The envelope was folded neatly, Katya observed the beautiful seal it had, the golden tones of the wax, carefully pressed into the peculiar form of a sun.
The symbol had always seemed magnificent, she thought it was an adequate metaphor, the west was an overwhelming sight, they had the best weather of the three Kingdoms which made the vast territory apt for plantations not only of vegetables but of sweet delicious fruits or at least, that's what she had read in the books.
Opening the letter, she relinquished in the neat handwriting, her eyes traveled throughout the curves and lines that conformed each word, it was comforting to have a letter addressed to her, a small assurance of her existence in comparison with the piled letters to her brother.
She sighed, this ordeal was almost over, they'd disclosed her father's death a few weeks ago, though the inhabitants of the city seemed to be astonished, everybody suspected it, Katya preferred to tell the truth (or at least a bit of it) before people started whispering about it, his absence at the signing was indicative enough.
The brevity of the letter was unexpected but the thoughtfulness of Madeline made up for that, the girl was trying to comfort Katya, lamenting that now both of them had lost their fathers.
This made Yekaterina smile bitterly, her lip quivered, how had Katya wished for his father to die quickly, she had prayed for it, instead, she had to see him succumb into delusion and when he seemed considerably better and she left his side, he died. Just like that, she no longer had a father and she wasn't even there to sooth him. Perhaps Madeline was right in comparing their experiences, her words seemed honest, enveloping her with warmth.
A warmth that she missed, Katya feared that Ivan was falling ill too, it was difficult to tell as he didn't talk that much with her, whenever she tried to engage in conversation he'd be distracted or asleep, could it be that replying to correspondence was too much work for him?
She shook her head, it wasn't a big deal, he was just being lazy, the office was a mess and missing the seal was just a way to delay his duties, she had managed even more troubles than him, Ivan didn't have to take care of foreign relations while they were at war..
Katya tapped her fingers on the desk, the candlelight flickered, darkness surrounding her for mere seconds, telling her that it was beyond late for her to be reading.
Scooping the ink closer, she prepared a paper, writing out a small reply, she could leave it to dry but Katya found herself aching to write more, to spill some of her thoughts in the letter, to propose an exchange of friendly correspondence to Madelaine, to ask Arthur for advice, she had already thought about doing the same with Gilbert but his dominant personality kept her from doing so, that and well, it would be frown upon if she started to write to them, she didn't want a misunderstanding.
A single, black drop fell from the quill, staining the paper, Katya frowned, her hand trembled slightly as she wrote a last inquiring line, followed by her shaky signature.
She stood from the chair, taking the candle with her, averting her gaze from the table, a shudder went through her body, perhaps it was better to burn that letter, to consult her brother about it.
She sighed, peering into the hallway she greeted the guard, closing the door behind her and going down the stairs. The moonlight provided her some light, a wave of uneasiness overtook her, she turned back to find herself alone in the entrance, though she felt observed, she quickened her pace, reaching the garden, faintly distinguishing her brother's voice.
What was he doing?
Yekaterina stepped back, hiding behind the fountain, she hoped the moonlight wasn't enough to reveal her presence, curiosity was nagging at her, to observe what was happening, she was glued on the spot.
The sounds, the voices were clear now, they were laughing. She held her breath as her brother walked by, followed by a maid and a little boy. He was holding a map, showing it to them. Katya observed in awe as he talked about the constellations with an enthusiasm she hadn't seen before in him.
Once they were out of her sight, she sighed, relief washing over her, pursing her lips Katya stepped back carefully, silently returning to the palace.
A part of her felt slightly offended, why was Ivan keeping secrets from her? She surely had a lot of questions now, though, asking him would only make him distrust her more, perhaps this was the reason why he argued against the marriage with Natalya, if Katya could decide, she would not oblige him but they had a debt to pay.
When she passed the office, the sight of the closed door made her pause, peering inside she was met with the candlelight and the same mess she had left.
The chilly air that embraced her made her shake, her eyes darted to the open window and she approached it, a soft light was visible between the trees of the forest, Katya squinted her eyes, no longer seeing anyone in the gardens.
The dim blue light grew stronger, taking a strong white color before dying out. The trees rumbled loudly, her eyes widened as a cold wind blew her candle, depriving her from light. In the darkness, she could only recognize the tall trees' outlines.
