Daughter of Winter

Chapter 22

 Dinner was terrible. No one spoke to me other than to ask me to pass a bowl of gravy or a basket of bread. After doing what was asked, I would not a thanks, not even a nod. It was as if I was not there. Regardless, I paid attention to everything they said.

It was boring, a lot of talk of tithes, land payments, trade agreements, sanctions in response to political decisions, and a bunch more words. I committed as much of it to memory as I could. This was my life now. I needed to make the best of it.

I suppose it could have been worse. Aurelius could have insulted me or ridiculed Kendryek again, but neither happened. There was no evidence of the vicious argument they had had only hours earlier. Rosalind acted normally (thank The Mother) and said little.

Only three from each sector of the Court were allowed, so Lysander spent dinner elsewhere. It felt wrong that he was not there, but I was saved the awkwardness.

I went to bed almost immediately after talks of policy and politics were finished. Kendryek woke me late at night. He laid down in the bed on his back and stared at the ceiling blankly.

He felt distant again, tired and unsure of himself. I pulled myself close to him and rested an arm on his chest. I felt his slow heart beat beneath my palm. He made no notice of my presence. I kissed his cheek. His lips twitched, but that was all. Even when lying beside him, I felt alone.

I heard a clang come from the other room and woke up with a start. I jumped out of bed and ran to the door's peephole.

It was just the servants bringing in breakfast. I spotted Lysander, already bathed and dressed, speaking with them. He wore a maroon, gold lined tunic, a tight fitting yellow undershirt, and brown pants.

I looked in the mirror and straightened my hair before exiting the room.

"Good morning," I said to him. Lysander avoided my eye. "That's the first time I've seen you wear those colors." The look good on you.

"I try to avoid wearing them. Once a year is often enough," he replied, immediately exiting the room. I sighed. At this rate, The Meeting was going to be hell.

To say we were dressed nicely would have been a serious understatement. Rosalind wore an exceptionally elaborate, two-layered dress with a dark red outer layer and a white inner one. I wore something almost identical to her, but with more gold and rubies on my sleeves and less on my chest.

Kendryek, like Lysander, wore a maroon tunic and a tight fitted yellow undershirt, but looked considerably less attractive in it. I blamed the overcomplicated golden patterns that covered every inch of Kendryek's clothes.

Kendryek and I wore gold bands on our thumbs. Rosalind wore a black ring which she constantly fiddled with. Lysander wore no ring. Not yet, at least.

We, along with the other members of the Autumn Court, arrived thirty minutes before Introductions officially began - exactly on schedule.

The path through the mountain felt like a safety hazard. The walls and roof were made out of bare stone and dirt. There was no supporting beams or anything to give it more structural integrity. I kept my eye on Lysander during this time, knowing his fear of the underground. If he was afraid, then he did not show it.

Long after I thought the tunnel would end we reached a sudden ninety-degree bend. On the other side were marble stairs. Each step had two deep divets in the middle. I could feel the history around me. I walked where thousands, maybe even millions, of fae had walked before me. I wondered how many of them were half-fae and how many had come from the mortal lands.

The voices of these fae echoed from deep in the earth.

They amplified in volume and clarity until I could almost, almost understand what they were saying. But, when I stepped across the threshold and into the magnificent cavern on the other side they were instantaneously silenced. The shimmer disappeared from the air completely. I felt my magic vanish. I was officially under the mountain.