Red Snow (The Shadows bk.3)

Chapter 7: Painful Memories

Êlon became a living statue. She knew?! She knew he was there the whole time?! He did not know what shocked him more, the fact that she had snuffed out ten lives without even blinking an eye or the fact that she was aware of his presence throughout the whole ordeal.

It took a few moments for him to compose himself before stepping out from behind the column. Moving over to where the Queen stood, the former star attempted to hide the shock that was no doubt, written all over his face. If she noticed his struggle, she made no move to notify him of it. The Queen's composure and inviting smile disturbed Êlon more than he cared to admit. "Come," Sairene beckoned him over to where she stood, her hand hovered over the ice statue as an artist would hover over his painting. Having no choice in the matter, Êlon moved closer until he stood right beside her. "Well?" Sairene glanced between the statues and her guest, "what do you think?" Êlon could hardly do anything other than stare at her in shock, "what do I think?! You just murdered ten innocent people because you believed that they were conspiring against you! Yes, My Lady, I may have taught you the skill you just displayed, but," he paused to catch his breath, completely oblivious to the white-hot anger than burnt in the Queen's eyes. "At that point in time I did not expect you to use it against the living! Much less against your own people!"

Narrowing her eyes, Sairene struggled to remain calm; no one had spoken to her like that the past two years and lived to tell about it! Her vision was tinged with red and her teeth were clenched so tight, she feared they would break. "You forget whose kingdom you are in," the words came out in a low hiss, causing Êlon to stop his rant and look at her with wide eyes. Although Sairene was shorter than the former star, he felt intimidated by her very presence. "You are in my kingdom now, my realm," she advanced on him with slow, measured steps, "I am Queen here, I can do whatever I please and to whoever I please." The thinly veiled threat caused chills to run down Êlon's spine. "In this realm you are a visitor, an outsider," by now she was mere inches away, "the only rules that apply are the ones I make." Despite their obvious height difference, Sairene managed to make Êlon feel five times shorter. "It may be different in my uncle's realm, but here, I do not tolerate those who question my decisions."

Uncle? Êlon was unaware of any other members of the Queen's family, he believed that she had no living relatives. "Uncle My Lady?" His question made Sairene stop short and stare at him, "I did not know you had any living relatives." Sairene stood momentarily frozen before realizing what she had let slip; no nervous laughter came, neither did she try to cover what she had said with clumsy excuses. "Yes, well," blinking rapidly, the young Queen shook herself and smiled at the star, "I forgot to mention that I have an uncle, from my mother's side that is." Mentally kicking herself, Sairene turned her attention back to the ice statues. Her body language did enough to communicate how she felt about this subject, therefore silencing any further questions Êlon might have had.

The remainder of the day passed without incident and when the evening meal came around, Êlon found himself seated beside the Queen. He was surprised at her choice of gown, while it was certainly very beautiful, it was more suited to the warm seasons rather than Winter. Her shoulders were left bare and the very fabric of the dress seemed unable to even provide the slightest bit of warmth. While Êlon very much wanted to voice his opinion on her choice, he now knew better, if he wished to leave Irrelia alive.

With Einarr seated across from him, the star noticed that the young man did not even look the slightest bit surprised at what the Queen had chosen to wear; maybe her people were right after all, Êlon made a mental note to speak with some of the servants a little later on. He remained mostly silent throughout the whole affair and only answered the few questions that the Queen threw his way, it seemed as though she was still riled up about his earlier speech.

Einarr took note of the slight but still noticeable tension that seemed to separate the Queen and their guest. While she still smiled and talked with him, there was a certain forced nature behind the words and gestures.

Letting his curiosity take control, Êlon rested his elbows on the table and folded his hands. "My Lady?" The eyes that greeted his question seemed even colder than before, "yes?" The star swallowed hard and thought how to best phrase his question, one that seemed to be a delicate subject for the young monarch. "I am curious as to your family, do you have any other relatives that are still living?" Those eyes of hers seemed to pin him to the table and he began to regret ever having asked.
This was a sore subject for Sairene; she had not spoken of her parents or other family members for years now. She knew this question came from that one remark she made about her uncle. She wished more than anything that she could take it back. Out of the corner of her eye, Sairene saw that the question had caught Einarr's attention and he was leaning forward slightly, waiting for her response.

"I am the only one left of my family sir," the words came easily for Sairene, as though practiced. "That is, of my immediate family, I mean." Pausing, Sairene licked her bottom lip and mentally prepared herself for the next part of her family history, "of my extended family I have limited knowledge. All I know is that I have an uncle and cousin that are still living and they are from my mother's side. My father had no siblings and his parents died when I was a baby, I never met them." Einarr felt his heart swell with sympathy for his Queen, it was times like this that reminded him of just how young she was and how much she needed someone to be there, even if she refused to admit it.

Êlon sat and listened as the young Queen recited her family history. "Your uncle and cousin, do they come and visit from time to time?" The question was innocent enough but to Sairene, it was much more complicated than that. Getting up, she moved to one of the windows and sighed as the cold night air brushed against the bare skin of her shoulders. "My cousin does not even know of my existence," this surprised both Einarr and Êlon, "why My Lady?" The young man had beaten Êlon to it.

With her back to them, Sairene bowed her head, "my uncle disapproved of who my mother had chosen to marry." This part of her family's history was the most painful for Sairene to remember. "He all but disowned her and in so doing chose not to inform his son, my cousin, of her or of me." Turning around, she smiled sadly, "and to this day he has no idea who I am or that his father had a sister." Before she hurriedly left the room, Êlon believed he saw the very real shine unshed tears.