Elle had barely noticed Jack’s hand had been outstretched this entire time until she reached for his. As soon as their hands touched, Jack’s cool fingers gently clasped with hers. Hermes leaned in to place a kiss to Elle’s cheek, his lips lingering close so she could hear him speak. “Matthew would have enjoyed that you truly found love with Jack.” His words were so very quiet, Elle felt quite certain no one else heard the young-looking god. He then smiled wistfully, sparing a wink before he vanished. He was seated on the bride’s side of the room next to Hera, who was softly dabbing at her eyes.
“Provide the fruit showing forth a husband shall provide for his wife,” Gaia breathed. When Elle and Jack finally faced each other, she found there was a green apple in his palm. Jack’s eyes lit up as he saw Elle smiling at him. There was a strange look of awe in his pretty grey eyes, almost as though he were a blind man seeing a starry night sky for the very first time. “Upon the exchange,” Gaia continued, “once the bride bites into the fruit provided by the husband, she is acknowledging she trusts him.”
Jack winced ever so slightly as Elle took the apple. She knew his look was regarding Gaia’s comment alone, but Elle didn’t care as she accepted the apple from him. She trusted him wholeheartedly. As soon as she took a bite of the green apple and started to chew, it disappeared from her hand as she swallowed. Elle gently used her tongue to inconspicuously make sure no bits of apple were lodged in her teeth. Having had previously explained this concern to Jack once she heard of the apple exchange during the ceremony, he now smiled ruefully in understanding as her nose wrinkled.
“Once the bonds are placed upon thy hands, the ceremony is complete,” the now-teenage Gaia announced briskly, suddenly holding a pillow with two very strange frosted bands. They glowed the softest blue, looking unlike any material Elle had ever seen. They almost didn’t seem to be real. “Repeat my words. With this ring, I thee wed,” Gaia announced softly. She did not need to speak loudly for the hundreds of people in the room given they all had amazing immortal hearing that surpassed a regular human’s.
Elle slowly took one of the glowing rings, finding the material was feather-light, almost as if it were a weightless material consisting of maybe mist. She slowly accepted Jack’s left hand before sliding the strange blue band on the fourth finger of his left hand. “With this ring, I thee wed,” she said quietly, softly trembling with nerves of having all eyes in the room on her.
Sensing her fear, Jack took a step forward, his eyes still holding the awed stare as if he had never seen anything more beautiful than her. He accepted his own ring, gently taking Elle’s left hand before repeating her movements of sliding the ring onto the fourth finger of her left hand. “With this ring, I thee wed,” he announced quietly, his eyes never leaving Elle’s for even a moment.
Elle was surprised to discover that this over-the-top decorated ceremony was simply over after a few lines and simply biting into an apple before exchanging rings. This definitely did not seem all that difficult in retrospect given the grand amount of trouble it took to get to this point in time.
“With the powers that be blessed to me by our divine creator, I hereby announce you husband and wife, King and Queen of Winter’s throne. You may kiss your bride, Jack Frost.”
Elle was shivering due to nerves during the entire ceremony. Her nervousness only died down upon Jack closing the distance between them to caress her cheek with the palm of his icy hand that wore his glowing blue ring. With his pale pink lips tinged with light blue hovering near hers, Elle felt as nervous for this kiss as she did for their first one. Jack’s lips very gently pressed against hers as Elle’s eyes fluttered closed. The kiss was very soft before Jack put the tiniest bit of pressure behind it. His mouth slowly moved against hers, practically causing Elle to forget they were in a room surrounded by a couple hundred people. She was basking in the beauty of how it felt to have Jack’s too-chill lips pressed against hers once more. The rings on both Elle and Jack started glowing, first a harder blue before strangely turning into a soft silver that seemed to tattoo itself onto their fingers.
Jack pulled away from her lips after a moment. Gaia began speaking of how the coronation would take place next. His grey orbs never wavered from Elle as he leaned his cold forehead against hers. Jack watched her with a strange look of both wanting and sadness. His forehead rested against hers, light sizzling occurring between them thanks to the skin-to-skin contact. “I will always love you,” he breathed quietly, gently stroking her warm cheek with the pad of his cold thumb.
