Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

ALVA

“ A lva, get dressed. Now.” Nick scrambled to get into his clothes as well. Outside, the storm continued to rage, snow pelting the sides of the sleigh’s tent, the dogs’ growls unrelenting—an unmistakable warning. My hands trembled. I couldn’t believe this was happening. Christmas was two weeks away and everything was falling apart.

Comet and Blitzen were sick, a vicious storm was assailing our realm, and now…

I looked to where Nick sat, securing his boots. What we’d just done… what I’d let him do to me. Heat flushed throughout my entire body thinking about the way he touched me, the mastery with his tongue. No male had ever made me feel like that. Granted, I’d not had a ton of experience, but still.

He’d made me crave his body in ways that were wholly inappropriate, especially after what he’d said about not being interested in any of the female suitresses that had been presented to him. If I had anything to do with that, then I was just as guilty as the Frost Queen in sabotaging the security of our realm. If Nick didn’t choose a bride, Santa would throw him out of the realm. Nick was next in line, not his brother. The magic was strict. What if it didn’t accept Prince Leif as the next Santa?

I was screwing everything up. Christmas was falling apart because of me . Maybe I’d been too distracted by Nick. Maybe if I’d just gone to the local healer, instead of agreeing to come on this journey with him, none of this would’ve happened. We wouldn’t be stuck in this storm, being threatened by who knew what, and Nick and I would’ve never…

My fingers reached for my lips, to where his savage mouth had claimed me, the warmth of his kiss still lingering.

Frozen spirits. This whole damn trip had been a total disaster.

As I shoved my arms into my coat and tied my boots, the sound of more growls sent my heart racing. “Nick,” I whispered, panic lacing my voice, “what’s out there?”

He yanked on his jacket and slipped out of the tent, his golden-brown eyes flashing with alarm. He extended his arm out and helped me out of the sleigh. “If I had to guess, the Frost Queen’s pets. Snow leopards.”

“You think they’re hunting us?”

Suddenly, another, more guttural and terrifying, growl echoed through the night. My breath got lodged in my throat as I caught a glimpse of movement in the storm—sleek white fur rippling like liquid ice, glowing eyes fixating on our tent. He’d been right. The Frost Queen had sent her snow leopards after us.

Nick didn’t hesitate. He collapsed the tent in no time and readjusted the sleigh, then hauled me onto the passenger seat while he vaulted into the driver’s seat, snapping the reins. “Hold on!”

I clung to the edge of the sleigh as the dogs lunged forward, their powerful legs digging into the snow as they dragged us into the storm. The leopards gave chase, their massive forms weaving between the trees with deadly grace.

“Faster!” I shouted, my voice barely audible over the wind.

Nick gritted his teeth, his focus razor-sharp as he maneuvered the sleigh through the forest. “They’re gaining on us.”

Eismeer Lake appeared ahead, its frozen surface glistening like glass in the moonlight. My heart leapt into my throat. “Nick, we don’t know if the lake will hold?—”

“Only one way to find out,” he snapped, his hands steady on the reins.

The sleigh hit the ice with a jolt, the dogs skidding but holding their footing. Behind us, the leopards hesitated for only a moment before bounding onto the lake, their claws scratching for purchase.

Nick’s expression darkened as he looked over his shoulder and saw that the leopards were gaining on us. “We won’t be able to outrun them.” He held onto the reins with one hand, his other hand rising as if summoning something from the depths of the lake itself. I felt the air shift around us, charged with magic that made my skin prickle.

“Nick, what are you doing?”

“Buying us time,” he said, voice rough, his hand glowing faintly.

Nick hadn’t ascended the throne yet; his magical abilities wouldn’t reach maturity until he officially became Santa, yet there he was, summoning Odin’s power. I stared at him in pure awe, watching as the ice beneath us began to crack, splintering outward in jagged lines. A roar of frustration echoed across the lake as the Frost Queen herself materialized at the edge, her flowing white gown blending into the storm.

“Flee while you can, prince!” she called, her voice sharp as jagged ice. “You cannot stop me. I will poison your precious Christmas, destroy your realm’s magic, and see the North Pole crumble beneath my power!”

Nick’s jaw clenched as he focused, the cracks spreading wider. The lake groaned beneath us, chunks of ice breaking away and plunging into the frigid depths. The snow leopards roared as they scrambled to stay on solid ground, but Nick wasn’t done. With a roar of his own, he pushed his magic further, sending a pulse of golden light across the lake. The ice shattered completely, a barrier of frigid water separating us from the Frost Queen.

She hissed, raising her hands to freeze the lake once more, but Nick thrust his arm forward, a shimmering golden shield forming between us and her magic. “You shall not cross,” he said through gritted teeth, his body trembling from the effort.

I couldn’t keep my eyes from him, my heart pounding—not just from fear, but from wonder at the sheer power he wielded. This was the prince I’d thought incapable of responsibility, the one I’d called wasted potential. And yet, here he was, protecting me, protecting his realm, with every ounce of strength he had.

The Frost Queen screamed in frustration as the shield held. “This isn’t over, Nicholas!” she spat before vanishing into the storm.

Nick slumped back into the seat, his breathing ragged. “We need to keep moving.”

The sleigh dogs resumed their pace, pulling us away from the shattered lake. I sat in stunned silence, my mind racing. The reluctant prince who’d seemed so detached from his family, his people, was proving to be so much more.

“Nick,” I said softly, “thank you.”

He glanced at me, eyes weary. “Don’t thank me yet. We still need to get to Helka and back to Nordhall Castle. The Frost Queen won’t stop until she sees the North Pole destroyed.”

After some time, the sleigh came to a halt in front of a small, crooked cabin nestled in the woods. Smoke curled from the chimney, and the faint glow of light spilled from the windows .

