To Steal the Sun: A Retelling of East of the Sun and West of the Moon

Book 2: Four Kingdoms Duology

by Melanie Cellier

Genres: YA Paranormal; YA Romance

Synopsis

Gwen has discovered both the love she once lost and her courage. But her greatest challenge still lies before her. She has chosen to fight for her people and that means standing against the mountain queen and all the fears of her childhood.

Charlotte is ready to risk everything to save her husband and reverse the consequences of her mistakes. But freeing Henry means getting entangled in the mountain kingdom's fight for freedom and that fight might take the one thing Charlotte isn't willing to give.

Once again, the two girls must rely on each other if they hope to save the men they love and emerge unscathed from the evil that lies at the heart of the castle east of the sun and west of the moon.

If you enjoy clean romance, adventure, intrigue, found families, and friendship, then try the Four Kingdoms duology now which retells one classic fairy tale across two books!

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Release date: July 19, 2024

Publisher: Luminant Publications

Sample

PROLOGUE

GWEN
t wasn’t hard for Gwen to appear lost and confused as
she walked down the street toward the palace. Not
only was the route new to her, but she had never walked any
street alone in her life.
I’m not really alone, she told herself, calling up the memory of
Charlotte’s farewell hug, the strength of Count Oswin’s hand‐
shake, and the look in Easton’s eyes as he told her to stay safe.
But the appearance of a squad of guards sent the memories
fleeing. The men approached her with steely determination, and
there was no one to face them at her side. She was alone.
Every instinct told her to run—to flee far and fast. To run
until she reached the safety of Easton’s arms.
She forced herself to freeze instead, letting go of any hold on
her fear and anxiety and giving the emotions free rein to flood
through her. By the time the guards reached her, she was visibly
trembling. A distant part of her was even impressed at her own
performance. The other part was afraid it wasn’t a performance

1

MELANIE CELLIER
at all. But she had assured the others she could be their double
agent in the palace, and she was determined not to fail before she
even began.
When the guards reached her, she braced herself to be seized
by rough hands. But no one touched her at all. Instead, the men
formed a protective square around her, their focus on the
surrounding streets, as if fearing she might come under attack.
Gwen frowned. What game was her mother playing now?
She licked her lips, her mouth almost too dry to talk. “There’s
no one following me,” she managed to get out.
The oldest guard—the one who seemed to be in charge—
turned to give her a sympathetic look. With a flash of recogni‐
tion, she realized it was the older of the guards she had met at
dusk in the gardens. It had only been weeks ago, although it felt
like a lifetime.
He had seemed brusque and rough at the time, but she knew
now he had been protecting her. And afterward, he had reported
to someone other than her mother.
Another shock flashed through her. The guard who led the
men intercepting her was one of Oswin’s men—a man who, like
the count, had changed allegiances over the years, turning against
her mother. Her eyes roamed across the other guards. Were they
all loyal to Oswin? Was this what he had needed to organize
when he had left during the night? Had he somehow maneuvered
the situation to send friendly forces to escort her back?
She shook herself. Without confirmation, she couldn’t risk so
much as a look or gesture that might betray her. She would drive
herself mad if she started trying to second guess the loyalties of
everyone who lived in the palace.
“I’m ready to go to my mother,” she said softly, her voice
faltering over the final word.
The guard captain threw her another look but limited his
response to a single nod. Even so, within seconds, the group was
en route to the castle.

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TO STEAL THE SUN
The structure loomed over the city in a way that felt threaten‐
ing, although Gwen suspected the original builders had intended
a different effect. Had they meant the mountain palace to be a
protective presence? Perhaps some of them had even dreamed of
making it beautiful, like the airy storybook palaces found in chil‐
dren’s tales. Gwen had read the Arcadian palace was built in that
style.
Whatever the intentions of the original inhabitants, Gwen felt
nothing benevolent in the presence of the castle now. Every step
closer felt heavier than the last until she wasn’t sure if her own
feet could carry her all the way inside.
But such thoughts were only a fancy in her mind, and within
far too short a time, she was once again within the walls that had
been the confines of her whole life. Each time they turned a
corner, she looked for any sign of the captive servants. There was
none.
She tried not to let her foreboding grow any greater. The
count had said they were all still well. Her mother hadn’t discov‐
ered their involvement in Gwen’s liberation, and they had been
continuing their duties as normal. She would have liked a
glimpse of a friendly face, though.
The guards led her directly to the throne room, but when they
opened the doors, the large space held only a single person. The
queen sat on her throne in solitary state, as if presiding over an
imaginary court.
A shiver ran through Gwen, but her legs carried her forward.
She crossed the cavernous space without faltering, registering
only faintly that the guards had remained outside.
When she finally reached the stairs that led up to the dais, she
stopped and gazed upward, meeting her mother’s eyes. Gwen had
been afraid that when she came face to face with her mother, she
wouldn’t be able to conceal the secrets boiling inside her. She had
been afraid that her face, her manner—maybe even her words—
would spill the truth of her hatred and defiance.

