The morning with lady Brandon was pleasant and relaxing. They visited many big shops, toured the capital by carriage, and didn't forget to dump all the purchases on their guards that were following behind. Those poor men quite regularly had to run back and forth between the shops and the carriage to get everything the ladies wanted.
Finally, they ate in a renowned restaurant, where Ella explained what she didn't want to say on the evening dinner. "When I first got here, it was all quite classy. Simple and elegant, you could say. That was the city's trend for generations. However, over the years, it changed. How it's now, it's... how do I say this? Kitschy? The word is harmless compared to what I've seen..."
Ella wrinkled her nose. After seeing the nobles houses and now also some of the extremer shop-designes, Katherine could completely relate to her. The sense of style was kind of aweful, way to overboard.
Taking a sip of her tea, Ella continued: "If it was just
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The winter garden of the princess was half a labyrinth of oleander and rose bushes. The flowery scent in the air relaxed Katherine's senses and lightened her steps. From afar, she heard a melodic voice talking long before she spotted the white-clothed table between the greenery.The princess was not alone but had another lady as well as a few of her servants surrounding her. Both women wore bright dresses but that was as far as their resemblance went. When the princess was a dark beauty, the other woman was pale and as thin as a stick. Her brown hair, brushed up in a stiff sphere, seemed to be an elongation of her already long horse-face."Your highness." Heads swirled around as Katherine curtsied. Behind her, Hazel curtsied even deeper. As the princess motioned them to get up, Hazel stepped back in waiting."Lady Balder", the princess said. "How wonderful to see you. Please take a seat." Then she turned back to the other lady. "Lady Hardy, I believe there is no
Katherine sucked in a cold breath, but the princess wasn't finished yet."Did you think you could win his heart with time?" A melancholic smile lifted a corner of her mouth. "You can't win what doesn't exist anymore. He lost his heart to the darkness. Some might call him a heartless monster. Anyway, what is taken away can't be brought back just because we want to. You understand?"Something about the princess' explanation made Katherine run a shiver down her back. She couldn't bring the man the princess described in agreement with the one she knew. Nathaniel might be cold, but no heartless monster. She saw him loose his composure when mourning for his aunt. A monster wouldn't mourn for twenty years, wouldn't help an homeless girl like her and certainly wouldn't pull her out of her dark thoughts with a hand kiss.However, it might be true that... Nathaniel didn't have a place for her in his heart. Not for love at least. Honestly, she always wondered what could be
This time, the guards let Katherine through without trouble. Impatiently, she rushed into the study. "Na-"She only uttered the first syllable of his name before coming to a stop. Clutching her hands over her mouth, she tried to be as quiet as possible, hoping that she didn't wake him up already. But the earl sleeping on the table only turned his head into the crook of his elbow, rubbing his cheek against the fabric before laying still again.Very cautiously, Katherine sneaked forward. She couldn't believe that the cold devil was asleep! It wasn't remotely similar to the laid-out corpse posture she imagined him in. Actually, he was kind of cute. The normally pale cheeks were a bit rosy and the white lashes looked like snowflakes that would melt on touch. Slumped over the table like a student asleep in class, the unapproachable aura that normally surrounded him was gone without a trace.Beside the desk, Katherine hesitated. She couldn't bear to wake him up. Since
"Don't..." Nathaniel's brows furrowed in his sleep. His raspy voice was nothing but a whisper. "I didn't do it… please don't."Curious, Katherine leaned even closer. For Nathaniel to beg for something, that was unprecedented. She always thought he would be to stubborn and proud for that. His warm breath hit her ear and blood rushed to her cheeks. This is only to hear him better, she told herself, but still furthered the distance by a few centimeters."Mother..." His muscles tensed, crumpling the papers under his arms. As he jerked his chin upwards, the scar on his jaw seemed to be gleaming red in the dwindling light that fell through the window. "Please don't…"Could this be a childhood memory?, Katherine deliberated. Beside his aunt's death, she didn't know much about his past. Maybe that was only the tip of the iceberg. Something seemed to have happened with his mother, too."Shh, it's all good now.", she said and soothingly stroked his ba
A commotion in front of her chambers shook Katherine out of her sleep. It was dark night outside, so she unwillingly turned to the other side and hoped that whoever it was would go away. She just had a dream of her early childhood when her mother took her for a trip, and she wanted to soak in this wonderful memory a bit more.It was the first time she had been away from home, a spontaneous adventure. They had left the castle of Sleipnir secretly at night. She might have been four or five as her magic hadn't awakened yet. Furrowing her brows, Katherine tried to remember every detail to edge it deeply into her mind."Your father is no fun", her gypsy mother told the little Katherine while saddling the horse. "So, we have to force him to play for his own good, you understand? We'll play hide-and-seek. You have to remember to hide well. We can't make it too easy for him."They traveled day and night, Katherine sleeping between her mother's arms in the saddle. Maybe
