Chapter 18 - Frigid King
Callan
I paced the hall outside my mother’s apartment, every step a sharp reminder of whatever magic I’d felt earlier.
The heat of Wrenora’s power being released from its restraints had been all consuming, and the contrast of it against my own magic was somehow both searing and calming at the same time. I hadn’t been prepared for it.
Just like I wasn’t prepared for how long it took for a woman to ready herself for a journey.
I had no patience left. I was turning back to the door to barge in when it finally opened, a servant stepping aside for me to enter.
I didn’t need guiding; I knew where my mother’s private dining room was.
And she was waiting for me, her kind eyes glittering in the wisplights.
“I didn’t have anything truly appropriate for her to wear for the journey, so this will have to do.”
I clenched my teeth, concerned my mother had put the girl in some sort of frilly courtier’s gown designed for dancing and flirting with too many layers and still not enough material.
She led me into her dining room, my eyes trained on the floor, until a second set of satin slippers joined my mother’s.
My eyes dragged up the length of cerulean-blue satin, over the snug fit of fabric around her hips that was cinched tight at her waist. Full breasts swelled from the top of a square neckline.
I swallowed as I followed the angle of her delicate neck until my gaze landed firmly on her warm brown eyes.
My mother had left Wrenora’s copper curls loose around her shoulders, sparkling in the warm light like an ocean sunset. She was the opposite of me in every way. Warm, curious, and bright-eyed. I hadn’t been ready for how truly beautiful she was.
“You can close your mouth, Callan,” my mother said, humor staining her words.
I took a sharp breath when I realized I’d been gawking. It was like seeing her in the hall of my fortress for the first time all over again, a spark deep in my chest flaring to life. This time, I didn’t have my helm to hide my reaction.
I ripped my gaze from Wrenora long enough to notice my mother’s coy grin. I blinked hard a few times, clearing my convoluted emotions.
“She can’t travel in a gown, Mother.”
She tipped her chin in defiance as she linked arms with Wrenora, showing her to a seat beside hers at the table.
I couldn’t rip my eyes from Wrenora’s backside.
She’d never worn anything that accentuated her curves in such a way.
I felt hot and numb all at once as I slipped into my own seat, wishing my cheeks didn’t feel so hot.
“I’ll have a servant fetch something more appropriate after, but what’s the fun in a tunic and pants for dinner.”
“This isn’t a game, Mother. We need to leave as soon as—”
“Indulge me.”
I swallowed my words, because I would always indulge my mother. She had always been the light in my life, more confident in me than I ever was in myself. My father on the other hand...
Our goblets were filled with crystal-clear liquid. It was a type of wine my mother favored, made from a rare grape that grew best in colder temperatures. A tray of cheeses and crusty bread was set in the center of the table for us to nibble on while we waited for dinner to be served.
My mother turned toward Wrenora, stretching a hand across the table and resting it over hers. The shiver of envy that worked its way up my spine was wholly unwelcome. I clenched my teeth.
“Tell us, Wrenora, where do you hail from?”
Her eyes stared blankly at my mother’s hand over hers—the delicate rings of silver that twisted around them. The way their skin tones contrasted.
“I’m from Dirnbrig—a small village to the far east.”
“I’ve been to Dirnbrig.” My mother’s words drew both of our attention. “This was long ago. I was traveling through to Velrain—I had business in the Fae lands. It’s a sweet little place.”
“Business in Velrain?” Wrenora asked. I could almost see her curiosity grab hold and force the question from her lips.
My mother nodded. “Long before I was Queen.” She smiled and leaned closer to Wrenora. “And even longer before you were born. Or your parents, for that matter.”
I’d forgotten my mother had been older when she’d finally been forced to marry my father—somewhere in her second century.
And her family, while wealthy beyond reason, had been emissaries to the other realms on the continent.
It made sense she would have traveled with her parents, or even in their place.
Mother smiled up at me, eyes lit with a happiness that seemed to soak into my skin and tighten around my throat.
“I took Callan with me to Shipspeak in Kaldaira when he was an elfling.” Her smile deepened.
“He doesn’t remember, I’m sure, but he was enamored with the harbor and all the sailboats.