She closed the window, her foot touching a small object on the floor, rolling her eyes, she picked it up, perhaps the seal had fallen without her or Ivan noticing, all this time it had been there.
A sudden urge overtook her and she rapidly lit the candle, preparing the blue wax, taking the already dry letter and putting it into a small envelope, she quickly sealed it, not pausing to admire the process.
She retrieved the seal without much care and placed it on the drawer, securing it with a key, her eyes traveling to the letter. Katya shook her head, closing the door and returning quietly.
A heavy weight settled on her chest, closing the door of her chamber, she hoped for the softness of the covers to be enough to lull her into sleep, her thoughts swirling between the white light she saw in the forest and the letter she left on the desk.
Ivan glanced at the small silver clock, comparing it to the one that sat on his table, the artifact would randomly point from number to number without sense but at night, it seemed to remember its task and mark the time correctly. Ten o'clock.
He pocketed it, grabbing a light coat and the star chart that Ludwig had gifted them, a good excuse for him to go out this late.
Once in the hallway, he saw Tolys chatting with the guard next to the office, Ivan frowned, why was he here? If the guard was there, it meant that Katya was still inside.
Ivan greeted them as he darted to the stairs, the brunette following him.
After taking the corridor to the kitchen, Tolys chuckled. "Your highness, if you wanted something to eat you could have told me."
"You are too kind Tolys, but I want to pick it myself." Ivan replied, showing him the chart. "I have something to do, your assistance is not necessary."
Tolys nodded but kept walking by his side, they stopped in the hallway, Ivan could feel the warmth from the kitchen, inside he could hear small laughter. He turned to Tolys, patting him on the back. "It's late, you should rest."
"But-"
Ivan frowned, crossing his arms. "Tolys, I asked you to deliver a letter and you didn't, you dismissed my order and went away with Feliks, and now, are you questioning me?"
Tolys paled, lowering his head. "No, sir."
"Then, leave."
He nodded, walking away, taking rapid steps. Ivan watched him closely until he was out of reach, he'd have to interrogate him later about his whereabouts.
As Ivan entered, he saw Chun Yan handing a cup to a young child, he recognized him from before, referring to her as a sister, he stared in disbelief as she wiggled her fingers above the cup, muttering a silly tune.
The child drank the beverage with ease, she kissed his forehead, she turned, noticing Ivan's stare, she fidgeted with her hands. "He's my brother."
Ivan nodded, addressing the boy. "What is your name?"
The boy hid behind her, observing him intently, squinting his eyes and pointing at him before addressing Chun Yan. "What is that?"
She let out a nervous laugh, patting the boy in the head. "Do not point, I've told you that is mean." She looked up, smiling sheepishly. "His name is Kiku."
The boy gave hesitant steps before taking the star chart from Ivan's hand. "I was pointing at this." Opening the paper, Kiku's eyes traveled through the constellations illustrated on it. He huffed, returning it to Ivan. "I thought it was a map."
Chun Yan gasped as Ivan laughed, showing the star chart at the boy again. "It is a map but it's for locating stars. I can tell you how to use it"
The boy's eyes widened, he turned to Chun Yan, tugging at her skirt lightly. "Can we go out to look at the stars?"
She nodded, an unsure glance crossing her face as the boy ushered them to go out rapidly.
Kiku carried on making questions about the sky and how it was possible to make a map out of it. Ivan found himself infected with the boy's enthusiasm, answering his questions until they reached the small forest.
Before stepping in, he saw as Chun Yan and Kiku bowed slightly, muttering something that Ivan could not understand.
At night, the place seemed grim, Ivan had to walk carefully to not trip or step on the plants and bushes as he did the first night, the last few days he had been practicing with her, though the first exercises she had asked him to do were simple, he found it different to what his father had taught him, less focused on attacks or defenses and more keen to transforming objects.
He wondered how many times they had walked around here in the dark, their steps were swift and confident, unlike his.
The last days Ivan hadn't commented on her antics but curiosity got the best of him. "Why do you do that? the bow..."
She glanced at him, disbelief coating her words. "I ask for permission, a forest is always a respectable place if one must disturb it with magic, the least one can do is ask for permission or offer a sort of gift to it."
"What gift are you providing?"
Kiku let out a soft laugh, asserting. "A poem."
Ivan stared at her, arching an eyebrow.
