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Which is where we will be at the end of the week, after I finish the next ten thousand meetings I have scheduled over the next three days. There is so much to reform, so much mess to clean up. The sheer size of it is overwhelming.
Zipping up the leather boots with a fur lining that I have taken to wearing, I fold my woolen pant leg over the top of the shoe. More businessman, less snow trekker. I nod with satisfaction.
I walk from our warm bedroom, decked out in fur over every possible surface, down a short stairwell, and into the living room. I smile as I take in the way the paintings of summer months line the walls next to photographs of Elva and I that they took for a socialite magazine.
The corners of the walls are adorned with ripe red berries and clean-scented pines. The enormous solstice tree is already set up behind the green velvet settee.
I smile. Stacked log walls are much better at keeping heat in than the Ice Castle.
I grab a coat from the wall. It’s a fashionable pea coat that Elva says makes me look younger. Walking to the enormous fireplace, where an enchanted fire always burns, I pick up some Iter Dust and rub it between my fingers. In an instant, I am in the castle. The familiar chill licks my skin as I look at the long table of VIPs in front of me.
As I look at the leader of the largest Vampire coven in the region, I think about the people trading Black Opals and shudder. Those are still a problem.
The leader of the Were, Lolita, stares at me with a cold, guarded expression. She has been one of the most difficult to deal with, but I am grateful she has come. There are no official Angel communities here, but there are Daemons. The red-skinned co-leaders, Lilith and Aracnid, stared up at me. They are unnervingly agreeable, and I am not sure I trusted them. Local officials pad the spaces between them.
My eyes fall on the only open space in the entire room. The place that has been reserved for the Ice Mer King. Helena has been out of contact with Elva, and Phelix never even bothered to return the messengers.
The entirety of the Winter Court has the same aversion to technology, but I figure that will take a few centuries to deal with. At least now, there is less shouting and growling in these meetings. My body was tired of the constant fight or flight.
They all look at me expectantly. I clear my throat and call to mind the presentation I had practiced on Elva no less than three times. She hasn’t arrived yet, so I’m trying to stall by making jokes that are received with half-hearted smiles.
The Daemon leader told me he thought I was amusing a few weeks ago. So… that’s something.
Finally, the doors swept open, revealing the future Queen of the Winter Court, Elva. She is wearing a suit made of snowflakes. Somehow, the fabric allows her to stay warm. Or maybe she’s just used to the ice.
She smiles widely at me. She’s been in charge of all of this, but this next project… It’s mine.
It’s been on the back burner for a few months since there was a coronation to plan, a military reform to instigate, criminals to imprison, and poverty to address, but she assures me now is the right time to bring this up.
The room is silent, and all eyes are on the Queen as she walks to the front of the room next to me. Her ice crown spikes up around her head, leaving her forehead free.
She extends her hands slightly, palms facing up. “Welcome. Thank you all for your punctuality. My husband Nathan and I are pleased to discuss a new idea that will help solidify the ideals we’ve been working so hard to highlight under our rule. I’ll leave the rest of the time to him. We break at 12:15 for lunch.” She smiles at me and sits at the head of the table, swiveling around to watch me.
I clear my throat. Walking forward, I place a tablet with a built-in projector on the table, and a few maintenance crew drag in a large, black cloth.
I shine the presentation on it, and a few people shift uncomfortably in their seats. I smile, trying to make it seem like I’m not amused.
A floor plan comes to life through my screen, and I turn back to them as I clear my throat.
“Welcome, friends. I present my plan to repurpose the ice palace into two important functioning bodies. Since the Queen Regnant is still awaiting her coronation, we haven’t officially moved into the palace. I propose that we never shall. There are two of us, and no possibility that we could have enough children to fill the entirety of the space. We are quite happy in the state house where we currently live.”
I take another deep breath while Elva smiles encouragingly. “I propose splitting it equally between the government and a public university.” Everyone is listening closely now. “Before we vote, I have a few things to clarify. Does anyone have questions?”
The Were leader speaks up. “Yes, why a university? Most of our younglings go abroad if they want higher education or pick up a vocation.”
“This university would be free and allow our younglings to stay here and have those same experiences… closer to home. We wouldn’t have only Northern teachers,” I say, and a few leaders look offended. “Of course, we will still have them, but there will be a balance.”
“I suggest you tip the scale a bit more if you want us to agree,” the Vampire leader says. I concede.
“And what will your role be with this university?” Lilith pipes up.
I smile. I’ve missed negotiating. It’s something I’m very good at. “Truth be told, I would like to be its director.” I scrub the back of my neck.
A small smile crosses Elva’s mouth. When I told her, she surprised me with a small gift the next morning. A pair of glasses—no, they were definitely spectacles—was sitting on a velvet cushion. When I put them on, she all but squealed as she threw her arms around me and covered me in kisses.
The list of inappropriate things she’s done to me while calling me ‘professor’ is concerning.
I clear my throat again, glad the cold helps me avoid blushing scarlet, and begin fielding more questions before settling into my charming self as I present the finer details of the plan.
