Page 69 of Winter Gods & Serpents

Albius Arynth, I knew the man. Many did. An ancient Verglaser, a terrifying one at that. He’d fought beside many in the Ater battles, along my father too. He cast a glance over to me and bowed his head just slightly.

Reuben puffed his chin up and stalked to a seat, still clouding in offence.

“Albius, words are for beggars, where are my treats?” she asked eagerly.

He handed her a square box wrapped in a silk navy cloth. Several biscuits lining it edge to edge, and the princess licked her lips corner to corner eyeing them.

She had not joked.

“Your brother is here? Why for?”

“Sacred heavens,” the princess coughed, looking around somewhat startled. “My brother is dead, Albius, almost frightened me out of my wool.”

This…was a joke? I studied her absent glances around the air and decided she had not joked about this one.

The old lord patted her back as she coughed gently. “Ghur signe mahar.” Later we speak, he murmured in Calgnan close to her ear.

“Ghur.” Later, the princess responded.

Why the need for the secrecy? Was it another joke…or more biscuits?

“Your Highness,” a sleek old voice called from behind us in her direction. She was popular it seemed.

She turned, fashioning at what looked a pleasant smile. “Ivar Venzor, what tide do we owe the pleasure?”

He laughed shortly before taking her hand to plant a kiss atop her knuckles. She twisted in a little grimace before quickly reverting to the flattering smile.

He swivelled a slimy gaze on her. “As always, shinning with the beauty of the sun.”

“Stare to long, old creep, and you will get sunburn,” Caiden murmured tightly beside me, and she threw him a warning glare over her shoulder.

“Father asked for you to join?”

“Actually no, it was I who asked. You surely know I took your side in this case and voted against the agreement, this barbaric alliance with those we banished ourselves. I fought hard twelve years ago to have that wall sealed and I will fight till my last breath keep it as that. You have to plead in my cause surely, knowing your position.”

So there had been opposition just as thought. I’d always wondered how Silas had convinced all his court with this agreement, considering they’d insisted themselves for months. They must have truly needed it too.

“What is my position?” she asked, somewhat defensive to the presumption.

“Against of course, you wouldn’t willingly marry him, would you?”

“Well, father is not forcing me. I am not running away, neither kicking nor screaming,” she said, leaning in before teasingly whispering, “that has to be willingly.”

I had thought about this too. The reason why she had not chosen to run away the moment of finding out about the agreement.

He frowned at her in sheer disbelief. “Might I ask why?”

She examined her gloved hand rather bored. “I am told he is an incredible lover, tender too.”

A breath swallowed on the wrong hole and I erupted in a cough. This ridiculous woman.

Caiden patted a sombre hand behind my back. “The rumours must be true.”

“There are no such rumours,” I said, straightening.

“Your Highness,” Lord of Venzor scolded, unamused.

She gave him an unimpressed look. “Ivar, I am not up to being recruited in your little resistance. The life of a partisan in that cause will be very short lived, like every attempt of every Venzor to snatch my father’s crown. I will not wear a hat, sleep on dirt, lay between wolf dung and fur, so I am afraid I can only watch from afar.” She inclined her head back and forth almost deciding in thought before saying, “When it fails altogether.”