The Ice King

by Joanna Mazurkiewicz

  In the end, she had to leave the main dining room because after her conversation with James she couldn’t eat anything. She returned to her chamber wanting to be away from nosey and judgmental ladies.

  She thought about going to the Ice King’s chamber now, but she knew it was too soon. Besides, she wasn’t ready to jump straight into his bed. Yanni wanted to be responsible and she needed him to see the real her. She didn’t want him to think that she was like the other women he took to his bed.

  The next few days passed quickly and Yanni didn’t see James again. She had been exploring the Ice Castle and the surrounding areas alone. She didn't have enough courage to take him up on his offer and visit him in his chamber late at night. Her plan was simple. She needed to seduce him, make him propose to her, but the longer she spent time in his castle, the more she began to realise that this wasn't going to be an easy task.

  The Ice King liked spending his time in the company of women, and there were plenty of them around. More beautiful women were arriving at the Ice Castle every day. Yanni hoped to speak to him during dinner, but regardless of the time she would show, he was never there.

  She didn’t want to ask the maids about him. She knew that this wasn’t the way and she couldn’t really stay in the castle for too long. James thought that she had arrived here accidentally because she saved his son from dangerous highwaymen. She thought about her options long and hard and she decided to stick around for now. So far, no one was asking any questions and the Ice King seemed to have visitors all the time. What was one more?

  She wandered off around the corridors, spending some time in the library. Finally, during the fourth evening, she spotted James heading downstairs. He was alone and it looked like he was going somewhere. He was wearing his thick fur coat and Yanni instantly wanted to follow him. Her heart jumped in her chest and lust filled her system. She ran back to her chamber and grabbed a winter coat from the wardrobe.

  She caught up with him outside by the stables. For a split second, she wanted to reveal herself and just ask him where he was going, but thought better of it. Last time they spoke, he made it perfectly clear that he didn't want to be interrupted in any way. Besides, Yanni had the perfect opportunity to follow him now and learn about his habits.

  Once he started riding towards the mountains, she slipped into the stable and found her horse. It was snowing again and she didn't know her way around this territory, but she didn’t want to miss her chance to follow the Ice King. Maybe she could finally get him alone. It was now or never and Yanni decided that she was done sitting around.

  7

  Yanni wasn’t used to riding a horse so fast. She was tired and it was snowing heavily again. An arctic blast of fear slid its way up her spine when she thought about being lost in the mountains and being on her own. The guards in the castle told her that trolls attacked lonely travellers, and so far, luck wasn’t on her side. She told herself that she had to stay positive, that she could do this.

  Her heart was in her throat when she followed the Ice King up the mountain. Her breathing was shallow and fear seized her, but she kept going. After some time, she finally reached an open valley. She was trying to keep up with his fast pace, afraid that she might lose him at any moment.

  After several miles, Snow White had a little trouble keeping up with him. She was cold and her body was beginning to feel numb. She wanted to rest, but she couldn’t stop now because she would get caught in the snowstorm. Yanni had days to get used to this weather, but she still wasn’t sure if she could live in such a cold kingdom. The sun vanished behind the horizon a while back and it was getting dark quickly. Her determination and desire to gain the respect of her people kept her going.

  Eventually, Yanni started seeing lights in front of her—signs of civilisation. A mile later, she reached a small town hidden in another valley. Unfortunately, she lost James and had no idea where he went.

  She decided to tie up her horse and look for the Ice King in town. She suspected that he couldn’t have vanished anywhere far. The streets were busy and, despite the late hour, everyone seemed to be out shopping and talking in groups. Children were running around and playing in the snow. Yanni liked the mysterious energy of this place, and she felt like she finally belonged somewhere.

  For several minutes, she walked around, slightly worried that she had lost James for good. Later on, she saw his black horse. It was tied up by the entrance to a tavern. Yanni’s heart thumped in her chest. She wondered why James travelled such a distance. He had an entire vineyard at his disposal, so he couldn’t have come here because he fancied a drink.

  Yanni was too cold to stand outside and think about this, so she decided to enter the tavern. She went around to the back entrance. Fortunately for her, the tavern was very busy; there were men and women standing around drinking in every available space. She squeezed through the throng of people, remembering the dwarves and her own experiences. Her heart kicked her in the chest when she finally saw James. He was sitting alone in the corner drinking a pint. None of this made any sense. Yanni didn’t want to approach him because it seemed that he was waiting for someone.

  She sat down several tables away from him and ordered a glass of wine. Her mind was filled with questions, and she noticed that a few men were staring at her.

  Several minutes later, Yanni saw a woman approach James. She was very tall, almost as tall as him. She had long brown hair and wide blue eyes. She was dressed in a crimson red dress that most likely cost her a fortune. Yanni could recognise the quality of the fabric even from where she was sitting. In the past, she sewed her own dresses and was very good at it, although she found it boring as hell.

  Now, everything was slowly beginning to make sense. The woman smiled brightly and James gestured for her to sit down. Yanni figured out that they knew each other or at least that they had met here a few times before.

