Snow was falling from grey clouds as a small carriage advanced slowly on the lonely road. The carriage was surrounded by war horses—their riders looking battle worn and tired. The warrior in front, who seemed to be their leader, kept looking at the sky from time to time with a frown. Then he would look at the carriage as if he could see the young woman inside of it. Ice wolves howled in the forest, and the young woman shivered because of the cold. Or perhaps she was afraid of the wild beasts. When the howling stopped, she looked out the window while she pulled her cloak tight around her. In the distance, the tall peaks of the mountains were hiding between the dark clouds. The woman opened the window, stuck a gloved hand out, caught a snowflake in her hand, and studied it until it melted. ‘The snowflakes are quite pretty,’ she thought, ‘but I wish I could see something else.’ After almost three weeks of seeing snow all the time, she had grown tired of it. She sighed as she clo
When the King didn’t close the carriage’s door, Ayla knew she was meant to follow him. She looked outside. It had stopped snowing, but the day appeared to be as grumpy as King Rhobart. She wrapped the cloak tighter around her and wondered if she could keep it once she was in the Royal Palace. Ayla still could not believe Galian had given her away as if she was worth nothing. In a blink of an eye, she went from being a princess to being a slave. She didn’t exactly have a rosy life in Myrthana, but while she was still a ‘princess’ and kept in her golden cage, there was no King of Nordmar with onyx eyes full of hatred to order her around. Not that she blamed King Rhobart. After all, it had been her father who started the war by attacking and destroying a clan from Nordmar. All the villagers were killed that day. The clan had been closer to the border with Myrthana. Since then, thirteen years have passed—thirteen years of war, pain, and death. King Rhobart lost all his family mem
After many attempts and failures, with the help of Milton, Ayla got on the horse. Her dress was not suitable for horse riding, and she had to ride sidesaddle. As Milton got on top of the other horse, Ayla gripped the saddle as hard as she could. In the forest, an ice wolf howled, and Ayla was sure her horse would start running and throw her off his back. When the horse didn’t move, Ayla prayed to Addanos, asking him to let her arrive at the Royal Castle in one piece. She tried to grip the reins, but her fingers were numb with cold. The journey and the cold had worn Ayla out. Despite the warm cloak covering her, she felt as though the endless cold had made its home in her bones. She doubted she would ever feel warm again. She shivered so badly that her entire body started hurting. “Grab the rein!” Milton instructed her. Ayla tried to do as Milton asked, but her hands wouldn’t listen to her. “I can’t grab it. My fingers are numb with cold,” Ayla said as another ice wolf ho
Somewhere between life and death, then and now, here and there, delirium and reality, nightmare and dream, whispers and more promises than Ayla could remember, phantom touches, calloused fingers, and strong hands on her skin, she slowly started feeling better. It was during the day when Ayla opened her eyes and felt like she was alive and not trapped somewhere between worlds. She was lying in a bed in a room she didn’t recognize. A fire was burning in the fireplace, and soft animal furs covered her. Ayla frowned, wondering why she was in a guest room. Slaves usually slept in the kitchen or the hallways. While she had never been good at mathematics, she thought about how much she would have to work to pay for the room. During the time she had been sick, she forgot about the war and King Rhobart, but once she opened her eyes, she remembered everything—her father trying to conquer Nordmar, her brother, but mostly she remembered King Rhobart and his black eyes full of hatred. Ayl
Ayla knew she shouldn’t waste the gift she received. If she didn’t eat the broth, it would probably be thrown away, and it would be such a waste. Besides, she was sure King Rhobart would make her pay for the dragon-root even if she didn’t eat the broth. ‘I hope the King chokes on his food and dies!’ Ayla thought. Left with no choice, Ayla ate while she told Milton about her books and her small garden. She told him how her mother and grandmother started teaching her about plants and herbs. Ayla’s mother, Queen Lavia, died when Ayla was nine years old, a month after the war began, while her grandmother died the following year, leaving her alone with her father and brother. When Ayla finished eating, she felt stronger. She wiggled her fingers, and joy filled her heart when she saw that the trembling had stopped. With each passing minute, Ayla felt better. Milton handed her a cup of tea. “Now drink this. It will help heal your body faster.” Ayla took the cup, smelled th
When Ayla finished studying herself in the mirror, she decided to inspect her new room. Given that this was her new room. It was simple but beautiful. Feminine. Apart from the bed, two white nightstands, a table with two chairs, and a mirror, there was also a wardrobe, a desk with an armchair, and an empty bookshelf. Soft rugs made from animal furs covered the stone floor. On the table, Ayla spotted a small pile of books, a bouquet of flowers, and a basket with fruits. She had never seen flowers like these; they were small, white, and delicate, and the petals were in the form of a bell. She picked the bouquet up and smelled them— the scent wasn’t familiar to her, but she loved it. She put the flowers back on the table and decided to look at the books. There were five in total, three about medicinal plants and flowers from all over the continent, and the other two contained stories and myths about the gods. “Oh, Milton! Thank you!” Ayla said, hugging one of the books to her ch
