The Kingdom of Eternal Winter (Divergent Fourtris Fanfiction)

Chapter 4

After another long day's journey, the castle appeared in Beatrice's view. Sitting proudly and steadily in its place on top of a massive rock, it could be seen from afar, no matter on which of the four roads one approached it. Beatrice stopped for a few heartbeats to take in its size and splendor. It was built from white stone that had used to glow in the warm light of the setting sun back in the days when there had been a sun in her world. No matter how many years had come and gone since, the memory was still vivid within her and it warmed her the tiniest bit, but it also left her yearning for those better days.

Today, the glow was gone. Instead, the white seemed pale and blurred with the snowy mountains of Dauntless in the far distance. But the fine architecture with the many thin towers and artfully swung archways and staircases that ran outside the castle to connect its different parts hadn't lost its magnificence.

Beatrice pulled her coat closer around herself before she set off again to reach the castle before darkness would have taken over the land. The closer she got to the main gatehouse that marked the entry to the castle, the faster her heart was beating. It was not fear that caused this effect within her, but a feeling of oppression. What was she walking herself into? Was she really ready to sacrifice her personal freedom in exchange for her mother's health?

The closer she got to the castle, the more she had to will her feet to keep walking. She didn't take the time to rest again, as she was afraid that would lead her to overthink what she was doing and make her resolve crumble.

When she was almost there, she came across a girl who was gathering her belongings from the frozen ground.

"Excuse me, can I help you?" she asked.

The girl looked up at her and smiled. Beatrice was sure she could see surprise wash over her face.

"Yes, that would be nice. My bag tore, I guess I packed too many things," the girl replied, shrugging apologetically.

"Let me help you pick them up, together we'll be faster," Beatrice said and set her own bag down. While hers was mostly filled with items she had wanted to sell, the other girl's bag had been filled with mostly clothes and even a few pieces of jewelry.

Beatrice stared at a necklace made of pearls that she had picked up. Each little ivory pearl was polished to perfection, shining softly in the dusky light. She had never held such beauty in her hands and admired how soft and silken it felt.

"Do you want to wear it to the ball tonight?" asked the girl she was helping when she'd noticed Beatrice's interest in the necklace.

"What? No! I wouldn't want to take it from you. It's yours. You should wear it."

"I have another one that I like more. It's just that my mother thought it was best to take different pieces of jewelry with me, so I ended up with this one as well. It once belonged to my grandmother. - But you can definitely have it for tonight. It's not that you're going to run off with it, I hope."

Beatrice stared at the pearls now lying in her palm and a smile spread over her face that she then shared with the girl.

"Thank you. That's very nice."

"It's also very nice that you're helping me with my belongings and my bag. So, see it as a reward if you like. - I'm Christina, by the way."

"Beatrice."

"Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you, too."

"So, shall we go up? I heard they're closing the gatehouse when the sun sets."