Winter King by Sloane Murphy
Prologue
Iwatch my grandbabies as they play. They’re so young and carefree, they don’t deserve to be burdened in the way I’m going to burden them today, but it is time. One of them must be the carrier of the secret our family has kept for years. I can feel my life coming to its end, the downside of foresight. It also means I know the terrible paths laid before my babies, the pains they could suffer if they make certain choices, but I cannot intervene. I also know that by telling them, that whichever of them keeps the secret tied to them by magik is going to have a darkness inside of them that they don’t understand, and chaos will follow them wherever they lead. My experience of being the secret bearer brought me such happiness, but it was always tainted by the darkness, even before I knew I held the secret. It tore me in two until it unveiled itself. That’s when I remembered, being told the same thing by my grandfather with my twin sister. He didn’t know which of us would be left with the burden either, but he withered away not long after, as if releasing the secret released him from his inner turmoil.
“Hey babies, how about some lunch and story time?” I call out to them, their laughter warming my heart but increasing the guilt churning in my stomach too.
“Yay! Grandma’s story time! I bet I can get there before you, Emmy,” Edimere squeals as they take off running across the grounds towards me. I crouch down and open my arms that they dive into when they reach me. I wrap my arms tightly around them and hold them close. They’re too young, but this is their burden to carry, their brother is to be the King, he has burdens of his own to come.
“Come on, let’s see what Lenetta has got us sorted for lunch, shall we?” I take their small hands in my own, and bring them inside to the sun room where I asked Lenetta to lay us out a mini picnic. Edimere dives forward onto the blanket while Emilia, my quiet shy girl, stays by my side tucked into my skirts.
“Grandma, are we eating on the floor?” She looks up at me with those big beautiful blue eyes, so much like her mother’s.
“Yes Emmy, we are. I thought a picnic would be nice, don’t you think?” She looks pensive for a second before nodding and sitting down gently opposite her brother and they start to pick at the food before them, Edimere taking the crusts from Emilia’s sandwiches because she hates them and he thinks they’re great. They are so alike in so many ways now, but I already know that so much is going to change for them. My heart lies heavy in my chest at the thought of the perils that sit before them. They’re only five, they have their whole lives ahead of them, I only hope they make the right choices and avoid some of the paths before them. I know that this world will steal their innocence, it is the way of the Fae, they will not get to be children for much longer, I just hope a spark of this happiness stays with whichever of them ends up as the keeper.
I sit between them and just listen to their babble while they eat, talks of balls, horses, war, and marrying princes. Things that seem so magikal to them, even though they are Royals themselves. They have not been exposed to the world that awaits them fully yet, poor Erion carries that curse. I only hope that he finds the happiness I know is waiting out there for him.
“Are we all done?” I ask when they just seem to be picking at their food rather than eating, and they nod to me. “Right, so how about story time?”
They lay down on either side of me, their heads in my lap and I run my fingers through their soft hair. “So, to start the story, I need you guys to help me. You need to repeat exactly what I say, okay?”
“Okay,” they each say excitedly.
“Perfect, so repeat after me. I am the one of original blood, the keeper of the origin, the guardian of its magik. I swear to guard the secret with my life, and protect the balance. Bound by the blood of Elf, Fae, Angel, and Demon, I accept the knowledge bestowed upon me. May I keep the secret hidden until it is time to be revealed.” I pause between each sentence giving them chance to speak. Their little voices say the words I ask of them, and my heart breaks as I feel the magik draw from me to wash over them, knowing that they won’t remember this, so whichever is cursed with the secret won’t understand the darkness inside of them until it is necessary for them to remember.
“Well done you guys, that was brilliant. Okay so, story time! Once upon a time, before the world as we know it, the Fae and the Elves worked together, but the Fae were sad and envious of the Elves because they got to play with magik, and the Fae didn’t have very much. The Fae worked for the Elves and helped keep harmony between the Angels and the Demons. Then one day, the Queen of the Fae, a brave girl called Eleanora, decided that the Fae had paid their dues to the magik users and should be gifted with magik too. Her people had suffered and fought alongside the rest of the world, helping keep the humans on their side of the veil, keeping peace with the Demons, and it was time to be rewarded. So, Queen Eleanora travelled across the lands of Eressea, and across the narrow oceans to the land of Shani, the journey was long and perilous, and many of her beloved guard perished on the journey. They were attacked and robbed, by the Demons and Elves alike, all because they had little magik to fight back with. Once Queen Eleanora arrived at Silalnor, the city of the Elves, with only her main guard—who would become King Tristin—she requested a meeting with the high council. Because of her peoples’ hard work, and the unfortunate treatment she received on her travels, they were granted a meeting.
