Blair Frosta
I felt my fist slam against the bag, my strength pushing it forwards and against the wall.
“Again.” the instructor said behind me.
Over and over I hit it until I felt my knuckles grow raw and red, but the instructor didn’t care. After all, the hour had yet to end.
“Again!” he yelled, sending shivers down my spine.
My arms were tired and my hands stung, but I kept on punching, knowing what would happen if I didn’t. It wasn’t until I heard the buzzing of the stopwatch that I could finally rest. I heard the glass bottle my instructor was drinking from get thrown into the waste bin, smashing into hundreds of pieces as it hit the bottom.
“Good work, son. Next time, don’t just use your arms, but your full body. Move the force from your leg into your fist. Put all of your strength into the hit. Same time tomorrow after school. Don’t be late again,” he said with his gruff, slightly slurred voice.
He opened the fridge to grab another of his favorite drinks and walked into the house, slamming the door behind him, leaving me alone in the garage. I layed down on the cement floor, my arms feeling like jelly and my body completely exhausted from the workout. I stared up at the bag I had so thoroughly beaten, its features entirely unchanged from my assault. It didn’t matter to me anyways. It wasn’t what I wanted to hit in the first place. My breath grew heavy and I felt my chest slowly rising with each inhale. It kept getting faster and faster, until it felt like nothing was coming in at all.
I sat up in a panic, my surroundings completely changed from where I had just been. I was now in a room with stone walls and wood flooring. I was sitting on top of a bed, though the mattress was hardly comforting in any way, feeling more like a slab of rock rather than cloth. I collected myself, trying to remember my name and what this place was. It all came back to me in a flash. I was Blair Frosta, and this was my bedroom. What I had seen was a dream, or a memory. I wasn’t entirely sure which was correct. I’d had few dreams in this life, and each time they always left me breathless, like I was choking. It was a relief to be back, that was until my mother walked into the room, recreating the suffocating feeling I’d just recovered from.
“Get up. Your week of punishment is finally over. Come, we have much to do today,” she said, walking out of the room immediately after.
I quickly got up and followed, not wanting to get too far behind her. She was right, it was going to be very busy, even without my sword training.
“We’re to meet Lady Elsbeth and Senga after getting ready for the day, then we’ll head to the eastern ballroom to practice for today's ceremony alongside Lady Davina and her two boys. I expect you not to make a fool out of yourself, Blair. You are better than Lady Davina’s children. Remember that. Make them remember that.”
I half listened to my mother’s words, paying attention to our itinerary for the day, but ignoring her instructions on how I should behave. I’d heard it before, and I already knew what she wanted me to do. All I had to do was what she wanted, and today would go smoothly. We started moving towards the eastern side of the castle, a feat that took almost an hour, as Mother and I’s chambers were located in the western tower.
Dousindor Castle was giant, having been carved directly into the mountain. It's only outside wall being the cliffside itself, which had several pillars and human-like statues carved into it, representing the previous lord’s of Dousin, going back hundreds of years to when the Frosta family first settled in these mountains. The only part of the enormous structure that was located outside of the mountain was the two towers that framed the eastern and western side of the cliff face, as well as the walls that surround the front garden. The western tower was where Lady Davina, her children, my mother, and I lived. Lady Elsbeth, Lord Malcolm’s second wife, and her daughter Senga lived within the eastern tower.
The ancient carvings of Dousindor didn’t just decorate the front facade of the castle, but also dotted the many maze-like hallways inside the mountain. The carving of stone was a rich part of the Frosta family's history, the ancient art taught to every child so that they could one day add their mark into the castle. Stone itself was seen as a blank canvas, the carving and sculpting of it as a grand piece of art, different types of stone providing new and unique parts of the castle with each generation. Mother thought little of this tradition, though, and wanted me to use the carving techniques I learned from the family for my swordsmanship. My carving was to be exclusively for my sword, not for the stone.
Finally, Mother and I arrived at Lady Elsbeth’s chambers, and within we found several handmaidens, ready to prepare us for the afternoon’s festival. I was forced onto a chair where one of them began washing my hair, while another prepared the formal attire I was to wear; a white shirt with a golden lined vest. The warmest part of the outfit was a thin, black coat I was allowed to wear over it. Frotsa’s weren’t supposed to look weak to the cold. I expected to see Senga getting ready as well, but she was nowhere to be found. A bit of sadness crept into me, as I was always happy to see my half sister whenever I could. Her presence was far less suffocating than everyone else’s. That is, except for Sean.
