She dropped the fabric and leaned into him with a grateful expression. “Oh, how I wish tonight would last forever.”
“It will,” he assured her, “so long as it stays in our memory.”
The hug persisted for a long while, though he eventually pulled away. Gathering his blankets into a large bundle, he set them aside in a corner of the room. He would try to launder them the following morning, and if that didn’t work then he would simply burn them so as to avoid any awkwardness between him and the house servants.
Digging out a spare set of blankets from his dresser, he remade his bed and then lifted up the covers, gesturing for Lessa to crawl beneath them. Once both of them had settled in, he snuffed out the candles with a thought and then put an arm around her as she rested her head against his chest.
“Sweet dreams, Alie.”
He tightened his arm around her, eased by the affection that laced her voice.
“Sleep well, Lessa.”
While he was still a bit inebriated from the earlier celebrations, he had sobered up a great deal in the hours since and thus was able to fully appreciate the gravity of what had just transpired. Thoughts buzzing with wondrous disbelief, he doubted that sleep would find him tonight, not with so many new and stimulating memories still fresh in his mind. At least, this was one of the first thoughts that passed through his head after he snuffed out the lights, but a comfortable sort of exhaustion quickly saw him fall into a deep slumber, likely the most relaxed one of his life.
Thankfully, he wasn’t visited by any of his usual nightmares.
***
This year’s winter season was particularly harsh, the third week of February bringing with it a terrible storm that buried the county waist-deep in snow. Alistar had been delighted at the sudden downpour, for it had left him with an endless supply of precipitation with which to practice his water and ice magics. He’d insisted upon helping his teacher to clear snow from the pathways that ran throughout the estate, and had gone so far as to clear out the entire pathway that connected the eastern gate to Mayhaven’s western entrance.
Tramon had also volunteered him to help out with clearing the many pathways that connected the countless buildings and gardens of the collegia’s grounds. About a dozen other apprentice mages had been conscripted to carry out similar tasks, with many others methodically working to clear the city’s streets.
Master just wanted me to make it easier for him to walk around the grounds, thought Alistar as he finished removing snow from Tramon’s front yard. The other apprentices would only have cleared a slim section of the area, enough to walk by, which would have left sizeable walls of snow on either side of the walkway. Alistar, on the other hand, had been instructed to clear away all of the snow on the rooftop of his master’s home, along with everything within thirty paces of each of the little house’s walls. On top of that, he’d ordered Alistar to clear all of the pathways that he regularly used, not for the sake of others but solely for his own benefit.
“And remember,” the man had said, “don’t let anyone else clear those areas. And there better not be any ice on the pavement, or I’ll be testing the sturdiness of my new cane when I get back. Understood?”
Tramon had gone off to discuss something with Caedmon after giving Alistar his instructions, for his uncle was currently at Mr. Danper’s study along with Alder and a few other associates. In the meantime, Alistar was to continue clearing snow along with the other apprentice mages that had been burdened with the task.
You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.
With so much snow, I’ll be able to make a lot of water for Aglain the next time I see him. It had been two weeks since he’d last visited the ancient prisoner of that dark and lonely cave, whose identity he was all but certain of. While Alistar was fully capable of making it there despite the large mass of snow that covered this area of the Tall Mountains, to do so would leave a long trail leading from the county walls directly to the location of the cave, something that he’d rather avoid. It’s a good thing I left him extra rations during my last visit.
After clearing snow from nearly forty paces of the pathway that led away from Tramon's home, Alistar became absentminded as his anxieties took a sudden hold of him. He had less than half a year to figure out a solution to his magic crystal problem, his dwindling list of options increasingly tilting in the direction of the Iron Dungeon. Not just that, but there still existed the uncertainty that Aglain would hold up his end of the bargain once he was freed from his confinement.
And then there was the matter of Lessa and her engagement to Edgar Toulun Silverkin, lord of the large barony of Toulun and over fifty years old this year. Considering Alistar’s feelings for her, he was reluctant to simply sit by and watch her go off into the arms of another man, especially when she was so unwilling. This was also a pressing problem, for as a bastard of House Silverkin he wasn’t in any position to formally approach the baron in regards to this matter, as Edgar was a legitimate member of the family while he was not.
Ever since he and Lessa had shared their first night of intimacy, the two of them had grown particularly close. These days, he found himself missing out on training sessions with Zech and Jaden at least a couple of times per week, always due to unexpected outings that he would go on with the girl in question. Lately he had taken to bringing her along to Mr. Herst’s with him, something that the old Drunish man welcomed with warm eyes. He didn’t see much company outside of Alistar and occasionally Emely after his previous advice to the girl, so he was happy whenever Lessa decided to accompany them.
And then there’s Grandfather. How long will he live, I wonder? Whether the king lived for one more year or for five, the peace of the kingdom depended on it. It was largely disconcerting to know that a civil war might break out at any moment, one that would bury all of his current plans and put the lives of every one that he loved at stake.
Staring down at the recently-cleared pathway, Alistar instinctually ducked his head as a snowball sailed through the spot where his neck would have been. Turning his gaze, he berated himself for being so absentminded that he didn’t sense such a familiar aura at his back.
“You’re no fun,” pouted Lessa, who was balling up another clump of snow beneath the fabric of her white mittens. “You didn’t notice me sneak over, but you sensed the snowball? What’s up with that?”
He didn’t avoid her next throw. “Am I fun now?”
She let out a light laugh and then walked over to his side, tugging at the sleeve of his coat in a curious manner. “What’s on your mind, Alie? It’s not often that I catch you so distracted.”
“I was just wondering which tavern we should sup at today.”
Rolling her eyes, she put on a light smile. “If you don’t want to tell me, that’s okay.” Suppressing a shiver and then doing up the top button of her thick white coat, she said, “I wish Master hadn’t sent me here to help. It’s so cold today.” She glanced at the long length of pathway behind him, which had been cleared on either side for about a pace in both directions. “Did Mr. Albeck send you along, or are you just helping out for sport?”
“No, it was Master. And what do you mean, for sport? Who would make a game of clearing snow?”
“From what I’ve seen on the path to Lord Caedmon’s estate, you would.”
“That’s different. That was for practice.”
She grabbed his hand and tugged him in the direction that she’d just come from, following the pathway that she had recently cleared. “I think we’ve done enough. Let’s go for some tea, there shouldn’t be many people at the cantina right now.”
Since both of them were apprenticed to faculty at the collegia, they both enjoyed a dining pass that allowed them two free meals per day. Alistar had actually found out about this pass from Lessa, as he and the other swordsmanship apprentices were usually provided with food by their masters.
“I can’t,” he said reluctantly, resisting her hand as he slowed to a stop. “Master told me to clear snow until he gets back, so I think he still intends to have a lesson after.”
“Do you know when he’ll be returning?”
“That’s the thing with him,” he sighed, a bit irritated as he thought of his mentor. “It might be one hour, or it could be five. Even longer, if he’s offered a drink or two.”