Winter's Tale

11

Athena and Risa squeal as they come into her room and run to her. "You're his Chosen!" Athena can't help but say. Both girls hug her tight.

"I thought he would choose you. Even as a child he's taken extra care of you, far more than I've ever heard of him doing." Risa says smiling broadly.

Athena snorts, "Before Rose, he barely tolerated humans. There's a reason humans fear him so much."

Rose looks at them both not knowing what to think. "Winter hates humans?" She's never gotten that feeling from him.

"He tolerated them for food and umm," Athena stops she doesn't know if she's allowed to talk about sex with Rose or not.

"Why did you stop? Food and what?" Rose asks, she's still very naive.

"It touches on what we've been forbidden to talk to you about." Athena looks down her cheeks flaming which is interesting since she's turned.

"Oh, you mean sex?" Rose herself is turning red remembering what she and Winter did the night before. 

The two girls smirk, "Yeah, that."

"Have you two..." the two look away. "I'm sorry, Winter explained it to me, what happened."

"We can't talk about that until the master tells us we can. None of it, I'm sorry, Rose," they both are, they would love to talk about it with her.

"I wish I could change what happened to you two yesterday," Rose looks down hiding her tears. Yesterday wasn't a good day, except one thing.

"She's thinking of master," Risa smirks as Rose turns red.

"More like what she was doing with master, I think," Athena gets in on the teasing.

"I wish I could talk to you about it," Rose mourns. There is so much she'd like to talk to them about.

Athena decides to make a slight change in their talking, "It wasn't my first time yesterday. I'm glad Kevin didn't betray master, because he's my lover."

Rose stares at Athena shocked, "He is?"

"No, don't say anything else about that aspect until Winter allows you to. I don't think I could handle losing either of you on top of ..." Rose breaks into tears.

Athena pulls her into an embrace while Risa goes to the door and tells Kevin that they won't be going for a walk until later, if at all.

Kevin hears Rose crying and once he is assured that it's because of what happened yesterday he shuts the door.

While she's crying Winter speaks to her, "Are you all right, love? Has someone done something to you?"

"Just remembering Ed and what happened yesterday. Will you give permission for Athena and Risa to talk to me about sex now? There are things I would like to know that I can't ask you."

There is a pause and Rose worries that Winter is going to be upset for her asking this.

"I will talk to them when I get home about it. You know that you can ask me anything right?"

"I know, it's just there are some things a female needs to ask other females." Rose tells him. "Are you at the capital yet?"

"Yes, arrived not long ago and we are settling into our rooms even as we speak. Already females are trying to get me to their beds." Winter allows his feelings to come through and it is heavy with disgust and amusement. "You are the only one I want, my Winter Rose.

"I'll be dealing with mother shortly." 

Rose no longer wonders how a two day trip was shortened to just four hours. "Be careful, Winter."

"I will be. Besides, I am protected, the bitch can't hurt me."

"Perhaps not directly, but remember you are still vulnerable to sorcery."

"No, I talked to the goddess about that. I'll be protected from that as well." Winter assures her. "You sound tired, you should get some sleep." This time she feels love caressing her as he speaks. 

"I will, I love you," Rose has to say again. She's always told him that, but it's different now. She feels connected to him, and not just in the way that the ceremony provides. 

"I love you too, my winter Rose, get some sleep and I'll see you soon," Winter says and then the sense of him being there is gone.

Rose yawns and her two companions smirk, figuring that she didn't get much sleep. They are right, but not so much for the reason they are thinking.

"Come on, I think you need to sleep. We'll wake you for lunch." Rose nods as Risa helps her over to the bed.

"Would you both stay? Last night I had nightmares about what happened yesterday. I don't want to be alone, and well Winter isn't here to help me now." The smirks the girls had were wiped. They had forgotten that Rose had seen her cousin after he'd been killed.

"Where is Ed going to be buried?" Athena asks softly after the silence became awkward.

"Winter says that he'll be buried next to my parents. If this weather stays nice like this, then tomorrow maybe we can go and visit them. Winter has taken me, over the years, but because of the snow I couldn't go without him before. He was always so busy I never wanted to bother him, so I didn't go much." Rose lies down on the bed and lets her eyes close.

Athena and Risa look at her sadly. They at least still had each other and their other sisters. Rose only has Winter now.

Rose starts screaming and it brings Kevin charging into the room and Risa and Athena doing their best to calm the girl from the nightmare she had.

"It's alright, Kevin. She just had a nightmare about yesterday." Athena reassures the guard even as she holds Rose and does her best to stop her crying.

Kevin looks at his young mistress with distress. He doesn't like what he's seeing and he knows that Winter won't like it either.

"What can I do to help?" Kevin asks helplessly.

This time it's Risa that answers him, "There isn't anything that you can do. She is mourning her lost cousin. I think the only thing or person that could help her, is the master. We must not disturb him or he'll be even angrier. The queen almost succeeded in killing Rose, next time she might succeed if he doesn't deal with her now."

Kevin grits his teeth at the reminder of how he failed his Lord and King yesterday.

"Kevin, you didn't fail him." Athena looks at him quickly. "If he had felt that you had then you'd be dead like the others. Instead he gave you a great honor. Normally it takes years of dedicated service to a lord to be chosen to guard his love. You know that."

"I was the only one that didn't betray him." Kevin states, bitter that he was only given this honor because he was the only one left.

Rose looks at Kevin. "Winter has faithful guards at the capital. It's where the others came from. Had he not felt you worthy he wouldn't let you near me. Especially after what happened yesterday. You were willing to stand up against the orders of the traitor queen and your fellow guards. He was truly impressed with you. He was afraid that there would be another attack aimed at me. He was unsure if he could leave me here. 

"When he announced that you were my guard I wasn't expecting it because he hadn't decided yet if he trusted you or not. He does, Kevin, more than any of his men." Rose tells the shocked vampire.

Athena is wearing a pleased look on her face. She suspects that Kevin is her mate and if he is in the Lord's favor than perhaps things will be alright.