Thorne's POV
The sword stopped an inch from my face.
I didn't flinch. Didn't move. Just stared at Captain Ryder across the training ring while sweat dripped down my back. "You're getting slow," Ryder said, lowering his blade. "You're getting cocky," I shot back, then swept his legs out from under him in one quick move.
He hit the ground hard and groaned. "Point taken."
I offered him my hand and pulled him up. Around us, the other guards pretended not to watch, but I could feel their eyes. They were always watching, always judging. That's what happened when you were king. Every move, every word, every breath was examined for weakness.
I couldn't afford weakness. "Your Majesty!" A servant ran into the training yard, panting. "The Lady Seraphina Frost is waiting in the throne room. She says she won't leave until you see her."
I grabbed a towel and wiped the sweat from my face. "I already told her yesterday that I would meet with her this afternoon." "She says it cannot wait, Sire."
Of course, it couldn't. Nothing could ever wait. Everyone always needed something from me right now, immediately, urgently. "Fine." I tossed the towel aside and headed for the palace, not stopping to change out of my training clothes. If Lady Seraphina wanted to claim my time, she could deal with me as I was.
Ryder jogged to keep up with me. "You know, you could try being nicer to people. Just once. See what happens." "Being nice doesn't keep countries safe," I said. "Being strong does. Being feared does." "Being lonely does?" Ryder asked quietly.
I shot him a look that would've made lesser dogs whimper. "I'm not lonely. I'm focused." "Right. Focused. Is that why you've been busy all morning? Because you're so focused?"
I had been distracted, but I wasn't about to admit it. Not even to my best friend.
Because I couldn't stop thinking about her.
The quiet servant girl on the stairs. The one with the scared eyes and shaking hands. The one who'd looked at me and somehow made my heart stutter in my chest like I'd been struck by lightning.
I'd felt... something. Something I'd never felt before in my twenty-nine years. A pull. A link. Like unseen threads were trying to tie me to her.
It was ridiculous. She was a servant. I was a king. Whatever I'd felt was probably just indigestion from breakfast. "Earth to Thorne," Ryder waved his hand in front of my face. "See? Distracted." "Shut up."
We entered the palace through the training entrance, and instantly, a crowd of people swarmed me. Servants with questions. Advisors with problems. Nobles with complaints. "Your Majesty, the grain shipment is delayed." "Sire, the Northern border guard reported." "My Lord, about the tax dispute in the Western territories." I held up one hand, and they all fell silent. "Lord Marcus, handle the grain supply. Captain Ryder, deal with the patrol report. And you," I pointed at the noble, "pay your taxes like everyone else, or I'll have you arrested for theft. Next complaint?"
They scattered like scared rabbits.
This was how it always was. People scared me. Respected me, maybe, but mostly feared me. And that was fine. Better to be feared than weak.
I strode through the halls, servants jumping out of my way. A few bowed so low their foreheads nearly touched the floor. Others pressed themselves against the walls, trying to hide.
Like her.
I shook my head, annoyed with myself. Why couldn't I stop thinking about that girl? "Your Majesty looks worried," said a smooth voice.
I turned to see Lady Seraphina Frost floating toward me, beautiful and perfect as always. Her white-blonde hair caught the light, and her silver eyes sparkled with amusement. "Lady Seraphina. I was just coming to meet you." "So I heard." She smiled, linking her arm through mine without asking permission. "Shall we speak in the garden? It's such a lovely morning."
I wanted to say no. Wanted to pull my arm away. But that would be rude, and she was an important guest from the Eastern Territories. Politics forced me to be civil.
So I let her lead me outside.
The yard was in full bloom, but I barely noticed the flowers. I noticed the workers working among the plants, though. Noticed them freezing when they saw me, fear flashing across their faces.
Was I really that terrifying?
Yes, a voice in my head answered. And that's how you've survived.
Eight years ago, I'd failed to save an entire country. The Moonstone Kingdom had burned while I was too slow, too late, too weak. Everyone had died: the king, the queen, their children. All of them, gone because I hadn't been fast enough.
I'd sworn that day to never be weak again. To never let feelings cloud my judgment. To be hard as ice and twice as cold.
It had worked. My kingdom was safe. My people were safe. Nobody dared challenge me.
