Page 38 of Frozen Hearts and Death Magic

8

Notes

Leah sat across from prince Venard, from Ironhold, a challenge board between them. They were in her mother’s tearoom, where Leah’s suitors should come and visit her, except that nobody else had shown up—or sent any news.

The visit from the Ironhold prince surprised Leah, as she’d always thought his family wasn’t interested in marriage alliances. Under her mother’s close scrutiny, all they did was play in silence, which was for the best. It was uncomfortable to spend time with a young man to whom she had already decided to say “no”. To be fair, he didn’t seem that enthusiastic about his proposal either, and kept his eyes on the board, as if embarrassed. He played like a ten-year-old—and still won, as Leah was so distracted that she barely played.

She wished she could ask him about Ironhold’s plans to support Aluria, but customs dictated that matching meetings should not include politics, and Leah wasn’t going to breach decorum and annoy her mother for no reason, especially considering what was coming.

When he left, Leah finally breathed again. No, that made no sense. Of course she’d been breathing during all that time, except that now it felt as if she had been suffocating.

Her mother stared at her, a glint in her eyes and a smile on her lips. “So?”

Leah swallowed. “There are more, right?”

Her mother sat by her and held her hands. “Leah, darling, after your disgusting display last night, are you surprised?” Her tone was gentle, though.

“There should be more proposals.” Especially Fel. She’d been waiting to hear anything about Fel. Even screams of indignation from her mother would have been more welcome than that silence—strange, uncomfortable silence.

Her mother narrowed her eyes. “Are you thinking about anyone specific?”

Of course she was. Did her mother suspect it? Regardless, she wasn’t going to tell, not before he proposed. “Maybe. Maybe not. Venard wasn’t the only one I danced with.”

“Why worry, if he’s a good match?”

“Good?” Leah wanted to scream. “I don’t understand why you don’t go to the meetings. They want to put their army in each and every kingdom in Aluria. They might want to conquer us all. That’s evil.”

Her mother shook her head and tsked. “Nobody is evil. Everyone just looks after their own interests. That said, if their interests and yours align…”

“I’m not supporting a war.”

“Leah, you think I don’t know anything, but I do. Much more than you. I lived through a war. If the fae return, and if they attack, war is inevitable. Nobody will ask you if you support it or not. We’d better be ready.”

“What if they don’t attack? What if the fae are dead or something? What if it’s just a sham for Ironhold to grab more power?”

“I don’t think so. Still, marrying their prince doesn’t mean you support everything they do. It means you will be in a much better position to have a say, to negotiate your own interests, and your kingdom’s, too. That if these horrible suppositions are even true. I’ll tell you something: I wasn’t at the meeting, no. Your father hasn’t told me about it yet, but he will. Still, I can tell you who exactly opposed the Ironhold king.” She wrinkled her nose. “King Azir Umbraar, wasn’t it?”

That was true, but Leah didn’t want to admit it. “I… don’t know. I couldn’t see who was speaking, and many kings weren’t sure if it was a good idea.”

“Ironhold has always been our ally, and it’s unlikely to change. Are they the most powerful kingdom in Aluria? Yes. But there’s nothing wrong with power. It’s all about how you use it, and you can use it to do good, which seems to be exactly what they’re planning on doing. Plus, the prince is polite, gentle, and smart. Remember you need to choose with your head.”

Leah swallowed, took some courage, and asked, “What about Prince Isofel?”

Her mother paused, thinking. “From Umbraar. Yes. What about him?”

That was strange. Leah had been expecting at least a stern warning, but not that blank expression. “Hasn’t he proposed?”

“It would be a pitiful spectacle. I mean, who are they? But no, he hasn’t contacted me.”

Leah looked down. That was odd. He’d guaranteed that he would… Unless he’d been lying. But it made no sense. Perhaps he would still talk to her mother, perhaps something was happening.

Leah would need to find a way to contact him. Her mother kept watching her, but at some point she’d need to place her attention elsewhere. Leah’s plan was to take the opportunity and write a message to Fel. Then she would need to figure out how to get it to him.

It took a long time, but her mother eventually left the room and Leah took a loose piece of paper quickly and wrote:

Did you have the chance to speak to my mother? Did you try it? Did something happen? Please let me know. Leah.

She stared at the paper. Did it sound desperate? Well, she just wanted to know what was happening. But what if he had changed his mind? He wouldn’t. Not Fel, he wouldn’t.

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