A week after Clovis had woken up and things were still tense around us. We would watch our every movement, of course I had the advantage of feeling his location due to the lands ability. And I was sure he knew this and kept it in mind as he stayed around the castle. To even let him know that he was venturing too far one early morning with Ray, I created a gentle ice gate right in front of them while I was in my own warm home. Ray came in our room later that after noon and had a smirk on his face I wiped off with my lips.
We did, though, establish castle dinners every night since Clovis had awoken. I'm sure he felt like he was walking into the lions den, which he was, but Ray and I also agreed that it was a perfect moment to show Clovis how normal we were here in winter.
Alagan's identity was still a secret, until Clovis agreed to be on my side of the war, and have his signature written in blood as a sealing contract to show his bond. For now though, Alagan practiced with the twins, Nazim, Ray, and Aunt Palma in private, away from foreign eyes and ears. And it wasn't a secret he and Zinnia practiced in a more private space.
Which made the sessions between Nazim and Alagan that the more awkward. Yet neither of the men voiced it, if Alagan knew the history between my cousin and sister in law, he didn't lead on. But he knew, of course he did. Nothing went unnoticed under my brothers eyes.
"Pass the potatoes Aunt Palma," I said.
My Aunt's still glowing skin, despite the change of climate, handed over the steaming plate of chopped vegetables and it was hard to miss the way Ivory and Dax gave death glares to Clovis. Which was nothing out of the ordinary. Even after Ray and I told them which secrets to keep and how important it was to be civil, even with those who have wronged us, that it was part of being a royal.
"Clovis," Ivory said in a deceitful sweet voice.
Clovis blinked as he didn't expect to be addressed by Ivory. "Yes?"
"Princess, that's how you have to talk to me, when I talk to you," she added.
Lands above she looked just like my mother with the way she lifted her chin and puckered her lips, and only at the age of five. Alagan must had seen it too because we gave each other that haunted look.
Clovis' colored eyes waver in submission as he smiled and apologized. "Yes Princess Ivory."
"How much longer are you going to stay?"
"Ivory, we have talked about this," I said to her. Our matching brown eyes stared at one another, and I knew that look, she wasn't going to keep her mouth shut. Not this time, she's had enough.
"Another word out of you that is not dinner table etiquette and you won't have your lessons tomorrow morning or play with your friends, is that understood?" Ray asserted.
"But I didn't do anything! He's the one that killed our people! He's the one that attacked!" She yelled. Her soup was now forgotten, the same as everyone else's as they set their utensils to the side to watch the scene unfold.
Clovis, for the very least, looked down, ashamed for his actions.
"Enough Ivory," I said as calmly as I could. I knew she was angry, that both of my children were, but they needed to understand that not every battle is won by fighting.
"No! No! He's hurt people!" Her bowl was pushed to the side as her little delicate fingers went towards Clovis, and red flames went to his chest. Her aim had certainly gotten better, it could have splattered and hit elsewhere, but it didn't. She's certainly picking up on the element beautifully.
He instantly sprung out of his seat and started patting the flames away. My daughter's lips snarled, while her brothers stare was unapologetic to the spring prince. In the relationship between the twins, he was the one to calm Ivory, but in this act, he didn't. I knew he wanted to see Clovis punished, so instead of stopping his sister, he watched as the flames caught onto the spring prince's clothes.
Clovis though, was the only one at the table who was afraid. Alagan was trying to hide his laughter by facing the opposite way, my master of spies and master of coins continued to eat their foods, undisturbed. Zinnia watched like a proud Aunt at Ivory using her ability, Ray rolled his eyes and he let out a frustrating breath from his flared nostrils. Yana and Aunt Palma were the only ones who reached for their waters to get rid of the flames, but all of this lasted less than five seconds as I didn't even need my hands to evaporate my daughters flames.
She instantly looked at me, as if I betrayed her. I stood and grabbed her hands and gently placed a kiss on her knuckles. My navy blue dress wrinkled at the hips as I bend down place my mouth by Ivory's ears. I whispered for her to stop immediately, and that she had to apologize for ruining dinner.
Her brown eyes rounded in hurt as she looked at me. "But-"
"But I am proud of how much you've been practicing," I whispered even quieter to her. She heard though, and that was enough to calm her down. She even smirked, just a bit, as if she knew that I was proud of her, but couldn't voice it. Not here. Not in front of him.
Standing back to my full height I brushed a piece of blonde hair behind my daughters ears, a signal for her to apologize. Which she did, she looked at everyones eyes except the outsider.
"Don't be sorry sweetie," Zinnia said, "That was the most entertaining thing that's happened this week."
"Zinnia," Ray scolded.
"And your aim was near perfect," Yana added.
This time, Alagan couldn't hide his giggles behind fake coughing. Which caused everyone at the table to follow along.
"Is everyone going to attack me at this castle?" Clovis finally said. He didn't sound as angry as I thought he would have. Maybe it was because he wasn't in his own home, or maybe because he wasn't actually hurt. The layer of fire never even burned through his jacket.
Ruby came for the kids since they had stood up to go to their rooms, not even bothering to finish their meals fully, when I asked, "Who else has?"
Ruby, the head chef, froze just a bit as Clovis looked at her, around the table, and then back to me. "Well," he said, "a fair amount of people in this room have at least threatened me."
