Queen of Summer's Ice (Book 2)

Chapter 48

     "Good morning King of Spring," I said.

     Alagan was already awake despite the castle going to sleep at three in the morning. After his coronation there was the celebration party. Which, in all honesty we didn't expect there to really be one, and at first there wasn't. The music was the only thing that filled the rooms silence in the ballroom filled with royals and citizens. But then as people began to drink, and as Alagan made his way to each and every person to formally introduce himself, people relaxed. Especially after hearing his story straight from himself and not the rumor line.

     I couldn't help but notice the flock of girls that automatically pitied him, that would place their hands on his biceps and offer their apologies for his hard upcoming. But hey, that was one way to win over the people. I wasn't going to tell the poor girls that he was taken.

     The spring citizens still stayed out of my way in fear, despite Alagan and I both coming from Glacia, but I figured they didn't see him as her son. Not when he wasn't raised by her as her heir, or really raised by her at all. I on the other hand, was still judged, was still feared, and it would take time for them to realize. Luckily I had the time to wait.

     Yet, the spring royals were different than their citizens, they actually came to mingle with me. Despite what they feared in me, Aunt Palma and Lovell, my cousin from summer who hardly had the lands powers but enjoyed his time in spring, had campaigned in my favor. Talking me up to the springs. Lovell was in summer so I couldn't see him, but every time he was here in spring, he always said sweet things about me to them, and I was more than grateful he wasn't like my father.

     As the time ticked on by, the people became friendlier, and years of tensions relaxed, just a hair.

     "You're leaving already aren't you?"

     "Yeah, there's no more delaying what I have to do."

     Alagan stood from his desk. He had gotten books from the library about springs history, he had a lot to catch up on since he was gone. And in order to rule over this land properly, he had to know which mistakes his ancestors made, to not repeat them.

     "Are you sure you don't need me to go with you? Just in case?" He asked once again.

     I just shook my head. "No, the people just got their King, leaving literally the day after your coronation won't help your image. Plus, my uncle Elis will be there to help, but let's be honest, I can take my father if it comes to that."

     Alagan made a face that was here and gone to fast for me to read when I said Elis' name. He pushed away from his desk that was made of white wood and took a step towards me. "Would you though Evie? He's you're father."

     "I did what I had to do to end our mother, I will do that all again to stop my father."

     He looked like he didn't believe me. "Mother was someone you hated from birth. You're father simply doesn't trust you."

     "And that lack of trust nearly cost me my land, it did in fact cost some of my people their lives. He may not have ever laid a hand on me like mother, but I wish he rather have done so than go behind my back and did what he did. That was worse."

     Alagan's response was a sigh as he just looked at my face, reading the emotions I was trying to hide.

     "Don't give me that look. If you were in my position, what would you do?"

     He stepped away and went back to leaning on his antique table, and simply sighed again. His blue green eyes glazed over as he thought it through. When I thought he wasn't going to reply, he surprised me by taking something out of his pocket. It was a small purple vile that was half the size of my pinky.