The Heart of Ice

Chapter 8

Davina

The coachman mutters a calling, causing the carriage to scurry away.  Now I, Moon, Ana, and Beckham, the guard I met on my first day in the castle, stand in the heart of our kingdom, receiving astounded glances from the citizens close enough to recognize me.

It's been awhile since I've stepped foot in the market, even when I was living at home, due to my father wanting me to spend all my time becoming a proper lady. So taking in the sounds, the smells, even the people is the most natural thing I've dealt with these past few days. I watch happily as Beckham kindly shoo's away children running circles around us, covered head to toe in dirt, their tiny hands filled with sweet candies and lickerish. The strong smell of oils and roasted meat on skewers cloud my nose, reminding me of home, for the smell reached all the way to the streets of our neighborhood, not too far from here. My gaze rests on a couple of men, standing in a group outside of our local bar, singing a melody known throughout the kingdom. It's a song I used to hear Austin humming around the house every morning as he got dressed for training—a song I rarely hear anymore.

Ana clears her throat, wiping her clean hands against her apron. "So," she starts. "How did that thing with The Ice King go, Vina? You seemed pretty excited yesterday when he asked to see you in the library."

My gaze shifts to Moon who stops in her tracks abruptly, a braced hand against her chest. "Thing? What thing? You guys didn't tell me they were doing a thing!" she panics, eyes shifting between Beckham and Ana. "You promised you would tell me if they were making progress."

Beckham shrugs slightly, leaving Ana to fill me in on whatever's going on right now. "Well, Vina, before you came to the castle, we all made this bet that whoever the new Ice Queen is, she'd be able to turn Killian into a necessarily good person," she chuckles to herself, nervously. "Once we met you, we knew you'd be able to do it, so we just focused on the progress you guys would make until you were eventually . . . you know."

My shoulders drop, a wave of confusion washing over me. Part of me knew what they were going to say next, but I asked anyway, in hopes that they would say something else. "Until we were what?"

The three of them take slight glances between each other, avoiding my stare at all costs. "Until we were what, guys?" I question again, the gravel of the street crackling under my shoes. Beckham clears his throat before speaking, just as Ana did. "Until you were in love," he sighs, trailing off. "I mean, you are in love right?"

My heart sinks to the pit of my stomach, and I suddenly feel as if I'm going to vomit. Love is the last thing I'd ever feel for Killian Cahira, The Ice King. If anything, I hate him more than I hate anything in this world. Though, I did barely sleep last night, thinking of all the flowers he had placed around my room for me so he could apologize. It was sweet—the sweetest thing anyone's ever done for me, actually. But every time I thought about that, it just reminded me of how much of an asshole he was when I first arrived—and the fact that he put a literal sword to my throat. Even after all of that, I still can't stop thinking of him, despite the circumstances.

I drag my hand through my hair, the others still glaring at me, waiting for an answer. "Well," I start. "I don't think I hate him, you know. He has his moments." That's true, at least. He's kind when he wants to be—kind when his heart . . . his mind lets him remember what kind is. Though, through the little time I've spent with our Ice King, I feel I've noticed a pattern growing. He seems to have blocked off any recognition of happiness—or love—because he's already deemed himself unworthy of it. It feels as if the only person he has those emotions for may be Everett. I wonder if he'd ever tell me the story behind their friendship—maybe it'd help me get closer to him.