Chapter 36
Keira
The wintry wind combed through Keira’s hair, filled her lungs, and stung her cheeks even as a smile stretched wide across her face.
Beneath her, the horse beat a steady canter over the frosty hillside.
It was still the early hours, and the dew remained frozen, sparkling in the growing dawn.
She felt as though she were flying, like she could finally breathe.
The white dappled mare shared a similar sentiment.
Neither of them were creatures to be cooped up behind stone walls.
Life in Northall was exhausting in a way Keira had never known.
Not the physical fatigue of climbing to the highest bough of a tree or the mental exhaustion of studying the same text late into the night.
She was drained from worry. Never before had she questioned her every move with such scrutiny.
In the week since her arrival, she had been constantly blundering against this principle or that. Tonight, it was liable to get worse.
Keira urged the mare on faster with a squeeze of her legs as if she could outrun the inevitable.
Tomorrow would be the Holly Festival. Villages across the kingdom would be busy finishing their preparations.
It was the final feast day of the year before people holed up in their homes for the winter.
Resources were shared, acts of kindness too, to be sure that everyone was prepared for the bitter days to come.
Keira recalled celebrating as a child. Her brothers and father had competed in a tree falling competition and won.
All of it was to provide firewood for the village of course, but there was pride and fun in it as well.
It appeared that the nobility had their own ways of celebrating such things.
Of course, Caspian would attend the village festival in Llyndale, but tonight, he would be hosting the Holly Feast at the keep.
It was tradition for the lords to rotate feast days, Each of the seven noble houses hosted one each year, and Holly Feast was the legacy of Northall.
Even the prince was to be in attendance.
Keira pulled back on the reins, slowing from a canter to a walk as they reached a nearby brook.
She’d hardly seen Caspian for the last few days due to all the preparations.
He was apologetic of course, and it was hardly as if she could help.
Still, it had been utterly miserable. Keira sighed.
He had taken time to show her the keep’s massive library and a tour of the village.
They’d ridden out to Llyndale to order clothes for her and many other essentials for the upcoming festivities.
It was a thriving town with a large crafting quarter.
The people were friendly and in good spirits with the Holly Day so near. Caspian was certainly well loved…
A sadness stirred in her at that thought.
Caspian had settled into the role of lord, quick with a smile and a joke and so charitable.
Whereas Keira had never considered herself a particularly likable person.
Her words were unfiltered and direct, which in this place meant she could hardly speak without breaking some little rule, insulting someone or looking like a complete idiot.
Engaging in the obligatory was tedious and exhausting when her temperament was better suited for discovery, stimulation, excitement, whether in the pages of a book or out in the wilds.
Keira held in a groan as she heard another horse approaching, but she softened as his gleaming white hair gave Caspian away even from afar. She smiled and turned to meet him. Beneath her, the horse shook her grey mane as the other drew near.
“Good thing you slowed,” Caspian said by way of greeting. “I was afraid I was going to lose you.”
“I thought you’d be occupied,” Keira said. It truly was a surprise seeing him with all the chaos she had left behind in the keep. She’d assumed he’d be at the center of it all.
He shrugged. “There has to be some advantage to being a lord once in a while, right?”
There was a hint of sincerity in his question. She could see the subtle guilt hidden in his features.
“I’m sure Lionel has the situation well in hand,” Keira half joked.
Caspian nodded. “The guests won’t be arriving for some time yet.” He straightened in the saddle. “And now that I’m here, I have to say that I think you had the right idea.”
His voice trailed off as he looked to the horizon. The sun was peeking brilliantly over the snow covered trees. The sky and snow was painted with all the warm colors of dawn. Beautiful.
Keira was absently aware of Caspian bringing his own horse beside her own, but his hand on the small of her back took her by surprise.
She turned to find his black eyes gleaming at her.
“Promise me that this isn’t a dream,” he said, his voice low, only for her even though they were completely alone.
His fingers brushed against her cheek, moving to cup the nape of her neck.
Keira’s lips parted as he drew her in. This is why she had stayed, despite everything.
They’d rediscovered their love, digging it out like some precious thing lost in the snow, only to find that it had grown, changed into something even more marvelous.
Caspian was an inch from her when the mare beneath her stamped restlessly. Keira narrowly avoided bashing into his face before she calmed the horse.
When she turned back to him, he was watching her with an amused grin.
“Looks like we’ve used up someone’s patience,” Keira laughed.
