Heir to the Ice Queen (Book 1)

Ch. 30

     None of the warriors or knights dared to speak as we got closer to the castle. Liam and his new trainee Hudson were to my left guarding me, Nuri being the brave tiger that he was seemed to know where we were heading and strolled in front of my riding horse like an extra guard. Elis was on my right being protected by Mosi and Salina. We spoke about the plan earlier at camp and we all agreed that I will be the only one to step foot inside the castle, even with the innocent villagers inside, sending in my army will just be putting more lives in danger with my mother. And on the other hand, my knights and summer warriors will be busy handling my mothers knights outside of the castle.

     The snow was falling dramatically now at the base of it's power, coating us all in white. The winter wind was now blowing the sound of music to us and we could hear every string being strung as the instruments went on.

     As I rode up the metal of the knights armer clanked together in unison in fighting formation, "Halt!" A knight yelled. He was a man in his late thirty's with neck long red hair and a long scar down his face, a scar that my mother had gave him when he went looking through the garbage for extra food twenty years ago.

     "I wish to see my mother," I replied calmly.

     He did not move, none of them made room for me to pass. As I was expecting.

     "Am I not allowed to enter my own home knight?"

     "The Ice Queen has labeled you a traitor for running away into summer and giving our secrets away to the enemy and has hereby sentenced your execution," He announced. And as he unsheathed his sword I heard him say in a hushed voice, "I'm sorry Princess."

     I stayed on my horse as I delivered my speech, with Nuri right by my side, loud enough for all thousand of them to hear, "I am no traitor to Winter. I was sent out by my own mother into summer by her stupid request. And what I found out there was who I really was, the truth she has never told me. My mother is the Ice Queen, and my father is the summer King, Slator, who we all have seen once or twice sitting patiently on my doorstep."

     I took a deep breath while I let the news sink in to the knights, "I am here to take my rightful spot as the Queen of winter, I will not be like my mother. Unlike her I will never bring harm to my people, I will protect you, feed you, shelter you and care for you. Not just give you enough for you and your families to merely survive a few harsh years in winter and die of the cold while you hold your loved ones close! I will be the Queen that saves you, I give you my word knights of winter! I have men and women from both winter and summer who stand by me, trust me on my word. So I ask you now knights, follow me into this new life, or die by my mothers hands in this one."

     The knights in front of me did not move, but I could tell on their faces that they were going through each and every word that came out of my mouth. To even remotely believe the heir that stands in front of them, or to still fear the Queen behind them. Others looked at me with disgust, everyone knew that I was apart of another season simply on the outlook of my body, but the power within me - my mothers power - shut any negative comments about me right up. Although now, hearing that I've joined and even cared for summer has ended my reputation with them right then and there. Those humans were ignorant in pride for their winter, that didn't care for the gentle side, instead they ravished off of being known as one of the deadliest.

     It looks like I have the knights divided amongst themselves, " If you want proof of my word, proof of my power then I shall give that to you," I yelled to all of them. Lifting both my hands up I covered the sky in a blaze of blue embers and had it fall with the snowflakes in front of them. This stirred some of the knights, I could see a slight shift of how they were holding their weapons that I had their attention, maybe even their obedience. These knights were intrigued by the new power I held, but also at the different life I was offering them.