Page 34

CHAPTER 34

AURORA

A urora dressed in the simple, pale blue wool tunic with a white fur collar and gray wool trousers the king left for her. There were laces and ties that Aurora was not familiar with. By the time she got everything tied up, she was sore and out of breath. She heard someone removing the tub. She pulled on the heavy pair of wool socks before stepping from behind the changing screen.

The king spoke in hushed tones to Grace , who glared at Aurora as she gathered up Aurora’s torn clothing. Thankfully , Thane’s jacket and her boots were drying by the fire.

“I don’t think she likes me,” Aurora said, rubbing the drying cloth in her hair.

“Grace has been here too long. Seen too many things.” Nieve smiled. “ How are you feeling?”

“Terrible.” Aurora rubbed her face. “ Why do I feel like I’m dying?”

“Because you are. Gods are not supposed to be here.”

“Great.” Aurora quickly braided her hair. “ I’ll be sure to tell the rest.”

“It wasn’t always like this. It used to be a rich kingdom. Filled with fields of green for as far as the eye could see. There were villages and cities. We raised the fastest horses in all the land. It was a place mortals dreamt of coming to.”

“But that’s not how fairy tales work, is it?” Aurora slowly lowered herself on the bench near the fire. Nieve wore a moss-green tunic with a sable fur collar. His trousers were wool, and his boots had been polished until they reflected the fire.

“No. And now there is nothing left of my kingdom. Just this frozen palace and the few loyal servants who have survived. Oh , and of course, my beloved queen.”

Nieve sat down next to her. He wasn’t a large man. He had soft golden hair, and he kept his facial hair neatly clipped. On his fingers he wore several gold rings, and his smile was warm and inviting. He looked like a fairy-tale prince, handsome but not as beautiful as a god.

Her body ached, and her lip was throbbing. It probably needed to be stitched. “ Do you have a healer?”

Nieve slid closer to Aurora on the bench, taking her chin in his hand. “ No . That is a nasty cut. It’ll probably leave a scar.” His touch was light on her bruised skin. “ Your eyes are still exquisite. And your mouth, what is it brushed in?”

Aurora pulled away. “ You can see that?”

“Yes. Please tell me your name?”

Aurora couldn’t remember if it was the Fae or fairy tales she wasn’t supposed to use her real name for. “ The healer first. Please tell me it’s not Grace .”

“No. Our healer died years ago. You’ll have to settle with me.” Nieve stood and moved around the room, opening and closing cupboard doors. He gathered his supplies before straddling the bench next to Aurora . “ Let me see.”

Aurora turned, cringing as Nieve touched the gash. “ Ouch .”

“I can put a bit of numbing oil on it, but I can’t give you anything for the pain, in fear that you will fall asleep.”

“Why can’t I sleep?”

“Because that’s how she’ll kill you. Just because you are a god doesn’t make you immune to the spell.”

“Gods can’t die.” Aurora was starting to believe that was a tale told to gods to make them vulnerable.

“You’d never wake. You’d be dammed to sleep here until the curse was broken. Now , this might sting a bit.”

Aurora jumped off the bench when Nieve touched the cloth to her lip. It felt as if he had touched a hot ember to her skin. “ What in all the gods’ names was that?”

“It’s burning weed. It numbs the skin.”

“No, it doesn’t.” Aurora’s lip felt as if it were on fire. The burn spread to her tongue and her bottom lip. She hated this place. She was either freezing or on fire.

“Just give it a moment.” Nieve looked through the small basket on the bench in front of him. “ All I have is black thread. I hope that’s okay?”

Aurora touched her lip again. The burn faded, and her skin now tingled. She sat down next to Nieve . “ Black is fine.” Aurora closed her eyes, not wanting to see the needle so close to her face. She jerked slightly when it pierced her skin and the thread was pulled through. It made her stomach twist. “ Stop .” Aurora pulled away. “ I think I’m going to be sick.”

“Don’t think about it,” Nieve whispered.

“What else should I think about?” Aurora didn’t open her eyes.

“Are you from the heavens or the underworld?”

“The heavens.” Aurora opened one eye to see Nieve concentrating on his work. “ Is that the curse? Sleep ?” How would she break that curse, especially if she couldn’t sleep?

“No.” Nieve tied off the first stitch. “ Will you ever tell me your name?”

“Will you tell me your curse?”

Nieve smiled a bright, charming smile. “ If you are worthy. Now stop talking.”

Aurora watched Nieve . She noticed the freckles that dusted the bridge of his nose, the smoothness of his skin. “ Death is an old god. How are you and the queen not old?”

“We are. It’s part of the curse. Trust me, in the morning, I can feel every one of the years I’ve been forced to live. Do you want me to finish this?”

“Yes.” Aurora closed her eyes against the feeling of each stitch being sewn. The room was quiet as Nieve worked. She tried to think of anything other than the needle and thread pulling through her skin. She thought of the dress she was having made and how it should be done by now. She would have to check on that when she got back.

“There, you’re done. It’s not my best work, but it’s closed.” Nieve stood and then put all the supplies back.

Aurora lightly touched her lip. “ Thank you. So now what happens? You will not tell me the curse, and I can’t leave until I have reaped the queen’s soul.”

