Winter's Scorching Kisses

by Lily Thomas

  “Let’s get going.” Adorra stood up from her seat and wrapped the cloak around her, and threw the fur lined hood up over her head. “I agreed to go, and I have no wish to be late.” Because she was curious what kind of events they would have at these games. It was something exciting because she was running out of things to do here.

  Jasmine grabbed her own cloak and rushed to throw it on. “Are you ready?”

  “I am.”

  “Then follow me.” Jasmine rushed to guide her through the great hall and the mass of ice giants who were also trying to get where they needed to get to so they could see the games.

  They shoved their way through the crowd until they exited the castle and entered the courtyard. The cold mountain air wrapped around them, and Adorra tightened the cloak around her.

  “Here, you’ll want these.” Jasmine motioned to some fur boots not far away. “And these.” Jasmine bent down, picked up some thick socks and passed them over to Adorra. “These will keep our feet toasty warm as we watch the games.”

  Adorra took the socks, shed her slippers and slipped the cold socks on. “Couldn’t these have been kept inside the warm castle?”

  “I was in a rush this morning. I couldn’t oversee all the servants.” Jasmine smiled over at her. “They’ll warm up quickly enough.”

  Adorra took a pair of the fur boots and slipped them over her feet.

  “Now we can get going!” Jasmine took her hand and pulled her forward, and she stumbled after her sister.

  They made their way out of the courtyard and through the village. As they walked through the streets, ice giants swarmed around them. There was an excitement in the air, a buzz, and Adorra could feel it infecting her.

  “Are you sure this is safe?” Adorra asked over the noise of the hustle and bustle. They were alone in a street full of ice giants.

  “We have guards following us!” Jasmine tossed back at her, never slowing down.

  Adorra cast a gaze behind them and saw that there were indeed a couple of guards quick on their heels. She faced forward again. That was good to know at least. She hadn’t liked the idea of being out here without any protection.

  Now that she knew someone was close by to help them should the need arise, she was more able to relax and enjoy the crowds. They continued following the throngs of people out into the forest, and then they broke away.

  “Where are we headed?”

  “I know of a shortcut!”

  Jasmine pulled her along. They pushed their way through ankle-deep snow, and Adorra was glad for the new fur boots Jasmine had provided her with. Without them, her feet would have been freezing with the cold snow by now.

  As they exited a line of trees, the arena came into view. It wasn’t anything grand, but it was more impressive than she would’ve thought. The arena was walled in with a simple wood fence, and there was a large stand for people to sit that surrounded most of the arena. There was also an area for people of less importance to stand and watch.

  “We’ll have the best seats.” Jasmine turned and winked at her before hauling Adorra behind her.

  “I wouldn’t have expected less for the future queen of the ice giants.”

  Jasmine brought them into the stands, and even before Jasmine guided them over to their seats, Adorra knew where they would be seated. Fur lined seats waited for them with a whole slew of servants just waiting to cater to their every need.

  “Here we are.” Jasmine took a seat in a high backed chair and motioned for Adorra to take a seat beside her.

  Adorra sat down and made sure the fur cloak was wrapped tightly around her body. “What will the first activity be?”

  “Jousting. Nothing better!”

  Adorra smirked. “Who would have guessed my bookish sister would enjoy such a risky sport.”

  “Risky?” Jasmine turned as her brows drew down over her eyes.

  “I suppose you never did go to any of the jousting events that the king held before this war.” Adorra took Jasmine’s hand. “Sometimes men don’t walk away from this activity. It’s best to prepare yourself.”

  The twinkle of excitement faded away in Jasmine’s eyes. “They die?” Her voice quivered a bit.

  Adorra nodded.

  “I hadn’t realized.” She breathed out, barely audible.

  It didn’t take long for Adorra to feel guilt eating away at her. “Though most of the time, everyone walks away with just a few scratches and bruises.” As much as she wanted to scare her sister into thinking Dryden might die in one of these games, she couldn’t be cruel. This was her sister after all.

