Giselle, who had entirely escaped the icy and then burning waters of the lake, had more energy than either me or Oliver, so she volunteered to prepare food. By the time she brought some to me, I could barely keep my eyes open to eat it. Only my complaining stomach kept me upright for long enough to get it down.
The light of sunset hadn’t faded from the sky when I at last lay down, but a little light wasn’t going to be enough to stand between me and blessed rest. My eyelids closed, and sleep claimed me.
When I awoke, it took me several moments to orient myself. Two figures slept around the still-smoldering fire, and the darkness of the cave suggested it was still night. But light flickered outside the mouth of the cave, and I thought I could hear faint movement.
In another moment I remembered everything of the day before and that we had Sterling with us. I sat up abruptly, focusing on the other sleepers. The small one was clearly Giselle, and the other…he stirred and moved in his sleep, and I realized it was Sterling, sleeping restlessly due to his bindings.
I got up, no longer feeling sleepy, and crept silently from the cave. Oliver sat just outside, his attention on the sky—the source of the flickering light.
He looked up quickly at my approach and smiled, but the expression held sadness as well as welcome.
“I’ve been here several nights, but I don’t remember seeing these before. But then I wasn’t really looking.”
I sat down beside him, nestling against him when he reached out an arm to invite me close.
“You can’t blame yourself for what the Snow Queen did to you. I’m just glad you can enjoy it now. And that it’s still here. I just knew that something so beautiful couldn’t be part of that woman’s evil.”
“I can’t describe to you how bleak the world was once she leached all the beauty from it,” he said, and I noticed his eyes were on my face now and not the sky.
I flushed, hoping the reflected colors would disguise it. “I can’t imagine a world without beauty.”
“I wish I didn’t remember any of it,” he said, and there was anguish in his voice now. “But it’s all there, just like last time. Dream-like, but not gone. And the horrible things I said to you keep running over and over in my mind.”
He shifted slightly so he could look down at me more easily. “I’m so sorry, Celine. I wish there was something I could do to show you that none of it was true.”
“There is,” I said, a smile creeping up my face.
He regarded me with creased brow, uncertainty in his gaze, so I rolled my eyes, grasped his face and pulled it firmly down to mine. He started slightly, but then seemed to catch on, his own arms sliding around to pull me close and his mouth warm and responsive against mine.
Fire roared inside me, but after everything I had gone through—everything we had broken through together—this time it remained firmly under my control. Which was something of a relief, given the circumstances.
When he finally pulled away, I made a soft mew of disapproval, but he just laughed softly and guided my head down to rest against his chest.
“I don’t deserve you, Celine,” he said with a soft sigh.
I shook my head against him. “Don’t be silly. Of course you do. I’m in love with you which means you must be quite exceptional. I’m not that easy to please, you know.”
His body shook with silent laughter. “Why do I have the feeling you’re going to keep me on my toes?”
“Because you’re very wise. Like I was just saying.”
His arms tightened around me. “But are you sure, Celine? Are you sure you could ever be happy here in Eldon?”
I paused to really consider his question. We were talking about the rest of my life, so it wasn’t the time for impulsive decisions.
It was true I still hated the cold. And there were many things about my home I would miss. The sun and the heat, for one. Along with the flowers everywhere and the long, sandy beaches. But when I tried to imagine going back there—returning to a life without Oliver—my mind turned away, unwilling to form the images.
And our earlier embrace had stoked the embers within me, revived by his presence and a good sleep. Would I ever truly be cold again?
I felt him go tense as he waited for my answer, the silence drawing out between us.
“I could be happy here,” I said at last. “If I had your love.” I twisted so I could look up at him. “Do you love me, Oliver? Truly?”
His arms tightened around me again, a ghost of pain flitting through his eyes. “I love you, Celine. I swear I do. I really didn’t mean those things I said in that throne room.”
I shook my head quickly. “I wasn’t thinking of those.” I hesitated. “Well, not exactly. I knew you were under the evil influence of that corrupted mirror. But it made me realize you’d never actually said the words to me. I assumed, after Valley View, but…”
His brow creased, his mind obviously racing back. “Didn’t I say it? I felt as if I did. I was bursting with the effort of keeping it in, since I was convinced you would never want to stay in Eldon, even if it were free from the curse. But after you nearly killed yourself saving us from the blizzard…” He swallowed and shook his head. “Don’t ever scare me like that again, Celine.”
“I’ll do my best,” I said, grinning up at him. “But no promises.”
He shook his head with a rueful chuckle.
I settled back against him, overwhelmed by what I saw in his eyes. A delightful warmth seemed to have reached into every part of me, and I couldn’t tell if it came from my magic or from this man, or perhaps some combination of the two.
“Celine,” he said into my ear, “just in case there’s any doubt—you are brave, and bold, and clever, and true, and I have never enjoyed spending time with anyone as much as I do you. I can’t imagine ever wanting anyone else to be my queen. I love you.”
I stilled at his words, taking them in. Then I looked up at him cheekily through my lashes, creasing my brow in confusion.
