14

~Kiva

Frost crunches beneath my shoes as I wander around the gardens with father by my side.

At this time of year, it’s a pitiful sight. Everything is frozen over, any sign of life have crawled away to die in the cold.

Yet father is starting to grow wary of his own staff, wanting to speak to me outside, where none of them linger.

"So you were incorrect then, about the intrusion?"

"That, or they figured out you weren't in the manor, and decided against it.” Father keeps his hands neatly tucked behind his back as we walk, smile ridged.

I’m glad he got it wrong, that my mate and his companions didn’t break in after all.

"Good...good."

I stare at my feet, trying to summon the courage to ask the question that has been at the tip of my tongue for a while.

“Hey, father?"

"Yes?"

"What would happen if I found my mate?" I ask softly. I’ve always wondered, since I was a child, and yet I’ve been too frightened of his answer.

Now, evidently, I can’t put it off any longer.

He takes a long time to t