Ray was the one to speak first. "Well, this is certainly a surprise."
"You can't honestly trust him can you your majesty?" Hudson said. "You don't know him, he could just be using you."
"Hudson has a point. He's a Spring," Yana put in her thoughts. Her silver eyes never leaving it's target. Nor has her posture calmed down.
"And I was just a winter in summer five years ago, but Ray trusted me."
"Ofcourse he did, a young man seeing a beautiful mysterious women," Hudson scoffed, "That definetly helped him trust you."
I raised my brow at him, and he instantly said, "No offense."
"And when you first met Ray, what did you guys do? Oh right, try to kill one another? Yet look at you guys now - fighting side by side. Sitting side by side in this very council room. And every summer citizen that you have met before then? What were they to you until I came into my crown, the enemy. When I took this crown, and my power I did not want to have enemies, I wanted allies. I wanted peace. But like Liam once told me, peace comes at a price. And we have paid it - he has paid it. And many more stubborn and innocent men and women will pay it so long as peace is the outcome. Is that understood, Hudson? Yana?"
Hudsons eyes shifted down as he nodded his agreement. Yet Yana's nostrils flared in frusteration. She didn't say or motion her consent as Hudson did, instead she took a deep breath and sat back in her seat.
"And you my love?" I asked Ray. He shifted his hand in mine so his thumb can caress my skin. And then he did something that surprised me, he stood up, walked to Alagan's side and held out his hand.
"Hello Alagan, it is nice to meet my wife's brother." Alagan looked down at Ray's hand and extended it out to shake. "But I want you to know, that if you every betray us - betray her - she will end you."
"I have no doubt."
"Good, now that we have that settled, lets move on to the prisoner in the cells."
"His name is Clovis. He is the heir to the Spring throne. He is 274 years old, doesn't have a wife - but does have twenty three children all in the age range between 200 and 85. Most of those children he doesn't care for. Except for his oldest daughter and second to youngest son who actually have powers. He drowns any alcohol he can find, and spends any money he gets. But when it comes to politics and battle he's head strong. Clovis has been around for a while now, any information that has been taught has been absorbed. He's the rule to never underestimating your enemy." Yana stated the information she has learned from her time in spring.
"But do you think he would want to be king if anything were to happen to his father?"
"No," she replied. "He would let his little sister Tulip rule. Which out of all the main royals, she's the most decent. Spoiled - but isn't a fan of violence or confrontation. She can be easily manipulated into becoming an ally."
I nodded my head, taking in this information. "Good," I muttered. "We'll wait a day before Ray goes to speak with him. Let his suffer a bit longer in the cold."
The meeting ended there. Alagan still not getting a proper chair for the council, at least he wouldn't until everyone agree's to it. Or until Alagan gets fed up with standing that he makes his own chair. Nevertheless after the meeting Hudson and Yana went their separate ways to get the funerals started while Ray, Alagan and I moved to the kitchen.
Since the castle was empty Ray started searching around for food, but I lightly kissed the back of his neck and told him to sit while I made us all some potato and chicken soup. Now that the meeting was over, the tiredness was started to wash over him. I could tell some movements were tender to make from his injuries. But at least none of them were fatal. I couldn't help watching him, and feeling horrible about myself.
I quickly turned towards the food when I caught Alagan staring at me.
"So I have a brother in law," Ray said over the silence. "Doesn't it get lonely on an island? For however many years you've been there, I would have went crazy."
Alagan sat across from Ray, hands on the wooden table that has been used for years. The dents made from chopping onions, beets, and meat all displayed out for everyone to see.
"After 50 years that's when it started to get rough."
"How are you not crazy?" Ray asked honestly.
Alagan laughed a little, his shoulders casually down in a relaxed motion. "I have my moments." The memory of him back on his island, distorting the land in the middle of the night. His eyes in a rage that I couldn't pin point as to why, came back to me. "It helped once people started to accidentally find my island."
"Did you attack them right away too?" I joked from the stove.
"I didn't attack you right away, I gave you at least a two hour rest didn't I?"
