The Frost Kingdom

by C S Patra

  “Dancing in a dark corner is better than no dance at all.” Lavinia pointed out, her eyelashes lined with the snowflakes. “First song that we hear, we’ll find that corner and just spend some time together.”

  “That would be nice. I want that time to know everything else about you.”

  “I thought you knew everything about me by now. It’s at least four days, maybe more. I know you as more than a baker girl. Is there anything else I have yet to learn about you?”

  “I wish. I can’t say I know everything about you though. In truth, all I knew about you was that you were the princess and that I should treat you with respect. I’ve always thought about what you would look like.” Alice found the dark corner in the room with very few dimly light candles. “Let’s go over there. We can get more privacy.”

  “Privacy, huh?” Lavinia grinned at that and held out her long gloved hand. “Then take me there, baker girl. Take me to somewhere private where you can get to know me much better.”

  Alice was hesitant but the fact that they were both wearing gloves now helped. She gently put her palm into Lavinia’s and slowly led her across the ballroom. The two had to be very careful not run into anyone. There were dancers swirling around them but Alice was able to cut through the moving bodies and find that little cozy place in the corner. Two lit candles sat on a tiny table and there were two rickety chairs for them to sit down, which made it the perfect atmosphere. Lavinia crossed in front of Alice and looked around to make sure no one followed them. Around her neck, she could feel Madelyn’s cold scales sliding on her collarbone. Alice could also feel Elias’ tiny little claws digging into her shoulders but he didn’t draw blood. Together, they looked like they belong among the Frost Kingdom elite. They weren’t the baker girl or the hidden princess. They were a couple who deserved to be here.

  “It’s so quiet now,” Alice whispered, listening to the strings playing in the background. “I wish we could dance with the people out there.”

  “I do too. For now, this is going have to do.” Lavinia held out her hand again. “Shall we, my lady?”

  “We shall, your Highness.” Alice felt herself getting close to Lavinia and they both had their covered hands and arms on each other. “I want to touch you so much. I want to feel how warm your body really is.”

  “It’s what I want as well,” Lavinia murmured as she began to circle Alice around the dark corner. “I always wondered who the first person would be that I touched. I figured it might have been my mother or father but I know what I’d get from them. They would hug me, maybe kiss me and they would thank the stars that we could finally touch. That’s not the kind of touch I want to be my first though. A first touch is something deeper. It’s something more.”

  “You don’t feel that hugging your mother and father would be deep?”

  “Of course it would! It would also be something I’d expect. I want the first person I touch to be someone that I would leave my life in their hands. I want them to protect my love and my life. In fact, they would be the person I would give both of those things to.”

  “Love and life,” Alice murmured. “Those are two things I don’t know a whole lot about, I’m afraid. I have been missing love and life for a long time. Without much of a family to grow up with or friends of any kind, I never knew what they could be. As strange as it sounds, you are my very first friend. You’re the first person who understands my curse even if it’s not the same kind of curse. You know what it’s like to go through life without touching anything.”

  “It’s not something either of us wanted.” Lavinia looked over Alice’s shoulder for signs of danger. “This ball is exactly what I thought it would but ten times better than Themasa. Do you see all the decorations and the snowflakes all around us? Themasa would never have anything this elegant. I mean, there are dances and well-dressed people but I don’t think I’ve ever seen a living ice sculpture before.”

  She nodded to the sculpture of ice dragons spewing water out and letting roars in front of the guests. Alice had to admit that they were extraordinary and unique only to this kingdom. “I bet you want one, don’t you?”

  “I can’t steal them. That wouldn’t be right.”

  Alice smirked. “We could get Kian to steal them.”

  “Alice!”

  “Well, he is good at that! He managed to get away with everything without getting caught!”

  “Tempting but no. You are amusing though.” Lavinia chuckled as she got closer in Alice’s face. The two of them could breathe on each other yet that was as far as they could get. “There is another thing I wish I could have experienced sooner.”

  Alice knew what she meant. “Kissing someone?”

  “Not just anyone. Kissing a true love.” Lavinia went on. “I want that first kiss to be magical as well. I want to kiss someone and feel what they feel inside. I want that love to explode in me. I imagine that’s a real kiss would be. It would be a lot of love from them and they would get as much love from me.”

  “You have such big thoughts about simple things like kisses. I never imagined what mine would have been like. Remember, I don’t know what love really is like.”

  “Maybe we can teach each other about it.”

  It was at that point that Alice truly wanted to kiss her and feel her body’s heat on her. It seemed so unfair that they could dance like this but not do more. If people could look at them right now, they could see the love that was radiating off them. Maybe it wasn’t real love but it was something that they were feeling and it was pulling them together. Her heart felt ready to beat out of her chest. In any second, she would have given it to Lavinia and let her keep it for life.