He is staring at me, Katherine thought. She felt it on her skin. His gaze was burning into her, but it wasn't a pleasurable kind of heat. More like he was furious but held it inside. At least his anger didn't seem to be directed at her. Couldn't he turn his gaze away then? Why stare at her if his mind wasn't even there?Since she had already healed Froseti's injury and now only helped him produce more blood, she didn't need to concentrate so hard anymore. That was when her mind went haywire. She really wanted to know what was going on behind that stern looking forehead."Stop staring", she grumbled finally. "You are irritating me."He blinked, then his eyes moved away. No apology. Not even an explanation. Did he really think he could stroll in here with her dying pet and she'd just let him go?"Explain. What happened to Froseti?", she demanded. He had to know something about it. The only way for Froseti to appear in the capital again when it had vanished
Nathaniel scoffed and opened his mouth for a flippant reply, but the words were stuck in his throat. He wasn't able to refute her words. So, instead, he narrowed his eyes. "Are you perhaps jealous?"Katherine was so red now that anger and embarrassment couldn't be distinguished anymore. Steam seemed to come out of her ears. Putting her hands on her hips, she snapped: "Jealous? Me? You wish! You can do whatever you want, but don't bring my people into danger! And yes, the rabbit counts as 'my people'."Taking in her furious attitude, Nathaniel chuckled, the ice melting away. "I see. You really are jealous."Katherine stomped her foot. "As if! Never ever! Why would I be jealous over you?!"His smile widened. An unknown feeling brightened up his heart, coupled with warmth and playfulness. "Gorgeous little puppy. Come here, let me pet you."When he reached out for her, Katherine slapped his hand away and retreated. "No! I'm not a puppy!"Unpertu
Katherine opened her mouth, but she didn't know which question to ask first. What was he searching for? What was the woman's role in this? When had all of this started? He wanted to find out since twenty years ago, he said. The same time his aunt died. Did it have to do with her murderer then?Finally, she asked the most pressing questions: "What kind of danger? Who is behind it?" Suddenly, her thoughts turned, connecting with the events of the night. "Froseti was a warning?""Smart.", the earl assessed and nodded. "That woman doesn't want me here. If it doesn't work, she might use more desperate means.""You say there are several, but you only talk about 'that woman'.", Katherine realized and thoughtfully nibbled on her lip. "Is she their leader? Who are the others?""I don't know." Nathaniel's eyes locked onto her mouth before looking away. Deliberately, he slipped out of her grip and sat down on the bed again. Now that she calmed down, he didn't fear h
Five years later"Your Holiness - Uh, ah, Majesty, I mean!"Leaning on the newly-built rails atop the dome of the palace, with the view of the Capital in the background, Katherine scolded lightly: "Shht, Hazel, she just fell asleep."In her arms rested a baby, maybe a few months old, with a tuft of black hair and fair white skin. If she opened her lids, angelic blue eyes would blink up innocently at the viewer.Hazel's head appeared at the end of the staircase leading to the roof. Apologetically, she bit her lip and whispered. "I'm sorry, your Majesty. A letter arrived from Dragsa, and Prince Patrick hurt his knee while playing. He's on his way here.""Dragsa...," Katherine muttered and stretched out a hand to take it. "I wonder what they want. They were very quiet in the latter years."Lowering her head, she took a glance at the paper. Instantly, her brows furrowed, later followed by a deep sigh. "I almost expected it. What a shame."Her gaze wandered to the west, in the direction of
For once, the third wall belonging to the palace let nobles and commoners alike pass. They flooded in in masses and coagulated on the streets and the grass field before the dome. Everywhere, where they could hope to catch a little glimpse of what was about to happen in the throne hall.In front of the dome, Nathaniel dismounted and reached his hand out to Katherine to help her off as well. For a second, Katherine remembered how Pete helped her when she mounted Bell for the first time, and her smile grew shaky. Pete and Jack. One retired after suffering grievous wounds, and the other fell in battle when the undead attacked the palace to free the Queen, Emilian, and Helmina.The burial was in the time of Katherine's long travel back but she and Nathaniel visited the grave two days ago. Still, she could not believe that her funny, one-eyed companion was truly gone. It was delusional but she could not shake the thought that if only she'd been at the Capital, her power might have saved him
Weeks later, the couple reached the Capital and was welcomed with much tom-tom. Aston, it seemed, was back on his feet. The new scar parting his right brow even suggested that his exaggerated description of a battle with the best undead swordsman in history might be more than just bragging. Infuriatingly, however, the scar made him even more handsome, and he confidently put it on display at any opportunity he got. Especially in front of the ladies.Shortly after their return, King William officially announced his retirement in favor of his nephew. Though the commoners were confused at Nathaniel's sudden emergence, the prepared aristocrats soon placated them, and the rumors of his activities as the illusive sixth General did the rest.Katherine was surprised to hear that word of her ability had elevated her picture in the icelandic society to somewhat of a saintess. King William obviously prepared on this end as well, and thus nobody dared suggest that a dragsean noble was unfit to be
