Chapter 57

Tucking Elain's cloak more tightly around her, Lucien braced himself against the icy wind as they headed toward Kallias' palace. Elain shuffled closer and he wrapped an arm around her, letting her huddle into him as they moved forward. "Weren't they going to send someone to meet us?" she asked and Lucien nodded.

"Yes." He muttered, squinting into the wind. "They were…" He felt Elain shudder and pulled her closer.

"At least we get to see how beautiful it is…" Her teeth were chattering and Lucien pulled her to a stop.

"Here…" He ghosted his hands over her shoulders and down the cloak, sending a small spark of his power into it to keep her warm.

"Oh, was that… a heating spell…?"

"Something like that." He replied, slipping an arm around her again. "I'd try winnowing us closer, but we might miss them if they're coming…"

"Do you think they are?"

Lucien caught sight of something moving through the snow. His metallic eye allowed him to focus better on it as it moved closer and he smiled as he pointed it out to Elain. "Yes…" he watched as it approached. "It's one of Kallias' sleighs."

"Are those reindeer?"

"They are."

Elain gave a little bounce and they just stood, waiting as the sleigh approached them. He watched as it came to a stop just ahead of them and he was surprised to see Kallias himself was driving it. Elain had darted forward before he could stop her as she hurried toward the reindeer, her hand out to meet the soft nose of the one leading the others.

"Sorry I am late." Kallias said, and Lucien looked up to where he stood in the sleigh. The High Lord's ice blue eyes flicked from Lucien toward Elain and then back again. "I lost track of time…" his eyes went back to Elain, watching her petting his reindeer. "I… take it you haven't frozen just yet."

"Not yet." Lucien replied, watching Elain himself now. She was murmuring to the reindeer, smiling widely and he called to her as he approached the sleigh, climbing up easily into it.

"Viviane spoils them with attention, too." Kallias said as Elain approached the sleigh and passed her bag up to Lucien. He took it and set it aside before reaching down to Elain and taking her hand. Lifting her easily up to join him, Lucien turned his eyes back on Kallias as the High Lord continued. "They follow her everywhere."

"They're very cute." Elain said, and Kallias inclined his head while he waited for them to be seated.

Lucien sat back against the seat, smiling at Elain as she settled against him. She met his smile with her own for a moment and then turned her attention to what was around them as Kallias got them moving. As the snow flurried around them, Elain's dark eyes continued to move as they approached the palace. Lucien knew that the Winter Court was beautiful, he had always enjoyed coming to visit this place, but he found himself unable to look away from his mate's face. She looked utterly enchanted, her eyes wide as if seemingly trying to absorb every detail she saw. Elain's smile widened as they passed a white bear and she sat straighter to watch it for as long as she could.

"This place…" she said, turning to meet Lucien's eyes, "is unlike anything I have ever seen…"

"It is beautiful." He said, his hand closing around a handful of her cloak as she leaned forward suddenly, trying to get a better look at a flowering tree as they passed. "Careful…"

"The flowers!" she glanced back at him before looking quickly around again, "How am I going to be able to choose only a handful?"

"I don't know." Lucien smiled, still not releasing her cloak. He watched her in her excitement until Kallias pulled the reindeer drawing their sleigh to a stop and jumped down.

"Here we are," the High Lord said, "Welcome to the Winter Court." Lucien watched Elain as she turned toward the palace, her dark eyes lifting to take it all in and he took her hand carefully to help her out of the sleigh as she gaped. Kallias gave a low laugh before speaking again. "You will, of course, be given the chance to wander the grounds wherever you like. There are gardens surrounding the palace, and more beyond the immediate grounds."

"Thank you." Elain's excitement was evident in her voice and Lucien slung his pack over his shoulder, before picking up her bag and doing the same. Taking her hand, he gave her a smile as they followed Kallias inside.

"There are reindeer calves I'm sure Viv will show you." The words were said casually over Kallias' shoulder, but Elain's step faltered and Lucien had to tighten his hold on her hand to keep her moving.

"Baby reindeer?" she asked, just about bouncing along.

"Indeed." Kallias confirmed, pushing open large double doors.

