“Come on, then,” I said, offering her my arm, which seemed to surprise her, but she took it nonetheless. “I’ll introduce you.” Her brilliant smile was all the thanks I needed.
From that moment on, I continued to find excuses to be around the Duke of Glassbarrow’s daughter. I took secret hunting trips to the Glassbarrow Mountains, enticing her away. I made sure Mab requested both the duke and Ariel a’s presence at Elysium. I stole every spare moment I could to be with her, until the day came when I finally convinced her to leave the duke’s estate completely and live at the palace.
Duke Glassbarrow was livid, but I was the Winter prince, and he eventually buckled under the threat of banishment or death.
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Rumors f lew, of course. As part of the royal family, my life was under constant scrutiny, even when there was nothing interesting about it.
When it came to my spending so much time with a young duchess-to-be…well, you’d think Mab and Oberon had decided to marry, there was so much speculation. Prince Ash was obsessed, Prince Ash had found a new plaything and, worst of all, Prince Ash was in love. I didn’t care. When I was with Ariel a, I could forget the court, my responsibilities, everything. When I was with her, I didn’t have to worry about keeping my guard up, constantly watching my back or my words. Ariel a didn’t care about the games of the Winter Court, something that fascinated me. Was I in love? I didn’t know. Love was such an unknown concept, something that everyone cautioned against.
Love was for mortals and weak Summer fey, it had no place in the life of an Unseelie prince. None of this swayed me. All I knew was, when we were together, I could leave behind the intrigues and pitfalls of court and just be.
It was high summer when the last person I wanted to find out about us did so anyway.
Ariel a and I hunted often. It was a chance to get away from the court and be alone together, without the whispers and the stares and the snide, pitying looks. She was an excellent huntress, and our outings usually turned into friendly competitions, seeing whose arrow could drop our quarry first. I lost as often as I won, which filled me with an odd sort of pride. I knew my skil was considerable; that Ariel a could match it brought some excitement back into the hunt and forced me to concentrate.
We were in the wyldwood that day, resting after a successful hunt and just enjoying each other’s company. We stood on the banks of a clear green pond, my arms around her waist and her head leaning against my chest, watching two piskies tease an enormous carp by darting 46/387
close to the surface, then zipping away as the fish lunged for them. It was getting late, but we were loath to go back to court; Winter fey tended to be restless and irritable during the summer months, which led to a great amount of squabbling and backbiting. Here in the wyldwood, it was still and quiet, and only the most desperate or savage of wild fey would consider taking on two powerful Unseelie.
Abruptly, the peaceful silence was interrupted.
“There you are! Jeez, ice-boy, I’ve been looking for you forever. If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were avoiding me.” I winced. Or him, of course. Nothing was sacred to him.
Ariel a jerked in surprise. “Who—” She tried looking back, only to find I wasn’t moving or letting go. Groaning, I buried my face in her hair.
agaDon’t turn around,” I muttered. “Don’t answer him, and maybe he’ll go away.”
“Hah, as if that ever works.” The speaker moved closer, until I could see him from the corner of my eye, arms crossed over a bare chest, perpetual smirk stretching his face. “You know, if you keep ignoring me, ice-boy, I’m just going to push you into the pond.” I released Ariel a and stepped back from the edge, glaring at Puck as he retreated with a cheerful grin. “What do you want, Goodfel ow?”
“So nice to see you as well, prince.” Puck stuck his tongue out, unfazed by my glare. “Guess the next time I find a juicy rumor, I’ll just keep it to myself. I thought you might want to check out these coatl sightings in Mexico City, but I see you’re otherwise occupied.”
“Goodfel ow?” Ariel a repeated, staring at Puck with unabashed curiosity. “Robin Goodfel ow? It is you, isn’t it? The Puck?” 47/387
Puck grinned widely and bowed. “The one and only,” he stated grandly as I felt the situation sliding further from my control. “And who might you be, lady who has stolen all of ice-boy’s attention?” Before Ariel a could answer, he sniffed and turned to me, pouting. “Prince, I’m hurt.
After all we’ve been through, you could at least introduce me to your new lady friend.”
“This is Ariel a Tularyn,” I introduced, refusing to rise to Puck’s goading. “Ariel a, this is Robin Goodfel ow, who despite my best efforts, insists on hanging around when he isn’t wanted.”