  “They do?”

  “Indeed.” Adorra nodded. “I spent more time at court than you did, and I saw these types of games. Enjoy the sport and don’t worry yourself too much.”

  Jasmine motioned for a servant to come forward. The servant stepped in front of them and placed a couple of cups on a table between them. Steam rolled off the top of the liquid.

  “Tea?”

  “Indeed!” Jasmine took a cup eagerly and gave it a cautious sip. “I figured there would be no better way keeping us nice and warm on this cold day.”

  “These are the nice seats.” Adorra eyed the tea but figured she should let it cool lest she burn her tongue on the hot liquid.

  She turned her gaze to the arena before her. They’d cleared off any of the snow that fell last night. Ice giants poured into the arena, finding their seats or a place to stand.

  Dryden walked into the middle of the arena, and the crowd quieted down.

  “My queen,” he motioned to them all the way up in their comfortable seats, “and I welcome you to these celebrations. We both thank you for coming to celebrate our wedding. Enjoy the games and the feast that will follow tonight!”

  The crowd erupted into cheers at the delight of being entertained by games and a feast to follow.

  Even Adorra found her palms sweating with the growing excitement of a day with games. She’d enjoyed these back in Arcaern, and she was excited to see the ice giants and their skills. If jousting had been a thrill to watch back at Arcaern’s castle, then she was sure this would be even more thrilling.

  Dryden left the center of the arena, and a couple of snorting horses with armored men took his place. They lined up on opposite sides of a small fence that ran down the length of the arena.

  Jasmine reached over and gripped Adorra’s hand. “I fear I might not be able to look!”

  “I’m sure it will be fine.” But even Adorra had a lump in her throat. This could be thrilling but also dangerous.

  The men dug their heels into their horses’ sides. The stallions’ large hooves threw frozen dirt as the men on them leveled their lances. Time seemed to go slowly as the men neared each other and then they collided, and everything sped back up. One man was knocked back, but no one unseated each other.

  The crowd erupted into a roar.

  Jasmine sighed in relief as the men exited the arena, and another two entered. She released Adorra’s hand as she calmed.

  Adorra, who now had her hand back, reached over to grab her cup of tea. The hot liquid rushed down her throat as she watched the next round of men take their place. They leveled their lances as they charged down the line at each other. As they reached the middle of the arena, one of the lances hit true knocking one of the men off their horse as the other lance shattered into a brilliant display of splintered wood.

  The man flew through the air before landing on the ground.

  Jasmine and Adorra sucked in breaths, as did the rest of the crowd as they all waited in silence to see the fate of the man. The man rose and waved at the crowd.

  “He’s fine,” Adorra said out loud, not only to reassure herself but her sister. She finished her tea and set it back down on the table.

  A servant rushed over, grabbed the empty cup, and disappeared. It was strange for her to be waited on by ice giants. She felt as though the roles should be reversed, with her being the servant in this strange new world she found herse
lf.

  More men rode into the arena and took positions. Then the servant rushed back with another cup of piping hot tea. Adorra picked up the cup and slowly sipped the hot liquid as the men charged at each other. She placed the cup back on the table.

  They sat there enjoying the jousting. As of yet, there hadn’t been any major injuries, and she found herself hoping the rest of the day would go just as well. She had no idea why she wasn’t wishing them dead, but she didn’t wish to witness a severe accident.

  “This is Dryden!” Jasmine nearly leaped out of her seat with excitement as Dryden pulled his snorting stallion up along the fence.

  Adorra didn’t know who to watch, Dryden or Jasmine. There was a gleam of pride in her eyes that caused Adorra to worry how her sister might react if Dryden was dealt a life-threatening blow.

  The two men galloped towards each other, and Adorra sucked in a breath as she waited for the end of the joust. Her hands tightened around the armrests until she was sure it would splinter under the pressure.

  Dryden’s lance met its target, and he unseated the other man, but he stayed seated.

