by Jarica James
She’s magnificent.
Somehow he still manages to get himself upright, though he walks like he’s two bottles of tequila into a night of drinking. He stumbles haphazardly around for a few moments before his body lifts and she throws him a second time. I watch as their bodies both go limp at the same time.
Several breaths go by as I watch them for any signs of life. There’s a stillness in the air that is unnerving, the calm before the storm. My attention falls away from them as a gust of wind blows through the ballroom. From the brilliant glow in the air, it’s not normal wind. The magic in the room fizzles out with a loud pop before warmth envelops me. I’ve been so numb that it’s startling. My body slowly regains feeling and I know instinctively what it means.
The king is dead.
That’s the only thing that could have ended this spell so abruptly. And the overwhelming relief I feel at that news is unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. The evil things he’s done, the damage to the realm, the poor prisoners in this room, he deserved to die as painfully as he did.
The incessant tingling that is flooding my entire body is close to the feeling when your foot falls asleep. It’s almost too much to handle and it’s taking far too long to wear off. I want to rush to my mate, to make sure she’s alright, but I still can’t move.
The thud of bodies hitting the floor fills the room. Nearly everyone is unable to stay upright once the magic wears off. Hell, most in the room have been here for thirteen years Earth time… which is far longer here.
When my feet release, I fall forward, barely catching myself before slamming my face on the marble floor. Instead of picking myself up on useless legs, I start to drag myself toward Bella. She still hasn’t stirred, and my worry is overwhelming. I need to make sure she’s not… no, I can’t even think it.
“Bella!” Jacob half sobs and half yells at her as he drags his body alongside mine. The room is now filled with cries of sadness and outrage as everyone regains their ability to move and speak.
My thoughts drift to my brothers, frozen at the gates of winter, waiting on us to save them. Emrick would wake up and not see Bella, knowing how many days have passed. They’re likely just as beside themselves as I am. Emrick would tear this realm apart to find her, all of us would.
She is our Queen. Our Lover. Ours to protect.
Jacob
Watching Bella get beat with a chair was the single most horrifying thing I have ever had to witness, and I’ve seen some shit in my life. This evil bastard needed to die. I hold on to my rage as I regain the ability to move, though all of my emotions are literally at war inside of me. Anger, fear, worry, relief, hope… all of them swirling into a jumbled mess.
Next to me Gerwyn is already pulling himself together. He doesn’t bother to stand, seeing the others around us try and fail. Instead, he pulls himself across the floor. Despite the awful tingling in my muscles, I grit my teeth and do the same. Each excruciating scoot of my body across the floor leads me closer to my best friend, and that’s enough for me.
Andras is still on my mind, but after living through the same frozen state I know he’ll be alright. Bella is more uncertain, her body isn’t moving in the slightest, even her breathing is impossible to detect.
Part of me feels like if she were gone, I’d know. Some kind of best friend sixth sense. But there was nothing other than my own messed up thoughts.
“Bella!” She doesn’t react to my shout and it fuels me forward. I’m going to make it to her, one way or another.
Gerwyn and I somehow reach her at the same time, both of our hands shooting out to look for a pulse. The moment I feel her pulse steady under my fingers, I collapse next to her, finally giving into my exhaustion.
Bowen
Being trapped under this awful spell is the longest torture I have ever had to endure, and I’ve lived through a fucking war. There’s no movement outside other than the steadily falling snow, so we literally spend days staring ahead and watching the sun rise and fall.
In my case, I am forced to stare at the back of Maddox’s blonde head. Not a stimulating sight to be trapped staring at for weeks on end. I bet he doesn’t even know he has a mole on the back of his neck… but I now know it well. Life is strange.
Finally, a pulse of magic reaches us, warmth encompassing us and the frozen spell receding until we all collapse into a heap. Thankfully Emrick falls first, so everyone else can survive this awkward moment.
