While the king put everything in writing with my father and signed it, Piper and I were in the drawing room, reading and waiting for the purity test. I dreaded what came next. The healer would check to make sure I was indeed intact for my king. My mother told me it would feel awkward for a moment but would be over quickly.
The door opened suddenly and a male elvin healer walked in wearing a white healer’s robe. King Thorne stepped in behind him. I hadn’t expected a male healer. I shared a look with Piper and gulped, clenching my thighs at the thought of a strange man looking between my legs.
“I said no. I told you not to come,” the winter king growled at the healer.
My father and mother had not yet returned and so I would have to navigate this myself.
The healer wore a typical white robe and carried a black healer’s bag. “Your father has demanded it,” the healer said.
The room was suddenly plunged into coldness as frigid temperatures coated my skin. “My father is no longer king,” he barked at the healer. “The only man I want seeing her naked is me. If you touch her, I’ll freeze your hand and break it off. Understood?”
I stiffened, and Piper moved protectively to my side.
This was the temper he was famous for. Freezing and breaking off your own healer’s hand! It was insane. I was so confused by his behavior. Didn’t he want to make sure I was pure? I didn’t know what to think of this man. He was breaking all the rules.
“Just the written statement will suffice,” King Thorne told him.
The healer’s jaw tensed but he nodded, then he turned to face me. “Madelynn Windstrong, do you swear on the Maker that you are pure from sexual defilement?”
I swallowed hard, my cheeks heating. “I swear,” I squeaked.
He handed me a piece of paper that said as much and I signed it with a shaking hand.
As the healer was leaving, my mother and father entered the room, both smiling. Clearly they were happy with the dowry I had secured.
“Is the purity check done already?” my mom asked, seeing the healer leaving.
“It is,” the king said, not stating that I’d never been physically checked.
“Would you like to see a display of her power before it gets dark?” My father beamed. He was always so proud of my magical abilities. It was sweet.
King Thorne looked across the drawing room at me. “If Madelynn doesn’t mind. I know we have to leave early in the morning for the engagement tour, so if you are tired I understand.”
Piper and I shared a look. Why was he so considerate? Was this all an act? It didn’t make sense. The selfish and angry winter king I heard rumors about was not the man who stood before me.
I stood, straightening my back. “I’m always down to show off a little,” I exclaimed, to which my mother scoffed.
“She is rather humble, my lord, I promise,” my mother told the king nervously.
“Not when it comes to her power,” Piper said honestly, which got a chuckle from my father.
I glanced at the king to find him smirking at me. It was as if I brought him great delight with my rebellious, unladylike behavior.
We all stepped outside into the flat meadow surrounded by trees. A few of them were knocked over from the last time I’d displayed a tremendous amount of wind power.
I could feel the king standing at my back, and turned to see him a mere foot away, watching me with interest. My mother, father, and Piper, however, stood a good six feet away.
“You’re going to want to stand back further, my lord,” I told him.
His eyes glittered as if the thought that I could hurt him was asinine.
Taking my heed, he stepped back to where the others were waiting, then I drew in a deep breath. Calling the wind to me, it filtered through the trees, pulling leaves with it as it came. I started with a show of force, using the wind to pick up a fallen tree and lift the large log into the air, spinning it wildly.
The sounds of clapping came from behind me and I turned to see my mother, father, Piper and the winter king all cheering me on.
“Impressive!” King Thorne shouted.
Encouraged by the audience, I dropped the log and gathered more leaves, wanting to end the performance with a beautiful swirl of colors. Brown, orange, green, and bright yellow leaves ripped from the branches and joined the swirl of wind. A gasp of surprise came from behind me, from right behind me, and I knew it was the king. My mother and father had seen this dozens of times—they could do it too, on a smaller scale. Piper wouldn’t be shocked either as she’d seen me do it often.
“You’re incredible,” King Thorne breathed, and then he was right beside me, his hands reaching out to mine. “May I?”
I didn’t know what he meant, but it would be rude to deny the king, so I nodded. And that’s when it began to snow. Not on us, or my parents, it was strictly controlled to the funnel. I watched as snowflakes dropped into my wind funnel and then were sucked into the swirling motion. The white flurry reminded me of a snowglobe toy I had when I was a child. Whenever I got angry I would shake it and watch the snow fall and it would soothe me. That was happening now. The snow and the bright leaves were in perfect sync, making a soothing spiral around the meadow. It was as if my magic and his were made for each other, and if I was honest, it was one of the most beautiful things I’d ever seen.