Elle wanted to feel happy hearing those words, but she couldn’t help but feel the strangeness behind how he spoke. These did not seem to be the words of a happy man who just married the woman he loved. It strangely felt like a very sad farewell.
Chapter 20
There was not another moment to think of Jack’s strange way of phrasing his declaration. Nothing more was said. Gaia soon began explaining that the coronation would take place to officially announce Jack Frost as king. Elle could not do anything but try and take back his attention. She wanted Jack to look at her, to silently reveal whatever it was he was secretly implying. But he did not return her hard gaze.
A few seconds passed where Jack did not move his near-frozen position of remaining pressed against her. Finally, when he returned her intent look, he revealed nothing out of the ordinary. He simply watched her.
Elle soon discovered the coronation to be a very elegant affair. All immortals were buzzing with excitement regarding the moment that was apparently defining history. Boreas was gone. Though everyone had always expected that one day this would happen due to the old king choosing not to live for all eternity, Jack Frost taking his place as the heir to his throne was special. With Jack’s rule, there would never be an end. He would become king for all eternity. Elle knew coronations were a big thing in regards to regal kings and queens throughout history, but it was another thing entirely to watch what went on at a royal coronation for immortals.
Gods, goddesses, deities, and even titans who were watching the wedding were all deeply absorbed in the coronation process. They watched how Gaia blessed the old crown of Boreas with good wishes and grace and made the spectacular icicles on the crown sparkle even brighter. She next blessed Jack, placing the pad of her thumb against his head while mouthing words silently. Next, she had Jack kneel on one knee, his head bowed as Gaia—now back in child form—pressed her entire palm atop of Jack’s frosted white head.
“I call upon the magic and life forces of this new king’s father Boreas, and his grandfather Astraios, to bless forth Jack Frost and to make his reign on Winter’s throne as successful as his father and grandfather before him. May your reign last for eons and may you succeed your ancestors’ legacy,” said the child Gaia, finally removing her small hand from Jack’s head. “Jack Frost, I hereby decree you King of Winter’s throne, forever bound by your duty to bestow the joy of winter and frost upon others. Shall your rule come to an end by death, your legacy will be carried forth by your first child that displays the powers of winter from your ancestral line.”
Elle blinked. That would mean that even if she and Jack had many children, the only one who would take Jack’s throne would be the child who displayed the same powers of winter. This meant that unless someone happened to kill Jack with a dagger of Delphi—Elle shuddered at the very thought—there would be no taking away his rule as king. She took a deep breath while mentally reassuring herself that such a thing would never happen.
“Jack Frost,” a now ancient-looking Gaia rasped. “Do you promise to uphold your duties as king and to do right upon the people of the north as well as the followers of Winter’s throne?”
Still bowing his head out of respect, Jack nodded firmly. “I do.”
The now-teenage Gaia beamed. “Blessed be, speaking for the powers invested by the primordial beings more powerful than I, I now declare you, Jack Frost, King of Winter’s throne,” said Gaia, finally lifting the beautiful ice-crown of Boreas
upon Jack’s head. Soon enough, Gaia moved onto Elle with a smaller crown. It held as much grace and elegance as Jack’s new crown.
It was a glorious silver and white, encrusted with many diamonds that made Elle realize this piece of jewelry cost millions in her world. Expecting a long-winded speech regarding being made the queen of winter, Elle was very surprised to find Gaia simply placed the beautiful crown upon her head. “Evangeline Darrow Frost of the Fire Kingdom, descended from the great King Alaz himself, I hereby declare you Jack Frost’s Queen of Winter’s throne. May you lead a successful rule along with your husband,” she breathed happily, morphing into a version of a woman in her thirties. “I bless thee, Fire Princess, into making a marvelous wife and mother in future years.” With that, Gaia leaned forward and pressed her lips against Elle’s forehead.
