The dainty maid with perfect skin curtsied. “I’m very pleased to meet you both, Your Highnesses.”
“We’re pleased to meet you too,” Star chirped pleasantly.
I simply inclined my forehead. She’d be hardened and calloused by winter. My home had that effect on most people. Maybe it was the icy exterior.
“Aslaug has a lot to learn, and I’ll be the one training her. I expect you both to listen to her as you would to me or your parents.”
“Yes, Hilda,” Star said at the same time I muttered, “Of course.”
“Good. Let’s enjoy our meal.” Hilda patted the square table covered with bowls of salmon soup and bread.
We blew on and slurped at our salty soup while Hilda went over what to expect at the Crystalline Palace with Aslaug. “The areas you’re responsible for must always be kept clean… always,” she reiterated. “Ventosa prides itself in its cleanliness, and most of our floors are white. They show everything. The princesses are our biggest responsibility. Their safety is worth more than all the gold in the world. If anything happens to them, Queen Ingrid will have your head. Understand?”
Aslaug swallowed hard but nodded.
“Good. After our meal, you can take care of the princesses’ laundry.”
“Yes, Ma’am,” Aslaug answered, ripping off a chunk of bread and dipping it into her soup.
Star pushed her empty bowl away and tapped on my arm. “Can we go for a sleigh ride?”
I sighed. It would be nice to get outside. “Go get into something warmer. I’ll get Boris to hook up the sleigh.” Boris was our driver. He’d worked for our parents long before I was even born. He used to take my parents to every Noctis, but he’d retired from the long journeys many seasons ago. They were too hard on his aging body.
Star clapped her hands together. “Thank you!”
“I’ll help get you ready.” Hilda pushed her chair back from the table and added, “Aslaug, clean these dishes up before you start on the laundry.”
“Yes, Ma’am.” She shot out of her chair and immediately started gathering the dishes in her arms.
I glanced up at her skittish behaviour. “This place is going to eat you alive,” I thought out loud.
Her face paled, but she continued clearing dishes as if I hadn’t spoken.
I breathed in the fresh air outside, squinting against the light reflecting off the bright white snow.
“Where to?” the driver, with a thick waist and thinning white-blond hair, asked. He wore the same tan furs as always. I wondered if he owned any other clothing besides those.
I turned to Star and grinned. “Do you want to go to Kaltevie Rock?” I dared.
Fear filled her big indigo eyes. “No.”
“You’re no fun. Fine, take us to Evenington, Boris.”
“Yes, Your Highness.” He cracked the reins, and we were off, sliding across the snowy path leading to the rich area of Ventosa made up of the manor houses belonging to the lords and ladies of our kingdom.
I sat back and watched the scenery fly by. People walked hand in hand down the cobblestone streets cleared of snow. Iron-wrought fences stood guard to ginormous manors made of stone and glass. A smile tugged at my lips. It was a perfect spring day to be outside.
That smile faded when I recognized the young man with short blond hair and grey eyes. “Stop the sleigh!” I tapped on Boris’s seat.
“Whoa.” He pulled back on the reins until the two horses came to a halt.
“What are you doing?” Star questioned me. Her cheeks had turned a bit red from the cold air.
“Stay here, I’ll be back.” I jumped off the sleigh and approached the man I recognized from my first Noctis. Vidar, if I remembered correctly. He was taller now, but still held that arrogance… that slight curve of the lips. How could I forget the face of the only man who didn’t want to dance with his princess?
He appeared to be fixing one of the window frames on the beautifully built manor house with peaked roofs. He stopped when he noticed me. “Princess Auralina?” He crossed his arms behind his back.
“Ah, so you remember me.” I planted my feet and stared into his grey eyes.
Confusion crossed his face. “Yes. It’s hard not to with that crown.”
I reached up and touched the small silver tiara on my head. “Oh. Where have you been? I haven’t seen you at the palace.” It was true. He’d disappeared after he’d rejected me.
