Chapter 7
Chapter Seven
The pearly gates of Frosborg loomed overhead, sparkling with the day's frost in the setting sun, as they entered the city.
Vax’s mouth gaped as he peered up at the golden palace spires that pierced the amber sky.
Each spire bloomed at its peak with sapphire, emerald, and amethyst glass that caught the final sun’s rays like crystallized candy.
Riya’s lips curved upward, remembering the first time she beheld the beauty of this city so long ago.
They wove through narrow lanes where icicles dripped from pitched rooftops and the market square unfurled before them.
Yule banners snapped like whips in the wind as merchants called out, selling their wares in singsong voices.
Snowflake lanterns swayed overhead, scattering illuminated patterns across the fresh powder of the snow-covered cobbles.
Riya inhaled deeply, taking in the familiar scents of cinnamon, spiced cider, and yeast, all the smells of Yule and her shoulders relaxed fully for the first time in days.
Vax’s eyes darted from cart to cart, taking it all in as Riya pulled back on Snerra’s reins, claiming her usual corner spot in the square.
“This might be the most beautiful city I’ve ever seen.”
Riya smiled, “It does have a way of taking your breath away, especially during Yule. Come on, it’s time to set up shop.”
Snow began to fall, dusting everything in a whimsical sheen of sparkling white as Riya hung her hand-painted price boards on the carriage display.
Before she’d even arranged the last tray of sugar-dusted pastries, three women were already hurrying over, coins jingling in their purses.
As the sky darkened to black, the crowd around her carriage swelled.
Vax stood beside her the entire time, handing over wrapped packages as if he’d been working beside her like this for ages, and with each passing moment, her heart swelled.
She didn’t miss the curious glances at him, quickly darting away when she pinned them with her stare, but everyone minded their own business, moving on their way. By the time the clock tower chimed midnight, Riya’s display had been reduced to two lonely boxes of chocolates.
“Look at that,” Vax said, bending close enough that she could see the snowflakes melting on his eyelashes. “You’re a popular woman. There are only two boxes of chocolates left.”
She laughed, heat building in her cheeks, unable to hide the pride she felt. “There’s one left for each of us to enjoy while we watch the fireworks.”
Just then, a loud bang exploded, lighting the sky in a shower of orange, green, and red.
A cheer rose through the square, carrying with it the contagious thrum of the festival.
Riya’s hand found Vax’s without even thinking, large, warm, and solid beneath her grip as she squeezed.
He squeezed back, not letting go, and it all felt so right.
For a fleeting, delusional moment, it felt like she belonged—no, that they belonged.
Maybe this was what she’d been searching for all her life, someone to belong to, and maybe she’d truly found her place in the company of the unlikeliest of strangers.
The thought made her ache, sweet and sharp.
She glanced up at him only to find him looking down at her, fireworks coloring his face in gleams of emerald and gold.
“You’re beaming,” Vax said, lips quirking.
“You know the morning I found you, my tea leaves foretold of a change coming,” she said, the sounds of the festival somehow dying out until it felt like it was just them standing in the snow-covered square together, blissfully alone.
“I think it was you. My tea knew you were coming to help me in the challenges this year would bring.”
“It was in the leaves all along.” He turned fully to face her, wrapping a hand around her waist and pulling her into his embrace. “Foretelling our story.”
He bent then, tilting her chin up before pressing a delicate, affectionate kiss on her lips.
“For the first time in my life, I finally feel like I’ve found a place to call home.” He whispered, momentarily breaking their kiss and brushing the hair away from her face. “You’re my home, Riya, and I will follow you anywhere.”
Riya shivered, not from cold but from the tenderness in his words, in his touch.
She’d never believed in fate, never truly trusted omens or prophecies, even though her grandmother had taught her to read tea leaves and whispered of the sacred magic in the world.
Yet here was this man, this impossible, fire-wielding stranger with his scorching fingertips tracing softly along her jawline, convincing her that maybe, just maybe, fate had been watching over her all along.
If you enjoyed this story and are intrigued about Vax and Riya’s worlds, try reading K.C. Smith’s Realm of Curses and Waves of Sorcery series!