Ayla was fascinated by the bathroom. She had never seen one like that before. The stone floor was warm beneath her feet; in a corner, there was a bench, and under it, there were magical stones. She wondered what those stones did. And there was that bathtub. By Adanoss! The bathtub! It was much larger than the one she had in Myrthana, and it had magical stones on the edge that sent vibrations into her body, helping her muscles to relax. The maids led her back into the room. They helped her put on clean undergarments and long soft socks that reached her calves. Then the blue dress and a white belt around her waist. Lastly, a long cape was attached to her shoulder. She touched the dress’s fabric– it was so soft and warm. “Made from the wool of a woolly rhino. Or several of them,” a maid said. Once dressed, Ayla was forced to sit on a chair while the maids worked on her hair. She had never had a maid before to help her style her hair. It was her mother that taught Ayla how t
When Ayla thought about when she would have to serve King Rhobart's dinner, she imagined he would be eating alone. But as she entered the dining room, she saw how wrong she had been. At a long, big table, King Rhobart sat together with his paladins. Food and wine were in the middle of the table, but no one was eating. Perhaps because no servants were around to fill the plates and the goblets. Ayla sighed faintly. She hoped there would be at least one servant to help and show her how to serve the food. Back in Myrthana, she was rarely invited to eat with her family. She wished she had paid more attention to her father's servants and slaves. She prayed she would not anger the King with her lack of skills. King Rhobart and the Paladins were talking in low voices, and Ayla clenched her hands to hide her nervousness while studying them. It surprised her that King Rhobart wasn't seated at the head of the table. He was sitting in the middle of the table and talking to the Paladin
Hi everyoneThe book is not abandoned, neither is the story, but some things are happening with the story, the world.There is another story that comes before Frozen Heart - no need to read, but I am focusing to finish that one first, before I go back to Frozen Heart. Once Wolf Heart is done, I will finish this story as well.I just ask all of you to be a bit patient until I finish what I have planned.I also want to wish everyone a happy new year.you can find me on FB as well - Amy T Stories is my group and I will post news there pretty soon
His long hair was braided, and he wore not only a cloak identical to that of Rhobart—mottled grey, green and brown but also his tunic and trousers had the same colors, making him hard to be seen in the forest.“Who are you, female?” he asked.Rhobart took out his sword and put the tip against the Elf’s neck. “Put the bow down, or else I will remove your head!” Rhobart growled.But the Elf’s eyes were still fixed on Ayla, and he did not appear to have heard Rhobart. Rhobart nicked his skin, a few drops of blood ran down his neck.“Don’t release more arrows!” the Elf yelled, lowering his bow.Two more Elves jumped from the trees—a female and a male, both blondes—landing close to Kerra before moving closer to Rhobart and Ayla. The male had a sword in his right hand, while the female had a whip on her left hip and a short sword on the right one.“She looks identical to you, Taeral,” the female said. “Except for her ears, which are human.” She sniffed the air. “But she is only part human.”
The forest felt so silent Ayla could hear her heart pounding against her ribcage. Rhobart straightened himself in the saddle, his fingers brushing the pommel of his dagger. Ayla reached inside her to that strong spring of magic—her gift from her mother or father, or perhaps both.Kerra sniffed the air, her two tails whipping violently.“We mean you no harm,” Rhobart said, his voice strong. “We are just passing by!”“Where to?” the man asked from a different tree.Ayla wondered when he moved so fast. Or so silently.“Far away from Myrthana. I advise you to do the same!” Rhobart replied.“You lie! I see you wear the cloak of a hunter while the female has a black one, like those used by mercenaries. You had your chance to leave, but I am afraid your time is up,” said the man. Ayla tried to say something, but he went on, “Release the arrows!”Kerra growled and got in an attack position.A few leaves rustled, Ayla put her right hand in the air, and a magic shield appeared around Runner and
“Runner knows you. Trust him and me. Grab the reins,” Rhobart said before handing the reins to Ayla.Rhobart put his left hand under her tunic, his thumb brushed over her peak, while his right hand drew circles on her stomach. “Rho!” Ayla moaned when his hand went down, two fingers slowly circling and pressing her throbbing core. She felt as if she would melt. Pleasure started building in her lower stomach.“Are you wet and ready for me, Ayla?” asked Rho, his voice coated with desire.Oh, she was. Rhobart’s fingers kept moving, and his lips went up and down her neck. Tension kept building inside her body.“Yes,” Ayla forced the word out of her mouth.“Had you been wearing a dress, I would have ripped your undergarments, spun you around, and have you sit on my cock. I would have Runner gallop fast, and I would fuck you until we reached the rebel camp,” Rhobart said into her ear as his fingers moved faster. Rougher.‘Oh, Gods!’ Ayla thought.“Would you like that, t’xoria? To be fucked o
