“What is it, Rita?” asked Ferdinand, addressing her with the same respect he’d shown the boys.
“Can we come too?”
“What? No!” cried one of the boys.
“Yeah, boys only,” said another.
“Boys!” Ferdinand’s sharp reprimand brought instant silence. “The princess is hardly a boy, and you were willing enough to include her.”
“That’s different,” muttered one of the boys under his breath. “She’s a grown up.”
Cordelia could see Ferdinand fighting to repress a smile at this childish perspective. “The men in my squad are expected to show respect towards all,” he said sternly. “Without exception,” he added when one of the boys opened his mouth to complain.
He looked around at their mutinous faces, and then grinned. “Although I can understand why you’re reluctant to have the girls show you up in front of the princess.”
The boys’ cries of outrage nearly drowned out a chorus of giggles. Cordelia swung around in her saddle and saw a group of girls had gathered behind them. Clearly Rita wasn’t acting alone.
Ferdinand shrugged and spread his arms wide. “If I remember correctly, Lauren won the speed skating contest we held last time and Kara won two times before that.”
The oldest boy looked sheepish. “We don’t mind if they come, do we boys?”
After a quick exchange of glances, the boys admitted that it would probably be all right to have the girls along.
“All set, then,” said Ferdinand. “Everyone get your skates and meet back here as fast as you can. And someone bring some skates for the princess.”
“She’ll fit into my mother’s skates. I’ll bring them,” called one of the boys over his shoulder as he took off running.
Cordelia blinked, and the whole group had dispersed. “Goodness, that was quick.”
“They do love to skate. I hope you’ll like it too.”
“I admit I feel a little nervous.” She imagined what it must be like to glide across the ice. It seemed worth the risk to her dignity. “I also confess to being a little curious. Why are we escorting a group of children on a skating expedition?”
“Decoration Day is only a half-day holiday. All of their parents will be busy working this afternoon, but the children aren’t allowed past the city gates without responsible adult supervision. Apparently, their parents decided I fit that description, so now I’m their favourite victim. They know that if I’m not on shift, I can’t resist their pleading.”
“That’s very kind of you, Major.”
He shrugged. “I was a boy who loved to skate once, too.”
They found the lake outside the city gates, on the fringes of the huge forest that carpeted the whole kingdom north of the capital. A layer of blue-green ice covered the decent sized expanse. Cordelia eyed it uncertainly. It looked bumpier than she had imagined.
The children all began to strap on their skates, and Ferdinand directed Cordelia towards a fallen log where she could sit to put on her own skates. The biggest boy and two of the girls had their skates on fastest, and the three of them rushed straight onto the ice.
Cordelia watched them make a large circle around the edge of the lake, going more slowly than she had been picturing. If that was normal skating speed, she felt a little more confident.
“Are we sure it’s safe?” she asked Ferdinand.
“That’s what they’re checking,” he said. “It’s why they’re going so slowly.”
Oh. “You trust them to do that?”
“Of course. They’ve been coming to this lake every winter since before they could walk. They know how the ice should look and feel.”
The three of them stopped, clumped together at the far end of the lake. Ferdinand frowned and began to stride around the edge of the lake towards them, but after a moment they took off skating again, and he returned to Cordelia’s side, although his eyes stayed on the children.
With some difficulty, she managed to wrestle the skates onto her feet and stood up, grabbing at Ferdinand’s arm when she began to wobble. The three skaters returned and smoothly stepped off the ice and over towards the adults.
“What did you find?” asked Ferdinand.
“There’s a patch of dark ice at the far end. It doesn’t look safe.”
Ferdinand frowned.
“But my da was here yesterday,” one of the girls said quickly. “He tested the thickness of the ice at this end. It’s frozen deep.”
“I don’t want to see any of you put at risk,” said Ferdinand. “I think it would be best if we go back.”
“No, no!” cried the children, crowding around. “We promise we’ll stay up this end of the lake.”
“Please, Major,” said one of the girls who had tested the ice. “None of us want to fall through the ice. We’ll stay on this side.”
He looked around at all the pleading faces. “Oh, all right. But the first person who goes down the other end, gets everyone sent back home.”
A cheer went up, and the children streamed onto the ice. Within moments they were racing each other or skating around in circles and other figures. Several of the girls moved away from the others to do small jumps.
Cordelia watched them, fascinated. Everyone seemed to be having a wonderful time, but she could barely keep her balance standing still. And she wasn’t even on the ice yet.
She looked down at Ferdinand’s feet. “Hey! Where are your skates?”
“I don’t skate. I’m even worse at skating than I am at dancing.”
“But you said you used to love it as a boy.”
His whole body tensed for the briefest moment, and then he relaxed again and shrugged. “Things change.”
Her curiosity pressed her to ask more, but her manners kept her quiet. He clearly didn’t want to talk about it. “Who’s going to teach me to skate, then?”
Two of the girls heard her question and glided over. “We’ll teach you. We won’t let you fall.”
Before she had time to hesitate, the children had dragged her out onto the ice. The smooth surface made her skates nearly slide out from under her, and she grabbed desperately at the supporting arms on either side.