  Soft zooming energy started drifting around her, and she sensed the woman’s special abilities. Her skin was almost radiating. She moved a lock of her hair above her ear and then touched the king's hand.

  Yanni was surprised that James rode all the way out there just to meet with another beauty. His castle was filled with women from all around the different kingdoms. He could pick and choose, and yet he met someone local.

  Yanni wasn't sure what to make of the strange woman. She had been in the Ice Castle for days now and had only spoken to James once. Whenever she wanted to see him, he wasn’t around. She never expected that she would have to spy on the Ice King in some old tavern in the middle of nowhere when she left Tyndil.

  A flash of anger moved through her system. She regretted that she got drunk and lost control at the ball. Then all of a sudden, an older lady sat opposite her breaking her away from her thoughts. She was selling an assortment of flowers from a basket and smiled at Yanni.

  "Buy a flower, honey?" the woman asked, showing her the basket.

  “I'm sorry, but I don’t have much change on me. Besides, I’m waiting for someone. My friend is going to be here any second," she said, smiling kindly and looking above the woman's shoulder. James was now sitting closer to the strange beauty, whispering something in her ear while she giggled away. The woman must have switched her seating arrangement because she was right next to him now.

  “You don’t have to lie to me, girl. I can sense your deceit. Don't worry, I won't harass you anymore, but the man that you’re looking at isn't suitable for you," the old woman said, putting her basket under the table. Yanni was shocked, she didn’t understand what the woman was talking about.

  “I’m sorry I don’t—”

  “Save the explanation for yourself, darling. You’re lusting over this man. I saw you when you sat down and you haven’t taken your eyes off him. All you need to know is that he won’t notice you with her around. His heart is broken, wounded. He buried his first wife and was engaged twice before. He has been coming here for a while now and stopped believing in real love a long time ago,” the older
woman explained.

  "How do you know all this and how do you know that he doesn't believe in love?" Yanni asked getting agitated with herself when she noticed that James started kissing the stranger passionately. She was a little jealous, like during the first night when she walked in on him. She really wanted to take the woman’s place now and feel the warmth of his lips.

  "Everyone around here knows who he is, but they pretend that they don’t recognise him,” the woman said. “His wife passed away years ago, but there was Princess Tiammi from Bangilore Kingdom. She was the last one that took away his heart. Apparently, she was carrying his child, but she wasn’t faithful to him. She left one night to meet her lover in the forest. The King followed them all the way to another town. He confronted her and then a fight broke out between the two men. The princess was trying to separate them and unfortunately, she fell to the ground and miscarried the child. After that, the two of them went their separate ways and James hasn't been the same since."

  Yanni was in shock. She knew that James was engaged twice, but she never thought that his story was so tragic. His first wife died, then his fiancé had another lover. Now, his motivation started to make sense.

  James was trying to stay detached from his feelings and that’s why he slept around with so many different women. He invited them to the Ice Castle to attend his lavish balls. She couldn’t know exactly what was going on inside his heart, but after experiencing such hardship, she understood him a bit better.

  “Do you know the woman that he’s kissing? Who is she?” she asked, curious.

  The older lady glanced at the woman briefly.

  “They were seen here together a few times before,” the older lady said. “I don't know her, she’s a stranger. She must be from another kingdom.”

  Yanni was unsure what to make of this whole situation. Barbra told her that the Ice King was unstable, that he spent every night with a different woman, and yet Yanni managed to get his attention. She couldn’t be like the others, but her plan was beginning to fall apart. She needed him to change for her, but this whole mission seemed impossible all of a sudden. Not to mention, she knew his heart was broken. Could she be the one to mend it?

  “Thank you for your information. I want to buy one of your flowers,” Yanni said, and the older lady looked at her with smile.

  She paid the woman with a gold coin and then got up, ready to leave. She put her scarf around her neck and headed back outside to her horse. It was freezing cold now, and she was done spying on the king. Right before she disappeared, she glanced back at the tavern, seeing him in the window. The couple was still kissing and Yanni sighed loudly.

  She knew that she wasn't the kind of person that would give up so easily, but sleeping with him just so he would notice her was out of the question.

  After she left the town, she rode for hours, becoming paranoid that she was lost. She didn’t want to freeze to death and die alone, but kept going. Close to midnight, she finally saw the Ice Castle in the distance and was relieved that she managed to return in once piece. The guards must have recognised her from the other day because they opened the gate for her as she approached.

  Yanni went straight to her chamber, trying not to think about James. The room was warm and cozy. She was too tired to head back to Tyndil tonight, but wanted to get back home to rethink her strategy as soon as possible. Her whole body was aching badly and she was still disappointed that James left the castle to meet another woman. She had no expectations. After all, she had only spoken to him once and yet, she felt an incredible pull towards him.

  When she closed her eyes, she was already drifting away.

  Yanni opened her eyes, waking up in her own bed in Tyndil. Someone was knocking on her chamber door. She quickly got up and walked over to the door, realising that her nighty was extremely revealing. She didn’t remember putting it on last night. The knocking persisted and she wasn’t expecting anyone so late.