"Care to tell me who?"
"Besides your children?" He said as he sat down.
Ivory stood with her shoulders back, and her lips in a snarl as if she would attack again. But Ruby had gotten both of my children's hands and tried to rush out of the room.
"You're chef had some words," Ruby stopped in her spot near the door. The older plump woman looked worried, not because Clovis was in the room, but worried as she looked at me.
"Ruby?" I asked, shocked.
"I only told him to...be careful, your highness." Her pale face had turned as red as her name. Never would I have thought she would threaten a royal from another season, for my sake. We had never been on civil terms as I grew up under my mothers thumb. I was vile to the main chef, would torment her to make sure everyone in this house left me alone. I didn't know which one of them were loyal to my mother out of fear, or money, so I kept everyone at a distant. Because anyone who had gotten close to me, well, she would torment - kill.
I nodded at her, and it looked like she was relieved at not getting in trouble. With her head lower than usual she then left the room with the kids. As they left, it wasn't Ivory with her head turned around at Clovis, giving a look that said he was always being watched, it was Dax. His head nearly went around his head like an all knowing owl.
"Let me guess the others," I said to the room as I took my seat back next to my husband. "Yana, no question about it, probably held a dagger to your throat."
"A little more south than his throat," Yana muttered into the piece of bread she was about to eat.
Of course it was a little more south.
"I wan to say Zinnia, and Alagan."
"Two out of three isn't so bad," Clovis replied back, as if we were discussing a game of cards and not threats. Then again, threats were being handed out like cards nowadays.
"It was actually me," Aunt Palma said.
That shocked me a bit, but I didn't let it show so much on my face. If anything I let the amusement of it show across my honey toned skin. "You threatened him?"
"It wasn't a threat-"
"It was a threat Palma," Clovis assured. He seemed calm enough around us to continue his dinner. Aunt Palma told me that her and Clovis had actually known one another before all this, vaguely because Clovis lived in a party and careless style that was completely opposite to hers, but still. They were both years older than I was, so it was not a shock that they have been on another good side before I came along. I'm sure whatever she had to say, he trusted her more than me, because Palma was the way she was. She always sided with the right cause.
"More of a warning, and you know it. And a voice of reason." Aunt Palma sat like a Queen, not a Princess. It made my heart ache thinking that it should be her on the throne, not her oldest brother.
More Queens, and Kings, needed her love. Her joy, her all around care for the people. She had no greed in her bones. If every royal was like her, then there really would be peace all around the seasons.
"And how did you take all of these 'warnings' to be Clovis?"
Ray held my hand above the table. His calloused palms lightly graced my knuckles until he settled to caressing his thumb along them. His had was warm against mine. Clovis looked at where our hands met at the table before looking at me to answer.
"You want my honest opinion?"
I nodded instead of rolling my eyes.
"I think these people really love their Queen. And that I may have made an error about winter." Any other man would have cowered under my look if they were admitting they were wrong. Instead Clovis held my gaze, as a fellow royal he did not quake under someones stare. "You told me you wanted peace, and I believe it now. After being here, after seeing how the people go about their days with a smile on their face, and fat on their bones, I believe you, Queen Evie."
"Thank you, for believing what I have been saying these past five years," I tried to say it with a lot less bite, "but forgive me if you believing is not enough. Seeing as how you are not the King of a season."
Or ever will be the King of a season, so long as Alagan lives.
"Nor do I ever want to be," Clovis snorted. Well, a relief that he didn't want to be. "I will though, talk to my father. I think it's about time we settle this. He will take some convincing, might even think its another trick from you, but I will convince him."
Taking a deep breath I smelled the scents of the kitchen all the way in the dinning room. The cooks were prepping dessert, white chocolate to be dipped in the plumpest cherry's we could find here in winter. Yana's favorite.
"Thank you for seeing the truth Prince Clovis," without looking around the table, I could feel everyone trying not to stare at me, because the plan was finally moving forward. "I think you're father would need more convincing though, than just yourself and your word. I want to go with you."
If he had been drinking, I'm sure he would have choked. "You want to go to Spring?"
I shrugged as if it was no big deal. "I've been thinking about it," Have really been thinking about it, "and I think I should finally see this land. Aunt Palma has told me stories that the mountains were the greenest she would ever lay her eyes upon. And the amount of flowers there would give me head aches from the thousands of scents. Spring has my interest."
"You want to go into Spring, alone? With just you around a room of royals who would rather see your head of a spike?" He generally looked concerned for me. Even more so as he looked at Ray, as if he could talk me out of it.
"Oh, I wouldn't go alone. I'd be bringing one of them." My chin nodded to the end of the table where Yana, Hudson, Zinnia, and Alagan sat. I wouldn't let him know which one just yet.
"...And one of them would be commanding the army?" He still ask unsure.
"No army. No spies. No one else but the Queen of winter and her advisor to enter Spring to discuss a peace treaty."
"You're insane," he whispered.
I couldn't help the smile that twitched across my lips, because he had no idea how true he was. But even more so, the smile he missed was my brothers, which was identical as mine. If Clovis would had seen that, then there would have been no denying that Alagan and I were siblings. But he'd find out soon, everyone would, because the peace treated wasn't for winter, it was for all the other seasons.