I had no time to react, the King made a ring of fire surrounding me, some guards protecting Princess Palma, while the others held their weapons in my directions. Although Ray and Zinnia looked at me in disbelief - not moving, not breathing, simply still.
"But-" Ray spoke, "you don't look like a winter. That knight was a winter Nova, you aren't. You have brown skin, hair, and eyes, just like a summer."
He said this more to convince himself, whether he figured out where I really was from before we got to the castle or just now, he was in denial.
"There were rumors as to how the Winter Princess looked," the King looked me up and down while I held my head high, "Regardless for the poor bastard who had to deal with your mother, you are not a summer citizen. If who you say you are is true then there is nothing but ice in your heart, just like your mother."
The flames started to get closer to my body, and unlike the ones that I am able to wield, I felt the heat in these.
"No," I replied, "I am nothing like my mother. That is why I have traveled into the heart of the summer land, in asking for your help to end her. The winter citizens want a new leader, most of our villagers are dying off from starvation or from the cold but my mother does not allow them to leave, or even care for them. But I do. "
He took a step closer to me, examining my features that just showed him I was a summer citizen. But his eyes tried looking deeper than that, he was looking for my winter side.
"Then why don't you take the throne for yourself?" he said in a low voice.
"Because she's the oldest, making her the strongest. Which is something you already know about. And I am not on a suicide mission. That's why I need help."
His forehead creased and his lips twitched with anger, "What you're really telling me is that you want her power. Is that it? You honestly believe I would help you, the Winter Princess, in gaining more power?"
"I know you want her dead too, you just haven't had the access to the land yet. But with me, you can," I stepped closer to him, in doing so, closer to the flames. They didn't burn me yet, but it was unpleasant.
"Help me to help you," I smiled and my voice sounded like a spider entrancing its prey to get stuck in her web. He didn't budge though, he just kept looking at me as if he wasn't going to agree with me no matter what I said. He needed a little bit more of a push, to show him that I was on his side, any information he wanted was his.
"You know that after the war my mother froze every summer on the land, most were sent back to melt and die but have you ever wondered what was made of your brother? He's still frozen on my lawn, but-"
I didn't finish. I felt the flames grow and burn my palms as I tried to block the fire he sent towards me. Hard enough that it sent me flying to the wall that was nowhere near where I stood moments before. When I felt the adrenaline in my veins, and the anger built up in me I had seconds to realize what happened when Elis pushed me to the wall even more and picked me up from my throat, cutting off my air supply.
I blame it on the remaining poison lingering in my veins for my poor fighting skills, but mostly because I was re-hearing what I just spoke out loud, and it didn't sound as nice as it did. But thats what happens when you grow up in winter, you learn to be blunt.
"You come onto MY land, My castle, and ask ME for help to help gain you more power!" He roared, "You are just as stupid as a new born. You think you are different than your mother? Well you're not. You are both manipulative, heartless, and as cold as your very land. And more importantly, you will never be trusted by me, or any of the other seasons. You have had nearly a century to come for my help, but you never did. You, Princess Evie, are pathetic," He looked me up and down, releasing a sinister grin, "And you are now my prisoner."
His grip tightened, and substitute king or not, he still had the power from the land, increasing his strength. My vision started to see the stars and my head felt to light, but I needed to speak, to reason with him. I did not come all this way, just to be locked in a cell the rest of my immortal life.
"You're brother," I said in a horse voice, " still ... lives."
"LIAR!" he screamed, and gripped my throat with both his hands, leaving no air to come in or out. My vision went completely white and my lungs started to burn like the fire that surrounded us.
I had to defend myself, I grasped onto his arms and let the heat that was filling my body flow to his skin. It wasn't as strong as I wanted it to come out, but it still burned him into a shock. He let go and looked down at my burned handprints on his forearms. I fell to the ground, my knees and legs felt weak but I held onto the wall as I brought sweet air into my lungs.
When I looked up, the king and princess wore the same disturbed expression. They couldn't stop staring at me, while Ray held Zinnia behind him to protect her from the fire or from me, I couldn't tell.
"Oh good," I said sarcastically, "is it finally my turn to talk?"
Summer knights pointed their spears towards me, ready to send them flying. Everyones stance was tense, but not Princess Palma. The immortal who was so easily human was the calmest one there, she only watched and with her eyes she told me to carry on.