  “We need to break this curse,” Lavinia whispered, her nose almost touching Alice’s. That tiny distance between them was keeping them alive right now. They needed to stay alive long enough to finish their journey. “We need to know what we are missing.”

  “Love and life.” Alice finished for her. “We are missing love and life.”

  “Not all of it. I feel like I know more about both than I did when I was younger.”

  “And what about now? What do you understand now?”

  “I understand that people are complicated. I understand feelings are strange.” Lavinia was inches from her face but that was as far as she could go. They could feel each other’s breath and knew that was the most they could get. “I understand that love does funny things. You never know who you will fall for.”

  “No, you don’t.” Alice felt lightheaded and realized she needed to step back. “Can you give me a second, Vinnie? I need to go to the washroom.”

  “Of course. I’ll be waiting for you over here.”

  Alice started to run down the hallway to find a washroom where she could fix her hair and mask. That was the excuse she had given Lavinia but it wasn’t the real reason. She wanted to leave because she could feel how warm her face was getting. She could feel that passion pouring between them and it was hard to deal with. It hurt not being able to kiss Lavinia at this moment. The only other thing she could feel were Elias’ feet digging into her shoulders.

  What is wrong with me? I keep getting so close to her. I want to touch her so much and I can’t!

  She found a room to hide in and saw that it had a mirror. It didn’t look like this room belonged to anyone based on the fact that there was very little in it. A well-made bed, some curtains, and a dresser with a mirror were all that was left in here. Taking a deep breath, she took off the wig and mask and tried to collect herself. Standing right in front of Lavinia had made her weak deep inside. She wasn’t sure what was happening to her.

  “What am I feeling, Elias?” She asked the dragon. “I have never felt my heart racing like this before. Ever since I laid eyes on Vinnie, all I can think about is her. All I want to think about is her. Maybe I didn’t come on this journey to get rid of my curse. I came because I wanted to be with her. What am I doing?”

  Elias had
no answers but she sensed she had other company. Looking at her sides, she saw that Light and Dark had returned. “Oh, you two have such incredible timing! I suppose you saw everything, didn’t you?” They both nodded. “I should have known. I’m not sure where you both go off to but you show up when I really need someone. Am I going crazy? Or is it... am I feeling something for Lavinia that I didn’t feel for anyone else?”

  Light looked over in the other direction and she could hear voices. They were getting closer so she decided to find a place to hide. There was a spot behind the bed so she went to it, taking Elias, Light, and Dark with her. She wasn’t worried about Dark so much but Light was a little too bright and Elias would roar if something bothered him. She tried to calm him down and see if Light could get dim enough so no one saw them.

  “Try to stay quiet,” she whispered to both as the door opened and she heard footprints enter the room. “Do not move, make a sound, or do anything to bring attention to us. I don’t want people to know we were here.”

  They all seemed to understand as she heard the door closing. She peered around the corner and saw three men talking with someone who had a lot of blue hair and was wearing a fancy white gown. She didn’t know who it was but this woman looked formidable. If the men did anything wrong, she would probably take them out without thinking twice. They were scared of her but they wanted to get their words out.

  “We would be risking the lives of our people!” One of the men exclaimed. “War already brings about a lot of destruction and expenses. Please reconsider your score to settle with the Petal and Sugar witches. We can’t afford to lose anyone or try to build our kingdom. It took so long to put together.”

  “That is none of my concern.” The woman replied with no feeling in her voice. Alice shivered at how quick she was to reply. “This is a vendetta I have against the Petal and Sugar witches. I will need to fight in order to win this war. If you will not help me, then I will have to take everything by force.”

  “If you do that, then people will perish! At least give them the chance to fight in the war.”

  “I cannot wait that long. I need fighters now to serve by my side. Together, we can make the Frost Kingdom the only one that this world needs. I know you want power as well. With the Petal Kingdom and Sugar Kingdom in place, that won’t happen. You need them out of the picture.”

  “We would risk hurting innocent people! There is so much over there that could be lost!” One of the men pointed out. “I’m sorry, Frost Witch. I cannot agree with these terms.”

  Frost Witch. Alice felt sick deep inside as she realized who they were dealing with. She didn’t know much about the witches of these kingdoms but she knew how powerful they were. People back in Themasa knew about them and they were afraid. These three witches could do anything they wanted and no dared to cross them. They were all hungry for power and had been trying to get control whenever they saw a chance. From the sound of it, they wanted another war and they weren’t going to let anyone stop them.

  “Fine then,” Frost Witch said, holding up her arms. “Have it your way. Let everything, including yourselves, perish in this bitter cold!”