3

MELANIE CELLIER
What happened was even worse. Standing in the presence of
her mother, a lifetime of habit took over. Her body ceased trem‐
bling, and her face became a pleasant mask as she stepped into
the role of the dutiful Princess Gwendolyn. She had thought it
outgrown, but it fit without a wrinkle, as if it were a second skin.
Shame filled Gwen, although it didn’t show on her face. This is
how you survived, a voice said in the back of her mind. This is how
you can still survive.
Gwen acknowledged the truth of the thought, but it was soon
overwhelmed by another. When she was finished playing her
role, how much of her true self would be left to retrieve? If she let
herself be subsumed by her mother again, would she lose herself
completely this time?
But those thoughts too were followed by another, more final
one. There is no other way.

4

O

CHARLOTTE

ne day earlier

“But have you seen Henry yourself?” Charlotte pressed, trying to
keep the desperation out of her voice. “Have you spoken to him?”
The man in front of her—the one Gwen had introduced as
Count Oswin—hesitated, and her heart contracted. What had the
mountain queen done to Henry?
“As far as I know he is well enough,” the count said at last.
“But I haven’t actually exchanged words with him. Queen
Celandine has been keeping him in solitary confinement since
his abrupt appearance the night before last. I only know he reap‐
peared because a number of us were together at the time, in
consultation with the queen.”
“You think she would have hidden his arrival if she could?”
Gwen asked, and Charlotte tried to focus on their conversation
instead of her overpowering fear for her husband.
At least Henry was still alive, and she now knew where he

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MELANIE CELLIER
was. Her determination to rescue him had already brought her
further than he had believed possible.
“I’m certain she would have preferred to conceal him,” Count
Oswin said without hesitation. “She’s still pretending you’re in
the castle—in seclusion as you recover from a bout of ill health.
But since you’re not there, the presence of the prince creates a
significant problem for her.”
“Because they’re supposed to get married,” Charlotte said in a
flat voice.
The count threw her an uncomfortable look. “Precisely. Of
course we didn’t know about your existence...” He trailed off,
clearly uneasy with the situation.
They all fell silent momentarily, and the count gathered
himself, returning to his previous polished air.
“Why don’t we all sit down?” He looked behind him at the
selection of seating, his face puckering slightly in distaste.
Charlotte echoed his sentiments. The threadbare nature of
the furniture didn’t bother her, but everything in the basement
looked like it needed a good clean.
No one protested aloud, though, so the count quickly had
them organized in a loose circle. He sat directly across from
Gwen while Easton sat at her side, pulling his chair as close as
possible to her. That left Charlotte to fill in one of the gaps with
their guide across from her.
The girl—who looked several years younger than Charlotte—
gazed unabashedly back at her, clearly fascinated by the young
woman who had just been introduced as a princess. Charlotte
wished the girl would look elsewhere. Whatever she was
expecting from Charlotte, she was going to be disappointed.
Charlotte was no princess.
She avoided the girl’s gaze, looking around the dim basement.
She had spent the journey through the mountains in a state of
constant tension. Not only had they been literally riding the
wind while it tried to buck and throw them to their deaths, but

6

TO STEAL THE SUN
she had been braced for a dramatic and possibly violent
confrontation with the queen on arrival. She hadn’t expected to
find herself sitting in a basement with no idea what was
supposed to happen next.
She refocused on the count. “Do you have a plan? For freeing
my husband, I mean.”
The count cleared his throat and looked toward Gwen. Char‐
lotte followed his gaze with a sinking feeling. Had the rebels just
been waiting, expecting Gwen to arrive with a plan? Because
Charlotte was certain Gwen didn’t have a plan. Only that
morning Gwen had been on her way to Henry’s castle to check
on Charlotte.
She rubbed her temples. Had it really been less than a day
since she had run into Gwen in the forest? Less than two full days
since she had lost Henry? It felt like a lifetime. The Charlotte who
had returned to the castle on Henry’s back, eager to see her
husband’s face, had been a different woman—one who seemed
impossibly young and naive.
Given the way Gwen straightened in her chair, she had also
noticed that the count was looking to her. And from the way she
was biting her lip, she felt as lost as Charlotte. Charlotte felt a
surge of pity for her. If two days of suffering had aged Charlotte,
how ancient must Gwen feel?
On impulse, she took her friend’s hand. Charlotte had come
to the kingdom east of the sun and west of the moon to rescue
her husband, but she had also come to help her friend. She wasn’t
going to let some old man berate Gwen for not having a solution
to a problem he hadn’t managed to solve in a decade.

