Chapter 19 - Melting Hearts
Wrenora
Prince Callan didn’t stop to help his mother up.
He pulled me into the hall before yanking his hand from my arm, as if the slight contact through his gloves was too much for his liking.
My mind was reeling. He’d defended me from his father.
He’d defended a thrall. A human. He’d given up contact with his mother, whom he obviously loved dearly, for me.
He’d sacrificed whatever broken relationship he’d had left with the king to defend me.
But not truly. He hadn’t defended me, exactly. He’d defended my magic.
I struggled to keep up with his pace as I hoisted the satin skirt from around my ankles. I wasn’t sure if he intended to leave right that moment, but based on the way he walked, I assumed as much.
“Your Highness, I’m not going to be able to ride a horse in this gown.”
“You won’t be riding a horse.”
“Whatever we’re riding back to your fortress, then,” I said, letting an involuntary squeak escape my lips as I nearly tripped over my skirt.
I wasn’t used to frilly gowns. I hadn’t worn any since before the war, and this one was far finer than anything I’d ever worn, made of buttery soft fabric that slipped through my fingers no matter how tightly I clutched it.
He turned abruptly, his eyes sharp with frustration, but his expression softened when he saw me struggling.
His gaze traveled down the length of my dress to where I desperately tried to wrangle the overly long skirt.
He stepped forward, drawing the enchanted hilt of his sword, but instead of summoning the full length of his sword, a short dagger materialized in its place.
Kneeling, he took the lower hem of my dress and cut several inches from the bottom, then ripped. I gasped as he continued to tear the fabric all the way around, leaving the dress ankle length where it had once dragged on the floor.
“Hopefully this will help you keep up,” he said as he looked at me, his gaze never wavering as he sheathed the blade, his stoic expression hiding any frustration he might have had.
I swallowed, pressing my hands over my chest where the neckline of the dress dipped far lower than I was used to.
There was something about seeing him on his knees before me that sent heat through my veins.
As he stood, he threw the strip of satin to the side and continued walking without looking back.
I watched him walk away, too stunned to move as I took in the confidence in his stride, the way he carried himself.
He was more than a prince—he was a warrior.
Now, I knew there was a large part of him that hid behind a confident mask of the son he was supposed to be.
A broken prince whose tyrannical father sent him to fight in a war that left his body scarred and heart frozen.
I scurried after him, hating to admit the shorter dress helped significantly.
He led me to his personal chambers where the two guards who had survived on the road to Dyga stood outside. He stepped between them, glaring through the opened door.
“I’m taking the thrall woman by frost phoenix. Follow on horseback once you’ve rested.”
I followed him in, not sure what he wanted to do with me—if he even knew what to do with me.
I loitered near the door as he threw a couple small items from a dressing table into a pack and shouldered it.
As he turned toward me, he was looking down at his sleeve where a dark stain seeped through.
He’d been cut at some point. Instead of drawing attention to it, he drew upon his frost magic, building his armor around himself before pulling his cloak off a peg and handing it to me.
“Hopefully this will keep you warm enough,” he said as he walked past me into the hall.
––––––––
I had never been so close to a frost phoenix. The massive white beast dragged a talon the size of my forearm across our path with menace, leaving a rut in the crushed stone. Prince Callan let his helm melt away before he approached with one outstretched hand.
“You know me, Cassmira.”
A honey-colored eye darted around until it found me. The bird rotated their head so it could see me with their other eye. I took a tentative step closer, and they reared up, flapping wings twice the size of a horse. The wind they produced nearly knocked me on my backside.
“That’s enough.” Callan’s tone was firm, yet gentle at the same time.
Cassmira tucked their wings away, ruffling feathers before preening themself along one side.
“Will you fly us to my fortress?” The prince pulled an oddly shaped saddle from a stand, and without hesitation hoisted it onto the phoenix, stooping to buckle it underneath.
When he was finished strapping the contraption to Cassmira’s back, he ran his hands down their neck before leaning forward to press his forehead to their feathered head.
There was so much calm in that moment, the prince’s eyes gently closed, his hands stroking down the phoenix’s wintery-white feathers.
I was looking at a completely different man, so gentle and calm.
I was completely forgotten. It was only himself and the phoenix.
“Will you let me bring Wrenora?” he asked as he leaned back, looking directly into one of Cassmira’s startlingly golden eyes.
The phoenix made a high-pitched keening sound, stamping their talons several times before stretching their neck out long.
“Thank you, girl.” There was so much fondness in Callan’s voice as he pulled the creature against his chest again and ruffled the feathers on the top of her head.
When he turned to me, all the gentleness hardened into the frozen prince I knew. His glare was unyielding, and it drew goose bumps down my arms.
“You’ll ride in front so I can ensure you’re secure in the saddle.” His eyes held mine as his helm froze over his face yet again.
Cassmira watched me with suspicion as I pulled the cloak around me tighter.
I tried to smile, but I didn’t know if the creature understood what a smile was.
Callan mounted her like a horse, reaching down to me with an armored ice gauntlet.
He helped position me in front of him, his thighs hugging my backside, and heat plunged into my stomach at the intimacy.
What I didn’t expect was for him to wrap an arm around my waist and pull me back against his breastplate.
Without my permission, he pulled the cloak around me, tucking it under my thighs so it hugged my legs on either side.
He pulled the hood over my head to cover my face.
“I’m hopeful we can make it the entire way without stopping, but if you get cold...”
And with that, Cassmira took several lunging steps through the door of the stable before she launched us into the air.
I’d never flown before, on a phoenix or otherwise.
As a human, my feet were firmly planted on the ground—I’d never so much as stepped foot on a boat—thus, the initial lurch into the air left my stomach resting on the ground far beneath us, my knuckles turning white as I gripped Callan’s arm around my waist.
After a few moments, the feeling of leaving half of my body behind ebbed, and I pushed the hood back so I could look out across the sea of lights that made up the massive city of Dyga.
Cobblestone streets snaked between tiled rooftops as they meandered through different districts.
The roads widened and narrowed in places, offering more space to the countless wagons, horses, and pedestrians milling about.
Seeing a city from this angle was incredible, and I leaned to get a better view, not expecting the prince’s arm to tighten around my midsection.
Heat crept into my cheeks at his closeness, and I tried to ignore it.
He was just keeping me from falling to my death.
He needed my magic. I turned and leaned the other way as we went over what looked like a massive chapel with a steeple of copper rising to scrape Cassmira’s underside.
It was beautiful. Something I’d never expected to see in my entire life.
Something I might never see again. Without thinking, I reached down and pet Cassmira’s feathers, a smile blooming across my face.
The cold wind was forgotten for a few more moments before it grew unbearable, forcing me to pull the hood back over my face.
The rhythmic beating of Cassmira’s wings and the warmth of Callan behind me was enough that I slipped into a strange state of half sleep.