by K. M. Shea
Two soldiers standing guard at their posts in the hall gasped. “Princess!” They scrambled to salute her and exchanged shocked gazes.
“How can we, er, be of service to you?” one asked. He was shorter and sounded pleasant enough, but he looked like he had seen a battle or three based on the familiar grip he held of his spear and the white scar that puckered his cheek.
“I wish to speak to a particular prisoner,” she said. “Aleifr.”
The soldier who was brave enough to speak nodded knowingly. “Yes, Princess. We have direct orders from the King that we are to do whatever you wish with him. I will take you to his cell, but if you like, we could haul him out of the dungeons. A place like this ain’t fit for you,” he said as the second soldier appeared to sink his neck into his shoulders.
Rakel shook her head. “No. I should like to speak to him in his cell, but I thank you for your thoughtfulness.”
The short soldier saluted. “As you wish, Princess. This way, if you please.”
Rakel followed him down the aisle, struggling to calm her frantically beating heart as he led the way to the darkest part of the dungeon. He sorted through a ring of keys, then paused at a wooden door lined with metal, and opened it.
The cell was constructed out of black stone, making it oppressive and cheerless. It stank of rotting flesh and contained only a bucket and a pile of moldy straw. It took Rakel a moment to realize that the mass of ratty rags on the straw was a person, and not refuse.
She swallowed heavily and briefly covered her mouth with a hand as she fought the bile that churned in her stomach.
“Traitor, stand,” the stout soldier said. “You’re in the presence of the Snow Queen.”
Aleifr uncurled; his frightened eyes looked abnormally large in his gaunt skull. “N-no,” he whispered, his fear almost palpable. He bolted to the opposite side of the cell, revealing leg irons that chained him to the wall.
Rakel’s guide scowled and looked like he was about to take the dirty prisoner to task, but Rakel stepped into the cell. “That is enough, thank you. Farrin and Koray will guard me.” She glanced down at the dog, uncertain this was true, but he looked fierce enough she thought the guard would still believe her.
The soldier adjusted his helm. “Yes, Your Highness, but I must perform my duty, so I’ll be stayin’ here.”
Rakel nodded very slowly. She had hoped to do this without an audience—Farrin didn’t count, for he knew her heart perhaps better than she did herself—but she was not surprised. Even though he knows I have Farrin with me, Steinar would be angry if I were to speak to Aleifr without additional protection. Out loud she said, “Very well,” then returned her attention to her one-time guard, who was pressed into the farthest corner, quivering.
“I knew you would come for me,” he said in a hoarse voice. “You’d come for revenge.”
It took Rakel a moment to push past the memory of his betrayal. “No.”
Aleifr shook his head, weaving slightly. “You’ve come to kill me. To punish me for my betrayal. I’ve been waiting for it.”
Fear and an unexpected jolt of hurt made it difficult for her to swallow. “I’m not going to kill you, Aleifr.”
“Then you’ll torture me,” he said. He shook with fear and dread, trembling like a pale leaf. “You’ll stab ice into my skin, gouge my eyes, and cut me down.”
Rakel winced both at the gruesome language and with the knowledge that he thought her capable of such a thing. “No. I’m not here to hurt you, either. I have come to release you.”
The short guard made a choking noise somewhere behind Rakel, but he silenced himself when Koray peered in his direction.
Aleifr blinked. “Lies.”
Rakel shook her head.
Aleifr licked his lips and glanced from Rakel to Farrin much like a cornered rabbit. “But I tried to kill you.”
“That may be so, but I forgive you,” Rakel said.
The skeletal prisoner laughed. “This is a trick. You’re trying to get my hopes up, and then you’ll kill me.”
“No, it is quite the contrary. I, Princess Rakel, monarch of winter and sister to King Steinar of Verglas, formally pardon you, Aleifr. You are forgiven for your crimes and are a free man.”
Aleifr took in a rattling breath, but he did not move.
Rakel glanced over her shoulder. “Guard, if you would please remove his shackles?”