7

G

GWEN

wen looked down at Charlotte’s hand, some of the
stiffness leaving her body. She didn’t deserve her
friend’s sympathy, but she drew strength from it
anyway. The count’s expectations were like bricks heaped on her
shoulders, but Charlotte gave her support freely, and it lightened
Gwen’s load to know she wasn’t alone.
She didn’t have a plan, but she knew what needed to happen.
Surely if they all worked together, they could come up with a way
forward.
“My mother—” She stopped sharply and drew a firm breath.
“No. That woman is not my mother.” Some things mattered more
than blood. A woman who had spent years using, manipulating,
and abusing Gwen without a second thought didn’t deserve the
title of mother.
It was still hard to look up and meet the eyes of the others,
and Gwen braced herself to hear a lecture on what she owed the
woman who had given her birth. But Easton’s warm hand slid
into her free one, giving it an encouraging squeeze at the same
time as Charlotte firmly gripped her other hand.
Gwen drew another, freer, breath. Was it really that easy?

9

MELANIE CELLIER
The past twenty-three years unrolled through her mind, over‐
shadowed by the constant, looming presence of the queen. Even
now, Gwen could feel Celandine’s poisonous words burrowed
deep in her mind, not yet fully uprooted. No, it hadn’t been easy
at all, and it wouldn’t be easy in the future. But here, encircled by
people who saw her as something more than the queen’s shadow,
she had made a start at least.
She started again. “Queen Celandine has to be stopped. But if
you’re hoping I flew in here with a plan for how to do that, I’m
sorry to disappoint you. I came back because I knew I had to do
something to help my people.” Her eyes flicked to the young girl
on Easton’s other side. “I’m sorry that I’m not what you were
hoping for or expecting.”
The girl shrugged. “He’s the one who said we needed you and
told me to keep watch.” She gestured toward the count with her
head. “I could already see how it was that time I went looking for
you at the palace.”
“Excuse me?” Gwen stared at her, utterly confused.
The girl smiled, a look of combined sympathy and pity that
was almost amusing on her youthful face. Almost. Instead, it
made Gwen ashamed of what little use she’d made of her extra
decade of experience.
“I suppose it’s understandable enough,” the girl said in a voice
that suggested she didn’t really understand. “After all, you grew
up with her for a mother.” Her face twisted at her mention of the
queen. “And my family appreciated the gold you gave us. My
mother is healthy thanks to you.” Her eyes slid away. “But it was
obvious you weren’t going to be good for much else. That’s why I
found him instead.” She nodded at the count. “But then he
insisted we had to wait for you. That we needed you.” She rolled
her eyes and fell silent.
The count gave her a stern look—the kind he must have used
many times on his own children and grandchildren. The look of

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TO STEAL THE SUN
someone whose extra years of experience had been used instead
of wasted.
“Of course we need Her Highness,” he said. “This is a delicate
enough matter as it is. If people think I’m trying to seize power
for myself, our side will break into factions and start in-fighting.
It will destroy everything we’re working toward.” He softened
slightly, looking between each of the three newcomers. “But I will
acknowledge that Natalie is the one who found me. Many among
the court have become disillusioned over the years, and I was
already their leader, but she’s the one responsible for connecting
the rebellion at court with the rebels in the city.”
Natalie shrugged like it was no big deal, and the count
chuckled softly.
“Oh, for the confidence of youth,” he murmured.
“You did all that?” Easton gave Natalie an impressed look. She
was only a little older than he had been when he had confronted
the queen and been banished for his effrontery. Was he wishing
he had handled himself more like her back then?
If he had responded differently, he might never have been
forced to leave. But at the same time, a small part of Gwen had
always warmed whenever she thought of him storming in to
confront her moth—no, the queen—on her behalf. She appreci‐
ated his passion and loyalty even if she hated the separation it
had caused.
“It wasn’t as hard as you might think.” Natalie shrugged at Easton
before turning to Gwen. “Do you remember how those guards were
coming our way, and you distracted them so I could sneak out? I was
shocked to see guards manhandling the princess like that. And you’d
seemed so timid and terrified as we were sneaking out, too. After I
got home, I kept worrying about what they’d done to you after I left.
So I snuck back into the palace grounds the next day to find out
what punishment you’d received. That’s the sort of thing people are
guaranteed to gossip about. But no one was talking about the inci‐

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MELANIE CELLIER
dent at all. It was suspicious.” She shrugged again. “I found the same
guards, and once I’d managed that, I didn’t have to follow them for
long before they led me to Count Oswin.”
“You’re the one the guards reported to?” Gwen cried, staring
at the count. “That’s why my mother never heard I’d been out in
the grounds so close to nightfall! Some of the guards are loyal to
you over her.”
“Thankfully they were the ones to find you that night,” the
count said. “Of course actually confronting me was a far riskier
move than Natalie seems to realize. But happily it turns out we’re
all on the same side.”
“That’s not surprising, is it?” Natalie said cheerfully. “The
people of the city are on the side of anyone who opposes that
woman and her taxes and her bears.” She shuddered at the final
word.
“I will refrain from pointing out that I’m one of those bears,”
the count muttered. Gwen shifted uncomfortably. As little as she
liked to think of it in those terms, she was one of Queen
Celandine’s bears too.
“You were one of them,” Charlotte said, looking unaccountably
sad. “The enchantment is broken now.”
Instant silence and stillness seized the room as all four of
them stared at Charlotte. She blinked back at them.
“Isn’t it?” she asked hesitantly. “Henry’s enchantment broke,
and I thought that was the point of including him in the first
place. When it broke for him, wasn’t it supposed to break for all
of you?”
The count half rose before sinking back into his chair. “The
lowlander prince no longer turns into a bear during the day?”
Charlotte gaped at him. “You didn’t know?”
He shook his head. “Like I said, he appeared at night, and the
queen has had him locked away in solitary confinement since.”
“Her specialty,” Gwen muttered.
“But wait, are you saying you all still turn into bears at night?”

