Heart of Ice_Snow Queen Read online

  Chapter 6

  Eira stared out the window, looking toward the sea. Any day now, Ailbert’s ships would arrive at her shore. Then her castle, her land, everything she ruled would be torn away from her unless she could stand her ground and protect her holdings against him for the second time. Doubt crept into her mind and she wasn’t sure she could ward him off once more. A lot of her good warriors died in the last battle. Ailbert was sure to replenish his army before he attacked. Her army was depleted by nearly half.

  “My lady?” asked Medea, entering her room. “Why are you staring out the window?”

  “I’m looking for trouble,” she said. “My enemy will arrive soon to take everything from me.”

  “You sound as if that bothers you.”

  “Of course, it does.” She turned around, thinking the girl was daft. She found her sitting at the dressing table putting more face paint on her cheeks and lips and outlining her eyes as well. It looked awful, and that made Eira smile.

  Medea’s eyes caught hers in the reflection of the mirror. “Oh, I suppose I’m not supposed to be doing this.”

  “Nay. By all means, paint away,” she said with a flick of her wrist.

  “All right,” said Medea, painting her eyelashes with a glittery purple color next.

  “What is that?” asked Eira, walking up behind her. “Who taught you how to do that?”

  “My sister, Rapunzel, showed me how. These face paints were once hers, but I stole them.”

  “You stole something from your own sister?”

  “Not really. She left them when she ran off to get married.”

  “I never had a sister,” said Eira. “Only four brothers.”

  “I have five brothers,” said Medea. “Their names are Hugh, Arnon, Stefan, Kin, and Mac –” She seemed to stop suddenly.

  “Are they still alive?” asked Eira. “My brothers, as well as my father, died in the last battle.”

  “My brothers as well as my sisters, Rap and Ella, are all alive. So are my parents. Actually, my siblings are from a different mother so they are half-sisters and half-brothers.”

  “You are lucky they are all still alive, Medea. Aren’t you concerned that they are looking for you or might think you drowned when the ship sank?”

  “What ship? What are you talking about?” Medea opened her mouth and made a circle with her lips as she painted them with a bright red color.

  “You told me the ship you were on sank, and you swam to the island.”

  “Oh, that. Nay, they won’t be worried.” She closed up the jars and stood up, brushing off her hands.

  “You are an odd one, Medea,” said Eira, looking at her from the corner of her eye. Something about the girl was mysterious and made Eira wonder if she could trust her new lady-in-waiting.

  “So, what will we do today?” asked Medea.

  “The sun will be rising soon. I think, today, I will gather up my warriors and we will practice fighting skills to prepare for the upcoming battle. Then I will make a plan and assign the men to their posts as we wait for Ailbert.”

  “Who is this Ailbert and why is he your enemy?”

  “He was once my betrothed,” said Eira.

  “You mean you were going to marry him? What happened?”

  “He betrayed me. It seems all he wanted was my father’s lands and to rule over them.”

  “Power is a good thing to have,” said Medea with a slight nod of her head.

  “Well, I’ve got all the power I need now.”

  “Did you love him?” asked Medea. It surprised Eira that the girl spoke so freely.

  “Nay,” she answered. “It was an arranged marriage for alliance purposes. He is from the Highlands in Scotland. I had only met Ailbert several times, and didn’t like him. However, my father insisted it would be a good alliance.”

  “Sometimes, enemies can turn into lovers,” said Medea. “Did you ever kiss him?”

  “Nay, I didn’t kiss him. And, no, enemies can never be lovers.” As Eira said the words, a vision of Sir MacKay came to mind. Usually, she hated all men because of what happened with Ailbert. But something about MacKay intrigued her. Mayhap it was because he was English and she’d never known an Englishman before.

  “Perhaps you and Sir MacKay will turn into lovers.”

  Eira gasped. She wondered if the girl could somehow read her mind. “Sir MacKay is rude, crude, and obstinate. You’ve heard what he thinks of me, and I don’t think any better of him. We will never be anything but enemies.”

  “If he decides to fight for you, things could change.”

