Feathers of Snow: A Goose Girl retelling (Kingdom of Birds and Beasts Book 1) Read online

  Feathers of Snow

  A Goose Girl Retelling

  Alice Ivinya

  Contents

  Prologue

  1. A Devastating Proposal

  2. The Point of No Return

  3. Prince of the Borderlands

  4. Voices on the Wind

  5. Sixth Level Swordsman

  6. Patience

  7. The Border

  8. Tama’ha

  9. Falada’s Secret

  10. Idle Conversation

  11. Hunter or Hunted

  12. The Winter Ball

  13. The Price of Freedom

  Feathers of Blood

  Other Books by Alice Ivinya

  Acknowledgments

  About the Author

  Follow me on Facebook

  FEATHERS OF SNOW

  Kingdom of Birds and Beasts: Book One

  All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced, uploaded or transmitted in any form without the author’s written consent. This is a work of fiction. Similarities to real people, places, or events are entirely coincidental.

  Published February 12th, 2021

  Copyright © 2020 Alice Ivinya.

  Edited by Claire Staley

  Cover design by Elena Lawson

  Map design by Rachael Ward from Cartographi

  For Sarah Hill,

  We have never met in person,

  But you are the supporter everyone dreams of.

  Thank you.

  (And your books are awesome.)

  Prologue

  Once Upon a Time, the world was a wilder place than it is today.

  The forests were ruled by the mighty wolf, Sal’hadar, the plains by the beautiful white horse, Tamunden, the air by the enormous eagle, Thrum’ban, and the water by the black whale, Bula. Everything was at peace and in balance. Humans were few and each lived in one of the four tribes, following the guidance of the land, and the law of the Beasts was in their blood.

  But then a new race of humans came from across the sea. They were shorter lived and small in stature. They could not feel the power of the land, nor see the balance of nature.

  The land collapsed into war as the new race wished to twist all to its purpose. Their numbers grew and grew. After decades of fighting, the Beasts and old humans were left with a choice; learn to live alongside the new race and teach them to curb their appetite, or upset the balance of power to make themselves strong enough to resist them.

  The land was torn in two. In the south, man and Beast learned to live together and the power of the land dwindled beneath human rule. To the frozen north, the Beasts and old men resisted and fed off deep forbidden magic.

  And so the power of nature dwindled and the age of the Beasts ended.

  1

  A Devastating Proposal

  Governess Rosa pointed at her blackboard and the endless list of names scribbled across it. Beside me, Princess Elyanna was already looking out of the window with a vacant expression. She flicked her quill and scattered ink across a butterfly battering its wings at the glass. She repeated the motion until the wings were steeped in black.

  “Lady Brianna,” Governess Rosa said, already having given up on Elyanna. “Can you remember which of the nobility belong to the Old Blood, and which tribes their ancestors were in?”

  Elyanna snorted. “Why does it matter? Nobody cares about the Old Blood. It doesn’t mean anything anymore.” Her eyes didn’t leave the butterfly, now struggling under the unexpected weight of its wings. It brushed black smears over the glass.

  The Governess ignored her, and I sighed, listing the nobles I knew in Sybera with the white hair and tall stature of Thrum’ban’s tribe, myself and Elyanna included, and those I knew with the blue-black hair of Bula.

  “The Borderland nobility is mostly of Sal’hadar, and there are some of Tamunden’s tribe there too, though they mostly rule Kilamore.” I hoped the vague statement would pass, rather than trying to scan the names of people from distant countries that I would never meet, for any I recognized.

  Governess Rosa seemed pleased enough and smiled at me. I wished she realized the more she favored me and ignored Elyanna, the more annoyed and embittered the Princess became. And Elyanna was in even more of a foul mood than normal, knowing the court were discussing her marriage prospects today. The Governess thought the kindness of reward would motivate both of us, but Elyanna hated anyone being praised over her. I gave the Governess a blank expression as an attempt to discourage her.

  The Governess didn’t seem to notice and bent to unfurl our essays from last week. Elyanna had given up on hers early and left me to finish it for her. Over the years I’d learnt a good impression of her handwriting. “I have finished going through your papers on the relationship between poverty and unrest in Gilava.”

  I sat up straighter. Gilava was the province owned by my family. Though I’d been sent here to the capital city of Hava when I was very young to be lady-in-waiting to Elyanna, I still wanted to learn as much as possible about my homeland. After severe flooding, Gilava was on the verge of another potato famine, and I wanted to understand how I might help the situation.

  It was my hope that after Elyanna was wed in a few weeks, I would be released from service and able to return home. The thought sent a thrill of excitement through me. What would it be like to be surrounded by my own family and able to follow my own desires and interests rather than Elyanna’s?

  Governess Rosa continued to smile as she scanned my essay. “You made some very good points, Lady Brianna. Your reading is impressive. However, there are one or two areas I feel we can discuss further.”

  I nodded, picking up my quill. Elyanna hated reading and it was close to impossible to study in her company, meaning I had to snatch the moments I could. It would be much easier to learn from the Governess than it had been from books. I leant forward to show I was listening.