12

TO STEAL THE SUN
Charlotte gazed wide-eyed between Gwen and the count. “Were
you a bear last night, Gwen?”
Gwen shifted uncomfortably. She still wasn’t used to the
reality of her nightly transformations herself. Her eyes flashed to
the count, remembering the deception her mother had perpe‐
trated on the court. He didn’t look surprised to hear Gwen also
became a bear, though.
“Why do you think I was out in the forest so early when you
found me this morning?” Gwen asked Charlotte with a sigh. “It’s
true I was on my way to your castle, but I had a head start since I

spend all my nights outside.” She glanced at the dirty half-
window in the basement wall. “And talking of nighttime, it must

be close to sunset now.” She glanced uncertainly at the count.
“You don’t need to be concerned,” he said calmly. “I some‐
times spend the night at my manor in the city, so my absence
won’t cause any alarm at the palace. And my own people are
utterly loyal to me. None of them would dream of mentioning
that I didn’t spend the night at home.”
“But...” Gwen looked uncertainly at the other three. That
hadn’t been her concern. She had never transformed in front of
anyone before, and the idea of doing it in front of Easton made
her stomach churn. How could he look at her the same after that?
Charlotte frowned. “I don’t understand. Henry definitely
turned back into a man. He said he’d never be a bear again. He
broke the enchantment. Why are you all still bears at night?”
Gwen forgot her fear for a moment, staring at the count for
an answer. He stared back at her, his expression equally blank
and confused.
“I was definitely a bear last night,” she said slowly. “And you?”
The count nodded, his eyes narrowing in thought. “The idea
of including the prince in the enchantment came from the queen,
and it obviously didn’t work as she intended since it was reversed
for the prince—his days as a bear, his nights as a man. I suppose
that wasn’t the only thing that didn’t work to plan.”

13

MELANIE CELLIER
“No wonder she’s been hiding him.” Gwen shook her head.
“She’s already made so many mistakes with these enchantments
—each new mistake must make it harder for her to hide her
errors.”
The count nodded slowly. “Plus, if he’s a human all the time
now, there’s nothing stopping him marrying the princess during
the daytime—except for the fact the queen doesn’t actually have
Princess Gwendolyn stashed in a room at the palace like she
claims.” Charlotte made a wordless sound of dissent, and he
winced. “Well, there’s nothing preventing his marriage in the
minds of the courtiers. Of course they don’t know he already has
a wife.”
“But how did he break the enchantment?” Gwen asked
eagerly, looking toward Charlotte. “If we know that, we might be
able to find a way to break ours as well.” She carefully didn’t look
at Easton. Perhaps it would be possible to release herself before
he ever had to see her as a bear.
Charlotte’s cheeks turned slowly pink. “According to his
godmother, the enchantment did need a royal wedding to be
broken, but it also took love. He said...” She paused before
rushing on. “He said the enchantment would be broken when he
looked into his wife’s eyes in his human form and felt nothing
but love.”
The count ran a hand over his head. “Well.” He shot a surrep‐
titious glance at Gwen and Easton, who still sat too close
together. “Well, then.”
It was Gwen’s turn to flush, but she resolutely ignored it. “The
queen must know that’s how the enchantment is broken. She
mentioned Prince Henry’s godmother to me—about hearing
what she said to him—so she must have found a way to overhear
when his godmother told him how to break the enchantment.”
She looked at Charlotte, feeling embarrassed, although she knew
she wasn’t responsible for the queen’s actions. “She was moni‐
toring you somehow. I went into her rooms once, and she had a