Sean had awoken something inside of me when I met him. I had talked more to him than almost anyone else in this life, and yet I only spent half a day with him. When I met him, and actually gave him a chance, I thought I had found someone just like me. The excitement upon not only seeing him perform magic, but also learning he was a reincarnate as well was too much to handle, and I broke past the noble behavior I had been so thoroughly trained to uphold. It felt freeing, and like I was finally able to be myself. Mother would have killed me if she saw how I acted in front of a low born child. She hated those she deemed “mannerless.” Which begged the question, why did she offer Sean magic lessons?
“Lady Mairead,” I addressed her as I was supposed to in front of others, “Why did you offer Sean a chance to learn magic from an instructor? It seems strange that you would do something like that.”
“Do you doubt your mother’s charitable side? Do you think I am incapable of doing something for the good of my people?” she said in a somewhat sarcastic, joyful tone, but made me feel like I had done something wrong.
“No, that’s not what… I’m sorry. I didn’t mean–”
“I know what you meant, dear.” she said, cutting me off, then taking a brief pause, “Sean is special. It would be in your best interest to recognize these types of people in the future. Now that I’ve given him something he deems invaluable, he’s indebted to me. With proper training, he’ll be very strong. I could always use a powerful mage in Dousin.”
“So he’s a tool?”
Mother turned around to face me, the handmaiden having to move with her as she washed her hair. Her face had a slight smile on it, but her eyes made it seem like she was thinking hard.
“Calling someone a tool is so crass. Unbefitting of a noble, Blair. As future Lord of Dousin, you need to know when to use the people to your advantage.”
A small laugh came out from a handmaiden that was working on Mother’s dress off to the side as she spoke. The immediate horror on the maids face afterwards made it clear she knew what was going to happen next.
“You laugh at me and my son?” Mother said, her voice unraised, but very clearly upset, “Do you find it funny that my son and I work hard to be better? What is your name?”
The maid let go of the dress and stood, facing my mother with her head bowed, “It’s Anna, my Lady.”
“Anna. Quite a pretty name. It doesn’t suit you. Your lucky Lady Elsbeth is your mistress. I’m sure you would never laugh at her or her daughter. I’ll have to have a long talk with her about you, Anna. You're dismissed. Do well not to let me see you again.”
The handmaiden quickly collected herself and left the room, the terror she felt about her future plain on her face. I felt bad for what her fate held. Removal from her position, disgrace for her and her family, most likely, and the inability to find a place of work. It sent chills down my spine, but the chills I felt from Mother’s icy stare were stronger as she turned back towards me.
“I wonder if Anna would have a similar reaction to Lady Davina. Probably not. I doubt many think her or her children are a joke. See to it that no one sees you as a joke either, Blair.”
I nodded to her, disrupting the maid that was washing my hair and causing a bit of water to drip down into my eye. The handmaiden apologized profusely, likely afraid she would share Anna’s fate. I waved my hand at her, signifying that it was all right, and she continued about her business, hands still shaking out of nervousness.
After an hour, Mother and I were finally ready to make our way down to the ballroom. As we walked, I could feel the snug vest tightly gripping to me, almost choking me with its high color. Mother, however, seemed to have no problem with her wardrobe. Her long, white, long sleeved dress draped over her thin frame perfectly, not tightly, but not to loose either. Mother walked with poise, her footfalls barely making any noise as she walked. It was impressive how well she upheld the look of a noble. It wasn’t a long walk to the ballroom, and we quickly found ourselves entering a large open area.
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
On either side of the room was an entrance way, a long, silver stone brick pathway connecting them, separating the room into two sides. Above the path were four large chandeliers that dangled down from the arched ceiling, the flames lighting up the whole room. On one side of the ballroom were four large windows, all symmetrical with the chandeliers, which allowed light to pour in from the front facade of the castle. On the other side was a giant marble mural spanning the entire length of the wall. The marble had been shipped directly from the capital city as a gift from the First King to the Frosta family after they knelt to him, accepting his reign. The mural depicted the First King in a battle, his soldiers far outnumbered by Aishya’s, yet it portrayed him as confident and strong, winning the battle and freeing the subjected people. The mural was a bit preachy to me, likely because I remembered history from my past life. Despite its hint of propaganda, the mural was excellently crafted, making the ballroom one of my favorite places in the castle. As I examined the mural, taking in its beauty once again, I heard a call off to my right.
“Lady Mairead. Young Blair. It is nice to see you again.”
“Too long, Lady Elsbeth,” my mother responded as Lady Elsbeth and Senga came into my view, “It’s a shame our chambers are so far apart. I would much rather see you than… Well, nevermind.”
