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Silver bells on the bridles jingled as we headed through the winter forest, the horses silently making their way through the falling snow. We wove through the woodland, through the towering firs, and I caught my breath when animals started to appear, standing at attention as we filed along the path.
Snow hares with their twitching noses, and winter white foxes, looking to camouflage in the snow. And there, a wolf, and to the left, a white stag watched us from the shelter of the trees, as if they gathered to send me off.
Or perhaps, they gather to greet the new Queen of Winter?
Ulean! I’ve missed you! Where have you been? I was delighted to hear her voice on the slipstream. I didn’t feel fully myself without her near me.
Lainule had something for me to do, but I’m here now, and I’ll be with you during the coronation and ever after.
I whispered into the slipstream. I feel like I’m walking through a surreal dream, Ulean. My life—what is it becoming?
What it was destined to become, Cicely. You will feel more like yourself tomorrow, this I promise you. All of the past few days—it has been so alien to what your life has been. And the initiation and coronation…they are journeys in their own right. You have passed through the former, and are nearly through the latter. So take heart. All will be as it should be, and tomorrow life will seem more akin to what you are familiar with. Enjoy today. Not every woman gets to become a queen. This is a day you will never forget. Even when you are at the long-distant end of your life, you will remember tonight.
Feeling less alone, I tried to relax. The rocking of the horse sent me into a light trance, and the snowflakes kissing my skin seemed to freeze against me, as if I were colder than they. I reached up to brush them off but then stopped, not wanting to disturb the makeup. The snow was falling thickly now, gathering in my hair, on my eyelashes, and while it was cool against my skin, I wasn’t cold. The rabbit fur cloak kept me toasty, but I knew there was more to it than that.
I could run atop the snow now, like Grieve, although still not as fast. And the winter winds didn’t bite through me.
Ulean, as time goes on, will I become immune to the cold and ice?
Not immune, no, but it will buoy you up; it is your realm now, Cicely. The chill winds of winter are your melodies, and the calving of glaciers your strength. You feared the darkness, but now…even after such a short time, how do you feel?
As I turned the question over, mulling it, deep in my heart I heard the answer. I no longer fear living in winter. What changed?
You changed. Your heartstone—it is bound to the Court of Snow and Ice, and so a part of your soul, your heart, is bound to the realm of Winter. When you are connected to something at such a deep, internal level, you can no longer fear it. You will grow to understand the winter, to become part of it. Are you beginning to understand now? You won’t just rule the throne; you will be an integral part of the season.
And then it all clicked. I let out my breath in a slow stream, watching it fog into the air before me. Now I understood. I wasn’t losing myself. I was becoming more than I ever thought possible.
And Rhiannon, she is going through this, too, isn’t she? Only with the summer? She is becoming the heart of Summer.
You do understand.
We were approaching the twin hollies, and I stared at the portal. It crackled with energy and called to me like a siren, luring me in. But it wasn’t setting a bait. No, I could feel it in my core—a resonance that I had only ever felt with Grieve. He looked back at me, his dark eyes flashing. And then, without a word, he rode through the trees, and a flash lit up the forest as he vanished into the swirling vortex of energy.
The guards led my horse toward the opening and I sucked in a deep breath, as I realized that I was going home.
A crackle of blue and white light then, a whirl of energy, the smell of ozone in the air, and the sprinkle of snow turned into a flurry as I crossed through the barrier. The night was dark here, lit by the clouds covering the sky, and in the distance I could see the lights of the Barrow within the grove. The castle in which my heartstone had been created was some distance from here—I had no clue in what direction, but I could feel the steady beat as my heartstone awakened the land. I resonated with this realm now, this world was part of me, and my fate was forever entwined with it.
We crossed through the clearing toward the grove where the Eldburry Barrow awaited, and as the jingle of the horses sounded through the night, I glanced up at the trees. They were sparkling with lights, the snowflakes illuminating them like fireflies. And standing between the trees, next to the animals, I caught sight of the Snow Hag and her kin—the Wilding Fae. They bowed low as we swept by.
I raised my hand, waving quietly, and the Snow Hag caught my gaze, and her snaggletooth smile spread into a wide grin. Her eyes twinkled in the darkness of the forest, and then we were past and they fell in behind us as we approached the Barrow.
There at the entrance stood a double line of guards, at least thirty of them, and they bowed as we came into sight. Grieve lightly jumped off his horse, and then he walked back to stand by my horse’s side. Check reached up and took hold of my waist as Fearless and Druise untangled the train of my gown and held it until I was safely on the ground.
Check and Fearless stepped back, bowing, and as I turned, Grieve dropped to one knee, his head bowed.
“Your Highness,” he murmured. “Allow me to lead you to the Court where the Lady Lainule awaits?”
“You may stand,” I whispered, realizing that he would stay on his knee until I gave him permission. He rose, and my wolf tattoo let out an excited yip. He extended his arm, his palm facedown toward the snow.
Overwhelmed by the beauty of the night, by the sparkling lights that illuminated the air and the Barrow, and by the attention that was focused on me, I could only reach out and place my hand lightly over his. Our arms outstretched, my hand lightly resting on his, we approached the entrance. As we passed each pair of guards, they stood and fell in behind Check, Fearless, and Druise.
The horses whinnied softly, and the jingling of their bells echoed the soft chiming of the bells on Druise’s shoes. I started to glance back, to smile at her, but something stopped me, and so I took another long breath as we passed through the shimmering arches. The great doors of the Barrow were standing wide, guarded by another troop of warriors, and I began to realize just how large of a contingent of guards rested under my command.
We entered Eldburry Barrow and crossed the common court, where Fae were milling—throngs of them. I wasn’t sure if they were all from the Court of Snow and Ice, or if they were visitors from Marburry, come to see my coronation. But there wasn’t time to ask.
The great doors to the inner court were open again, guarded by a line of warriors on each side, and they bowed as Grieve led me into the large chamber. It was beautiful, it was home. In the brief time that had passed from yesterday when I’d first laid eyes on it until tonight, I’d gone from fearing this land to loving it.
Ahead, at the back of the room, were two hand-hewn yew thrones, embellished with silver designs. Over them, against the wall, hung a huge tapestry of the snow and ice, of the moon and of owls and of wolves. It looked new, and I realized it was to represent my rule, and the rule of Grieve.
