Fire in a Silver Storm

"You let him escape? Are you telling me the best archers in the kingdom could not take down a clown on a horse?"

The guard fell to his knees in front of Egon, face down, hands together in a praying pose. From where Jo stood in the corner of the room, she could feel the man’s fear as he sniffled and trembled, knowing exactly what was going to happen to him.

"He was...he was with the princess, Your Highness,” he said, his voice as thin as glass. “We couldn't risk h-hurting Princess Reyna..."

Egon’s laugh was so dark it prickled Jo’s skin. "Princess Reyna?"

"Yes, Y-Your Highness." The man swallowed. "The Princess...injured our men to release the prisoner from his cell. They stole two of our best horses and...and were headed into the North forest--"

Jo smacked a hand over her mouth when Egon smacked the man across the face. Without waiting for him to get back up, Egon got down on his knees, took the knife strapped to his hip and held it at the guard's throat.

"You think I care about that whore?" he said in a low whisper. Jo knew he was just adding enough pressure onto the blade to cause pain but not to make the man bleed. However, having been in this man’s position before, she could feel the same fear. "She ran away with a murderer,” Egon went on, his eyes growing dark, “which made her a traitor and a criminal as well. Now she's dangerous."

"Your Highness, p-please--"

"Dangerous?"

Jo didn’t realise it was her own voice until four eyes were pinned on her. Egon shoved the guard to the floor and stood back up, putting his knife away. "What did I say about interrupting me?"

Not knowing where she had got the courage, Jo walked straight toward him anyway. "Reyna is not dangerous. You got rid of her. Wasn't that what you wanted?”

The guard was confused but also relieved when Egon told him to get lost, so he ran as fast as he could before the Prince changed his mind. The door fell shut. Silence poured in. Jo held her breath. Her eyes followed Egon as he walked toward the fireplace. His features were illuminated by the flickering light, the only one in the room.

She waited for him to speak, but when he glanced back up and met her eyes, she knew he wasn't going to.

"Reyna is gone,” she said. “Wasn't that what you wanted?"

"Yes, it was," the Prince breathed as he raised a finger, "but she should've left Isolde with you. Not a prisoner who slaughtered two guards.”

Jo’s lips parted, but it wasn’t her turn.

"The original plan was you fucking Kavan Gennady and blaming him for taking advantage of you, and then convincing Reyna to run away with you so she wouldn't have to marry him."

Jo averted her eyes, trying to look unfazed to hide the fact that she was scared. "What's the difference?"

"The difference," Egon raised his voice suddenly, "is that if she had run away with you,” and pointed at her face, “you would make sure she stayed far away from Isolde. But now she's heading to Theros with a Southerner as her guide and will most likely return with Edgar's army."

"Reyna would never invade Isolde."

"Only if she didn't find out about the prophecy."

"The prophecy?" Jo furrowed her eyebrows.

Egon let out a breathy laugh as he flopped down on the chair by the fireplace. "Our beloved father believes in a stupid prophecy that said I would destroy his kingdom if I was to be King, and my sweet little sister was his only hope. So he planned to marry her off to some prince and let her husband rule this kingdom. Kavan Gennady is the one who's going to be your new king, not me."

Jo went stiff. The idea of someone as power-hungry and greedy as Willem handing his kingdom to a foreigner was unimaginable. If this was true, then Willem must believe in this prophecy. And everyone knew he had lived his whole life defying the Gods. So why?

Meanwhile, Egon said in his chair, legs spread, a scornful smile displaying on his half-lit face. "A fool from the West ruling the North with a whore as his queen,” he muttered. “What would the fate of this kingdom be?"

"But…” Jo spoke, gathering all her courage, "the king is going to die soon. So all you need to do is make sure Reyna stays gone until then, and you'll become the rightful ruler. The people of Isolde won't accept an invader as their Queen, and Reyna knows that, so she'll stay away."

Egon lifted his shoulders and stuck out his bottom lip. "Well, as long as she's still alive, we cannot make sure that she stays gone."

