Frost Bite.

Chapter Three.

Prince Nixon.

I stepped out onto the platform, the dim light of day casting an almost unnoticeable shadow over my features. A large crowd had gathered, made up of the Capital city's citizens to whiteness my coronation. They cheered upon my arrival, welcoming me as the head Priest stood waiting, a woman by his side, carrying the King's crown on a pillow of black silk. The Priest had crowned many King's in his lifetime including my father and his father before him. He was an elderly man, dressed in a white robe, embroidered with gold. He raised his hand and the crowd died down so that he may speak. I stood beside him, my hands wrapped neatly behind my back, coat and cape fluttering in the breeze. The sundial reached midday when the Priest began his speech "Citizens of Vexion! We are gathered here today to crown a new and younger King" despite his frail figure, his voice boomed over the thousands of people, gaining yet another cheer from them "As King Theon before him and King Valor before him, we pray that the goddess Athena may bestow her wisdom upon him and lead him toward greatness" the Priest motioned to me, his eyes flickering over my stature, taller, stronger than his with tone muscle concealed beneath fancy cloths "May he rule with a stern but just hand and always place the people of the Capital before all else" the woman stepped forward, going down on both knees beside the Priest with the pillow extended out towards him in offering. The crown was made of silver, white gold and sapphires, the colors of the North and had many twists and turns incorporated into its design. As he continued speaking, I thought back to years before when I had first laid eyes on the crown. I had seen it a thousand times and each time it felt like it had become farther and farther out of reach, yet here it was, about to be placed upon my head for me to done as no longer the first Prince but a King "May the gods grant him a long and prosperous life" the Priest took the crown in gloved white hands and started making his way to me. I had seen this ceremony twice prior to mine and knelt down on one knee before my people. The Priest took a stand behind me, careful to not step on my cape as he did so and placed the crown upon my head, the cool metal digging through my ebony hair and down to my scalp "You have knelt as a Prince, now you may rise as a King" when I rose, a roar enveloped me like that of a lion. The people cheered, called out to their King and threw their coats and hats into the air with joy and in celebration. The Priest clasped his large hand onto my shoulder and gave it a hard squeeze "Your people have high hope in you, my King" was all he said before he parted from me to raise his arms on either side of him "Now, let the celebrations begin!" the people laughed and cried out in agreement. I stood still, watching the old Priest make his way down the stage steps and along a cleared path, heading for the Temple of the gods where he lived and served as one of their messengers. He was never one for celebration but the citizens were and soon they were feasting, laughing and drinking in the Courtyard as tents were erected, a large white oak chair was brought for me to sit upon and smaller ones were placed at my sides, two on each for my younger siblings. Zane took a seat on my right, his hands gripping the arms of his seat as he watched the people, dancing among torch light with the sun having long since set "Congratulations, brother" he said, halfheartedly, not bothering to look at me when he spoke. I turned my attention from Navil on my left and glanced at the second born of our father. He had our father's blonde hair, neatly swept to one side with some strands dangling in front of his blue eyes, the eyes of our mother. Apart from our build and facial structure we looked nothing alike despite being brothers "It would seem the people have high expectations for you" he announced, eyes scanning the crowd and dancing over the dancing women, dressed in very little clothing for the crowd's pleasure then over the women serving everyone, sending flirty smiles in their customer's directions and playfully touching the arms of drunken men "I hear you sent for the wolf" this time he locked gazes with me, his eyes filled with amusement as he twirled a glass of white wine between his fingertips. I inhaled deeply, raising my chin high and breaking our exchanged gaze. Beside me, Navil was conversing with our youngest brother, Zachary about the matters of Court while beside Zane, the fourth born Prince, Nazaiha nurtured a common woman on his lap "She stole mother's necklace" I simply said, hoping that it would be enough for him to drop the topic but knowing him, he wouldn't and he didn't, continuing to pry in a very straight forward manor "But why order that she be brought to the Capital?" he wondered out loud, turning back to the crowd and swirling his wine in his glass, allowing the clear liquid to catch the orange light of the celebrations. He then took a slow sip as if mustering up the courage to speak his next words "Unless you have taken a liking to her" my back muscles stiffened at the words but it was the image of her face flickering past my eyes that had my breath struggling to soundlessly escape my lips. Zane grinned at my reaction, his fear for the woman had somehow turned to desire and I could tell from his next words that he himself wanted her "It is a shame though" I turned to glance at him, the light illuminating only half of his face while he watched me, a glint of playfulness hidden behind his blue eyes, a much lighter blue than hers "You will be forced by the Royal Court to marry soon" the realization struck that the people would expect me to marry and provide an heir to the throne. The satisfaction in his eyes shone before he turned back to the crowd "Of course she must be of noble blood" there was a small pause when he listened to the music playing in the background, drums beating in time with my racing heartbeat "A King cannot have relations with a common woman" his eyes found a woman in the crowd, half dressed and dancing with fire, breathing fire as she moved her body in a way that had men gawking at her from all sides. Her eyes met with Zane's and he shot her a lustful smirk "I, however, can take whoever I want" my hands tightened on the arms of my seat at his words. He was not referring to the dancer or simply a common woman, he was referring to her, the wolf I so desperately wanted to get my hands on. He downed the rest of his wine and slammed the glass down on the table in front of us that was littered with all kinds of meat and dishes. He rose from his seat to leave but my words stopped him dead in his tracks "Do not forget that I am your King, brother" I reminded him. His eyes stared off into the distance, a man of thirty years looking almost amused by my words which caused my anger to start to boil "She is mine" he turned to look down at me, his hands now stuffed into the pockets of his black dress pants. His lips parted and words came from them, followed by a sadistic smirk that could rival that of Aron's. He turned and walked off, most likely to busy himself with the dancer he had been eyeing. I sat in silence, his words repeating in the back of my mind once more "But would the people accept that she is yours?"