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TO STEAL THE SUN
giant portrait of you and Henry as a bear. She seemed to know he
would be returning here soon as well.”
Charlotte paled, pressing her hands to her face. “She knew I
would...”
She trailed off and went silent, not explaining to the rest of
them the terms of the second enchantment—the one that had
transported Henry back to the queen. Although the two had
broken the original enchantment, they hadn’t succeeded in
breaking the second one due to Charlotte seeing Henry’s human
face before the necessary three months had elapsed. Charlotte’s
visible anguish sent a shaft of pain through Gwen’s heart. It
hadn’t been Charlotte’s idea to use that candle, it had been
Gwen’s. And she still hadn’t found the courage to confess it to her
friend.
Gwen spoke quickly, trying to distract the others from Char‐
lotte’s state. “So the queen’s followers believe—”
“Get back!” The count spoke sharply, his words overlapping
the sudden itchy sensation that had sprung up beneath Gwen’s
skin.
She sucked in a sharp breath, her eyes jumping to Easton.
“No. No, no, no,” she breathed, frantic but unable to work out
what she should do. Should she run out of the basement? Where
would she go?
The count surged to his feet, not showing any inclination to
scratch the tingling itchiness that must also be sweeping through
him. “You all need to stand back.” He spoke forcefully, gesturing
to the other side of the basement.
Natalie glanced toward the window. “The glass is so dirty, it’s
hard to tell if it’s day or night.” She sounded disapproving but
unafraid.
Unlike Charlotte and Easton, she showed no bemusement at
the count’s sudden actions. She must know what was happening.
Standing, she stretched out her arms and swept the other two
along with her toward the far wall.
15

MELANIE CELLIER
“There’s no need to be concerned,” she said, perhaps in
response to their expressions. “They’re not actually turning into
wild animals. They’re just going to become a lot bigger. But they
don’t always have full control of their movements during the
change. If we’re too close, we might get hurt.”
“You’ve seen it before?” Charlotte gasped, and it took Gwen a
moment to place the emotion in her voice. Was it envy?
“Henry never let me see him change,” she added, confirming
Gwen’s impression.
Gwen’s eyes went to Easton again, but the tearing feeling—as
if she were coming apart all the way up the center of her body—
had already begun, and she couldn’t stomach seeing his expres‐
sion as she changed. She lowered her head, squeezing her eyes
shut as she dropped to all fours and waited for the dizziness to
pass.
When she opened them again, she saw white fur.
She stared at the other bear across from her. The count had
moved back from the chairs, putting space between them, and
she was grateful for it because he was huge. Even larger than she
was. The sight of his bear form made her instincts twang,
shouting at her to run and hide. Her instincts kept forgetting she
was a bear as well.
“Gwen?” Easton’s tentative question made her wince and turn
further away from him. He moved with her, though, circling until
he could see her face. “Is that really you?”
He sounded unnerved. How could he not?
Gwen wished she could hide her face in her hands, but she
didn’t have hands. She had paws. And her face was not her own.
The princess Easton loved was gone, replaced by a bear.

16

“
T

CHARLOTTE

hat was amazing!” Charlotte breathed. “I can’t believe
Henry never gave me the chance to watch!”
“I can,” Gwen said in a muffled voice, angling her face away.
Charlotte frowned, moving slowly toward her friend. Easton
stood close beside Gwen, but Gwen appeared to be straining
away from him.
Charlotte realized the issue and rushed the rest of the way
forward. Throwing her arms around Gwen’s large, furry neck,
she put her mouth near her ear.
“Don’t worry,” she whispered. “Once I got over the first
surprise, I never had trouble with Henry’s bear form. I always
knew it was him, whatever body he was in. I still loved the man
inside. Easton will be the same. I’m sure of it.”
Gwen stiffened at first, but the longer Charlotte talked, the
more she relaxed. When Charlotte finally stepped back with a
last squeeze of Gwen’s neck, Gwen shifted, facing them all
without flinching.
Easton offered her a smile and tentatively extended his hand.
Gwen glanced at Charlotte before looking back at him and

17

MELANIE CELLIER
visibly swallowing. Only when she nodded her head, did he reach
gently forward and placed a hand on her large shoulder.
“It’s so soft,” he murmured, and Charlotte nodded enthusias‐
tically.
“Isn’t it?” she agreed. “I was amazed the first time I felt
Henry’s fur.”
Gwen relaxed even further, and Charlotte was grateful she
was present to smooth over the awkward moment for her friend.
“Their fur might be soft, but they also have claws. And teeth.”
Natalie’s voice was hard.
Charlotte threw an inquiring look first at her and then at the
count.
“The queen has her guards patrol the city after sundown,” the
count said. “Anyone fool enough to be caught outside gets scars
to remind them of their mistake.”
Gwen sucked in an audible breath.
“The queen has no friends in the city,” Natalie said. “But there
are plenty of people who are too scared to oppose her.” She
lowered her voice to a mutter. “Cowards.”
“Or perhaps they just have more sense than you,” the count
replied, his tone long-suffering.
Did he resent being forced to work with someone so young?
Based on Gwen’s brief introduction, he was used to consulting
with monarchs.
“Does that mean we’re stuck here until sunrise?” Easton
asked, his focus on practicalities.
“That would be wisest,” the count said. “But don’t worry, my
grandson will be here soon with food.”
Easton raised his eyebrows. “I thought it wasn’t safe on the
streets at night?”
“My grandson is...distinctive,” the count said in a flat voice.
“The guards all know him, and none would dare harm him.”
Natalie gave a dramatic sigh, in sharp contrast to the count’s
carefully emotionless face and voice.
18