Rhobart looked at Eluvene, his eyes turning cold as the stark winter. “He will never lay another finger on her again! But I need to know everything about King Amul. He is more cunning than I thought.”Eluvene’s green eyes went to Ayla. “King Amul accepted what Ayla refused,” said the Dark Mage, winking at Ayla. “I don’t know much about King Amul. He mostly spoke with King Galian and with my former Master. But since he accepted the Crown of Darkness, he stopped being a normal human.”Rhobart frowned. “What did Ayla refuse and when?”Eluvene shrugged.Between the prophecy, the Seeker, the forgotten book, and the attack on the Fire Monastery, Ayla had forgotten about her vision with Beliar. When she saw that crown on her father’s head, she hadn’t made the connection with the one she was wearing in her vision. “Nothing important,” said Ayla. And it wasn’t. “I chose you back then, and I will choose you always!”Rhobart’s gaze lingered on Ayla for a heartbeat before turning his attention to
Milton returned from the river and grabbed a bowl of porridge. “Rania is a Fire Mage novice, and Sylvar is a Snow Elf. They are n’alxaes, but the twins fucked Rania. I am still wondering how Sylvar permitted you two to live after touching what is his.”“We did not fuck her!” Eude protested.Rhobart snorted. “You only deflowered Rania... as you did with Skurja! Don’t think I forgot about my cousin!”Ayla had missed the bickering between Rhobart and the twins. When she heard the twins and Rhobart fighting for the first time, she was afraid for the twins, but as time passed, she came to understand the brotherly affection Rhobart, Milton, and the Paladins had for each other.“We might have plucked a petal or two, but nothing more!” Hudde said. “And Skurja had many petals gone by the time she was on top of me!”Rhobart folded his arms. “You mean you ripped all of Rania’s petals! And talk about Sjurka like that, and Ayla won’t stop me again from challenging you to a duel!” He looked at the
After Ayla and Rhobart completed their alxa-lotx, when she remembered the prophecy, Milton had been the first to suggest that Fire, Water, and Darkness could refer to mages. Ayla and Rhobart had spent many hours discussing it, trying to understand everything. In the Fire Monastery, when Ayla found the forgotten book, they searched for clues about Uzriel and the prophecy, but the book had yet to reveal all its secrets to her. The forgotten tome was still in her bag, together with Eude’s sketchbook, which she would burn, sketch by sketch, so that Rhobart wouldn’t get any new ideas from it. Or embarrass her with it.In the Black Tower, when Ayla and Godefray gradually started to become friends, they talked about the prophecy. Ayla had hoped the dragons would appear again in her dreams, but the last time she spoke to them had been before the fight with the Seeker. There were many things Ayla still didn’t know and wanted to learn before sailing to Korinus Island.Milton picked up a flat pe
Hudde pointed at the burning tent. “I was in the tent, sleeping with Eude, Hewe, Tizgar, and Gorn. The tent was not big enough for all five of us, and my ass was almost sticking out of it. I could have slept better, but someone refused to let me use his tent. Anyway, I was dreaming about… never mind that, when Milton set it on fire and burned my ass in the process,” he complained while turning around to show Rhobart and Ayla his burned trousers. Ayla covered her mouth and hid a smile while trying to look shocked. “This was my last clean pair too!” Thick smoke was coming from the burned tent, making Ayla’s eyes fill with tears. She flicked her index and middle finger, and a soft breeze swept through the forest, rustling the leaves of the trees, carrying the smell of smoke away from the camp. Ashes jumped on the two remaining tents, and they caught fire. Kerra came out of Rhobart’s tent with a big bone in her mouth. Drax took out a magic rune, and small grey clouds appeared above them,
Rhobart kept walking, and Ayla looked around the forest. While in Nordmar lived many dangerous beasts, Myrthana’s woods were quieter, and the animals were smaller. Even the shadowbeasts were not as aggressive as those that lived in the cold forests of the Northern part of the continent.“Earlier, when I was hunting with Kerra and Gorn, we stumbled upon a small cave. It hasn’t been used by wild creatures for some time, and furs and blankets are inside. Even some wine. I think the lumberjacks used the cave to wash because there’s a small pool inside. Would you want to go there? And while we wash away the dust from our bodies, we can also spend a few quiet moments.”It did not matter if it was only a lonely rock, as long as she was with Rhobart. Ayla nodded against his chest, his scent soothing her. “I don’t know if I told you, but I’ve missed you terribly,” she said as the sun began to set. Rhobart tightened his arms around her. “I was afraid I would never see you again.”“I will never