I could hear Ray's heavy breath as he exhaled and ran his fingers through his curls, "And how did Nazim take to your presence?"
"Oh he hates him," I replied. The soup started to boil, the steam filling the large kitchen and its sent leaving an impression.
"Yeah, I could see that."
I brought the three bowls onto the table and served the two men and myself. Finally taking the seat to Ray's left while Alagan sat across from us two. "Don't worry, he didn't even like me when we first met."
"How long have you two been married?"
"Five years and four months," Ray replied with a mouthful.
Alagan smiled a bit mockingly, "Do you know the weeks and days too?"
The room was quiet as Ray and I looked at one another and smiled.
Alagan ran his hand across his face where a genuine smile laid, "Oh you do don't you!"
"Two weeks and a day," I finished. The three of us were smiling ear to ear, and I couldn't help but blush a bit when I discussed my marriage.
A few seconds later and the smiles went away and the silence returned as we all started eating the soup. The only sound coming from the wood spoons hitting lightly scraping the bowl clean.
"I'm sure it must be a hassle for the both of you to raise twins with powers. I can imagine the temper tantrums."
Ray cleared his throat and looked at me.
"The kids don't have any powers," I tried to sound casual. As if that fact didn't hurt me every day.
Alagan looked confused, "What do you mean they don't have any powers?"
"I mean that they don't."
"Have they tried?"
"Yes-"
"Tried in summer?"
"Yes they've tried. Ivory tries every single day of every single minute and nothing. And Dax has learned to accept it. But ivory still tries and nothing." My voice had raised in frustration.
My brother opened his mouth to reply something, to keep this conversation going, but Ray noisily drank out of his bowl until there was nothing left. That was Ray's subtle way of telling Alagan to, well, shut up.
"I'm sorry. I guess I need to practice on my communication skills." He cleared his throat and grabbed the plates to clean off the table. "It's been a long and intense trip. Not something I am use too. I will call this a night."
Ray stood up and said, "I'll take you to your room."
Alagan bowed his head casually as a thank you and then the two of them were out of the room. I could hear their whisperes grow quieter and quieter the more they distance themselves from me.
--
The next afternoon the house was back to being filled with the workers, even though I told them countless of times to go home and rest with their loved ones, they insisted on staying to help prepare for the funerals of all fallen knights our season has lost. So Hudson was leading majority of them around. Yana, and other knights, had the duty of going to the homes of the decesead knights and telling them about the funerals. Leaving Ray, Alagan and I with the heir of spring to interagate.
Ray and Alagan wore black pants with fur boots. And where Ray adds a coat over his long sleeve, Alagan does not. And while the boys wore black, I wore a pastel blue dress that fits the curves of my body. The white embroidered sun designs trail down to the hem of the dress where it flows like snow on ground.
The three of us go down to where the caves are, beneath the castle. When I re-created this place I thought peace was going to be easy. That because I had the support from summer that spring and fall would join in as well. So with that mind set my prison room was small, windowless, and cold. With the way things are planning out to be, I'd have to reconstruct this place to have more cells.
We had to walk in a single file line down to where Clovis' cell was. Ray in the front, and Alagan and I falling behind. Our steps were quiet compared to Ray's, and that was purposefully done. Ray would talk to Clovis alone. To get any sort of information out of him, anything he felt comfortable telling another man instead of a woman. From Clovis' track record, being a womanizer and a daddy's boy, this was the first tactic we'd use to get Clovis to trust us - or spill something he's suppose to keep secret.
We were at the bottom now, still hidden from the face of the cell, away from the flames, when Ray looked at me one last time and winked. I smirked as I watched him go to stand in front of the cell. My only view being of Ray placing the torch of yellow flames on the wall. But I could hear Clovis, the sound of a blanket shifting. Maybe to cover his eyes from being in the darkness for a few a while.
"Oh, look who came to see me. Not the Queen - but her human pet." Clovis' voice sounded raspy, he cleared his throat right after. The sounds echoing down the tunnel where Alagan and I went unseen.
"And look who I have down in my cells, a human."
"Stop. Don't try this little tactic where you try and be intimidating towards me. It is really not going to work," he scoffed. "Do you really thing whatever words that are going to come out of that mortal mouth are going to have any affect on me what so ever?"
