22. Dove

22

DOVE

T he path to the frozen lake could not be more treacherous.

The weather has worsened since I left Frosty’s side and followed Glimmer’s shimmering body in the woods. This indicates that the curse's powerful force is reaching new heights. The ice-cold wind lashes my face and cuts through the wool of my clock. Heavy flurries float down from the trees, deepening the snow at my feet.

Several times, I nearly stumble. To her credit, Glimmer keeps a quick pace, dodging the heavy snowfall. Her blue color has gone pale, and the thick fog obscures her.

It feels like we’ve been walking for hours. The light is quickly fading as heavy clouds cover the moon.

“Come on!” Glimmer calls over the roaring wind. “The storm’s only going to get worse.”

The snowflake at my throat glows brightly in agreement. If not for it, we would be lost out here.

“Hurry!” the snow fairy’s shrill voice calls again.

My foot gets stuck in a deep snow mound. I pull it out with an icy snap. The bottom half of my dress is soaked and clings to my legs. Glimmer only flies quicker. I’m nearly running to keep up with her. Each deep breath feels like a knife to my chest.

“I don’t have wings, Glimmer,” I pant. “Can you slow down a bit?”

Glimmer pauses, a flash of blue in a sea of unyielding white, and turns back to face me. Her small mouth twists down, and her wings sag. She flutters back towards me, placing a cool hand on my cheek.

“Sorry,” she chirps. “It’s just—ever since I went into that corridor with you, I’m starting to remember. Shards of memories have started knitting back together, making everything much clearer.”

Her body glows dark blue.

“Like the day the curse was laid.”

Wiping snow from my eyes, I give her a puzzled expression.

“I thought you said you weren’t there.”

Glimmer shakes her head before urging me to continue at a more reasonable pace this time. The snow is getting thicker, and the howling wind cuts to the bone.

“I wasn’t—but I remember somehow. It’s like someone gifted me the memories.” Her glowing eyes widen. “ The frozen lake will reveal what has been lost to me. It is a legend among my kind. If you ever lose your way, the frozen lake will reveal itself to you. It reflects what has been and what could be.”

“Does everything in this land have to be a riddle?” I grit out.

“Remembering the past and glimpsing the future may be the only way to stop this curse. The frozen lake only reveals itself for a few hours each night. We must catch it before it relocates.”

I nod, wrapping my arms around myself, and quicken my steps. The sound of the roaring wind swallows up each heavy footfall. I say a silent prayer that I don’t freeze to death before making it to this frozen lake. What more secrets will I uncover there? I hope it is the final one. I know the type of male the King is. I’ve glimpsed his true heart and have seen the goodness in him.

Glimmer lands on my shoulder as if reading my thoughts, tucking herself under my hair.

“Frosty is different with you,” she whispers in my ear. “Not the male I remember from before the curse. He was good once—with your help, I hope he can be good again.”

“You said changing his heart was key. Though given the state of things, I haven’t changed it enough.”

“The frozen lake may still reveal what needs to be done. A curse as far-reaching as the one laid on this land must’ve had some other way to break it.” Glimmer shakes her head, and her color dims. “I was there the day his father died.”

I whip my head to the side and take in her sad face.

“Frosty’s father was a wonderful king—kind and compassionate. He protected us snow fairies and gave us places of rank amongst his court. We even crafted his mate’s dress for her coronation. Snow fairy lace is the finest in all the land.”

Mate . The word pulses through me. It tickles something primal in me.

“He was injured on a hunt,” Glimmer continues. “Frosty brought him to us and begged us to save him with our magic, but nothing could be done. His mother had passed a few decades prior, and his father wished to be reunited with her. The wound was too deep for anything to be done—our magic failed, and Frosty blamed us for it. He stripped us of our titles and remanded us to the fairy fortress.”

“Oh, Glimmer,” I say.

“I don’t see that young, cruel male anymore. I see someone older, capable of change. With you by his side, our realm will be shaped for the better.”

I smile at her even if my heart gives a harsh thump.

I’ve been so focused on my desire for Frosty that I hadn’t even considered the implications of what our being together would mean. Did he want me in that way—take me as his queen? Moreover, did I want to be one? Not to mention, he is an elf, and I am a human. Do such pairings even exist? Our life spans are not equal—what would that mean for our future?

