A Mix Of Worlds

II - A Heart of Ice

II - A Heart of Ice

"The white bees would bow for none but their queen," Kai read, running a hand through Gerda's hair. She shivered. Grandma had gone to bed an hour ago, leaving the two of them alone to read by the fireplace. Gerda had soon stretched out on the couch, resting her head on his lap and tucking the blanket around them.

"She was the biggest bee of them all, and she could never stay still on the ground. Instead, she was drawn back to the dark and the cold. During the winter nights, she flew through the streets and peered in through the windows. Then they would freeze over in a strange way, as if they were covered with flowers."

"The queen called her subjects snowflakes, for they were flakes of her snow-white skin. And all who passed her would know, for her hair was platinum, her icy eyes soulless and empty. They called her the Snow Queen." Kai closed the book before the story ended, just as Grandma used to do when they were children.

Gerda rolled onto her back and looked at him. "I still think she's real."

She was beautiful in the firelight, her blonde hair like a wreath around her face. Gerda had always been gorgeous, but he did not seem to realise that until they were older. He pulled his hand out of her hair and stroked her cheek. Her breath hitched.

"I told you, it must have been someone from the village acting for a play. The Snow Queen is a story for children," he said, exasperated.

She raised an eyebrow and put her hand on his shoulder.

He stiffened. And proceeded to help her sit up, even though everything rational in him screamed to leave her be. She tugged at the ends of her hair and bit her lip as she scooched backwards.

"How can you fake evil spirits?" she asked softly. "She's real, and she's out there. Someone just needs to find her."

Kai let his gaze wander from her face to her neck, where her strange heart-shaped locket lay in all its golden beauty. She never took it off, not even to sleep. Sometimes he wondered what exactly she had in there that she kept so close. He only knew that Grandma had found Gerda in a basket, the baby clutching the locket, crying.

He had just opened his mouth to say something in reply when Grandmother interjected.

"Children, it's late, and Kai has work tomorrow. Bedtime, now!" she ordered.

Gerda kissed him on the cheek, got up and hugged Grandma before leaving the room. His cheek burned where her lips had touched it. Ignoring it, he gave Grandma a quick hug before going to bed.

Kai had barely laid down when he saw a flash of white out of the corner of his eye. He turned to the window and brushed the snowflakes aside. His eyes widened.

A woman stood there, her hair like snow, falling in curls down her back. Her eyes... Kai stumbled away from the window, bolting it shut and drawing the curtains.

He slumped on his bed, gasping. She's not real, he whispered over and over as he felt an icy wind brush across his arms. He pulled the covers over his head, and his chest began to ache. She's not real. Even as the icy wind tugged at his hair, he murmured those words, believing them, trusting them.

Eventually, the wind died away, leaving silence and his own breath. He fell asleep with the touch of icy fingers on his skin and a never-ending ache in his heart.