7
Rosalina
It feels like forever ago that I had my first meeting with thefour seasonal princes. I’d been a scared human girl trying to bargain for her freedom.
Now as I head to the meeting hall, that girl seems far away. I’m not a human. I’m a fae princess. And I’m not fighting for my freedom anymore but the freedom of the entire Enchanted Vale.
The corridors of Keep Wolfhelm stretch before me, cavernous and silent, drenched in the shadows of flickering torchlight. I pull my cloak tighter, feeling the chill settle in my bones, seeping up from the icy floors. The walls are adorned with tapestries woven in deep blues and whites, each one depicting scenes of fierce battles, legendary creatures, and endless wintry landscapes. The silence of this place is broken only by the occasional murmured word from the soldiers who stand stoic and watchful at their posts.
I’ve been avoiding Keldarion since his less than warm welcome. Though I’m not sure why I expected anything different.I thought he’d started trusting more. Trusting me and Caspian.
I needed some time to think before our meeting. I’d headed to the ramparts of the tall wall of ice that surrounds the entire keep. Beyond it, I watched the city of Frostfang. So much life stretches beyond the walls—people moving through snow-dusted streets, children laughing, traders with carts piled high with goods bundled in fur. But here, inside, it’s as if all that life is locked away, separated by the wall. The keep feels like a world unto itself, closed off from its people, just as Keldarion is closed off from everyone around him. He’s hiding behind layers of duty with a heart as frozen as his realm. Kel is the very embodiment of this place, a prince more at home with ice and steel than his people.
But somehow, I’ve got to convince that prince to let me go to one of the most dangerous places in the Enchanted Vale. Not because I need his permission but because I want his support.
Two staff members open a set of massive wooden doors as I enter the grand meeting hall of Keep Wolfhelm.
Huge columns of frost-veined stone line the room, supporting high, timbered beams overhead that arch like the rib cage of a great beast. A faint, silvery light spills through narrow slits in the stone walls.
The four princes are already seated at the long table, Kel at the head with Dayton and Farron on one side and Ezryn on the other. Very similar to our eating arrangement at Castletree. Except there is an empty seat next to Keldarion.
I take it and sit. “I see we’re not going to go hungry.”
A great feast is laid out on the table. There are dark loaves of bread, sprinkled with coarse salt and wild herbs. Crisp crackers spread beside creamy wedges of cheese, their edges tinged blue. Bowls of winter berries, black and vivid red, glisten like jewels among the platters, while slender goblets hold deep, amber-hued mead and spiced wines that still steam in the cold air.
Everything is arranged with such care, and I can’t help but feel a creep of loneliness. It reminds me of Castletree when I first arrived. People lost of purpose. Stars know Keldarion has not graced these halls much in the last twenty-five years. The lady’s maids Kel assigned me were so excited to bring me warm clothes and tie my hair in the fashion of Winter fae. And looking at this food… When was the last time a feast like this was created? Are the fae here now remembering grander gatherings and warmer nights?
Kel places a plate in front of me, and I try to banish the sadness. It’s not queenly. Sira doesn’t spend her days crying over chefs excited to cook meals again.
I meet each of my mates’ gazes, summoning a fire in my stare. “Are we ready to begin?”
Ezryn starts by detailing the recapture of Spring, followed by Dayton telling the full story of Hadria’s liberation. Kel and Farron both explain the events that transpired in the Below, why the rescue of my mother is impossible, and the curious remnants of the rose. Finally, I talk about what happened once I was captured. Thankfully, none of them have quite the visceral reaction Kel did when I speak of lying with Caspian, though I note the tension in Ezryn’s jaw.
After the talking is over, I stand and slam my palms on the table. “It’s clear what must be done.”
Dayton raises a brow and gives me a weak smile. “Really, Blossom? You got a clear idea from all that?”
“It’s simple when you think of it. We have to kill Sira.” Silence is all I’m met with, so I continue. “The Enchanted Vale is in grave danger. We can’t rescue my mother, and we can’t break her bargain. Theonlyway to set the queen free is to kill Sira. If she’s dead, we could free Caspian.”
Ezryn taps his finger on the table. “Killing Sira would solve many of our problems. But she rarely leaves the safety of the Below.”
“Besides,” Farron says, leaning forward, “Sira was born in the Above. She’s one of the original fae that saw the Gardens of Ithilias. Her magic is potent. It’s why she’s so powerful. Why Queen Aurelia—and you, Rosie, for that matter, being second generation—are so powerful.”
“We princes rival that power because of our blessings,” Keldarion says, “but a regular fae against someone from the Above would stand little chance.”
My voice rises. “I’m not suggesting we send one of your soldiers against her. I’m sayingallof us work together to do it. Dayton and Farron have broken their curses?—”
“Their magic still falls short of its potential.” Kel’s eyes flash dagger-sharp. “Not with Castletree so weak.”
“Well, it’sonlygoing to get weaker,” I counter. “It’ll keep getting weaker until we free my mother.”
“We can’t just enter the Below. We don’t have the force needed to fight our way to Sira,” Keldarion says.
“With the Queen’s Army holding Spring, Summer so scattered,” Ezryn says, “and Autumn needing its forces to hold off the rogue goblins of the Briar, we only have Winter soldiers at our disposal.”
Keldarion gives a low growl. “Caspian mentioned something before. He said Sira had her eye on Winter, and she was waiting for me to withdraw my soldiers so she could attack.”
“Sothatyou believe him on?” I cross my arms.