  It was James, he stood right outside, smiling at her. Yanni didn’t understand what he was doing here. She didn’t recall inviting him over.

  "My lord, what are you doing here?" she asked, biting her lip. He didn’t respond, just walked inside and slammed the door behind him.

  "Just call me James, Snow White. I have been thinking about you. I couldn't sleep and wondered if you were ever going to take me up on my offer?" he asked, and his eyes hovered over her cleavage. There was something about his aura and that beard that made Yanni instantly wet for him. Her heart was beating extremely fast in her chest.

  "What offer?" she asked in a small voice.

  "I wanted you in my chamber. I wanted to touch you the moment I saw you," he whispered and before she knew what was going on, James had her in his arms. She swallowed hard, trying to keep her body in control, but her hands wandered off to his muscular chest.

  "But we don't know even each other. And I'm not like other women. I don't sleep with random men, my lord. This isn’t me,” she explained.

  "Don't worry, this won't be one-time only, darling. I want to have you in my bed every night," he said, and then crushed his lips to hers in the most intense kiss that she had ever experienced. Yanni had never been kissed like that before, by anyone. The Ice King’s lips were cold, but the heat from his touch was spreading throughout her body. He ripped her nighty, touching her erect nipples and the swell of her breast. She was dripping wet for him, moaning into his mouth when he suddenly pulled away.

  "We’re going to fuck now, hard and fast. I hope that you aren't a virgin and that you will allow me to do what I please with your hot body,” he said.

  Yanni was disoriented and breathless, but she was done being shy. She’d spent the night with men before, but she wasn’t very experienced. Her mind was racing away, thinking that this was totally unexpected.

  "No, I'm not a virgin,” she admitted and wanted to tell him that she wouldn’t expect anything else, but he covered her mouth with his again.

  When he stopped kissing her, Yanni was melting away and breathing heavily. James pushed her knickers all the way down. She stepped out of them and he brought them to his face to smell them. Yanni shivered with anticipation, trying to steady her frantic breathing.

  “You smell divine, darling, and I want you to scream—let go of yourself. I want to hear you loud and clear. There isn't anyone on this floor," he muttered and then he knelt down so his face was between her legs. “We’re finally alone, dear, and you can’t imagine how long I have been wanting to touch you, feel your wet folds.”

  Yanni couldn’t breathe or move. Her heart was pounding away as she waited for him to touch her there.

  The Ice King was stripping her with his gaze, reaching further into the deepest and darkest parts of her mind and soul. Deep down, she wanted more than to just make love to him. She wanted him to punish her, so she could feel pain.

  James didn’t lick her like she expected, instead he pushed her against the wall and lifted her left leg. Then he was thrusting himself inside her, before she could even comprehend what was happening. She wanted him to grab her hair and pull it hard.

  It was her fantasy, her time alone with James and she couldn’t get enough of him. The Ice’s King was pushing himself inside her harder and faster, filling her with his size. He grabbed her legs and lifted them up, placing her ankles on his shoulders. Yanni knew that it wasn’t going to be long before she exploded.

  “Say my name, woman. I want to hear you screaming my name,” he ordered, ignoring her previous command and then he started fucking her hard and fast again.

  She was losing control of her body, trembling and moaning as he kept pounding into her. This was the roughest sex she had ever experienced, but she had a feeling that he was just getting started.

  8

  Yanni knew that she was dreaming, and yet she wished she would never wake up. The Ice King continued thrusting his hard cock into her, and she was screaming his name like he told her to. Heat was ravaging her body and she was losing touch with re
ality. He was pounding into her fast, then faster, digging his fingers into her hips.

  Fire was spreading through her core, drenching her from the inside out. She wanted him to punish her harder.

  It was her secret fantasy, something that she had been craving for a very long time. Yanni had never dared to suggest this to any of her previous lovers. Now, her new desire gave her more courage.

  “Do you like that? Tell me, what else do you want me to do to you, Snow White?” he asked, while he continued to fuck her, looking deep into her eyes.

  “Grab my hair and pull it, pull it hard,” she told him, not even feeling embarrassed anymore. A dark shadow passed over his face, but he didn’t stop fucking her.

  “You’re a naughty little princess, Yanni. Secretly craving pain, are we?” he asked, laughing, dragging his hand through her hair.

  Yanni stopped analysing what was happening; she was on the edge of an orgasm and the pressure between her legs became unbearable. She couldn’t quite comprehend if it was a dream anymore or if this was happening for real. Her body was responding to James, and she wanted him to hurt her. She was getting wetter thinking about it. Seconds later, she was just about to have the most intense orgasm of her life, screaming his name as he kept thrusting into her, deeper and faster. He was so handsome, fucking her like that.

  “Yes, oh yes, hurt me more,” she told him as beads of sweat ran down her face.,

  Then everything stopped and the Ice King pulled away, leaving her high and dry. She opened her eyes, trying to grab his face, but he grabbed her wrists before she could touch him. His blue eyes were filled with fury, but Yanni wasn’t scared.