“At my father’s estate in Tirham.” His gaze hardened. “Why does the princess care?”
He was so infuriating. Why did I want him to like me? “What are you doing here then?” I ignored his question.
He took a deep breath. “My father wants me to spend more time at court. He said if I fixed up his manor in Evenington—this manor—I could have it.”
I gave him a smile that would disarm most. “How lovely.”
“Aura.” I felt a pull on my sleeve. I looked over to find Star.
My face fell. “What? I said to wait in the sleigh for me.”
“You’re taking too long. I’m getting bored.”
She was impossible some days. “Go then. Go on without me. I can find my own way back.” It’d be a long walk, but I’d manage.
Star scuffed her foot in the snow, unsure what to do.
“Go!” I grabbed her shoulders and walked her back toward the sleigh. When I let go, she kept walking.
I turned back to Vidar. “Sorry—”
“You shouldn’t be so mean to your sister.”
“Excuse me?” Who did he think he was? No one questioned me except my parents and Hilda.
His eyes hardened. A challenge. “You obviously brought her with you so you could spend time together. Why are you so interested in me?”
The blood ran to my face as the sleigh pulled away. “I’m not interested in you.”
Vidar smiled. A cold smile. “Yes, you are. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be so upset right now.”
I breathed in and lowered my voice. “I’m not upset.”
“I think it bothers you that I’m not falling all over you like the other men at court.” He stepped closer, still smiling. Prick.
He was right, of course. Though, I’d never admit it. He intrigued me. He wasn’t like the others.
He’d moved so close I could see the blue mixed in with the grey in his eyes. He put his fingers under my chin, leaned in and kissed my lips… my first kiss.
For a moment, I forgot I was supposed to be mad. The world slipped away with the touch of his lips.
And then everything came crashing back to me. I pushed him away and made a disgusted sound. “You’re rude! I’d be happy to never see you again.”
Vidar smirked. “It was you who sought me out, Your Highness.”
“I didn’t seek—ah, never mind. It’s not worth it. Goodbye, Vidar.”
“Good day, Your Highness.” He bowed deeply, crossing his arms over his chest in the formal fashion.
I marched down the pathway where the sleigh had disappeared down, following its tracks. I needed to cool my blood. A breeze touched my face as if in answer.
After I could no longer see Vidar, or his new manor, I smiled. I’d faced him and my power hadn’t awoken. Maybe it had left me that night I’d told it to go away. And Vidar, oh my goddess, he made me feel something. Even if it was passion laced with hate…
I was sweating and winded by the time I reached the palace. “Where’s Star,” I demanded of Hilda. “Did she make it back all right?”
Hilda placed her hands onto her hips, her ice-cold eyes burning. “No thanks to you, Princess. Why would you abandon her like that? She’s quite upset, you know? You should apologize.”
“Where is she?”
“She’s in her chambers.” I took off upstairs as she called after me, “Get yourself into something suitable for dinner while you’re up there!”
I found Star lying on her bed, holding a piece of jewelry our mother had given her and studying it with brows drawn together.
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br /> I sat beside her. She didn’t even acknowledge me. “I’m sorry, Star. You were being impatient, but I shouldn’t have been so cruel to you.”
No answer.
“Please forgive me. I’ll play chess with you after our meal.”
Still nothing.
I placed my hand on the door handle, ready to leave, when my little sister mumbled, “I miss, Mother.”
A pang pierced my heart, and I whispered, “I miss her too. She’ll be home soon.”
I left her to change into something ‘suitable for dinner.’
The night of Noctis de Celestia came. My uncle put on a small celebration for those of us at the palace. Though, nothing as grand as when we hosted. Most of the servants were given time off to be with their families, so everyone left helped out. We did this every time my parents were absent from our kingdom for the night of our goddess. It had become tradition for me to offer entertainment by playing the violin for the court.
