Memories

Chapter 1

Evaline was here. That announcement from Sarshay and Mokoto's son, Jenson, had me feeling tense. He was nine and the moment he was born he was marked as belonging to Balthazar and I to ensure no one tried coming to us to purchase him. In his file his classified as an errand boy. Most times he just runs about delivering messages for Balthazar and I. Mokoto and Sarshay are doing their best to teach the boy to be a good servant and Balthazar has a soft spot for the boy. I have found him giving the boy sweets several times, as well as occasionally giving the boy money to buy whatever toy he wants. I can only imagine what's going to happen once we have children of our own. No doubt he would have done the same had he been given  the chance with Lui if his mother didn't have custody. When Deckland made the declaration of war, Balthazar and I agreed I should start taking the prevantive again during the winter season so it would be a while before we have kids. 

It was a handful raising the three we have now as it is. Lui, Yulen, and Laceria were all nineteen and are becoming responsible adults. For the most part. They have their slip ups here and there when common sense clearly wasn't present, but that's okay. They're our kids and we love them. 

I walked into Balthazar's office and found Evaline looking the same as I had last seen her, wearing expensive clothes with a face full of make up. A box was by her feet. "You may now speak," Balthazar told her when I came to stand beside him. "I was having my servants clean out my storage when they found this box of Deckland's things. I haven't seen him since the attack eight years ago and I've moved on from him. I brought the box to you, because one of my servants noted there were some things in a language they didn't recognize inside. I thought maybe there was a clue on his plans or something that you could use to help arrest him," she explained to us. 

Balthazar nodded and dismissed her before going to the box and picking it up. He sat it on his desk and opened it. Inside was an old book, papers with notes, and many other things. I picked up the book and studied the cover. The covers were brown leather, and the text on the front had flecked off for the most part. Depending the angle of the light I could see the faint outline of the Ice Fae kingdom on it. 

"It's from the Ice Fae kingdom," I said to Balthazar before opening it. "What does it say," he asked me as he looked over my shoulder. The first couple of pages were a family tree. "Isn't that your name," he asked, pointing to the last name on the last branch. I nodded, "It is." "This is the royal family tree isn't it," he asked me. I nodded, "Yeah." "Why did you never tell me," he asked me. "Because there isn't much I remember. I was just a child when my people had been killed and I became a slave," I answered. 

I flipped past the chart and found a page I could barely understand. "I-I think this is written in the language of the Priests," I told Balthazar. "Your Priests had their own language," he asked me. "Not quite," I told him. "They spoke the ancient way, while I speak what we call the modern way. There are words, phrases, and other things that became no longer relevant as the times changed. The Priests however, continued to speak and read it because of the sacred texts were written in the language." 

I looked through it until I found a page that had my heart sink as memories of it came rushing back to me. Balthazar laid a hand on my lower back, "What do you remember?" "An artifact," I told him. "One our people used to protect." He had me sit down as I tried to remember the details. "It was called something Heart," I told him. He looked through his brother's notes. "Crystal Heart," Balthazar asked me. The name made more memories come forth, "Yeah. The Crystal Heart was winter personified in a single item. It's what allowed the land to forever be nothing but ice and snow. If it were to be removed, the snow and ice would melt, and whoever had it would be able to wield the power of winter. It would be catastrophic if it fell into the wrong hands." "What happened to it after the war," Balthazar asked me. 

"If the land is still ice and snow, then nothing. Only select few were allowed to know about it, mostly the royal family and the Priests," I explained to him. "Is that why they documented the family tree," Balthazar asked me. I shrugged, "I think so, but I don't know. I barely remember much about the Priests." "Do you know where it's located," he asked me. "Somewhere beneath the castle I think. Or the temple," I answered. "I only ever saw it once, and when the Priests found out I had snuck into the room it was being held in, I was severely reprimanded." 

"What does it look like," he asked me next. "Like a heart made of ice," I answered. "Do you think Deckland wanted to get the Heart to use it against us?" "Or to keep you from getting to it to increase your powers," Balthazar said as he looked through the notes. "I wouldn't even know how to use it," I said as I continued to flip through the book. "But how was he able to translate some of this?" "A couple years after Lui was born, Deckland went on a ski trip," Balthazar said. "He may have gone to the Ice Fae lands for his so called trip and found the book there and possibly something to help him translate it. From the looks of it though, he didn't get too far before he gave up." 

"Or he found what he needed and went after it," I said while running a hand through my hair. "There's only one way to find out," he said to me. "And that is," I asked him. "To go back to your home lands to see if we can find it," he replied.

My eyes widened and I didn't know what to say. He knelt before me and cupped my cheek, "We'll go together. You won't go through this alone, I promise." I nodded, "Thank you." He kissed me before standing, "I will make arrangements. The quicker we get there, the better." 

He was right. "We won't be able to take a plane," I told him. "The winds will be too harsh." "We have three dragons who can handle the cold," he pointed out to me. I nodded, "And the kids?" "I think it's best we bring them," he said to me. All though young, they've trained hard and are proud members of Balthazar's Legion. 

"I'll tell them to pack for the cold weather," I said while standing from the chair. The walk to the training field was slow as faint memories tried to push themselves through to the surface of my mind. I got to the field where Laceria and Yulen were sparring and Lui was sitting on the ground munching on an apple. "Hey mom," Lui said smiling brightly. His smile dropped when he saw me. "Go pack for cold weather. We have a mission," I told them, not giving them anymore details. They nodded and didn't ask me anymore questions. 

I went to the room and packed mine and Balthazar's clothes. We didn't want to make the dragons carry too much. When Balthazar came in, he pulled me to him. "I'm not mad you didn't tell me," he told me, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. "I understand." I sighed, "I don't want to go back." I only was because it was important to ensure Deckland didn't have the Heart. 

He kissed my forehead, "I know. You're not alone though, remember that." I nodded again before resting my head on his chest. "Let's get some sleep," he said. "We have an early morning." I agreed and pulled away, stripping down and crawling into bed with him.