“I can ask, but she doesn’t always listen to me.”
I chuckle, shaking my head as I look at the sky. It’s going to snow again. “Bellarose, was it?”
“Yeah,” he says carefully, his tone changing. If I didn’t know better, I would call it endearment. “I call her Belle.”
~~~
Later, after I’ve witnessed a most uncomfortable dinner between Neve, Ronnie, and the two Icebound who don’t eat, I sit on a windowsill overlooking the palace grounds when my stone begins to shine in my pocket.
Damn, I knew this might happen. My focus remains on Neve, who I know is still in the guestroom. Palace workers spent the day moving things from one room to another, and Ronnie made up excuse after excuse about why she couldn’t sit and talk with Neve. If she didn’t see through that, there’s no helping the Ice Queen. I can’t quite tell if they are moving things into the correct suite for Neve, moving Ronnie’s things out, or some strange mixture of the two. Everything looks the same among all the furniture.
For the moment, Neve seems to be brooding. That’s what she was doing the last time I peeked into her room. Mostly, I’m curious to see if she tries to sneak away or take matters into her own hands.
She’s the rightful queen. She doesn’t have to listen to her mother. So far as I know, there was never a ceremony for the Dowager Queen, so she doesn’t maintain a higher title than the Queen. Neve should be able to do whatever she wants, but so far, she hasn’t even tried.
Groaning, I slip into the shadows, shifting away from the palace. Down into the noble streets and further still into the poorer districts, I move until I’m outside the main city.
It doesn’t matter that it’s distant; it just matters that no one will care about me out here. When I drag the stone from my pocket, I expect to see Lucius again, hopefully ready to regale me with good news.
Instead, it’s Odette.
“Hi, Ban,” she says, smiling through the stone. My brows rise high on my head, surprised she’s talking to me. She had an insatiable curiosity when we met in the caves, but I haven’t felt the urge to talk to her again since I started back to the Frostlands to find Neve.
“Odette.”
She gives me a knowing smile. “Ray said I needed to discuss this with you. Something about a history lesson?”
“So Lucius told him?” I ask dryly. I can’t think of the last time the four of us corresponded this much. Part of that is definitely because of me, but Lucius isn’t as chatty as Ray and Z. They were always the closest of the four of us.
“He mentioned something about wanting to know about the Frostlands’ past,” she comments, confusion marring her features. “I’m not too sure where he was going with that. He only spoke with us for a few moments.”
“And that’s something you know, Princess?”
Odette leans back, crossing her arms. “I’ve spent a lot of time reading in my castle, ever since I was young. I’m not surewhat you hope to learn about your homeland, Ban, but there isn’t much to tell.”
Frowning, I try to remember the details of my conversation with Odette. It was fleeting, and I was still in a good amount of pain. I told her the fake story of the Ice Queen’s frozen sleep, and she bought it. “Remind me what you know of the monarchy of the Frostlands again?”
“Well, what you told me,” she begins, sounding confused. “Like I said, the Frostlands are ruled by the wealthy. Most kingdoms are.”
“It’s always been like that here.”
“You said a subject pricked the Queen’s finger and cast her into a frozen sleep. You even mentioned Wonderland.” Odette manages to look annoyed. “I’ve had time to think about that since then over the last few days. Even with everything going on, I’ve thought about our meeting. Mostly because Rapunzel wanted to hear about you since Zarev grunted rather than explained.”
I smirk. That sounds like Z.
“And it’s got to be a lie, right?” she goes on. “Wonderland causing issues is one thing, but when I looked at the records in Swan Lake years back, the last documented ruler is from a century ago. Was the Ice Queen the last ruler of the Frostlands, officially? Surely someone took up the throne in her place if she was cursed.”
“Her mother, Snedronningen. The Snow Queen.”
“Okay.” Odette waits a beat before gesturing with her hand. “Then who? Everything I hear in reference to the Frostlands mentions a queen, but that’s as far as it goes. There’s usually not a name listed, and my parents haven’t been on good terms with the Frostlands in years.”
“That would be good ol’ Ronnie,” I drawl. “Same queen who was last on record before Neve.”
Odette’s eyes widen, and I can’t imagine what’s going through her head. I get the feeling she was a studious princess. To learn things that she clearly had no insight into seems to throw her off. “That’s… impossible.”
“Age seems to be only a number where magic is concerned,” I tell her with a shrug. “I’m one hundred and twenty-six.”
“What?”
