Snow Bites

Chapter One

The Queen is dead, and the kingdom is safe.

Heldie rubbed her temples as she reclined back in the plush seat. Sparks of magic still danced around her thin fingers. It had been so long since she'd summoned the power bestowed on her at birth. The pure light burned her skin.

A small silver dagger rested on the circle table to her left. Blood coated the blade to the hilt. The sigils carved down the top side glowed with the same magic that flickered across Heldie's fingers. Soon, the blood would be gone, consumed by the blade. It couldn't absorb fast enough for her liking.

The guards could show up at any moment.

The doors to her chambers slammed open. A young man dressed in worn leather ran into the room and pulled the doors closed behind him. "They're coming. What are you going to do?" he asked frantically.

"Calm yourself, Ryker. If you panic they will suspect you," Heldie said. The knife was clean now, except for a single dot near the tip. "Where is the king?"

"With the princess. The poor child, who knows what her mother did to her before you arrived."

Heldie stood slowly. "I fear the child may follow in her mother's footsteps if left to her own devices," she fretted.

Outside in the hall, doors opened and closed like a rolling wave of thunder. Heldie hid the blade away in an inner pocket of her dress. Moments later her door opened for the second time and three palace guards entered. Their swords were drawn and their eyes scanned the room for traces of danger.

"Has the culprit been found?" Heldie whispered. A tremble began in her hands. The magic was not receding as quickly as the blood on the knife. It threatened to run to her protection. She held it in check by the skin of her teeth.

The guards gave her no answer as they sheathed their blades. Their shoulders relaxed in defeat and the back two stepped out of the room. "The king is calling for you. His majesty requests your aid in tending to the princess. She is understandably quite distraught," the remaining guards informed her. He stepped back and offered her his arm. They'd nearly made it back to the hall when the guard seemed to notice Ryker for the first time. "What are you doing here, boy?"

Heldie clenched her deep green skirts and looked over her shoulder. Her eyes narrowed as Ryker stayed silent. "He came to make sure I was safe. We've known each other since childhood, it's only natural." She raised one slender eyebrow at the still speechless man.

"Even so, the huntsman should know his place. He's no right to walk into a lady's room unaccompanied," the guard huffed.

Ryker dipped his head and swept his leg back. "Apologies, I won't forget my place again."

"See to it that you don't, or there'll be a flogging in your future." The guard tugged his arm, forcing Heldie forward with him. There was no chance for her to look back at Ryker again.

King Clarence and Princess Eirwen were waiting for Heldie in a small room. Guards stood at each door, hands on weapons. They simultaneously tended and relaxed as Heldie stepped into the room.

Eirwen ran to the woman immediately. She didn't say a word between the small sniffles and sobs. When Heldie picked her up, the little princess burrowed her face into the woman's chest.

"You're majesty," Heldie whispered, trying to curtsy with the child in her arms.

"There's no need for formalities," Clarence said. He gestured for her to sit beside him on the purple velvet couch. A silence settled on the room, interrupted only by Eirwen's crying. "Leave us."

The guards filtered out of the room and closed the heavy doors behind them. A chill crawled up Heldie's spine to battle with the blush in her cheeks. She'd rarely been in a room alone with the king. His stormy gray eyes drew her in like a helpless mouse. Since her first day as a lowly scullery maid, she'd admired him. It was not too far of a stretch to say she loved him.

Shame followed her excitement. The man had just escaped the clutches of his horrid wife. This was not the time to imagine a life with him. His sleeping daughter was curled up in her lap for goodness sake. She felt disgusted with herself.

Clarence reached out and brushed back Eirwen's thick black hair from her rosy cheek. "I'm glad she can sleep. She feels safe with you," he whispered.

"I care about her very much," Heldie said softly. The child's slow and steady breaths feathered across her neck.

"You knew what her mother was."

A breath caught in Heldie's throat. Her eyes grew wide. "You knew? All this time, you knew and did nothing?"

"She was my wife, and I loved her," Clarence explained.

"That wasn't love," she said quickly. His hand was cold under her fingers as she desperately clung to him. "Monsters like her have a way of bewitching the mind. Now that she's gone you'll be free. You're safe now."

Clarence trapped her hand between his. "I know you did what you thought was right. I only wish..." he trailed off as he looked at Eirwen.

The princess shifted in Heldie's arms as if she knew someone was talking about her. A tear still clung to her thick lashes.

"It is unfortunate there was a child involved in all of this, but at least she still has you." Heldie smiled warmly at him. The loving look he gave his daughter brought up emotions in her. Envy and joy were mixed together in a confusing blend. She distracted herself by brushing Eirwen's cheek for stray tears.

The king held his arms out, taking his daughter back. "She asked for you, and that is why you are still here. I won't hurt her a second time. Just know,if anything happens to her, there won't be a corner of this earth you can hide yourself in. Any mark on her I will leave on you tenfold. Your life is tied to hers until she realizes she no longer needs you. Is that clear, Grimhelde?"

Heldie was too stunned for words. He knew what his wife was, what his daughter could become. They were the ones to be watched. Was it possible he was still enthralled even after the queen's death? Her eyes drifted to Eirwen. Had the child already tapped into the dark powers inside her? "I would never hurt an innocent child," she finally managed to say.

The doors opened and closed just enough for the king to step out, leaving Heldie alone. The magic surged in her for just a moment and then died down. "I'll keep a close eye on her, I can promise you that."