  “I doubt he will ever change his mind. If I want him to fight with me against Ailbert, I am going to have to force him to do it.”

  “We’ll see,” she said and giggled. Something about this girl was odd, indeed.

  “Lord MacKay, wake up,” whispered Ollie.

  MacKay opened one eye and then the other, followed by a yawn. “What is it, Ollie?”

  “I managed to steal the keys from the guard last time he passed by.” Ollie held the keys up in the air proudly, dangling them from his fingers. “We can get out of here and down to the docks before sunrise. By the time Lady Eira realizes we are no longer here, we will be on a fishing boat halfway back to England.” Ollie smiled from ear to ear.

  This morning, leaving didn’t seem so crucial to MacKay. For some reason, he found himself wanting to see Eira again. “I haven’t finished sleeping yet,” he said, turning over on the bench and closing his eyes again.

  “My lord, wake up!” Ollie shook him by the shoulder causing MacKay to fall to the floor.

  His eyes shot open and he sat up, shaking his head. “Don’t do that again, Squire, or you’re not going to like the consequences.”

  “This is our only chance, my lord. I’ll open the door. Hurry!” Ollie ran to the door and turned the key in the lock. With a creak, he pulled open the iron gate. “Come on, Sir MacKay. We’ve got to go now.”

  MacKay stood up and took a step toward the door. A pain shot through his heart. He stopped and rubbed his chest.

  “Hurry, my lord,” whispered Ollie.

  MacKay took another step forward but stopped in his tracks feeling confused. Why was he leaving when all he wanted to do was stay? “Nay, I don’t think so,” he said with a shake of his head.

  “What?” Ollie looked frantic. “What are you doing? Hurry, I hear someone coming.”

  “Come here, Squire.”

  Ollie hurried to his side. When he did, MacKay reached forward and slammed the door shut. Then he removed the key from the lock.

  “Are you out of your mind?” complained Ollie in a loud enough voice that the rest of the prisoners caught on that they were planning an escape.

  “Give us the key,” shouted one man.

  “Open the door, you fool,” commanded another.

  “What’s going on here?” growled the prison guard.

  “I’ve decided not to escape after all,” MacKay told his squire, not sure why these words were leaving his mouth.

  “You have got to be jesting,” said Ollie. “You said yourself what a wretched woman Lady Eira is, so why would you want to stay?”

  “It’s Queen Eira, Squire. And if I said she was wretched, I was mistaken. I don’t believe she is that way at all.” He rubbed his chest as he spoke.

  “It’s the curse,” said Ollie with wide eyes.

  “What are you talking about?” MacKay chuckled. “I am of sound mind and body.”

  “Nay, you are talking like a madman and rubbing your chest.” Ollie pointed at MacKay. MacKay’s hand stilled. Perhaps he was right. Was this the curse talking and not really him? He might have believed it if Eira hadn’t walked up to the door with her guard, Angus, and took his interest. She looked beautiful today, and he couldn’t pull his eyes away from her.

  “What’s going on in here?” she snapped.

  MacKay perused her bright blue eyes down to her booted feet. Then another pain shot through his heart. Thi
s time, it didn’t feel like a healing pain at all. It didn’t hurt the same way as before. He didn’t understand it.

  “My queen,” he said, bowing down with his hands at his sides.

  “You’re holding the key to the cell!” she exclaimed.

  “Ah, yes, and so I am.” MacKay lifted the key up to the bars using two hands as if he were making an offering to a goddess. “I found that your guard dropped this when he passed by, my lady. I would like to return it to you.”

  “You fool!” one of the prisoners shouted.

  “You are daft. You could have set us all free,” called out another man behind bars.

  MacKay glanced over to his squire who was shaking his head as if he thought all was lost. Then MacKay looked back at Eira. She shook her head as well, surveying the key in her palm. He felt as confused by his actions as they were right now.

  “Open the door and bring MacKay and his squire to my solar in ten minutes.” Eira handed the guard the key and hurried away.

  Eira paced back and forth in the solar, trying to make sense of Sir MacKay’s actions.

