Winter King by Sloane Murphy

3

Cade

The Royal jeweler is apparently in hiding, or at least, he’s nowhere in this palace. I’ve had Lex and another of my guard searching for him for half a day, and regardless of the size of this place, there aren’t that many places to hide. I feel like I’m missing something obvious, something under my nose. There was nothing before Emilia disappeared that made me suspicious, and that frustrates me even more. How could I not have noticed? How could I not see that someone close to us wanted to hurt her. Hurt us.

I try not to think too much about her being hurt, my rage would level cities at this point, so I’m trying to keep a lid on it as much as I can.

“Your Majesty.” I stop my stalking down the hall towards the main entrance of this place and look up to see a very nervous stable hand, almost shaking before me. I guess news of my worsening mood is spreading around the palace. I try to lessen my scowl.

“How can I help you?” The edge to my voice is nothing I can control, but I’ve managed to lessen the bite I had earlier.

“I heard that you are searching for the jeweler… He’s my cousin, sir, and I just… I heard my mother talking this morning to my aunt, saying how he was taking a trip. I didn’t think anything of it until Ella, the cooks’ hand, mentioned that you were looking for him. I’m sorry I didn’t come to you sooner.”

“That’s quite alright. Do you know where he was going? Or when he intended to leave?” I bite out the words. I try to keep my suspicions at bay, but this is too much of a coincidence. I’m going to wring his fucking neck, if he’s lucky.

“I have no idea where, Your Majesty. I know he usually goes away during the winter, he likes to travel into the human realm and cause a little havoc. I think he is leaving tomorrow. I imagine he’ll be at his home in the city.” He wrings out his hands as he tells me, his voice shaking.

“Thank you. I’m going to have Lex come and find you. Take him to your cousin’s house, and if he’s not there, anywhere else he might be. It is imperative I speak to him, do you understand?”

“Yes of course, Your Majesty. I’ll go and prepare the horses for a trip. His house is on the other side of Ringa, close to Avaenora. I’ll help in any way I can. Your family has done more for me than I could have ever asked for, I have a great debt to repay.”

“If you bring you cousin to me, I’ll ensure you are rewarded well,” I tell him, and he runs off to the stable after bowing slightly. I roar and tear through the palace in search of Lex. I find him in the staff quarters, for those who live here.

“Lex, I need you to go out. I got news of his whereabouts. The stableboy is his cousin, he’s going to take you to his house, and other places he stays if he isn’t there. The horses are prepped.”

“Of course, and if I find him?”

“Bring him back here, whatever it takes. He was planning a trip to the human realm, it’s too coincidental, the timing. He has to know something.”

“Understood. I’ll have him back here before night falls. If he’s already crossed into the human realm?”

“Just bring him back.”

“Consider it done.” He takes off without another word, and I know that no matter what, Lex will bring the man to me. In what state, is all dependent on if he struggles. Lex has saved my life more times than I wish to count, and I owe him a few lifetimes over. He is loyal to a fault, and never fails in his mission. I think being who and what he is fuels him, he has as much rage and sadness buried deep down as I do, and we bonded over that. He found me after wondering around aimlessly for so long after being exiled from Shani, after the Elvish Queen found out that he wasn’t just Prince Darwen’s friend, but actually the bastard son of her husband, and she lost her mind. He came here to search for his mother, a Fae woman who left him in Shani with his father, thinking he would have a better life. Instead of finding her, he found me, and the rest is history. We have fought side by side, hell we fought each other, but he’s as much my brother as Rohan is. I know that no one else trusts him, but that’s because no one else knows who he is, what he’s been through, and considering the typical attitude towards the Elves from the Fae, I can’t say I blame him.

After everything that happened with Edimere, then losing Erion who had been my best friend for my entire life, I was lost and in a dark place. Lex found me passed out, drunk in a pile of whores, and got me home before anyone else could see me, or worse get news to my father, whose idea of punishment for disgracing the family name was blood. Mine, or that of those I cared about. I’m almost positive that’s why what happened to Edimere happened. Rohan and I had both fucked up, and in his eyes, disgraced the family, even though no one else had any idea. He knew how close we were to the Daarkes. It didn’t matter that it restarted the war as long as he was right, and he felt just punishment was doled out.

I shake off the memories of that night, they still haunt me, even after everything. To know that I’ve now potentially lost Emilia without being able to give her the world I never should have taken from her, cuts me deeper than my father was ever able to. I sigh, and head to my mother’s wing. She’s had healers in with her round the clock, but still her prognosis is no better. I can’t help but wonder if what is happening is something she saw, and chose not to reveal. I hate to think that way of my mother, but she suffered my father’s wrath more than the rest of us, and living like that changes you, more than you ever thought possible.

I hear her voice singing out amongst the birds as I approach her atrium, and smile. It has been a while since I’ve heard her say anything other than jumbled ranting. I feel a little lighter knowing that she might be coming back to us. That we might have a little help. God knows I could use her talents trying to work out what the fuck is happening around here. I always hated her particular talents, I got away with nothing, but now that I’m in the position I am, I miss her and her iron will more than I ever thought I would.

I open the door, and find her watering her plants as she sings, the healers with her, making sure she does not fall, and keeping her calm.

“Mother?” I say softly, trying not to startle her.

“Cade? Oh, my sweet boy, there you are. Where have you been? My little birds have been wondering where you’ve been. We have not seen you in so long, we missed you.” She grabs my face in both hands and kisses both cheeks before floating back to her plants.

“I missed you too, Mother. How are you feeling?” I look to the head healer who smiles at me kindly.

“Oh I’m fine,” Mother coos softly as the healer approaches me.

“She is okay for now. We have managed to calm her with sedation, it seems to be affecting her memories. Whatever was making her act the way she was has been lost to her for now. We’re not sure how long this will last, or if she’ll go back to who she was before her breakdown. I’m confident that if she can face what she saw, we’ll get her back, but without knowing what triggered her, it is hard to heal her.”

“Is there any way to go into her mind and find what she's repressed? There has to be something that we can do because I need her back.”

“The best thing that you can do for her is to give her time to heal and come back to you in her own time. Rushing her could cause more damage than has already been done.”

“I do not have time.” I pull at my hair to try and focus on the pain of that rather than the loss of my mother, and my fear for Emilia, but the Winter magik inside my veins spreads out around me, ice coating the floor at my feet. It has been a long time since I lost control of my elemental magik. I need to get my shit under control. “Thank you, make sure you are doing everything you can to bring her back to me as quickly as you can, there are things that need her attention.”