  Governess Rosa pointed to a paragraph. “What you say here about the potato uprising of…”

  Elyanna interrupted. “Who do you think they will choose for me to marry, Governess Rosa?” She tilted her chin up as she regarded our teacher.

  My heart sank. Couldn’t she hold on for just half an hour more before disrupting the lesson? This was about the people I would help govern one day, and they desperately needed help.

  The Governess paled, recognizing the look in the Princess’s eyes. “Well, er, it’s hard for me to say. There are quite a few eligible young noblemen. I suspect the court will prioritize our relationship with Kilamore. As you know their new King is wanting to expand their borders and we don’t, er, quite have the military they have.”

  I started to doodle galloping horses, imagining myself riding on Falada’s back through the gardens. I drew his magnificent tail and mane streaming in the wind. I didn’t want to be part of this discussion.

  Elyanna narrowed her eyes at our teacher. “You think they’ll marry me to the King of Kilamore?”

  The Governess shifted and clenched her hands together. “Well, I wouldn’t go that far. He is very powerful. I mean, I couldn’t possibly presume to know what…”

  “You don’t know anything,” she finished and stood up abruptly. “I need air.”

  The Governess bowed. “Of course, your Highness. I can continue the lesson with…”

  “Brianna, attend me,” she snapped.

  I lay down my pen and gave an apologetic smile to the Governess. If she had praised Elyanna and ignored my work, she might have lasted longer. At the window, the butterfly gave a final limp
flutter against the glass.

  Elyanna was already striding from the study, and I trudged behind her, hoping I might be able to have the lesson another time. It was hard to predict what I would be able to do at the best of times, let alone today. My whole life dangled from Elyanna’s whims, and I knew better than to upset her. Soon, so soon, she would be married, and I could ask to be freed from her service. I would have lessons in my own home in Gilava, with nobody to interrupt. I could train in the dueling ring as much as I wanted and ride all afternoon. But I wouldn’t have Falada, not unless Elyanna gave him up, which would never happen. He was my happiness, and I wasn’t sure how I would cope with losing him.

  Elyanna stalked to her rooms, her face dark. She wasn’t normally this quiet.

  “What’s wrong?” I asked, quickening my pace. She was probably waiting for me to ask.

  She scowled at me. “Don’t be ridiculous, Bria. You know what is wrong.”

  I chewed my lip, a flicker of fear sparking in my stomach. I’d said the wrong thing. It had been years since she had hit me or devised one of her ‘punishments’, but I could never shake the instinctive fear she had ingrained in me as a child.

  “I’m sure your parents will consult you about it. Maybe you will have a few options?” I attempted a smile. “It might be fun. Imagine all the lords and princes who will come to Hava to compete for your hand?”

  She made a disgusted noise in her throat. “Father will propose something stupid, I am sure. As if I would marry just anyone.” She swished her trailing silk skirts angrily as she walked.

  I laid a hand gently on her arm. “There’s no use worrying about possibilities. Why not…”

  She hit away my hand. “Oh, just stop talking. You’re not helping.”

  I took a step back and fell silent, leaving her to her self-inflicted torment. I hoped she would dismiss me soon so I could rearrange a private lesson with the Governess, or, if I was too late to catch her, spar with the weapons master.

  Truth was, I didn’t care who she married if it meant I could leave here. Whatever man got her, I wished him luck.

  We reached Elyanna’s room, and she snapped at the maids who were still making her bed, so they scurried out. She collapsed onto her velvet couch and looked at the clock. “Is it lunchtime yet? I’m famished.”

  “I can ask the kitchens to bring something early?”

  “Ask them for soup, but not as salty as last time. And that bread with the brown seeds. You know, the crusty one.”

  I nodded and left to find a maid. Why had she scared them off, rather than asking one herself? As I turned a corner in the corridor, I was faced with Queen Geraldina striding towards me in a blood-red gown, her face pale. Chiffon and silk wafted behind her like wings. I dropped into a curtsy.

  She nodded. “Where’s my daughter, Brianna?” Her tone was strained.

  “In her room. I was just fetching her some food.”

  “Leave that. Follow me.”

  I sighed internally and followed the Queen. From her posture, she didn’t have good news. She opened the Princess’s door without knocking and sat down next to her daughter. Elyanna froze and her eyes went wide at her mother’s expression. I slipped to the back of the room and hoped I would be ignored.

  The Queen took her daughter’s hands. “The court is proposing a match for you, darling. Prince Jian of the Borderlands.”

  I blinked as I processed the words. The Borderlands? I wasn’t expecting them to consider such a wild, dangerous place. The royal family there didn’t have the best reputation either. They were known for violence, a people of war who kept to themselves.

  “What?” Elyanna shook her head, her long white hair wiping the back of the couch. “You can’t marry me to a crazed murderer! And so far from home. Mama, you must stop it at once.”

  The Queen patted her daughter’s hands. “Your father hasn't approved it yet. The decision won’t be finalized until tomorrow. I will oppose the council, and we’ll try to come up with some more sensible suggestions.”

