Wicked Hunt

Chapter Two, Part III

Halle: A Court Of Ice

Halle could barely sleep that night. After the young girl Clive had sent to her left, she tossed and turned whether from some worn excitement or relentless anxiety, she could not be sure. Back in Rodantha, she had never been afraid. She had known who she was: a happy, unbothered, young woman who liked to play with swords or go out riding in the expansive fields around her castle. Everything was light and airy and warm. She knew most of her servants. She would call out to them and laugh, rewarding them with a small cake or cheap trinket when they helped her play some trick on her brothers.

The shivering girl from earlier, at war with her curiosity and fear... she did not recognize her. That girl had been one she did not know. She hoped she would never know her. Halle was the type of girl used to being happy and unafraid to trudge into any scenario without fear of reprimand or worry.

"Be careful," her sister-in-law, the queen had warned her. "Verlic is not like Rodantha. Its lands are fractured and cold. Its people are cruel."

She had not exactly understood what Thandie had meant then, but she was beginning to. How dare they make her feel small? Like a coward! She was brought here as an extremely important piece in the coming projected wars. The islands were constantly warring with one another, her brother the king of Rodantha did not know how to be diplomatic at all. Over time, relations with Eldencrest soured. Threats of war had recently been thrown about. No one knew if they were serious or not. Yet, just as a precaution, Halle was sacrificed to fortify an alliance with Verlic against Eldencrest. Clive obtained a large sum and a young wife. Rodantha and her brother got an army to call upon when the wars started. Her brother thought he was being clever, and because it was such a rare occurrence, everyone was forced to agree with him.

She had blown Thandie's comments off. She had been unprepared. After the stint in the throne room, she felt embarrassed. She was used to coming and going as she pleased and had wondered into something she thought she understood and had the right to view. Now, she felt self-conscious about what had happened.

The blood that had lingered, painted on those men like a proud badge of honor... she couldn't stop thinking about it. When Halle woke, she felt feverish and was drenched in sweat. The horrors she had dreamt about and the crimes those men had had to commit swirled endlessly in her mind: death, killing, murder. Her nightmares had been vivid and sharp, tinged with horrors she had never witnessed.

Yet, as Halle swallowed and rubbed her eyes, trying to get the grogginess from her eyes, she no longer fixated on how the blood had gotten on their hands. Her thoughts continued to circle and linger upon the strange, yet enigmatic man she had met.

And it was not her husband.

The covers were thrown back, and Halle stood up so briskly that the blood pounded heavily at the back of her head. The stone was frigid beneath her bare feet, and the air instantly chilled her. Hot breath floated from her parted lips in a dense cloud before her. She crossed her arms, wrapping them around her and shuffled to the window. She peeled back the curtain, shielding her eyes from the dim sunlight, and peered out at the grounds below.

Mist shrouded mountains sat in the distance, ominous observers of the stark highlands below. Wet grass glistened in spurts around the rugged terrain, uncertain if it should show itself between the patches of granite. A herd of sheep grazed on the steep cliffsides, their muted coats allowing them to blend in with the greys and browns of the landscape. Everything was sharp and jagged; a dragon's maw of teeth made of rock and stone. The mouth gave way to a break in the undulating earth. It panned down into a coarse valley. This was where Clive's castle resided. The great sprawling edifice of stone and granite blended in with the rest of the highlands. Halle was looking out from one of the towers, a chamber for a prestigious guest. She would not take the queen's rooms until after the wedding. Thinking of that event made the princess frown. Slowly, Halle let the curtain fall shut. Her room was completely quiet, an uneasy lack of noise that seemed to stretch and twist her thoughts. How did the people here endure the silence?