The girls laughed and began to skate slowly forward, tugging her along with them. Their patience surprised her, as they explained how to move her legs. As her strokes got more confident, they cheered her on, never leaving her side and steadying her whenever she needed it.
Soon enough she struck out on her own. She pushed around the ice in small circles, staying close to the edge and Ferdinand. Every time she swept past him, he waved or called out comments or suggestions.
She couldn’t get the smile off her face. The sensation was unlike anything she’d felt before. Was this how the birds felt when they flew through the air? Effortless and weightless. Her ankles hurt a little in the boots, but the sensation was worth the discomfort.
She flew past Ferdinand again, waving and smiling. She wished he could be out on the ice with her. She would feel more confident with his hand in hers. Distracted by her thoughts, she didn’t notice a small bump in the ice. One of her skates went off in an unexpected direction, and her arms windmilled around, trying to re-establish her balance.
Despite her frantic arm movements, she couldn’t regain control of her feet. Flying out from under her, they dumped her straight onto the ice.
“Ooof.” Her bottom landed hard on the frozen water. She groaned, not sure what hurt more–her rear or her pride. Looking up she saw Ferdinand’s hand extended out to help her up.
“And now you’re a true skater. It wouldn’t be a proper first experience if you didn’t fall over at least once.” His smile took the sting out of her incompetence.
After helping her up, he strode back off the ice, and several children skated forward, offering to help her again. But she waved them away, determined to master it. Within minutes she was back to circling confidently. She decided to try striking further afield.
Pushing off she began to pi
ck up pace. Stretching out her arms she let the air whoosh past her, the thrill increasing along with her speed. She flew faster and faster across the ice.
“Princess! Stop!” She heard Ferdinand’s panicked cry at the same time as the texture of the ice under her feet changed. Looking around she realised the colour had changed as well, she had skated all the way to the far side of the lake.
She tried to slow, but she was going too fast. Her arms flailed, and panic took over as her feet began to slip.
Several of the children screamed as her skates flew forward, and she once again landed hard on the ice. Only this time, she didn’t stop. The ice cracked and gave way, and she dropped through into the freezing water.
Chapter 11
Pain everywhere. She couldn’t think, she couldn’t breathe. It felt like when she had dipped her hand into the pond in the palace gardens. Except now the knives were stabbing her entire body.
After the first second of paralysed shock, she recognised the sensation of sinking. Kicking her legs, she reversed her movement, driving back up towards the surface. Her reaching hands hit ice, and panic washed over her. She couldn’t hold her breath much longer.
And then one of her hands found the edge of the ice. Gripping it, she pulled her body to the side, aligning with the hole, and propelled her head up and out of the water.
She gasped a big breath of air and then another and another. She knew she was breathing too fast, but she couldn’t stop herself.
Blinking the water out of her eyes, she looked around wildly. It felt as if minutes had passed, but the positions of the others made it evident that it had only been seconds.
“Stop, right now!” Ferdinand’s bellow carried all the command and authority of his military training, and several of the children, who had been rushing towards her, froze. “Get down, now.” They all dropped to their hands and knees. “Now crawl off the ice–slowly.”
The children who were far enough away had already skated onto solid ground. She saw Ferdinand running at full pace along the lake shore. Then her hand slipped, and she sank back down.
The terror-filled memory of her hand hitting the ice flooded over her, and she gave a giant kick that pushed her head back out of the water. Her hands grappled around, less and less responsive to her commands. Finally she managed to re-establish her grip on the edge of the hole.
“Princess, hold on!” Ferdinand’s calm and commanding voice soothed her blind terror. He wasn’t panicking, so she didn’t need to either.
One of the grooms had stayed with the horses and the children, but the other groom and the two soldiers followed close on Ferdinand’s heels. One of the children trailed behind them. He caught up when they reached the shore closest to her and stopped. Unwrapping a long scarf from around his neck, the boy thrust it into Ferdinand’s hands.
The major nodded but didn’t stop to thank the boy, barking orders to the adults instead.
All four men lowered themselves onto the ice and began to crawl forward in a line, each gripping the ankles of the man in front of him. Ferdinand led the way, the scarf wrapped around one of his hands.
“Just breathe, Princess, we’re coming,” he said. “Nice and deep now. Slower, if you can.”
She gasped in a ragged breath, and then forced herself to wait before taking another.
Ferdinand continued towards her, his human chain behind him, until a loud crack rang across the lake. He froze. Resting on his elbows, he tied the end of the scarf into a loop, tugging on it to secure the knot. Gripping the other end, he threw the loop towards Cordelia.
“Princess, grab the scarf. Loop your arm through it. Both of them if you can.”
She reached her free hand out, but the scarf slipped through her fingers.
“Keep calm,” said Ferdinand, his own voice level and full of confidence. He pulled the scarf back and threw it again. “You can do it.”
