Page 109 of The Prince and the Ice King

Jack

A knock drew Jack’s attention from where he leaned against his desk, staring at where his bed had once been. Even a few days ago, with the sun set, he would have yelled at whoever dared disturb him.

Now… nothing seemed to matter.

He opened the door without hesitation. “Yes?”

“Jack!” Josie exclaimed, standing on the other side of the door with an expression of shock, carrying two brightly colored doublets over her arm. “I didn’t think you’d actually… oh, Jack.” She dove forward, throwing her free arm around his neck to pull him close.

He had forgotten how beautiful she was, with her long locks of brunette waves, and the feel of her was such a different comfort than Reardon’s embrace.

He’d missed it.

Tears filled Josie’s eyes that she wiped away, but then she returned her hand to the back of Jack’s neck and hugged him again, before moving her palm to his scarred cheek. “You never needed to hide this from us, from me.”

“You all have enough reminders of what I did to us.” Jack’s voice came out hoarse from disuse the past couple days. He hadn’t realized how much more talking he’d been doing with Reardon around.

His sister’s eyes, blue like his own, held only sympathy and love. “Will you never believe the fault was not yours alone?”

“Not likely,” he tried to say with levity, twitching a grin at her.

She laughed but swatted his chest. “Not funny. However, if I’m allowed to have a true audience with my big brother at last, then even better than dropping this off at your door, I insist you try it on for me.”

“Try it on?” Jack frowned as she breezed past him into the chambers. He shut the door and watched as she laid the doublets on his desk.

Jack recognized them now—or the fabric and thread they’d once been when Reardon asked his opinion on their embroidery. One was emerald green with yellow gold, the other sapphire blue with white.

“The green one’s Reardon’s, obviously,” Josie said. “He didn’t get to finish it himself, so I did it for him. I thought it would be a nice gift for when he returns.”

“Josie….”

“The blue is yours.” She turned back with a haughty smile that allowed no reproach. “He made sure to finish that one first, but didn’t want to give it to you until his was also done. I’m sure he won’t mind me giving it to you early if you wear it when he comes through those gates again. Now, let me see how it looks on you.”

The certainty in her words left Jack too brokenhearted to refuse. “Allow me to change into something that will match better at least.” He rarely took much stock in what he wore, only bothering with clothes because he felt wrong without them while human at night—when he wasn’t in bed with Reardon.

After selecting a white shirt, black trousers, and his nicest pair of black leather boots, Jack returned, allowing Josie to help him tie up the doublet. For a prince, Reardon was a good tailor, seen in the intricate embroidery and even stitch work.

The doublet fit Jack well, and after finishing the ties, Josie stood back to take him in without any sign that his scars or white hair distorted the kingly picture.

“I wish you could see yourself,” she said. “We could always go out to find a mirror.”

“I’m not up for that.” Jack smiled at her attempt.

“Next time, then. Though trust me, it looks wonderful on you. When Reardon sees you in it, he won’t be able to contain himself from putting his on too.”

“Josie….” The ice over Jack’s heart was still in place, because he could feel it cracking.

“They’re beautiful, aren’t they?” Josie said, picking up the green doublet and holding it to her chest. “The yellow- and white-gold threads. It never would have dawned on me to try such a thing with my touch, butReardon has a marvelous way of seeing beauty in the things we take for granted as terrible.”

The tears she’d banished before pricked her eyes again, and Jack didn’t stop himself from going to her. It had been too long since he held his sister.

She sniffled against his chest with the second doublet crushed between them. “He will be back, you’ll see,” she said, even as her tears fell.

“Barclay said, did he?”

“He said… there are different paths, and he doesn’t know which will come true, but each one leads to Reardon being back here, however else it all ends.”

However else….

---