House of Winter

Chapter 31, Part 1

Princess Katja was wearing riding clothes, with her blonde hair pulled practically away from her face, and a thick scarf wrapped around her neck.

Tom ran, and Katja ran, and the two of them crashed into each other in a fierce hug. Tom lifted Katja from the ground and spun her around so that her blue coat flared away from her body and she let out a shriek of a laugh.

Lumi crossed her arms over her body, feeling suddenly self conscious, as Katja finally fell out of Tom's hug, laughing, and looked over at Lumi.

The two princesses locked eyes, and Lumi felt an icy tremor.

But then Katja was grinning. "Come here!" she said. "It's so nice to see you, my dear Lumi. I do hope Tom has been looking after you."

Lumi stepped forward hesitantly, and was surprised to find Katja pulled her into a warm hug.

"As best I can," Tom said.

When she pulled back, Katja brushed a gloved hand across Lumi's hair, looking at her face. "You look tired. You'll be glad to know I've brought food with me. Just enough for the journey back to Vulfholm. My mother is very excited to see you."

Lumi frowned, and glanced at Tom.

"But Kat, what in the name of stars are you doing here?" Tom asked. "You flew across Sredsibirsk to find Lumi? And you want us to come with you to Vulfholm?"

Katja glanced at Lumi and then back at Tom, and grinned. "Yes, here I am."

"And you don't have a... convoy, or guards?" Tom asked.

"I've had to be quite... stealthy," Katja admitted. "There's even a maid in the palace at Vulfholm dressed up as me, so that the court thinks I'm still in the palace."

"So no one knows you're here?"

"Only my mother, and now, the two of you," Katja grinned. "And Helvig, of course."

Lumi's gaze wandered to the wolves - Helvig and Kobuk - who were once again engaged in a friendly tousle in the snow.

"Come on, let's go back inside and get warm," Tom said. "I'm sure Kobuk can make room for Helvig beside the fire. The village has good drinks and they've been very hospitable."

"Excellent," Katja said airily, and she followed the two of them into the great hall. "This place is perfect. I'm so glad I found you. Helvig's a great tracker and I knew she'd find Kobuk, but when she started leading me this far into Sredsibirsk I have to admit I was worried. What were you doing so far Dorth? There's nothing but ice up here."

"We've had a long journey," Tom said. He glanced at Lumi, apparently waiting to see if Lumi wanted to share the tale. Lumi kept her mouth firmly shut, and Tom turned away. "But tell us about your journey, first. You saw me after the Midwinter Championship - I took a while to recover from my injury, but I don't know what happened after that."

"Well," Katja said, as they reentered the hall of the village. "I was whisked back to Norrlund, but I heard the school's closed."

"Because Hart's no longer there?" Tom asked.

"Oh, I'm not sure where Hart went," Katja said. "But the King created a draft for starrlings soldiers. Anyone who's anyone has quietly slipped away to Norrlund, and the rest are no doubt on their way to attack Vastier by now."

Tom let out a breath. "That's horrible. What's your mother's position?"

"Well, that's why I'm here, of course," Katja said with a charming smile. She sat down in an armchair near the fire, and it seemed that the villagers in this town had recognised that Katja must be someone important - it was in the way she held herself - so that suddenly a young woman approached with a pot of tea. Katja accepted it graciously.

"So, I suppose you've figured out about Sanna?" Tom asked, as he sat down and poured himself tea. Lumi found herself on a smaller armchair, slightly further from the fire, so that she had to lean forward to feel like she was part of the conversation. She felt out of place, now that Katja and Tom were talking.

"What about her?" Katja asked. "She's at the country estate, because her father's worried the palace will be attacked, which is ridiculous. Vulfholm has never been attacked."

"She's not," Lumi said quietly.

Katja didn't seem to hear Lumi.

"She's not," Tom said, louder. "Listen, Kat. Lumi will tell you."

Katja adjusted her seat and looked at Lumi expectantly.

"I woke up on a ship heading to Singtsu, the day after the Midwinter Championships," Lumi said quietly. She found her voice was failing her, like it had when she first went to Lombardia. She barely breathed out the next words. "Sanna was on the ship with me."

"However do you mean?" Katja asked, leaning forward again. "Was she kidnapped? But her father said she's in the country estate."

"Her father knows where she is," Lumi said. "Her father brought her there, before returning to Norrlund. He claims that Sanna's mother is my aunt, General Virani."

"No."

"That's what they say," Lumi said. "My aunt confirms it. Apparently she was stationed in Norrlund during the fire war and she had a child, but abandoned it when she found out the baby was a winter starrling. It was Osvald van Dael's daughter. He kept her."

"That's madness."

"Is it?" Tom asked. "What do you know about Osvald van Dael?"

"He's... well, he's a war hero! My mother loves him, of course. Plus he's almost entirely to thank for the final defeat of the Burning King," Katja said, glancing at Lumi. "He got the intel on your father's final location. It was because of him that the Norrlish army was able to bring him down, and the Stargen Union was able to claim victory over Kakaio."

Lumi swallowed.

"And where did Osvald van Dael get that info?" Tom asked.

Katja gasped. "But... my mother married the man! She gave him the title of duke to thank him for his efforts. She fell in love with him!"

"Did he ever say who Sanna's mother was?" Tom asked.

Katja shook her head. "Someone of low class, I was sure."

"What if he got the information on my father's location directly from Auntie V?" Lumi asked. "What if it was all a set up?"

"You're saying that General Virani and Duke Osvald van Dael had a baby and then collaborated to end the Fire War?" Katja asked. "What repercussions does that have?"

"Your mother is married to a liar," Lumi said. "Sanna's my cousin. What else has he been lying about?"

to be continued

thank you for reading! and an extra big thank you to those of you who voted for this chapter, you're the best!

xx elle