Sisters Three (Completed)

21. Adair (1/2)

Adair waited in the ice-sled, her legs and lap covered in a bevy of wolf pelts, and her hair securely tucked up into a fur cap. Gloves covered her hands which gripped the reins of four reindeer. They all sat in the courtyard to her palace, the chill mountain breeze nipping the air. The new orchard she'd built, cold and pristine, jingled like bells as the wind stirred their perfectly formed ice leaves. Crystalline apples and peaches dangled on the same branches, placed there by her hand more for aesthetics than for any sort of attempt at realism.

Silver had seemed disappointed when he'd noticed.

The reindeer stamped the ground and let loose clouds of steamy breath as the grand double doors of the palace opened and Silver descended the steps. He was wrapped warmly in black furs that matched his hair and made his already pale skin look almost glowing.

Adair held out her hand and he used it to pull himself into the seat beside her. She took a moment to tuck him in and feel his warmth immediately seep into her skin as his leg bumped against hers.

"Are you ready?" she asked, but didn't wait for answer before snapping the reins to urge the reindeer to a fast pace out of the courtyard.

As they rounded the bend and crossed a narrow, naturally formed stone bridge that connected one side of a ravine to the other, their speed picked up even more. The wind now whipped at them thrashing their cheeks into high color and drowning out all noise but the roar. Adair steered them down a path and onto an open range that stretched for miles. They were going nowhere in particular that morning, but she could set the reindeer at a certain speed and they'd practically steer themselves when they rode on this field.

Reaching over Silver she motioned to the ground a little bit ahead of them and a swirl of sparkling snowflakes exploded into the air. As the flurry slowly cleared, a mighty oak tree made entirely of ice appeared. She quickly motioned again and a swing grew out of one of the branches, twining down and forming the seat just a few feet above the ground. Grinning with triumph at her the feat, she glanced at Silver. He returned her a small smile, but only gave the oak tree a cursory look as they sped past it.

Fine, he was tired of trees. She dropped the reins, trusting her steeds to keep on a safe course, and began to gesture in the air in a flurried blur of motion. Her arms swooped and spun, coaxing the snow to grow and mold itself into the shapes of animals. Wolves, rabbits, horses, foxes, and things she'd only ever seen in books from her childhood. Lions, bears, seals. She made an entire menagerie of them so that as they rode they were surrounded on both sides with nearly life-like feathers and fur and snarling teeth. She hadn't tried making statues in a long time, due to the concentration it took to remember every detail of her subject, but she wanted Silver to really see it this time. He'd become so used to her casual summoning of items from the ice and snow that trees and structures failed to impressed him anymore.

She directed a small snow flurry onto Silver's shoulder and there formed it into the shape of a falcon. It stayed perched for a moment before the force of the wind knocked it from his shoulder.

Silver laughed and clapped his hands in a showy display of appreciation. Adair smiled and picked back up the reins, but some small nagging in the back of her mind made her feel as if he hadn't truly seen anything she'd done for him. She made an effort to force the doubts out, and decided to trust his smile and let it rest.

They rode for near on to half an hour, and Adair saw his face light up the farther they went from the palace. His eyes sparkled and he leaned this way and that to peer at new landmarks. He pointed them all out to her, talking excitedly about what that rock looked like or whether that tree might be a good spot to place traps for squirrels. Adair listened to it all, replying once and again when it was necessary, but for the most part she let him ramble on. She was all too used to his silence, so the sound of his voice rising and falling with excitement felt like a warm ray of summer sun. She leaned into it, her side pressing up against his, drawing closer to his words and thoughts.

Just up ahead the field started to ascend into another mountain top, which meant they would have to turn around soon. Silver's words petered off in mid-sentence.

"What?" Adair asked, pulling the reindeer to a slower pace.

"Nothing," he mumbled, his eyes glued to the top of the mountain in front of them. Adair knew that over its peak was a view down to one of her borders.

Adair grabbed one of Silver's hands, bringing it to her lips. She pulled him close and tilted her head so that her cheek rested against the top of his hair. This was how she held her foxes, cuddled close so they would feel safe. She ran her hand through the back of his curls.

"I don't want you to be sad," she whispered, caressing the back of his neck.

"I'm not," he replied.

It was a lie, and not a very well performed one. His voice, which had only a few seconds before been so bright, now retreated back in on itself. She barely heard him over the sound of the wind. But she wouldn't press him.