When the Sun Fell |✔|

31

Josiah would never tell it to anyone out loud, but a thrill always seemed to run through him at the sight of his Queen wearing her war paint.

He knew the pattern she drew upon her face, the way the dots went above her eyes, and the lines bleed down from long to short on her cheeks. The intricate swirls that decorated her arms- the way she removed her golden bracelets.

The meaning of the paint though was a clear sign of what she had intended for the activity of the day.

Which is why Josiah found himself sitting on a horse in the cold. For two hours now.

"I hate hunting..."

"What did you say?" she turned to him, her gaze unfocused as she tried to see what the group ahead of them was doing.

He scowled at her. She stared at him before a grin came across her face. "I didn't force you to come."

His scowl only deepened and he could practically feel the angry radiation coming off of Ramus who was behind them.

"No...you didn't...but I don't think I would be able to wait in the castle this time for you."

Lumi only shrugged. A one shoulder shrug, seeing as how the other was still heavily bandaged.

"You're pregnant for God's sake!'

"That does not make me any less capable of hunting. Even the mother of lions must hunt for their young."

A noise of disbelief left Josiah. His voice might have been an octave higher because of it as he said, "you...you are not a lion!"

She turned to him and the feral grin she wore seemed to prove otherwise.

Her attention was recaptured by the men who were a distance away. A sound of annoyance left her as she watched them.

"The clumsy oafs. They were always horrible at this. It's no wonder they never are able to catch what they want."

"You've been hunting here before." Josiah did not voice it as a question, but an accusation. It made sense to him now the grim satisfaction he could read in the Winter King's damn eyes.

But she had agreed to not participate. Only watch. Observe. To stay back and let others take control of the events.

In the distance, Josiah could see her brother with the group of men. There were others like him and Lumi who had hung back only to watch, but he was not one of them.

Her eyes seemed to focus on him more than any other of the hunting party.

She had ignored his words and chosen to focus on what was around them.

A cry of excitement left the group of males. Josiah sighed, knowing what would happen next as their horses raced forward.

Lumi was no exception, even if she had agreed to only be an observer.

"Look at that!" She pointed with her only arm, making Josiah's heart leap out of his chest as her horse still raced forward without any guidance.

A wild laughter escaped her as they avoided the thin trees that surrounded them.

I should have just kept her inside, he thought regretfully. But the sight of her joy made his eyes incapable of looking at anything else.

He finally was able to see what she had been pointing to. A deer? Josiah had no knowledge of the Winter animals and their names. Something that looked close to the Elk that roamed their land- had darted in front. The men had naturally taken on the chase.