by Lily Thomas
Now all the stories about giants in battle didn't seem so farfetched to her. They looked as ferocious as the stories described, men who would go rampaging through a town with no remorse.
What made it all the worse was that she couldn't spot Dryden. She somewhat trusted him not to harm her. Where had he gone?
Just then, one of the ice giants turned in her direction, and their eyes locked. Jasmine let out a squeak and stumbled back from the opening, letting the tent flap fall back into place as her heart thundered against her ribs. Those dark black eyes made her whole body shiver.
Oh, how she wished she were back home at the manor. All she had to do was find an opportunity to leave and take it. She only hoped it presented itself sooner rather than later.
Apprehension crept up her spine. If Dryden didn’t show up soon, she’d have to gather the courage to step outside of the tent by herself. She needed to eat something before her stomach ate her.
Dryden dismounted his warhorse and looked over at his tent. The guard was still standing nearby, keeping an eye on the entrance. Dryden wasn’t about to give Jasmine the chance to bolt.
He wondered if she was hungry yet. He’d had no opportunities to bring her any food, so it was probably a good thing he went hunting today. A little fresh food in her stomach would do her well.
Looking back to his saddle, he smiled at the white pheasants he had found and killed. Finding something out here in the constant snow could be a task, yet he had the good fortune of quickly stumbling upon a flock of the birds roosting in the fresh snowfall.
Now he had five pure white pheasants hanging from a rope. He untied them from his saddle and slung them over his shoulder. He strode over to the campfire that blazed in the middle of the campsite.
Several ice giants were sitting around, talking, sharpening swords, and just relaxing in the warmth of the flames. Now that they knew Stryme was back in his own kingdom, they had time to relax and kick back. The scouts had reported no angry human mobs.
Dryden tossed the snow-white pheasants to one of the warriors already sitting by the fire pit. “Get that cooking.” He ordered. Then he walked back to his tent.
Would she be awake?
In some ways, he hoped she wouldn't be. He wanted to gaze down at her sleeping peacefully in his furs. He could imagine her reaction if she caught him just staring at her, but he thought her so beautiful when her face was relaxed, and her eyes weren’t so guarded. She always seemed to be on edge around him, like he might take a bite of her. He wished she would learn to trust he had no ill intentions.
Slowly, he lifted the tent flap and walked inside to find Jasmine sitting on the pallet of furs, facing away from him. She twisted the furs between her hands and shuffled her feet so that the fur stuck out from between her toes.
A chuckle escaped him. It made her feet look as though they were extraordinarily hairy and unappealing.
At the sound of his deep laughter, Jasmine turned in surprise. Then she leaped up from the fur pallet, her eyes wide.
“How long have you been standing there?” She glared at him over her nose.
He cracked another smile. Trying to be haughty to an ice giant? If that made her feel better, then he would allow her to glare, for now. “Just long enough.”
Jasmine gave another huff. “It’s not polite to enter a room and not announce yourself.”
“What could you possibly be doing in my tent that I shouldn’t see?”
Jasmine waved her hands in the air. “I don’t know. It’s just impolite.”
“It’s my tent. I will leave and enter it as I like.” It was time to shift the conversation. “If you are hungry, there will be some pheasants to eat soon.” Dryden made his way over to the pallet of furs to sit down. As he approached, she took a few steps away.
“If I am hungry?”
“You seem a bit tense.” He looked up at her from where he was sitting. Her arms were folded in front of her chest. She was wearing her dress now. How had she figured out all those ridiculous strings on it?
“I’ve been starving all day!” She stamped her foot, drawing his attention away from the dress.
Had he recently said she was on guard all the time? Scratch that, she was feisty all the time. Though he had to admit he loved the fire in her eyes. There was a sparkle that just lit up her hazel eyes. A color not seen in any ice giant. He had noticed in his brief interactions with humans that they tended to have all sorts of eye colors, ranging from light grey all the way to green, and even the darkest brown. None of them compared to hers, though.
Ignoring her outburst, he said, “You have lovely eyes.”
Jasmine’s mouth hit the floor, and her eyes widened. “What did you just say?”
“Next time you get this worked up, look in a mirror, and you’ll know what I mean.”
She seemed speechless.
“As to your complaint, you could have left the tent whenever you wanted,” Dryden informed her. “You’re welcome, by the way, for the dry clothes.”
She sputtered. “Have you seen the ice giants out there? They are covered in swords... not to mention they also lack some clothing,” Jasmine said more quietly.
Dryden gave a bark of laughter, which earned him another scowl.
“You find something funny?” she asked tartly.
All he did was smile back at her. He enjoyed talking with her, and he was tempted to keep poking her to watch her reactions.
“Can you say for certain you know how they will react to having me, a human woman, walk among all of them?”
“I’ve informed my men no harm is to come to you. They know you are a guest of mine, and you do not need to fear any actions from them.” Disobeying him would earn them a lifetime of living in a dungeon.
“You can't possibly control all of those warriors. Surely, there could be one of them who wouldn’t obey you.”