TO STEAL THE SUN
“You didn’t tell me Emmett was coming,” she said. “I would
have left before dark if I’d known that.”
Charlotte threw her a questioning look, and the girl leaned
closer, talking in a loud whisper.
“Emmett is seven. And he has a crush on me.” She rolled her
eyes.
Charlotte tried and failed to hold back her smile.
“My grandson does not have...” The count sighed, giving up
on his denial—either because he knew her claim was true or he
knew there was no point trying to reason with Natalie. Charlotte
found both options appealingly amusing. It was hard not to like
Natalie despite how outrageous she was.
As if on cue, there was a quiet knock on the basement door,
giving a moment of warning before it opened. A small figure
slipped inside, but his presence was bulkier than his frame
warranted thanks to the crutches he maneuvered inside with
him. They didn’t slow him down, though. He wielded them like
someone with long experience.
“Emmett.” The deep rumble of the count’s bear voice still
managed to sound soft and welcoming. The courtier obviously
held his grandson in deep affection.
“Did you bring us something yummy, at least?” Natalie asked,
her focus on the bag slung over the boy’s shoulder.
From the way Emmett’s eyes brightened as they fell on her
and the way his gaze quickly flitted away from her again, Char‐
lotte gathered Natalie had been right about the crush. Her mouth
tugged upward. Poor boy.
Emmett unhooked the bag and offered it to Natalie. The older
girl took it and immediately began rifling through the contents,
muttering to herself. When it became obvious she didn’t have
anything else to say to him, Emmett turned to his grandfather.
“Did she really come back? Is she here?” He glanced doubt‐
fully at Charlotte. Despite the late hour, there was enough light
in the basement to clearly illuminate her golden coloring. And

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MELANIE CELLIER
while he was apparently unfamiliar with the details of his

princess’s appearance, he must at least know she was dark-
haired.

“I am Princess Gwendolyn,” Gwen said calmly, her bear’s
voice lower than her human one although still recognizable to
Charlotte’s ear.
Emmett started so badly, he nearly lost his balance. Char‐
lotte’s instinct was to rush forward and help, but the boy had
recovered before she could move.
“But...you’re a bear,” he said.
“I hope we can trust you, Emmett,” the count said in a heavy
voice.
The boy’s eyes widened even further, and he cast another look
toward Natalie as he nodded vigorously.
“Of course, Grandfather. I would never say anything, you
know that.” He faltered. “But...why is she a bear? I thought...”
“That I was a princess so pure the enchantment couldn’t
touch me?” Gwen interjected in sour tones.
Charlotte made a revolted face, knowing Gwen was repeating
her mother’s words. Gwen might be attempting a façade of calm,
but Charlotte knew how deeply her mother had hurt her, and
how much Gwen hated being the tool the queen had used against
her people.
Emmett stared at Gwen in bewilderment, and Easton drew
even closer to her, his air protective. Charlotte couldn’t help
smiling at the incongruous sight given Gwen’s size and current
possession of sharp teeth. She had known Easton for less than a
day, but he was clearly as devoted to Gwen as the princess was
to him.
The thought of the pair’s reunion after so many years gave
Charlotte joy, but it came hand in hand with an uncomfortable
pang. How long would her separation from Henry be? Even if it
took years, she would endure it—although she wasn’t sure how.

20

TO STEAL THE SUN
She didn’t want to think about being separated from him for so
long.
“You’re a dependable lad, Emmett,” Count Oswin said, “but
you’re still a child. There are a great many things I haven’t
confided in you.”
“You obviously knew,” Gwen said quietly to the count. “About
me turning into a bear like everyone else.”
The count nodded. “Not initially. But my son was the one
leading the expedition that brought Prince Henry across the
mountains. Although Queen Celandine kept his presence as quiet
as possible, she had to allow a few of us into her confidence. We
were pressing for a wedding to take place immediately since she
had claimed that was what would free us all from the enchant‐
ment. She countered by insisting that he needed to be included in
the enchantment first. And then when it went wrong and turned
him into a bear during the day, she had to explain why the cere‐
mony couldn’t be performed at night when he was human.”
Natalie had extracted all the food from the bag while he
spoke, and she soon had everyone seated in approximation of
their previous circle as she distributed the meal. There were a
few moments of silence as everyone began eating, but Charlotte
was too confused to let the conversation drop.
“Why couldn’t the ceremony happen while one of them was a
bear?” Charlotte asked, not understanding the issue. “Henry and I
were married while he was in his bear form.”
The count raised his eyebrows. “Then I can only assume
valley weddings are much simpler affairs than mountain ones.”
Charlotte suddenly remembered Henry’s initial question to
her—back when she had only known him as a bear. He had even
mentioned that some places had more elaborate ceremonies.
“Among other things,” the count continued, “a mountain bride
and groom must each wash a dirty shirt belonging to the other.”
“Your marriage ceremony includes washing dirty clothing? By