“Without further ado, I introduce Jack Frost and Evangeline Frost, the King and Queen of Winter’s throne!” Gaia announced, her voice echoing around the very large throne room. Individuals such as Hera, Hermes, Artemis, Alaz, Calais, Triton, Ajax, Poseidon, and Amphitrite cheered. Zeus looked a tad uninterested in the events, but he started clapping the moment Hera cast him a cold look. Apollo clapped politely, but Elle was certain that was only because it was her he was there for and not Jack. Individuals such as Zetes and his mother looked all out angry, but Elle couldn’t quite find herself caring or afraid of either of them.
This was the beginning of something new. As the roaring crowd continued jubilantly, Gaia made her exit. She morphed into a very lovely sky-blue and gold butterfly before lightly flying away through an open castle window.
A very cold hand gripped Elle’s suddenly, causing her to glance down to find Jack’s fingers were tightly interlocked with hers. “Come,” he gently issued, nodding his head toward the large icicle thrones placed behind them. Elle obliged, squeezing his hand tightly in reply. They made their way to the thrones as a familiar man that Elle recognized as Winter’s throne’s public announcer stepped forward. She realized she had no real idea of what the man’s name was.
“Ladies, gentlemen, and merfolk, today two royals were intertwined as one, fire and ice!” More loud cheering took place from the citizens of Winter’s throne as well as the other wedding attendees.
Jack slowly led Elle to the throne, nodding his head for her to take a seat. As soon as she did, Jack placed a cool, chaste kiss on the back of her warm hand. His pretty grey eyes held her gaze for a very long time until he finally released her hand to take a seat on the slightly higher throne. After a moment, he stood up and overlooked the room, given it was almost time for his speech.
It was then that Elle took note of how very godly her new husband looked. He held no trace of humor on his handsomely pale face, no sign that he looked at all of this as a silly joke. Jack, although young, had the perfect semblance of a king. He held his shoulders back and his chin high, wearing the crown his father and other ancestors wore before him not with mock superiority, but with respect.
Elle couldn’t help herself but to watch him with awe, finding she was very proud of the man he became. It was only when the royal announcer began explaining it was time for the new king’s coronation speech that she focused on Jack’s impending words. She didn’t know what to expect, but she knew he would take this new role as king on with a very mature approach.
“As I take this throne today, I carry with me the memory of my fallen father and the lessons he bestowed upon me during my life,” began Jack, the entire room falling silent as his voice magnified around the room. One could hear even the faintest sound of a pin dropping given how silent everyone had gone. “Boreas cared deeply about those he loved, even though sometimes he took…less than ideal measures to show that,” he said dryly, causing quite a few individuals to chuckle. “Nevertheless,” Jack continued, “I miss my father, and I wish to do well by his memory and how he ruled his kingdom.”
Elle smiled gently, feeling a stroke of pain remembering not only Boreas, but her own father today. It was a pity neither of them could be here for their wedding day. “With that said,” Jack started again, ignoring the cheers that followed his last declaration. His eyes held no emotion as he overlooked the adoring crowd. “As my first act as King, I declare the undoing of my forced engagement to Evangeline Darrow.”
Elle’s happy-go-lucky attitude fell flat. Her mind went numb for a few seconds as she tried very hard to evaluate what Jack not only said but meant. She was not the only individual confused. Many murmured voices and gasps overtook the room, everyone clearly baffled by Jack’s wording.
Elle shot Angel a confused look, one that even he returned with his own baffled expression that clearly stated, “I’m as lost as you are.”
“I hereby disregard all aspects of mine and Evangeline’s prophecy,” declared Jack in an icy tone. “I deem it invalid—”
“What are you doing?” Elle whispered, becoming very alarmed at how adamant Jack sounded.
Jack ignored her to lurch forward. “I banish all mention of our previous prophecy, and I hereby banish Evangeline Darrow from the premises of Winter’s Kingdom, ending this newfound union and her short reign as queen of my throne.”
