Page 63 of To Ride the Wind

“I didn’t hear you,” she said, groaning. “You were whispering, and I was too…” She sighed. Perhaps it had all been for the best. She might not have gone through with the marriage if it hadn’t been for her mistaken assumptions.

“But Harold said you knew everything,” her father said, still frowning in confusion. “He gave me a whole lecture about how I should have warned you to be more discreet. He said you nearly blurted it all out in front of his children. I thought you must have already heard about it from one of your cousins and were protecting them by not mentioning as much to me.”

Charlotte shook her head, her emotions shifting toward amusement. She remembered the conversation with Master Harold as well. She had been confused to receive a similar lecture to the one her father had been given and even more confused when he had spoken about some in the valley not trusting Henry’s people. If she hadn’t been so emotionally worked up, maybe she would have hesitated long enough to demand a full explanation.

“None of my cousins ever mentioned a thing,” she said.

“You really didn’t know?” her mother frowned. “But you can’t have married him thinking he was genuinely a bear!”

“I thought he was one of the High King’s creatures from the Palace of Light,” Charlotte said. “I thought he meant to take me there!”

Her mother gasped, and her father’s jaw tensed.

“What?” he asked. “You thought what?” He looked thunderstruck.

Charlotte shrugged. “It doesn’t matter now. I’m perfectly happy in Henry’s castle and have no desire to go to the Palace of Light instead.”

Her parents exchanged worried looks.

“But what is this castle?” her father asked. “Is it not in the mountain kingdom?”

Charlotte shook her head. “Actually, it isn’t far from here. It’s certainly not up among the proper mountains—which is where I assume their kingdom must be. I’ve recently found out some information that makes me think Henry must have come from the mountain kingdom originally, but he doesn’t live there now.”

“You really do live all alone?” her mother asked. “I thought your stories sounded a little strange, but I didn’t realize you were so totally isolated.” Her expression was growing more and more alarmed, and Charlotte tried to think how to reassure her.

“Did Henry ever say he had come down from the mountain kingdom or that he meant to take me there?” she asked slowly.

Her father sighed. “No, he didn’t. We assumed as much because he was a white bear. How could we think anything else? But he was obviously wealthy, and he dropped certain hints that gave me the impression he was a prince among them—or a senior member of their court, at least. I know some in these parts mistrust the mountain people—it’s why the traders wish their existence to remain secret so as to avoid any prejudice or hostility. But the mountain kingdom has brought new prosperity to the valleys. Its people aren’t evil—they’re just unknown. And if you were their princess, what danger could there be? Henry assured me you would have a life of luxury, privilege, and power, and that you would be free to come and go as you wished.” He audibly ground his teeth together. “It sounds foolish now to say that his manner convinced me he could be trusted. I shouldn’t have been so credulous.”

Charlotte put a gentle hand on his arm. “I know what you mean. I sensed it from him myself. It’s a large part of the reason I agreed to the marriage. And you needn’t be so alarmed, Father. He may not be who either of us thought, but he has done nothing to betray our trust.”

“I know now he’s not a prince,” her mother said, sounding eager, “but you said he is one of the mountain people?”

Charlotte bit her lip. Since meeting Gwen, she had concluded he had to be, but they had all been wrong in their previous assumptions.

“He has never said so,” she admitted reluctantly.

“He hasn’t taken you to visit the mountain kingdom?” her father asked.

Again Charlotte was reluctant to answer, but a lack of communication was what had caused the problem in the first place. “No. We’ve never been anywhere but his castle, which, as I said, isn’t far from here.”

“And you live there completely alone,” her mother said slowly, looking at her father with eyes of concern.

“We may be alone, but it’s still a life of luxury,” Charlotte said quickly. “Henry’s godmother object provides for all our needs.”

She had thought mention of a godmother object would reassure them, but they merely exchanged another significant look.

“So this Henry is neither a resident of the Palace of Light nor one of the mountain people,” her father said slowly. “And he keeps you isolated and alone, far from any communities. It seems impossible that he could be a white bear and not be one of the mountain people, but they have never mentioned one of their own living isolated within the valleys. If he isn’t one of them, then we must know—who and what is he?”

Both her parents fixed her with such intense looks—compelling, anxious, and charged all at the same time, as if they were ready to wrench her away from Henry and never allow her near him again.

Fear made Charlotte’s heart lurch and race, words falling out of her.

“Henry is a man! You’re talking as if he’s something horrible, but he’s just an ordinary man under an enchantment.”

Her father’s stance didn’t relax, but her mother slumped a little, the first hint of relief appearing on her face.

“You’re sure?” she asked. “You’ve seen him as a man?”

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