A Court of Snow and Storms

13. Little Ventures

Elodie sat on her bed and gave a bored sigh. She had lost even more privileges it seemed. After attending to the children's lessons, she was locked in her bedroom and only allowed out at mealtimes. Those also happened to be the only times she was allowed to go to the bathroom to bathe or relieve herself. She'd learned to drink sparingly.

Sneaking out to see Wynter was proving more and more difficult too. Four days had gone by since her last visit. Elodie wrote a letter to Wynter, feigning illness, and managed to coerce a stranger walking beneath her window to deliver it for her.

Elodie crossed her legs, twisting towards the window. Snowflakes blew through the air, carried by a breeze. The day was bright and warmer than usual. It was autumn in the Mortal Lands and Solar Courts, and the season did have some effects on her Court's perpetual winter. That was why the weather was fluctuating so much lately. Snowstorms accompanied by warm days weren't uncommon in autumn.

When winter set in, the Court would be a beautiful, but dismal place. There would be dozens of snowstorms, maybe even blizzards. The nights would be longer and the days shorter, which meant she'd have more time to see Wynter, but there wouldn't be a single warm day until spring returned. Elodie would spend the colder months wrapped up in an assortment of cloaks and blankets.

She sighed, watching people walk through the streets. I wish I could go out. This might be one of the last warm days we have for months. Elodie pulled out her cloak from Wynter and ran her hands across the supple material. She lifted it to her nose, inhaling deeply. It smelled faintly of him. Ice, embers, and pine.

Elodie had been thinking a lot about Lev's words. He'd called Wynter possessive. At first, she had thought he was simply protective, but the more she thought about his actions, the more sense Lev's claim made. After all, Wynter had threatened to tear Lev's throat out if he touched her again. That was... Elodie knit her brows. Well, it could be seen as protective, but she saw it as more of a possessive threat.

But why would Wynter feel possessive of me? She wondered. He has never come across as the possessive type. Not like Uncle Ebner has. He makes it very clear that he thinks he owns me. Wynter doesn't act that way at all. Is there more than one way to be possessive of a person? Is Lev right? Or am I right and just overthinking everything?

She didn't know, and she was running herself in circles trying to figure it out. Uncle Ebner doesn't really care about what I want. I have to do what he says if I want his...protection. He doesn't ask me to do things. He orders me to. Elodie held the cloak closer to her chest. And he certainly doesn't care about my wellbeing.

But Wynter just gives me things without asking for much in return, Elodie thought. He gave me this cloak, asking that I wear it if he couldn't accompany me home, because he didn't want me to get too cold on the way. He gave me blankets and tea when he saw me shiver. He stops asking questions when I ask him to. He protected me and took care of my injuries. He doesn't yell at me or get angry when I do something rash. He acts... He acts like he cares about me.

A small smile tugged at her lips. Elodie didn't fight the blush that crept into her cheeks. Perhaps he was only lonely and looking for a friend. Perhaps she was reading into his actions too much. Either way, she didn't care. It felt nice to be important to someone. It felt nice to be cared about.

Elodie stiffened, hearing the lock click. She stuffed her cloak beneath her bedcovers and sat on top of it. The door swung open and a small hand left the doorknob. Mitsi skipped into the room, her fists full of periwinkles. She sat down beside Elodie, cuddling up against her.

"I brought you flowers to dry," Mitsi said. "Mama took us to the library. She took us to the wrong one though. They didn't have any books that I could read."