Any happy feeling Elle had quickly faded. Her happiness previously felt like a blazing proverbial fire. Now, it felt like a candle’s wick slowly fading out. The crowd was suddenly up in arms, furious over what it was that was happening just after a royal wedding and coronation. People looked confused. Others looked angry. Some even looked frightened. No one knew what to say or do as Jack’s words became obvious to Elle: he was getting rid of her. Worse, based on the looks of sheer incredulity upon everyone’s faces, he was getting away with it, too.
As a pair of royal guards came forward for her, Elle realized what was happening; Jack was now king, his word was law. Whatever he said in the company of Winter’s Kingdom meant that it was his rule. He wanted Elle banished, so his new followers had no choice but to comply.
“I shall escort the soon-to-be ex-queen from my kingdom,” Jack assured the men briskly, waving them of with strong command. The burly men retreated to their corner. The new king then offered out his hand to Elle. She stared at it for a few long seconds, completely unsure what to even say or do at this point. Deciding she trusted him, Elle took his hand and allowed him to steal her away from the moment. They disappeared from sight, leaving behind the many very angry and confused individuals.
Chapter 21
There had to be more to this.
That was what Elle thought to herself the very moment she found they were in what appeared to be a familiar room. It was her bedroom she had practically grown up in.
Strangely enough, it looked as though Jack had taken her back to grandparents’ farmhouse, of all places. She was home. Maybe this place was picked at random for privacy alone. It looked to be a beautiful day outside, but all Elle could focus on was her supposed banishment. Luckily, since her body was so incredibly warm, Elle did not feel cold even though she strangely saw her own breath. It shouldn’t be cold inside the room. That could only mean Jack was issuing the extreme coldness in the moment.
“What’s going on?” demanded Elle, her grip on Jack’s hand tightening. Perhaps this was all a very large joke. Immediately, she knew this thought not to be true; Jack was too serious, and the spectators at the wedding had been far too angry.
Judging by the way his silvery eyes watched her with great intent immediately told Elle he was being nothing but serious. This look of Jack’s was something she was now used to. When he displayed it, this certain expression showing a set jaw and wide eyes meant Jack was dead set on his decision.
So many questions plagued Elle’s mind. When did he decide to banish her? She didn’t know. It could have been a choice made on a whim, or perhaps he had always had this last trick up his sleeve from the very first moment he realized he loved her. Maybe this was all just a very strange idea of his to keep her safe.
Elle’s mouth opened and closed a few times as failed sent
ences started forming before disappearing. She was at a loss for what to say. “You’re leaving me,” she finally said, her heart feeling as though it was about to be broken.
Jack’s eyes flew open wide as he shook his head adamantly. “Most definitely not,” he disagreed, looking appalled Elle could have reached such a conclusion.
“Then what the hell was that?” she demanded, not able to understand even though Jack looked as though it were all quite simple to grasp. He came forward and engulfed Elle into a hug. He pressed the softest of kisses against her forehead and then down her cheeks. Elle hadn’t noticed she had started to cry until he held her tightly against him.
It took great restraint not to cry as hard as she could. This was not how things were supposed to go; Elle refused to accept that they were. “We were just married,” she said slowly, her eyes quite wide. “You can’t honestly say you went one minute from loving me to the next b-banishing me,” she got out, the strange b-word on her tongue tasting sour.
“I’m disappointed that it took me so long to reach such a brilliant conclusion,” Jack admitted, sounding more as if he were talking to himself than to her. He gently—but firmly—removed himself from her grasp.
“I’m really not getting the brilliance of this,” Elle admitted, walking over to gently stroke his freezing forearm. His expression was sympathetic.
Their last kiss at the altar had started Elle on the path to realizing something crucial that she only really figured out in this sad moment. “You were saying goodbye,” she said in a low voice, her eyes misting, his last “I love you” still ringing in her ears. She knew something was incredibly wrong about Jack, but she didn’t feel this was what his strange attitude was all about.
Betrothed To Jack Frost Box Set Page 53
