Page 86 of A Song of Shadow and Starlight

I muster a smile and accept the gesture. Now standing before the home of my enemies, I'm truly in awe of how magical Castle Black is. We walk through the open doors and once we're in the grand, two-story foyer, Ronan turns to me, grabs my hand and kisses it.

"This is where I leave you," he smiles.

"I thought you were joining us for the meeting with your father."

"I am," he motions to his street clothes and clicks his teeth. "I can't very well show up looking hungover, can I?" He winks and points at Atlas and Nyx, "Take her the long way." Without another word, the prince bounds up the carpeted steps of the grand staircase and disappears when he walks through the arched doorway at the top of the steps.

I glance back and forth between Atlas and Nyx. "What's the long way?"

The long way is just that. Long. Instead of ascending the staircase like Ronan did, to go directly to the heart of the keep where the throne room is, Atlas and Nyx escort me down a long-paneled corridor with doors and paintings on either side of the hall. It's dark except for the iron chandeliers lit with hundreds of candles.

There are family portraits, landscapes, depictions of ancient battles and even a painting with Krystos, the first King of Tronovia, riding his fire breathing dragon.

"Are any of these yours?" I ask Atlas, breaking the tense silence between us.

He smiles and buries his hands deep in his pockets. "A couple of them."

"Will you show me one?"

With a quick tilt of his head for me to follow him, the three of us round the corner and come face to face with a portrait of a beautiful couple. The man's face is gentle and kind, and his brown eyes hypnotize me. Both the man and woman have long, dark hair; his stops just past his shoulders, and hers cascades down to her waist. As handsome as the male Tronovian is, the woman's dazzling green eyes seem to burrow straight through my soul. And her smirk looks awfully familiar.

"Who are they?" I ask softly and I'm surprised when Atlas says, "My parents."

"Your parents?" Now I can see the family resemblance. "They're a handsome couple. You have your mother's eyes."

Atlas smiles. "They're both fire wielders. Powerful ones for that matter. My mother, Soraya, is Uncle Soren's twin and my father, Rafe, is his childhood best friend."

"Did they have an arranged marriage?" I go back to examining the painting, standing shoulder to shoulder with Atlas.

He shakes his head. "No. Actually, their love caused quite the scandal. My mother was betrothed to Lord Cromwell, one of my grandfather's counselors. He was an old fellow who had been widowed twice and had his sights set on my mother since she was a teenager."

"What happened? Did she marry him?"

"My parents had been in love most of their lives. When it came time to officially announce her wedding to Lord Cromwell, my mother defied her father and king, and refused to marry him."

"Was your grandfather upset?"

"Furious," Atlas meets my awaiting gaze and holds my stare. "He had my father imprisoned and threatened to have him executed unless my mother obeyed his will. She said she would rather be with the man she loved than marry a man who would keep her as a trophy." He refocuses on the portrait he painted of his parents. "My grandfather ordered they both be executed the next morning at dawn. They shared adjoining cells and held hands throughout the night, but when morning came, they were released and pardoned."

"Your grandfather had a change of heart?"

"No. He died in his sleep."

I quirk an eyebrow and slowly twist my head to look at him. "Was he murdered?"

"Officially, the cause of death was natural causes," he smirks, and I know it means there's more to his story.

"And unofficially?"

There's a slight uptick at the corner of his mouth. "There's been speculation that Uncle Soren protected his twin and best friend the only way he could."

I look into Soraya's eyes and smile. "She loved him enough to live and die by his side."

"And they're still happily married."

"You said, she's King Soren's twin?"

He nods. "Younger by a minute and the only twin with fire magic."

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