  Adorra let out a breath of relief and scooted back in her chair.

  Once the man was up and off the field, they both relaxed.

  “Dryden did a good job.” Adorra looked over at her sister and smiled.

  “I did everything I could to try and convince him not to participate, but you know men.” Jasmine rubbed her stomach. “I’d love a son, but after seeing how Dryden behaves, I think I would prefer having a daughter.”

  Adorra nodded. “I’m sure you’ll love either, even if one gives you more headaches than the other.” She couldn’t help but reassure her sister.

  Another set of men rode into the arena, and Adorra only gave them half a mind. “May I?” She reached a hand out of the warm air in her cloak and motioned to Jasmine’s stomach.

  “Of course.”

  Reaching out, she placed a hand against Jasmine’s stomach.

  “Oh!” Adorra gasped. “I think I felt it kick.”

  “I’m sure you did.” Jasmine sighed. “This child seems to be anxious about joining the outside world. It won’t stop beating me up from the inside out.”

  Adorra pulled back her hand. “I’d been hoping to start my own family as soon as I could but… it wasn’t meant to be.”

  “Just because Edmund is dead doesn’t mean you can’t still find love with someone and start a family.” Jasmine looked over at her, hope shining bright in her hazel eyes.

  “I haven’t given up on the hope of having a family.” She just needed to find herself a human man before she let herself dare dream of starting a family.

  A cry rose up from the crowd, and Adorra glanced over at the arena in surprise. One of the men in this competition had fallen to the ground and wasn’t rising. Men rushed out to the field and carried the man off the arena.

  “Do you think he will be alright?” Jasmine asked worriedly.

  “I’m sure he will be fine,” Adorra reassured her. “There are plenty of men who get carried off the field and come back to tell the tale. It always gives them something exciting to talk about.” She rolled her eyes. “Sometimes men, whether they are ice giants or humans, can do some fairly stupid things.”

  “True.” Jasmine agreed.

  “Now, I need to relieve myself before I burst.” Adorra shouldn’t have had that much tea. “I’ll be back before you know it.”

  With that, Adorra abandoned her seat and dashed off to find somewhere where there wouldn’t be any prying eyes.

  Once done, Adorra wandered through some tents set up near the arena, and just happened to glance into a tent that appeared to be a set up for a doctor when her eyes caught on someone, and she froze mid-step.

  Mathar was being treated. Stepping off to the side, she watched on as the ice giant doctor bandaged him up and then left. Once the doctor was gone from eyesight, Adorra walked into the tent closing the tent flap behind her so no one would see her inside with Mathar.

  “What happened to you?” She took a look at the bandage that was wrapped around his shoulder.

  “What are you doing in here?” His onyx eyes darkened as he glanced up and spotted her walking towards him.

  “What happened to you?” She repeated her question hoping he would just answer her rather than question her back.

  “An accident. I’m sure you saw.” He waved towards the arena.

  “All I’ve been watching was the jousting. Is another event going on somewhere else?” Adorra glanced back at his wound, wondering what exactly had caused it.

  “If you’re watching jousting, then you must have seen what happened to me since I was participating in the jousting.” He said as he rotated his shoulder and winced.

  “Were you the man who was knocked off his horse and not moving?” She gasped. She had no idea why, but her heart was thundering in her ears. He could’ve died, and she wouldn’t have ever known.

  He nodded his head, looking proud that he’d almost killed himself for a stupid game.

  “You stupid man!” She hit his good shoulder with an open palm, and he scowled at her. “You could’ve killed yourself.”

  “Like you would’ve cared. Stop acting like a concerned wife, Adorra.” Mathar scowled at her from where he sat on a cot. “Now, if you don’t mind I’m going to give myself a quick rest before the next games start.”

  “You aren’t going to stop?” Her eyes widened.

  “I may have been knocked out of the jousting, but I have no intention to stay out of the next games.”

  “Which are?” Adorra folded her arms across her chest wondering what other games he might be trying to get himself killed at.

