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I didn’t say anything. Lainule was right, and so was Kaylin. I knew it, and by the look on her face, so did Rhiannon. That didn’t mean it was going to be easy or comfortable, but sometimes, life just is what it is and there is nothing you can do about it.
The hallways reminded me of the hallways at the Marburry Barrow, except the lights were cooler here. “I wonder if they use Fire Elementals here for the lanterns, too? Or are they something different?”
Grieve smiled softly. “No, they’re young Ice Elementals—they have their own glow. That’s why the light here is of a bluish tint instead of the warm orange of the Summer realm. The Court of Rivers and Rushes is much cozier, in case you haven’t noticed.” He let out a soft chuckle and pulled me close to him. “But we’ll make this place home, and we’ll make it comfortable.”
I leaned against him. “I think we have to. There’s not much choice, is there? Can you tell me something?” I paused as we entered the section of the Barrow that held the bedrooms. The royal bedchamber was to our right, and as we entered, I stopped, gasping softly. The Eldburry Barrow might be cold and austere, but our bedroom-to-be was absolutely amazing.
It stretched out, almost as big as the throne room, and a thick, soft carpet covered the cobblestones. The tapestry was intricate, woven in swirls of blue and purple and silver, and the weave was thick and plush. I leaned down and brushed my hand against it—soft, it was soft as a kitten’s back.
Dark, polished wardrobes lined the walls, along with a vanity table and love seat. The wood gleamed, looking so smooth it almost might be glass.
The bed was a huge four-poster affair, the yew intricately carved with a labyrinthine design. Piled high with pillows, the thick comforters matched the pattern on the carpet, and overhead, the ceiling swirled with sparkling gems—iolite and sapphire, amethyst and clear quartz against a jet-black background. The jewels glowed from within, some inner luminescence that flickered through the dim light of the lanterns.
I turned to Grieve. “I…this is beautiful.”
“You like it, then?” He leaned in, his feral teeth glistening in the light of the Ice Elementals.
I nodded. “I think…I think I will come to love it here. I think it will be hard at first, but this is a safe haven. I can live here. I can adjust.” And right then, I knew I was telling the truth, not trying to bolster my courage. When I closed my eyes, I could see myself in a long fur-trimmed gown, wandering through the corridors, feeling the darkness of the long winter in the core of my bones and learning to embrace the shadow rather than fear it.
And at that moment, I opened my eyes again, and Grieve was kissing me deeply, his arms around me. “I can hardly wait to claim our marriage bed,” he whispered. “Anywhere, loving you is a joy, but when we are married…when you are my Queen and I your King, all will be right with the world.”
I didn’t know about that—we still had Myst to deal with, and Geoffrey and Leo, but I decided to bite my tongue and leave the future to the future. I kissed him back, his arms strong around my waist, his heart beating against my own, and for one brief moment, I believed it was all possible.
“If you are done exploring, I have someone to introduce.” My father’s voice echoed through the chamber from the door.
The others had politely been ignoring Grieve and me, peeking into cupboards and testing out the thickness of the mattresses, but now we turned to see Wrath standing there. By his side was a short, dark-haired Fae whose gaze seemed to dart about, constantly observing everything going on. He was dressed in royal blue and purple, with silver epaulettes on his shoulder.
“Meet your Chief Advisor, Strict. He’s trustworthy and will not lead you astray by either flattery or deception. Strict was Tabera’s advisor, and he escaped the carnage when Myst invaded the Winter Court.”
I watched him, closely, cocking my head as I tried to read his energy.
Is he truly safe?
But Ulean wasn’t speaking.>We slogged along for another quarter mile until Wrath stopped and pointed ahead. There, in the center of a clearing, were two incredibly tall holly trees. Like the Twin Oaks, they radiated with a network of sparkling light stretching between them. I stopped, gazing up at their looming silhouettes.
“The Twin Hollies are the entrance to Winter. You think Myst’s winter is cold—when we enter into this realm, you will understand the true nature of snow and ice.” Wrath spoke in a hushed voice, almost reverent. “And when you take the crown, you will feel it to the core.”
I took a deep breath and stepped forward, but the guards pushed in front of us.
Check held up his hand. “Your Highness, please, allow us to go first.”
I stood back as he and his men went through, vanishing in a sudden crackle of sparkling lights. A moment passed, then another as we stood silent, waiting. Then Check peeked back through and motioned to us.
Wrath and Lainule took the forefront, followed by Grieve and me, and then by the others. Chatter and Rhiannon brought up the rear. As we crossed through the portal, it felt vastly different from the doorway to Summer. The basic impulse was the same, but a steady wind howled past, echoing as we shifted and flickered, and while I couldn’t pinpoint exactly what made it so strange, there was a difference about it that felt colder, older, and harsh.
As we came out into the woodland, I gasped. I’d expected to just see the Golden Wood through winter, much like Myst had brought with her. But this…this was nowhere near anything I’d imagined.
The trees were coated with ice, and within the ice sparkled lights—radiant purple and blue and palest pink. They reminded me of Christmas trees, of ornaments that shimmered in the reflection of candlelight, and yet it was daylight here, like it was back in the Golden Wood.
The sky was overcast, a pale silver, and a faint dusting of snow lazily brushed our shoulders. The undergrowth peeked through mounds of snow, dark green against the stark white, and when I turned, the holly trees were also shrouded in show, their crimson berries brilliant against the blanket of endless winter.
A path stretched before us, but it was cloaked in a sheen of ice, shimmering with an internal light. Ahead, the trees thinned out, but the grove in which we found ourselves was silent, under a deep, unending layer of snow.
Up ahead, a barrow mound, similar to the Summer Palace, rose on stilts about fifteen feet above the ground. The support pillars barely showed beneath the cloak of snow, and the Barrow was swathed in white, and silent. Several of the guards were positioned around it, and a contingent of workers silently went about whatever they were doing: fixing doorways, patching holes that had been gouged into the side, all sorts of repair work.
As I stood there, it began to hit home that here, the snow never left. Here, it was always winter. Here, the trees never saw spring, summer, or fall.
“When you take up court here, Cicely and Grieve, the winter will truly return.” Lainule smiled at me, her expression unreadable.