But sometimes, late at night when I couldn't sleep, I wondered what it would be like to have someone look at me without fear. To have someone see past the Ice King to whatever was left of the man underneath. "You seem busy, Your Majesty," Lady Seraphina said, squeezing my arm. "Is something upsetting you?" "Just kingdom business," I lied. "Perhaps you need a break." She moved closer, her perfume overwhelming. It looked like winter roses and something else. Something almost... chemical. "The Winter Solstice Festival is in three days. Will you do me the honor of the first dance?"
Every feeling in my body screamed no. But my brain knew better. A dance with an important noble from another region could strengthen alliances. Could prevent future conflicts. "Perhaps," I said, which wasn't quite a yes but wasn't quite a no either.
She seemed happy with that answer. We walked in quietly for a moment, and I found myself scanning the gardens for a specific face. A mute servant girl with scared eyes and there.
She was kneeling by a flower bed, pulling weeds. Her head was down, her moves quick and efficient. She looked so small, so fragile. How had she worked in my home for eight years without me ever noticing her?
As if she felt my eyes, she looked up.
Our eyes met.
And that feeling slammed into me again, stronger this time. Like a punch to the chest. The world seemed to tilt sideways, and for a moment, nothing existed except her and me and this unseen thing connecting us. "Who is that?" Lady Seraphina's speech was sharp, cutting through the moment.
I blinked, breaking eye contact with the servant girl. "Who?" "That girl. The one you're looking at." "I'm not looking. I was just..." I trailed off, realizing I didn't have a good reason.
Lady Seraphina's silver eyes narrowed dangerously as she studied the servant girl. Something flashed across her face: recognition? Anger? But it went so quickly, I might have imagined it. "She's nobody," Lady Seraphina said dismissively. "Just a dumb servant. I've heard about her. The other workers say she's simple-minded. Probably broken in the head."
Anger flared hot in my chest. "Don't talk about my people that way." "Your people?" Lady Seraphina laughed, but it sounded wrong. Too cold. "My dear King, she's a servant. She's not a person; she's a tool. And broken tools should be thrown away, don't you think?"
I pulled my arm from hers. "I think you should watch your words, Lady Seraphina. In my kingdom, all wolves are respected, regardless of their station."
Her smile didn't reach her eyes. "Of course, Your Majesty. I apologize if I offended."
But she didn't sound sorry. She sounded... calculating. "I should return to my tasks," I said, suddenly wanting to be anywhere but here. "Of course. Until tonight's dinner, then." She curtsied gracefully and walked away, but not before shooting one more glance at the servant girl.
A glance filled with pure hate.
I stood there, confused and uncomfortable. Why would a royal lady care about a random servant? Why did I care that she cared?
And why couldn't I stop looking at that girl?
I forced myself to turn away and head back inside. I had work to do. Reports to read. Decisions to make. I couldn't waste time thinking about a mute helper who probably didn't even know my name beyond "Your Majesty."
But as I walked through the house, I found myself looking for her. Scanning every hallway, every room, every corner.
She was nowhere to be seen.
It wasn't until late afternoon, while I was in my study reviewing border patrol records, that Ryder burst in without knocking. "We have a problem," he said, his face pale.
I set down the report. "What kind of problem?" "A helper is missing. Vanished from the gardens around noon. No one's seen her since."
My heart stopped. "Which servant?" "The dumb girl. The one you asked about this morning." Ryder's eyes met mine. "And Thorne? There's blood. We found blood in the yard where she was working."
I was on my feet before he finished speaking, running toward the gardens with Ryder close behind.
No. No, no, no.
I didn't understand why fear clawed at my throat. Didn't understand why my hands were shaking or why my wolf was roaring inside my mind.
She was just a servant. Just a girl.
Just someone who'd looked at me like I was more than the Ice King.
We reached the garden, and I saw immediately dark drops of red on the white stones. A broken flower bed. Signs of a battle.
And lying in the dirt, abandoned and forgotten, was a small piece of torn fabric.
I picked it up with shaky fingers. It was from a servant's uniform. "Find her," I ordered, my words coming out as a growl. "Search every inch of this house. Search the woods. Search the entire country if you have to. Find her NOW." "Yes, Sire." Ryder ran off, yelling orders to the guards.
I stood alone in the garden, clutching that scrap of fabric, looking at the blood.
And for the first time in eight years, the Ice King felt something crack in his frozen heart.
Fear.