AFTER BLACKVEIL
Chapter 1: Wishful thinking
The snow was falling fast, sweeping down in flurries and covering everything with a glistening white blanket until the whole palace looked like a castle out of an ancient legend. The air inside was cold, but the larger rooms had big roaring fireplaces to drive away the chill.
King Zachary looked up from the large stack of papers on his desk, and stretched his arms up to release the tension in his back. Nearly the end of the year, yet still there was so much to be done. Although the crops had been good this year, they still had hundreds of letters coming in from farmers and communities in the less productive areas, asking for extra supplies. And that pile of papers was one of the smaller ones. He ran his hand through his hair and sighed. The daylight was waning – the rest could wait until the morning.
There was a knock at the door, and Zachary called for them to enter. Fastion opened the door for a young girl carrying a silver tea tray. "Thank you Tara", smiled Zachary as the girl put the tray on the side table, blushed and dipped a curtsey before hastening out the door.
Normally he would join Estora for tea at this hour, but she was resting, having come down with a cold in the last few days. He wasn't too worried – she was stronger than she looked, and the menders had assured them that the baby growing inside her was not in any danger.
The fire gave a loud pop and he looked up, taking in the dancing flames and the ornate dishes upon the mantle, offering the traditional solstice gifts to Aeryc. According to the Priests' lore, the Moon God tiptoed down to earth in his stockings to visit the earth and reward the faithful with peace and prosperity for the coming year. After the longest night of the year had passed, it signified that Aeryc had re-ascended to the heavens and the Priests offered thanks for the light he would shine upon the earth through each night of the coming year. After this period of thanks giving came the celebrations, and the palace Yuletide Ball was the very next night, although less splendid celebrations would also be happening all over the city. These would be a good deal more enjoyable, Zachary mused, with more lively music and dancing, than the stilted affairs he had resigned himself to.
This of course brought thoughts of her – the wild creature who had captured his heart – with her dancing eyes and fiery spirit. She was never far from his thoughts, and he never ceased to hope she would return. He closed his eyes and his forehead creased slightly with an old pain. "I wish you a happy Yuletide, Karigan… wherever you are", he thought fervently. "May Aeryc and Aeryon keep you safe, my love." Well, they certainly had watched over her for as long as he had known her. He just hoped they always would.
