Page 27 of To Ride the Wind

Gwen nodded silently, her mind still whirling too fast to engage on such mundane topics as dressmaking. Her mother had plans—advanced plans—to marry her to a foreign prince. It didn’t seem possible.

But her mother never spoke frivolously. If she said it was so, then she already had someone in mind. Knowing her, she must even have an agreement in place already.

Gwen wanted to press her to discover the name and kingdom of her supposed groom, but she couldn’t shake off her unease from earlier. For some reason the queen was pretending affability, and Gwen didn’t want to trigger overt anger.

She couldn’t remain completely silent, however. “When?” she pressed. “How long before he’s here?”

Her mother laughed. “So you are eager to be married after all. It is natural. But I cannot give you exact details on timing. We must wait for his arrival.”

She finally put down the brush, meeting Gwen’s eyes in the mirror in a way that told her they had finally reached the point of greatest importance to her mother.

“Once you are married, your duties and responsibilities will increase. You will find that the people look to you in a new way. But remember, the mountain kingdom is subservient to no one. Your future husband may be a prince, but that doesn’t mean he’ll be permitted to order matters here in the mountains. I am queen in this valley.”

She held Gwen’s eyes until she nodded. After all the years she had spent in her mother’s company, she understood the underlying message. Marriage wasn’t going to provide Gwen an escape. Single or married, she would still be under her mother’s eye.

Her mother wasn’t opening a gate and letting her walk free. She was merely luring another sheep into her pen.

Gwen felt a fleeting whisper of pity for the unsuspecting prince. But she couldn’t hold onto the feeling in the face of her own discomfort. She had bowed her head and remained meekly in place for years in order to pacify her mother. But could she take it as far as marriage? Could she marry a stranger at her mother’s order?

Everything in Gwen revolted, and she could no longer see her own reflection in the mirror. Instead, she saw curly brown hair and warm brown eyes with flecks of gold.

Was her mother leaving? She hoped desperately she was because Gwen couldn’t lose her composure until her mother left the room.

Somewhere in the distance, she heard words that might have been a farewell. She must have managed a reply because she caught the sound of her door closing. Looking up, she confirmed she was alone.

Stumbling back from the dressing table, she collapsed onto her knees beside the bed, bracing her forehead against the soft mattress. Her breath rasped in and out too quickly, and she knew she needed to slow it down, but her body had stopped responding.

Tears leaked out, and the hands that gripped the bedspread shook. Easton! she cried silently. Why did you leave without me? If you escaped from here, couldn’t I have come as well?

Her breath continued to rush in too quickly, and her head grew dizzy. What would she do when she didn’t even have the sanctuary of her room? When the one space that was hers alone was filled with a stranger? Could she survive the palace when she no longer had even shreds of privacy left?

It was an unanswerable question, and she didn’t try to count the minutes that passed until she finally steadied her trembling and took back control of her breath.

When she finally stood, she knew that even fear of her mother wasn’t enough this time. She needed to find out the extent of her mother’s plans, and then she needed to escape.

CHARLOTTE

The farewell exchanges between Charlotte and her family were stilted and awkward, and all she wanted was for them to be over. And yet, once they were, she hesitated. She knew it was too late to turn back, but her courage wavered in the face of departing everything she knew for a deep unknown.

She tried to remind herself of what was before her. The Palace of Light would no doubt be more glorious than she could even imagine. Her future might be unknown, but that didn’t mean she needed to fear it.

Bolstering herself, she crossed to the bear, placing a hesitant hand on the soft fur of his shoulder. He stilled beneath her touch, but when she peered at his face, he seemed pleased. Did he still worry that she was afraid of him?

“Where do we go now?” she asked him, not quite managing to use his name.

“To my home,” he replied, and she felt her first shiver of genuine excitement. Were they going to the Palace of Light immediately?

“Should I ride you again?” she asked, glancing toward the sky where the light was starting to fade.

“Yes,” he said in his deep rumbly voice. “It is necessary if we are to reach our destination today.”

She nodded. It made sense that she couldn’t merely walk to another realm on her own feet. Murmuring an apology, she once again used his fur to haul herself into position on his back. From there, she sent a final glance toward her family who stood with Master Harold and his wife.

All four of them looked awed, and Charlotte allowed herself a moment of satisfaction. She was going to a bigger life, while they had merely made their world smaller. Then she remembered her family were to move to Arcadia and the feeling soured.

The bear took off with a lurch of movement that made her forget all about the people behind them as she clutched at his fur.

“Apologies,” he called back to her. “But I will have to move faster this time if we are to make it before nightfall.”

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