Chapter 12
Getting to the castle was just as hard the second time as it was the first. My legs were aching from the climb, and my fingers refused to do more than exist as I knocked my palm against the pristine ice door.
I tried to catch my breath while the king took his sweet time answering the door, and my heart skipped a beat as I felt like the air wasn’t fully passing in and out of my lungs.
No...don’t do that. You should be fine this time.
“Welcome back, Safara.” The king appeared in the door’s reflection, not helping with my breathing problem as he nearly scared a full-blown scream out of me. “You returned quickly. How did it go?” he asked casually, not even bothering to address my fright.
“Were you not watching?” I asked with an unladylike wheeze.
“Oh yes, I saw everything.” He nodded.
“Then you should know.”
“Oh no, not really.” He chuckled like it was the most obvious thing. “I saw everything, but I cannot hear a conversation unless I’m directly spoken to.”
Huh…that’s not how Blamore described it.
“Really? I thought you could eavesdrop anywhere there was a reflection.” I stepped closer to the icy doors, my nerves reminding me of the cliff behind me.
“Goodness, that would be incredible, wouldn’t it?
” he said with a thoughtful smile. “But unfortunately, my curse only allows me to see through reflections, which is also a bit of a curse on its own considering there are many things I never wanted to accidentally see.” He shuddered. “Bathwater is reflective—you know?”
“Uh...noted,” I said, trying not to linger too long on that subject.
“So what did she say?” he asked eagerly, his husky tone full of excitement as a rush of flurries seemed to gather above us. “I could hardly believe it when she jumped from the rafters like that.”
“You saw that?” I winced, my back still sore from her tackle. “I didn’t see any mirrors in that cabin.”
“Don’t worry, I wasn’t in the bathwater,” he assured me with a wave of his hand.
“There were some icicles hanging in the window that I was able to peer through. I also followed your impressive chase scene. Though what surprised me the most was when you handed her that match... Didn’t she try to steal that from you? ”
I brushed my boot against the snow, the flurries settling down around us and almost falling in slow motion as the king waited for my reply.
“Someone gave me matches when I needed them,” I said, my vision blurred by fluffy snowflakes gathering on my lashes.
“So I promised to share these with people who needed them. I just felt like Lea needed someone to offer her a little warmth after everything she’s endured.
” I rubbed the snow from my eyes, then looked up at the frosty royal who had been a villain in more ways than he probably knew.
“She lost everything because of your ice, Your Majesty. Her entire family is gone.”
His reflection dimmed, and the snow stopped falling entirely for a moment while the temperature dropped. His eyes went wide, his hands going limp at his sides as the snow slowly picked up, then started to pile at my feet.
“I...I’m sorry for that,” he said quietly, his voice barely audible over the growing wind.
I pulled my hood tight, starting to feel a little nervous about the sudden increase in precipitation.
“As you’ve probably noticed, my ice has been a bit.
..unruly as of late.” He sighed, and his reflection cleared up as the snow settled.
“But that is no excuse for hurting anyone.”
It was still noticeably colder, but the wind had definitely died down again.
It was astonishing to watch the weather respond to his mood, and the word unruly stuck in my head.
Did that mean that he couldn’t control his powers?
But how did that make any sense when he could create such detailed sculptures?
“I suppose that’s why you gave her the match,” he said, his voice surprisingly sad. “So that she might be able to enact a more effective revenge on me? I can’t say I blame you for siding with her.”
“What? No! I didn’t give it to her to hurt you,” I explained hastily, placing a hand on the door.
Touching the ice seemed to affect him, causing his whole body to jump.
I didn’t know why I felt the need to reach out to him, but the coldness actually startled me when my mind longed to reach for his hand or arm.
Ironically, it was a cold reminder that he wasn’t really with me, but that wasn’t enough to make me pull away.
“She was wishing for comfort, and I had a way to give that to her. I realize now that it probably seemed suspicious for me to hand someone a match when they often attacked a snow palace. But I promise you, I was only trying to do her a kindness.”
“Even after she stole from you?” he asked, his eyes catching mine with only inches of ice between us.
“I’ve been wronged in far worse ways,” I said with a light laugh. “It’s the people who regret their mistakes and can move past them that I’m willing to extend kindness to.”
He stayed right there, his hands fiddling with each other as they lingered by where my glove was pressed against the door. I wasn’t really touching him, but somehow, I felt like I could feel his pulse racing through the ice.
“Come inside.” He reached for the door handle, and when his reflection pulled on it, the door opened with ease. “You’ll catch a cold if you’re out there much longer.”
His reflection shifted to the walls inside, and I followed his lead, the vast space feeling far more welcoming this time.
“Thank you, Your Majesty,” I said, my body relaxing as I pulled away from the door. A small indentation of my hand had melted into the smooth frame. I hadn’t realized that my blood was running so hot.
“Cassian,” he said, his voice echoing around the room, the name hitting me from every angle. “Please, if we are to be courting, then call me Cassian.”
He moved back to shut the doors, his eyes immediately flicking to the imperfection I’d left behind.
But this time, he didn’t smooth it out.