Chapter 26
We had been on the road for three days when suddenly; it was no longer practical. A big snowstorm had pounded the path for nearly a day. We would need to find shelter soon or be stuck in the carriage, snowed in.
“I know a place where we can go until the storm lessens. It’s a small inn, maybe a half hour’s ride from here. It will be suitable for our party, and I think we can make it!” Shouted Gideon from outside the carriage.
“Are the horses too deep in snow?”
“Not yet, but if we continue waiting for the storm to pass, they might be, and we won’t be able to get there.”
Xander nodded and closed the carriage door. Leo had his arms around Diana, keeping her warm, while Xander came back to my side and pressed me further into him. It was freezing. The storm came out of nowhere and took us by surprise. Hopefully, we would reach the inn shortly.
I could hear the horses snort and the carriage being jerked forward. These were difficult and dangerous conditions for all of us. The snow seemed so high that the horses could easily break their leg since they couldn’t see where they were stepping, and we had to be cautious not to strain them.
The strong wind also made our transportation shake and wobble. I had witnessed nothing this atrocious.
Xander picked up on my uneasiness and hugged my arms affectionately. He pulled his coat over me when my teeth rattled and tried to comfort me as best he could.
“At least we know spring is here.” He tried to say in a joyous tone.
I looked him over in shock.
“You c-call t-t-this spring?” I tried to say through my chattering teeth.
He laughed and kissed my temple.
“This big a storm only happens when winter’s over.”
Diana looked at me with the same skepticism I had. This couldn’t possibly mean that spring was at our door. We had been lucky to have shifters with us, or else Diana and I would have already been blocks of ice hours ago. Xander’s and Leo’s body heat probably saved us from going into hypothermia.
My lips were numb, and I couldn’t feel my face. I was cold all over. I noticed Diana’s lips were blue because of the freezing temperature. Mine were probably the same.
Eventually, there was a hard knock on the carriage, and I could hear shouting outside. Xander left us in the confines of our small shelter on wheels to inspect what was the commotion. He returned a couple of minutes later, gesturing us to take refuge in the snow-covered inn.
I could barely see two steps in front of me. The wind slapped my face with snow and tore at my bottom skirt and coat. The humidity seeped inside my bones and made me shake uncontrollably.
“This way, Princess.” Said John, taking my arm to lead me with the others inside. Was he not cold as well?
“P-please, call me I-Ida. It’s n-not s-safe.”
His face contorted at my request, but he apologized, and he tugged me harder against the wind to get inside the warm building.
The innkeeper rushed at our sudden entrance and hurriedly sat us near the fireplace. His wife came with warm blankets and covered our shaking shoulders with them.
“Tis bad weather to be travellin’,” she said in her thick country accent while bringing us some hot wine, “I’ll ‘ave rooms prepared for ye. How many will ye require?”
“F-four, if you can s-spare.” I numbly said.
“Aye, we 'ave enough, and we ain’t expectin’ more travellers with this weather. Now drink up. I’ve spiced it, so it’ll bring colour back to yer cheeks.”
She took the stairs and disappeared above the railing leading to the second storey of the inn. We had been lucky to have made it without our toes falling off.
The innkeeper returned with trays of hot braised beef smothered in sauce and fat. I broke the bread he gave me and dipped it in the liquid, then stuffed it in my mouth. I had not had hot food since we had left, and I was starving.
Xander arrived inside and shook off the snow that covered him from head to toe. He sat down on the chair beside me and ate the tray that he was given.
“Have you asked to get rooms prepared?”
“Yes,” I replied with a little more vigour. “I’ve asked for four rooms. It may not be enough, though. I thought of one for Leo, one for Diana, one for your friends, and one for us, but three men in one small room might be a little cramp. Maybe Gideon wouldn’t mind sleeping with Leo.”
“I’m surprised they even have four rooms, not considering their own in this small place. I’m sure everyone will manage.”
He took a spoonful of broth and shoved down the beef.
“I’ll ask to prepare water for a bath. I think you’d like to soak a bit. You were freezing in the carriage.”
