Kiss Of Snow: Royal Hearts Book Two Read online

  Kiss Of Snow

  Royal Hearts Book Two

  Elizabeth Briggs

  Contents

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  1. Lily

  2. Keane

  3. Lily

  4. Keane

  5. Lily

  6. Keane

  7. Lily

  8. Lily

  9. Keane

  10. Lily

  11. Keane

  12. Lily

  13. Keane

  14. Lily

  15. Lily

  16. Keane

  17. Lily

  18. Lily

  19. Keane

  20. Lily

  21. Lily

  22. Lily

  23. Keane

  24. Lily

  25. Keane

  26. Lily

  27. Lily

  28. Lily

  29. Keane

  30. Lily

  31. Lily

  32. Keane

  33. Lily

  34. Lily

  35. Keane

  36. Lily

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  One

  Lily

  Heavy was the head that wore the crown, but I had no choice but to bear the weight. I’d been groomed to be queen of Talador from the moment I was born. They’d even named me after my grandmother, Queen Lily, a wise and just monarch. I’d always known my fate was to rule. I just never expected the day to come so quickly.

  Father had been buried three months ago, and soon I would be crowned in his place. I’d delayed the moment as long as I could to give myself some time to grieve, but the kingdom needed a leader, and the day was fast approaching.

  In a few weeks, I would be queen.

  I took off the silver crown and set it down on my dresser. My fingers trembled slightly as I pushed my dark brown hair back into the elaborate style my lady’s maid had fashioned, something she seemed to think befitted the new ruler of Talador. I didn’t recognize my face as it looked back at me from the mirror. It was paler than usual, almost translucent, as if I could see every thought, every feeling, every worry.

  The room seemed to close in, the air thick and heavy, and heat suffused me. I glanced out of the window with its thick glass panes at the frosted scene outside.

  Air. I needed air.

  I drew my thickest cloak from the wardrobe, the blue one with the ruby red trim, and threw it over my shoulders before tying the ribbon in a bow at my neck. There was something comforting about the weight, as though it helped to hold me together before anxiety fractured me apart.

  My head ached, throbbing in time with every step I took toward the door. A draft crept through the wide gap at the bottom, and I pictured Keane waiting just outside, against the same wall where he stood every day to guard me.

  As I left my bedroom, he fell silently into step behind me. He didn’t ask where I was going, but then, he never did. Always mere steps behind me. Always quiet and steadfast. I drew confidence from his presence as I walked through the corridors of Winton Castle.

  My castle. Even though I kept expecting to hear my father’s voice booming through the building as he decreed something new or berated an unfortunate servant or one of my sisters. In the past that would have been Rose, but she was gone now too.

  I hadn’t seen any of my sisters all morning—not even Iris, who usually bounced along in a bright dress clashing with her vivid red hair. I suspected they were all keeping busy or were still asleep. I woke early these days.

  Keane and I walked through the white stone corridors of the castle. I didn’t know where I wanted to go—just that the castle suddenly felt too small and confining.

  I automatically pulled my hood up over my head as we left the castle grounds and walked into the forest, where the ground between the trees was mostly snow-free and dry. The snow couldn’t always permeate the thick evergreen trees that rose above us as their fresh scent permeated the air. I breathed in deeply, glad of the familiarity. This forest had been here before I was born and it would remain long after I died.

  My anxiety calmed a little, and I focused on the soft sounds of the forest, the twigs snapping under foot and the usual crackling noises the snow made as it shifted on the branches. But the snow also muted things, preserving me in a world alone.

  Well, alone aside from Keane, my constant companion and tireless protector. He’d been raised his whole life for his role as Captain of the Guard, inheriting it from his father just as I inherited my new role from mine.

  “Keane?” My voice was quiet yet strangely loud in the forest.

  “Yes, Your Majesty?” he asked in his low, serious voice.

  I shook my head as I continued walking. “We’ve known each other a long time, Keane. Away from the castle, may I just be Lily?”

  “I…” He hesitated. Even his footsteps halted before he quickened his stride to catch up with me.

  I yearned to be something other than Your Majesty, but I didn’t want Keane to feel uncomfortable at my request. Perhaps I’d been too forward. I waved a hand. “Ignore me. I’m simply feeling anxious. About the coronation, about the future.”

  He remained quiet, but it was his thinking quiet, the one he used when he was considering something. I could tell that even with him behind me.

  “I’m not sure I’ll make a good queen.” There. I’d voiced it. In the loneliness of the forest, to the one man I trusted with my safety above all others.

  He scoffed quietly. Probably under his breath, but I heard him. “You shouldn’t worry about that. I can’t imagine a better queen for Talador than you.”

  Even with my magic? Father had banned all magic in Talador, including what I’d inherited from my mother, who was an accomplished wizard. Fellina was my father’s first queen and only love. After she’d died, he’d married many more women, but Mother was the queen I most aspired to be like. I wanted to be a good leader to my people.