Star was almost thirteen, so she’d had her first taste of Sanguis three springs ago. She loved the ceremonial beverage as much as I and was disappointed when I wouldn’t let her drink any more than two goblets.
Both mine and my sister’s spirits lifted after that night. We knew our parents were on their way home.
I went to see Vidar after Noctis. He hadn’t danced with anyone. He’d watched me from a distance. I felt his eyes on me all night. I tried to shut him out of my mind, but that grey-blue stare haunted me for days afterward.
This time, I came alone to his manor. I banged the iron knocker on the door thrice and waited under the archway.
Vidar’s eyes shone when he opened the door. “Princess Auralina, what a surprise.”
I waved a hand and shoved him aside so I could enter. “Call me Aura.”
“Are we that close now, Your Highness?” He closed the door, following me to the drawing room.
“I’ve come to the realization you don’t know how to dance.”
Vidar raised a brow. “Is that so?”
“Mhm. It’s the only feasible reason I can think of as to why you refuse to ask me to dance but watch me so intently all night.”
“Well, then let me prove you wrong… Aura.” Vidar craned his neck and bellowed, “Edor!”
A thin, willowy man with neatly pulled back honey hair rushed into the room. “Yes, my lord.”
“Play the piano for us, will you?”
“Of course, my lord.” The male servant stepped over to the grand piano sitting in the corner of the room. He rubbed his hands together, cracked his knuckles, and then set his fingers on the ebony and ivory keys. The song he played, a beautiful, mesmerizing melody with low, drawn out notes, I’d heard before.
Vidar winked at me and took my hands in his. We glided around the large dark blue and white drawing room with ease. Our eyes were locked, his lips set in a serious line. He knew what he was doing.
As the song came to an end, I couldn’t help myself. I pressed my lips to his and let him sweep me away with a kiss. My heart leaped.
He wrapped an arm around my back and cradled my head in his hand.
Edor tried to creep away unnoticed, but his movement caught my attention, and I ended the kiss. “I should leave.”
Vidar grinned. “You’re always running away.”
I gathered up my skirts and marched to the door. “I’ll return soon.”
I held true to my promise. I visited him often while my parents made their journey home. We spoke of our pasts, of our dreams… and sometimes, we kissed. It never went further than that. I wasn’t ready to give that part of myself up yet. We hadn’t known each other long, but my heart raced whenever he was near. I saw the disappointment in the other men’s eyes as they realized I’d taken interest in another. They didn’t know who my attention had turned to, only that their future queen was being whisked away from their grasp… along with the crown they’d hoped to obtain through my hand in marriage. I relished in that knowledge.
Star kept to herself while I spent my time with Vidar, counting down the days to our parents’ expected return.
The first full moon after Noctis, the first one of summer, I leaned against Vidar’s piano, playing my violin while his fingers danced across the keys. A perfect duet.
The song finished. I set my bow and instrument down and slid into his lap.
He chuckled. “I think the princess has indulged in too much wine.”
I watched him with half-lidded eyes. “I don’t care what you think.”
His lips brushed my cheek, and he whispered, “Liar.”
I laughed and pulled away, but he pulled me in closer and captured my breath with a kiss.
He pulled his lips away from mine. “I hear scouts have spotted your parents’ sleigh,” he commented. “They’re to arrive tomorrow.”
“Yes.” I frowned, confused by the sudden change in mood. “And?”
He tucked a piece of hair behind my ear, his lips curving up. “And, are you going to tell them about us?”
I shrugged and lifted myself up off him, snatching my goblet of wine and draining it. “Eventually. Does it matter?”
“You’re the heir to the throne. Of course it matters.”
I turned my back on him and threw my hands up. We’d only started spending time together two fortnights ago. I enjoyed spending time with him. I wanted to keep him separate from the royal aspect of my life as long as I could.
“I didn’t mean to offend.” He touched my shoulder and turned me back around to face him.
“I didn’t think you cared about flaunting yourself at my side,” I told him.
