Ring of Cren [18+]

Chapter 5

Anastasia's POV

The court was quiet. I answered everything as best as I could, then I decided to retire the court to look in at the Harvest celebration as it was being prepared early.

A feast, fires, music and high-born lords mingling together all night. They'd bring their wives, but that didn't mean concubines weren't handed around either.

It was a strange event.

In the middle of the hall was an ice statue of a shield with the Cren's symbol. Which also happened to be a Crow, for our people and our spirit that we protected.

My Crows were just following suit, named after our spirit.

Damion admires the ice shield while Axe stares into the massive fire place, fifty feet wide, it tended to provide enough heat to those fucking on the rug. Rurx is already eating some of the food being brought out early. Krystoph flanks me, as I speak to the connecting kitchens out the back.

"Only display half the ale and wine," I tell the staff, "Last time I heard there was throw up everywhere in the morning – I don't want that happening again... everyone should be advised to have some restraint – their King just died. I don't want disrespect shown to his passing, or my brothers."

"We'll keep the rest in storage," the head chef agrees, and I turn into Krystoph's shoulder, as he stood so close, following me around.

I slide past him and he follows, "We can always retire the Harvest early, if there is trouble," Krys suggests. I look at his grey eyes and then his lips. When he dared kiss me yesterday and called me Ana. I liked to reimagine it was said with admiration and affection.

"I was thinking of that," I admit, "...why are you looking at me like that?"

"I have affluence with your allies, if you have trouble addressing them, I can always help," Krys suggests this very carefully.

"Does it look like I need help?" I ask, offended.

Krystoph doesn't answer me, he looks quietly smug and his eyes swipe past me to the Harvest hall, where the others wait.

I walk with him back out to see my Crows wondering about, not paying me any attention as I walk through and stop briefly, looking toward the top banquet where I'd sit, where my father once sat.

I had never joined.

I didn't like it.

I'd be alone up there today, and I wanted the four extra seats to be filled with my four Crows – the only other people I knew well enough to take those seats.

It would mean a lot to me... as long as they behaved.

For some reason the thought of being the only one on that top banquet would drive it home that my father and brothers were never, ever, coming home. Then I'd most likely cry in front of everyone. Everyone you shouldn't cry in front of.

Krystoph, perhaps, understands me, and it's why he flanks me so close. His eyes follow mine to the top banquet and I know why he suggested we retire it all early... if there was trouble.

Not from the allies at all.

But from my own emotions.

It would only be a matter of time before I realised dressing up as my heroines could only distract me from the truth for so long.

That I was the very last Ice Seer – and that meant I had no choice but to do the impossible. Maybe deep inside it's the last thing I wanted. Maybe I just wanted to read and disappear and be a kid again. Already I had a duty to make offspring and that's something I did not want to think about right now.