The short soldier wore a pinched expression. “This don’t seem right, Princess. Are you sure you aren’t being too kind?”
She smiled. “No, but I thank you for your concern.”
“You can’t pardon me,” Aleifr said. “You don’t have the power. You said it yourself: your brother is the king.”
“Yes, but my brother has given me his royal word: I may do with you what I will. I choose to forgive you.”
“Why are you doing this?” Aleifr whimpered. “You can’t like me.”
Rakel raised an eyebrow. “I never said I did. Rather, I dislike you, in all honesty.”
“Then why?” he croaked.
She hesitated. She felt Farrin take a step closer to her, and Koray nosed her hand, strengthening her resolve. “Because forgiveness is the stronger option. No amount of pain I put you through will take back that moment of your attack. Years spent in imprisonment cannot reverse time. But mercy frees everyone who hears of it. Forgiveness brings hope.”
“You won the war. No one needs hope anymore,” Aleifr whispered.
Rakel shook her head. “Now Verglas, its people, and I need hope more than ever. In the brightness of everyday life, it is easy to forget the darkness and become placid and petty. But if I really wish to be a person of honor and mercy, I must continue to forgive and release any hatred I encounter.” Rakel waited until he met her gaze. “So I forgive you, Aleifr. You might not care, or even want it, but I will grant it regardless.”
Silence thickened the air of the cell.
Aleifr stared unblinking at her, his expression unreadable.
Koray licked Rakel’s fingers, making her breathe deeper. She cleared her throat. “Guard, his shackles.”
The short guard saluted. “Yes, Princess.” He knelt at Aleifr’s feet and unlocked the leg irons. He frowned at Aleifr after casting the shackles away. “We must process your pardon, but in accordance with the princess’s will, you are free.”
Aleifr didn’t seem to notice the soldier. He continued to stare at Rakel. “You’re still a monster,” he whispered.
The insult was depressingly familiar, for before Verglas was retaken, she had heard it often enough. But it did not affect her the way it used to. She knew the true face of darkness and evil—she had faced it. That was why she had to forgive him. “No, I’m not a monster,” she said. “But I don’t care if you accept that or not as I am doing this for my sake. But you have been given a second chance. I hope you use it wisely.”
Rakel left the cell, fleeing before he took the opportunity to further insult her. Koray trotted at her side, and Farrin, instead of ghosting along in her trail, walked shoulder-to-shoulder with her. He held out his hand in an invitation. When she placed her palm against his, warmth flooded her heart.
“You did well, my love,” he murmured.
She exhaled deeply. “Thank you.”
She smiled when they passed the other guard on duty, but she paused at the base of the stairs when the shorter guard shouted. “A moment, Princess!” He jogged down the aisle, leaving Aleifr to stumble towards the other guard on his own.
The guard stopped just short of Rakel and Farrin, then bowed low. “Thank you, Snow Queen. Though he might not understand the greatness of your act, I do. Thank you,” he repeated.
Rakel smiled, but she couldn’t speak—her throat was too thick with emotions she couldn’t identify. So she nodded, then slowly climbed the stairway.
She didn’t say anything as they climbed from the innards of the palace and left the dark dungeon behind them. She tugged on Farrin’s hand and led him across t
he palace, out into the flower gardens.
Relieved, she tilted her head back, smiling in the sunshine as the breeze played with her bangs. She was almost tempted to laugh. She felt lighter, and the weight on her shoulders was gone!
“I’m proud of you. You handled his paranoia well,” Farrin said, breaking the silence.
Rakel released his hand so she could lean into his side. “It was difficult, but it fortified my belief that I was doing the right thing.” She watched Koray fetch a tree branch that was only a little shorter than himself. He dragged it to her and whipped his curly tail in a wild circle.
“He did not deserve your forgiveness,” Farrin said. “He is a traitor.”
“Perhaps, but that’s not the point.”
Farrin tilted his head forward in his agreement, then threw Koray’s stick for him.
