The married won't

Previously

…The guards exchanged a glance. Then the first one stepped aside. 'I'll take you to the throne room. But if he turns you away, don't blame me.' He pushed open the heavy gate, and Lyra stepped inside, Elias close behind. The castle's courtyard was a frozen wasteland, the fountain a block of ice, the gardens dead and buried. The cold here was deeper, more alive, as if the walls themselves were breathing frost. As they walked toward the great doors, Lyra felt a chill that had nothing to do with the weather. Somewhere in this castle, the king was waiting—a man who had forgotten how to feel. And she had only a loaf of bread and a grandmother's recipe to remind him.