Chun Yan shook her head and huffed. "Don't look at me like that, he is telling the truth. The trees have ears and eyes, a poem is a noble gift just like the singing of the birds." She sighed and resumed her steps.
Kiku broke the silence again. "Why do you have a map of the stars?"
Ivan shrugged. "It's a star chart, useful for navigation and astronomy." He glanced at her before adding. "Astronomy is like… uh… It's for looking at the stars."
"I understand, my father likes to trace maps, he is very talented."
Ivan hummed. "In that case, I'd like to talk with him."
Kiku glanced at him, pausing his steps. "My father was taken by the king and he hasn't returned. Do you know where he is?"
Ivan grimaced, glancing away. He opened the sky map, finding one of the constellations and showing it to Kiku, the boy kept walking with the map over his head, following Chun Yan silently again, the crunching of leaves under their feet was the only audible sound.
There were still so many things he didn't know, about his father, about his own palace, was it right to say that he lived here when he was so clueless?
She broke the silence, her voice hushed but audible "Kiku is not feeling very well these days, so I give him some medicine but he doesn't drink it unless I make a "potion" with it."
"A potion?" Ivan echoed, the shift of topic seemed adequate to him.
She chuckled. "It's not a real potion, it's just a medicine made of boiled herbs, though it may count as a potion, I'm not sure"
Ivan hummed, he remembered his mother drinking similar beverages but she never complained about the taste.
They stopped at the pond, Ivan had suggested the place as it was not that far from the palace but it wasn't close enough to be noticeable, he also liked the small colourful fishes that his father had brought there, perhaps the only wish he had granted him as a child.
Chun Yan took off her shawl draping it over the boy. "Kiku, sit here and tell me when you find the dragon." the boy nodded, lifting the sky map.
She glanced at the pond for a moment, kneeling, facing the water. "This one is not easy, so, you have to pay attention."
Ivan nodded, mimicking her position, sitting beside her and giving her an unsure glance. "if you are going to splash my face with the water, I swear that I'll have you beheaded"
"When I asked you to take a handful of dirt it had a purpose too, besides figuring out if your highness would dare to dirty his hands, it is a basic introductory task." She laughed, "look"
She dipped her hand in the water, shuddering, tracing a slight bluish light with her fingers. At this, some of the fishes circled around her hand, swirling slowly, she moved her hand closer to one, gently touching it with her palm, the blue light dispersed enclosing the fish, tracing it until the animal whirled away, leaving a traced copy of it that moved mirroring the fish, she retrieved her hand slowly, and the copy dissipated into the water.
She beamed. "That is an illusion, it is easier to perform in water as it is already a kind of mirror but it's tricky because neither the water nor the fish will stay still." She shivered and swayed her hand, "Also, it's very cold."
"The water?"
She nodded. "Do you remember how it felt like to grasp onto the soil? Think about it, it should help you catalyze the energy. Give me your hand, I'll help you."
Ivan complied, the water was indeed cold but it wasn't too bad, he chuckled. "Are you telling me that whenever you use your magic, you think about dirt? How disappointing."
She frowned,"I wouldn't have to use such an example if I could speak in my native language, I am way more brilliant when I don't have to translate and the number of words is wider."
"All that knowledge and still, you can't read." Ivan teased, glancing at their hands, the bluish light was barely visible, he frowned.
"I spend the whole day in the kitchen. Reading is the least of my worries, besides I speak two languages."
Ivan shuddered at the sound of the silvery voice whispering. "Be careful with what you say."
He paused, glancing around, the ghostly figure wasn't around, he looked back at her, she lowered her eyes muttering a soft "I'm sorry."
Kiku's voice took him out of his thoughts. "I found it! look, it is by the north! These names are so weird, there is one called horo… horologium. What does that mean?"
"Look for the hunter." She said, dipping her hand on the water again.
Ivan sighed, pursuing his lips, trying to focus on his task.
Kiku's voice was heard again. "Lupus is a wolf, right? the ghost says it is a wolf."
Ivan turned around quickly, his voice faltering. "What ghost?"
She hushed the boy, shaking her head. "Kiku, I've told you there are no ghosts here."
The boy pointed at them. "There is one right there!"
