A Gift of Ice and Snow; Chapter 3

I stalk down the corridor. If Jerrik didn't have a good excuse for not attending the meeting with the parliament, I was going to throttle him.

"Kieran!" The gruff voice calls after me.

I stop and wait, but I don't turn around. A few seconds later, my father appears in front of me. He's scowling, so I scowl back.

"What do you think you're doing?" he demands.

"The royal amulets only have so much power left in them. Lord Aukai's son does not have what it takes to be a knight. I'm not going to waste the power or time to train him. Perhaps if Lord Aukai hadn't been so. . . liberal with the use of his family's amulet he could train his son."

"You think two knights are enough to protect our ruler should the Spirit of Winter finally restore the power?"

"I never said it was. Jerrik and I are still looking for others to train."

"Speaking of Jerrik, shouldn't he have a say in the matter?"

I can feel my annoyance growing. How many times was I going to have to repeat myself? "When Sir Oonk passed, he appointed me as head of the royal guard. So, until the Spirit of Winter restores the power and selects a ruler: in this palace, my word is law and I have final say on all decisions for the royal guard."

My father glares at me. I can see the annoyance rising in his own eyes.

I brush past him. "Feel free to remind the rest of the parliament. Oh, and give Jullian my regards on being appointed your heir."

I can feel his glare follow me down the hall. I turn down the first corridor I reach. I knew the palace like the back of my hand. I could reach the wing with Jerrik's and my personal quarters by another route.

My footsteps echo in the empty corridor. Sir Oonk had always said that the Spirit of Winter would be selecting a new ruler soon. He had always been so sure of it. I hoped he was right. I'm not sure how much longer I could take dealing with the parliament.

The doors of the throne room open, allowing Skade out. She smiles at me as she passes. I envied her ability to carry about in her day-to-day activities unseen and unnoticed by just about everyone here.

"Can anyone hear me?! Please!" A voice calls out.

I freeze, spinning back around. Skade is gone. My eyes flick to the doors of the throne room. The voice had come from inside. I walk to the doors, pushing them open.

A girl with auburn hair in a pale blue dress is moving toward the thrones. I don't recognize her which, considering I know everyone here in the palace, is odd.

"Who are you?" I demand. "How did you get in here?"

She spins, eyes wide. She glances behind her before she speaks. "You can see me?"

I can feel my eyes narrow. What kind of question was that? "Of course, I can. You aren't exactly hiding."

"The girl that just came in couldn't see me- she walked right through me."

Was she being serious right now? I raise an eyebrow. "She walked through you?"

She sighs. "Look, I don't know where I am or how I got here, okay?" She brushes a loose strand of hair that's somehow managed to escape the pin holding it up out of her face before tucking it behind her ear- her rounded ear. "I just want-"

"You're human!" I exclaim, eyes widening in shock. "How are you not cold?"

She looks genuinely surprised. "I- I don't know."

It was certainly a miracle, but it was also best not to push her luck. I move towards her, pulling off my coat so I can hold it out to her. "Here. I don't want you freezing to death before I get answers."

She huffs in annoyance. "How considerate."

She reaches out, taking my coat, fingers brushing mine. She cries out in pain, pulling her hand back.

What I can only describe as a breath of air washes over me. It feels like a weight I never knew was there has been removed from my chest. It's not a new feeling though. I had felt this before. During my training, when I had used an amulet to access my powers.

I blink, pulling my eyes to her. As if to further prove it, her ears are pointed and snow drifts to the ground behind her. "It's you." I drop to a knee, bowing my head. "Your majesty."

"What?" Her voice is strained.

I look up. "We've been waiting for the Spirit of Winter to select our next ruler."

She takes a step back, shaking her head as frost creeps out from her steps. "No. I'm not- I can't-" Her knees buckle.

I spring forward, catching her before she hits the ground. As I hold her, I can feel something pulling her- pulling her back to wherever the Spirit of Winter had found her. "Where can I find you? I'll come for you and bring you back."

She stares at the creeping frost on the ground. She looks at me, fear in her grey eyes. "What's happening?"

"Your powers, you don't know how to control them. I can teach you. Tell me where you are."

As she opens her mouth to respond, she disappears, the frost coating the ground and snowflakes floating to the ground the only sign of her ever being here.

xXxXx

I don't bother knocking. I throw Jerrik's door open. It slams against the wall with a heavy thud.

