“I thought…?” Niel started. “You challenged me to fight—?”
“A snow fight,” Ayla said breathlessly. “We’re only supposed to throwsnowat each other, Niel.”
He was off her so fast she could have sworn he knew how to fly. The knight stumbled back, putting feet instantly between them, a rush of cold air and an unpleasant weightless feeling after the comforting press of his body over hers.
“I did not know the rules,” Niel said, the words a rasp, barely a whisper. There was a horrified look on his face, and red in his cheeks. “Forgive me, I…” he took another stumbling step back, but she lifted a hand up out of the snowbank towards him.
“Help me up, at least?” Ayla asked.
With a quick nod, he leaned forward over the snowbank and grasped her mitten in one leather-gloved hand. His grip was firm, despite the shame on his face.
Mercy, but she almost felt guilty. She’d started this whole thing.
She scrambled up, trying not to make him haul too much of her weight. Then, just as her body had cleared the snow, Ayla threw herself down and to the side, yanking as hard as she could on Niel’s hand. With a grunt of surprise, his foot slipping on the icy patch she’d known was there, Niel dropped.
He turned as he fell, to keep from slamming down on her. She let go of his hand and danced back, grabbing for another snowball as the knight sank into the deep snowbank.
Niel sat up slowly, blinking. She tossed her snowball lightly into his chest, where it splattered against the metal plate armor. He looked down at where the snow slid down his armor, then frowned up at her. Snow coated his cloak and clung in small clumps to his dark hair.
That he could look so serious in a situation like this one was somewhat remarkable.
“Doyouyield?”Ayla asked.
“My lady,” Niel said slowly. “I acted dishonorably. I…”
“Oh, please.” She reached for another handful of snow. “Have you never heard of subterfuge?”
“Subterfuge?” He looked baffled. “I wrestledyoutotheground.”
“You had me trapped. Now you don’t.” She packed the snow quickly as she talked. “Tactics, sir knight. Like I said. Now do you yield, or must I continue to prove my skill at this game?” She cocked her arm back, snowball gripped in one mitten, and raised an eyebrow at him.
Niel was still sitting in the snow, white clinging to his dark hair. He sighed once, and rose to his feet in a smooth motion, faster and more graceful than she would have managed it. She took a wary step back, not taking her eyes from him.
“I didn’t hurt you?” he asked.
“Of course not.”
“Still, I shouldn’t have…”
She threw her snowball at his head to shut him up. Niel bobbed easily out of the way, looking a little surprised.
“If I were honorable I would escort you inside,” he told her.
She grabbed another handful of snow and began to pack it.
“But I suppose I’m not,” he continued, sounding a little regretful.
Niel bent to grab a handful of snow. She lobbed her next snowball at him; he dodgedthat, too, before hurling a dense, fast-packed snowball straight into her chest. She stumbled back with anoof,her thighs thumping back against another one of the snowbanks.
There was snow beneath her hem and in her boots. Snow in her hair and at the hem of her mittens. It was getting to be quite cold, actually. Ayla reached for another handful of snow. She’d nearly packed it into a ball when it exploded in her hands. She yelped.
She didn’t knowhowNiel’s aim was so good, when he’d never had a proper snowfight before, but it stood to reason he’d have an unfair advantage at anything that even smelled faintly of combat. She grabbed for another, not even taking the time to form it before swinging her hand to shower him in a scattering of snow.
She turned, grabbed her skirts, and ran away from the stairs, in the direction of the well.
A snowball smacked against her shoulder and Ayla stumbled before catching herself. She turned and threw her mittened hands up over her head. Her snow-bedraggled cloak swirled around her legs.
“Truce,” Ayla called. Steam puffed from her lips.