He growled. She had no right to judge his men without knowing their morals. “You speak of them as though you know them all. They are the men I trust the most, and no ice giant in my kingdom would ever dream of disobeying me. Nay, it would never occur to them in the first place.”
Dryden was disappointed that after everything he had done to help her, she still saw the giants as an enemy.
“I hope you change your mind about us, at some point. For the foreseeable future, you are stuck living among my people, and it would make things easier if you could see us as more than just a warrior race.”
She shook her head, and Dryden watched worry creep into her eyes.
He had to convince her that escaping would be impossible. If she told her people about her captivity, they would be outraged, and Dryden had absolutely no desire for a war with any of the humans.
He just couldn't risk it. He was a king, and he had to protect his people as best as he could. Jasmine better not force his hand. His people wouldn’t be violent towards her like the rock giants might be, but they wouldn’t want her getting back to her people, either. She was here to stay, otherwise… he didn’t even want to think about it.
He changed the subject. “Now, if we are done, I caught some pheasants for a meal before we leave our campsite. If you will excuse me.”
“We are leaving? Leaving to go where?” She drew closer as her interest overcame her apparent distaste for being near him.
He rose from the pallet of furs and looked down at her. Immediately, she moved a few steps back.
For some weird reason, he was upset with her for doing that. Almost like she thought she needed to be fearful of him. There was no reason for her to be afraid. As long as she behaved, everything would be just fine.
Jasmine stared at the ice giant as his eyes became unreadable. What was he thinking about? She could tell he was thinking of something, but he carefully kept it off his face and far from his eyes.
Trying a different subject, Jasmine asked, “You said there was food?” Her stomach took the opportunity to growl up at the both of them.
Dryden’s gaze shif
ted to her stomach, and she blushed. Her stomach had sounded like one of those ferocious mountain cats, and she felt embarrassed by it.
His eyes softened. “Come, and I will guide you to where the birds are roasting.”
Jasmine cast him a small smile. “Wait a second.” She walked over to where her shoes and stockings were laid out and slipped them on. “Now I’m ready.”
He led the way out of the tent. He was even nice enough to hold open the tent flap for Jasmine as she passed through it.
Jasmine walked out only to find her feet sinking into the deep snow. Pausing, she stared down at the newly fallen snow. Even in the recently cleared encampment, it was almost to her ankles.
“How much snow do these mountains get?” She wasn't used to shivering out in the cold during the winter. She had always appreciated it from a safe distance inside a nice toasty home.
“Wonderful, isn’t it?”
Jasmine laughed. “That wasn’t the word I was going to use.”
“Who doesn’t like the snow?”
Bending down, she scooped some snow into the palm of her hand. Goosebumps raced up and down her arms as the cold snow melted against her warm hand and reminded her of her unpleasant dip in the river.
She raised her palm of snow up to her mouth and blew on it, sending the light, fluffy flakes flying in all directions. A smile spread across her face, as she followed their dizzying paths.
“I like the snow, but there is so much of it up here, and it doesn’t seem like it will ever stop.” Jasmine glanced up at the still grey skies.
“It’s paradise.”
“Mm… hmmm.”
Dryden scoffed. “You’ve only been here a few days, and those few days have been rough. Give the snow some time to work its magic on you.” A slight smile stretched across his face as he watched her.
Jasmine could understand how she might have seemed a little childish for blowing on the snow, and she felt obligated to defend her childish actions.
“Where I come from, I usually am cloistered behind the walls of our manor during the winter. People tend not to go outside unless they absolutely have to. Snow is less magical down there in the valley and more of a nuisance.”
Holding up his hands in the air in a surrendering gesture Dryden said, “There is no need for you to explain. I am only glad to see you enjoying yourself. I worried you might not recover so quickly from your dunk in the river.”
Turning away, he began the process of taking down their tent.
“You cared about my recovery?”
“Of course. I’m an ice giant, not a heartless man.”
“You could have left me in the snow.”
Dryden shook his head. “You aren’t listening to me. I’m not heartless. I couldn’t simply leave you in the snow after I found you.”
Jasmine felt warmth build in her chest. Dryden really cared about her.
How long did he expect her to be with them? She wasn't planning a life with the ice giants quite yet. She still had a sister to save, but it did make her feel a little better. He obviously wasn't going to let any of the giants hurt her after he had gone to such trouble to rescue her in the first place.
Which meant that at some point she might find a way to escape if she acted more content among them. The moment Dryden let his guard down would be the moment she bolted because until she was dead, she would never stop trying to reach her sister.
Sighing, she turned to face the camp and took a look around her.
It still boggled her mind that the weather up here in the mountains was so different from the summery weather of her manor. It was always winter up here.
She had to admit that the snow was captivating, even if it was cold. The white powder had settled on everything, the trees, all the tents in the camp, and all over the ground. Sadly, there was no glistening snow, since the dark clouds were still blocking the sunlight. So instead of the snow sparkling like a million little diamonds, it was just a dull blanket covering everything in its path.
