Page 1 of A Winter Romance
ChapterOne
Harpy’s tits! How the fuck did I get lost in these forsaken mountains!
Aryn cast his gaze wildly at the gnarled and menacing trees looming over him. The wind screeched, and snow whipped across his face, stinging his cheeks. His hands tightened on the horse’s reins, and he squeezed his eyes shut, attempting to keep the snow from blinding him.
Just breathe. Stay calm. Don’t panic. Everything will be fine. If I just keep going, surely I’ll come to Castle Evermore. Or a small village. Or I’ll find some way out of these damn woods!
Earlier that day, he’d left the inn where he’d broken his journey the previous night. The innkeeper had pointed to the cobblestone path. “Just continue on.” She’d smiled, a big toothy grin. “The path will take you directly to Castle Evermore. You’ll be there by midday.”
Foolishly, Aryn had believed her. Now he was lost in the Norend Mountains, with no idea where he was or where he was going. Still, he continued on. What other choice did he have?
When he’d first been shown the plain brown horse, it had stared at him, chewing whatever it was horses ate with what looked like disdain, as if sensing Aryn didn’t belong on a horse. Perhaps it had even taken the wrong path to get Aryn deliberately lost.
Blizzard’s piss! Was his horse trying to kill him?
I should never have left the inn. In fact, I should never have left Bordertown. Never left my cosy home and journeyed through this forest.
Trees should be in parks. Tended and manicured and kept in tight order, not allowed to grow wild like this. Someone should tear these trees down, put something useful here, and bring a bit of orderliness to these mountains.
And why is it snowing so much?
He braced himself as the wind tore at him, his jacket providing poor protection against the cold that flooded his body. He’d lived his whole life in Bordertown in Norend. It was the northern kingdom. He’d thought he understood what cold was.
Another gust of wind blew, and he shivered. In all his life, he’d never been so cold. It never got so cold in Bordertown. It snowed in winter. A dusting here and there. Sometimes the snow even stayed a few days. It was all very pretty and picturesque. Nothing like this.
To think the previous day, he’d felt so proud setting off on his journey from Bordertown. He’d been tasked to present a perfume to the royal family of Norend. His parents, famous perfume alchemists, owned Greweth Perfumeries. They were expensive and exclusive, so anyone who was anyone bought Greweth perfumes.
But the royal family of Norend didn’t live in Bordertown. They lived in Castle Evermore. So Aryn was travelling to the castle. He’d jumped at the opportunity. He was the youngest of seven, and it was hard to stand out, especially when all his siblings had such incredible noses and alchemy skills.
His oldest brother, Jarne, had designed a perfume last summer that Lady Elissarna had described as “incandescent.” Sasha had been so impressed, leaning close and touching Jarne’s arm, smiling at him through his long lashes as he congratulated him. Aryn should have known.
His parents had been so proud of Jarne. They were always so proud of his siblings, but not of Aryn, who had struggled in his studies. His creations usually resulted in his parents’ frowns and instructions to “try again” or “try harder,” but no matter how hard he tried, it never seemed to be quite right. He was never enough.
But he could do this. He could present the perfume to the royal family and be useful to his parents. It was to be the main perfume in their upcoming spring collection, and when he returned home with a royal endorsement, they would be proud of him. For once. He clenched his teeth in determination. He would do this.
His horse jolted, and Aryn tipped dangerously to the side. He threw himself forward until he was lying on the horse’s back, clutching at it. He sat up and let out a breath, gazing into the forest as the horse continued forward.
Perhaps he should have prepared properly for the journey. But there had been no time! What if one of his siblings had found out about his trip and suggested they accompany him and take some of his success? No. He had set off immediately. There was no time to waste. He had packed a bag and hired a horse, and off he’d gone. He’d even brought one of his own perfumes to present to the royal family.
It perhaps was not as remarkable as one of Jarne’s creations, but it was good. It was. And if the royal family endorsed it, his parents would be so impressed by his success. Hope burned hot and earnest in his chest.
He had worn his best clothes, wanting to make a good impression: a deep-forest-green velvet coat with golden thread embellishments, a black silk shirt, black leggings, and tight green boots—to match the jacket—which went almost to his knees. His outfit had gotten quite a few glances in the inn this morning.
Unfortunately, even though his clothing may have been impressive earlier, after riding through the snow and wind all day, it was wet, askew, and crumpled. And his hair was a mess. In the morning, he’d styled it carefully, but the wax was no match for the wind. He touched a hand self-consciously to it. Thankfully no one saw the wild, half-tangled disarray.
“Come on, go faster,” he said to the horse, pulling on the reins. “We have to get out of here.”
Aryn should have turned around the minute he’d thought he was lost. The moment he’d realised he was no longer on a cobblestone path. If he’d done that, he’d at least be back at the inn, sitting by a warm fire, with a bowl of stew. Instead, he’d continued for hours. He’d been certain that around every corner, he’d find Castle Evermore or at least some village.
“Come on, do you want me to die here!” He yanked on the horse’s reins. It paused before continuing slowly on. “Please!” Why did his horse hate him?
He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to think how to get out of this horrid mess. Surely if he just kept going, he’d find somewhere to get out of the cold. How big could these mountains actually be? What sort of horrific place was this, where one could travel by horse for hours and see no sign of anyone?
Then a scream sounded from above.
ChapterTwo
Aryn searched the trees with his gaze, heart pounding in his chest. Was it the wind? Or something else? Anything could be hiding in these woods. He wanted to cry. Aryn would give anything to be back in his warm quarters, wearing his thick, woollen robe, sitting on his chaise lounge by a fire.