He sighed out his nose and grinned. “I don’t. You’re right. Tell them when you wish.”
I returned his smile. “Maybe I’ll never tell them. You’ll be my best kept secret.”
“How thrilling.” His eyes flashed.
We were entangled again in the next instant, my lips hungrily devouring his. Lust filled me. I needed air.
I broke away and dashed for the door. “Good evening, Vidar.”
“Goodnight, Aura.” He hid the disappointment in his voice with a lilt, but I didn’t miss the quick downturn of those beautiful lips.
The night air cooled my heated skin as I stepped into the sleigh and said, “Take me home, Boris.”
Queen Ingrid and King Elis finally returned the following morning. But what happened next, we could’ve never expected.
Chapter 6
The watch guards from the highest tower of the Crystalline Palace spotted my parents’ sleigh first. Hilda came and got me from the library to tell me of their return. The book I’d been reading about a lady who ran away from home to be with the man she loved fell from my lap as I leaped off the lounger.
Star was already outside, along with half the palace. The members of the court parted to let me through to the front of the crowd.
Star stood on her tiptoes as the driver stopped the sleigh. The thick mauve curtain inside of it moved. A royal guard wearing the official uniform of Ventosa, a deep violet surcoat with white trim and the silver crest of two feathers and a diamond, stepped out. “Make way for the king,” he hollered. Strange, he must have meant to say ‘queen.’
But as my father, King Elis, emerged from the sleigh, he held my mother in his arms.
And my heart shattered.
“Father!” Star rushed to him, but he didn’t seem to hear her. He didn’t even stop for her. “Father? Why is Mother sleeping?”
“Star,” I managed to choke out through a tight throat. “Starella, come here.”
But she just stood there and watched my father as he carried our mother’s body inside.
I went to my sister and took her by the arm. The crowd began to murmur. I shut them all out.
“What’s wrong with Mother?” Star looked up at me with worry.
“Mother,” I started but had to swallow back a sob. “Mother’s dead.”
Star’s face turned red as tears streamed down her cheeks.
I tried to wrap my arms around her, but she shoved me away and ran after our father.
Without me noticing, my uncle had made it to my side. “Everyone back inside,” my mother’s brother ordered the court. “You will be summoned to the Lunar Room when His Majesty, King Elis, is ready.”
The courtiers whispered to each other, slowly filing back inside the palace. I hated them all in that moment.
I found Hilda in Star’s chamber. Her eyes were red and swollen. “I want to see my father,” I told her.
She scrubbed her face and nodded. “Of course. Star’s already with him.”
My father had laid my mother’s body on her bed. Star sat on his lap with her head buried in his shoulder.
“How did it happen?” I demanded.
“That wretched kingdom,” he answered in a rough voice as he stared at his queen’s body, unblinking. “I thought sorcery would make her better.”
“You’re not making sense.”
His gaze snapped to me, as though he hadn’t noticed my presence until then. “Your mother grew sick. I tried—tried to help her. I let that sorceress touch her… use magic on her. I thought it worked. She seemed better. But, on the way home, she died in her sleep. The magic was a trick. I’m such a fool.”
I shook my head. “She was sick before she left. You shouldn’t have let her travel,” I accused.
Star began to bawl.
My father looked at me as though I’d slapped him. “Auralina—”
I didn’t let him finish. I ran from the chamber. I needed air.
I ignored all the pitying glances as I burst free from the palace. I sprinted through the snow and the trees. Manor houses flew by. I didn’t know what I was doing. I needed to let it all out. I needed to be held by someone whose heart hadn’t been as broken as mine. I needed strength to lean on. I wound my way down the cobblestone streets until I found a sleigh to take me to Evenington.
I stopped before Vidar’s door, catching my breath. I knocked.
The servant, Edor, answered. He looked me up and down and said, “I’m sorry, Your Highness. Vidar is busy.”
I pushed him aside, almost knocking him over as I entered the manor. “Out of my way. This cannot wait.”
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