by Talia Jager
“Walking across a bridge when there’s nothing below, and it’s creaky and swaying…” She shuddered. “Scary. There’s one in Winter Land I won’t go near. Weird. I know.”
“Not weird. Interesting.”
She smiled. “You’re sweet.”
We warmed up at the fire pit, and then it was time to go. “Tonight is just what I needed,” I said. “I wish we could do this every night.”
“You’d get tired of me.”
“I’ll never tire of you,” I said softly.
Standing face-to-face with Aurora, I could feel fear coming from her. She reached out and cupped my face with her hand. “Please be cautious if you go out with the scouts.”
I smiled. “Careful, Princess, others might start to think you care.”
“That’s the problem, Summer boy. I do care,” she whispered and put her lips on mine. A minute later, she tore herself away, turned, and ran toward her horse without looking back.
Chapter Thirteen
Aurora
There was no doubt in my mind how I felt about Sorin, but there was nothing I could do about it. I thought about not going to the meet-ups, but that made my heart hurt worse. I would just have to enjoy it while it lasted and let my heart break into pieces later on.
The Winter Solstice was coming up, and my parents were determined to make it memorable for all of the fae. They were in meetings all day talking about what to do for the displays, what types of food to have, what music to play, and which dances to do.
Eira was constantly talking about what she should wear. She wanted to make others notice her. “Rory, you’ll do my hair, won’t you?”
“I thought you didn’t like these celebrations.”
“This is our celebration. I like ours. And I want to stand out. So, will you do my hair?”
“Sure, Eira.”
“Something glamorous.”
“Of course. I’ll do whatever you want.”
She sent me a smile before waving her fingers at me and walking out of the room.
Lumi shook her head.
“What?” I asked.
“You don’t have to do her hair. She expects you to. Almost insists.” Annoyance flickered in her eyes.
“She asked.”
“You don’t see it. She treats you like she’s better than you. Don’t get me wrong. I love her. She’s our sister. But she doesn’t treat others like she should.”
“I don’t mind doing her hair or yours. I enjoy it. And Lumi, if she’s lacking in kindness, you more than make up for it.” Glancing outside, I said, “I have to go meet Raina. It’ll be okay. Thanks for looking out for me.”
She smiled, and I left to meet Raina for lunch.
Raina sat down next to me. “What’s up?”
“Craziness.”
“Parents freaking out?”
“Oh yeah. Sisters too.” I played with the snow in front of me. “So, how are you? Has Alpin made any moves on you?” I asked about one of the guys from school she thought liked her.
“No. Maybe I was wrong. Maybe he doesn’t like me.”
Thinking of all the times I had seen Alpin look at her, I shook my head. “He likes you.”
“I don’t know, Rory. He’s cute and smart, but I’m just not sure about him.”
“Then don’t settle, Raina. Wait until you fall deep in love.”
Raina smiled. “Is that what you’re doing?”
“I don’t have the luxury of waiting. If I did, maybe then I could be in love with whoever I choose.”
“Tannon loves you—”
“Tannon thinks he loves me. He has been pushed toward me just as much as I have been pushed at him.”
“He’s a good guy. Heck, I’d go for him if you two weren’t going to be together.”
I shot her a look. “If you like him, go for it. Maybe that would force my parents to see we’re not meant to be.”
“I am not getting in the middle of that.” She put her hands up.
I laughed and enjoyed the rest of our lunch.
In the days ahead, I trained hard and often, learning all I could and pushing myself further. When I wasn’t doing that, I was helping with the Solstice preparations or skating and counting down the days until I got to see Sorin again.
My horse landed on the snow near the bottom of the falls. I slid off and looked around for Sorin. He and Keir were standing by the fire pit. I ran over to them with Ivy and Raina close behind.
We stared into each other’s eyes, and then I shook my head to snap out of it. “Hey, hot stuff.”