“So Death sent you?” Nieve asked over his shoulder.

“Yes.”

“Why you?” Nieve moved around the room.

“I made a deal with him. And to get what I want, I must reap six souls.” Aurora looked to the ceiling. The three stars marked where she had written her love for Thane . It would be there forever. Even after they were no longer remembered, anyone who looked at the sky would see her love for him.

“If you reap the queen’s soul, what do you get?”

“The name of a mortal whose heart must break.” Aurora yawned.

“Why would you do that? There are consequences for breaking a heart.” Nieve came back.

Aurora looked down at the tiny cuts that peppered her hand. Would they leave their mark on her skin, a constant reminder of all she had done for love? “ Love .” She looked at Nieve . “ Love is why I must break the heart of another. Silly , isn’t it? To get what I want, I must take it from another.”

“Love cannot be taken.” Nieve took her hand, bringing it to his mouth. “ It must be given.”

Aurora watched as his lips hovered over her hand. This was how fairy tales began. A seemingly innocent kiss that would turn into a curse, thus turning the maiden’s life upside down as she tried to break it. Gods below, she was already living a fairy tale. “ Yes , I know.” She pulled her hand away.

The fire lost its battle with the coldness. It hissed one last time before it died. The frost crept in under the door. Aurora watched it, too tired to move. Exhaustion pulled at every muscle in her body. “ Is this where I freeze to death?”

“No. We must stay off the floor or the frost will consume you. Now come to bed.” Nieve stood and walked over to the bed, then pulled back the bedding and patted the hard mattress. “ You’ll be safe here.”

“I thought you said I couldn’t sleep.” She walked over to the bed, her body begging her to rest even for a moment. She crawled in. The wool blankets were worn thin with age. Some had been eaten by moths. They would do little to keep the cold at bay.

“You must sleep for the new day to start. That is the contradiction of this place.”

Nieve lay down next to her, taking her cold hands into his. She pulled back a bit. “ Whatever you think is going to happen is not.”

Nieve smiled, blowing warmth into their hands. “ Are you sure? I can make this all go away.”

Aurora fought the urge to give in. If Death could not set foot in this realm, he couldn’t pull the secrets from her bones. But Thane would never awaken, and Aurora would be stuck with Nieve , whose honey-coated lies would fill her head with empty promises. Promises that would only last as long as she believed in them. In him. And since she couldn’t lie, they’d last a day if she was lucky.

“Yes, I am sure.” Aurora shivered. “ I love another more than this life or my next.” Her breath came out in white huffs.

Nieve pulled her closer. His warmth made her eyes heavy. “ Tell me who he is?”

Aurora snuggled closer, wishing she could press her hands on his warm flesh. She closed her eyes, conjuring up the thought of Thane . “ He is Darkness .”

“And that makes you Dawn . Two star-crossed lovers destined to break each other until the end of time.”

Aurora opened her eyes. “ Not the end of time. How did you know?”

“Your love is known even here. Is it not written in the stars?” The king nodded to the crude painting on the ceiling. “ What shall I call you?”

She breathed into the cold night air. Sleep pulled her deeper and deeper. “ You may call me Aurora .”

“Aurora.” Nieve said the name like he was calling to a lover. “ Tell me about him and your love for him. Is he perfect like you?”

Aurora snorted and rolled over on her back. She felt almost drunk she was so tired. “ No , he’s not. He’s far from perfect. He’s broody. An ass. He will not wear anything other than black. His hair looks like he just stepped from bed. Sometimes I want to strangle him.” Aurora smiled at the memory of Thane and that stupid mouth of his. “ But even with all that, I miss him so much my bones ache. I don’t want to stay here. Please tell me how to leave.” Aurora looked at Nieve .

“And you promise you love him?” Nieve smiled.

“More than the air I breathe.”

King Nieve moved closer. “ Do you want to hear a story?”

“Yes.” Relief filled her. Finally , the reason for the curse.

The king moved closer; his forehead almost pressed against Aurora’s . “ Once there was a handsome prince who fell in love with a beautiful girl. She was perfect in every way except she was not a princess, which meant they could never marry. But that did not stop the prince, who was selfish and didn’t want to give the girl up, so he lied to her. He stole her kisses and anything else she’d give to him; he promised they’d be together until his last breath. But as the dawn chased the darkness away, the prince married another, breaking the girl’s heart.”

Aurora heard the echo of her own life in the story that Nieve whispered into the darkness. “ What happened to the girl?”

“She became queen of an empty kingdom. But that is a story for a different time. Now close your eyes for a moment.” Nieve pulled the blanket up over Aurora’s face.

“But you said I couldn’t sleep.” Aurora didn’t fight it anymore.

“You must if the darkness is ever to leave. I promise I’ll keep you safe.”

“It’s okay. I’m fine.” She snuggled closer to the warm body next to her. “ Tell me another story. But make this one happy.” She fought the urge to close her eyes as his voice lulled the ache from her bones. At some point sleep pulled her deep in the darkness. Nieve would whisper her name, and she’d have to claw her way back from the heaviness. But then moments later, she’d be swallowed by the darkness again.

There her dreams were plagued with icy fingers that pulled at her, with stars that laughed as she tried to catch pieces of nothing that scattered in the snow.