Queen Eleanora and Tristin waited weeks, while unbeknownst to her, in her absence her people were being attacked by the Demons. Men were killed, and women were ravaged, making the Fae people hate the Demons. When Queen Eleanora and Tristin were finally able to meet with the council, she laid out the case for her people to be granted access to the origin of power, as reward for everything they had sacrificed and given up for the other races. There was much argument as each of the other races would need to sacrifice a small part of their power for the Fae to be able to access the origin and be granted more magik. The agreement was made, and King Balin of the Elves set a date for a week later for them to travel to the origin keeping place to make the exchange.
In the week of waiting, news reached Queen Eleanora of the plight of her people, and in secret she married Tristin, to help strengthen her claim to her crown. After their marriage, the two plotted a plan to not only gain magik for their people, but to get revenge on the Demons who had hurt their people so badly. Tristin returned home to Eressea to help their people in the fight back against the Demons.
Queen Eleanor met with King Balin, Michael the highest of the Angel Order and Luke, the King of Hell. The four travelled for twelve days to the secret place of the origin. King Balin started the magikal ritual to cast a small portion of magik back into the origin so it could be gifted to the Fae. He entered six drops of his blood into the well of the origin, and passed the ceremonial blade to Michael and Luke who did the same. Once the blade was passed to Eleanor to mix her blood with theirs so that her people would be accepted by the origin to be gifted with the magik that they had sacrificed, she cut Luke deeply, taking more of his magik than he was willing to give, incapacitating him, and then quickly added her own blood into the mix, so that her people would gain more powers from the Demons, making the Demons the weakest of the four species. The ritual completed and the High council were furious with Eleanor, but unable to reverse the effects of the spell as Eleanor held the well of the origin and the ritual blade. Queen Eleanor explained about how the Demons have been ravaging her lands since she left, and that this seemed the best punishment for the ones who take advantage of their powers. She announced that her bloodline were the most untainted by magik, and so they would be the keepers of the well, its whereabouts unknown to the others to avoid the Demons rising up and terrorizing the world again, before handing the ritual knife back to King Balin.
Because of the Demons’ betrayal of the Fae, Balin and Michael agreed that the punishment would be fitting considering the Demons constant fighting and abuse of power. Despite Luke’s protests, the agreement was struck. Queen Eleanor arrived home to her lands, and the destruction caused there. The Demons, weakened by their lack of power were overwhelmed as the Fae fought back, unfortunately the damage the Demons had caused was already done. From this attack, the Hunters were created, and as a punishment to the Demon race, they were given lives of servitude to pay for the sins of their fathers. The deal was agreed by Queen Eleanor and Luke as a final restitution for the wrongdoings of the Demons. Demons after this almost disappeared from existence, and the Hunter race became more powerful than expected due to their Fae blood, so Queen Eleanor made another deal with King Balin to bind the magik of the Hunters so that their Fae blood didn’t feed their power. The deal meant that Queen Eleanor’s blood line would be cursed with the knowledge of the origin, and that the Fae would never know how they got their power, so that no others could take advantage of the well.
Our family are the direct descendants of Queen Eleanor, and now one of you will be the one to carry this secret. The origin is hidden, deep in the depths of this palace. Only the true heirs of Eleanor are able to find the path and are granted access to the resting place of the origin. One day, when you need it, you’ll be able to find it, but when you do, you must, under any circumstances, keep the location hidden from everyone, except for the next chosen pair who will be given the burden of carrying the secret.”
“Is that true, Grandma?” Emilia looks up at me with wide eyes.
“Don’t worry, Emmy, I’ll carry the secret so you don’t have to,” Edimere tells her patting her knee.
“Really? Can he do that, Grandma.” She looks at me with such hope that I just nod and smile. I don’t have it in my old heart to break her hopes.
“Oh good, I hate secrets, I’m not very good with them.” She breathes a sigh of relief and hits me with the biggest smile. “Princesses aren’t meant to keep secrets anyway. Princesses look after their people, they are kind and just, just like in my story books. Keeping secrets isn’t very nice.”
“Can we go play again now please, Grandma?” Edimere asks, already on his feet.
“Of course, my loves, but you know the rules. A hug is payment for playtime.” He rushes me and squeezes me before running back out into the garden, closely followed by his sister. I only hope that they stay this close, that he protects her from our cruel and brutal world. Emilia isn’t of this world, she’s gentle and kind, unlike any other Fae child I’ve seen. I worry that this world will break her, it will make her into someone she was never meant to be. I sigh as I feel the magik leave me, neither of them indicating if the magik affected them, so I will never know which of them is destined for this burden, not even my gifts grant me that knowledge. I sit back on the lounger and lift my legs. I can feel my life slipping away from me, and after this many years, I am ready, I just hope my babies are the ones to find me. They brought such joy back into my life in these last five years, a tear slips from my eye, knowing that my parting gift to them is a curse.