"No! Please!" Jo dropped down onto her knees and grabbed Egon's hand. He looked her up and down, both amused and disgusted. "Please don't hurt Reyna,” she pleaded. “She's harmless. I know her."

"Let's pray my men will bring her back alive then." With that, she pulled his hand away and cupped her jaw, tilting her face upwards. "And you better keep your pretty mouth shut. If I find out that the baby isn't mine, or if it's a she, then you won't be alive to see the girl you love again. Are we clear?"

Jo’s heart was pounding so hard and fast she could barely breathe, so she could only nod, but that was a good enough answer for this monster.

"Good,” he said, releasing her. The dancing flames in his dark eyes made him look more like the devil than a prince. But Jo, just like everyone in this castle, could never tell the difference.

The snow was falling thicker and harder outside the window by the fireplace. There was about to be another snowstorm tonight, and Jo could only pray that Reyna was safe, wherever she was.

.

.

.

"We have to stop, Peach! A snowstorm is coming!"

Reyna raised a gloved hand to shield her eyes as she glanced back over her shoulder, desperately searching for Rowan and Lightning. The sun had just come up not so long ago, but now it was as dark as night, and the snow was angrily swirling all around her as if wanting to swallow her whole. She wanted to tell Rowan to stay calm and just keep on going, but she was too familiar with this kind of storm to risk their lives for her impatience.

Finding shelter was a matter of life and death at this point, and Thunder seemed to understand that. He ignored her command and galloped ahead, following his own instinct.

"Over here, Rowan! There's a cave! Thunder found a cave!" Reyna shouted and waved her hands in the air even though she couldn't see Rowan and Lightning. Thanks to his horse, however, Rowan had managed to find her and the cave, which was obscured by snow-covered trees.

It was dark inside. The further they entered, the darker it got. Reyna got off Thunder and settled down on a large rock, arms wrapped around herself, shivering. The cave was no warmer inside than out, and the absence of light meant the absence of warmth. Her body heat was slowly being sucked away by the cold air, her teeth were chattering, and her throat was aching from thirst.

As if Rowan could read her mind, he handed her a bottle and told her to drink.

"Where...Where did you get that?"

"From a dead guard,” he said.

She frowned at the answer. “They weren't dead. We didn't kill them."

"Keep telling yourself that.” He chuckled and nudged her cheek with the bottle. She knew it was a joke, but the thought of her killing the men who were simply doing their jobs continued to haunt her.

She hesitated for a second before accepting the bottle and taking a sip. Her face twisted as the harsh taste bit her tongue.

"This isn't water!"

"Wine.”

"I can't drink wine!"

"Why not?"

"I'll get drunk."

"You won't."

"I will."

"Then stay thirsty,” Rowan said and got up. He left her sitting there to go find more dry sticks to build a fire. When he returned, the bottle which had been nearly full was now half empty.

Reyna wasn’t sure if Rowan looked startled or proud when he asked, "Did you spill it or drink it?"

She glowered at him and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. "Getting drunk sounds like a better idea than dying of thirst."

"Aren't you afraid I'll do something to you if you get too drunk and pass out?"

"You won't," she said, making him blink in surprise.

"How are you so sure that I won't?"

"I trust you,” she said and put up a hand before he could speak. “Don’t get arrogant. That’s only because if you wanted to do something to me, you would've done it already.”

“True,” he snorted and took the bottle from her hand. "Enough for you, young lady. The rest is for me.”

.

.

.

Lucky for them, Rowan knew how to build a fire. Reyna had asked him to teach her, but his instructions were so complicated, and she was never patient with anything in her life.

"Great,” she sighed. “This means I have to keep you alive until we get out of Isolde."

Rowan faked a gasp and put a hand on his chest. "I can't believe you brought me on this trip just to make fire for you.”

"I fight the bad guys. You make fire. That's how it works."

"My masculinity is offended,” said Rowan as Reyna laughed. "But fine. Now I've got a bodyguard. Peach, the bodyguard."

