Page 31 of Veil of Winter

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They’d been traveling for three days in the rugged mountains, and now they were in a low pass getting ready to bed down for the night. At first Gerard had thought the mountains were beautiful, but for a couple of days now he’d been thinking if he never saw snow or another mountain again, with their treacherous heights and narrow passes, he’d not complain.

He tended the horses with Bertold and Oswalt while thewomen spread their blankets and furs on the ground for a cold night outdoors.

“I brought some extra furs,” Bertold said, throwing down a pile of furs at Princess Elyce’s feet.

She and Ysabeau stared at the man, no doubt as astonished as Gerard was. But Princess Elyce only said, “Thank you. I’m sure we will be very grateful for them tonight.”

Even Sir Oswalt paused what he was doing to stare a moment at Bertold before resuming his work with the horses.

“You look at the princess a lot,” Sir Oswalt suddenly said to Gerard.

“I am watching out for her, as well as for her servant maiden.” Gerard should not let his friend goad him into defending himself. But he had to admit—only to himself and God—that there was something about Princess Elyce that made him gaze at her more often than necessary, made him think about her when he was trying to fall asleep. He wanted to know what she was thinking, wanted to get closer to her.

Which was the utmost foolishness.

“She is fair of face and form,” Sir Oswalt said.

“She is. And so is her servant.” It was Gerard’s turn to grin. Oswalt’s mouth went slack, his eyes narrowing.

“She is,” he answered warily.

“I saw you talking with Ysabeau when we stopped to let the horses rest.”

“I was asking her if I could check her horse’s shoe for rocks.”

Now who was being defensive? Gerard couldn’t help but enjoy his friend’s discomfiture.

Truthfully, it might not be such a bad match. The girl was obviously loyal—to her mistress, at least—and if Sir Oswalt married her, the princess might be generous in giving her a bride gift. Oswalt might even find himself the owner of a castle and land in Montciel—if he could learn one of the languages spoken there.

Gerard, on the other hand... He should never even consider Princess Elyce. She was a princess, and he was just a foreign knight.

He supposed it was her intensity, which she seemed to keep barely contained, that made her seem less princess-like. While sometimes she seemed to be a cold, unfeeling royal, he was fascinated by the passion inside her that always seemed to be boiling just below the surface.

But she obviously did not care for him, after waking up to find him pressing his lips to hers. And in truth, after he’d had time to think about it, he could hardly blame her.

***

Elyce was enchanted with the lovely little valley as she walked along, enjoying a few moments before the sun faded completely from the sky. The men were taking care of the horses, and Ysabeau was nearby, also enjoying a few moments alone.

This valley was so pristine and untouched by humans, she could imagine animals frolicking here year-round between the evergreen trees. For now, those green boughs were covered in snow, though it had not snowed since the storm of three daysago. The sun had been growing warmer all day, and she hoped tomorrow it might be warm enough to melt the snow.

They assumed they had finally reached the German regions, as the few people they had encountered spoke only German. For certain, they were still in the Holy Roman Empire, but soon they would have to take a more northerly turn or they’d end up in the kingdom of Hungary.

Elyce had always loved the outdoors, trees, gazing up at the clouds, but she’d never been free to wander as she wished. Always guards and servants had hovered around her. And although this trip had been perilous and exhausting, she had stored up many memories that she no doubt would look back on with fondness. Besides that, she grew more hopeful with each passing day that their journey would be profitable for her people.

An owl hooted nearby, probably just waking up for his nightly hunt. An animal’s tracks, those of a wolf, perhaps, were visible in the snow a few feet away as Elyce strolled this particularly flat expanse. It was almost as if they had left the mountains completely, so flat was this plain.

Just then, Elyce thought she heard a trickle of water. Was there a stream nearby? Even in this snowy land, running water often did not freeze.

“Princess,” Ysabeau called in a soft, hushed voice—hushed on account of the possibility of avalanche, a constant threat in this mountainous region of heavy snowfall.

Sighing, Elyce turned to head back. Her private reverie was over for now.

As she turned, she heard a cracking sound, faint but distinct.It was coming from the direction of the trickling she’d heard. Gazing down at her feet, she wondered . . . was this plain so flat and devoid of trees because it was not a plain at all?

She scrubbed the ground with her shoe, moving aside snow to find ice like glass. She was standing on frozen water.