  “My queen, you seem distraught.” Medea sat on a chair looking into the dressing table mirror, fussing with her hair. Eira should have reprimanded the girl, but she was too bewildered to think straight. “Is something bothering you?” Medea put down the brush and turned to face her.

  Eira wasn’t sure what to say. She had never had a lady-in-waiting before but didn’t think the girl was supposed to act this way. She guessed she should reprimand Medea, but a part of Eira found it refreshing to have a conversation with someone. So, she did nothing to scold the girl for her lazy, vain actions.

  “Sir MacKay was found this morning holding the key to the dungeon door. He could have escaped, yet he didn’t.”

  “He didn’t?” asked Medea, followed by a roll of her eyes.

  “Nay. He gave me the key instead.”

  Medea giggled. “It’s happening.”

  “What’s happening?” Before Medea could give her an answer, there was a knock at the door. “Enter,” Eira called out.

  The door opened, and Angus and two guards walked in, holding on to MacKay and Ollie. “Here they are, my queen.” Angus pushed MacKay so hard that he fell up against Eira.

  “Oh!” she shouted.

  “I’m so sorry, my lady.” MacKay put his hands on her shoulders to keep her from falling. It felt good. No man had ever made her feel this way before. When his eyes met hers, a tingle shot through her. She half-expected him to be frowning but, instead, he was smiling. His smile felt warm and inviting. His straight, white teeth made the man look ever so handsome. This close up, she got a good look at his face as well.

  Bright green eyes penetrated her soul. His high cheekbones and a straight nose that widened slightly at the end made him look regal. A short mustache and beard covered his face. His dark hair was long and down to his shoulders. Although he wasn’t the tallest man she’d ever met, he was still taller than she was. She had to look up to meet his gaze.

  “My queen, was there something you wished to say?” Surprisingly enough, today he was very polite. It was quite a change from her dealings with him yesterday.

  “I – I . . .” She didn’t quite know what to say. “Angus, you and the guards are dismissed.”

  “Many pardons, my lady, but we need to protect you,” protested Angus.

  “The men are unarmed,” she pointed out. “Besides, I can take care of myself.”

  “As you wish,” said Angus with a bow. He left the room with the other guards and closed the door.

  “I wanted to ask you again about fighting in my army,” she told MacKay.

  “If you need our help, we are here for you, my lady,” he said with a bow of his head.

  “Nay, Lord MacKay,” protested his squire. “Yesterday you said you would never fight for her. You called her wretched.”

  “You did?” Eira’s eyes snapped upward in surprise.

  “My mistake, my lady.” MacKay lightly kissed the back of her hand. For a mere minute, nothing else in the world mattered.

  When she noticed Medea and Ollie watching them, it made her feel uncomfortable.

  “Stop it, you fool!” She pushed MacKay so hard he stumbled backward and landed on her bed, laughing. “Why do you laugh? Do you find this funny?”

  “I laugh because I am happy,” he said. “I don’t often get pushed by a beautiful woman and land on her bed.”

  Eira’s heart raced. He’d called her beautiful! And he was on her bed. She looked over at Medea who was grinning and nodding her head.

  “Enemies to lovers,” the girl whispered.

  Ollie stood staring at them in disbelief with his mouth wide open. It looked like he was in shock. She felt the same way. Was this the same man who just yesterday refused to ever fight for her? Was he playing some kind of game? If so, she didn’t like it. He’d called her beautiful today even though yesterday he’d boldly stated that she was plain-looking.

  “I don’t like the game you are playing with me,” she spat. “And get off my bed!”

  “Game? I am not playing a game, my lady.” MacKay stood up and his eyes interlocked with hers again. It made her feel vulnerable. This was a feeling she had never experienced before. Eira would never fall prey to any man again. She had once believed that Ailbert loved her and wanted to marry her, but his only reasoning was to take everything away from her. She would never let any man betray her like that again.

  “Guards!” she called out. Angus poked his head into the room. “Take these men to the practice yard anon.”

  “My queen, there is a terrible snowstorm in progress. Perhaps you’d like me to take them to the great hall or the stables instead?” suggested Angus with hope in his voice.

