Did Bella fight him alone?
That thought is both unsurprising and terrifying. She’d do anything for her people, even if it meant sacrificing herself.
I send a quick thank you to the Spirits of Faerie, knowing they had to have protected her during whatever happened here. She’s breathing, which is more than we can say for the former king.
I walk over and kick him with my boot. He doesn’t even groan or flinch. Bending down, I check for a pulse. His skin is cool under my fingers and I can’t detect even a faint sign of life.
“He’s dead," I announce, my voice echoing in the tense silence of the room. The cheer that answers my declaration is deafening. The only negative reaction comes from Maddox and Emrick, who look upset they didn’t get to kill the bastard themselves. That was a feeling I could relate to.
Maddox
After Bowen announces the king is dead, I take another look around the room. There are hundreds of fae in here. They’re all weak and barely moving, but alive. They were clearly frozen like we were, though for much longer if their recovery is indicative of anything.
Could they have been here from before Faerie fell?
More than anything, I want real answers, so I walk up to the nearest coherent group and try to give a smile. From their unsettled looks, it must look as off as I feel. They’re clearly untrusting, but who wouldn’t be after this?
“What happened to you all? How long have you been trapped here?” I ask, projecting my voice so it echoes in the room. At this point I’ll take an answer from anyone.
“Is the war over?” a young woman asks softly. Everyone’s eyes flicker to me and my heart stops. That question alone and their earnest looks tell me everything I need to know, though I can't wrap my head around how this many fae got to the Castle of Winter. Just from looks alone, they aren’t all Winter fae.
“The war ended over thirteen Earth Realm years ago. I couldn’t tell you how much time passed here. The survivors, myself included, fled the realm. The land became uninhabitable and we had little choice. Your queen is over there on the floor, she is the one who ended this madness and is on a quest to improve the realms. She’s already restored Spring and we are here to restore Winter. We never expected to find all of you… or him." I summarize the important things for them, the time for more questions can come later. They need rest and Bella needs us.
“Why are you here, then?” a man yells from the crowd. I take a deep breath to remind myself they are disoriented and freaked out. But I need to move Bella, not answer useless questions.
“I’m one of her four knights and advisors. I have been helping her on her journey. We have formed a camp in the Neutral Lands. You should all journey there after you’re recovered. There is drinkable water and food in the camp. Until then we’ll find a way to make everyone as comfortable as we can, but the food isn’t safe," I explain. “How did you all end up here?” I make my voice firm to show I don’t want more questions, just this one answer.
“My village was captured. It was surrender or die, his army would show no mercy. Not all of our town was able to fight. The king froze us as soon as we surrendered and they hauled us here. I was one of the first. The numbers grew and grew, then they stopped for so long. I thought I was going to go mad. After several months we slept without waking, until now,” an older fae explains. His eyes look haunted at the memory.
“I’m so sorry. But you’re safe now,” I promise them. They look skeptical, but they haven’t seen our new progress yet. The way we’ve integrated, old ideals falling away and forgotten. It’s a new realm in every way that matters.
“They were prisoners of War. What the hell did he hope to accomplish?” I thunder, pacing back and forth to help calm my anger, though I think it’s a lost cause right now.
“It’s over, let them rest.” Bowen says gently before I promise them anything else. The leader in me is ready to fix all of their worries and it’s not our best bet. We don’t even know the extent of the winter king’s damage.
“Why is the mouse squeaking still?” Emrick grumbles as I walk back up. He looks ready to throw the mouse out of the closest window. Dormouse was nuzzled up to Bella when we got here, but now he’s turning to each of us and squeaking incessantly. He clearly has something else on his mind now that Bella is safe and resting peacefully.
“Follow him?” I offer and Emrick looks appalled. I may not have a nature affinity, but that doesn’t mean I can’t see that Bella’s mouse is not the average rodent. He’s intelligent and empathetic.
“He led us here, did he not? This castle is huge, it was hardly a coincidence," Bowen offers with a shrug. He pulls Bella’s hand in his lap and strokes his fingers gently
up and down her arm. I doubt she can feel it, but it clearly relaxes him. The need to feel her and know she is back with us is almost overwhelming and I’m ready to take my place at her other side. I want to follow the mouse, but the thought of leaving my Bella stops me.
Not waiting for Em’s response, I sit down on Bella’s other side to calm my racing heart. I need to feel her pulse for myself, to remind myself that she’s going to be alright.
Even with the healing session Emrick gave her, Bella’s arms and face are covered in black and blue bruises. Her nose is bloody and her eyes are swollen.
“Fine, I’ll follow the damn mouse. I can’t stand its squeaking anymore. It’s probably best, I may go on a rampage if I have to stare at my Bella covered in bruises any longer," Emrick rumbles furiously, following the mouse who runs for the door as soon as Emrick finishes speaking.
Emrick
“You better be taking me somewhere good," I growl at the squeaking, tiny tyrant. I don’t know why I’m allowing myself to get pushed around by this creature. The only reason I dare to leave Bella is because I repaired her broken bones already, but the separation isn’t easy.
The mouse leads me through the hallways until we descend down a set of stone stairs. From the dripping of water and intense drop in temperature, I know it’s the dungeon.
The stairway leads me to a hallway of wooden doors, evenly spaced out. Odd. Most dungeons were made of metal bars, not enclosed doors. But then again, the former King of Winter was anything but conventional.
The first door is open, so I peek inside. It’s a sorry excuse for a cell, with a bucket on the floor and one jug of water and some chunks of bread. There is an ash pile in the middle of the room and a hole blasted into the wall. When I take a step forward, the mouse goes insane, giving me a ranting of squeaks until I continue to follow him.