“And that’s our clue to leave,” Raina said and pushed Keir and Ivy away.
I just wanted to hold him, so I slipped my arms around him and put my head on his chest. He held me to him and stroked my hair. After a few minutes, he said, “Sure is chilly out here. Do you mind if we sit by the fire?”
“Of course not. Besides Raina, Ivy, and me, everyone else gets cold, so we end up there in the winter months.”
We talked until the others arrived, and they came and sat with us. I handed the basket around.
Keir stoked the fire, and the embers that flew upward caught my attention. I watched as they floated up into the sky.
“So I have something to tell you guys,” Cedar announced.
When we were all looking at him, his cheeks turned pink. Then he cleared his throat and said, “I’ve chosen my bride.”
“That’s awesome,” I said. “Who is it? Do we know her? Oh, and most of all, do you love each other?” I stole a glance at Sorin and felt my own cheeks warm.
“Her name is Kiona. You might have met her at a celebration. I’m not sure. And yes, we do, very much.”
“Good.” I stood up and gave Cedar a hug. “I’m happy for you. You will introduce me at the Solstice, right? Does she know you know me?”
“You’re full of questions tonight, Rory.” Cedar laughed. “I haven’t told her about our meet-ups. I suppose I’ll either have to or stop coming. What do you guys think?”
“How do you think she’ll react?” Raina asked.
“I think she’d be okay with it. She’s never given me any reason to think she’s prejudiced about other lands.”
“Jora? Linden? What do you guys think?” Navin asked.
“She’s cool, but we’re not like best buddies,” Jora responded.
Linden shrugged. “Don’t really know her, so I guess I don’t have much of an opinion about her.”
“We’ll check her out at the celebration,” Iris said.
Ivy leaned over Raina and whispered, “Let’s skate.”
I shifted my eyes to her. “Where?”
She pointed to the body of water where the waterfalls all met. “The three of us can make ice thick enough for us all to be out there.”
Within a few minutes, I stood in front of the pool of water thinking for a minute. Taking a deep breath, I raised my right arm across my body and palm out I fanned it forward and around to the side. The water turned to ice. Raina and Ivy did the same. After repeating the motion, the three of us stepped out onto it. They went to the other parts of the ice and we all stomped our feet a few times making sure the ice didn’t break. Then we jumped up and down to be extra certain.
Looking up at the others, I waved, and they came onto the ice. Keir slipped and fell right on his butt. I couldn’t contain my laughter. He scowled at me. “Watch it, Princess, I’ll fire-ball your ice.”
“Oooh,” I taunted. “Scary.” I turned to Sorin, who was having a hard time keeping upright, and felt something hit my back. I looked over my shoulder. One of my wings had snow on it. I cut my eyes to Keir, who had a smile on his face.
“Be careful or you’ll go home a walking snowman.”
His grin faded. “You wouldn’t dare.”
“Try me.”
“Okay, you two, stop it,” Sorin scolded and then lost his footing.
I reached out and grabbed him. “There’s a trick to the ice. Respect. You treat it well; it treats you
well.”
“Respect the ice?”
“Are you mocking me?”
“Nope.”
“Think of it like water. It is water, ya know. Fluid, moving, takes along whatever it touches. Let it grab you and drag you around.” Using some Winter magick, I shaped ice around our feet. “This will have to do.”
I took Sorin’s hand and led him to the other end of the rink. He looked nervous but smiled at me. “You won’t fall through.”
“I trust you,” he said.
“Ice-skating is kind of like dancing, but different.” I taught him enough moves so that he could skate with me.
It was different than skating with Tannon. With him it was graceful, fancy even, but with Sorin it was more personal. It didn’t matter that there were no lifts or jumps because the connection was exactly what I was looking for.
When the others were clearly tired, Raina said, “Why don’t you sit down and let us give you a taste of the Winter demo?”
