In Your Eyes

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“Whoever it was got away,” the king said through gritted teeth. “Just like before.”

“We’ll increase castle security,” the queen said, “and we’ll keep a guard with each family member for at least a week.”

Arella sighed. “I guess we can’t go skating,” she muttered to Mathias as they left the throne room. Her parents had called for a meeting with the entire castle.

“Not true,” he said, handing her a cloak and a pair of ice skates. “I talked to your parents and they said it would be okay but we can’t be too long.”

They hurried out to the horses and the stable hand added thick blankets under the saddles to keep the horses warm. The path had been covered by snow but that didn’t daunt their spirits. They road mostly in silence but Arella was getting excited. It had been years since she skated and she was looking forward to doing it again. And it got her out of the castle.

When they arrived at the lake she tested the ice.

“It’s nice and firm,” she announced. “We shouldn’t have any trouble with it.”

They sat on the snow and laced up their skates.

“It’s been a very long time,” he admitted, getting up and spreading his arms for balance. “I’m sure I’ll fall at least twice.”

She clicked her tongue and grabbed his hand. “You’ll be fine,” she said and kicked off with one foot.

She closed her eyes as she glided across the ice. The air rushed past her and tugged at her scarf. She was wearing it all the time now to hide the bruise marks. She spun when she heard a thud.

“Dammit,” he muttered and she went to help him stand. “I told you I’d fall.”

Again, she felt her lips curl into a smile, a smile that he returned.

“Can you do any tricks?” he asked.

She shook her head. “I can twirl, though,” she said and went to demonstrate.

She kicked off and held her arms out, gaining momentum until she felt like it was time to spin. As she did so, she felt as if someone was behind her and closed her eyes. She continued to skate along the lake, arms out, and could feel her brother skating behind her just like he always had. He would take her hand and spin her until she was dizzy and fall over laughing.

She slid to a stop back next to Mathias, panting slightly.

“You used to do that with your brother, didn’t you?” he asked as they glided across the ice together.

She nodded. “We had a little routine we would do. We were going to show our parents but….”

He took her hand and spun her around. She smiled, enjoying skating with him. Just as they were going to turn, her skate slipped and they both fell with a painful thud to the ice.

He groaned. “Maybe I shouldn’t skate with you,” he joked, rubbing his rear as he helped her back up.

“Like you have any room to talk,” she retorted and he tossed a ball of snow at her.

They raced to the edge and put their boots back on before launching into a snowball fight. Before she knew what was happening, laughter escaped her lips when she hit him square in the face. He shook his head vigorously to rid the snow and threw an even larger snowball at her. She ducked and tossed one that got him in the face again.

The world around them seemed to disappear as they continued throwing snow and, when it was clear she was winning, he tackled her to the ground, their laughter echoing around the trees.

She was breathing heavily, only dimly aware he was on top of her.

“That’s cheating,” she panted.

“I thought head shots weren’t allowed,” he said and she smiled at him.

Their eyes met and her heart skipped a beat. Snowflakes clung to his eye lashes and his nose was pink. He brushed some snow from her face and leaned forward. She closed her eyes as their lips met.

-

“Did you two have fun?” the queen asked when they returned an hour later.

“Your daughter cheats,” Mathias said, nudging Arella. “Tell me, are head shots allowed during a snowball fight?”

The king laughed. “It depends. Who threw them?” Mathias pointed at her. “Then yes, they are.”

“See?” she said, arching a brow. She shivered. “I’m going to go change into something dry.”

Mathias watched her climb the stairs with a small smile on his face. It was just him and the king and queen in the foyer and he bowed.

“Thank you for taking her out,” the queen said.

“She laughed,” he told her and the queen covered her mouth.

“She did?”

He nodded, smiling. “And she skated with her brother.”

The king put an arm around his wife’s shoulders and held a hand out for Mathias to shake.

“Thank you,” he said and Mathias smiled again. “Listen, we wanted to talk to you. Follow me.” Mathias felt nervous as they entered the king’s study and he stood by the fire. “First of all, we’re sorry about your seizures.”

He shrugged. “I’m used to them by now, to be honest.”

“Secondly,” the queen said, dabbing at her eyes, “your mother said you’ve been spending a lot of time with Arella.” He shifted uncomfortably, putting the skates on the floor. “We know you are a man of integrity but we have to ask. Are you taking advantage of her?”

His eyes widened. “Of course not! Why would I?”

The king sighed. “Marie, I need some time alone with him.”

The queen nodded and left.

“Your Highness,” Mathias breathed, “I swear I’m not using your daughter.”

“Please, sit down,” the king said, gesturing to a leather arm chair. “I haven’t seen Arella like this in three years. The fact that she smiled and laughed is overwhelming. We were so worried that she would drive herself insane, always thinking and grieving over her brother. But now she has someone else she can think about.” Mathias felt his face get red. “Women are fragile creatures. Their hearts can be easily broken. My wife, your mother, and I all know you two have some kind of relationship whether you realize it or not. But are you in it for the long haul?”

“I don’t think I understand the question,” he said slowly.

“Are you going to drop her when you leave?” he asked bluntly.

Mathias frowned. “I hadn’t even thought about when we would leave,” he answered honestly. “I’ve been so caught up in my research and in…. To be honest, I don’t want to leave here. And I don’t want to leave her.”

The king nodded once. “That’s what I needed to hear.” He stood up and shook Mathias’s hand. “Go change before you get sick.”

“Your Highness?” The king turned. “May I ask your permission to court your daughter?” he asked, his heart racing.

The king smiled. “Haven’t you already begun?”