My parents and Piper started to clap and I dropped my hands, dissipating the wind tunnel.
“I’m famished,” I told my mother, giving King Thorne my back. Something had happened there, something I couldn’t explain and didn’t like. Or I did like it—too much, and that was the problem.
This man admitted a mere hour ago to killing dozens of people in the Great Freeze, and then threatened to break off his healer’s hand. I wasn’t going to let a little snow dazzle that out of my memory.
“Oh, well, alright, let’s go inside.” My mother laughed nervously as I stomped away and back towards the house.
I didn’t want to like Lucien Thorne. This complicated things. I had heard too many horrible stories to just fall for his charms. But charming he was. Soon enough his true colors would show and then I would shine a light on them and force him to see that I could never love a man like him. At the very least, we would tolerate each other for the sake of the kingdom and any future children we had.
The mere thought of having children with him caused my cheeks to heat up.
“Darling!” my mother called after me, and I stopped and turned to face her. Piper had disappeared into the greenhouse, and my father and King Thorne were talking far off in the meadow.
She was smiling. “Well, how’s it going? He seems very… likable.”
“A superb actor no doubt,” I told her, and glared across the meadow at him.
My mother frowned. “That dowry… it was double what your father planned to ask for. Would an actor be so generous?”
My heart beat frantically in my chest at her assessment. “I suppose not.”
A coy smile pulled at her lips as she hooked her arm in mine. “I’ve invited over some of our favorite courtiers. We can dance, drink, and get to know him better. That way you feel more comfortable going off on tour with him tomorrow.”
I didn’t want a spectacle, but I knew if the elders had already been told, then the entire court knew, or they would soon enough. That’s what the tour was all about. Let all of the town gossips come out to see us together and spread the news.
The winter king had chosen a wife.
“Should I change my dress?” I asked my mother.
She nodded. “Nothing wrong with that one, but it’s best that the king know we have provided well for you thus far.”
That was my mother, always thinking of how others might perceive her and my father. In her defense, it was practically in the job title.
I veered into my room and prepared to get to know this man I was about to marry. I prayed to the Maker that some ghastly flaws would soon show themselves, otherwise I might have to change my mind about him. And I wasn’t prepared to do that just yet.
REDHEADS LOOKED best in emerald green and dark purple but there was another secret color that made men’s necks crane to look at us in adoration. A secret color you wouldn’t expect.
Red.
Because my hair was more of a copper shade, the blood red dress I wore now, along with my green eyes, made my hair color pop even more. It was a fashion forward dress that I’d had recently made for one of Maxwell’s parties. The neckline was appropriate but just barely so, and it hugged my hips, tightly clinging all the way to the knee before it belled out. The train was small enough that I could walk the room but long enough to be dramatic. I absolutely loved it.
“If he doesn’t marry you, I will,” Piper stated as she took in my gown.
I grinned. “It is a lovely dress, isn’t it?”
Piper was wearing a beautiful pale blue gown with her brown hair tied up in a cascade of curls. “It is. And was that a moment I noticed between you two when you were showing off your powers together?” She stepped up beside me and started to pin the sides of my hair back.
I rolled my eyes. “The powers thing was… cool, but there was no moment.”
Piper raised one eyebrow to me. “I asked the staff. They all said that he’s been lovely and he even apologized for spilling water and offered to clean it himself.”
My mouth popped open and I turned to looked at her. I didn’t even do that. I apologized of course but the servants cleaned it up. That was their job.
“What is he playing at?” I asked her.
She simply shrugged. “You’ll have to get to know him better to find out.”
My hair was fully down and curled but for the sides pinned back away from my face. Piper pulled a metal tube of lip rouge out of her pocket and grinned at me.
“Is that my mother’s?” I inquired.
She nodded. “She caught me stealing it twenty minutes ago and then told me to give it to you.”
I smacked her arm playfully. “Piper! I don’t need to woo him, we are already engaged.”
Red lipstick was for enticing a man. I’d already gotten him.
Piper puckered her lips, motioning that I do the same. I did, and as she applied the rouge she looked me in the eyes. “Madelynn, my mother gave me some love advice when I got my first brassiere, and I’m going to share it with you.”