I smiled at him before he left to make the request, and I kept eating the delicious food until my stomach was full. It was hot enough to remove the blanket, and I took my thigh-high woollen socks off and placed them near the fire so they could dry a bit. I would need to dry my dress as well. The hem was utterly soaked with melted snow.
“Come with me,” Xander whispered in my ear. I didn’t notice he had returned.
I looked up at him and took the hand he offered me. He led me to the second story of the inn and ushered me into our designated room. There was a wooden tub with steaming hot water just waiting for me to jump in. I felt Xander’s fingers tug at my waist, trying to loosen the skirt. I undid my buttons and removed the top. Once I had taken off my chemise, I helped Xander out of his clothes, and he got in the tub, pulling me in between his thighs.
My back pressed on his chest, and I sat there, listening to his heartbeat with my eyes closed. The warm water thawed all the chilliness from my body.
The innkeeper’s wife had left us a bar of lard soap, which I happily used to lather my body and clean my face. Xander had scrubbed my back and washed my hair for me, which was extremely relaxing. I had needed this after our three days of travelling.
“How long do you think the storm will last?”
“Hopefully, by tomorrow morning, it will have subsided enough that we can continue our journey, but it may strand us here another day at the most.” Xander’s hand glided lightly over the skin of my arm, sending delicious shivers everywhere and heating my cheeks.
“Are you nervous about going to Starling Castle?”
He placed his chin on my left shoulder and encircled me in his arms.
“I’m less nervous about it than you, I’m thinking. The rebellion understands that I have two sides to play, and they provide me with good information that seems crippling to them, so I can report back to my father and be the diligent heir. I’m more nervous about meeting with Baron Mallard.”
“Huh, and why is that?”
“The baron sent his daughter to the estate many times in the hopes I would marry her. It was logical since we both came from neighbouring and wealthy districts. Our union would solidify both sectors. So, I was hard-pressed on making her my wife. She spent a good part of three or four summers with us. I had been very outward with her, and when she kept insisting and tried to kiss me… I’m afraid I may have been cruel towards her.”
A slight hint of jealousy crept inside my stomach, and my breath hitched at the mention of the girl trying to kiss Xander. My Xander. I thought it was ridiculous to be feeling that since it was before I even met him. Moreover, we were mated, but the feeling lingered and left an unpleasant taste in my mouth.
Knowing this, however, I now had doubts about how the baron would perceive me. In his eyes, I would be no better than a commoner, and he would pester Xander to get an explanation of why he chose me over his daughter.
I imagined she was beautiful and graceful, much like I was before the uprising. If she had the same age as I, she would have indeed found another fitting suiter since then and would have already married. My father had wanted me to court one lord’s son when I became twenty years old, but the uprising happened one year before I could even meet the man that could have been my husband. I didn’t even know who my intended was.
The other thing that nagged at me was that I hoped the baron or his daughter never crossed paths with me. Most of the lords under Osprey weren’t reputable members of my father’s court, and I highly doubted that they would have met me. The name Mallard didn’t ring any bells, either. But the daughters of lords and respectable members of Airedah would often flock to the castle for special tournaments that marked the day of my birth.
I wondered if it would be safer to dye my hair while we were under Baron Mallard’s roof. I’d have to ask if Diana or the innkeeper had the ingredients I needed to colour my hair brown.
“Would you feel awkward if I hid my red hair while we were at the baron’s estate?” I asked Xander timidly.
“I prefer you as you are, but if it makes you feel more… safe, having brown hair, then please do as you wish.” He whispered near my neck, where his head was still resting.
Once the bathwater became too tepid, Xander helped me get out, and I put on one of his nightshirts to sit by the fire and warm myself before going to bed. The innkeeper’s wife would need to come to remove the water and tub from the room, and I didn’t want to go to sleep without thanking her for her hospitality.
With any luck, come the morning, we would take our leave and resume the long road that still laid ahead of us until we reached the city of Maple and, undoubtedly, the baron himself.