“So…is that a proposal, Your Highness?”
“Celine,” he growled my name, tightening his arms around me and shaking me slightly. “You know it is.”
I grinned up at him. “Maybe I do,” I conceded.
“And your answer…?” He sounded impatient, although I couldn’t imagine how he could truly doubt it.
“Yes, of course,” I said. “I mean, I’m the youngest of seven, I never thought I’d get a chance to be a queen.”
“Celine!” He sounded half-amused, half-irate, but when I pressed my lips up against his, the colors of the sky reflecting against our faces, everything else melted away except for our love and this perfect moment.
Chapter 32
I thought our return journey with a prisoner in tow would be painfully slow, but the extra snowshoes for Oliver more than made up for it. Plus, I hadn’t factored in just how different it was going mostly downhill.
We kept Sterling attached to two of us at all times by a handy length of rope we found in his pack. Oliver took his pack, as well, so that even if he somehow managed to make a run for it, he would find himself stranded on the mountain without supplies.
Several times he attempted to speak to me, reminding me that he had made no move to obstruct me back in the Ice Palace.
“Far from it,” he said. “I even answered all your questions.”
I merely narrowed my eyes and turned away. So that’s why he had been so forthcoming. He had hoped to hedge his bets, to curry my favor in case I did manage to best the Snow Queen. She had never deserved his service, but his lack of loyalty still disgusted me.
Now that I had rested, my power had returned to full strength, and I took every opportunity to demonstrate that to him—another deterrent against any attempt at escape.
Giselle, who had taken her brother’s and my betrothal without a blink, watched me at target practice during one of our breaks. She had chosen a distant tree as the target, and I was casually lobbing fire balls at different parts of it as she cal
led them out.
“Base.” Throw.
“Top branch.” Throw.
“Trunk, halfway down.” Throw.
She grinned at me. “I think you’re getting better. And no wonder Oliver wants to marry you. No one will ever dare attack us again. Not when we’re going to have a queen who can produce fire balls from thin air.”
“Giselle!” A moment later a snowball hit her shoulder, thrown by her irate brother.
“That’s not why I’m marrying her! If you go saying things like that around her family, they might decide to withhold their permission!”
“Why?” asked Giselle, all innocence. “It sounds like perfectly sound reasoning for an alliance to me.”
He laughed reluctantly before muttering. “Far too sound. They might decide they want her to make an alliance with a more powerful kingdom than Eldon.”
“Relax,” I said, smiling at him. “My parents wouldn’t dare say no to me.”
Giselle laughed, the sound echoing through the small valley where we had stopped. “Now that sounds all too believable.”
I didn’t bother to wad the snow into a ball before dumping a handful down the back of her neck. She shrieked and pulled away.
“Now, don’t you start, Giselle,” warned Oliver. “I want us to make Valley View sooner rather than later.”
“Start? Me? But she—” Giselle spluttered the words, still trying to scrape snow out of her hood.
“Yeah, Giselle.” I stood and shouldered my pack. “No more wasting time. We need to get moving.”
I grinned at her narrowed eyes and slid away before she could get any ideas about retaliation. “I’ll break the trail for a while.”
Oliver let me lead for a few minutes before he came to take my place, probably already sick of the slow pace I was setting. I stayed close behind him, near enough to talk as we shoed along.
“You know my family would never really refuse their consent, right?” I asked. “They would never try to push me into a different alliance.”
He glanced over at me, and I saw enough of a shadow in his eyes to realize that some of his concern at least was real. I reminded myself that things were different here in these kingdoms.
“You don’t need to worry,” I repeated. “I know that these lands turned their back on the ancient laws, and on the High King and his godmothers a long time ago. That’s how the darkness was able to grow so strong. But things are changing. Marin and Palinar have already been freed. And now Eldon. The godmothers themselves gifted me with the tools I needed to help you.”
I paused, considering. “They must have seen something in you, even under all that ice.”
He shot me a confused look. “In me?”
I nodded. “The High King decrees that a kingdom must be ruled by love. That’s why his godmothers work so hard to find true love for princes and princesses.” I threw him a significant look. “And that’s why I know my family would never stand in the way of our betrothal. They respect the laws of the High King and would never obstruct a betrothal based on true love. But romantic love is not the only love, you know.”
I gazed down the mountainside. “A ruler must also love his kingdom and his people. And you were ready to sacrifice yourself for yours. What could be truer than that?” I shook my head. “And you have shown nothing but understanding and forbearance with those who have wronged you and yours—first with Lord Treestone’s abduction and now Valley View’s treason. I know you’re not going there now to look for vengeance. The godmothers must have known you would follow the ancient laws if given the chance. They must have seen that you would rule with love. And so they sent me.”
He looked back at me, a warmth in his eyes that made my insides surge in response. “And how could I not serve someone who so clearly has my interests at heart? I could never doubt the godmothers when they sent me you.”
I smiled and would have responded if a shout from Giselle hadn’t interrupted. When I turned to look, she was pointing at a boulder that I realized looked all-too-familiar.