“This is where Helka lives,” Nick said, climbing down and offering me his hand. The snowstorm had let up for a bit, no longer pelting our faces. The floorboards of the stoop creaked as we climbed up to her front door. Nick knocked a couple of times until the door seemed to open on its own accord. Inside, the witch greeted us with a knowing smile. “It is good to see you, my boy. I was beginning to think you’d forgotten our agreement.”

“Apologies, old friend. I should have come to visit you sooner. I am afraid I do not come with good tithings, though.”

The warmth with which they greeted each other jarred me. The genuineness in his voice, the softness, it was all so opposite to the aloof, arrogant prince I thought I knew. This version of him, the version he’d shown me since he learned of Comet and Blitzen, was the prince that could truly shatter hearts. I shivered at the thought and unintentionally placed a palm over my own heart, fearing that somehow, he’d gotten past my defenses already.

The witch’s long, gray hair shimmered under the light of the myriads of fairy lanterns in the room. Her aged skin crinkled at the corners of her eyes as she smiled at the prince. But though she’d aged through the centuries, the beauty of her youth still whispered over her features. “We’ll get to the reason for your visit, but first, who is your elf friend?”

“I’m sorry, Helka; how rude of me. This is Alva Brightwinter, head elf for my father’s?—”

“Yes, yes,” she said, interrupting him, “but who is she, really?” She walked toward me, her thin lips stretching wide in a simple smile. “Give me your hand, child.”

I did as she asked, and the witch’s opaque eyes immediately shot to the back of her head. She stood like that for what felt like a minute, then she opened them again, fixing her penetrating gaze to mine. “You have a heart of fire, Alva Brightwinter. A strong desire to protect the realm.” She glanced toward Nick, then back to me, and smiled. “You’ll make a fine húsfreyja .”

My heart skipped a beat. It was a word in our ancient tongue that meant lady of the house. Nick’s eyes widened, and he brushed a nervous hand through his hair. He quickly changed the subject back to the matter at hand. “Helka, we’ve come seeking aid. The Frost Queen attacked us on our way here. I believe she is planning to sabotage Christmas to try to weaken the North Pole. Comet and Blitzen are sick with a strange illness and this storm… it’s not natural.”

“You are right to fear the Frost Queen, My Prince,” she said, her voice grave. “Whatever is poisoning the reindeer is spreading to all magical creatures in the realm. The entire forest is succumbing to this strange sickness. I’ve been working on a tonic since I encountered an ill faun. If you don’t stop her, not only will all the reindeer fall to her dark magic, but all the beasts that guard our realm will, too.”

“But why is she doing this?” I asked. “The war between the North Pole and Skadgard ended centuries ago.”

“Alva is right,” Nick said. “We’ve kept our side of the treaty. Our people have never strayed from our borders into her land.”

“Your forefathers may have won the war, but the queen never stopped planning her revenge. Centuries ago, it was the Winter Solstice that was celebrated—the power of the frost, the dark beauty of the longest night—but then your family turned it into a festival of lights and joy. You diminished the frost, replaced it with warmth and love, and left her kingdom to fade into obscurity.”

“So, what’s her plan?” I asked. “To steal Christmas from us, from the world?”

“What she plans, young elf, is to claim the throne of St. Nicholas for her son, Jack. Once she does that, the magic of the North Pole will channel into him and Skadgard, sending the entire world into perpetual winter. ”

“How do we stop her?” Nick asked, his hands clenched into fists.

Helka pulled a vial of shimmering liquid from a shelf. “This potion will help the reindeer. Start there. Whatever you do, whatever happens, you can’t let anything get in the way of that sleigh taking to the skies on Christmas Eve. But you must hurry. If they’re not treated by dawn, they’ll die. And as for the Frost Queen…”

Nick leaned forward.

“I believe she’s poisoned the evergreen trees of Winterbloom Woods,” the witch said, her eyes clouded with shadows.

The muscles on Nick’s shoulders seemed to tense. “Those trees are the lifeforce of this land… they sustain not only the North Pole, but her realm as well. She would be destroying her own kingdom in the process. Why would she do that?”

“I don’t have all the answers, My Prince. But I believe the only way to stop her is with the Heart of Yule.”

“The ancient relic bestowed to us by Odin himself? It was lost long ago,” I said.

“Yes, child. But it holds the only magic powerful enough to stop the queen and restore balance to the realm.”

“Okay, if it’s lost, how do we find it? Where do we even begin to look?” Nick asked.

Helka walked to a desk filled with books and stacks of papers. “It only appears to those willing to make the ultimate sacrifice. However, the Heart is dormant and can only be awakened onWinter Solstice, the day when the light begins to return to the world.” She pulled out a map and handed it to Nick. “Legend says the Heart is buried somewhere on Isfjall’s summit.”

My heart dropped. “Ice Mountain? The terrain is treacherous.”

“If it can only be awakened on Winter Solstice, what are we supposed to do until then?” Nick asked.

The witch swallowed deeply, her face growing grim. “You must protect your realm at all costs.”

I put a hand on Nick’s arm, drawing his attention. “Christmas is in two weeks,” I said. “Everyone is focused on final preparations, including the courtship. This news could derail everything. Even if we heal the reindeer and can get the sleigh to fly, holiday cheer will be shadowed by this threat. It will ruin the elves’ morale, impacting the dispatch on Christmas Eve.”

A muscle in Nick’s jaw twitched as he contemplated our options. “The last thing I’m worried about is the courtship. I will need to speak to my father. He’ll need to understand. We’ll postpone this marriage nonsense. I’ll mount a search team for the Heart and help my father lead the Crimson Guard to the borders to fortify the shields. You work on the elves, keep them busy. Christmas must go on, Alva. Our realm depends on it.”