It was obvious what Mother was about to say, and clear she never intended to hide it. Lady Elsbeth and Senga were seated at one of the many tables that were laid out around the hall. It was in this room that the Frost Feast would take place, though many of the city's people would be excluded. Only those invited by the Frosta family would actually get a chance to join the festivities. The rest of the people of Dousin would have to celebrate the coming of winter in their own homes, or out in a tavern somewhere. It felt like the whole feast was a lie to me, but in reality it would be impossible to fit the whole city into the castle, and it wouldn’t be safe either. I thought once what it would be like to hold the feast outside, but given the frigid air and snow covered ground, I thought it a poor idea.
Mother and I quickly moved to join the two seated at the table. Lady Elsbeth was far less graceful than Lord Malcolm’s other wives. She didn’t deem it necessary to compete with them, seeing as she didn’t have any male children. Despite that, she was still very beautiful. Long brown hair curled down her shoulders and onto the yellow dress she was wearing. It was typical for the Frosta’s to wear blue, but Senga had once told me that her mother enjoyed standing out and being the oddball. Senga was almost a direct copy of her mother, wearing a similar yellow dress and her long brown locks were curled as well.
“Now we just need to wait for Lady Davina and the boys. Senga, why don’t you and Blair catch up so Lady Mairead and I can catch up,” Lady Elsbeth said, gesturing for the two of us to go somewhere else in the ballroom.
The two of us nodded at our mother’s, then to each other, and quickly walked over to the mural on the other side of the room.
“Are you ready for today? Has Lady Mairead informed you on how much better you have to be than Magnus and Callum?” Senga said quietly, a cheeky smile on her face as she leaned down to my height, hair slightly falling over her face.
I stifled a laugh, not wanting Mother to hear and think I was being undignified in front of one of my siblings, “She made it clear to me already, yes. Though I doubt it will be difficult to live up to her expectations, given our elder brothers’ idiocy. Seriously, I’d expect one of Lady Davina’s children to be dull, but both of them? That’s just sad.”
Senga let out a small, quiet giggle, “Yes, they’re also incredibly boring. Unlike you, baby brother,” she said with a wink, walking away.
I felt my ears grow hot in anger at her teasing, but I didn’t let it get to me. I had grown used to it, as well as controlling my emotions in general. It was the only way to survive. Though, I felt a lot more comfortable around Senga, and felt like getting back at her in some way.
“You're hardly a few months older than me,” I said, grabbing one of the filled glasses on the set table and dipping my hand in it, “And you're much more of a baby than me.”
I splashed her with the water on my hand, causing her to turn around in a huff, her face pouting. I plastered a wide grin on my face in return, and she started walking over to me. She gave me a hard shove, barely moving me thanks to all of my training, and started running away.
“You're rude! Also, You're it!” she yelled loudly enough for me to hear, but not for our Mother's too.
I started to chase her, and it didn’t take long before I reached her, tagging her on the back and causing her to sit down on the floor breathless.
“You're too fast. It's not fair that you get to do all that training while I have to sit inside all day,” she said, pouting again.
“You mean you want to spend all day outside in the cold swinging a sword around for six days a week?”
“No… I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it like that. I just want to do something… Anything,” she said, her brown eyes down on the floor.
I sat down beside her and set my hand on her shoulder, “It’s ok Senga.”
It was then, while me and Senga were sitting on the floor, sweat covering both of us, that Lady Davina walked into the room with Magnus and Callum at her sides. The two boys were a few years older than me and Senga, but we hardly ever got to see them outside of events like the Frost Feast. Lady Davina didn’t like them mingling with us, nor did she enjoy being around our mothers. Callum was the older of the two, already fifteen, while Magnus was thirteen. Both were much taller than me, and far brawnier as well, though their sword training only started shortly after mine. Mother said Lady Davina was afraid of me, and didn’t want me to get too far ahead of her sons. Before that, Lady Davina spoiled them, rarely forcing them to do anything at all. Lady Davina was just as noble as the other wives, not wanting to be any less than they were. She lived to outdo them, and show why she was the first wife. Her dress was blue, just like my mothers, but it was far more bouffant than hers.
“It is time for the feast,” Lady Davina announced, turning on her heels to walk back out of the hall she just came from.
All of us quickly followed suit, Lady Davina’s boys behind her, Lady Elsbeth and Senga on her right behind Callum, and Mother and I behind Magnus. As I walked up behind him, Magnus shot me a disapproving glare, likely because he had seen me and Senga on the floor. His chin was held high as he turned back around and faced forward. The walk through the castle was silent, no one wanting to speak to each other. It wasn’t until we made it near the large door that led out into Dousindor’s courtyard that we heard voices, but none of them were ours. The voices came from outside. Thousands of people and conversations could be heard just beyond the door, fighting one another to be the loudest.
