IN THE NEXT COUPLE of days Eeira discussed with Gulbrand and the Clan of what to do with me and the crowning situation. Gulbrand obviously wasn't very pleased with my stubbornness, and fought back and forth with the Clan.

Finally when a decision was made the Clan requested my presence down in the bottom wing. I was nervous to say the least, in mental agony of not knowing what or if they decided. I had to keep the crowning postponed as long as I could, to keep the future seen from the vision away. If I didn't become queen, then there was no way those events could come to pass. . .At least I hoped.

Calder walked me down to the wing in his regular clothes and cloak, while I donned a blue wrapped dress with an open slit in the back. He brought me to the door, my nerves sloshing around in my stomach. Since we were alone he grabbed my hand to reassure me.

"Don't be nervous. Everything will be fine. Just listen to what they have to say."

I bit my lip and gave a hesitant nod. Calder brought my hand up to his lips to place a kiss on my skin.

"I'll be right outside the door."

"Okay," I breathed out, turning the knob and slowly stepping inside.

There on the same end of the room as the last time, I saw the Clan standing like stone. I swallowed down the lump stuck in my throat and glanced over at Eeira who smiled at me, and Gulbrand who's face was in a usual scowl at my presence.

I faced the Clan who stepped towards me. The head man who addressed me before spoke up.

"Hello, Princess. You have created quite the conflict recently."

"I don't see it as conflict," I retorted. "I am the princess and daughter of Asger Arnesen. I have rights to my own descisions."

"You are a child. You are not at the liberty to decide on such a matter that affects us all," one of the men from the back said.

"I'm almost eighteen. That clarifies me as an adult, which I don't think is any different here than it is in the human world. And you were planning to crown me anyway, where I would have to make the descisions of a queen."

"It has been decided to forego the ceremony until further action with the frozen queen has been taken," the woman of the Clan informed, and I was taken back.

"What? I thought I had to become queen so I could lead my knights in battle to defeat her?"

"If the word gets out to the kingdom of your coronation it will surely reach Sylvi and her army. That would give her full motive to attack and it must be avoided at all costs."

"We could find ways around this," Gulbrand defended. "Without a ruler we have nothing to combat the frozen queen. Word of this does not have to leave the palace."

"Can we take such a chance, Chamberlain?" the leader asked. "Sylvi has ears all over this realm. Her knights and her traitors are all a risk to our secrets. Until the knowledge of how to take her down is under our grasp, the throne will remain untenanted."

"This is absurd! Asger never would have stood for this," Gulbrand sneered. "This kingdom has been in wreckage since the day the frozen queen murdered all of the royal family but one. And now that girl is here, who has been here long enough already. She needs to stop thinking of herself and focus on her people!"

"This is not about me!" I spat back at him, wishing he was close enough that I could give him another frost burn on his face.

If only he knew I was doing this to keep my people and Calder alive.

"Enough!" the Clan all boomed in unison. I jerked my attention away from Gulbrand's glare back to them.

"Chamberlain, our decision is made," the leader countered. "I suggest you comply with it willingly. Now leave this chamber at once."

Eeira urged Gulbrand to go, and he shoved her off while we shared one final look of disgust towards each other and he left the room. Eeira followed behind and closed the door, leaving me in awkward silence with the Clan.

"Is there anything else to discuss, Your Graces, or are we finished?" I questioned.

The leader spoke once more. "You may be on your way as well, Princess. Further matters shall be discussed regarding the frozen queen soon."

Giving a final nod I too exited the room, leaving the cloaked figures to continue with whatever it was they did in there.

The corridor was empty, Calder nowhere in sight, and I was confused. Had Gulbrand dragged him off when he left? Was Eeira off somewhere frazzled and having Calder do something for her? Or was it one of my worst fears--that Gulbrand had grown suspicious of Calder and I, and he was interrogating him right now?

I bit my lip trepidatiously and walked down the corridor, starting to turn the corner when a hand jumped out from she shadows and pulled me into them.

I squealed in surprise, Calder hushing me before opening a door next to us and exhorted me inside. The room was faintly illuminated by the sun, overcasted behind the clouds that shown through a large window on the far end. It was mainly bare, only a few chairs and a sofa scattered around, covered with sheets. A painting of summer flowers was hung on one of the walls that puzzled me.

"I saw Gulbrand storm out, what happened? I heard the commotion so I hid in the shadow around the corner to avoid confrontation with him. Did he touch you again, are you hurt?" Calder asked, pulling up my sleeves and checking my wrists, as well as darting his concerned eyes around my face for any sign of distress.

"No, I'm fine. He didn't even come near me this time. He just yelled at me, nothing unusual for him," I said, rolling my eyes.

"What did the Clan say? Are they still planning to crown you right now?"

"No, actually. They're afraid word might get out to Sylvi about my coronation and she'll crash it, and. . .try to kill me. Just a normal day in the life of a faery princess with a target on her back."

"They are right in their decision. My mother has so many spies for her she would surely catch wind and come straight for you. It's best what has been decided for now."

"Well I'm done thinking about it right now. For once I'd like to enjoy a day without princess duties and worrying about the threat of my head being on a platter," I said. Calder snickered at me.