An Iron grip encircled Ivan's wrist and he flinched, a cold wind passed but he wasn't cold all over, only his hand was cold. The pale hand grasping his wrist tightened it's hold, Ivan whimpered, meeting that familiar icy blue glare of his nightmares before the ghostly figure passed through him.
He watched in horror as the bluish hand merged into his own. A surge of pain hit him, like thousand needles piercing his bones, he tried to retrieve his hand but it moved on it's own, instead of following his command, his hand clasped Chun Yan's wrist, she gasped, whimpering at the hold.
A soft warmth feeling was enveloping his hand, soothing the pain until it became a dull tickle, Ivan watched as the same bluish light that mirrored the fish was doing the same with their hands.
Blinking rapidly, he found himself glancing at the reflection, the view was certainly strange, two right arms belonging to either him and Chun Yan, plus another one that had bluish tones, it quickly moved to grasp onto her wrist, making her whail, the illusion shattered making Ivan dizzy.
Taking a hold of the icy hand, Ivan snatched it from her, pulling her back as the coldness on the water increased, he tightened his hold while a dim blue light encircled the icy hand, becoming a bright white.
A grunt escaped from the silvery voice as the white light formed a small flame around the icy hand.
Struggling on his hold, the ghostly figure moved away. "Oh, this maiden has powerful magic." Facing him, the figure showed pearly whites with a devious grin. "but this trick won't work twice." It said, submerging itself on the water, a cold wind passed through, making the nearest trees grumble loudly.
Ivan held his breath, fearing that if he moved an inch the searing pain would return. Though the ghost was gone, the pond was solid ice, the fishes stood still, frozen in place.
He glanced back at Chun Yan, she was holding her hand, frowning. He observed her quietly, her face wasn't contorting in a grimace of pain or anger, she was clasping her wrist,
She looked back at Kiku, rushing to him. "Did something happen to you?"
The boy shook his head, taking her hand, turning to look at Ivan. "He says that you killed the wolf, is that why it is on the sky now?"
Ivan widened his eyes."You see it too?" As soon as those words left his mouth, he felt a searing coldness on his shoulders.
She stood up, dusting her dress and knitting her eyebrows. "What kind of deal have you done?"
Ivan stood up too, shaking his head. "None."
Chun Yan shook her head, frowning slightly. "That thing is absorbing magical energy." She said, rubbing her hands together. "I hope the fishes start moving again once you manage to defrost them."
Ivan glanced at the pond and back to her. "I can't. I don't know how to-"
She shrugged and started to walk away, taking Kiku's hand. "Figure it yourself, I am done with this today."
Ivan frowned, his hand trembled as he moved it closer to the pond.
Think about something warm, what could possibly go wrong?
He shook his head and knocked on the cold surface, completely solid, it was strange, the water was solid ice but it didn't feel cold.
Ivan approached her, placing a hand on her shoulder but she snatched his hand and stepped back.
"Do not touch me." she said, moving the boy behind her. "You are hiding something. I will not go through this if you don't tell me what it is."
He sighed, fidgeting with his hands. "I don't know what happened, it follows me around and I can't do anything about it."
Chun Yan observed him, distrust coating her words. "Spirits don't wander around without a reason."
Ivan shifted under her gaze. "I asked your help because-" he paused, looking at the boy and back at her, lowering his voice. "I've killed when I used my magic..." he paused, she seemed unfazed, he lowered his head, fidgeting with his hands. "I killed a… wolf when I set him on fire" he sighed, avoiding her gaze.
So much time without uttering the tortuous happening to anyone and he would disclose it to her? perhaps it was better, who would believe her if she decided to tell? He took a breath, approaching her closely, whispering. "I killed the king of the west in the same way." he trailed off. The hushed confession was supposed to make him feel better, but it didn't.
She gasped, stepping back, a worried glance directed to the boy. "Kiku, did you find the hunter?"
The boy shook his head, walking hesitantly away, looking back at them every now and then.
She fidgeted with her dress, giving him an unsure glance her voice hushed. "That sounds like a curse."
Ivan understood the implications of what he had said, she was right in being scared, who wouldn't? Still, he found himself approaching her. "I didn't mean to do that, please, don't think I did it on purpose."
She pursued her lips, offering her hand with hesitation, Ivan observed for a moment before taking her trembling hand, it was cold.
She didn't retreat from his touch, her voice was soft. "Why do you say you didn't mean it?"