Casting one last glare up at the clouds, Jasmine resumed looking around. It would be a benefit to her to take notice of the activities of the ice giants and see if they even guarded their horses when they were tied up to the trees. If they didn’t guard their horses, it would make her plan on escaping that much easier. At least, she hoped it would.
Jasmine blinked in surprise as a fur cloak fluttered over her shoulders. Glancing up, she saw Dryden smiling down at her from his great height.
“Be careful, Jasmine. Wouldn't want you to catch something with how cold it is out here.”
Her heart skipped a beat when he said her name. Something about him saying her name in that deep timbre of his made her skin tingle all the way up to the base of her scalp.
“Thank you,” she whispered up to him and then turned away slightly. She felt a tad uncomfortable with the feelings that were coursing through her.
Jasmine needed him to act mean and ugly. She was tired of this kind side. Ice giants weren’t supposed to worry about a human being too cold. They were supposed to roast her alive on an open fire.
She grasped the edges of the cloak and wrapped it around her more thoroughly. It was so lovely and warm, not to mention so fuzzy. She liked the way ice giants used furs. They were so much more comfortable and so much warmer than the clothing she was used to, like the dress she was still wearing.
It was frustrating to be wearing the same dress over and over again. The dress had a few rips in it now and looked ragged and dirty. She doubted anyone would ever be able to guess the original color.
Slowly, her mind drifted to thoughts of her sister. What was Adorra doing right now? Did her sister still have a search out for her? Sadly, she didn’t think it was likely. They would have to give up on searching for her at some point, and with no clues to guide them, no one would think to look all the way up here in the snow-covered mountains.
“What are you thinking about?”
“Hmm?” Jasmine turned to see Dryden studying her.
“What?”
“Your eyes took on a glazed look. Is something troubling you?” His dark eyes zeroed in.
Should she tell him? She wasn’t too sure, but it wasn’t like it would harm anything.
“I wasn’t left in the mountains by accident…”
“I could have guessed that.” She could tell Dryden was curious, but he resumed working on the tent, clearly not wanting to push her.
How much to tell him? Maybe she’d leave out her sister’s imminent doom since that would show him how desperate she was to get back to her people.
“Will anyone be searching for you?” he asked casually.
“I hope so, not that they are about to find me all the way up here.” Jasmine shook her head, her hair swinging around her shoulders. “No one would even think of looking in the mountains.”
“No family then?”
“Oh, I have a family, and there will be a search, but I’m sure nothing would lead them up here.”
“Are you sure of that?”
He sounded worried, probably because he didn’t want any humans traipsing around his mountains searching for her.
“I’m sure. It will end up being an unsolved mystery.” Jasmine pursed her lips. “Kind of like a recent story I heard. Arcaern recently lost their princess in our land, and our prince went missing as well.”
Dryden’s head popped up and looked over at her. “You're what?”
“Our prince and future princess. They went missing a few days ago.”
Jasmine leaped back as Dryden threw one of the tent poles. “Damn you, Stryme!”
Jasmine’s eyes widened in shock. Dryden visibly tried to calm himself.
“Sorry, it’s nothing. Please continue.” He waved her on.
“The man who had me dropped in the mountains will cover his tracks very well. Trust me on that. He wouldn’t want a single soul figuring out what he did.”
Or he would just set up Keir and let him take the fall. Jasmine could
see Lord Gothar handing the blame over to Keir since he was a treacherous man with no morals. Or Keir would be faithful enough to let Lord Gothar set him up on purpose. He might do anything to please his master.
Either way, it didn't matter who took the blame for her disappearance, if anyone ever did. The only thing that mattered to her was her sister’s welfare.
Jasmine was worried that Adorra wouldn’t put off her wedding for long. She was confident that Lord Gothar would be pushing to still go through with the marriage, and after losing her sister, Adorra might seek comfort from him and agree to his wishes. She might even gain a small measure of happiness out of her grief, only to have it cut short when Lord Gothar killed her on their wedding night.
Jasmine shuddered at the thought of how he might do it. He could use almost any excuse in the book about her death. Their wing of the manor would be deserted so that the newlywed couple would have an uninterrupted night together.
“Is that all?” Dryden interrupted her thoughts.
Jasmine rubbed her hands over her arms and tried to clear her thoughts. “I knew too much about some horrible people, and leaving me in the mountains to die was their way of quieting me.”
Dryden shook his head as he dismantled another section of the tent. “I wish you could get justice against these people.”
Oh, she would, but she couldn’t tell him that.
How come Adorra had to trust Lord Gothar so completely? Was she so blinded by love that she couldn’t see the snake that was just waiting for the right time to strike? Jasmine had tried to overlook her initial dislike of Lord Gothar for her sister’s sake, but now she wished she’d paid more attention to her instincts.
Jasmine examined Dryden to see his progress in taking down the tent. He was almost done. Now all he had left was to fold everything up and pack it away.
She noticed that many of the other ice giants had also started to pack away their tents.
Unconsciously, she huddled closer under her brown fur cloak as she watched all of the extremely tall and muscular ice giants move around the camp.