  “I said the practice yard, and I mean now. If they are going to fight for me, then I must be certain they are amongst the best warriors I have, no matter what kind of weather is brewing.”

  As they left the room, MacKay glanced back over his shoulder and smiled at her.

  “What are you smiling at now?” she retorted.

  “Thank you, my lady. It is so kind of you to let us practice in the snowstorm. And your hair looks breathtaking today.”

  “Get him out of here,” she screamed, not knowing how to respond to MacKay’s words. She wanted to believe he meant them, but that was impossible. How could any man change so much overnight? He had to be doing it only to aggravate her. She turned and looked back at the impression of his body left on her bed. The indention in the pallet caused her heart to skip a beat. Why couldn’t she stop wondering what it would feel like to kiss Sir MacKay de Bar?

  Chapter 7

  Later that day, MacKay stood at the fire in the great hall with Ollie at his side. They’d practiced with one weapon after another all day long, even though the winds were strong and the snow fell fast. It was a wicked winter storm outside, and no one in their right mind would be out there if they didn’t have to be.

  “M-my lord,” said Ollie, shivering so much he could barely speak. “W-why d-didn’t you p-p-protest the cruel and unusual p-punishment Lady Eira put us t-through today?”

  “I don’t know,” said MacKay, wondering the same thing. He held out his hands and warmed them at the hearth. “I guess I didn’t mind it as much as you, Squire.”

  “B-but d-don’t you t-think it was harsh of her to d-do that to us?”

  “Harsh? It was brutal.” A pain shot through his chest and he rubbed his hand over it, contemplating the whole thing.

  “H-here she c-comes,” said his squire. “T-tell her we won’t d-do her b-bidding anymore.”

  “Right,” he said, meaning to do just that. But when another pain shot through his chest and his eyes settled upon Eira, things changed dramatically.

  “Sir MacKay, why are you standing around wasting time?” spat Eira, walking up with Medea at her side. “Didn’t I tell you two that I want –”

  Her words were cut off by MacKay’s mouth pressing u
p against hers in a passionate kiss. He wasn’t sure what made him do it, but he had the urge, and he’d given in to it. Her hands were up against his chest, pushing him away once again. She was forcefully strong for a woman. He stumbled backward and landed on the trestle table.

  “My lord!” squawked his squire. “D-don’t let her get away with that.” Ollie unsheathed his sword, but MacKay held a hand in the air to stop him.

  “Nay, Squire, Lady Eira was right in pushing me away for such a brash move,” he said, smiling, drinking in Eira’s simple beauty as he got to his feet. He wondered why he had never noticed until now how her eyes sparkled in the torchlight. He found himself lost in the depths of her swirling blue orbs. It was Medea’s evil giggle that brought him to his senses. Ollie was right when he said it was Hecuba’s curse that was making MacKay act this way, but he couldn’t help it. He pulled his gaze away from Eira and focused on Medea instead. “What was it you were saying?” he asked Eira.

  “Never mind,” she said, looking the other way as well. Her fingers brushed past her lips, making him wonder if she were brushing off his essence or savoring it instead. “We will continue tomorrow with our battle plans. I will have a solar room prepared for you with a hot bath since you look cold.”

  “I’m not cold, as your kiss warmed me. However, my squire is freezing. I will let him use the bath first.” He should have stopped there, but when another pain shot through his chest, it made him want to kiss Eira again. He reached for her, but her hand clamped over his wrist. Her eyes met his.

  “You touch me or try to kiss me again, and I swear I’ll have your head, de Bar.”

  “Ah, yes. Your voice is like music to my ears, my lady.”

  “Did you hear what I said?” Lady Eira’s face turned red. Was it anger or just an embarrassed blush of her cheeks? He couldn’t tell.

  “I heard every word. And I hope you hear that I think your eyes are more beautiful than a summer’s sky. They twinkle in the firelight like a thousand stars on a moonlit night.”

  “Make up your mind,” she snapped. “How could they remind you of a summer’s sky and stars at the same time? You speak nothing but utter nonsense. I’ll not listen to another word!” Eira turned on her heel and walked briskly out of the great hall.