I steeled myself. Piper’s mother was the lady-in-waiting to my own mother. She singlehandedly helped my mother manage her entire life. If she had advice, I wanted it.
“What?” I murmured as she pulled the stick of rouge away from my lips and then spun me in front of the mirror so that I could see myself.
Holy fae.
I looked… like I wanted to lure a husband.
“The advice was, that even when you’re married, you still need to woo your man,” Piper said with a smile.
I chuckled. “She said that?”
She dipped her chin. “So whether you’re engaged, or married, or celebrating fifty years together, you need to woo.” She winked.
“I don’t want to woo him!” I snapped, and then felt badly for it. “I’m sorry. I’m just… he killed those people in the Great Freeze, he admitted it. My gran—”
“Had a weak heart and shouldn’t have been out in the cold. That was years ago and he said he lost control. It sounded like an accident. Is he not allowed to make mistakes?”
I didn’t like that she was sticking up for him, but was that because I was being too hard on him?
“He threatened to break off his own healer’s hand!” I told her.
Piper nodded. “He’s king and the healer was going against his wishes that you not be checked, which you should be grateful for!”
Piper was always so levelheaded. I hated it sometimes.
“Fine, let’s just go to dinner.” I smoothed my dress, trying not to be flustered. I expected Lucien Thorne to waltz in here and be a jerk. To lowball my dowry and beat our servants. I didn’t know what to do with this man who had showed up.
MY MOTHER SAID a few favorite courtiers but what she meant was the elders, their spouses, over two dozen courtiers, and their families. The ballroom was filled to the brim with our entire house staff running around filling drinks or setting out food.
“Mother, this is grander than the Fall Festival,” I said under my breath as I walked up to her. She took in my red lip rouge, my dress, and my heeled shoes.
“Madelynn, you have grown into a truly stunning woman.” Her eyes misted over with tears and it caught me off guard.
“Thank you,” I said. “But this dinner party is too much.”
My mother reached up and grasped my chin, shaking it a little. “It’s not every day my eldest daughter gets betrothed. Let me have a little fun.”
I sighed, relenting a little. My mother loved parties, loved decorating and going over the menu with the head chef. This was probably in the works for days.
I raised an eyebrow at her. “How long have you been planning this?”
She pursed her lips. “The winter king made his intentions known a few weeks ago but I had no idea what your father would decide.”
“A few weeks!” I whispered-screamed. They kept this from me for a few weeks?
When people looked over at us, my mother gave a nervous laugh and raised her wine glass, then she glanced at me. “There were many back and forth exchanges. Your father made sure King Thorne and you would be a good match.”
There was no sense arguing about something that was already done. “Lovely party, Mother. Thank you,” I said dryly, and went in search of Piper.
She would share my disdain for a giant betrothal dinner I had no say in. I weaved in and out of the packed gathering of people, giving friendly smiles and thank yous when they offered congratulations. I was just turning away from Madame Fuller, my mother’s and my favorite dressmaker, when I was suddenly standing before Lucien Thorne.
My breath hitched when I saw him in the silver silk tunic with snowflake embroidery at the hem. His eyes went half lidded as he assessed my dress and then settled on my red lips.
“I now know what it means when a man says a woman is breathtaking.” He inhaled as if he’d truly forgotten how to breathe.
Another earth-shattering compliment I didn’t know what to do with. The truth was, I was having trouble remembering how to breathe seeing him all dressed up.
Music started up in that moment and King Thorne wordlessly offered his hand to me. My mind screamed no, but my body leaned into his outstretched hand, and before I had a second to think about it, we were dancing. The room erupted into applause and the guests cleared the floor as the king expertly spun me around the dancefloor in my favorite waltz.
“You’re a decent dancer,” I commented, trying to get my wits about me. Being close to him like this, feeling his gentle hand on my lower back, my small hand tucked into his as I gripped his tight muscled arm with my free hand, it befuddled my common sense.
“Just decent? Oh, my mother would hate to hear that,” he said with a frown.
I smiled. “Okay, more than decent. Did your mother teach you how to dance, King Thorne?”
“Please, call me Lucien,” he said. “And yes, she did.”
First name basis was usually done after the wedding, and even then the husbands insisted on my lord or Your Highness, even from a wife and queen. I heard a rumor that even his own father wasn’t allowed to call him Lucien.