Questions wash over me and threaten to pull me into their murky depths. Uncertainty prickles at my skin, but I shove it away. There will be no future for us to navigate if I don’t end this curse.

“Everyone is capable of change,” I say to Glimmer. “Sometimes it just takes another to show you exactly who you are.”

Glimmer nods her agreement before flying off my shoulder. Her blue body zips around the nearest tree, and I quickly follow suit. The snow is getting heavier. Each snowflake pelts her small body and throws her off balance. She pushes through until we reach a clearing in the trees.

“We’re here,” she calls.

My boots stomp along the snow until I reach a slight drop-off. The fog pulls back, and the air is ripped from my lungs. Before me is a shimmering pool of frozen water. It glows a deep blue, and its surface is as smooth and unblemished as glass. Dark clouds roll in above, but the frozen lake remains calm. Snow piles up along the edge where we stand.

I look to Glimmer for guidance.

“Open your heart and feel it—taste the magic on your tongue, feel the breeze in your hair, and let it guide you to what you need to see.”

I take a deep breath and fall to my knees at the lake's edge. Cold bites into my skin. The snowflake flares to life before me, and the lake reflects the harsh glow. Leaning forward, I reach for the surface of the lake. Ice bites into my fingers.

The warmth in my chest unfurls, and something else sparks in my mind for the first time. A golden thread, the end of which is obscured by darkness. Am I meant to follow it? The snowflake flares to life. Metal coats my tongue and slides down my throat. I reach for that pulsing thread and allow the magic of the frozen lake to overtake me.

It is a more gentle experience than the other memories I have been cast into. Instead of being tossed and yanked through time, I am simply lowered into the vision. At first, only darkness and the faint sound of music drift towards me. Then, as if waking up from a dream, the world around me swirls into focus.

I am at a glittering ball inside Frosty’s castle. Dozens of frost elves are there, dressed in decadent finery. Their heavy ballgowns sag under the weight of their jewels. Males are dressed in silk pants and coats ranging from white to dark blue. Silver trims each outfit, and they all sparkle under the candlelight. They dance with elegance as a large band plays silver embellished instruments. They are all smiling, but none of it reaches their eyes.

Ice sculptures decorate the room, each surface polished and adorned in finery. The scent of cinnamon and roasting meat tickles my nose. I glance to the side and see long tables of steaming food. No one seems to be eating it, and I have the impression that it will go to waste.

The opulence is repulsive.

No one notices me in my sopping wet dress as I stand in the middle of the floor. Despite the countless roaring fires, the scene feels cold. Raising my head, I finally see him. The Frost King lounges on a massive silver throne. A goblet of wine rests in his hand while nude bodies linger around him. He pays them little mind and snaps his fingers for his cup to be refilled.

Having learned about his tragedy, I can see the pain in his eyes. Grief turns us into monsters. I might've been just like him if I did not have Mama or Sophia. Nothing can replace the ones you love. This opulent display is proof of that.

A loud clap of thunder shakes the room. Glasses slip from the patrons’ hands and shatter on the floor. The ice sculpture of a large snowflake cracks in half and breaks against the marble. Snow falls furiously outside the window. Lightning cuts through the heavy white clouds. A few elves give loud gasps and back away from the floor.

I glance up at Frosty, who narrows his bleary eyes.

“What is the meaning of all of this?” he growls.

Suddenly, the doors fly open and hit the walls with a loud bang. A freezing wind blows into the room, chilling even me. Frost crawls and cracks up the side of each wall, coating everything in a thin layer of ice. The storm rages outside, and a figure appears in its center.

She is dressed head to toe in white. Her cloak and skin glow, and her blue skin glimmers in the light as if she were made of ice. Her eyes shine like two blue flames, and long blue hair floats around her slender shoulders. Her beauty is fearsome.

The figure floats into the room. She is barely taller than me but somehow manages to suck the power from it. Raising a delicate hand, she extends a finger towards the King.

“You,” she snarls in a voice that is soft and rough at the same time. “I know what you’ve done. For what you have taken, I now shall take from you.”

Frosty’s lips pull into a sneer as he scoffs at her. Rising from his throne, he tosses his goblet and descends towards her.

“Be gone, Witch. I do not care for these games.”

Blue light glimmers in his palm, but as he waves it, the female remains precisely where she is.

“I am more powerful than you, young king.” Her smile is cruel. “Perhaps you need a reminder of that.”