The large white dog ran after the branch, wrestled it for a moment, then dragged it back.
Rakel’s smile turned into a mischievous quirk of her lips. “General Halvor and Oskar will be plagued with indigestion when they find out what I’ve done.”
“Not Phile or your brother?”
“No. Phile is the most forgiving person I know. If I didn’t eventually free Aleifr, she would likely see it as her duty to set me down and talk to me. And Steinar…” she paused. “Steinar believes in forgiveness as I do.”
Farrin rubbed Koray’s back. “How do you know?”
Rakel stared at a white flower and tried to put her feelings into words. “Because if he didn’t, he wouldn’t have told me to do whatever I wished with Aleifr.”
Farrin nodded, then nudged Koray aside so he could enfold Rakel in his arms. “He is a good king.”
“Yes.”
He paused, then continued. “Though I still think it was the right thing for you, Aleifr might never realize the mercy and great grace in your forgiveness. He might not see you, or magic users, at all differently.”
Rakel rested her head against Farrin’s chest and listened to the steady beat of his heart. “Perhaps, but even so, forgiveness is a powerful thing. It has the ability to change lives, perhaps even the course of history. I doubt that is the case here, but it is an important thing to practice all the same.”
Farrin slid a hand under her chin and tilted her face up towards his. “Indeed, Snow Queen,” he whispered.
He kissed her soundly and passionately, soaking her with warmth and making her head swim when he possessively curled his other hand around her waist. They were parted only by Koray wiggling between them and barking.
Rakel would never know how true her words rang, for her act of mercy did change the course of history.
Aleifr, the traitor, was officially pardoned and set free. He remained in Verglas, though he still feared magic users.
However, Rakel’s act of mercy was not in vain.
For the shorter guard who had witnessed the entire event went home that evening and told his wife and children of the Snow Queen’s great sacrifice in forgiveness. Eventually, his children would tell their children, and so on for generations. Centuries passed, but the soldier’s descendants remained in Ostfold. Though the exact story of the Snow Queen’s mercy was forgotten, a bone-deep respect for her remained, as well as the knowledge that forgiveness and sacrifice were vitally important.
And one day, one of the guard’s descendants would honor the Snow Queen’s act of mercy and not only save Verglas, but join others in standing against an invasion of darkness. Her name was Gemma Kielland.
Forgiveness does not change what has been done, but frees your future.
The End
Afterword
Thank you for reading Snowflakes, I hope you enjoyed all the stories! If you want to read more of my work, sign up for my newsletter to receive my free K. M. Shea Starter Pack ebook.
It contains:
A King Arthurs and Her Knights prequel short story
A Red Rope of Fate prequel short story
An original fairy tale, Princess Snow and Queen Ruby
My newsletter is released every month, and contains information about contests, new freebies—like short stories and extra scenes—free books, and reader opinion polls.
Thank you for your support and encouragement. I am proud to say I have the best readers. Therefore, it is my dearest wish that Rakel and her friends made you laugh, and warmed your heart. Thank you.
Other books by K.M. Shea
Life Reader
Red Rope of Fate
Princess Ahira
Robyn Hood:
A Girl’s Tale
Fight for Freedom
The Magical Beings’ Rehabilitation Center:
My Life at the MBRC
Farewell to the MBRC?
The Lost Files of the MBRC
King Arthur and Her Knights:
Enthroned
Enchanted
Embittered
Embark
Enlighten
Endeavor
Three pack (Enthroned, Enchanted, Embittered)
Timeless Fairy Tales
Beauty and the Beast
The Wild Swans
Cinderella
Rumpelstiltskin
The Little Selkie
Puss in Boots
Swan Lake
Sleeping Beauty
The Snow Queen:
Heart of Ice
Sacrifice
About the Author
K.M. Shea is a book lover, champion web surfer, and all around geek. She is a fulltime independent author, and lives in the quaint Midwest with her beloved companion, Perfect Dog.
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Visit her blog: www.kmshea.com
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