later, when I was sixteen.
I’d grown distant since my scare in the bath, keeping my emotions in check. I’d been so careful. After a few seasons, I finally relaxed enough to allow possible suitors to court me. I was a woman in her prime now, and I wanted time to weed out the men who only wanted my hand for the power my position came with.
To be honest, most of the young men who pursued me only wanted me for my crown. Even Jorn, who my father had introduced me to, didn’t care about the person beneath that crown. He never asked what was wrong when I withdrew into myself. He never made me feel anything at all. As much as I hid my emotions, I still wanted my heart to warm at the thought of my suitor. So far, I’d only been disappointed.
Pairs of eyes watched me as my sister and I joined the outdoor farewell celebration held for our parents. The queen and king would be travelling to Aquila for Noctis. It was a long journey. The two kingdoms were on opposite sides of Sarantoa. Neither Star nor I were permitted to go. “When you’re queen,” my mother had said, “You may attend every Noctis… you’ll be expected to.”
The flames of a giant fire licked the air outside the courtyard. Sparks sizzled as they flew into the cold night sky. Everyone had dressed in wool and fur to keep away that chill. The white fur of my cloak brushed my cheek as I turned to see my little sister point and gawk at the trees in wonder. “Aura, look. The trees have bells on them.”
She spoke true. The trees surrounding us, forever covered in sparkling ice crystals, had little silver bells tied to them, which jingled lightly when the breeze blew through the branches. The snow between them had been carved into shapes of animals. Bears reared up protectively, deer stood bravely, and foxes watched with curiosity. The servants had really outdone themselves with this décor.
I smiled down at my sister. “They put them there to sing our parents farewell.”
“I wish we could go with them.”
I accepted two cups of hot tea from a servant in grey wool and said, “No, you don’t. You’d be miserable.”
“Humph.” She crossed her arms.
My mother and father arrived, dressed in fur and diamonds. Queen Ingrid accepted embraces from her peers and graciously let others kiss her hand and give her well wishes. My father walked beside her, clasping arms with lords and offering warm smiles. Ale warmed the spirits of the kingdom’s citizens. Pastries filled our bellies and music swam through our ears.
“Dance with me.” My mother grinned, taking mine and Star’s hands. We spun and pranced to the sounds of the flutes and tambourines, the three of us all holding hands. I laughed as Star squealed when we spun in a circle, faster and faster until we broke apart. “My darling princesses.” My mother squeezed us each to her with an arm. “I’m going to miss you so much.”
“I don’t want you to go.” Star pouted.
“I know, but it would be rude for us to remain home.”
“Let Father go by himself,” Star suggested with eyes full of hope.
Mother chuckled. “I wish I could.” She kissed both of our heads. “But I am the queen. So I cannot. But you two have each other until we return.”
Star and I both scrunched up our faces. She wasn’t the best company.
“Come now. Pontus is going to tell us a story.” Queen Ingrid led the w
ay to a soft blanket laid out on the packed snow.
Others gathered around on their own blankets, encircling the old, grey-bearded bard who sat upon a wooden stool. The music stopped, and I heard my mother cough from behind me. She cleared her throat, but the coughing wouldn’t let up until my father brought her a cup of ale. She sipped it and thanked him. I twisted my head so I could see her. “Are you all right, Mother?”
“I’m fine. It was only a tickle inside my throat. Listen.”
I turned back around and crossed my legs like Star had beside me as the bard clapped his hands together and started. “Tonight, I am going to tell you the tale of poor Greta Leer.”
A hush fell over the crowd. A piece of wood snapped in the fire, and a snow owl answered somewhere in the distance. Hilda brought her own blanket and lowered herself down beside me. The servants were welcome to enjoy this night once their work was done.
Pontus continued his tale, moving his weathered hands as he spoke. “When the sun still warmed these mountains each spring and melting snow gave way to green grass, a pretty young woman named Greta Leer lived with three children—two sons and one daughter. They lived in a small cottage in the forested mountains, less than a day’s journey from here. Greta kept the cottage repaired as best she could, but it was tough with three children to take care of. She loved those children, probably a little too much. She never let them wander from their home… never let them meet another living person. She feared for them. She wanted to keep them safe.”
My mother coughed again and covered her mouth. She took another sip of ale and then passed it to me. “Just a small taste,” she whispered.
I placed my lips on the cup and sucked back some of the golden, bubbly ale.
“The children had never met their father,” Pontus went on. “Greta seemed like a loving, overprotective mother. But Greta couldn’t remember anything before the previous winter. Whenever the children brought up anything from before that time, she’d get upset and lock them in their shared room.
“Greta did her best to care for herself and her children. She trapped animals and picked berries to feed them. She kept their clothes mended with a needle and thread and washed the children and their clothing in the river winding through the land behind their cottage.”
I took another swallow of ale and handed it back to my mother, whose amethyst eyes were focused on Pontus.
The bard adjusted himself on the stool and wet his throat with his own cup of ale. “Later that summer, Greta’s children went missing, one at a time. She’d tuck them safely into bed and wake to find one gone.
“When the first one disappeared, the youngest boy, Greta searched for him until nightfall. Unable to find him, she was so distraught she told the other two to feed themselves. She shut herself in her tiny room and cried all night. The oldest boy woke her the next morning. ‘Momma,’ he said, tugging on the sleeve of her white nightgown. ‘Momma, I can’t find my sister.’
“Greta was frantic. She took the last child with her to search for the other two. She didn’t find them. That night, she brought the boy to her bed and held him in her arms, determined to keep him safe.
“Footsteps woke Greta before dawn. She couldn’t make out a face in the eerie grey light, but she screamed at the intruder to go away, to leave them alone. The last boy was pulled from her as she tried to cling to him. A woman’s voice sneered, ‘They’re not yours.’ And then the intruder ran faster than a stag from the cottage, the boy in her arms.”
