Forever and Ever After (book1)

Chapter 8

Chapter 8

The snow slowly melted into spring started to show the first signs of life. The flowers poked their heads out into the sun, carpeting the forest floor with colour and an amazing smell.

Early in the season when the winter chill still blew hard; Heather had left to

join her fairy family and friends to celebrate the coming of the spring and of new life coming into the world. On her return on the full moon, Isobel almost didn't recognise her wearing new clothes and she seemed to glow brighter than when she left.

Isobel had managed to horde enough sellable stolen goods over the winter that soon both her home and her hidey hold were full of them. She couldn't wait for the first opening of the Black Market to open so she could sell everything off for a lot of coins.

Her first job was to sell off the fur coats she and her Father had stolen from the backs of travellers. Although she knew they were worth a bit more than what people were offering, she wanted to get rid of instead of dragging them all the way home again; besides with the promise of a warm but wet spring on the way no-one was going to need any fur coats any time soon.

It was while she stood staring over the lake by the market as she waited for her Father to finish his bartering satisfied with the amount of silver she had in the pouch when she heard someone approaching from behind and not bothering to try hide the noise of crunching twigs and squelching mud.

"You could have at least said thank you," Charming said standing within reach of her back.

"Thank you for what?" she asked and turned to face him, unable to keep the grin from her face. Her breath was taken away as she stared at the glow coming from the sun the glinted off Charming and his royal clothes, his dark hair turned to honey from the light that made Isobel wanted to run her fingers through it.

"Let me see," he said and took a step closer to her, taking that step into her personal space. "I don't know what happened to you but going on what Wesley said I guess I saved your life when I destroyed the Queen's idol."

"And how would you like me to thank you?" she asked all flirtatiously. "Would you like me to kiss you like Lady Katrina did?" All warmth left her voice as she stepped back and turned back to the lake, taking up a stone and casting it out on the lake.

"Oh, do I hear a hint of jealously in your voice?" Charming teased and watched the stone skim across the lake surface.

"No," she chuckled as she turned back to him while she wiped her hands on her jacket. She closed her eyes and tried to compose herself before her scattered thoughts became fogged. "Thank you for saving my life; left a little longer and I think I would have been dead." When she opened her eyes again they shone no light or warmth, just the frost that needed for her effect. "Now leave me alone." She abruptly turned on her heels and tried to stalk away from him and back to the market where she could meet up with her Father when Charming grabbed her elbow.

"You keep talking and looking at me like that and I'm going to get frost bite."

She shoved him off and stuffed her hands in her pockets. "Do you want me to help with something?" she asked. It only seemed reasonable for him to need her help as he wouldn't really come looking for her unless he needed her help with something magical.

But she didn't expect him to pull an envelope out an inside pocket and hold it out to her. "I think you could thank me by attending our party. The whole kingdom is celebrating the start of spring but my Father is holding a ball in the castle in the great hall," he said and tried to make her to take the invitation from him and say she'll go.