  I just wasn’t ready. Not yet.

  “I miss Father.” These were also quiet words, because in many ways I had no reason at all to miss him. With each new wife, and each year he passed on the throne, he’d grown harsher and colder. I’d worried over my magic, and especially Rose’s magic as she defied him by attempting to train herself. Thankfully, she had married King Raith, and in Ilidan she could practice her magic freely. But Father’s death had left me with the responsibility of Iris, and who knew how her mother’s magic would manifest in my youngest sister?

  “I can understand that.” Keane spoke with no judgement, but it wasn’t the careful control a lot of the other staff had when they replied to me, and I was grateful for the honesty that shone through in our conversations. “You only get one father, and I’m sorry yours has been taken away.”

  I took a deep breath, inhaling the icy air so it froze the sob trapped inside. I missed Father, but I wouldn’t cry for him today.

  “We still don’t know how he got sick and succumbed so quickly.” I turned to face Keane and took in his dark gold hair and chiseled jaw. With his towering height and broad shoulders, I couldn’t ignore how striking he looked in the blue and white armor of my kingdom. My queendom now, I supposed.

  But his dark blue eyes weren’t on me.

  “Lily!” My name tore from his lips, his tone urgent. “Get behind me!”

  My gaze snapped to the collection of black figures running in our direction. Bandits? They seemed a long way from the nearest road, but anything was possible. As they drew clo
ser, Keane thrust his arm toward me as though he could shield me, while reaching for his ever-present sword at his hip.

  I hesitated. My magic. I could use it now, without fear of repercussions from my father and his laws forbidding it. Would I be fast enough to stop them? I knew a few runes, but I hadn’t practiced like Rose had. If something I did backfired, I could end up hurting all of us.

  One of the figures darted toward me, a gleaming sword held out in front of him, and he aimed it for my chest. Keane shoved me behind him, and I stumbled then regained my balance. He slashed at the man with his sword, only for us to watch the bandit disappear in a swirl of black smoke that drifted away in the breezeless air.

  More men surrounded us, with swords that sliced through the air. We were vastly outnumbered, but Keane dodged and swirled, protecting me with his every breath, while I stood there feeling helpless. As Keane attacked, every single one of them dissipated in the same way, leaving a faint smell of bitter herbs behind.

  But then one of them managed to break between Keane’s defenses and slashed at me. I darted away just in time so he only sliced through my cloak, shredding it immediately. It seemed the attackers could hurt us, even though they disappeared when we touched them. Keane stopped the man by throwing a knife into his forehead, saving me from another attack.

  After Keane defeated the last one, he turned to me. “I don’t know what that was, but I do know we need to get you home.”

  I nodded, the shock of it all momentarily stealing my words.

  He didn’t walk behind me this time. We stepped quickly through the forest with Keane holding my arm to steady me and keep me close, while he looked all around us for more attackers. His watchfulness reassured me, but worry also began to gnaw in my gut. What had those men been? Apparitions of some sort, possibly illusion magic, but from where? From who? Had I been targeted specifically, or were we just unlucky enough to be walking in the forest at the exact moment someone unleashed a spell? I found that last one hard to believe.

  “Are you well?” As usual, Keane was composed, and he sounded genuine without being overly concerned we’d faced a possible attack. “I’m sorry if I was too rough back there.”

  I glanced at him, but his face was the same as always. Impassive and unreadable. His gentle grip around my upper arm felt nothing but reassuring.

  “No, you weren’t too rough,” I assured him. “You were protecting me—as always, and I thank you for it. I don’t know what would have happened if you hadn’t been there.”

  “Me either,” he murmured. His jaw tightened, and he quickened our pace back to the castle.

  Two

  Keane

  Something about Lily’s office always soothed me. This space, where she did most of her work or studied texts on how to rule Talador, offered fragrant scents and feminine touches, as if the whole room had taken on some of her essence. A fire burned merrily in the fireplace and her soft furnishings created a cozy atmosphere, a bubble of warmth that I actively enjoyed being enclosed in.

  She murmured aloud as she bent her head over the note she was writing to her sister, Rose. More than anyone, Rose would understand today’s attack, and perhaps even be able to offer some advice. From what I’d heard, Rose’s own magical ability seemed to grow by the day, surpassing even the expectations of her wizard husband, King Raith of Ilidan.

  “I don’t want to worry Rose,” Lily muttered. “But…”

  She trailed off, probably taking the rest of her thought internal. She hadn’t actually been talking to me, anyway—nothing that required a response—as I stood in my usual spot just inside the door and watched her, ready to defend and protect her should the need arise.

  Lily’s life meant more to me than my own after all my years at her side, and after years of guidance and training from my father—the Captain of the Guard before me—protecting her was as much instinct as it was my duty.