Crooking a finger at him, the King flies through the air with a surprised grunt. He lands before her as shackles made of ice crack through the marble floor and lock around his feet. His eyes flash with bewilderment as he thrashes in place.

“Release me, you?—”

“I am the Sorceress of the White Woods, protector of the snow fairies, and keeper of these lands. For your callous treatment of my children, I have come to deliver your punishment.”

“Unhand me at once, or I’ll?—”

The sorceress laughs delicately before waving her hand. An invisible force sends the King to his knees. He stares up at her with hot rage. Plucking the silver crown from his head, she holds it between her two palms. White light flows from her arms and over the silver.

“I curse you, young king. You will live a lonely life. Those in this kingdom will freeze and turn to ice so they no longer suffer under your rule. My magic will keep them blissfully unaware and protected by time. One day, you will join them in their icy prison, but not before you have suffered for the pain you’ve caused. You have behaved like a beast, and so too shall you be tormented by one. A restless soul will bind itself to yours and turn you into a snarling creature. A monster will grow in your heart until it eats away at every last miserable shred of you.”

The Frost King stops struggling, his hands beginning to tremble. The thick scent of metal nearly chokes me.

“Do not despair yet, young king. For there is a way to save yourself. One will come who may free you from this curse—you will know her well. She is who you’ve been searching for since you were small. Your mate .”

The Frost King bares his teeth. “You wretched?—”

“Mating bonds are so sacred to your kind. It would be unfair for me to neglect it.” Her lips twist into an even harsher smile.

The sorceress leans down and whispers something in his ear. I cannot hear it, but whatever she says makes his skin pale. The last of his fight leaves him, and he curls forward.

“Now you know what must be done for her to free you. Only you will be privy to this knowledge.” Throwing her head back, she cackles. “But that is too easy. I want you to feel the same hopelessness my children have felt since you banished them. And that is why the thing you’ve used to hurt so many will now be your permanent chains. It will blight your memory—erode who you are until you can’t even remember yourself.”

“Impossible! If you make me forget, how will?—”

But the sorceress merely gives another hearty laugh before she slams the crown down atop his head. Silver light pours from his head as the crown fuses with his skull—the Frost King shrieks and howls. Icy claws rip through my heart at the display.

With a wave of her hand, the sorceress sends a blast of ice to cover the room. The walls are leached of color and turn into the familiar white stone I’m used to seeing. Elves scream and try to flee the room, but it is useless. Their bodies are quickly coated in frost, and they solidify in moments.

The room goes utterly silent. At long last, the Frost King grunts and blinks, opening his eyes. Watching him take in the room, I glimpse the feral gleam in his eyes. With a sinking stomach, I watch as sharp claws slice through the ice around his feet. His lips pull back at the sorceress, but she twists into a pile of sparkling fairy dust and is carried off on a winter breeze.

The Frost King turns towards me. He is so close I can smell his pine scent. I remind myself that I’m not here; this is a memory, and nothing can touch me. Yet, I watch as his whole body stiffens and his nostrils flare. Reaching a clawed hand towards me, it nearly brushes my shoulder when?—

Beneath me, the floor shifts, and I am gently pulled through it. The memory dissipates, and I am left breathless. Questions bang around inside my head, but I don’t have time to consider them. Not as I’m thrust into another memory.

My feet land on the library floor. The sun shines through the massive windows. Before me is one of the loveseats, a pile of thick books stacked to the side. A dark-haired woman rests on the seat. I walk around to the front, the fire from the lit hearth licking up my side.

Once I am standing before her, the breath freezes in my lungs. The woman—the female—is me. Holding a heavy leather-bound book in her lap, she sits with her feet tucked underneath her. Our matching snowflake necklaces rest at our throats. Delicately pointed ears poke out from under her unbound hair. Sparkling brown eyes look up from the page and directly at me.

I hold my breath before she adjusts, reaching over to set the book atop the stack beside her. My mouth goes dry as I take in her—my—round stomach. It is proudly on display in her simple blue dress.

The nearest window clicks open, and a cool breeze blows in, bringing in a familiar figure. It is the Frost King, broader of shoulder and older. No crown decorates his brow, and he is dressed in a simple black cloak. Twisting in her seat, a warm smile breaks out across her face.

“You’re back early, my love.”

My love . Awareness prickles at my fingertips.

The Frost King settles in next to her and kisses her temple. Pink highlights her cheeks as his hand goes to her stomach.

