Page 19 of Frozen Hearts and Death Magic

A say. Well, she’d been thinking about it for a while. “Shouldn’t we… wait? Give it some time for me to make a choice, to get to know my future husband?”

Her mother took her hand again. “Darling, marriage is not about choosing the right person, but about learning to love and respect the one you chose. It doesn’t end when you get married; it starts. And this is an alliance for Frostlake. You will be queen one day, and as a queen, you’ll serve your kingdom. A strong alliance will protect both you and your people. And that’s what you need to look for. You’re smart, Leah, so you’ll choose with your head, not your heart. People think that a fast-beating heart is love, but it’s fear. Your heart always betrays you, always leads you astray. You need to ignore it.”

Despite a cold chill in her stomach, Leah shrugged. “I don’t have anything to ignore.”

“Ignore the fear, then. Everything will go well.” She smiled and got up. “Come. I want you to see your cousin, Mariana.”

That was amazing news. “She’s here?”

“Of course. Show her the top hallways, that way you can check the guests before you come in.” Her mother winked.

Mariana was a little older than Leah, but she had visited once and the girls had played and run around the castle. Leah wished her cousin could have stayed or at least visited more often, wished she could have been her sister, but those were obviously pointless wishes. Leah had written many letters to her, but had never gotten any reply. Her mother claimed Mariana had trouble reading, and Leah eventually stopped writing. Still, she had never forgotten their moments together, dreaming about balls and parties and princes. Now that it was all about to become real, they would be together again.

Indeed her cousin was standing outside her door. She had become quite a pretty young woman, with light brown skin and brown eyes and hair, and was also wearing a dress with thin straps, but hers was pink.

Leah hugged her. “So glad to see you.”

The girl broke the hug, and stared at Leah with a polite smile. “Yes. You are?”

“Leah. We played together when you visited, remember?”

“You mean…” She frowned, as if trying to remember something. “When I came here? I was just a little girl.”

Leah smiled, glad that her cousin remembered her. “Yes. I was seven. I think you were almost nine. That was ten years ago.”

Mariana nodded. “Quite a long time.”

“Sure.” Leah looked down. She had been expecting a warmer reaction. But then, her cousin had more siblings, lived in a kingdom in the middle of Aluria, and probably had seen many more royal families. She wasn’t a lonely weirdo with no friends like Leah, who had only her family and maid for companions. Wow, that was a depressing thought. But it was true. Leah used to play in the kitchen with the cooks’ children, but eventually her mother had decided it was not appropriate, so her recent friends were only books. It wasn’t Mariana’s fault.

Leah smiled. “Want to see the guests before everyone?”

“Sure.” Her tone was cold, though, like a stranger.

Still, perhaps they could become friends if she had time to warm up. Leah led her cousin up the stairs until they reached the top hallways surrounding the ballroom. This was the perfect place to look at what happened downstairs, as the halls were surrounded by windows that looked like mirrors from the other side. There were also real mirrors, which multiplied the light from the chandeliers on the ceiling. Leah had been here many times as a young girl, dreaming of the day the palace would be full of joy and dancing. This was the day. And it was terrifying.

There was a band in a corner, and circular tables along the walls, with some empty room in the middle. Servants brought pretty glasses with drinks, and many royal families were already coming in.

They stopped at one window, and Mariana asked, “Do you know who your match is?”

“Not yet. I want to talk to them before choosing. What about you?”

“My father wants me to marry Cassius, from Ironhold.”

“And you’re fine with that?” It sounded so simple.

The girl shrugged. “Well, I want to be queen, and he’s the crown prince.”

“Nice.” It was good to see someone so calm about it. “But I thought they didn’t want their magic out of their kingdom.”

“I would go there. The magic wouldn’t leave Ironhold.”

“True. I need someone who would be willing to come here, not a future king.” That was another point against Fel, not that she was thinking about him that way, just that she had been trying to understand why Kasim had warned her so strongly against him, and wondering if there was a solution for that.

“It must be nice being the sole heir.” Mariana’s tone was wistful.

Leah shrugged. “It’s all I’ve ever known.”

She looked back to the ballroom, but couldn’t quite recognize the people entering it, until she saw a tall figure with long black hair, and felt like her heart jumped in her chest. The heart she was supposed to ignore.

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