Steinar’s shoulders relaxed, and he grinned at her. “Good,” he said, and then opened the doors.
The newly constructed throne room was a beautiful masterpiece. Most of the west wall was made of glass windows that overlooked Rakel’s glacier. There were two thrones: a central one constructed out of wood and blue velvet, and a second throne made of glass that was constructed to resemble ice.
The ice throne, unlike the central one, was shifted to the west side of the room and was tilted to afford whoever sat there a view of the room and a perfect view of the glacier. Rakel could see that the back of the throne was fashioned so a large sword—for instance, a two-handed broadsword—could be secured there.
The room was filled with people. Phile, Oskar, Gerta, and Kai were in the front—laughing and clapping at Rakel’s shocked expression.
“Attention—salute!” General Halvor barked. He and a number of the guards who had been stationed with her on Ensom saluted—their posture straight and perfect as their eyes glowed.
Steinar smiled broadly. “I may be King of Verglas, but you are most certainly the Snow Queen. You deserve a throne like any other monarch—perhaps more. Since the room was being rebuilt, I thought it was only proper to have a throne made for you.”
Grandmother Hilda stood with Tryggvi and Pordis and clapped with glee.
“Snow Queen, Snow Queen!” Crow shouted. When he caught her eye, he waved. Bunny—standing at his side and holding their baby—kicked him in the back and glared at him for the loud display.
Bunny wasn’t the only magic user present. Frodi, Eydìs, Liv, and more were scattered about the room—mingling with some of the key resistance leaders.
And standing next to the ice throne with a soft, understated smile twitching on his lips and the light of a thousand stars in his eyes, was Farrin.
Rakel clasped her hands to her mouth to keep her chin from trembling. “Thank you,” she whispered.
Steinar hugged her and patted her back as if she were a fretting child. When he released her, Farrin ghosted up to them.
“Surprised?” he asked with his quirk of a smile.
Rakel laughed. “Very surprised—and very happy.”
Farrin dropped a gentle kiss on her lips. “Good. May your reign be long and blessed, Snow Queen.”
She hid her face in his shoulder when Phile hooted and whistled at them. “It will be.”
The End
CHAPTER 5
MAGES
This short story takes place after the events of Sacrifice, and was supposed to show how attitudes towards magic were changing, paving the way for the system that has been put into place in the Timeless Fairy Tales books.
When General Halvor found her,Rakel was in the library, curled up in an oversized chair, paging through an old book.
“Princess.” He saluted. “There is a matter in the south that requires your attention.”
Rakel set her book aside and stood. Halvor rarely sought her out personally when there was a military question that needed her input.It must be serious.“Why? What is wrong?” Her heart skipped a beat. “Have the borders failed?”
“No, it is nothing of the sort. Your magic stands strong, and our borders are protected.” His voice rumbled deep from within his chest. “It is merely…we’re getting magic user refugees.”
Rakel blinked. “I beg your pardon?”
“Since the War of Ice and Snow, we’ve gotten the occasional refugee, but it seems that word of your awakening has traveled to the corners of the continent, and an entire caravan arrived earlier this week.” Halvor said. He took a breath and met Rakel’s gaze squarely. “The citizens of Verglas now rejoice in magic, but the arrival of a caravan of foreign magic users is taxing the southern citizens’ trust in it. These magic users are not from Verglas; the civilians fear they may be more like Tenebris and his ilk than you.”
Rakel nodded. “I cannot blame them for their apprehension, but if the refugees successfully crossed our borders and passed through my magic, there should be nothing to fear.”
“I agree with your appraisal, but both the villagers and the refugees have requested your presence,” General Halvor said. “King Steinar heard their requests this morning and agreed to ask you.”
“Ah, so it is Steinar’s proposal, not yours,” Rakel said.
“He said it would be a good opportunity for you to take on students,” General Halvor said dryly.