They sat there for a few more moments to warm their hands on the fire. But once the snow on Reyna’s clothes had melted, water started soaking into her shirt, trousers and undergarments. She was wearing more layers than him, and so she started sweating like a pig.

"You're wearing too much.”

“I know.” Reyna glared at Rowan as her cheeks heated.

“Well, you can always wear less.”

"Are you telling me to get naked?"

"Would you prefer wearing wet clothes then?"

Reyna didn’t like agreeing with this man, but he did make a good point. She had tried to ignore it, but the longer she sat there, the more irritating it got. She just wanted to rip all her clothes off and toss them into the fire.

"Just do it," he encouraged. "I'll look away for you to strip. You can cover yourself up with the cloak I stole from the same dead guard."

Reyna’s eyes went round when Rowan pulled out the cloak from her own satchel. "I didn't even see you take it, let alone put it in my bag!"

"That's called talent, darling. Get used to it when you're with me."

She rolled her eyes at the reply and said, "Will you swear that you won't look?"

"Didn't you say you trusted me?"

"Yes, but all men would stare at a woman's naked body if given a chance."

"Not this man." He pointed a thumb to his chest. "I already have a--"

"A lover back home," she finished the sentence for him and sighed. "Fine. Look away. Cover your eyes too."

"Hey, I have a question," Rowan said, now sitting with his back facing her and his eyes covered with both hands.

“Go on.”

"How did you meet your lover if you'd spent all your life in the castle? Did the two of you meet in the castle and later on get separated or something?"

"He's actually my uncle."

“Oh.” Rowan paused then nervously cleared his throat. "Wow, I don't want to judge anyone but--"

"No! God, no!" Reyna cried out. "I meant to say that it wasn't my lover that I was going to see. It's my uncle. I lied just so you would relate to my situation and agree to help me."

"Smart,” Rowan breathed. “But I would’ve helped you anyway. You had puppy dog’s eyes.”

“Oh, shut up,” she groaned, and they both laughed. It was silent for a minute before she continued, "My uncle is the only family member I've got left. I used to have my mother, but she died four years ago."

Reyna had no idea why she’d told him something so private. Even though he didn’t know who her mother really was, it felt like she had entrusted him with something extremely important. She was afraid he would ask more questions, but thankfully, he didn’t.

"You can turn around now," she told him, and he finally took his hands off his eyes and turned back to her.

She sat down with the black cloak wrapped around herself, hiding her entire body and leaving only her head visible.

"So you're really naked under that thing?" he asked.

She gasped and poked her hand out of the cloak to punch his arm.

"My turn," she said. "I have a question for you."

"Go on."

"Do you have a family?"

"Yeah." Rowan nodded. "My dad died last year, now it's just my mum and sister."

"And your lover."

"She's not my family yet."

"But she will be, right? When you marry her."

"I guess so." He shrugged, giving her a tight-lipped smile. "We've been friends since we were little. It was my dream to marry her when I grew up, and I will if we make it back to Theros."

"So she's your betrothed?" asked Reyna.

Rowan’s face went blank. "What did you just say?"

"Betrothed. You know, it means--"

"The person you'll marry.”

“Yeah.”

“Oh.”

“What?” Reyna chuckled, but then a strong wind blew into the cave and put out the fire. She screamed so loud and clung onto Rowan, her face buried into his chest.

"It's just wind.” He laughed softly. "Since when did you get scared of anything?"

"I don't know," she murmured and quickly pulled away from him.

While sitting in front of the fire, she had recalled those nights by the fireplace with her mother, and she had allowed herself to put down her guard. But reality had set back in when the fire had gone out, and she now remembered that they were still inside the cave in the middle of the woods, surrounded by complete darkness.

She nudged Rowan’s leg with her knee. "Can you build another fire?"

He looked like he was about to make fun of her, but then he patted her on the arm and told her to get some rest. “I'll need to find more wood and I'll build another one."

"Wait!" She grabbed him by the arm before he could leave. “Can you stay with me until I fall asleep and then get the wood later?"

"Sure," Rowan said and sat back down, looking both taken aback and sympathetic.