"Well, like I said, peacefully, when I entered into your home. I really am looking for my father, who gave me this," I lifted my hands and let small flames lick my palms, "because we all know I didn't very much get this from my dear cold mother. So, first things first, who's the poor royal summer bastard that crawled into my mothers bed, ohh give or take over a few hundred years ago?"
It was as if something clicked in the King and Princess' head. Their eyes went wide as they looked at each other. King Elis shook his head no, but Princess Palma nodded her's sending fear across Elis' face.
"Who is it? Was it some far far away cousin that died in the war by my mothers clutches after she was done with him? Or some half sibling twice removed?" I asked a little dramatically, "Forgive me but you have a lot of summer royals, so I've never really cared much about memorizing your family tree."
"No," Princess Palma spoke, and she stepped out of her guards clutches and walked closer to me.
"Sister, don't-" She raised her hand to Elis and silenced him.
"Your mother really never told you?" she said to me, almost in a sad voice.
I shook my head no, "Every time I brought anything about who my father was, resulted in some harsh motherly love."
Princess Palma had the features and energy that, even as strangers and even an enemy to her, you'd want to be honest with her. It came naturally to me to confide in her. But Elis was not the same, he stormed next to his sister, standing close to me again, but not touching me this time.
"Of course she told you who your father was, that's why you came here and not to the spring court."
I let out frustrated sigh, "For the very last time, I do NOT know who my father is!"
For a frustrated moment I let the flames come back into my palms. I have been poisoned by arrows, burned and choked an in a days work. I knew it was going to be hard to get Elis to understand me, but there is only so much patience I could take with both of our short tempters.
"You're just like him when he was first learning to control his power. Hot headed, easy to frustrate," Zinnia let out a quiet snicker,"but I see the same gentleness he had inside of you," the princess said.
"Had? So he is dead? Who was he?" I asked more calmly.
Elis took one hard look at me and spoke threw gritted teeth, "Why don't you do us all a favor and go back home and check your front lawn then."
My body froze as if I were back in winter. Winter, my front lawn. King Slator. My father is the real Summer King, and my mother has left him there, right in front of my face as what? Some cruel secret joke only she thought was funny. Why would she never tell me who he really was to me? Why would she not tell me all these years, years of asking and begging for the truth.
It's because she knew. She new the second I was born that I was different, that I was going to be more powerful then her.
That I was both royalty to the winter and summer courts.
Wow, my mother really was something else.
"King Slator is my father," I whispered.
"And he's dead, thanks to your mother."
I looked at Elis then, "No he's not."
"What?"
"He's still alive, just frozen. Even the people in the villages say they have hope in saving him."
"Those are just stupid rumors the villagers say, they'll say anything to start a war, to have something exciting happen during this lifetime."
"But it's true. Freezing a mortal kills them, yes. But thats not the same for royals. King Slator, my father, still lives through it. I know, because when I was little and learning, I wanted to freeze and unfreeze people. So I went to the statues, and I touched his hand," I still remember the vivid memory.
I was five, and my tempter got the best of my ability - even then. Most of the servants didn't want to be anywhere near me, fearing that I'd freeze them by accident. But the truth was, at the time I didn't know how to do that. The most I could conjure up were a few snow balls.
But, nevertheless I was left to wonder the castle alone. And by already knowing every inch of the castle, I thought exploring outside would help me. So I made it out the main castle door when I noticed two statued men, frozen. One looked so angry, so scared - he was the spring king. The other, King Slator, had a solemn look. His eyes open, begging me to let him out. And so I did.
I walked up to him slowly enough that the crunch of snow was nearly silent went up to his out stretched hand. Nothing happened at first contact but as I concentrated on seeing his features move and come back to life, closing my eyes and even holding my breath to force it. And then I felt the ice fade away. Soon the ice merged into a cold, but strong hand. I looked up and smiled at the statue, and thats when I felt his hand gently wrap around mine. He caressed his thumb along side my knuckles.
It felt like a special moment.
But then my mother came crashing down the doors and froze him back up. Even adding an extra layer of frost to him. My punishment was cruel, if it wasn't for the land healing me I would still have scars along my face and stomach.
I told them this story, and amazingly enough no one interrupted, they just listened. Even Elis seemed to have his eyes slightly glossed over and the mention of his brothers existence.
"So, he really is alive then? There really is hope?" Princess Palma asked as she grabbed my hand gently into hers.
"Yes, King Slator is still alive. And I promise you that I will save him."