  “Archery.” He shrugged. “There should be no harm in that.”

  “Your shoulder is hurt.” She nodded her chin at the bandage. “You’ll only exacerbate the problem.”

  “Now you’re a doctor as well as a lady?” Mathar raised a silver eyebrow at her.

  “There’s no need to be rude. You know what I’m saying is true.”

  “You’re awfully concerned about your husband’s killer.”

  She scowled at him. She should walk away and never give him another thought, but she couldn’t do that. Her feet were unable to move. She had to convince this thick headed idiot to stop participating in the games. “You may be a killer, but there’s no need for anyone else to come to harm, and you could have very well died out there.”

  A pit formed in her stomach as she gazed at him. He leaned back until he was laying on the bed and closed his eyes. It only helped her see an image of him as a dead corpse. Before she knew what she was doing, she rushed to his bedside and planted a kiss of desperation on his lips.

  His eyes shot wide before one of his hands came up to the back of her head and pressed her more fully against his side.

  Then Adorra broke away. “Don’t kill yourself, Mathar.”

  He smiled at her.

  “It would be a shame if you died before you could pay for what you did to Edmund.”

  His smile faded, and she dashed out of the tent before they could say any more to each other.

  To be truthful, Adorra knew he wouldn’t pay for Edmund’s death, not while he was here with his people. And she didn’t want to see him pay. It was confusing, but it was like Mathar was worming his way into her heart and she wasn’t sure how she felt about it.

  Rushing back to her seat near Jasmine, she tucked her cloak around her tightly as she watched the final jousting match.

  “Where were you?” Jasmine asked as the man who won the match threw off his helmet and smiled at the crowd as the people roared in excitement.

  “I told you. I relieved myself. I’ve been drinking copious amounts of tea.” She reached for her cup which had been thoughtfully refilled with fresh tea and was piping hot.

  “You took you quite some time for just that.” Jasmine examined her over the space between them.

  Adorra frowned at her. “
I got lost, but an ice giant was kind enough to point me in the right direction.” Her lips tingled at the lie as she reflected on the kiss she’d planted on Mathar’s lips so boldly.

  She had no idea what was wrong with her. It was like she couldn’t actually keep her hands to herself when he was around. It didn’t help that he was participating in these games, which could result in casualties.

  Dryden strode up and joined them in the stands, sitting beside Jasmine.

  “You were spectacular. It was too bad you weren’t able to make it further.” Jasmine gazed over at him fondly.

  “I got far enough in the game. I have no need for any of the prizes.” He smiled back at her his silver hair braided behind his neck so it wouldn’t get in his way during the games.

  “Then why participate at all?” Adorra leaned over, too interested for her well being.

  “I’m the king and the host. But I’m also a man.” He smiled at Jasmine, and a blush crept up her sister’s neck. “I can’t resist participating.”

  “Will you be in any other games?”

  Dryden shook his head as he took one of Jasmine’s hands and planted a kiss against her fingers. “I want to be with my queen and try not to worry her too much while she’s with child.”

  “Thank you. Adorra and I discussed the dangers of jousting, and I must admit I was worried about you. Thankfully, you’ve enough skill to keep yourself out of trouble.”

  Dryden glared at Adorra over Jasmine’s head, and she felt a blush crawl up her neck and cheeks. She felt like a troublesome child. She turned her gaze back to the arena.

  Right at that moment, Mathar strode onto the field as some targets were lined up at the end of the arena. He turned towards them and sent her a wink before taking up a station. He’d thrown a shirt on over that bandage, but she knew it was under there.

  “Did… did he just wink at you?” Jasmine asked as she looked over at Adorra.

  Adorra turned to find both Jasmine and Dryden waiting for her to answer. Another blush crawled up her face. “Pfft, I doubt that!” She waved it away. “He’s probably just trying to bother me.”

  “Bother you? Why would he try to do that?” Jasmine leaned closer to her hoping for some juicy gossip.