“Are all of you ready,” I heard a low baritone say behind me.
I turned to see Lord Malcolm, my father, coming down the hallway with two armored guards at his side.
“Dear,” Lady Davina replied, “It is so good to see you, and for such a wonderful occasion as well. All of us are ready for today. I am quite excited for your speech as well.”
As Lady Davina finished, a man in a blue robe walked up to Lord Malcolm, handing him some sort of opalescent stone. As he released it, I could feel a strange pulling sensation from it. I had seen the stone many times before, at previous Frost Feast’s, but never had I felt this sensation. I knew the stone was magical in some way, allowing Lord Malcolm’s voice to be carried through the large crowd in Dousin, but I never questioned how its magic worked. However, I can perform magic now, and I only grew more curious about it every second. Before I could ask the magician in the robe about the stone, I heard the doors open behind me, and Lord Malcolm take the first step onto the large raised stone platform in front of the castle facade.
Outside were thousands of people packed into the courtyard prepared to hear the Lord’s annual speech. Many yelled in thanks as we walked out, or let out loud prayers to God and the Lord of Dousin for another fruitful year. It was quite a sight to see, one that I may never have experienced in my previous life. I don’t know if I ever could have if I tried. Lord Malcolm walked up to a small stone pillar that was about his height. On top of it was a small bowl of ice, and just looking at it made my hand hurt. I thought the Frost Feast was amazing, but I hated the traditions that I was required to commit to. One by one, each of us went up to the bowl of ise and grabbed a scoop, holding it in our hands. Lady Davina and her children went first, then Lady Elsbeth and Senga, then finally Mother and I.
After all of us got back into position, Lord Malcolm grabbed a scoop of ice in one hand and raised the magical stone into the air with the other and began, “People of Dousin! We all gather here once again to celebrate a bountiful harvest, and the coming of winter! The frost has come earlier than expected this year, but I am overjoyed and grateful for the strong men and women who work hard to provide Dousin with their grain and provisions! Without them, we are nothing! Without them, I, your Lord, am nothing! I know recent years haven’t been easy on us all! The ending of the war with Aishya has left us heavy-hearted, and the increasingly harsh winters have taken many with it, but fear not, people of Dousin! I will not let our great city be corrupted by those that wish to destroy our way of life! I will protect this city until my last breath! Now, please, enjoy your feast! Eat with pride and fill your stomachs, for Dousin is once again bountiful this year!”
Thousands of prayers and thank you’s, as well as some cheers, rang from the crowd as Lord Malcolm finished his speech, but I couldn’t focus on any of them thanks to the freezing sensation on my hands. They had gone numb, and the chilling wind wasn’t helping my body’s lowering temperature at all. I watched as Lady Davina walked up and placed her scoop of half melted ice back into the bowl, not giving any hint of pain from the intense cold. She was shortly followed by her sons, and the rest of the Frosta family. After my mother placed her ice, it was my turn. I started thanking whatever god there was that this tradition was finally over as I walked up and set the now tiny scoop of ice back into the bowl. It was then that I stole a glimpse at the front of the crowd, where many of the people that would be allowed to actually partake in the real Frost Feast were gathered.
It was then, out of the corner of my eye, that I spotted Sean. He was standing just in front of his mother and the woman I saw her with before, as well as a short bearded man. Sean was talking to two children, a boy and a girl, both of whom I thought were younger than him. I watched as the younger boy pulled on Sean’s arm, like he was pleading with him. Sean’s face turned quickly into a scowl, and I thought I saw him mouth the word ‘no.’ The young boy hung his head afterwards, and I saw a small smile creep onto Sean’s face. It was strange seeing him with friends. I figured he was a loner when I met him, but it seems I was wrong. Maybe we weren’t as alike as I thought.
I felt a slight nudge against my shoulder, and turned to see Lord Malcolm standing next me, a smile glued to his face, but an angry look coming from his eyes. I realized I had been standing still and looking at Sean for an uncomfortable amount of time, and had interrupted the flow of the ritual. I took a few steps backwards, the furious Lord keeping his eyes on me as I did so, then walked back to my position behind Mother. Lord Malclm then dropped his piece of ice back into the bowl, bowed to the people, and walked into the castle doors. The rest of us followed behind him in the same order we had come out, and I did my best not to meet my Mother’s gaze that was burning a hole in the side of my head. I knew I was safe for the remainder of the feast, but I was sure I would be punished before the day came to an end.