“Oh good, a closer look at the mole on your neck,” I mutter to Maddox as I try to lift myself off of him.
“This tingling is fucking awful," Maddox bites out, shoving me off of him. He sounds just as angry as I feel.
“It’s a whole lot better than the days we just spent immobile," Andras replies as he flops over to his side, taking deep breaths and trying to shake out his limbs.
“The not being able to feel myself taking breaths, was fucking crazy," I grimace at the thought and take a few deep breaths just to appreciate the sensation.
“I need to see her," Emrick roars in frustration as he attempts to raise himself up, face planting each time. If it was any other situation, I would have made a joke.
“Someone is going to die," Maddox declares, following Emrick’s lead and trying to stand.
“I’d say someone already did, otherwise we’d still be trapped,” I point out unhelpfully, earning me a glare.
An incessant squeaking draws our attention away from our complaining. I look around, until I finally spot a tiny white mouse scurrying our way. Well not so little anymore. Too many people like to sneak him treats, he’s doubled in size since arriving in Faerie.
“Is that Bella’s mouse?” Maddox asks, his voice full of shock. The others turn to see, but I know who he is. I stick my hand out for the mouse to come to me. He scurries past the others and settles into my outstretched palm. He rears up on two feet and squeaks mournfully at me. The sad sound unsettles me even more and the need to find Bella eats away at me.
“Are you trying to take us to Bella?” I ask, the mouse gives one loud squeak and runs back to the ground.
“Really? We’re talking to a mouse now? He’s not a fucking dog," Emrick grumbles. I choose to ignore him. He has every right to be a grumpy mess right now. Plus, I’m not looking for a punch to my jaw to be his first move after this.
The tingling starts to recede and I try my best to push away the exhaustion sweeping over me, I can sleep later. I look at the others to see if anyone is standing yet. So far Emrick is up on all fours, but that is the most progress any of us have made. Andras is already passed out and I wish I could join him but that sad squeak was enough to keep me awake and alert. She needs us.
“It has to have been weeks," Maddox whispers, his voice filled with concern. We know that Bella didn’t just waltz in and succeed, but it was impossible to keep count how long it had actually been. And the one person here that may have succeeded in keeping track was passed out.
“She’s alive," I say in a firm voice. “I would have felt it if she died, we’re bonded.”
After complaining to each other and making attempt after attempt to stand, our muscles are finally strong enough to support us. We take a few tentative steps, still shaking and tingling, but upright.
Andras is still asleep and won’t wake no matter how hard we try. He’s fairly small for a fae though, so the spell may have taken more of a toll on him. But now that he’s not spelled, leaving him behind would be a death sentence in the harsh snow of Winter.
The three of us start the slow and awkward trek to the castle. Emrick and Maddox support Andras’ body between them. I ignore yet another moment to crack a joke, as we hobble like drunkards down the path. If it wasn’t for the fact that we’re walking shoulder to shoulder, I doubt we could have made it inside without going down again.
“Which way?” Emrick asks, pausing for a moment to shake out his limbs. When he pulls away, I realize I can stand unassisted, a weightlifting off of my shoulders. We spent far too lon
g being immobile to deal with the residual effects of the curse.
“I vote we follow this little fellow." I point at the mouse who is walking ahead, looking back at us and squeaking impatiently every few feet. He’s anxious to get us to her and I’m not willing to turn down a tour guide, no matter how tiny. Maybe it’s the Spring magic in me that gives me a connection to animals, but I trust the tiny rodent to lead us to his master. He loves her fiercely and I have a feeling he stuck with her during this madness.
“I thought you were joking," Maddox says as he gives me an assessing look, trying to tell if I’m serious.
I shake my head and grin. “If Bella thinks he’s smart enough to understand her words, that’s enough for me," I explain. They grumble, but follow without much of a protest. They trust me enough to let this happen and know I’d never do anything to keep us from our queen. Especially not after all this time.
