Land of Snow and Secrets by Sonya Lawson

Author:Sonya Lawson [Sonya Lawson]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: SauceBox Press
Published: 2024-01-29T00:00:00+00:00

She stood in awe, unable to speak. She’d been in beautiful places before, seen extraordinary pieces of art, but nothing to this scale. “It’s magnificent,” she whispered as they stepped farther into the Royal Gallery.

It was a vast room, seeming to run the entire length of the western wing of the Winterlands Palace. Benches dotted the middle at intervals, interspersed with huge marble statues of Fae in various poses. Along each wall, spaced a few feet apart, was canvas after canvas, all together a riot of color when she took in the room.

Ghel tugged her hand gently, directing her to a specific section, though she took in all the paintings and statues she could as they walked to a spot more than halfway down the space. She saw landscapes and portraits and paintings without clear subjects, only colors and shapes. Their feet echoed in the otherwise-silent hall. All was quiet, and she didn’t mind. She wanted the quiet to try to take in all the pieces around her.

Of course, Hollythorn Manor had a wide collection of art, but their pieces were dispersed throughout the house itself. They had nothing like this gallery, a central location where someone could simply exist among all this beauty. She was so busy taking in all she could, she let Ghel guide her without thinking, until he gently touched her shoulder and she saw they were standing by a sturdy wooden bench with a thick padded seat. “Please. Sit.” Ghel guided her down to face the left side of the room and followed her so they sat side by side, admiring the artwork.

She sat and said nothing for a few minutes, too busy looking at all she could around her. Ghel let her, and she might have thought him also engrossed in the art if she didn’t turn to see him studying her profile instead. Catching herself before she twisted her hair, she clasped her hands tight together in her lap and said, “I didn’t know there was an art gallery.”

Ghel shrugged. “It’s no secret. Anyone can visit, but it has been a long time since a new piece was added, which may be the last time an official event happened here.”

“What was the last piece?”

“A royal portrait of my parents, after their wedding.”

Strella hadn’t seen it, and she wanted to go look for it—see a young Queen Alene, who likely looked very similar, and a young and healthy King Frit. However, Ghel had brought her here for his own reasons, so she tucked the information away and promised herself she’d come back to explore another day. Possibly with Piris, who also enjoyed art.

“See the painting there?” Ghel pointed directly in front of them at a massive portrait of two beautiful Fae, each wearing a crown of the Winterlands. “That is King Matten and Queen Nola.”

Strella studied the picture. The queen sat at what looked to be a writing desk strewn with pages, a bright-blue quill pen in her hand, poised and ready to use.

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