Page 35 of Winter Gods & Serpents

I caught Elias staring at me. “Speak captain,” I spat, annoyed at his face.

“Captain?”

“You insist on calling me princess though you know my name.”

He laughed and leaned closer to me over the table, he smelled of pines and mint, insatiably delicious. “You might not remember, but once you threatened me with my life when we were younger. I called you a raven and you insisted you were a princess and made me promise to call you that for eternity.”

Confused it took me moments to part together what he meant. “What?” I asked confused as Lori came to lay down our ales and food when it hit me. I had been called a raven once in my life, at a solstice celebration when I was no more than eight. I remembered the blonde boy who had run around the food tables laughing at my hair and the tears drenching my eyes chasing after him. I had cornered him when he had reached the stairs to leave and plunged toward him screaming, shouting, and hitting; telling him I was a princess and that he should not call me a raven. He had stopped laughing and lowered to his knees apologizing and wiping my tears away.

Promise to never call me a raven but a princess for all eternity, I had told him, and he had obeyed seeing how upset I had been.

I looked up at the man in front of me and that boy took his features. “You,” I said quietly.

He took a deep sip from his mug before sighing. “Me,” he said, dropping farther back in his chair.

“Well, you have certainly outgrown the bad teeth and you are released from that promise, Elias,” I took a sip from my hot ale. My stomach warmed and in satisfaction I let out a groan of relief.

“Well, raven,” he teased, “you did not outgrow your love for violence but everything else, absolutely beautiful.”

I leaned closer. “What is it that you want Elias, certainly you did not kind-heartedly bring me to see a few snow spirits and most surely not reminisce the past.”

His eyes hardened at my words and he leaned back in his chair putting distance between us again. “I thought it was obvious what I wanted.”

Another answer that was not an answer. “What is it that you want, Elias?” I questioned firmly this time.

He crossed his arms. “You, I want you.”

A low laugh left my throat but not longer than two heartbeats. Was this the game he was playing; me, he wanted me? I am not a fool, but somehow still could not blame him if it was true; he was to marry a wretchedly spoiled snow spirit whose veins ran on venom not on blood, but his betrothal was not what concerned me, it was mine. I cared very little how fair I stood to the agreement, even little less to respect it, but I knew this could indeed be thought as a way to object to it. Despite all that came with the deal they still despised the spiritual kingdom. Before they had never understood why their goddess took so much like in them and offered so much more blessings and kindness than what God Krieg had offered Isjord. They had been more than happy to establish the Highwall.

“Elias, Elias, you play a little dangerous game my dear. Is this your fathers attempt to find a way out of my marriage to the king of Adriata or an initiative of your own doing?” I asked, distaste inked every word.

He turned rigid and he looked at me as if I had told him I had killed his horse. His expression soured. “What has made you think that?”

“Well, this interest of yours given the circumstance seems idiotic, if you wanted someone to fool around I would have suggested others, much easier to chase and to convince to do so. Though you do look as you might enjoy a challenge, but I assure you have very little time to convince me into that.” I would not have averted a distraction, especially a delicious one but this one seems to involve too much, one I would not allow when I am already being thrown between kingdoms like a game piece.

He nodded, but not in an agreement to what I had said.

I motioned to stand, it was getting too late and if I didn’t return Cai was going to hunt me down like a dog after barely convincing him to leave me alone with Elias.

He took my scarf and threw it behind my back, tucking on either end of it he pulled me to him, my palms landed flat on his chest. Leaning over he turned to my ear, his warm breath sent a wave of heat down my spine. “You are wrong, and you have no idea how much.”

Releasing me, he tied the rest of my scarf around me.

Chapter 10

Trials and Depts

Snowlin

Pen brushed and braided my hair loosely down my back, my new uniform had arrived, the navy blue coat came down mid-thigh, gold buttons afront, two circlets above the chest pocket, the sign of my position, captain.

“Are you going to keep frowning at me all day again?” I asked the red head.

“Mother says it’s terrible to dally with married man or those to be married, and you are soon to be a married woman yourself.”

“Mother is right, but Pen is wrong. I am not dallying with Elias.” I was playing with Elias.

“Are you certain Elias is not dallying with you?”