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Chapter 40
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Frozen Heart Chapter 41
Ayla walked down a stone hallway she did not recognize. Vases with flowers were placed on tables under large windows, and tapestries covered the walls. A few doors were to her right, but none of them caught her attention. It rained heavily outside. It didn’t appear she was in Nordmar, as it never rained in the kingdom of Eternal Winter. At the end of the hallway was a door with a crown crest indicating it was the Royal Bedchamber. She felt the urge to enter and opened the door. The room was beautifully decorated—exotic furs covered the four-poster bed; velvet curtains hung in front of the windows, a jewelry box lay open on the vanity table, bottles with hair oils and brushes were next to it, while a book was opened on a bedroom bench as if someone had just read from it. But what drew Ayla’s attention was the couple in the middle of the room. The woman was heavily pregnant while the man was on his knees in front of her, looking up at her. The storm and the curtains being closed mad
Frozen Heart Chapter 42
Ayla woke up, her heart still racing in her chest. The dream she had experienced had been so vivid she could still see each detail clearly in her head. Her hands trembled as she looked around the cave. Seeing Rhobart so brutally tortured and killed made her more determined to help him in the upcoming war. And to find Uzriel. Rhobart was near the waterfall, training, his back facing her. He was wearing only a pair of trousers. His muscles flexed, and she bit her bottom lip, her cheeks turning pink. Her heart kept hammering in her chest, but for a different reason. He was bad for her health. Trying to distract herself from the dream and Rhobart, she decided to make breakfast. A basket with fruits was next to the fire pit. Cheese, smoked meat, and bread were in the supplies satchels. The kettle already had water in it, and Ayla put it over the fire to make tea. When she had finished setting up the food on two plates and tea in the cups, she sat on a rock and started eating. She kept t
Frozen Heart Chapter 43
“I should have asked you before putting the bracelet around your hand. You can take it off,” she said. His eyes found hers. They appeared as cold and full of hate as the day they met in Myrthana. “I should have never brought you here!” he snarled. She felt like he had punched her. “If it is for the bracelet, I assure you I will never—” He didn’t let her finish what she wanted to say. “Because you remind me of things I had and will never have again!” he growled, ripped the flower bracelet, and stormed off. She had hoped they were finally friends but seeing the raw anger and hate in his eyes hurt. He will forever see her as King Amul’s daughter. If not for her father, and maybe if Rhobart and her met under other circumstances, would he have liked her? She picked up the bracelet Rhobart threw on the ground and put it in one of her satchels. Tears prickled her eyes, and she blinked them away. Daya appeared on one of the rocks near the fire pit. “Love is always painful. But after a st
Frozen Heart Chapter 44
Never had a man been so close to her. He looked into her eyes and cupped her cheek. Blood roared in her ears. She was scared. Not of Rhobart but of her feelings for him. For days she had tried to fight them, but she could not anymore. She was falling in love with the man that not long ago she had hated with all her heart. Since they started traveling alone, she came to know so much more about him and came to know Rhobart was not the monster her father claimed he was. Rhobart stroked her cheek with his thumb. He looked at her as if he...cared for her. She desperately wanted it to be true. “You are so beautiful,” Rhobart murmured and dipped his head until their lips almost touched. He was going to kiss her. She knew she was supposed to wait until the day of her wedding, but she wanted her first kiss to be with Rhobart. Even if it only happened once, she would treasure the moment forever. Her heart beat so hard she was sure he could hear it. His breath danced on her skin. He kept st
Frozen Heart Chapter 45
When Ayla woke up, Rhobart was already gathering their belongings. The horses had their saddles on, and breakfast was made. Even tea. Ayla got up, gathered her furs before going to the pool to wash her face and hands. “Let’s eat. We leave in half an hour,” Rhobart informed her went she returned to the campfire. Ayla nodded and sat on a rock, and Rhobart gave her a plate of scrambled eggs and bacon. She looked at the Tree Spirit. The nightingales were quiet. “Tell me you didn’t!” Rhobart took a bite of his eggs. “I don’t have a death wish. Daya loves her birds so much she would annihilate anyone that dares to harm them.” “Then where did you get the eggs and bacon from?” Rhobart shrugged. “I couldn’t sleep last night. Too many thoughts were running through my head, so I took a walk outside and ended up at the hot springs and played cards with some men. Came back with food. And wine.” Ayla started eating. “Poor King Rhobart. He is so poor he has to play cards to put food on the tabl
Frozen Heart Chapter 46
Rhobart groaned in annoyance, and Ayla blushed. She seemed to be doing that a lot lately around him. It was snowing outside, and Ayla pulled the hood of her new cloak over her head before getting on top of Spirit, and Rhobart and her resumed their journey to the Hammer Clan. The morning passed without any incident, and around noon they were back on the main road. When they passed next to a forest, Rhobart suddenly said, “I just remembered a shortcut to the Hammer Clan. By late afternoon tomorrow, we will be reunited with the others.” “You do know shortcuts are often dangerous,” Ayla commented. “Not as dangerous as your tea.” Ayla glared at him, and he cleared his throat. “See those mountains?” he asked while pointing at the horizon. “There is a path between them. Normally it is not dangerous, but sometimes goblins will try to attack travelers who are foolish enough to get close to their cave.” Goblins were small humanoid creatures with green, leathery skin that offered some protec
Frozen Heart Chapter 47
The goblins tried to attack Rhobart with their weapons, but Kerra—who had been dragging one of the dead harpies after her—jumped in the middle of them and started biting and clawing any goblin that didn’t move fast enough. Ayla jumped down from Spirit, took out her dagger, and rushed to help Kerra kill the goblins. “Leave him alone! Get away from here!” she yelled as she cut the arm of a goblin. The creatures swung their clubs and branches at Ayla and Kerra, even hit Ayla’s right hand, but stood no chance of winning. In a few minutes, four of them lay dead next to Rhobart while the remaining three—who were badly injured—ran away. Ayla kneeled next to Rhobart. Her hand throbbed with pain, but she ignored it as she was very concerned for Rhobart. “Please don’t be dead! I am going to be so mad if you die!” To her relief, he was still breathing. She rushed to Spirit and took out one of her tunics and cut it into strips. Her mother and grandmother had taught her many things about medic
Frozen Heart Chapter 48
“Get on top of me,” Rhobart said. “Excuse me?” “It will get even colder, and we will have to share body heat. I would gladly shelter you with my body, but my arm hurts like a motherfucker, and I don’t want to bleed all over you with what is left of my blood.” Ayla snorted. “I see you are better. And to think I was worried about you.” “It’s because of the tea you forced me to drink,” he said and put his left arm under her waist and dragged her to him until she was half on top of him. “I don’t think it is wise for me to sleep in this position. What if I accidentally hit you in my sleep?” When she had bad dreams, she often thrashed in her sleep. “I have seen you sleep many nights. You barely move.” “Not if I have nightmares.” Rhobart was silent for a moment. “You never told me what they were about.” “Things. Yours?” “Also things. Thank you for taking care of me.” “Always,” Ayla said, and she felt Rhobart’s arm tighten around her. Ayla put her left palm on his bare chest, put
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