Blythe.

I had never been to the Capital before, only heard about it from wondering travelers and barman in small towns surrounding Vexin. Aron tugged on the rope that was once again binding my wrists, leading me along the back alleys of the large city of built structures and paved streets. The cold cobble stone bit at the soles of my feet but I barely noticed as my eyes stared in awe at the world around me. I stumbled over my own two feet when a man on a horse passed by us "This way" Aron instructed, slipping into a narrow passage which turned out to be a dead end. I watched him search the stone wall until he found a loose brick and pried open a door that lead directly into the Royal castle. As a hunter one would expect him to know the ins and outs of Vexin. As we walked down a corridor, lit with hundred candles, I thought back to the night before when I had the chance to escape but didn't. What would I do with my life if I ran? Sell the necklace and continue steeling to survive? I had no family, no one to go home to at the end of they day, no one who cared. Aron's face when I had pushed him down, the surprise made me laugh harder than anything had ever made me laugh before. He was just a hunter but in the few hours I had known him, he had become the only person I had spent so much time with ever since my parent's deaths a decade or so prior. I rushed to Aron's side and stood up on the tips of my toes, bumping shoulders with him. He looked down at me with furrowed brows, eyes filled with annoyance "Thank you" I muttered, eyes locked on the hallways ahead where armored suits stood motionless and paintings hung on every wall. The place was like a maze with endless winding corridors and secret passage ways hidden around every corner, all of which Aron knew about "Why are you thanking me?" he asked as an image of the night before came to my mind, the way I had fallen asleep beside him in the snow, only to wake up this morning with his arms wrapped around me, protecting me, pressing me up against him as if to keep me warm "Thank you for your company" he turned his head away to try and hide his shock, his hand tightening on the rope he used as a leash to guide me. He said nothing until we reached a set of stairs and I walked a few paces ahead of him, pausing to look back down at him once I had reached the top "I enjoyed spending time with you" he grunted and shook his head, uttering something under his breath that sounded like 'Damn She-wolf'. He continued up the steps and lead me further down the hallways until a grand set of double doors came into view. knight clad in white armor were stood on either side of the doors, they bowed and opened them, slowly revealing a grand throne room, unlike anything I had ever seen. The floor was made of white marble, the walls painted in murals of old Kings, beautiful women and white bears. Pillars of grey stretched towards the painted ceiling where iron candle chandeliers hung overhead. At the far end of the room was a platform, surrounded by steps that had a large silver and white gold throne resting in the center of it. There were two much smaller thrones on either side of the bigger one and a man sat upon each of them. Knights lined the room, all armed with either swords or spears. Aron dragged me forward and knelt before the throne upon which, King Nixtoni Triguard, ruler of the Four Realms sat with a crown matching his throne resting on his head "My King, I present to you the thief that was asked for" Aron said, his head bowed, making him look less strong, less dangerous than he had looked just moments before. I was too interested in the room to really pay attention to the King and Prince's that sat at his sides. I could, however, feel their eyes boring holes into me "Untie her" the King demanded and Aron complied, taking a stand in front of me to untie my wrists. I looked up at him to see him gazing down into my eyes "Forgive me" he whispered, low enough for only me to hear. I knew it was because I would certainly die within those four walls and he had been the one to lead me there. I shot him the brightest smile I could muster which caught him off guard as he stepped aside to once again reveal me to the Royal family "My King" I greeted, not bothering to kneel or bow since I was scheduled to die anyway, might as well annoy him a little before I did. Aron shot me a warning look while Prince Zane's eyes roamed over me, almost lustfully "Where is the necklace that you stole from our King, brother?" Prince Navil, third born questioned, getting straight to the point. I grinned, raising a hand to unclasp a few of the coat's buttons to reveal only my neck and some cleavage where the necklace rested against my skin. Their eyes moved down to the chain that I locked a finger around, raising it enough to allow the bear pendant so that it may be the center of their attention instead "You mean this?" I asked, the sapphire eyes of the bear reflecting the light that pored in through the wall of