Oracles of Ice

Oracles of Ice Part 9

Aethelfrith rubbed his forehead and paced the floor in front of the hearth, feeling like he was fighting a never-ending battle. If it wasn't one thing it was another. Anya had stormed out after he had explained the curse Iseult had placed upon them, and how they would never return to Eldon or their families. He had known it was a possibility when they left Eldon to begin with, and Anya's incessant nagging had not let him forget it. He knew their lives had changed, but he felt the change had been for the better. Anya had not, and she had been correct.

A knocking on the door was followed by the announcement of one of his guards. The Warricks had insisted he have a guard at his door round the clock. Aethelfrith felt no danger in the Warrick camp, but such was custom for the leader of a kingdom. He had tried to dissuade them from using the title of king for him, but the rolts and even the grefts of several of the cities of Warrick made it clear to the people that he was their king. Still, he had assumed the label under protest.

"Majesty, you have a visitor," came the announcement from behind the door.

A visitor? Who could it be at this late hour?

Aethelfrith padded to the door and unlatched it, pulling it open a crack. He peered into the shadows and saw the familiar face of Gaielle smiling up at him, her cheeks rosy from the chill of the night. Glancing this way and that to be sure Anya was gone, he swung the door wide and beckoned her inside.

"Thank you," he stuttered to his guards, hoping then would understand the sensitivity of the situation. "See that I am not disturbed—by anyone." He gave them a stern look, and they nodded at him with mischievous grins plastered on their faces as Gaielle walked past him into the warmth of the domicile. "Anyone," he repeated and scowled at them, turning his back, trailing behind Gaielle after he shut the door.

"This is a nice home," she commented, turning to face him. She lowered the hood of his cloak, and her wild blue hair fell around her face. Aethelfrith was entranced by her beauty. Gaielle's vibrant smile eased the frustration he had been feeling and invited him closer to her.

"It isn't often that I get visitors unannounced." He was filled with nervous energy. She stood in his home, only moments after Anya had left, probably for the night. Gods only knew where she went.

"You said a quarter-moon, but I had to come sooner. I missed you." Her cheeks flushed a shade of pink, and she smiled, looking down at her feet. "I hope that's okay."

"Oh, yes, yes. It's fine. Come, come, let me take your cloak." It wasn't okay, really. He had taken a risk even inviting her, but now his guards knew, and that would be something he would have to manage. Still, she made him feel things, powerful things, that he wanted to explore further.

"Really it's yours." Gaielle fidgeted with the leather cords that tied the cloak together for a moment, but Aethelfrith's dexterous fingers quickly undid the knot and loosed her from the garment. Her blush deepened when he reached around her to remove the cloak from shoulders, his body surrounding her for a moment. He felt her breath on his chin as she looked up at him when he was near.

"It is a cold evening for a woman as beautiful as you to be alone in the pine."

"That it is. I am glad I made it before the sun was hidden for the night." Gaielle turned away as Aethelfrith draped the cloak across a nearby chair. Her eyes were wide as she looked around the room. "So this is how a king lives?"

Her question gave him pause, and he wondered what, if anything, he had told her about himself. He tried to remember their conversations, but nothing came to mind. He watched her study the trinkets on the mantle; a deer antler Mek had found on their journey to Warrick from Eldon, the palmyria pipe he smoked before retiring to bed each night, and the large portrait of his family an artist had painted for them when they'd lived in Eldon. She smoothed her hand across the painting as if she could feel the emotions of his family and turned to face him with surprise in her eyes.