He spent hours gazing at the water in the evenings from King Lyoneese’s palace.
” She sighed. “This was before his father stopped letting me leave his side.”
I took in a sharp breath, the memory rolling over me at her words.
I’d been eight or nine—still far too young to understand all the complicated politics constantly swirling around me—and I remember being more excited about being away from my father and his grueling training regimen than venturing outside of Telrain.
“I remember. It wasn’t the harbor or the sailboats.” I closed my eyes and took in a deep calming breath. “It was...”
But I couldn’t finish my words, because I didn’t want to shatter my mother’s happiness.
It was not having to rise with the sun and train until the midday meal or swing a sword until my arms could no longer physically raise.
It was having permission to wander around the lush rose gardens alone, completely unsupervised, as humans tried their best not to stare at my strangeness.
It was freedom—no expectations other than to sit at my mother’s side in the dining hall across from the human king and his queen. That’s what I’d loved the most. The glittering sea was freedom.
“It was the sea.”
My mother had seen the pain in my eyes, but to her credit, she hadn’t let it destroy the moment. She turned toward Wrenora and squeezed her hand.
“And then all this war business. It’s a shame. We elves and humans had such a pleasant friendship before.”
My mother leaned over, whispering something in Wrenora’s ear when the door to the dining room burst open and slammed into the wall. My hand fell to the hilt of my sword, but I knew who it was. A surge of adrenaline ignited every nerve in my body.
The king entered the dining room on a wave of absolute rage, his angry eyes finding me first, then the only human in the entire palace. The hair rose on the back of my neck as his eyes wandered over Wrenora with contempt. So much hatred in the angle of his brows, the flare of his nostrils.
“What the fuck is the meaning of this?”
When I’d left the royal palace last time, it had been under duress.
The king hadn’t cared for my words regarding his war and how it left a massive pit in the soul of his kingdom.
He had attacked first. I merely defended myself.
It became abundantly clear the war had honed my fighting skills, and sitting in a castle had softened his.
I was told to remove myself from his presence until such time as he felt merciful enough to call me home.
In other words, the king needed his greatest rival removed, and I was all too happy to oblige.
“He came to see me, you pompous ass,” my mother said, anger and hurt lacing her voice.
The king glared at her, his frost magic swirling around him, ready should he need it to defend himself against his treacherous son.
“I think I made myself clear when last he was—”
“This isn’t about you. It’s about me and my only elfling.” She didn’t bother to stand, and the rest of us remained in our seats. “You sent away my son, and you never once considered what that would mean for me.”
My father’s eyes darted from my mother to me, and I held my breath. Even knowing I could defend myself from him easily, cold fear wriggled through my veins. The years of torture in the form of training had left their mark.
“Not only have you violated my decree, but my edict as well. You’ve brought filth into my—”
“Her name is Wrenora, and you wouldn’t know filth if it slept beside you in your bed.” My mother’s eyes were alight with anger.
He was silent for a moment, his piercing stare moving from person to person until it landed firmly on Wrenora. My skin crawled from the way he looked at her. The disdain in his eyes was thick enough to taste. While I tried to pretend to despise humans, my father actually did.
He finally turned his vicious glare on me. “I know not what would possess you to bring a human here—a thrall, by the looks of her wrists—” He sided-eyed his wife. “But I’ll give you exactly one hour to remove yourselves from my palace out of respect for my queen.”
I tensed. An hour? I only needed long enough to walk to the stables.
“You’re being a pigheaded ass—”
“I’m being a king,” he bit out as he turned toward my mother.
“I ordered him never to return unless called. He returned. I forbade humans from entering my palace. He has brought a thrall into my queen’s chambers.
” My father squared his shoulders, both hands in tight fists at his side.
“I am being lenient; you are being obstinate. And prince or not, he shall do as he’s told. ”
“Just like when you sent him away because you were scared of his magic?” My mother stood, and Wrenora and I followed out of respect.
“Or when you sent him to throw himself at your enemy—not his enemy, yours—only to return a shadow of himself?” She took a step in his direction, the temperature in the air plummeting as she pulled her magic tight around her.
“When he obediently did as you ordered time and time again. The endless training. The cruel words. The torture he endured at your hands.”