windows, stationed behind the thrones "You're going to have to pry it from my cold, dead body" I bit out, a challenge lacing my tone. Prince Zane suddenly threw his head back laughing, catching the attentions of everyone else in the room. Prince Navil didn't find my words funny and shot a glare in his elder brother's direction "She's a feisty one alright" I dropped the necklace, allowing it to thud against my chest, the chain rattling. Zane continued to bore an amused smirk as his brothers, apart from King Nixon erupted in outrage towards my words. They were all silenced by a raise of the King's hand "What is your name?" he asked, hearing his voice for the first time. It wasn't husky or worn like Aron's but strong and clear, booming even and able to bring an entire room to silence with a single uttered word. There was a dominance to his voice, a demanding tone hidden beneath the sound that sent a chill up the back of my spine. This man was powerful "Blythe" I replied, locking eyes with those familiar green eyes from a few days before. They were dark like the needles of a pine but in the light they could be mistaken for a few shades lighter than what they were. He remained quiet for some time, mauling over the name then nodded and rose from his throne. When he stood, the knights around us went down on one knee. Aron followed their example, kneeling beside me with his head bowed "Blythe, you have been found guilty of a crime punishable by death" I held my head high when his words reached me, not allowing my resolve to falter. I had been preparing myself for death for a few hours and was as ready as I would ever be to die, but with my death the end of my race would also be brought on. The wolf species would finally fall into extinction. Aron shot me a look from out of the corner of his eyes "You can either take part in a trial by combat or be executed within this throne room" my eyes widened at the first option that I was given. I looked to Aron, seeing the shock clouding his features and realized that it wasn't a common option to give. If there was a chance for me to live then I would fight, I would fight to see another day "I choose a trial by combat" Aron gritted his teeth, his head rising to meet my gaze. I grinned at him which didn't go unnoticed by the Royal family. King Nixtoni nodded his head once, turning to address his knights when I cut him off "But if it is not too much to ask, my King, I would like for a less restrictive article of clothing" I raised my arms at my sides to show how big the sleeves of the coat were on them, not to mention heavy. A fight in something like that would be suicide. I wasn't expecting what he did next. He unclasped his cape, letting it fall to the ground, shrugged off his coat then undid the buttons of his undershirt, discarding it along with everything else before he made his way down the steps and towards me. His fingers worked on undoing his white shirt buttons until he could remove it and hold it out for me to take. We locked eyes and I found myself strangely intrigued with this man. His chest and arms were bigger than Aron's and much more tone with not a single scar in sight. His lack of scars were not from his lack of fighting as a noble but instead from a lack of his enemies being able to land a blow on him. I took the shirt, his fingers brushing against my bloody ones, still streaked from the moose i had brought down the day before. He then turned to return to his throne, shrugging on his coat to conceal some of his nude torso. I couldn't take my eyes from his exposed skin as I shrugged off my own coat, allowing it to drop to the ground by my feet. I had never been ashamed of my body, never really been bothered by people seeing me naked so I casually pulled on his shirt and buttoned it up to just under my breasts. Aron's eyes followed my movements, his gaze turning to King Nixon to find that the King was admiring me. Prince Zane was also enjoying the show, a wide smile plastered across his lips. Once I nodded, the King addressed his knights "Does anyone wish to take on this thief in a trial by combat?" almost instantly the knight from the carriage stepped stood and stepped forward. His hand gripped the hilt of his sword. My eyes flickered down to it in relief, perhaps I would not have need to give into my wolf to make it through the trial "I ask for a chance to kill the wench" Nixon approved, his knights rose from their kneeling position and Aron was asked to join the Royal family on the platform, standing behind the King's throne and watching from afar. I put some distance between me and the knight who had already drawn his sword and was just begging to cut me down "Let the trial begin!" my hands flexed at my sides, claws growing longer, extending as I slightly bent my knees, grinning at the fool in front of me. My claws were black, catching the attention of everyone around me since it stood out against the white and grey background, but my opponent was too driven by rage to notice.