Ivy, Raina, and I sped around the ice, keeping our distance from each other but gathering speed. Ivy jumped first, then Raina, and finally me. We did a few other moves before finishing in the center with a spin.
“Wow!” Sorin smiled when I reached him. “That was awesome.”
“Thanks.”
Not long after, we warmed up by the fire again. Navin looked around at all of us. “Do you think we’ll all still be here in another year? Or will it be a new round of kids?”
Nobody responded right away. We let the thought of not seeing each other and being of age swirl around in our heads.
“I don’t want to lose you guys,” I said.
Keir rolled his eyes. “You’re not gonna lose us. We’ll always be here for each other.”
Navin nodded. “I agree. We’ve formed a bond these past years.”
Their words were comforting. “I hope you’re right.”
“Good morning, Aurora. Happy birthday!”
I opened my eyes to my mother’s voice. She sat on the edge of my bed.
“Thank you.” I scooted up and leaned against my pillows.
“Today is going to be crazy with the celebration tomorrow. I wanted to give you your present while it was just the two of us.” She handed me a small box.
I opened the box to find a golden snowflake necklace inside. “It’s beautiful. Thank you, Mother.”
“You’re welcome.”
She helped me put it on. “I’m very proud of you. You’ve become a beautiful, intelligent, and caring faerie.”
I wondered if she’d still think that if she knew what I had been up to.
“You see the good in others. You care about everybody, no matter who they are. You have qualities that will make you one of the best leaders our land has ever seen.”
I hugged my mother and held on for a long time. When I let go, I wiped my eyes.
“What’s wrong, Rory?”
“It’s just nice to hear those things.”
After she left, I looked out over the snow-covered land from my window and made a birthday wish.
Normally, we got to celebrate however we wanted on our birthdays. I’d take my time getting ready, maybe read a little, have something special for breakfast, and hang out with Raina. Today was different because everyone was in a tizzy for the celebration tomorrow. I dressed in a cute, short lavender dress and went downstairs. I helped wrap some ribbon around a banister. “Go enjoy your birthday, Princess,” one of the helpers said.
“I am enjoying it.” I finished helping and then hurried to the kitchen to grab a scone.
“I knew I’d find you here,” Lumi said, walking in. She gave me a quick hug. “Happy birthday.”
“Thanks.”
“Yes! Happy birthday!” Eira appeared in the doorway. “What are you going to do today?”
“Help.”
“You should disappear and have some fun.”
“I’ll take some time for myself.” I thought about what I really wanted. Sorin. I’d like to be able to see him today. Maybe dance with him? Or just lay in the grass with him staring at the stars. That’s what I wanted to do today.
“Rory? Hello?” Lumi waved her hand in front of my face.
“What?”
“Where did you go just now? Looked like you were a thousand miles away.”
I shrugged. “Just daydreaming.”
“Maybe of a certain someone.”
I blushed.
“Oh, it is! Who are you thinking about?”
“Tannon I’ll bet.”
I let them think they were right as I shoved the rest of the pastry in my mouth. Walking outside, I enjoyed the chill in the air and the few snowflakes that were falling from the sky. I stayed in the shadows just watching the realm as they got ready for the celebration tomorrow.
I turned and snuck off into the woods for a short hike to a small pond that was frozen solid. Waving my hand at the ice, I smoothed it out. Then I put a layer of ice on the bottom of my boots and stepped out onto the frozen pond. I skated freely and was completely alone in my thoughts. It was nice to be away from the hustle and bustle, not only of the preparations, but also from opinionated faeries. I pushed everything from my mind and just skated for a while.
“I can feel you over there, Raina,” I called out as I stepped off the ice.
“I didn’t want to bother you.”
“How did you know where to find me?”
“Of course I’d know where to find you. You’re my best friend.” She hugged me. “Happy birthday.”
“Thanks.”
“Let’s go have something to eat.”
We went back to the village and ordered our meal. Ivy and Juniper joined us, and we talked for a while before I excused myself.
