Page 76 of The Kingdom of Eternal Ice
“Sorry, have you been waiting?” I ask the guys while I approach them.
“No,” Flinn shakes his head. “We were just too early. That’s Caelan’s fault. He always gets annoying before a trip and wants to be extra-early. Goddess forbid we might get an additional hour of sleep.”
Caelan grumbles while Endellion laughs, before they help me fix my luggage to my horse. It’s the white mare, Enora, who I have trained with a lot. Something about her spoke to me, and I am beyond happy they chose her for me. “You and I, my girl,” I whisper, touching her nose. “I am so happy the princes are allowing me to ride you.”
“Well,” Flinn says. “She is yours.”
“Eh?” I blink. “You mean you are lending her to me?”
“No,” Endellion smiles. “She is yours.”
Caelan nods. “We talked and want to gift her to you. She chose you as her master.”
“The three of us found Enora a year ago, almost dying,” Endellion explains. “We saved her, and while she grew accustomed to us, she never wanted any of us to ride her. You, however, she bonded with.” He smiles. “A princess for a princess,” he says with a wink.
Something about the way he smiles at me makes my cheeks flush. “Thank you,” I say. I want to fight them first for gifting me something so precious, but secretly I’m thrilled. Enora grew on me, and I don’t want anyone else to have her. I wrap my arms around her neck, smiling when she nickers into my hair.
“So, where do we start?” I ask while I mount my horse. My skills have got a little better thanks to Alana, and I’m actually looking forward to this trip.
“The plan is to roam the lands,” Flinn says. “We hope something will trigger your connection to the two… dragons.” He pauses. “Man, it still feels weird to say it.”
“We don’t have many clues,” Endellion says. “But I talked to Aylin today.”
“You have been talking to the witch?” Flinn blinks. “I thought you found her creepy?”
“I do, but she also knows a lot,” Endellion looks at me. “She told me to travel to the Raon-Deighe pack. Raon-Deighe stands for ice field, and it’s located close to a lake. An elderly woman is supposed to live there. Aylin said she is apparently a witch, although her powers are more on the defensive side, but she is knowledgeable in meditation and said to be very capable.”
“If Aylin says to go and look for her, we should do that,” I agree.
“That’s actually not bad,” Flinn grins. “Because Raon-Deighe is close to the Crystal Forest, which is a must see!”
“Oh yes!” Much to my surprise, Caelan beams at his words. It’s the first time I’ve seen such an over-excited expression from him. This place must be truly special.
“I can’t wait to see it.”
I want to ask more questions, but before I can do so, Aylin approaches us out of nowhere. “Here,” she says to me, while completely ignoring the boys. She hands me a necklace. “Wear it. It should protect you. We don’t want something to happen to you.”
I blink at her. “Thank you.”
She just nods and scurries away.
“Amazing,” Flinn smirks. “You’ve melted her heart.”
“I’m not sure if I really did,” I chuckle.
“Yeah, maybe she just doesn’t want to endanger you… the prophecy and all.”
A few weeks ago, this would have made me feel self-conscious, but now I can only laugh. No one here gives me the feeling of just being an ornament or a mere object.
Now, however, we set off for real, with Endellion leading the way out of the pack grounds. I’ve seen a lot of the pack lands, but traveling through the kingdom is different. Before coming to the Kingdom of Eternal Ice, I never thought a snowy and icy landscape could come in so many different shapes. But now I just find it fascinating.
“Are you cold?” Caelan asks me.
“No,” I tell him. “I’m fine.”
“We have a few extra blankets,” Endellion says. “Just say the word.”
“I will.” For now, I truly enjoy the breeze. My body is still adapting to the cold, but it’s getting better, especially once I started being more active and training. It’s a sunny day today, so my thick coat and shawl are enough.
