Page 16 of The Kingdom of Eternal Ice
I let my gaze roam over the landscape. The sun has set by now, and it’s getting darker and darker with every passing minute. Nights in my home aren’t normally that dark, it’s new to me and oddly fascinating.
It's when I look towards the forest that I see a figure standing there. I can barely see her at first, but once my eyes adapt to the evening dawn, I can make out her white hair and white dress, and it looks like she is wearing a veil. I frown. “Who-”
My voice gets stuck in my throat at the sudden thunder growling around us.
Shayan jumps up. “Is this a blizzard?”
“Yes, and it’s approaching fast,” Tynan says, and all the silliness is wiped off his face. He looks focused all of a sudden. “We need to return.”
“Yes, fast,” Shayan agrees.
“No,” Royan bellows, and I can feel how the air around him changes. As if his entire aura gets more domineering. “It’s approaching too fast.” He takes my arm. “Princess, allow me.”
I nod, dumbfounded. I’m not sure why I even trust him, but an unknown force - an instinct - draws me to him. It’s not love or lust; it’s more like… how I feel towards Shayan.
“We can’t remain here,” Shayan comments.
“We have to,” Royan says shortly, and tugs me closer, into his den. “The sky is darkening, and it’s not because it’s night. Everyone, surround the princess and make sure she is protected.”
“What about the woman?” I breathe out.
“The woman?” Ita asks, alarmed.
“Yes, out there, close to the forest,” I pause, realizing how dumb I sound. “Maybe it was a hallucination. There certainly couldn’t be someone standing out there.”
Ita and Royan exchange a gaze. “Did she wear a veil?” Ita asks.
“Yes, I think so.” I look at them with a frown. “Why?”
“Together, everyone,” Royan commands. “The snowstorm will approach fast! She was there.”
“She?” Shayan asks.
Tynan pales but doesn’t say anything, instead, he follows Royan’s orders.
Royan looks at Shayan insistently. “General Shayan, I need your help.”
The two silently exchange a glance. “Of course.”
I’m pressed to the ground, with everyone surrounding me and covering me with their bodies. I can feel the wind pick up, and the first snowflakes surrounding us. She… she… who is she? Is the veiled woman responsible for this? Right as my thoughts begin to run wild, my eyes meet Royan’s. “It’s going to be alright, Princess,” he says gently. “Don’t worry.”
Like a flashback, I’m transported back in time.
“It’s going to be alright, Azadeh,” Shayan said when he had to rush into battle to defend the palace. The battle in which he lost his arm and eye. “Don’t worry, my princess.”
And years later… “It’s going to be alright, Azadeh,” my brother Kiyan exclaimed as he rushed towards me when the palace was under attack from rebels. “Don’t worry, dear sister,” he said right when he threw himself between me and the attackers who were out for my head. He fended them off but got wounded badly and stayed in a coma for months.
It’s going to be alright.
Don’t worry.
All said with this gentle voice, when they were ready to die.
I’ve known these people for half a day, and yet they are ready to put their lives at risk to protect me. It can’t happen. I can’t allow this to happen, not to the first people who have been nice to me after such a long time. Not on my first day in this new country. Not to someone I care for.
I open my eyes, feeling my emotions overwhelm me. No one is going to die!
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