And this time she managed to slip her hand through the loop. Once the loop had passed as far as her wrist, she gripped the edge of the ice with that hand and let go with the other one, clumsily using it to push the scarf up towards her shoulder. Then she slid her second hand in, managing to squeeze both arms in past the elbow.
“Excellent. Now try to get your arms up onto the ice. And kick up with your legs. Get your body flat along the top of the water.”
Cordelia could feel what little energy she had left draining away. But she fixed her eyes on Ferdinand’s and gave one last kick. As she did so, he pulled hard on the scarf and her body slid up and onto the ice.
“That’s the way.” His tone was soothing now, encouraging. “Don’t try to get up, just crawl towards me, if you can.”
He continued to drag her forwards by her arms, and she tried to get her knees under her to help, but her body was no longer cooperating with her mind. The seconds it took for her to cross the ice felt like hours. When Ferdinand reached out and grasped her hands in his, a wash of relief swept over her.
Slowly, starting with the last link in their little chain, the men reversed, the back of the group now pulling them all off the ice. As Cordelia was dragged onto the shore, the distant group of children set up a cheer.
Ferdinand ignored them and started issuing orders again. “Grey, you and Charlie need to make sure the children get back to their parents safely.”
“But, Sir, our orders are to stay with you and the Princess.”
“Well, I’m giving you new orders. And I don’t have time for arguments. Groom, you’ll need to tie our horses behind yours and get them back to the palace.”
“Major?” The groom sounded like he wanted to protest but didn’t dare.
“Those are your orders, and we don’t have any time to waste. Go!”
All three of them began trotting back towards the children.
“Don’t…don’t we need the horses to get back to the palace…” Cordelia’s teeth were chattering so intensely she could hardly get the words out.
“We’re too far from any shelter. You would be exposed to the elements the entire ride. The wind chill alone might kill you. I have another way.”
She opened her mouth to try to get out another question, but he cut her off.
“I’m very sorry, Your Highness, but you’re going to need to take off your wet dress.”
Cordelia stared at him. Her mind felt increasingly fuzzy, but she could have sworn he’d told her to get undressed in the middle of the forest.
“I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t absolutely necessary.” He took off his jacket and held it towards her, raised like a shield in front of his face. “Quickly now. And then put on this jacket.”
Her fumbling fingers wrestled with the sopping fabric until it finally gave way and fell at her feet. The weight dropping from her shoulders gave her nothing but relief. Her underclothes were equally soaked through, of course, but the material was lighter and easier for her small frame to carry. She stepped forward and slipped her arms into the sleeves of Ferdinand’s jacket. Wrapping it around her, it cocooned her whole body in delicious dry warmth.
Without pausing to ask her permission, Ferdinand scooped her into his arms and cradled her against his chest. As soon as she was settled, he took off towards the forest at a light jog.
She tried to struggle free, but her body didn’t respond to her mental commands. “You can’t carry me,” she protested. “I’m much too heavy.”
“Of course, I can,” said Ferdinand, matter-of-factly. “And your legs certainly can’t do it.”
She wanted to protest but knew he was right. She decided that courtesy had been fulfilled, and she could stop fighting. Breathing in his warm, musty scent, she nuzzled into his shoulder and let her mind slip away.
Chapter 12
“Princess. Princess!” She could hear his voice calling her and his arms roughly shaking her. “Cordelia!”
She forced her eyes open. His arms still gripped her, and the ground still disappeared beneath his steady gait. But the light had changed.
She blinked. The grey didn’t disappear and the trees of the forest didn’t reappear. She blinked again, and realised she was looking at the grey of a rock wall. Ferdinand was carrying her through a tunnel.
“You can’t sleep, Princess Cordelia,” said Ferdinand, worry sounding in his voice for the first time. “You might not wake up. You need to stay with me.”
Deep shudders racked her body, but she managed to nod her understanding. “Talk to me. Help me stay awake.”
“What would you like to talk about?”
She marvelled at the strength of his arms around her and the steadiness of his stride. She might be small, but she was still heavy enough to be a difficult burden for a long journey. But she could hardly tell him she wanted to talk about his muscles. She cast her mind around for another topic.
“Where are we?”
“We’re in a tunnel, and I’m going to have to ask you to keep its existence and location a secret.”
“I didn’t see its location, I missed the opening.” The memory that she had fallen asleep, however briefly, produced a thrill of fear.
“The end of the tunnel isn’t far from where we were at the lake. The opening is in the palace. It’s an ancient escape tunnel for the royal family, in case the capital ever comes under attack. They can get out, all the way past the walls. Only a trusted few know about it, however.”
“I won’t tell anyone.”
“Thank you.” He paused. “Hopefully Their Majesties will understand that our need was dire. This tunnel provides a direct route to the palace, and it’s sheltered from the wind and the cold.”
“They’ll understand. I’ll insist on it. They won’t want trouble with Lanover. They rely on us for a lot of trade, you know.” She smiled up at him sleepily.
He bounced her in his arms, jolting her away from the beckoning unconsciousness.
“Stay awake, Princess. Do you have any other questions?”
A Midwinter's Wedding: A Retelling of The Frog Prince Page 7