“Mmm,” her father said vaguely. He wasn’t listening. He picked up his coffee - black, unsweetened, and pungent enough to make her eyes water–and took a long sip with the trepidatious air of one about to ask for a bank-breaking loan.
“And what about you, Ade? Have you given any thought to the prospect of ruling?”
Adeline narrowed her eyes. “Sebastian didn’t really say all that, did he?”
Silas busied himself, slicing open another bread roll to avoid her eyes.
“I read between the lines,” he said.
“Hmm. And whatlineshas my mother scripted for you?”
Silas dropped the bread roll and all pretence along with it.
“It would be foolish not to even campaign, Adeline, and after this Winter passes, you won’t get another chance. You’re a smart young woman. You’re well liked, and you’re passionate. Your mother thinks – and I wholeheartedly agree – you would make a magnificent Queen. Truly.”
Adeline sat back in her chair and folded her arms.
“And what about Mareda?”
“Adeline,” her father sighed. He glanced up at the ceiling as though willing the right words to fall from the sky. “I know that you love your sister. I know that you feel a sense of loyalty to her, and that you want her to have the crown she’s always dreamed of. But you’re not children. You’re not grappling over a toy, you’re fighting for a Kingdom. If, Goddess forbid, something happened to your mother, Eisalaan would need a leader. Do you think Mareda is a leader?”
No.
The answer came unbidden to her mind, and Adeline immediately told herself that she didn’t mean it, that she was just hurt by her sister’s absence.Of courseMareda was a leader. She was a natural Queen, she was always going to be a Queen, there was no question about it.
But was she a leader?
Adeline was aware of Silas’s dark eyes studying her, but she didn’twantto answer his question. She snatched up a thick chocolate pastry studded with chopped walnuts and took a giant bite, so her mouth was so full she could barely close her lips
Silas raised an eyebrow and Adeline shrugged and gestured at her billowing cheeks, as if to say:Sorry, I’d love to chat, but what can I do?
He shook his head, pursing his lips against a small smile. “Alright. I’ll leave it alone for now Ade, but… Think about it?”
She tilted her chin up with a kind of non-committal shrug, but it seemed to be enough for Silas. He picked up his bread roll and resumed spreading his jam.
???
While it wasn’t as grand a celebration as New Winter, the upcoming Mid-Winter Faire was another opportunity for Eisalaan to come together with wine and food and music, and revel in the magic and prosperity of their beloved Silver Kingdom. Only this year, Adeline worried that the creeping Thaw would dampen some of that festive spirit.
For one thing, the Faire was usually hosted on the lake, but with the freshly repaired crack in the ice the Council had thought it unwise to apply the weight of all of Eisalaan to the surface at once. Instead, the celebrations would be moved to the snowy banks along the lakeshore.
“Just a few steps closer to our favourite tavern,” Ger said, gesturing around broadly.
“Always looking on the bright side, Ger.”
He winked.
They’d met up inMaggie’s, a shabby little pub between the Capital and the Queen’s Village, kept afloat by a handful of regulars. Maggie herself was quiet and warm, just like her tavern. She laid out bowls of seasoned crackers with every order, and ageing decor aside, she kept a tidy space. Ever since the incident with Captain Doran, this hidden gem had become their regular haunt.
They sat in a dim corner, each nursing a spiced cider – their usual order, with a warmed tankard and sugared rim.
“Poor Izzy will be disappointed though, she wanted to go skating on the Laune,” Ger said, fishing the stick of cinnamon from his drink. He, like everyone else, was entirely under little Iseult’s spell. “When does she arrive?”
“My father says she should be here within the week.”
Ger leaned an elbow against the table and cupped his chin.
“And how is darling Silas?” He cooed.