The ship of the king of the Glaciar Coast was a gigantic vessel with a kind of lofty wretchedness to it. In fact, Katherine thought that the silver ornaments on the dark wood looked like bones, and if the sail had been a bit more tattered, the "Charon" would've been the perfect ghost ship. When she mentioned it to Lady Brandon in jest, the sister of said king laughed out loud."Oh, he'd love to hear that! If his crew wasn't ridiculously superstitious, I bet he'd search the whole ocean floor for a sunken vessel to serve him!""Is that so?" Katherine lifted her brows, perplexed. "Isn't it already enough that it can fly?"Granted, the hovering of the gigantic vessel wasn't completely 'flight' as the ship was only lifted by the water the Glaciar Coast's mages manipulated with much afford. It could also only be implemented for short periods close to a water source. For the unsuspecting viewer, however, it looked exactly as if the ship was flying.It was this practical fea
Katherine woke up feeling fresh and well-rested. The plush cushions under her head were like soft clouds, and the blanket bore just the right amount of heat. The air smelled of salt and herbs, an unusual but welcoming combination."Hmmm." With a blissful sigh, Katherine stretched. She didn't feel so good since they resided in the hut in the Icelands with King William, his mistress, and son. Did she only dream of that long, arduous journey to a mountain in Dragsa?"You're awake." Her eyes snapped open when she heard that voice. It was undoubtedly the deep timbre of her husband, Nathaniel. And there he was, sitting next to the bed in a cushioned chair, a gentle gaze in his eyes.Eyes that rested strangely deep in his pale face. A face that was bare of the slight smile that sometimes tugged on the corners of his mouth when he looked at her. Instead, he seemed solemn, exhausted, plagued by a deeply hidden sadness that he maybe wanted to hide. Yet to her eyes, his feelings were an open
Deep satisfaction brought some power to Katherine's exhausted body, yet she did not like the feeling at all. The guilt over hitting an innocent civilian clouded her mind, together with the question if it was the right thing to do. Trapping Ethan in the other dimension was too easy. It didn't feel right.Days and nights she'd dreamed of how to take her revenge, how she would torture him and finally look into his eyes when he died. Now, she'd acted impulsively, and the results were anything but what she imagined. Yet, should she have let the chance slip by?When she'd heard him giving orders, she'd finally stopped in her path because she felt like a coward who ran from the only real battle she'd sworn herself to fight. At first, she only wanted to observe and hid where the canyon's wall stood out a bit, just in earshot of Ethan. But the opportunity was too good. She didn't know how her smart and cunning cousin could act so dumb. It didn't match his usual approach, yet maybe
It was Ethan. He stood just outside the rift, his usual harmless smile on his face, and the hands hidden in the pockets of his dark trousers. "Kitty. Fancy meeting you here."If Katherine had been raised in any lower class than aristocracy, she would've spit in front of his feet. Even so, her face soured as if she'd bitten into a raw lemon. "I don't... fancy it at all."Stepping aside to give the rest of the dark stream free access to the rift, she noticed that Ethan'd brought two helpers who lingered in the back nervously. The white lab coats outed them as researchers. She glanced them up and down and decided not to ask where Ve was. After all that happened today and with her magic nearly depleted, she wanted nothing more than walk away from this whole mess.So, she did just that. Turned around and walked along the canyon that was now almost free of the dark substance.After a second of surprise, Ethan called after her: "Hey, don't you want to know what I'll do with this? Aren't
Meanwhile, the Duke of Sleipnir got comfortable on the edge of the cave. Shortly after he'd disposed of the corpses by sending them into the rolling dark river below, some of Loki's staff came over. They were shocked to see only one person left in the cave. "Um, your Excellency, where... where is the leader?""Hm?" Ethan turned and blinked. "Oh... he... how should I put this? He was too enthusiasistic when he saw his experiment finally succeed. Look, the brilliant result of all his hard work is below this cliff. He didn't want to wait anymore and took everyone to follow him down. Which might have been the wrong decision, so to say."The staff carefully crept closer to the cliff, and when he saw the darkness below, though it was more a creek than a mighty river now, his eyes widened. "Do you mean to say the leader is...?""Dead." Ethan nodded unemphathetically. "Most likely."Unexpectedly swiftly, the staff got over his shock. For a moment, he pondered, then asked: "But the experiment
"Ahhh! It hurts! It hurts! You're tearing me apart!" Nathaniel felt the unusual urge to roll his eyes. He never knew that his magic was such a sissy. First, it asked for his help, and now it screamed like a pig on the slaughter bench because of a little pain. And why could it even feel pain? Its body was nothing but insidious black smoke that appeared like a black liquid in its compressed form. There were no tendons, no bones, no flesh, and no nerves - in short, nothing that could hurt. "Shall I stop pulling then?", Nathaniel asked sarcastically in his mind. Well, if that magic of his wanted to go by itself, all the better for him. "No, no, no! Please don't let go! Don't let goo-oo-ouuuuuuch!" It felt like mentally pulling on an elastic band, Nathaniel decided. Somewhere where he couldn't see, something else was pulling the other end, turning the band longer and longer. It got harder for him to hold on with each passing second. Then, with a last loud howl fr