Lucien scanned the large hall. It was just as he remembered it. Huge blazing fireplaces lined the walls and there were faeries gathered in groups throughout. Huge windows allowed much natural light into the hall and extended up to the ceiling to enable those inside to see the snow still falling steadily. Nothing here was bulky or anything less than elegant.

"Oh, Kal found you!" Viviane, the Lady of the Winter Court, hurried toward them, her white-blonde hair loose around her face.

"Yes, Lady." Lucien replied, straightening himself and feeling Elain move closer.

"Are you well?" Viviane asked them, her blue eyes moving across Lucien and then Elain, "Are you warm?" she gestured to a nearby fireplace, "Please…"

As Lucien and Elain followed Viviane toward the fireplace Kallias approached. "Are you acting as if I don't take care of my own guests?" he asked his wife, wrapping an arm around her and pressing a kiss to her hair.

"Look at them. They're half frozen." Viviane replied, smiling brightly as she leaned into Kallias' shoulder.

As Elain shuffled closer to the fireplace, Lucien watched the High Lord and his Lady. He had never seen Kallias like this before, had never seen him so open and relaxed. The High Lord of Winter had always seemed cold and detached, and more than a little aloof. Perhaps the mating bond had changed him. Perhaps being with Viviane had. Perhaps, Lucien thought, he had been another who had been play acting in order to protect his court and those he cared about.

Allowing his gaze to move around the rest of the hall, Lucien scanned the other faeries present, looking for anyone else he recognised. There were a few faces familiar from over the years, but nobody that he knew particularly well.

"Have you anything to eat since breakfast?" Viviane asked, and Lucien nodded, looking at her again.

"Yes, we had lunch before we left." He smiled when Elain took his hand gently.

"If you would like to be shown to the room we've prepared for you." Kallias began, "You can get settled and changed and make yourselves comfortable. Then, Lucien, you and I might discuss the reason for your visit… and Viv can show Elain the reindeer calves."

Lucien felt Elain's excitement reignite as she squeezed his hand. "Yes, thank you." He replied, "That would be perfect."

Kallias indicated to somebody nearby and a short faerie with translucent wings approached. Lucien adjusted his hold on the bags he carried before he and Elain turned to follow the faerie to their room.

Once they had been shown the door to their room and headed inside, Elain turned to Lucien with disbelief on her face. "I had thought places like this only existed in stories…"

"What do you think the stories were based on?" he replied, flicking a grin her way.

"None of the others have been this… grand…" she breathed, "Are the courts we haven't visited yet like this?"

Lucien paused for a moment, thinking. "Well, none of them are alike… but… I suppose there is something grand in each of them…"

"They're nice, aren't they?" Elain sat on the pale bedspread that was draped across the enormous bed, "Kallias and Viviane…?"

Nodding, Lucien set their bags on a table by the wall. "Yes. They seem quite content with each other…"

"They're mates. Feyre told me."

"They are. Recently, too."

Elain smoothed her hands across the bedspread as she looked at him. "Feyre said it happened after Amarantha… That Kallias went straight to Viviane…"

"That doesn't surprise me." Lucien replied, "They have always been close friends… if they loved one another while Amarantha kept them apart…"

"That would have been awful."

"Yes."

Elain stood up and moved toward him, and Lucien reached a hand out to her as she approached, smiling when she took it in one of her own. "I love you." She murmured, and he felt her slide her other hand around to his back as she looked up at him. "I'm never going to let anyone do that to us…"

Lucien's heartbeat just about tripled in pace at those words and he pressed a kiss to Elain's forehead. "They won't."

"Okay." Her voice was soft as she leaned into him for a moment before stepping back again. "Okay, now you have to go do Emissary things so I can go and see the baby reindeer…"

"Ah." He murmured, watching her smile brightly at him, "Well, what makes you think I don't want to see them too?"

"Once I know where they are, I'll be able to show you later." She smiled more brightly at him and Lucien nodded, tucking a loose lock of her hair back into her braid.

"I'd like that." He unfastened his cloak, having no need for it while they were indoors, and moved to hang it over the back of a chair. "I'll find you after Kallias and I are finished."

Elain nodded when he looked back around at her. "Okay, bye." She smiled widely at him before hurrying for the door and disappearing back out into the hallway. Lucien watched the closed door for another moment before he moved to collect what he would need for his discussions with Kallias from his bag.