  “No!” Alice popped out of her hiding place, trying to stop this from happening. Everyone was stunned by her appearance but she threw off her gloves and tried to make leaves sprout out of the Frost Witch. It was in vain as the Frost Witch used her powers to push her back, cold air blasting into her face. She was thrown against the wall and the ice felt like shards into her side. “Stop! Stop!”

  “Who is this?! What are you trying to pull?!” The Frost Witch demanded. “Get this woman out of here now!”

  Alice tried to move from the cold but it wasn’t until Light shined brightly and Elias started to roar that she was able to run. This distracted the others long enough for her to run out of the room and start running down the stairs. She began to call Lavinia’s name as she ran. “Vinnie! Lavinia! Run! You have to run!”

  “Lavinia? Princess Lavinia?” Someone spoke up. “Everyone! It’s Princess Lavinia of Themasa!”

  Lavinia’s face paled and Alice knew she had made a terrible mistake at that moment. Their secret was out and now it was going to be impossible to get out of this now.

  Chapter 19

  The crowded room began screaming and running all around each other, trying their best to avoid each other. There were guards filling up and trying to block the exits. Kian had been sitting in the back when he saw the commotion. When he heard people exclaiming that they had found the Princess of Themasa, he knew they had been caught and they had to get out. Making his way through the crowd, he found Lavinia trying to break through. It was difficult not to push people over but she did so with gloved hands.

  “The princess is here! Get her!”

  “Run! All of you!” Alice yelled as she started to head toward the doors. Lavinia heard her but the first thing she saw were the guards. “They’ve come!”

  “After them!” One of the guards yelled. “Make sure they do not escape!”

  Kian started to head toward the door and was able to push them open before anyone could stop him. Once unlocked, the cold wind filled up the room and snow began to fly inside. People panicked as the breeze came in and brought the ice while the Frost Witch tried to conjure up magic from above. Lavinia ran down the stairs with Alice trailing behind her, the ice making it difficult to move without tripping.

  Running through the snow and ice in a gown was not as easy as Alice had expected. Lavinia was having an easier time but even she slowed down as she got pelted with ice petals and snow flowers floating around. They clung to her hair and lashes, almost blinding her as she ran down the stairs. A part of her was tempted to use her power right then and there. She knew she could make something grow from the ground but she didn’t know how big it would be.

  “I have an idea!” She called out to the others, stopping and taking off her gloves. “I think we can slow them down.”

  Kian turned around, unsure of what she was planning. “Miss Alice, what are you_”

  Alice didn’t wait for him to finish his sentence. Her hands went deep into the cold snow and touch the freezing ground beneath it. Her fingers were stung by the ice but she could feel something slowly start to come out of the dirt. She stepped back in time for the vines to sprout out of the ground and block the path of anyone trying to find them.

  “Keep running! That will hold them off for a while!”

  Lavinia kept moving forward as she wished she could help out as well. Alice’s power had come in handy many times but hers only brought death and destruction. There was no way she could use this ability on anyone or anything. If she touched a person, they would die in an instant and the world would see her as a threat. She felt guilty for not helping and running away but this was all they could do.

  “It’s working!” Kian exclaimed as he moved ahead of them. “Keep running! I can see a clearing and we can lose them!”

  “Then what?!” Lavinia wanted to know. “We need to get to the Petal Kingdom!”

  “We’ll decide what to do later! Right now, just run!” He looked around and found some ice-covered bushes and trees that would be large enough to keep them from view. “Here! This is where we need to be!”

  Alice dove down into the icy bushes and thought about what she had heard as the guards ran past them. Her heart was racing from everything she had learned. There was a war on the way. There was a war that no one would be prepared for and would lead to great destruction. She knew about it but was unsure what to do. Suddenly, the idea of removing a curse didn’t seem so important now. It was so small.

  We’ve been selfish and unaware. We didn’t know that worse things were out there. Now I don’t know what we are going to do. We have to stop what’s coming but how can we do that?

  Once they had hidden from the guards, Alice was able to tell them what she had overheard. “I’m afraid this is not going to be as easy as we thought. Moving from kingdom to
kingdom is only half the problem. Finding a sorcerer or witch is also difficult but it’s the main thing we have to deal with. The Frost Witch wants to gain power over all the kingdoms apparently and is in war with the Petal Witch and the Sugar Witch. Therefore, asking them to remove any curse is out of the question. All they are focused on is trying to get control. They do not care who or what stands in their way. If they have to cause destruction all over, they will.”

  “So if they are in war with each other, that means... Themasa and all the other smaller kingdoms, towns and villages will be in the way.” Lavinia realized. “They want to destroy everything.”

  “Exactly,” Alice whispered. “People are going to get caught in this battle and the worst part is that most of the other kingdoms don’t know what’s going on. There’s a war on the rise and we have to be able to stop it.”