Ray crossed his arms while Clovis went on. "Whatever you are going to say will be instantly forgotten. And in just fifty years when I'm still a young and youthful man, you are going to be walking around with a cane to get from room too room. You'll need maids to help you wipe the shit off your ass. Your hip bone will hurt all going up the stairs, and in the bed room? Forget it, that wife of yours will have a younger, stronger man in her bed, just waiting for you to die. That ring on her finger means nothing to her. We are royals. We will live on and on."
It took all my strength not to burn him alive, slowly so he could see his legs turn into ash in front of his very eyes. Alagan saw that I was struggling to keep calm - to keep my powers calm. He was watching me the whole time really, he had that look in his eyes where he studies someones actions. I didn't like being under his microscope. What calmed me though was how calm Ray was. He hadn't given any sign of frustration or anger at the words of Clovis. This was why it was him and not me talking to him first.
"Yet here you are, just as human as I am right now. Except, I'm not about to lose my toes from frost bite. You've already lost feeling in them, haven't you? Hard to tell though from the cold. So they start to feel warm, even hot. You think to yourself that you're getting use to winter. That it's not as bad as you feared." Ray tsked, shaking his head side by side like he was teaching the kids a lesson in hunting. "Rookie mistake my fellow human."
I could hear Clovis shifting, and a small smirk on Ray's face. Clovis covered his toes for better warmth I'm guessing.
"Now," Ray continued, "before you start losing pieces of your foot - because no matter how much of a royal you are, you can't grow back any limbs - tell me about spring. How'd you know when to attack."
Clovis doesn't reply. It is quiet again in the cells. Nothing but the far away sound of the winter winds from above and the casual cracking of the ice. Alagan and I watch Ray take a few steps back to the wall, take off his coat, and sit down with his arms on his elbows. The coat lied between Ray, the bars, and Clovis. An intimidation method. To show Clovis that winter's cold doesn't bother Ray.
"Answer my questions, be my friend Clovis. And you'll get the coat."
"I don't want your sloppy seconds."
"Yet you make remarks about taking my wife."
This time Alagan was the one holding noise to stay undetected. He mouths 'sloppy' and starts quietly laughing. I flip him off - for now. I'll light his calves on fire as soon as we're out of here. And then we'll see who's laughing.
Clovis snickers again, "You're not as stupid as the stories portray you to be. The peasant that became the king. Sounds like a made up stories parents read to their little girls before bed."
"It does, doesn't it. I am the human who married into the royal blood lines - and you are the party animal prince who does everything his dad tells him to do."
"He doesn't tell me what to do-"
"Did you think Evie was an enemy from the beginning?"
"No," Clovis said. He took a few heart beats to answer the rest of the question, "I felt bad for her at first. When she was just a winter. I knew she was trapped here."
"And then you found out she was both winter and summer. Killed Glacia, and realized she was stronger than you. Do you not like it when women are more powerful?"
"It doesn't matter that she's a women. It matters that she is the strongest royal to live in our time. How does she not scare you." I could hear Clovis move his hands on the metal bars.
"Because she is not evil. Don't you think she would have taken over summer already is she was. Or started a war with Autumn? But she hasn't. You saw how easy it was for her to get miles and miles of land from spring during that stupid attack. If she wanted it, she would have gotten it."
"She really is that good in bed to have you brainwashed, isn't she?"
His voice didn't sound like he truly meant what he said. That fire in his words were dwindling down, but the habit of saying inappropriate things still lingered.
"Take this little vacation here in winter to start thinking for yourself instead of what your father thinks."
Ray rose from the ground and grabbed his coat. He could have put it back on, left it just out of Clovis' reach to torture him, but he did neither. Instead I saw Ray walk out of my line of site to the bars. But I knew he handed him the coat, even if I couldn't hear the rustling of it as it was handed off to a different owner. It was that summer kindness in Ray he'll never lose, no matter how long he's been here in winter. And then Ray was walking back with Alagan and I. Back to the top where the morning sun welcomed us once again.