Come Winter's End: Fairy Fire Book #1

~𝑪𝒉. 20 𝑪𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝑾𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒓'𝒔 𝑬𝒏𝒅~

Place: Entrance Hall, Emberfrost Castle,Timberest, Siog Rioght.
Date: Nollaig 5th, 3:03 p.m.

Miri and West finished their lunch and were about to head out to join Jaeger when he met them at the palace gate.

"Ah, there you are. We were on our way to see how the search is going," West told him.

"It's not, it's been called off'" the knight told them. "The wind is picking up and it appears the snow is about to as well."

"I hope Uncle Auggie makes it here before it gets too bad." the prince worried.

"Well, have no fear my boy, your uncle has arrived!" a voice called them from behind.

Everyone turned around and there stood Uncle Auggie. Also known as Augustino Bercelo the Duke of Delfinia and Elfico's ambassador to Siog Rioght.

With him stood his oldest son, Andris, West brother Renz, Elevenguard knight Sebastian de Eron, and his Uncle Wilhelm Malone.

"Haha, Uncle Auggie aren't you a sight for sore eyes. Uncle Wilhelm, it's nice to see you as well." West greeted them with a handshake.

Wilhelm was the brother of West grandfather Cyres. He had been an ambassador himself before his retirement.

King Maximilian must have sent him to help with the legalities of transferring the prisoners.

"So I hear congratulations are in order. You made a fine choice son. Miri is a lovely girl." Auggie put one arm around Miri and one around West, hugging them both.

"Wait, what now?" Sebastian blinked to clear his hearing.

"It's about damn time you two should have been betrothed years ago. Hell, I should be an uncle by now" Ren said with a smile as he shook West's hand. He mouthed to Miri "run while you can".

"I saw that," West swatted Ren's arm, both of them laughing.

"Yes!" Andris proclaimed. "I win the pool! I mean congratulations." He cleared his throat and shook the Prince's hand.

'There was a pool, about what precisely?' West said.

"Oh, the one we have every time you come here to visit Miri. Will he pop the questions, won't he? Will she say yes? You know nothing special" Sebastian patted his back.

West's unhappiness grew.

"Congrats to you too Andris, this one was close. Rome nearly had you." Ren pointed at Andris.

"Yeah if Miri had said no, he would have won the pot instead of me." Andris laughed.

"So what did he bet?" West asked with his eyes narrowed.

"Oh, he bet that you would ask and Miri would say no and poof away," Sebastian said as the three men laughed.

"Miri thank you so much, it is all thanks to you I won the pot." Andris shook her hand.

"Uhm you're welcome..?" the confused fairy replied.

"Did you know about this?" The prince sharply turned to Jaegar.

"Yes, your majesty, most of the knights participate in the pool,'' he tried to hide his chuckling.

"Yeah, it's been an ongoing bet for like ten years now." Augustino chimed in.

"You knew about this too?!" West turned to his uncle with a look of total betrayal.

"Yeah place a little money here and there." He laughed.