Pontus leaned forward, lowering his voice so that we all had to lean closer too. A shiver ran down my spine as he said, “Greta searched for days for the woman and the children. She searched until her toes blistered and her skin was burned red from the sun. She searched until she was lost. She found herself at the place we now call Kaltevie Rock. She climbed the rock to try to see farther. But when she got to the top, she lost her footing and fell.” He made a smacking sound with his hands, startling me and more than a few others.
Star had her hands over her mouth while my mother rubbed her shoulder.
“The truth is, Greta had lost her mind and had stolen the children from her sister. She’d found the abandoned cottage and kept them there. She couldn’t remember anything from before she’d gotten to the cottage. She died believing those were her children. Some say, on a foggy night around Kaltevie Rock, you can still hear Greta Leer wailing for the children.”
Pontus bowed, and the crowd applauded. Someone brought him more ale.
“I think we need more dancing after that tale!” a woman shouted, and others cheered their agreement.
The musicians took up their flutes and tambourines once more. My mother pulled me to my feet and my father helped Star up. We all joined in the group dance, even Hilda, who usually shook her head at such nonsense.
It wasn’t a night I’d soon forget.
The laughter and fun went on until the middle of the night. When people began to depart, my mother crouched down before me and Star. “It’s time to get some rest, little ladies. Hilda will take you to your chambers.”
“Can’t you take us?” Star clasped her hands together.
“I’m sorry, but I have to speak with some of my court before I’m free for the night. You can see us off in the morning with the rest of the kingdom.”
“Let’s go,” Hilda ordered impatiently before Star could argue.
We said goodbye to our mother and father. Both of them showered us with hugs and kisses, and then we let our handmaid take us inside the glistening palace of ice.
Hilda’s blond hair was pulled back neatly as always, showing off her stern, square jaw. She escorted me to my chambers first and told me I could ready myself for slumber while she helped Star prepare for bed. Her goodnights were never as warm as Mother’s. I’d grown used to them though. She loved us, in her own way. I knew she did. I’d seen the fear in her eyes when Star had once climbed too high in a tree. Anytime we needed her, she was there. She rarely smiled, and I swore I’d never heard her laugh, but she cared.
I hummed the tune my mother often sang to me and Star and tried not to be sad. She’d return before long. Noctis would be in Ventosa the next spring, and Star would be able to attend. I felt excited for her, as much as she annoyed me at times. If she thought tonight was wonderful, she’d be out of her mind when she stepped into the Diamond Hall on Noctis de Celestia. I’d certainly be able to enjoy myself more with my power under control.
I tried not to think about the ghost of Greta Leer as I drifted off to sleep. Bards’ tales often held some truth to them. I didn’t know how much of the one he’d told that night was truth, but it gave me an eerie feeling. After startling at every noise and hiding myself beneath my blankets, I finally relaxed enough to be pulled into sleep.
I dreamed of Antarus, the warrior unicorn, that night. He appeared before me with his silky mane and pure gold horn. I reached out to touch him, but he tossed his head and turned away. “What is it?” I heard myself ask.
Antarus screamed a neigh so loud my ears rang, and then he galloped away.
I chased after him. Something was wrong. Something wanted to harm us. The magnificent unicorn reared, pawing the air with a sharp hoof, and a black shadow appeared before him. He tossed his head, eyes wild, and attacked the shadow with his horn. I could do nothing but watch as the unicorn began to lose the battle, the shadow swallowing him up.
I woke up in a pool of sweat.
Chapter 5
The entire kingdom rose early to see my parents off the next morning, with puffy eyes and simple hairstyles, evidence of merrymaking from the previous night.
My mother’s pale, slender hand waved from the white and purple sleigh window. The sleigh was much like a carriage except, instead of wheels, it had skis. It made travelling in the snow much easier. They would switch to a carriage at a farm near the bottom of the Acutis.
Star waved her arms widely beside me, determined to be seen.
When the four grey horses and sleigh were no
thing but a speck in the distance, I strode from the balcony overlooking the courtyard and went to break my fast.
In my parents’ absence, I spent a lot of time in the cozy little library on one of the upper floors of the Crystalline Palace. A hearth heated the space lined with shelves of books full of history and fairy tales. I’d spent half a day sitting on the cushioned lounger with my legs curled beneath me, lost in a story about make believe people from another world. I’d have spent longer reading if Hilda hadn’t hounded me to take my supper with the rest of the palace.
‘You’re the heir, and your mother is away. The people need to see you,’ she’d said in that stiff tone of hers.
So, I sat with a smile plastered onto my face throughout each third meal. Thankfully, my mother had my uncle sit in as regent. She didn’t believe I was prepared for the responsibilities of running a kingdom yet. I begged to differ but relented in the end. He could hold court daily in the Lunar Room while I did what I pleased then. I figured I may as well enjoy my freedom while I had it.
Star followed me around like a dog without an owner. I hid up in one of the empty guest chambers sometimes to paint. I pictured the bells on the frozen trees from the night of my parents’ farewell celebration. I ran my brush across the canvas, capturing the way the moonlight bounced off their smooth, silvery surface with the paint I’d been gifted on my birthday.
I heard the second meal bells toll. I cleaned up my mess and met Hilda and Star in my mother’s private dining chamber. Our family always ate our second meal there. Sometimes my mother would invite some of her ladies to join us. The ones who hadn’t gone to Aquila with her had returned to their families for a visit.
A young maid stood attentive beside Hilda, hands folded in front of her. This was new. “Ladies, I’d like you to meet Aslaug.” Hilda pushed the young woman with pinned up golden curls forward.
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