  The attack earlier today had been troubling and unexpected, made worse by the fact that magic was involved. My fists clenched at the memory. I’d been able to stop the apparitions, but I had no magic myself, and could only do so much against it. Extra vigilance was required.

  Lily shifted and loosened her hair from its elaborate style, and I tore my gaze from the glimpse of her pale neck. “That’s better. It’s hard to think with a headache.”

  I could tell how stressed she was, and my throat tightened at the thought of all the worries she’d inherited after the death of her father. We’d all inherited more responsibility since the loss of King Balsam—my father had retired and I’d been promoted into his place, but I loved my job. I loved protecting Lily. I loved…

  I shook myself from my thoughts even as I stood perfectly still and alert in her presence. I couldn’t think about Lily and all she meant to me, not when the attack this morning in the forest was still so shrouded in mystery. Clearly, Lily wouldn’t be safe until we ascertained who was responsible and how they’d carried it out.

  Magic was unfamiliar in Talador now that it had been forbidden for so long. King Balsam had outlawed it after the death of his first wife, and the penalties for anyone found to be practicing it were steep. With her new role, Lily faced a decision. Her own magic could be powerful. Rose’s was, after all. But would she follow in her father’s footsteps and keep magic forbidden, or would she open her country back up to people’s natural abilities?

  I didn’t envy her decisions in these next few weeks and months, but I had faith in them. Lily considered everything with great care. She’d confided in me many times about how she wrestled with the best way to be a good daughter and a good monarch. Now that her moment was here, she didn’t need to worry. She would shine, and everyone in Talador would see her as I did.

  At a sharp rap on the door behind me, I buried my thoughts and quickly stepped away, allowing whoever it was to enter at Lily’s quiet permission. Even her voice stirred feelings in me that I didn’t have a right to possess. The door opened, letting in a draft from the rest of the castle. Princess Dahlia walked into the room, her quiet steps barely making a noise as befitted the wife of the leader of the Ravens. She was also the King’s sister, and Lily’s aunt. For many years, Dahlia had acted as King Balsam’s adviser and de facto queen, when the role lay vacant between his wives.

  Lily rose from her seat as Dahlia swept a curtsey. “Oh, don’t do that. We’re family, and you’ve practically been queen yourself for years.”

  Dahlia brushed back a stray piece of dark brown hair in the same shade as Lily’s. “Things are different now that you’re going to be the true queen soon. In fact, that’s why I’m here. We need to discuss some important matters.”

  “I have some time now. Sit. Please.” Lily indicated the small chaise in the corner of the office with a delicate wave of her hand. She walked from around her desk to join her aunt, her message to Rose set to one side for the time being. “Is something wrong?”

  “We need to discuss your future.” Dahlia took Lily’s hands as they sat together, their bodies angled toward one another, their knees nearly touching. Both wore elegant dresses when they moved, Lily’s in a becoming shade of blue as it stretched across her breasts. I averted my gaze as my trousers tightened, focusing out of the window, although awareness of Lily bat like a second pulse inside my head.

  “My future?” Lily asked.

  "Your coronation is fast approaching, but the nobles have been talking. Grumbling, more like it. Your father's death was a surprise. No one expected it so soon. They're worried you’re a bit too young and inexperienced to take on the role as queen."

  Lily dropped Dahlia’s hands and sat back sharply with a frown. "I've been training and preparing for my role as queen for my entire life. Why do they doubt my capabilities?"

  "There is much turmoil in the kingdom, even with the recent peace with Ilidan. Tensions with Mesner are still high, and relations with the other kingdoms are uncertain. The nobles are not sure you can handle the challenges ahead of us."

  Lily’s
lips pressed together, and I could tell she was upset but trying to remain calm. “Who do they think would be a better queen?"

  Dahlia folded her hands in her lap. "No one is questioning your right to be queen. Some have suggested that I act as regent until you're ready, but I have declined. I think you are more than ready for the role. But perhaps we should do something to allay the fears of the nobles."

  "What is it you suggest we do?"

  Dahlia looked Lily in the eye. “Something you won't want to hear, but something you know is necessary."

  With a heavy sigh, Lily turned her head to look out the window at the snow-topped trees. “You wish me to find a husband.”

  My chest clenched at the last word. Of course they would want Lily to marry. It made sense for the stability of the kingdom, but the very thought made my stomach heavy with dread.

  "Yes,” Dahlia said. “I know your father urged you to do the same before he passed."

  “He did, but I told him I wasn’t ready. I have so much to do, and still so much to learn. I have no time for a husband, especially if I’m trying to be a good queen to my people.”

  Dahlia leaned forward. “I don’t believe you have the luxury of waiting on this. It’s important you’re crowned after you’re married, so your people can see a queen who is settled and stable and ready to rule.”

  Lily stood and began pacing, something she did when she was frustrated. "I don't see why I should have to marry to solidify my right to be queen. No one asks such a thing of a king, do they?"