Page 17 of A Bride for the Winter King
A full-blown shiver quakes my body. I came here to seduce this monstrous king, but now I’m scared.How is he going to react when he sees me? What if he wants to marry me, after all?
Sarafina leads us through a large stone arch, where we join the crowd gathering on the other side. Thick silver ropes separate the small space in four different sections, and a single balcony towers over a sea of women.
Fifty brides…Holy fuck.That’s a lot of giggles and manicures in one place, but we’re all wearing the same cloaks and masks, so it’s hard to tell any of us apart.
Seth follows Sarafina toward the balcony, but I catch up to him and grip his arm. “How did Iris die?” I whisper.
He waits for his guide to be out of earshot before he answers, “She fell.”
“From the tower?”
“Yes.” His dark brows pull together. “How did you know?”
I bite on my bottom lip, the sudden burst of adrenaline in my blood prompting me to run.
“Brides of Wintermere, Summerlands, Secret Springs, and the Red Forest, welcome. The Yule pageant will commence momentarily.” Sarafina’s gaze briefly scans the crowd before it latches on to Seth. “Fellow patrons, please join me on the balcony.”
I huddle closer to the others not to draw too much attention and keep my head down, grateful for my big hood and mask. Most of my companions stretch their necks and whisper between themselves, excited to see the Winter King.
Sunlight shines through the balcony’s structure, the entire thing carved out of ice. Droplets of water drip down the banisters of the two symmetrical staircases flanking both sides of the platform. The intricate transparent railings allow for the royal sponsors to get a solid grip as they head up to meet Sarafina.
A woman wearing red from head to toe climbs after Seth with light feet and unmatched grace. A blood-red hood covers her head, but a long auburn braid hangs over her shoulder, and an earth-toned tunic and sash hug her slender form. Dark marks are painted over her face, the jeweled scarf tied over her forehead masking her brows. A long, majestic katana is strapped to her back, and I press my fingertips to my empty palms.
She’s a warrior.
If only I could show off my daggers as proudly as she presents her curved sword, maybe I wouldn’t feel so vulnerable.
I’ve read about Reds, the women that populate the mysterious forest of the same name, but I’ve never glimpsed at one before. Their gods and customs are completely different to the rest of the Fae continent—and not well-documented. My librarian side is itching for ink and quills to take notes on the sponsor’s uniform, but it is said that the secrets of the Red Forest and its inhabitants can only be written down in blood.
I’d been looking forward to visiting their lands with the Shadow King on Morheim, but I’d missed my chance because ofthe spider bite—and had spent the week puking my entrails out instead. My nasty scar heats up at the reminder, and I reach for it without meaning to, clasping my side with one hand.
Seth is the only male out of the four royal sponsors. Summer is also represented by a woman, though she’s not as striking as the Red Fae, and Sarafina is the apparent patron for Winter brides.
A dozen cameras the size of grapefruits fly over our heads and scatter around the gardens, interrupting my train of thought. The sphere-shaped lenses look like eyes and have translucent, iridescent wings on each side. They zoom through the air with a low buzz. The first kingdoms are notorious for mixing mortal technology with magic, but I’ve never seen anything like this.
A middle-age looking Fae wearing a white tuxedo and holding a microphone leans against the railing. “Welcome to the Yule pageant.” Blush colors his cheeks, and his bright blue eyes are about the only interesting thing about him. “Don’t worry. You’ll soon forget about the cameras. Not only because you’ll get used to them, but also because of the clever enchantments I weaved within them.” The Fae winks to the women closest to him and slicks his gray hair back over his head with a small comb.
Thank Morpheus the colonel fried chicken wannabe isn’t the Winter King.If I hadn’t caught a glimpse of Elio Lightbringer back in the Shadow Court’s gardens, I’d be worried to see this man scour the crowd like a bird of prey scavenging for dinner. Looks shouldn’t matter in my situation, but if I have to pretend to like some dangerous Fae prick, it won’t hurt that he’s nice to look at.
“Don’t give all of our secrets away, Paul,” Sarafina says, her voice higher than it was before—and full of pep.
“It’s an honor to host with you again this year, Sara.” Paul hikes up his sleeves and licks his lips, apparently excited to kick off the pageant. “The lucky brides who survive the first two rounds of elimination will get to tour Wintermere with us. We’ll hit Snowhaven, the Frost Peaks, and Glacier’s Edge before we return home to crown the winner.”
“I have relatives in Snowhaven,” the girl behind me whispers to her wintry friends.
Sarafina clasps her hands together. “I can’t believe the wedding is only ten days away, Paul.”
“Yes. The brides have a full schedule up ahead. Remember ladies… If you make it through to the top three, you’ll be rewarded with one of our precious frost apples,” Paul declares with an exaggerated touch of drama.
It’s barely been a minute, and the showmanship is already in full swing. Somehow, the part where the winner will soon die is ignored, and all the fallacies of this “contest” are glossed over like they don’t even matter.
“But we’re a long way off from the top three and finding out the name of our new Queen, Sara. This is our fiftieth annual Yule pageant, so we figured the speed round should have a twist.”
My fists clench at my sides. Reality TV used to be a guilty pleasure of mine, but right this second, I can’t remember why.
Sarafina nods and offers the closest camera a conspiratorial smile. “Marriage has so little to do with physical appearance. This year, the first step to falling in love will be to connect with a mind—not lust for a body.”
Seth turns his head toward Paul, and his serious squint sends my heart into a frenzy.Is she saying…