“Lucien, are you enjoying Fall Court?” I opted for small talk, as my mind and body were currently at war with each other. One part of me wanted to run away and the other wanted to know what he tasted like. It was horrifying and unexpected and I didn’t know what to do.
He looked down at me, truly looked at me, with a depth I was sure climbed into the place where I kept my darkest secrets.
I felt raw and exposed under that gaze, and yet I couldn’t look away.
“What is there not to like?” he asked. “Your countryside is stunning, your family and courtiers are very kind, and you are… beyond what I ever imagined.”
Now it was my turn to lose my breath. The things he said, the constant compliments, it was… I didn’t expect it. “Do you talk like this to all the women you want to woo?” I blurted out.
He laughed and his entire face lit up, the deep sound resonating within me. “Madelynn, you are the first woman I have wooed in quite some time. I just speak from the heart, as my mother taught me to.”
I didn’t know what to say to that, so I merely blinked rapidly and danced the rest of the song in silence. I felt a small stab of jealousy that he had wooed someone else a long time ago, and then felt stupid for it. I was overjoyed when dinner was announced and we all took our seats. Piper was seated on my left, and Lucien on my right, at the head of the table where my father usually sat. This time, my mother and father sat across from us.
Libby was sleeping and hated to miss parties, so I’d be sure to save her a piece of chocolate cake.
Our head servant, Jericho, approached the king with a deep bow. “Would you prefer red or white wine, Your Royal Highness? Or perhaps some local mead. We have an apple pumpkin ale that is famous with the locals.”
Lucien held up a hand. “None, thank you. I don’t drink.”
I stiffened a little, sharing a look with my mother. Men who didn’t drink did so for only one reason: they had a problem with it.
It all made sense now. The stories of his outbursts, freezing the realm, cutting out a courtier’s tongue. All things an unhinged man would do while drunk.
Jericho was a seasoned servant and knew protocol. If an honored guest refused drink, then no more wine was served to anyone at the party.
Instead of topping off my mother’s empty glass or asking guests for their order, the wine and mead bottles slowly and silently left the room on the trays of our staff.
“My king, I do hope you love the meal. We are quite fond of our chef, and the meat was killed only hours ago in preparation.” My mother was an expert at changing topics and defusing tension.
Lucien smiled at her kindly. “I cannot wait.”
The rest of the night went smoothly. Lucien complimented the meal three times, going into detail about the rosemary-soaked stew and the sweet glaze on the potatoes. He was a polite guest and everyone seemed to be having a lovely time.
I, however, was abnormally quiet, envisioning a drunken king who’d turned to the bottle after the death of his mother. How long had he been sober? We had a problem in our court with one of the elders. He had a sickness, drank wine more than he did water. My mother had him sent away to an elvin healing center for this type of thing. He’d been sober ten years now.
I knew there had to be a flaw, a reason for the stories that surrounded him. We all had a past, and I wouldn’t hold his against him so long as he was healed from it. That was the part that was bugging me.
Was he healed? I couldn’t ask, it was not my place.
After dinner, the party broke up earlier than it usually did, probably from the lack of wine flowing, and I wished everyone a good night.
Tomorrow, we would start our multi-day tour of the courts. It would be the only time I would have to get to know the winter king before we were married forever.
As I stepped into the hallway with Lucien, I prepared to go right to my room as he would go left to the guest quarters, but instead he just stopped and looked down at me.
I paused, sensing he wanted to say something.
Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out an unknown object and kept it in his fist.
“I… was hoping you would wear this, but if you want to design your own I completely understand.” He reached for my hand and dropped a delicate ring into it.
Looking down at the golden band with a snowflake design in the middle, I gasped.
“It was my mother’s,” he confessed, and my heart dropped into my stomach. “I know she would want you to have it.”
Giving the bride a ring was customary after the dowry, but his mother’s? It was very touching. I didn’t know what to say.
“It’s beautiful,” I told him, and then slipped it onto my marriage finger. Seeing this ring on my hand made everything so real in that moment.
“Sleep well, Madelynn.” He bowed lightly to me, which was unheard of, and again befuddled my mind.
“Goodnight, Lucien.” I bowed lightly to him as we prepared to go separate ways to our rooms.
The way he said my name, delicately and with such care, it stayed on my mind long after I slipped into bed.