Ivan pondered for a bit, merely tightening his hold. "The wolf was a knight, he was kind to me, he didn't deserve it, I didn't know that he would die like that, I was a child I couldn't know." His voice faltered, he clasped his hands around her own, her right hand was ice cold. "The King of the west, I don't know, it wasn't on purpose I barely pushed him aside and… and he was engulfed in flames…they both screamed horridly and every night I see them on my dreams while they melt and rot away, blaming me for such a painful death, but I didn't mean to do that, I wouldn't..."
She gave him a pitiful glance, softening her tone. "The knight, did you touch him too?"
Ivan glanced up at her, a chill ran down his very bones as he saw that godforsaken ghost looming behind her, smiling sharply at him, the man shook his head slowly, placing a bluish hand to his lips.
Ivan pressed her hand slightly harder, not daring to face those icy eyes again, muttering. "I shot him with an arrow, it… it was supposed to be a joke." he paused, waiting for the silvery voice to reprend him.
He looked up, the ghost had vanished, a sigh of relief escaped him. "I am really sorry."
She smiled nervously, retrieving her hand and stretching her fingers. "See? you could warm my hand, now do the same with the pond." She patted him on the back, leading him to the frozen water. "Regret is a first step to fix some of your mistakes, though I wouldn't recommend to lean on that."
"What does that mean?"
She kneeled, placing her hands on the cold surface, motioning for him to do the same. "I believe you, you can't possibly be a cruel person if you are so tormented by those deaths. Internal struggles show through one's magic, why didn't you mention it to anyone?"
Ivan observed the inmobile fishes. "Katya would think I am going mad."
"What about your father?"
Ivan frowned, placing his hand on the ice, not meeting her gaze.
Kiku peered over, passing his hand through the solid water, whispering. "Is it true? That the king knows how to freeze someone's heart?"
"Kiku, don't repeat such things." She scolded, knitting her eyebrows "and don't touch the ice, you'll get sick."
Ivan avoided their gaze, he hated to admit that the boy was right, he had seen that himself, it was the reason he dreaded his lessons, he still remembered some of those hopeless faces.
"When our father returns I want to come back to our home, this place is too cold, I don't like it. You say it is always sunny in the east. I like that, I want to be where the sun rises every day" Kiku retreated his hands, yawning, Ivan could hear him folding the star chart.
Chun Yan smiled sadly, turning her attention towards Ivan. "Close your eyes and try to focus on the ice and what you want it to do. Or if it helps focus on a fish, try to help it move."
Ivan nodded, the surface grew colder, the clearness of the pond was replaced with a layer of hoarfrost.
Chun Yan stood up, placing her hands on his shoulders. "Your mother was kind, she used to hang around in the kitchen. My father put a spell there because she complained about being cold."
He looked up at her. "Is that why the kitchen is always insufferably warm?"
She nodded. "Yeah, but it's not too bad once you get accustomed to it."
Ivan was about to retort but the layer of ice gave away, sinking his hands on the water.
Chun Yan laughed as he took out his damp hands from the pond, the fishes swirling slowly again. Ivan allowed himself to laugh too. "Can we refrain from using water for a practice?"
She helped him up, shaking her head. "Water is essential, it cleanses, soothes, destroys and ravages, just like magic itself, nature is the best ally to a magician. Even your father must have been aware of that, ice is water after all."
Ivan hummed, frowning slightly. "What about fire?"
She approached Kiku, draping the shawl on him again, securing it with a knot, the boy was lowering his eyelids slowly, she shook his shoulder lightly. "Fire is difficult to describe, it is just as the water, though I'd dare say fire it's light itself, it depends on a lot of things. Being natural elements it is part of them to be both vital and fatal." She frowned, directing an apologetic gaze at Ivan. "I'm sorry but I have to take Kiku home, I can't stay longer."
Ivan nodded. "You stay in the servants' households, right?"
She snorted. "Nobody stays there,"
"Why?"
Chun Yan handed him the sky map and picked up the boy, Kiku rested his head on her shoulder, closing his eyes, she smiled tightly. "Good night, your highness."
Ivan stood for a while, watching her leave, fire is light itself? What was that supposed to mean?
He shook his head, returning to the palace, before entering, he glanced back at the starry night.
Opening the map, he tried to find the wolf, perhaps he could deceive himself, thinking that the knight was better off observing everything from above.