“Race you?” Caspian shot back, coming to her side.
Keira put her heel into the mare’s flank, and she took off beneath her.
“Hey!”
Caspian’s call was already distant as her laughter rolled freely over the hills.
It was a moment before Keira heard hoofbeats approaching her, but it was not from the direction she would have expected.
She turned quickly, glancing over her shoulder.
On her left she could see another rider, a flash of a white horse and a black cloak.
It was certainly not Caspian. She was also certain that the rider was coming for her, and gaining.
Keira coaxed a faster pace from the mare, but she protested, coming to her limit. Her pursuer’s horse was simply superior as it continued to close the distance.
“Woah!” he called out as he came to cut across her path.
Keira took the reins in hand, pulling her full weight against them to keep from plowing into him.
“Fate’s teeth! Are you insane!” Keira said furiously. She could have injured her horse. She could have been thrown.
The interloper smiled at her as if she were being amusing.
It was as he drew his horse back to a walk that she saw it, the coat of arms on his chest. It was the golden rose of the royal house.
Keira opened her mouth to form an apology to this man, who was clearly Prince Gilbert, the crown prince and heir to the king, and found nothing but illegible syllables.
“It appears you have deduced my identity,” he said, still wearing the same charming smile. “Yet, I find myself at a rather rare loss. I cannot seem to place you, my lady.”
“You could have killed me!” The words volleyed out of her mouth.
“My infinite apologies. I wrongfully believed that your horse had run away from you. Gallantry is a fault of mine.” He smiled even broader.
Merciful Fate, was he flirting?
Keira looked desperately over her shoulder and saw Caspian trotting towards them.
“Ho!” Prince Gilbert said as he followed her gaze. “Lord Caspian.”
“Good to see you,” Caspian said with a genuine smile as he joined them. “Welcome, of course. I wasn’t expecting you so early.”
“The roads were unseasonably kind,” he explained. “I must apologize for my misguided rescue attempt, but I assure you that your lovely guest has already shown me the error of my ways. Perhaps you could serve the introduction as she has seen it a fit punishment to deny me her name.”
Keira looked to Caspian, utterly mortified. Would he be angry that she had yelled at a prince, or even worse, that he was still so obviously flirting with her? Caspian just smiled.
“Your Highness, this is Keira.”
Prince Gilbert looked back to her, recognition gleaming in his angular eyes. “It is good to see that you found her at last.” The prince turned to her. “I feel I know you already with how much Caspian spoke of you during our time together.”
“He was probably too flattering for any measure of realism,” Keira said.
The prince laughed. “No, my dear, I believe he failed to do you justice.” He looked to Caspian, knocking him playfully on the shoulder. “Well done tracking her down. I see what took you so long. She rides like the wind.”
“Shall we go up together?” Caspian asked, gesturing up the hill to the keep where the rest of the prince’s procession was arriving.
“I suppose we must,” Prince Gilbert sighed.
They set into steady gait, flanking Caspian’s horse.
“So how is this going to affect your business with the Redfields?”
The engagement. Would the prince rather his appointed lord marry into the nobility to strengthen his claim? What if he thought Caspian marrying her would reflect poorly back on him?
Caspian only groaned.
“Yes, the young Lord Redfield is rumored to be very set on the match.” The prince’s expression seemed troubled for the first time. Keira sensed there was more that he wasn’t saying. “I doubt he’ll make it easy for you to back out.”
“Nothing’s been signed,” Caspian said, though with little weight.
“I’ll see what I can do, shall I?” he offered. With a final nod to them both, he picked up speed to meet his attendants.
“You really are friends with the prince,” Keira said, watching him go.
“He’s a good man,” Caspian said. “He’ll make a good king.”
They rode in silence for a beat, watching the prince make his way up the hill.
“I’m nervous about tonight,” she confessed.
Caspian drew closer and wrapped his arm around her waist. “It’s only a party,” he said, planting a kiss on her hair. “We’ve faced worse.”
Keira smiled begrudgingly.
“Who knows, with enough wine it might even be fun.”
She elbowed him halfheartedly in the ribs, grinning widely. “Is that allowed among the nobility? Fun?”
Caspian scoffed. “Only on feast days. Then the whole court loses their cursed minds.”
“So much to look forward to.” Keira looked up at the keep, at the trailing lines of the prince’s entourage, knowing he was but the first. She might need quite a lot of wine to get through this night. At least she wouldn’t be the only one.