Wolf and the Fey

Chapter 1

"I'm sorry to interrupt, Your Majesty, but I'd thought you'd like your day to start off with some good news." The servants voice was soft in the quiet room. She stood behind the half open door, watching the woman at the vanity carefully.

Rolling streams of snow laid carefully upon her back, spilling over strong shoulders and kissing the edges of her rounded face. Vibrant pools of autumnal gold gazed back at her from the mirror, sizing her maid up and down. She finally shifted to face her maid, a small smile growing the second she laid her gaze upon the small piece of parchment that her maid held up a little too eagerly.

"Ah, so he finally responded to me, yes?" She stretched a delicate hand out, asking for the letter. The maid happily bounded into the room, some of the loose golden curls bobbing softly around her face. She wore a hopeful expression as she slipped the parchment to her new queen. The emerald seal of a wolves head glowed brightly in the sunny room.

"It would appear so!"

The Queen's hands quickly popped the seal open and unfolded the letter, scanning its contents for a few moments too long. Her eyebrows scrunched together as she finally laid the letter upon her vanity. The maid cocked her head slightly.

"Is something wrong, my Queen?"

The queen's gentle face finally snapped back into its sweet demanor, the worry quickly falling away.

"No, no." Her hands played with the silky fabric of her nightgown as she thought. "It's great news, but there's a stipulation."

"What is it?"

"I must go alone." Her smile faltered again as she turned back to her vanity and resumed brushing her hair. A sickening feeling was dropping into her stomach. This was her only way to stop the war her ancestors wrought, and it might cost her everything if she were to agree to this.

"That is madness!" Her maid slowly came behind her, taking the brush in her own hands and taking over the work. She brushed diligently, exposing the queen's enlongated ears. The queen sighed softly to herself as she caught sight of her maids glowing lilac eyes in the reflection. The maids expression turned sorrowful as a pout graced her lips. "Please tell me you're not actually considering it."

A sad smile fell upon the Queen's lips.

"Bell, I have no choice. Not if I want this war to end."

Bell fell silent for a few moments, her eyes now distant as she finished brushing the Queen's hair.

"What if you don't come back?" Her voice was tiny, and it was then that the queen noticed small pinpricks of tears playing at the edges of those lilac fields. Her expression softened even more as she reached behind and grabbed Bell's hand.

"You're my best friend, tell me what should I do then, if not this?" Bell finally looked back at her queen, the golden stare patiently waiting for a reply. She turned to finally sit on the Queen's bed, flopping back into its royal purple sheets.

"Frost, I really don't know. But you can't just go alone. He's bound to kill you for sure."

"And if he doesn't?" She turned to face Bell, who finally propped herself up on her elbows, a golden curl falling in front of her face.

"That's a very unlikely scenario, and you know it."

"But if his sentiments are genuine, then it's worth it."

"It isn't, though. You have barely anything to gain and everything to lose." More tears pricked at Bell's eyes as she sat back up, her hands folding into her lap.

"That's where you're wrong." Frost's stare hardened as she spun back around, now braiding her snowy mane back into two long streams that kissed the curve of her back. "I have everything to gain and everything to lose. My life will always be worth saving this kingdom."

Bell chuckled softly, sarcastically, to herself as she averted her gaze away from Frost.

"So you're going?"

"Without hesitation." A smug smiled curled onto her plump coral lips as she stood from her vanity and trailed to her open wardrobe on the opposite side of the room. "I'll leave this evening and arrive in three days' time. I'll send word the minute I step off the carriage."

She carefully browsed through her dresses as if this was just another day, and her entire Kingdom's future wasn't resting upon her shoulders. She tried desperately not to think of it that way, but it was the truth. A bitter truth. She hoped the King's letter to hold true; he too expressed he wanted to cease bloodshed between their people, but was wary in accepting a whole royal entourage into his home. He wanted her to come alone, and he, too, would dismiss all of his guards out of his home while she was there. She desperately clung to his words as she weighed the truth behind them. She never anticipated a quick response; it had barely been a year since she was crowned, and yet, the positive change she had already started seeing in her kingdom shot forth a hopeful bloom in her chest. The only blight she had left was the blood spilled on her lands, the war never coming to a halt. She was tired of her youth filled with fighting alongside her men on the battlefields, war meetings, of plotting defenses, knowing she was sending regime after regime of her fellow Fey to their deaths. She couldn't carry on with this for the rest of her life. And if she had to trade her own life for her people's peace, then that's what she would  do.

Bell sat silent for a moment before standing and seeing herself out of the room. She didn't want Frost to see the breaking of her heart as tears finally spilled forth.