It felt almost surreal returning to Valley View, but we had all agreed we needed to stop by the village. And their hot baths and real beds were only a small part of that decision. If the Snow Queen’s power was really broken, Valley View would be the first indication. And if it was…Well, the inhabitants needed to be warned that their long-standing protection might not be so intact anymore.
The hubbub our arrival caused far exceeded my expectations. It was hard to believe it was even the same place, although the buildings all looked the same. Clearly something, at least, had changed.
Each of the elders wanted to shake our hands, assuring us that they saw things much more clearly now, and had no wish to act against the true rulers of Eldon.
The regular villagers were rather more exuberant and less controlled. They fell on Sterling, carrying him off to be locked up for the night.
“We have a handy storage shed,” one of them said with a rueful smile. “And we just finished fixing the door and lock.”
I winced, but the man only laughed. Apparently life with a mirror speck in your eyes was far from pleasant, and their loyalty to the Snow Queen had evaporated along with the enchantment itself. And it seemed to have transferred onto us, who they saw as their rescuers.
When we finally extracted ourselves and retreated to Sterling’s house, Oliver and Giselle both looked almost giddy with excitement.
“It looks like all of the Snow Queen’s enchantments melted with her palace,” said Oliver, at the same moment as Giselle said, “I wasn’t sure if the mirror shards would outlast the queen herself, but…”
“The mirror was destroyed as well,” I said. “I saw the frame and remaining shards fall into the lake.”
“Then that means…” Giselle didn’t finish the sentence since Oliver swept her into an exuberant hug.
I looked at Sterling’s bed—now available for one of us to use, two if Giselle and I were willing to squeeze together—and sighed. There would be no convincing them to stay an extra night in Valley View now. At least they were both still enthusiastic to revisit the baths, and this time the chattering girls who half-filled it when we arrived were full of compliments and enthusiastic questions.
The next morning, we once again faced the elders in the center of the village, but this time at their request, and with most of the village in attendance. They apologized for their earlier reception of us, explaining how thunder-struck they had been when they woke up several mornings previously to all wonder why they had turned us away.
“It’s like a dream,” said the elder who had previously condemned Oliver. “I can remember it, but not understand what could have led me to think such terrible thoughts.”
We had explained briefly on our arrival, but we gave them the full story now. I could see from the concerned looks they threw each other, that the significance of the Snow Queen’s destruction wasn’t lost on them.
“I realize that you would be justified in bringing an army back up the mountain to punish us for our treason,” said their spokesman once Oliver finished speaking. “But I plead your mercy. We have long traded supplies with the Snow Queen in exchange for protection from the weather, but she was always merely a distant figure, remote in her mountain palace, causing no harm to anyone that we knew of. We thought her content in her realm of ice, another one like us who preferred the isolated places of the world.”
He frowned. “And once she infected us, we were helpless to fight against the poison she had begun to spread. When Sterling arrived and gave his orders as to how we were to answer your request, as well as the stranger one about locking our storage shed and forbidding anyone from entering, we didn’t even think to question it.”
Oliver nodded. “I well remember what it is like to be caught under her spell. I wish for no vengeance upon you or yours.” He hesitated. “But I am afraid this haven will no longer be safe for you. Know that you will be welcome in the capital or elsewhere in the kingdom.”
The spokesman sighed. “The same thought has occurred to us. But already since our eyes have been opened, we’ve noticed a new warmth in the air. Spring is returning, as it should at this time of year. And soon it will be summer. We have time to think on our options and evacuate our people before winter returns again.”
Oliver nodded. “I wish I could offer to stay and help with your deliberations, but we must hurry back to the capital.”
The elders all nodded, and many of the villagers came forward with gifts of food or wood for us to take with us. Apparently the freeing of their minds was worth the loss of their village. And I couldn’t blame them. What good was such a place if you couldn’t see the beauty in it?
The rest of the return journey went even faster. The Valley View elder had spoken truly. Spring had come in one big rush. It hadn’t snowed once since we left the Snow Queen’s lake, and the further we descended, the shallower the snow on the ground became until eventually we had to stop and remove the snowshoes.
I had almost forgotten what it felt like to move freely, striding forward and leaping over rocks in only my boots.
“You look happy,” said Oliver, watching me as I watched a mother bird scold her hatchlings. I had wandered away from the others while they rested, captivated by my surroundings.
I smiled, gesturing around me. “How could I not be? There’s so much green! I even saw some flowers back there.”
He laughed. “You know this is what spring and summer here are normally like, right? It’s not supposed to snow all year long.”
I grinned up at him. “I suppose I must have known it, but it’s different to see it.” I lowered my voice, my next words just for him. “I have no doubts I could be happy in such a place. It’s beautiful. Even the mountains.” I gestured back up the way we had come where the distant slopes rose far above us, still crowned in white.
Oliver swung me up and spun me around while Giselle—who had followed him, leaving Sterling tied to a tree—watched on and rolled her eyes.
A Crown of Snow and Ice: A Retelling of The Snow Queen (Beyond the Four Kingdoms Book 3) Page 26