We silently follow Dormouse into the compound and through the hallways. It isn’t easy and it isn’t pretty, but we do it surprisingly fast for our condition. There was only one mishap with Andras almost falling to the floor, but Emrick seems to have found his reflexes and caught him in time.
The sound of unfamiliar voices have us walking even faster, the last of the sluggish feeling finally fading. It sounds like the roar of an angry crowd, though that hardly makes sense. Can there really be this many survivors? How?
We enter a large ballroom and what is awaiting us is the picture of chaos. There are fae men, women, and children scattered around. Many seem too weak to move or stand, a feeling we knew far too well.
“Bella!” Emrick roars and I look in the direction he’s attempting to run. The entire crowd grows silent as we make our way over. She is passed out on the floor between Gerwyn and Jacob. They lay Andras down next to Jacob, so we can check on our queen.
Bella looks awful. Not in the same way we all do, we’re merely weak from being in a frozen state for so long. It maintained our bodies and tortured our minds. But from looking at her, it appears that she’s been starved, beaten, and broken in our absence.
What happened here?
Fury blossoms inside of me as I take in her small shape and sunken face. She’s covered head to toe in grime and bruising. By some miracle, her breathing is steady.
The worst part has to be her injuries. It looks like she’s been beaten. Her skin is unrecognizable, and her leg and shoulder are bent at odd angles.
Emrick is the only one of us with any healing abilities, and they are generally for combat. He can’t heal her bruises, but he can at least mend any broken bones. He kneels next to her and hovers his hands over her body before closing his eyes. He slowly runs his hands up and down her body, a faint white light emanating from them as he moves. I know it’s taking a lot out of him, the muscles in his neck look strained and sweat is forming on his brow. Thankfully her shoulder and leg are aligned again by the time he stops.
“What the fuck is going on?” Maddox doesn’t direct his question to us, but the crowd is too stunned, or too intimidated, to answer him.
“Look!” I yell as I spot the crumpled form of the King of Winter. He’s lying still on the floor with a small pool of blood under him. His body is also broken, contorted at an odd angle.
How the hell did he survive this long?
Did Bella fight him alone?
That thought is both unsurprising and terrifying. She’d do anything for her people, even if it meant sacrificing herself.
I send a quick thank you to the Spirits of Faerie, knowing they had to have protected her during whatever happened here. She’s breathing, which is more than we can say for the former king.
I walk over and kick him with my boot. He doesn’t even groan or flinch. Bending down, I check for a pulse. His skin is cool under my fingers and I can’t detect even a faint sign of life.
“He’s dead," I announce, my voice echoing in the tense silence of the room. The cheer that answers my declaration is deafening. The only negative reaction comes from Maddox and Emrick, who look upset they didn’t get to kill the bastard themselves. That was a feeling I could relate to.
Maddox
After Bowen announces the king is dead, I take another look around the room. There are hundreds of fae in here. They’re all weak and barely moving, but alive. They were clearly frozen like we were, though for much longer if their recovery is indicative of anything.
Could they have been here from before Faerie fell?
More than anything, I want real answers, so I walk up to the nearest coherent group and try to give a smile. From their unsettled looks, it must look as off as I feel. They’re clearly untrusting, but who wouldn’t be after this?
“What happened to you all? How long have you been trapped here?” I ask, projecting my voice so it echoes in the room. At this point I’ll take an answer from anyone.
“Is the war over?” a young woman asks softly. Everyone’s eyes flicker to me and my heart stops. That question alone and their earnest looks tell me everything I need to know, though I can't wrap my head around how this many fae got to the Castle of Winter. Just from looks alone, they aren’t all Winter fae.
“The war ended over thirteen Earth Realm years ago. I couldn’t tell you how much time passed here. The survivors, myself included, fled the realm. The land became uninhabitable and we had little choice. Your queen is over there on the floor, she is the one who ended this madness and is on a quest to improve the realms. She’s already restored Spring and we are here to restore Winter. We never expected to find all of you… or him." I summarize the important things for them, the time for more questions can come later. They need rest and Bella needs us.
