Page 18 of Frozen Hearts and Death Magic

“But if they’re powerful enough to materialize a watersnake in a frozen lake, they wouldn’t still be hidden, don’t you think?”

Fel tilted his head. “Who do you think it is, if not the Fae?”

“An accident, maybe? I don’t know.” When she thought about the Fae, the only image that came to her mind was River, accompanied with guilt and so many questions. She didn’t want to think of them as possible enemies, as a threat, didn’t want to think whether her silence had put people at risk.

Her brother raised an eyebrow. “I guess we’ll see.”

* * *

Leah wasafraid she’d get cramps from sitting for so long while two attendants braided her hair and weaved threads of gold through it. The result was a complex, brilliant bun that she’d describe as a crown tilted back, almost as if it was falling. She didn’t mention that it looked like a slipping crown, though, as she knew this hairstyle had been her mother’s request. She also had gold powder around her eyes, which looked nice.

Her dress was light blue, with a low neckline held by thin straps, so that her shoulders and the area below her neck were visible, making her feel exposed, but she liked that the skirt had thin, transparent layers that looked like blue feathers.

The thought that came to her most often throughout the ordeal was whether Fel would think she looked ridiculous. It didn’t mean she was thinking about him like that. She was just curious about his opinion, but then, she thought her hair was ridiculous, so if by any chance he felt the same, at least they could laugh together. Hopefully he’d ask her to dance, and they would have some time for themselves. She wondered what it would be like to look at him up close, to hold his magic hands for a long time. She wondered how he’d react to her pretty dress, to her low neckline. The thought of his eyes on her exposed skin made her shiver, but it wasn’t dread or fear. She wasn’t sure what it was. For a brief moment, she wondered what it would be like to kiss him, which only meant that her thoughts were going off the track, meandering, and lost.

Leah focused on getting her mind straight again. There would be other princes at the ball, many of them handsome, many of them friendly. The thought made her nauseous.

“Leah, darling.” Her mother’s voice.

She turned and made her best effort at a smile.

“You look so beautiful,” her mother said. She also looked good in a dark-red dress, up to her neck, her curly hair in an elegant bun, kohl lining her youthful brown eyes.

A genuine smile now lit up Leah’s face, happy to see her mother looking so pretty. “So do you.”

Her mother scoffed and shook her head. “Nonsense.” Addressing the servants, she said, “You can leave.” She then sat by Leah and took her hand. “I can barely believe you’ve grown so fast. You’re a young woman now. I know I might seem harsh sometimes, but all I want is to see you happy, my darling.”

“I know.” Leah tensed, sensing that this was unlikely to be a pleasant conversation.

“You will meet some young men today, so I must beseech you to keep your guard up at all times. They will steal your honor, darling, if you let them.”

“I…” She didn’t want to ask what was possibly a stupid question, but she had to. “Could you explain a little more about it? About what they can steal?”

Her mother paused, then took a deep breath. “I’ll tell you a story. There was once a young princess who attended a gathering for the first time. She was young and naive, and perhaps not that smart. There was a prince there, and she thought he was the most handsome man she’d ever seen. They danced, they talked.” She had a bitter laugh. “She thought they were in love. He visited her bedroom at night, and she let him stay. So yes, very, very foolish girl, poor thing. He took what he wanted from her.”

“What did he take?” Leah didn’t like to interrupt her mother, but she wanted to understand the story.

“Her honor, darling. One day you’ll understand.”

Hopefully. But it still didn’t make sense that something would have been stolen so easily. “Couldn’t she have called the guards?”

Her mother sighed. “But that’s the problem: she thought they were in love and didn’t think there was anything wrong in letting him in her room, didn’t realize she was being corrupted and ruined, didn’t realize he was stealing anything. She did not know. Men can entrance silly girls, make them think it’s all love. It’s what happened to this princess. Then, the next day, when she was sure he was going to propose to her, do you want to know what happened?”

“He didn’t propose?”

“Not only that, he looked at her with loathing and disgust. Now that he had used her like he wanted, she was worth nothing to him. The young girl was ruined, and no man would want her for a wife.”

“But how would they even know?”

Her mother eyed her seriously. “There is a way to know. And men talk.” She got up and fiddled with a comb over the dressing table. “And well, she died of grief.” She turned to Leah again. “Perhaps I’m not being fair saying she was foolish. You’ll think, ‘well, I’m smart, I’ll never do such a thing,’ but the only way to be smart is to keep your guard up. Always. Always, Leah.” There was sadness in her voice.

“Was she your friend?”

Her mother shook her head. “She was nobody and her name has been forgotten. When women do that, they become nobodies, rejected even by their own families. So never spend time alone with a young man. Never, Leah, no matter how nice he seems, no matter if he claims he wants to marry you.”

Leah didn’t quite understand her mother’s words, but it was clear that there was a real warning there, there was some real pain about something in the past. She looked down, wishing she could understand more. “I’ll be careful.”

Her mother sat by her again. “I didn’t mean to upset you with this gloomy talk, just warn you.” She ran a rand over Leah’s hair. “We have good reasons to celebrate. Tonight we’ll find a prince for you, and I want you to have a say on that.”

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