  “He’s not even the eldest son. No, Mama, you must stop such talk at once. Why not marry me to the Kilamore King? I would be the most powerful woman on the continent.”

  She sighed and tilted her head. “Darling, Kilamore are traditionally our enemy, and they have such little honor, they might attack us anyway.” She rose and smoothed out the gauzy layers of her overskirt. “I will stop the match and ask for one more suitable. Now try not to fret, dear. Brianna will look after you.”

  The Queen gave me a meaningful look and glided out of the room. Elyanna turned to me with a thunderous expression. “Did you tell them about my soup?”

  “No, I…”

  “Good, because I feel ill. Tell the maids no food is to be brought in here and I’m not to be disturbed.” She collapsed back and lay with her arms folded, scowling at the ceiling.

  I nodded, my mood rising at the thought of being dismissed. “As you wish.”

  “Then come back here and read to me.” My heart sank again.

  As always, I did as she asked. Ever since she had trapped me in that barrel when we were ten, I didn’t dare do otherwise.

  I swallowed down the roughness in my throat, remembering the darkness and the cramps that still invaded my dreams.

  The next day, Princess Elyanna paced up and down her bedroom, biting her nails and letting out groans of frustration. Cushions were strewn across the floor and the contents of her jewelry box were scattered in glittering heaps in the thick carpet. She kicked a necklace at her floor-length mirror, and I winced as diamonds struck glass.

  “Why is Mama not back yet? What could they possibly be talking about? They have had all of yesterday, and now it's almost midday.”

  I ignored my pounding headache and longed to leave and curl up quietly with a book. I was becoming snappy with exhaustion and hunger, but Elyanna was showing no signs of relenting. I took a step towards her, making a calming motion with my hands. “Please calm down, Elyanna. Even if they do marry you to that prince, he would have to treat you well for fear of angering your parents.”

  She glared at me, burying her fists in her blue skirts and swishing them in frustration. “It’s all right for you, Bria. If I get sent off to a distant land to marry a monster, you can just stay here. You don’t care.” She collapsed onto the bed and hurled off the remaining cushion. “You have no idea how lucky you are being able to marry whoever you want.”

  I suppressed a sigh and stole a look out the window. It was a beautiful day and the garden was soaked in sunlight. The flowers were just coming into full bloom, and I longed to be surrounded by their heady scent in peace and calm along with a very large lunch. Elyanna hadn’t let me leave all night and had continued to refuse food for both of us. Didn’t she understand that this was always going to happen? There had always been a political marriage awaiting her. This was the price for her life of privilege and luxury. Our country badly needed the protection of an alliance now that Kilamore had its new restless ruler. The Borderlands had a strong military, valued familial loyalty, and were a sensible choice politically. Her marriage could save thousands of lives, and perhaps the kingdom itself. Not that I envied her.

  Elyanna let out another groan and tugged out her hair pin, still lying down, then threw it at the wall where stones scattered from their settings. I took a deep breath and went to gather them up, before she could tell me off for losing any. “It’s ridiculous,” she hissed at the ceiling. “I wouldn’t even become queen. Surely my station is above second sons? I don’t want to languish on the edge of nowhere.”

  The rebellious part of me wanted to point out that she was the third eldest on her part, but instead I made my voice as soothing as possible. “Come, Highness, let me sort out your hair.”

  I tugged her up from the bed and sat her in front of the mirror, where she pouted at her reflection. I pretended not to notice as she smudged the kohl under her green eyes to make it look like she’d been crying. If I managed to keep her calm
for long enough, maybe she would decide she was exhausted and take a nap. Then I could finally leave for food and possibly even hide and read with Falada in the stables. He would be missing me, as much as he always denied it.

  I was still brushing Elyanna’s snow-white hair, the Princess blessedly silent, when Queen Geraldina flung open the doors, making us both jump. Her own pale hair was piled on top of her head in the intricate way she favored for state meetings, and she wore an authoritative midnight blue gown. Her bold makeup didn’t hide the shadows under her eyes or the gauntness of her cheeks.

  The Queen flung her hands into the air as she spoke. “Your father’s gone mad. The whole council has gone mad.”

  Elyanna’s skin grew so pale it was almost translucent, and her eyes rounded with horror. “Mama?” She didn’t rise but held out a hand to the Queen, whose own eyes filled with tears. She hurried over to her daughter and buried her head into her breast. I took a step back towards the window, trying to give them privacy as my heart thudded in my ears. Elyanna was not going to cope well with this.

  “You mean you’re actually going to marry me to that man?” sobbed Elyanna into her mother’s dress. There was an edge of shock to her voice that, for the first time in her life, her tantrum wasn't enough to get her own way. “Why haven’t you stopped it? He will hurt me and kill me. You will never see me again, and it will be Papa’s fault, and yours for not stopping him.”

  The Queen brushed her hand through Elyanna’s hair and hushed her. “Now, now, it won’t be as bad as all that. I didn’t know your father well before I married him, and in some ways, it was quite exciting.”