Sonia flinched. Her hand dug into the snow as she shifted backward on the snow.
"Stop shouting at me," she cried. Her voice was thin in the cold air, trembling more than she probably wanted.
Newton stood there, chest rising and falling. The moon hung above the castle towers, pale and watchful. Snow reflected the light and made the courtyard glow faintly.
For a moment he said nothing. Only the wind from the sea answered, carrying that sharp northern chill that crept through cloth and skin.
Newton finally exhaled. Slow, and steady, realizing he had frightened the girl.
The anger in his face loosened a little. Then he softened his voice.
"Why did you do that?"
Sonia gazed straight into his eyes. She didn't look away. Not even once.
"Because I love you."
The words dropped into the cold air like stones into still water.
Silence stretched.
The wind moved across the courtyard again, brushing snow across the ground.
Newton did not blink.
"I have always loved you," she added.
Newton froze.
For a moment he looked almost confused, as if the words had arrived in a language he didn't understand.
Then slowly he turned away. He moved a few steps across the snow and crouched down in front of her.
The moonlight caught his shaved head. It gleamed faintly, almost silver.
"You cannot say that," he whispered. His voice was low now. Almost pleading. "We are siblings."
His eyes lifted slowly toward her. "And a union between two siblings is an abomination across the nine kingdoms of Astarous."
Sonia leaned forward. Her hands reached toward him, small and cold. She placed them gently on both sides of his head.
Her fingers rested on his bare scalp.
"We might be siblings by blood," she said quietly, "but not in name."
Newton did not move. His jaw tightened slightly.
"You are an Ice," she continued softly. "And I am a Woodland."
The wind stirred the folds of her cloak.
"By the culture of the north, it is permissible."
Silence stretched between them. Long enough for the night sounds of the castle to drift over the walls.
A distant guard calling to another. The creak of a wooden gate. The slow crash of waves against the cliff far below.
Newton stared at the snow beneath his boots. He didn't know what else to say. He felt rejected even though the girl was speaking the obvious truth.
His fingers pressed into the cold ground as he slowly lowered himself. He sat on the snow. His shoulders slumped slightly.
"Even if it is true," he said quietly. His breath clouded the air as he spoke. "You are promised to Prince Ryli Rendell."
The name hung between them. Heavy, and cold.
"You are a Woodland," Newton continued. "And Woodlands do not break their vows."
Sonia shook her head. Her hair moved gently across her shoulders. "The vow is not mine," she said.
"It is father's."
She looked toward the castle towers rising above them. The stone walls stood tall against the sky.
"Why should I keep his vow for him?"
Newton turned his head toward her again. "Because you are his first daughter." His voice had grown firmer now. "The pride of the Woodlands."
Sonia smiled faintly. It was a fragile smile. Her eyes drifted downward.
Slowly.
They settled on her legs. They lay useless beneath her cloak, thin and unmoving against the snow.
She stared at them for a moment. Then she looked back at Newton. "What sort of pride could a cripple be?"
Her voice was quiet. Almost lost in the wind. Newton's expression tightened. "Cripple or not," he said, "you are a Woodland. And that name is more useful than two legs." His voice carried a stubborn certainty.
"That name is respected across the nine kingdoms."
The words lingered in the air..Another round of silence stretched between them.
The full moon climbed higher above the castle. Snow drifted softly across the courtyard stones.
Sonia began playing with her fingers. She held one of them with the other hand, bending it back and forth gently. The small movement seemed almost childish.
But her eyes remained fixed on Newton. "Why should I marry Ryli," she asked softly, "a stranger whom I have never met or know."
Her voice slowed.
"When I can just marry you."
Newton looked up sharply.
Sonia continued. "The man who has carried me around all my life."
Her lips trembled slightly. A tiny drop of tears formed at the edge of her eyes. Then another. They slid slowly down her cheeks.
Newton watched them fall. His chest tightened. Without thinking, he reached out. His fingers brushed gently across her face.
He wiped the tears away from Sonia's eyes. "Because Ryli is a future king," he said quietly. His hand dropped back to his side.
"And I am nothing but an Ice."
He paused.
Then he finished the sentence. "A bastard." The word sounded harsh in the quiet night.
"I have no name worthy enough to marry a Woodland."
Sonia grabbed his hand suddenly. Her fingers tightened around his. She opened her mouth to speak.
"Enough," Newton growled. His voice cut through the night. Sharp, and final.
Sonia's words died in her throat. Newton leaned closer. His eyes burned with a warning. "If you truly care about me," he said slowly, "you will not bring this up again."
The wind pushed snow across the ground between them. "Lady Bianca will behead me for it."
Sonia went silent. The tension between them settled like frost. She slowly released his hand. Neither of them spoke for several long seconds.
Then Newton stood. He stepped closer and bent down beside her. Without another word he slipped one arm beneath her legs and the other behind her back.
He lifted her gently. Sonia settled into his arms the way she had done countless times before. Her head rested lightly against his shoulder.
Newton turned toward the castle. The dark towers loomed above them. Torches burned along the walls, flickering in the wind. He began walking through the snow.
Each step left deep prints behind him. Sonia remained quiet. Her fingers slowly curled against his chest. The full moon watched from above as they disappeared into the darkness.
Heading toward the Warden's castle.