“I hate being away from you, especially in your condition.” He bestows another kiss. “How are you and our little one doing?”

Her hand comes down on top of his.

“Perfectly well. She’s sleeping for now.”

“Hmm,” Frosty hums. “We still need to decide on a name for her.”

The female elf version of me chuckles, snuggling deeper into the Frost King’s side. The affection in their simple touches causes a wave of longing to wash over me. What a contrast this scene is to the one I just witnessed.

“Our sons are already named after you.” My eyes widen. “Surely, our little female should be named after her mother.”

The Frost King nods, pressing a gentle kiss on her lips.

“Whatever my mate wants, she shall have.”

The blood freezes in my veins. This cannot be—I’m?—

A loud bang echoes through the library as the doors fly open. An older male elf comes strolling in. He is lean and long-legged, the way most teenagers are. Beneath his crop of dark hair and matching eyebrows is a pair of sparkling blue eyes. Racing in beside him is a younger male who barely reaches his hip.

He is a perfect replica of his father.

“Mama, can we go into town?” the younger one asks, coming to stand before her.

Tucking a wildly curling piece of white hair behind his arched ear, she nods.

“Only if you wear your warmest coats, my darlings.”

The older boy comes to the Frost King’s side with a bemused expression. Love pours from the scene before me. It warms a frozen part of me I didn’t even know existed. That golden thread I saw earlier is wrapped around the Frost King’s wrist and tethered to mine. The snowflake glows at our throats, and everything clicks into place.

One to see, but two to feel . I understand the riddle now. Everything is clear to me. The memory—the vision of a future I may have already lost—disappears around me. The library's warmth melts away, and I am thrust back into the raging blizzard at the edge of the frozen lake.

My breaths are painful, and my body feels frozen. Rising on rigid muscles, Glimmer buzzes before me with wide eyes. Words spill from my lips before she can even ask.

“I watched it—the sorceress laid down the curse but left a way to break it.” Tears sting in my eyes. “Only the king knows how. She told him before stealing his memory.”

I give a heartbroken laugh.

“The only way to break it is lost, Glimmer.” The snow fairy sags. “The sorceress made sure of that. I don’t know if there is enough time to unlock the memories buried within him.”

I want to scream and rage—to find this sorceress and demand more answers, even if it is pointless. Was all this indeed for nothing? My heart cracks down the middle.

What’s even crueler is showing me the vision of the life we could’ve had. If only I had been born an elf—we could’ve met and had time together. I could’ve been there for him in his grief and stopped him from turning into the male who brought down this plight.

I think of Mama and Sophia, and though I’d never choose not to know them, is it wrong to want both? To want my elven life with Frosty while also keeping my human family? Those desires matter little now. Both may be already lost to me.

It was one final cruel twist of fate. Dangling the family and companionship I’ve come to desire before me, only to rip it away.

Glimmer’s body is wracked with shivers. For the first time, I notice just how pale she looks. Her sparkle is fading quickly. She’s too weak to speak.

“While there is still time, I will search for more clues, Glimmer. I will do everything I can with however much time I have to do it,” I vow. “Now, let’s get out of this storm.”

Glimmer nods, a shimmering tear falling from her eyes as she turns and leads me from the frozen lake. Her wings barely hold her up as we pass through the White Woods, and each pelt of snow weighs down her body. The wind picks up as the trees thin, indicating we are approaching a clearing.

Up ahead, I can see the sharp spires of the castle. Relief floods me, thinking of the warm fire awaiting Glimmer and I. Glimmer. Her blue body is not in front of me. It was there one moment and gone the next. A fresh downpour of snow hinders my vision.

“Glimmer!” I call over the rising wind. “Glimmer!”

I turn in circles as my clothes become soaked. My feet can barely stop upright on the ice. My eyes scan the white waste for any sign of her. Then I spot it, her curvy form resting atop a snow mound. Frost licks up her skin, and I quickly grab her.

Jagged breaths rasp out of her lungs. The warmth of my hands does nothing to eradicate her chill. She has little time, and only one male can save her. This curse has taken so much from everyone here, but I will not let it take Glimmer, too—not yet, at least.

Tucking her shaking body into my chest, I heft my legs through the snow. The castle gets closer. I know the King has warned me about seeking him out at night, but I don’t care. I’d rather take on the beast than lose my littlest friend.