A girl pops up in the bed, surprised by the disturbance. I recognize her from the kitchen staff. Her face pales when her eyes fall on me.

I sigh, closing my eyes and stepping to the side. I can hear the rustle of sheets and the murmur of voices. She breezes past me, mumbling a greeting.

I open my eyes to glare at Jerrik. He sits in the bed, glaring back in groggy annoyance. "Why do you have to be such a buzz kill?" He asks with a yawn.

"Well, Casanova, get used to it. Your days of endless conquests are over."

Jerrik groans, rubbing his eyes. "It's too early for riddles."

"It's nearly ten in the morning."

Jerrik freezes. "I missed the meeting."

I roll my eyes. "Brilliant deduction." I walk into the room. Plucking his pants off the floor I chuck them at him. "Get up, quick. It's only a matter of time before the parliament comes screaming."

Jerrik smirks. "What did you say to piss your old man off this time?"

"What did Oonk see in you again?"

"What did Oonk see in you again?" He counters, reaching down for his shirt.

"Didn't you feel it?" Surely, I wasn't the only one with access to their powers.

Jerrik looks at me in shock. "Threeish minutes ago?"

A smile creeps across my face as I nod.

Jerrik flicks out his hand, flicking up a flurry of snowflakes. He laughs, looking at me. "I thought I was being wishful." He yanks his shirt on. "For once, I'm actually looking forward to dealing with the parliament. Let's make it fast though. Can't have our ruler running about unprotected for too long."

I turn to head out the door. "We'll have to rely on the wolves to find her."

Jerrik matches my pace in the corridor. "Her?" He teases. "I thought I would be the one to call the ruler being a queen."

I let out a small chuckle. "I wouldn't be making any assumptions if I hadn't seen her."

"What?" I notice Jerrik has fallen back. I stop, turning towards him. He's staring at me. I can see the doubt on his face.

"I saw her. I was on my way to find you when I heard someone in the throne room. I opened the doors and there was a girl in there that I had never seen before. I offered her my coat and when she touched my hand. . . I almost didn't believe it myself, but I had to. Frost and snow were just reacting to her- the way our powers did when we first were allowed to use the amulets- and- and she. . . she wasn't human anymore-"

"Wait, wait, wait." Jerrik cuts me off, shaking his head. "She wasn't human anymore? Are you saying the Spirit of Winter has turned a human into a fae to be the ruler?"

"Unless you have another explanation for a human's rounded ears to become pointed. . . " I shrug my shoulders, spreading my hands wide.

Jerrik takes off, no doubt heading for the throne room. I follow him.

He throws the doors wide and stares inside. I lean against the wall as he stares in amazement, attempting again and again to form the beginning of a sentence.

He finally looks at me. "I'm not sure which part of the story the parliament will dislike the most."

I hear the echo of footsteps approaching down the corridor and sigh, pushing off the wall. "We're about to find out."

xXxXx

"You can sense her, can't you?"

Voltaire whines at me in response. I rest my head against his. Through my connection with him, I can feel her presence. Somewhere far away, but constant. I wonder how he can also sense where she is, but I don't doubt it. Our connection always allows me to find him, the way I hope his connection to her will take us to her. The wolves had always had a strong connection to the ruler.

I hear the door to the palace open and look up, expecting to see Jerrik, but find my father instead. I scowl. "What?"

"One of the Lords or their sons should be going with you to meet the new queen."

I shake my head, turning back to Voltaire, adjusting his straps. "Save your breath. My decision is final."

"Her training to rule the Winter Wastes is as important as her training to control her powers. She will need someone who can instruct her in such matters."

"She'll have enough to worry about just learning to control her powers first. Besides, if it really is such a big deal, I can go over the basics for ruling as well." I turn to look at him. "I was training to be a Lord for a while, you know."

My father glares at me. "You listen here boy," he shakes his finger at me, "Oonk might have appointed you as head of the royal guard, but his ruling can be easily changed."

My eyes narrow as Voltaire emits a low growl. "Are you threatening me?"

Before he can respond the door flies open and Jerrik bursts in. He freezes when he sees my father. Silence hangs in the air a moment later before my father turns on his heel, brushing past Jerrik. "Safe travels," he calls over his shoulder.