Frostbitten Past

X X X

ANDORRA COULDN'T stay away from the study for long, and after Andorra had gotten more acclimated with her surroundings, she found herself sneaking back towards the study after meeting with the man who would be training her. She was tired from the stressful meeting, and wanted to do nothing more than read.

And also get a chance to see Oberon again. He had been a kind face to her that day, and despite Lithe's attitude, she would risk it again for a boy who had no qualms about being her friend in public places.

When she entered, her eyes caught the burning fireplace and she smelled cinnamon and cloves, so strongly it made her homesick. The light was low, but there was a liveliness that was there among the books. Something that caused her heart to stir in excitement.

Obe was sitting in a leather chair by the fireplace, a book in his hands. When she slid through the doors, his eyes met hers and he grinned, closing the book without a care for the page he left off on. He didn't bother moving, but he didn't take his attention off of her.

"Princess, hello. Pleasure to see you here."

She smiled back, her eyes searching for Lithe, trying to see if she was there with them, but Obe noticed. "Lithe isn't here. She's sulking in her room because of a certain Sir who dismissed her the other day in this very study."

Andorra walked to him, sitting down in the other chair, holding back the sigh of comfort that threatened to escape her lips as she sunk into the leather. "She likes Sir Noah?" Obviously Andorra had picked up on that, but she wanted to dig a little into Lithe, the ice queen.

"Oh, Lithe is in love with Sir Noah. She has been since they were children. How could she not, I mean, have you seen him? Moody, temperamental, has a chip on his shoulder, could be in line to be the next Winter Court Prince? I can see the appeal." There was hunger in his eyes that surprised Andorra, and then she let her lips twitch into a smile.

"You like him, too."

Oberon tipped his head back and laughed, looking at her like the cat who ate the canary. "Oops, I got caught."

She let out another laugh, deciding immediately that she liked Oberon. There was something warm about him, something welcoming that she liked. He wasn't like the others she'd met so far, with their formalities and their angry eyes. Oberon was simply Obe.

"Does Lithe know you both want the same man? Could cause controversy."

Obe grinned, his eyes lightening at the mention of liking Noah. "Oh, Lithe knows I'm out here to steal her hypothetical man. But, she doesn't seem concerned. Her mistake."

Andorra let out a giggle, then turned towards the books along the shelf. There were so many, she was interested in finding out the total number. She opened her mouth to ask about the books, to change the subject completely, but Obe beat her to it.

"She is, however, concerned about you."

Andorra tilted her head towards Obe. "Me? But I just got here. She doesn't even know me."

"She doesn't need to know you to know that you like Sir Noah. And he did go after you, after all. It's been the talk of the Clan for a while, now." Oberon's face grew serious, his eyes evening out to a solid blue, brighter than Noah's. "Clan Leader sons are not meant to go out retrieving people. That is a seeker's job, and he insisted that he go instead. Now you tell me why our cold, indifferent Clan Leader's son would chase you, hmm?"

Andorra felt a lump in her throat, and she stood up on shaky legs. "Listen, I don't know why he came. If you think he likes me, you're wrong. At school, he was mean to me. He bullied me, said mean things to me, let others hurt me. He doesn't like me at all. There's no reason for Lithe to hate me over nothing."