Read Online Shadows on Snow: A Flipped Fairy Tale (Flipped Fairy Tales) by Starla Huchton - Free Book Online Page B

bells.”
    “The bells?” she said. “Then that means…”
    Slowly, I nodded. “They ring in mourning. Queen Muriel is dead.”

    Few people will ever cause an entire nation to weep when they pass from the world. Queen Muriel was a beloved ruler, and each person I saw in the days following the announcement of her death had swollen, red-rimmed eyes for the tears they shed. I kept to myself, going about my tasks quietly and with more veracity than I had before.
    She was gone because I failed her. I wasted too much time. Perhaps I should’ve tried to return to her chambers, to dispose of the wretched flowers. At the least, maybe it would have afforded us a few days more to find a permanent solution.
    Again, I was too late to save someone from the wickedness of King Alder.
    Mourners arrived en masse to the castle, tripling my duties overnight, then yet again by week’s end. There were more horses than stables to house them, and Master Grey was forced to find extra space for them or send the visitors away.
    My only free moment was for the queen’s internment in the family crypt. I kept far back from the processional led by King Alder and Prince Leopold, but even at the furthest reaches of the crowd of black-clad mourners, the prince’s eyes found me for a sliver of a second. What passed between us in that tiny fraction of time left me breathless. I knew then that he would seek me out at his first opportunity. His absolute need for a friend was so clear, it was as though he’d screamed it over the gathered crowd.
    My certainty of his feelings vanished as he passed into the stone entrance to the crypt, the queen’s ornately carved coffin following behind him on the shoulders of silver-armored knights.
    I would have been a liar if I said to anyone that I thought him safe. The prince was heir to the throne, and would step into that place on his next birthday, but that was yet a month away. With the queen gone, King Alder would have the gentle prince in his sights. I could not save his mother, but I wouldn’t fail again.
    Even if it cost me my life, I would save his.

Chapter 6

    “Are you sure that’s wise, Highness?” I asked, incredulous that he’d even consider it.
    “I am. It will be my last opportunity to do so before the coronation,” Prince Leopold said.
    He waited three full days before finding me, though I was sure it was being otherwise occupied that kept him, rather than lack of desire. Guests had finally begun leaving, and I’d spent the last day cleaning the excess mess from the stables. I couldn’t imagine how horribly I must’ve stunk after that, but the prince didn’t so much as pause before telling me his plans that afternoon.
    I fidgeted with the shovel and brushed the sweat from my forehead. “A two-day hunting trip?”
    “Yes,” he said. “And I wish you to come along to tend the horses.”
    Frowning, I couldn’t hide my anxiety. “Master Grey won’t care for that, Sire. And I don’t like the thought of leaving these other animals to his mercy.”
    “I don’t wish to order you, Rae, but I can’t tell you how desperate I am for company other than the Royal Guard. They hound me, endlessly shadowing my movements.” That same need in his eyes, a pleading for my presence, again stilled my breath with its strength. “Any companions I’ve made these past four years are all on the battlefield. I’ve been away from here for far too long. Those I knew even amongst the palace staff have dwindled to but a handful. Will you not grant me this request?”
    Unable to stop myself, I relented. “If that’s what His Highness requires, I shall provide it. If it will ease your burden, then, yes, I’ll oblige.”
    When he smiled, it was as though the sun returned after a month’s absence, stunning me with its brilliance.
    “Thank you, Rae,” he said, clasping my shoulder. He might as well have called down lightning to strike me for as shocked as I was at the contact. He removed his hand quickly,