“Why are you here, then?” a man yells from the crowd. I take a deep breath to remind myself they are disoriented and freaked out. But I need to move Bella, not answer useless questions.
“I’m one of her four knights and advisors. I have been helping her on her journey. We have formed a camp in the Neutral Lands. You should all journey there after you’re recovered. There is drinkable water and food in the camp. Until then we’ll find a way to make everyone as comfortable as we can, but the food isn’t safe," I explain. “How did you all end up here?” I make my voice firm to show I don’t want more questions, just this one answer.
“My village was captured. It was surrender or die, his army would show no mercy. Not all of our town was able to fight. The king froze us as soon as we surrendered and they hauled us here. I was one of the first. The numbers grew and grew, then they stopped for so long. I thought I was going to go mad. After several months we slept without waking, until now,” an older fae explains. His eyes look haunted at the memory.
“I’m so sorry. But you’re safe now,” I promise them. They look skeptical, but they haven’t seen our new progress yet. The way we’ve integrated, old ideals falling away and forgotten. It’s a new realm in every way that matters.
“They were prisoners of War. What the hell did he hope to accomplish?” I thunder, pacing back and forth to help calm my anger, though I think it’s a lost cause right now.
“It’s over, let them rest.” Bowen says gently before I promise them anything else. The leader in me is ready to fix all of their worries and it’s not our best bet. We don’t even know the extent of the winter king’s damage.
“Why is the mouse squeaking still?” Emrick grumbles as I walk back up. He looks ready to throw the mouse out of the closest window. Dormouse was nuzzled up to Bella when we got here, but now he’s turning to each of us and squeaking incessantly. He clearly has something else on his mind now that Bella is safe and resting peacefully.
“Follow him?” I offer and Emrick looks appalled. I may not have a nature affinity, but that doesn’t mean I can’t see that Bella’s mouse is not the average rodent. He’s intelligent and empathetic.
“He led us here, did he not? This castle is huge, it was hardly a coincidence," Bowen offers with a shrug. He pulls Bella’s hand in his lap and strokes his fingers gently
up and down her arm. I doubt she can feel it, but it clearly relaxes him. The need to feel her and know she is back with us is almost overwhelming and I’m ready to take my place at her other side. I want to follow the mouse, but the thought of leaving my Bella stops me.
Not waiting for Em’s response, I sit down on Bella’s other side to calm my racing heart. I need to feel her pulse for myself, to remind myself that she’s going to be alright.
Even with the healing session Emrick gave her, Bella’s arms and face are covered in black and blue bruises. Her nose is bloody and her eyes are swollen.
“Fine, I’ll follow the damn mouse. I can’t stand its squeaking anymore. It’s probably best, I may go on a rampage if I have to stare at my Bella covered in bruises any longer," Emrick rumbles furiously, following the mouse who runs for the door as soon as Emrick finishes speaking.
Emrick
“You better be taking me somewhere good," I growl at the squeaking, tiny tyrant. I don’t know why I’m allowing myself to get pushed around by this creature. The only reason I dare to leave Bella is because I repaired her broken bones already, but the separation isn’t easy.
The mouse leads me through the hallways until we descend down a set of stone stairs. From the dripping of water and intense drop in temperature, I know it’s the dungeon.
The stairway leads me to a hallway of wooden doors, evenly spaced out. Odd. Most dungeons were made of metal bars, not enclosed doors. But then again, the former King of Winter was anything but conventional.
The first door is open, so I peek inside. It’s a sorry excuse for a cell, with a bucket on the floor and one jug of water and some chunks of bread. There is an ash pile in the middle of the room and a hole blasted into the wall. When I take a step forward, the mouse goes insane, giving me a ranting of squeaks until I continue to follow him.