"Thank you," Reyna mumbled as she secured the cloak around herself and snuggled into his arms like she would with her mother when she was a kid.

.

.

.

It was around noon when they woke up. The birds were chirping outside the cave as if there had never been a storm.

Reyna was the first to open her eyes. Her limbs were aching, probably from riding Thunder through the blizzard. But something felt different. Why did her body feel so...light? And why was the ground warm and...moving?

It took her a moment to realise she wasn't lying on the ground. She was lying on top of Rowan. Her cloak had been discarded in her sleep. He was still fully clothed, but she was completely naked on top of him.

Her entire body stiffened as she was too shocked to react, but then she felt his gloved hand on her lower back, making its way downward, so she instantly pushed herself right off of him.

Rowan's eyes shot open. He screamed when he saw Reyna's naked body. She frantically picked up her clothes and covered her front as fast as possible.

"Why are you naked?!" Blushing, Rowan looked away and held his head with both hands, as if trying to figure out if they’d done anything he didn't remember.

No, they hadn’t. He still had his clothes on, and the bottle still hadn't been touched. He wasn't drunk. But wait, where was her cloak?

Reyna looked around until her eyes landed on Thunder. The horse stood quietly over there with a black cloak covering his back.

"Really, Thunder?!"

"Did he steal your cloak to keep himself warm?" Rowan cackled. She didn’t want to find this situation funny, but it was quite funny.

"Apparently so." She rolled her eyes, and Thunder nickered at her in response.

"Don't worry, I only saw your breasts.”

Reyna’s jaw dropped. "How is that supposed to make me feel anything but worry?"

The corners of Rowan's mouth lifted as he got onto his feet and turned his back to her.

"Eyes.”

"Covered."

"Thank you."

Embarrassed, she put on her clothes as fast as she could while mentally cursing at herself, Thunder and Rowan, too. Once she’d finished, she cleared her throat to give him permission to look.

Rowan turned, smirked and eyed her from head to toes. If anything, that only made her feel more naked than before. She had never fallen asleep with a man before, and had never expected she’d do it naked. Another first for her, but this one was not an achievement.

“Don’t be shy. You were really...smooth and soft. Like a human pillow."

Her face contorted as she gasped.

"That was a compliment."

"I will break your neck."

"Woah, woah, woah. Calm down, lady!" He took a step back as she advanced. "I only caught a glimpse of your breasts and nothing else below the waist. I swear on my life."

"How are you so calm?"

"Because I've seen the female body plenty of times before?"

"So you've been unfaithful to your lover then?" Reyna crossed her arms, raising an eyebrow. "You said you'd known her since you were small. She should be the only female body you've seen if you two are brave enough to lie with each other before marriage."

"Who raised you? The nuns?"

"Decent and educated people, actually. Were you raised by monkeys?"

Rowan rolled his eyes as he strapped the sword back to his waist. "We were best friends before lovers. I'd been with other women before her, but no one since her. Kenny is going to be my wife so..."

"Kenny?"

"Ugh, why did I tell you her name? Now you're going to think you're my friend."

"I think I've heard that name before," Reyna whispered, trying to recall where and when she’d heard that name, but she could not.

Rowan stared at her funny. "Are you about to make another joke about how Southerners have basic names? Because the name Kenny is pretty unique. And so is Rowan.”

"That's why it's strange. It's unique but I've definitely heard it before."

"Then it must have been someone else, because Kenny has never been out of Theros,” Rowan said, picking up Reyna's sword and tossing it to her. She caught it and gained a smirk from him.

"Let's go," he told her and covered his mouth so he wouldn't laugh out loud.

"Stop thinking about it!"

"What? Your breasts?"

"And stop saying that word! God, what is wrong with you?!"

"The name Peach has a whole new meaning now."

"One more word,” she stabbed a finger at his face, “and I will cut your throat in your sleep. Got it?"

With a smirk, Rowan locked his lips with an invisible key and threw it over his shoulder. Reyna rolled her eyes at him and turned back to her horse. This is going to be a long journey, she told herself.