21

MELANIE CELLIER
hand? On the spot?” Charlotte realized too late that her astonish‐
ment might seem rude. Thankfully the count responded stoically.
“As you can imagine, it isn’t something that can be done with
paws like these. However, it is an essential part of our ceremony.
It symbolizes starting a new, fresh future together.”
“That’s what they say,” Easton interjected. “But I’m pretty sure
it’s an ancient conspiracy to make sure no mountain lady finds
herself married to a man who doesn’t know how to do his own
laundry.”
He delivered the words with such a serious air that they
surprised a giggle out of Gwen, the vaguely threatening rumble
reminding Charlotte of Henry.
Easton smiled back at Gwen, his eyes warm. “I’ve missed your
laugh,” he said softly, his words clearly meant for her ears only.
Charlotte looked away, uncomfortable to be intruding on
their moment. Tears built up behind her eyes. She ached for the
sense of familiar companionship that existed between Gwen and
Easton—the closeness she had experienced for herself for a few
short months. She ached for Henry.
“I think it’s silly.” Natalie wrinkled her nose. “You put on the
nicest dress you’re ever going to wear in your life and then you
have to do laundry?”
“I’m surprised the queen didn’t just change the law about
weddings,” Easton said.
“That assumes she actually wanted us to get married,” Gwen
said. “But since she had lied about my marriage to a prince
breaking the enchantment, the last thing she wanted was to have
the wedding actually happen and be proved a liar in front of the
entire kingdom. She’s been using delaying tactics for the last ten
years, so she must have been delighted when it affected Henry
differently. She was trying everything possible to delay, hoping
something would come up to her advantage, and it did. The
reversal in the enchantment for him was a convenient tool for
her.”

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TO STEAL THE SUN
“And now she knows the truth of breaking the enchantment
thanks to Prince Henry’s godmother, but she still wants the
wedding to go ahead,” the count mused. “At least she’s searching
for you as frantically as if she wanted it to. Why is she still
committed to the marriage?”
“I don’t think that has anything to do with the enchantment.”
Gwen drew her words out, as if she didn’t want to say them. “Or
at least, only a little. Our potential marriage has become about
what she intends to do after the enchantment is broken.”
The count’s whole body went still, and it was somehow more
intimidating than if he’d made a threat—a reminder that he was
currently wearing the form of a very large predator.
“She wants to send you away to Arcadia, doesn’t she?” the
count asked slowly. “She doesn’t intend to ever give you the
mountain throne. It’s what we’ve been afraid of for years, but we
didn’t have any choice. At least we thought we didn’t have a
choice if we wanted to break the...” His voice trailed off, and his
eyes moved to his grandson.
Charlotte frowned. She was definitely missing something
here. Possibly multiple somethings.
“Actually, she wants me to marry Prince Henry so I have a
claim to the Arcadian throne,” Gwen said, eliciting several gasps.
“Obviously she intends for us to be puppet rulers, and it doesn’t
seem like her ambition ends with Arcadia. She sees herself in the
role of empress. She talked about her kingdom stretching to the
sea.”
The count surged upward to stand on four feet. “Queen
Celandine dreams of conquest?” A low, menacing growl rolled
through the room.
Charlotte gulped, her back straightening. She had never lived
in Arcadia, but she had spent years in Northhelm and Rangmere
and had met honest, friendly, hardworking people in both places.
Were their lives about to be overrun with war? Was Henry’s
kingdom about to be attacked?
23

MELANIE CELLIER
She wanted to jump up and do something, but what could she
possibly do? Her best hope to help Henry’s kingdom was the
same thing she had been aiming for from the beginning—rescue
him from the mountain queen.
“So that’s it.” The count paced the width of the basement, only
managing a few strides given his enormous size. “She hasn’t been
able to move forward with plans of conquest all these years since
the enchantment has tied us to the mountains. No wonder she’s
getting desperate to break it.”
Gwen sighed. “Sit down. Please. You’re making me dizzy.”
To Charlotte’s surprise, the count complied. Maybe he really
saw Gwen as an authority in the kingdom, and not just as a
figurehead. The possibility must be even more overwhelming to
Gwen than it was to Charlotte, but there was no question Gwen
would make a better queen than her mother.
At least, that fact seemed obvious to Charlotte. But weren’t
the courtiers supposed to be loyal to the queen?
“Why are you all so desperate to break the enchantment?”
Charlotte asked the count. “If you’re not interested in conquest
yourself, is it so bad to be stuck here or to be a bear if it’s only at
night?”
Natalie snorted, and Charlotte winced. “I understand why the
people of the city must want it to end,” she hurried to add, “but is
it so terrible for the court? You seem to be fully in control of
yourselves still, and you’re only bears at night which is much
better than it used to be for poor Henry. And isn’t your bear form
the only reason you’re able to get through the mountain passes?
What’s the reason for the court being so desperate to free
themselves?”
“It’s me,” Emmett said softly, inserting himself into the
conversation for the first time. “I’m the reason.” He looked down
at his right leg where the trouser was pinned up just below his
knee.
“You are not the reason,” the count said firmly. “You are the