“I think I’m going back to help out with the decorations,” I said.
“Let’s all go. That way you can be with your friends on your birthday,” Ivy suggested.
“Yeah!” Raina agreed.
“Okay.” I smiled.
Back at the castle, we helped to decorate by draping sheer curtains from around the room to the center of the ceiling. Then we hung snowflakes around the room.
A bunch of smaller tables filled another room, each made of blue glass to make it look like ice. Small beautiful trees stood as centerpieces, frost covering the branches. In the corners, icicles hung from bigger trees. Faerie lanterns hung close to the trees, making the icicles glow blue.
Ivy and Juniper had a special talent with ice sculptures, so they worked on making those for the hallway.
“So, Rory, are there any announcements going to be made tomorrow?” Ivy teased.
“Um, no,” I responded.
Juniper reached up to form a snowflake on the top of a sculpture, but it dropped to the floor instead and fell at Ivy’s feet, causing her to jump. Instead of picking it up, she took a piece of ice and formed it into a long icicle. Then she whacked the snowflake, and it slid across the room.
Juniper made a few more long icicles and handed them to Raina and me. Using her own ice stick, she hit the snowflake over to me, and I sent it on to Raina. Before long, we were having a game of ice polo.
Eventually, we finished decorating, and my friends went home. I had a nice dinner with my family, and before I knew it, it was time for bed. I stood at the window for a while looking out toward Summer Land and thinking of Sorin. The feelings I had for him scared me, and I wasn’t sure how to deal with them. I wished I had someone to talk to about it all, but I couldn’t involve anyone else.
Chapter Fourteen
Sorin
When our carriage turned, the big white castle was ahead of us covered in snow. Icicles hung from every possible overhang. There were four fountains in front of the castle. Snow covered the ground as far as I could see. It was breathtaking. We heard wolves howling in the distance, and my mother shot my father a look, which he responded to by patting her hand.
Skye pulled on my coat. “Sorin! It’s so pretty!”
“It is
!” I agreed.
The carriages pulled up, and the Master of Ceremonies walked out. He waited for the crowd to quiet down and spoke very loudly. “Please come inside where introductions will be made.”
I jumped out of the carriage and helped the others out. Skye held on to my hand.
We walked up a few stairs, across the landing, and inside the large wooden door to the foyer. A double curved staircase stood before us. The ceiling was open so we could see up to the second floor.
The Master of Ceremonies stepped up to the middle of the stairs, and we became silent. “Welcome to the Winter Solstice. May I present the royal family: King Zohar, Queen Adair.” The king and queen came to the second floor railing. “Princess Aurora…”
My heart stumbled and then took off racing as soon as she walked out of the doors and up to the railing. Her hair was up, curled into what looked like knots, and she wore a shimmering blue gown that was form-fitting to her mid-thighs and then flowed to her feet and dragged down the stairs behind her. The design on the dress looked like frost that was spreading up over each breast, with a deep V-cut in the middle.
I didn’t hear the rest of the announcements. My eyes were glued to Aurora as she watched her parents go down one side of the staircase. She looked back and forth between it and the other staircase, and then she took the one her parents didn’t. Almost as if she wanted to be different. She joined her parents at the second landing and scanned the room. When her gaze landed on me, her eyes lit up, but she kept her face unaffected.
It took me a minute to realize what my heart had done…it had leapt.
King Zohar took a step forward. “Welcome to Winter Land! We have invited you all inside because although we are comfortable in the cold, we know you aren’t. You are welcome to stay inside on the main floor or venture outside. We will have a bonfire in the far left field for anyone who wants to stay warm while outside. First if you will all follow us outside just for a moment, we will put on our display, and then the ballroom will be open for dancing, the great hall for eating, as well as the outdoors for ice-skating.”
The Winter royals then walked down the rest of the stairs, through the crowd, and outside. I followed, not wanting to miss a thing.