Page 5 of Destiny of a King

Dravic folded his arms across his chest as he drew his brow together. Then, deliberately, he lowered his gaze to the gloves resting in her hands.

Adira followed his gaze and, realizing he waited for her to slip on the gloves, she hurriedly did so.

He gave a single nod of approval and reached for her hand.

It wasn’t that he never took her hand before now. It was usually when he was in a hurry and wanted her to follow him. So why take her hand now, not that she hesitated to place hers readily in his. After all, they wore their winter cloaks which meant only one thing. They were going outside and that delighted her.

Together they crossed the Great Hall.

Behind them, Tavish caught the eye of the captain of the king’s guard and gave a subtle signal.

Without a word, six guards quietly fell into place a respectful distance behind the king.

The great doors swung open. A blast of crisp winter air swept into the hall.

Adira drew a silent deep breath, but Dravic noticed.

Outside, snow blanketed every rooftop, wall, and field surrounding Caerith. Boots crunched over the packed path as they crossed the bailey. Rather than head toward the castle gates, Dravic led her along the outer wall, around the side of the keep where a narrow trail disappeared among towering pines.

The moment they stepped beneath the shelter of the trees, Adira did not hesitate. She gently slipped her hand free. Finally, she was where she belonged.

Dravic watched as she wandered only a few steps away before stopping beside an ancient pine. She rested both gloved hands against its rough bark, closed her eyes for the briefest moment, then smiled. A smile unlike any he had seen from her within the castle.

It transformed her face. Features he had once thought plain suddenly held a more natural beauty. Her green eyes sparkled with a life he had never noticed before. The cold had painted her cheeks a delicate pink, and her lips, chilled by the winter air, had taken on a rosy hue.

He found himself wondering if she had changed… or if it was simply the first time that he had truly looked at her.

She moved on, kneeling where snow covered a patch of earth. Pulling one glove free, she brushed away the snow with careful fingers until a cluster of tiny evergreen leaves appeared beneath. She touched them with unmistakable delight.

Dravic’s first instinct was to order her to put the glove back on. The cold would quickly numb her hand. The command rose to his lips and remained there. She looked happier than he had ever seen her, so he kept silent.

When she rose, she reached for his hand without hesitation.

She had never done that. No one ever had. He was king and no one touched him without permission. But she had not hesitated. Could it be she was fearing him less and trusting him more? And why should it matter to him?

Her fingers were icy and he quickly closed his hand firmly around hers, surrounding it with warmth as they continued deeper into the forest.

After a few steps, Adira stopped and pointed toward the trees.

Dravic followed the direction of her finger. He saw nothing of consequence.

She pointed again.

This time toward a pair of rabbits darting across the snow before disappearing beneath a fallen log. Before he could speak, she pointed elsewhere. Sunlight broke through the evergreen branches, scattering across untouched snow until it sparkled like countless tiny crystals.

Again, she pointed.

Bird tracks stitched delicate patterns across the white ground. Then to crimson berries clinging stubbornly to winter-bare branches.

He realized then that she was not pointing at just one thing. She was showing him the forest—not the hunting grounds he had ridden through countless times, nor the woodland surrounding his castle. It was a living place, filled with wonders he had never once thought to notice.

Adira knelt once again, this time brushing snow away from another patch of ground. Smiling, she pulled off her remaining glove and dropped it beside the first.

Dravic frowned. The cold would soon numb her hands. He caught her hand and pointed to the gloves lying in the snow.

Adira glanced at them briefly, then gently slipped her hand free and wandered off toward another patch of snow where something else had caught her attention.

Dravic glared at her back. How dare she walk away while he was in the middle of giving her a command? Muttering under his breath, he bent to retrieve the gloves. As he straightened, a tiny golden light flashed before his face so close that he jerked back in surprise.