24

TO STEAL THE SUN
miracle.” He sighed, looking across at Charlotte with eyes that
conveyed the sorrow of years. “Changing nightly appears to have
no ill effect on our bodies—even the children who are caught in
the enchantment have been able to grow in a normal way. Unfor‐
tunately, the same cannot be said for the unborn. We didn’t
realize initially, but as time passed it became increasingly clear
that it was extremely difficult for an enchanted woman to
become pregnant. And those babies that did manage to cling to
life were harmed somehow in the process of the daily transfor‐
mations. The effect has been different for each one, but...” He
sighed again, glancing at his grandson’s missing leg.
“I always wanted a brother or sister.” Emmett shrunk in on
himself, his food uneaten in his hand.
The count gave a rough growl in the back of his throat. “My
son and his wife are desperate for more children but have been
unsuccessful all these years. It grieves them greatly, although my
daughters consider them fortunate to have even one. Neither of
them has managed as much. I expected to have a bevy of grand‐
children at my knee by now, but so far Emmett is the only one.
And the years keep passing. We have to find a way to break the
enchantment before it’s too late for them to think of future chil‐
dren. But we cannot allow it to lead to war. I want to save my
future grandchildren, but I have no desire to see my children
pointlessly slaughtered in the process.”
Gwen’s mouth fell open, and Charlotte could tell this infor‐
mation was as new to her as it was to Charlotte.
“I understand why you don’t want war,” Gwen said. “I’m
guessing your son would be expected to lead our forces. But the
court not being able to have children of their own...How did I
not...Is that why I saw so few children at court? I always thought
the courtiers were just keeping them away. I never saw Emmett
at court, after all.”
The count nodded. “We do keep them away. Anyone fortunate
enough to have a child tends to be protective of them. And no

25

MELANIE CELLIER
one wants to risk one of them saying the wrong thing and—” He
broke off and looked at Easton.
“You don’t want them to end up like me,” Easton said grimly.
“And my parents.”
“I think your parents might be the fortunate ones,” Charlotte
muttered. “Didn’t the queen exile them from court? Sounds like a
reward from where I’m sitting.”
“A reward for some, punishment for others,” Natalie
muttered.
“I think they’re nice,” Emmett said and then immediately
looked mortified, the tips of his ears going red.
Easton looked between them. “Huh?”
Natalie glanced back at him and gave an exaggerated sigh.
“They live with us now.”
Easton straightened, his eyes widening. “My parents live with
your family? Wha—how—?”
“That’s a coincidence,” Charlotte said lightly, looking between
them.
“Not really,” the count said. “I’m not denying Natalie did well
for a girl her age, but there’s a reason she went to the palace in
the first place, and why she was able to find and connect with me.
She knows a lot more about the palace and court than most four‐
teen-year-olds in the city.”
“My parents are at your house right now?” Easton looked like
he wanted to bolt straight out of the door.
Natalie rolled her eyes. “Relax. They’ll still be there in the
morning.”
“But how did they end up—” Easton clearly couldn’t relax.
“It used to be the other way around,” Natalie said, sounding
softer. “When I was very little, my parents both worked in your
family’s city mansion. Your parents treated them well, and when
my mother first got sick they supported her, helped her get early
treatment—although the doctors here didn’t know how to treat it
properly. So when your parents lost everything, my parents took

26

TO STEAL THE SUN
them in without question.” Her eyes narrowed. “That’s why I’ve
always had to share a room with my younger sister, you know.
Our house isn’t a mansion like your old one.”
“Thank you.” Easton held her eyes, his face and voice sincere.
“Thank you from the bottom of my heart. I always hoped they
were all right, but I feared...” He drew a deep breath. “Thank you.
Will you take me to see them?”
Natalie softened even further, giving him a small smile. “I
suppose I could manage that. It will be fun actually to see the lost
son return.” She brightened immediately, bouncing on her seat.
“They’re going to be so pleased with me for bringing you home.
The count kept insisting the princess would return, and of course
my parents believed it because they’ve always put their hope in
her, and they wouldn’t believe me when I said—” She cut herself
off and glanced at Gwen. “Well, never mind that. The point is
that no one was expecting you to return. They’re going to be so
surprised.” Her grin spread across her face. “I bet our mothers
will cook up a feast.”
“You can take Easton to see his parents once it’s daytime,” the
count said. “Just make sure he isn’t seen by anyone outside the
household.” He looked across at Gwen. “Easton’s parents have
been a big part of gathering the rebellion in the city—such as it is.
Natalie’s home is a central location for our network. No one
there will betray us.”
“It will be good to see them again,” Gwen said with what
might have been a tentative smile. For all the remarkable expres‐
siveness of the transformed bears, there were some subtleties of
expression lost.
“I said Easton can go,” the count said sharply. “Obviously you
can’t go, Your Highness. You have to return to the palace.” ...