Nikolas set a wooden chair before the bed where I am currently sitting. The chair was a few centimeters shorter than the bed so he had to lift his chin to entirely look me in the eye.
He inclined into his seat, crossed his arms and placed his leg over the other. As much as it pained me to admit it, his posture was a thing of elegance. It was said to be a quality possessed by most Ice-Wielders, among them grace and sharpness. Niko did not lack of those said qualities.
I averted my gaze, thinking I was staring at him long enough.
A breeze blew in from the balcony, causing me to shiver a bit. I launched to my feet and lit the candles on the chandelier with my fingertips. I was grateful for something to do, being surrounded by the suffocating air in the room.
"What is it you wanted to tell me?" I said, climbing back to the bed. I sat cross-legged, pretending to be anything but comfortable.
Niko didn't seem to be surprised that I chose to sit in this kind of position, as though being appropriate and modest was already beyond me. He fished something out of his pocket. It was a piece of folded paper, a letter.
He handed it to me and I saw that it bore the seal of the Order of the Templars, two spears being surrounded by the symbols of the wielded elements—water, wind, fire, ground and the newly added ice.
My heart constricted upon seeing it. I swallowed, assuring myself that it was still not too late for me to become a Templar.
"This is from Lieutenant Meyers," he said. "It is for us both to read. It came this noon, but you had been deep in sleep so I opened it first."
"I see," I uttered.
Quickly, I unfolded the parchment. There were merely five lines, written in clean cursive script. The black ink lay stark against the white background, seemingly dancing as my chest thrummed louder. Last night, I had gotten ahead of my emotions. If I hadn't attacked Niko, we wouldn't have been found out by the queen like this. She wouldn't have to discover that two families of her Quartet were scheming behind her back. Who knows what punishment she might bestow upon us?
Inhaling deeply, I got myself to calm down at last.
The letter read: "Greetings to the newly-wed Lord August and Lady Erilyn Varemont, it is with great pleasure that I announce to you that Her Majesty, Queen Arina, has granted you a private audience tomorrow morning. Per her request, you are to have tea with her within the royal gardens. As she had specifically said, you may or you may not bring gifts to soothe Her Majesty's temperament. That is all. Expecting you at your best, Lieutenant Catalina Meyers, Order of the Templars Asst. Commanding Officer."
My brows furrowed involuntarily as I lowered the paper, looking up to meet Niko's unreadable eyes. "This is odd."
"Lieutenant Meyers had to take measures in case the letter might be intercepted," he provided calmly. "She had to use August and your sister's names. There is nothing odd about that."
I shook my head. "That much I understood. What I mean is… why would the queen receive us in her gardens? If she truly wanted to punish us, she'd have us in a much more formal arrangement."
Niko tilted his head ever so slightly. "You've been thinking about punishment all along?"
"You weren't?"
He moved a shoulder. "No, before anything I would have convinced the queen to come into an agreement with us. We only wanted to protect August and Erilyn's names, there is nothing wrong with that."
I bobbed my head unknowingly. Here he was again, with his plans and thinking ahead. This time, I wasn't annoyed. He had a point.
"Wait," I paused. "Agreement? You mean like a deal?"
He chuckled, amused. His blue eyes sparkled like frozen water hit by the rays of the sun in the first light of spring. "So many questions, Lily."
Irritated by his use of tone, I scorched the sheets without meaning to. I winced at the small black circle beside my knuckles. Such a temper was common among Fire-Wielders. Our blood was licked with the hottest of flames. I'm sure the servants would understand.
"Look what you made me do," I grunted. "Can't you talk to me without those useless comments?"
This time, a laugh burst forth out of Niko. He composed himself, forcing a cough.
"We really have to stop fighting," he said, resoluteness in his voice.
I nodded begrudgingly. "I have to agree."
"If we truly want to get out of this situation and return to our normal lives, we have to work together. Who knows? Maybe we'll do this faster if we don't try to kill each other whenever we get the chance."
"Uh-huh," I said. "We're not in the academy anymore."
Niko raised a brow. "And what I mean is that you will not get angry at me."
I pressed my lips together. "I can't promise you that. I still can't stand you."
"Fine," he gave in. "Try not to get angry at me every minute. In turn, I will try not to make you angry every minute as well."
I opened my mouth, then closed it again. "Fair enough."
Nikolas leaned in, dragging his chair closer toward me. He brought his hand forward. "For peace?"
I clasped his hand, "For peace."
He wasn't asking for much. He wasn't even asking us to be friends. And this was ideal for me, not being enemies but not friends at the same time.
We bade goodnight and I guided Niko to the door. Tomorrow, we would face the queen. But I was braced for it. I was prepared of what was to come. For the sake of my family. For Erilyn.
If we hadn't had this conversation, I would've been riddled with nerves. I didn't regret talking to Niko.
I walked to the windows, feeling the mild air brush my cheeks. My heart was suddenly lighter than it was hours ago.