Page 64 of A Tale of Ice and Ash
At this, the Queen’s eyes narrowed. Her jaw tensed. “Yes. My Huntsman. It turns out he’s been in league with the princess all along.”
The Huntsman? He had not been there last night. How had his mother deduced his involvement?
Because he was the one supposed to have killed her.
Eirwen had kept the identity of her saviour a secret, but Cole should have known. He was the one who returned the palace the day she was supposed to have died, covered in blood, with a tale of a wild animal devouring the princess he’d desperately tried to save.
What had he done, to protect her? He’d stayed close to the Queen all of these years, knowing, surely, that it could not last.
If Eirwen heard he’d been killed because of her–
“No,” he said.
His mother looked at him sharply. “What?”
“Don’t kill them yet.”
“Whyever not?”
“If I were Snow, I think I’d be rather attached to the person who saved my life. Attached enough to try and rescue him. It would be the perfect opportunity to capture her, or flush out her supporters.”
The Queen smiled. “What a sharp mind you have, my darling boy. You’ll make an excellent king one day.”
No,he thought,I won’t. I cannot be king. Not ever. I cannot risk becoming like you. I won’t be a killer. I won’t be a monster. Not for you, not for anyone.
He stood up. “You know, Mother, I have the strongest desire to go for a hunt,” he said swiftly. “If I may? I shall be back before dinner.”
“You’ve not yet had breakfast–”
“I’ll have the servants wrap something up for me,” he said. He bent down to kiss her cheek, but the warmth of her skin chilled his bones. “Fear not, Mother.”