"What's so funny?"

"Your word choices are so anomalous," he answered, placing his hands on my hips.

"Oh yeah? Try living in the human world for seventeen years, you wouldn't be saying things like anomalous. You sound like an old man from the eighteen hundreds. Everyone here does."

"Hm, I suppose that's true. But the vocabulary of this realm is much more intellectual than that of the ephemeral world. Men there say things like, what, "yo"? "What's up, my man"? Or in other places, "Howdy"?" It's absolutely abhorrent."

I couldn't help but laugh at his representations and the scrunched look on his face. "Yes, those are exactly correct. How do you know that?"

"When I rescued you it wasn't the first time I'd been to the ephemeral world. I've been sent before by the Clan after fey who broke the law of sexualizing with the humans. I can't recall all the names of the places, but I've been across much of that world as I have here. Being a knight gives you much of the privilege."

"Wow. So you've seen a lot, then. I've never seen any of the human world but Phoenix. Not that I didn't want to, just. . .the fact that I was a hidden princess though I didn't know it. I used to get mad at Hanir and Linnea all the time because we never went on vacations while the rest of my classmates bragged about theirs. Now I'm here in this amazing world that one could ever dream of, and I'm stuck in this castle still hiding."

"It won't always be this way," Calder ensured. "When the frozen queen is taken down once and for all, I will take you anywhere you wish to go. If you want to see the skylines of New York, or the mountains of Norway, shall it be done. I'll take you all around this realm too, whatever you desire."

The thought sounded unbelievable to me with everything going on, but I played along either way because right now I needed some hope for the future.

"Anywhere?" I smirked, standing on my toes to wrap my arms around his neck.

Calder smiled, caressing my cheek. "Anything you want, it's yours."

"I'm going to hold you to that, Captain."

Calder chuckled through his nose, and then leaned down to place a slow kiss on my lips. I played with his midnight hair while his hand ran down my back to touch the exposed skin at the base of my spine. The stroke of his fingers made me shiver as if electricity was sparking inside me. I broke apart from him with his cool breath fanning my lips.

"Can we stay here a while?" I asked him, then noticed a hesitancy flash through his icy eyes.

"They're probably wondering where you are now, as with me. We don't need to arise any suspicion."

"Who says we can't live like Romeo and Juliet every once in a while? We basically already are by keeping our relationship a secret."

Calder's face contorted in confusion. "Who are Romeo and Juliet?"

"Just shut up and kiss me, Hansen," I told him, rolling my eyes once more. Calder's lips quickly crashed back into mine and leaving me as always unsteady.

He then picked me up by my waist and walked me over to the sofa, gently setting me down. I pulled off the dusty sheet to reveal the beautiful fuchsia chaise design, running my hand over the soft fabric. Calder removed his cloak and slowly seated himself next to me. I tugged on his collar to pull him closer, locking our mouths again. My stomach sparked into a fire as he kissed me fervently, his hands crushing me to his chest in the same way as it happened at the stables.

I tugged on his shoulders as I leaned back to lay down, but the action made him tentative.

"Eerika," he spoke my name, muffled by our kiss.

"Shh, don't talk," I told him, "Just come here."

I watched in Calder's expression that he was struggling between his mind and his instincts. But after a few heartbeats he kissed me again, and hovered himself on top of me.

I moved my back further into the cushion as my hands roamed around his chest and hair, but suddenly felt something sharp poke into my spine that stopped me.

"Ouch!" I hissed agaisnt Calder's mouth. He quickly split from me.

"What's wrong?"

"There's something under the cushion stabbing me in the back," I explained, Calder moving off of me so I could sit up.

I felt around the surface and indeed noticed something there--an object that was hard and sharp--which muddled me.

"Do you have a knife in your boot?" I asked Calder. He nodded, reaching down to pull it out and hand it to me.

Taking the knife in a firm grip I carefully sliced down the fusia fabric. The stuffing poked out with each popping sound, and I was able to make a slit big enough to stick my hand through. Feeling around my fingers grazed something cold that had pointy edges and maybe an engraving.

"Be careful not to cut yourself," Calder warned me, "It could be a weapon that was placed there to ail the target sitting on it."

I grasped my hand around the object and pulled it out, confusion swirling around me even more.

"What the hell? It's a key."

"Why would a key be stuffed inside a cushion? To keep it hidden?" Calder wondered, taking it from my grasp to examine. "This was your mother's painting room. Perhaps she put it there long ago."

"Maybe, but why?"

I examined the key and ran my fingers over the engraving, feeling the words were familiar. They were in Norse, and as the wheels turned in my head trying to solve the puzzle to my memory, I realized where I'd seen it before.

"No, she wasn't the one who put this here. None of my family was. This was hidden after their deaths."

I jerked my gaze back to Calder who donned a look that was bemused. "Then what does this mean?"

"Can you take me somewhere?" I entreated, taking Calder back by my anxiousness. I stood up from the sofa with he following suit.

"Where? What's going on?"

"I'll fill you in on the way," I told him as we started for the door. "I think this just might be the key to the rest of my past."