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CHAPTERONE
In Arcadia, they say, no one can escape the hand of Fate. Whether you were high born, low born, a boy, a girl, or anything in between, once a person’s destiny was written, it could not be changed. My parents were the ruling King and Queen of the city of Windhelm, the crown of the Winter Kingdom, which made me its Princess.
And I didn’t believe in any of that Fate nonsense.
It was a crisp, sunny, beautiful day in the Kingdom of Winter, and I was on my own, perched upon a branch about halfway up a tree. My companions were the chirping birds, the transparent, dripping icicles and the rays of Arcadian sunlight that never seemed able to melt the frozen landscape.
This lush, thick grove of snow-capped trees, ridges, and cliffs wasmyplace, my sacred place.
Out here, there was nothing and no one; only the brambles on the ground, the powdery snow, and the trees themselves. Out here, I could run, and leap, and experience the world as I was meant to experience it. Out here, I wasn’t the Princess of Windhelm; I was— “Amara!”
The shout snapped me out of my reverie. I perked up and looked down the length of the tree I had been resting on.
There, padding the ground, circling the base of the tree, was a creature barely larger than a housecat. Tallin was a strange breed of Winter Sprite. All white fur with a black nose and bright blue eyes, he was caught somewhere between a fox and a rabbit, with tiny antlers on his forehead. Quick, spry, and curious, we were in many ways the same… at least, we would be, if he wasn’t always so worried about everything.
“Yes?” I called out.
“Not that I don’t love chasing you through the forest,” he yelled, “But don’t you think we should be heading back to the castle? It’ll be dark, soon.”
“You sound a little out of breath there, Tallin. Are you quite alright?”
“Of course, I am. Why would you ask me that?”
“Because I can hear you panting from up here. I distinctly recall a time when you could run circles around me…”
“Yes, well, I’ve been looking for you for a while, now.”
“I noticed it took you longer than usual.”
“Your scent keeps changing. It’s hard to keep up.”
I grinned at him. “I think you’re making excuses.”
“What I’m trying to make is a point. Your parents are waiting for you, that is if they aren’t already out looking for you.”
“They can wait a little longer,” I said, resting my head on the tree again. “They’re just going to stuff me into another dress and make me sit through more trials.”
“I thought you liked your mother’s dresses.”
“She makes the most beautiful outfits in all of Arcadia. I just don’t like wearing them nearly as much as she does. I like sitting around and watching theRoyal Selectionunfold even less.”
“They’re all here for you… they’re competing for you.”
“They’re competing because they think they can get ahead in life by winning my hand in marriage, like I’m some prize to be won.” I rolled my eyes. “Marriage. I’ve just turned twenty years old. I’m not ready for that.”
“Trust me, no one understands your situation better than I, but running away won’t solve anything, and delaying the Selection will only annoy your parents more.”
I glanced over the side of the tree, my grin returning. “Tell you what,” I said. “If you can catch me, I’ll go back to the castle.”
“If I can… what?Why?”
I deftly stood on the branch I had been resting on. “Come on. Have a little fun, Tallin.”
“I really don’t think this is a good idea.”
“Only because you think you’ll lose. That’s not the Tallin I know!”
“The Tallin you know is a loyal servant of the crown. I can’t in good conscience enable this behavior.”
