Nutcracker [Discontinued]

11 Walls of White

Maria~~~

I raise my hand to shield my eyes, the blizzard growing fantastically fast. My dress and cloak toss and snap in the wind. I stumble wherever they tug me. I keep a grip on the sword. A flicker of blue flashes in the corner of my eye.

"Gwyneira!"

She steps out of a wall of white, smiling. "Princess." Her arms open wide--welcoming.

I drop my hand from my eyes to hold the sword better. Through the wind, I try raising it toward her.

She swirls her hand, and my sword flies out of my hand and out of sight.

I'm defenseless.

Gwyneira grips my shirt pulling me close to her. She holds out her palm, and I watch as an icicle forms, reaching toward the sky. She grins, the wind around our immediate area dying down. "May your death teach the king to no longer take our requests lightly."

My heart beat quickens. When people talk about my death they'll say how I met my demise because of an overgrown snowflake. I squirm but her cold touch is turning my body numb.

A white blob lands on her face, some of the fragments landing on my cheek. Her head twists and she hisses. Her eyes zero in on a spot behind me. Still wary of the icicle, I crane my neck to see.

Fritz pats together a ball of snow. Why is he here? He'll get himself killed.

"It's the human." Her lips curl.

"Fritz!"

He stands his ground. "Let go of her."

The Snow Queen looks at me in disbelief. "This is your hero?" She flicks her hand, and Fritz falls through the wall of white. She turns back to me. "Now where were we?"

I plunge the icicle into her chest. She opens her mouth. Nothing comes out.

"We're at the part were you get stabbed with your own weapon. Questions?"

She reaches for the ice protruding out of her chest, gasping.

"Good. Didn't think so." I shove her backward. The ice won't kill her. It's what's she's practically made of. In order to kill her I need my sword. However, the icicle will hold her off and drain her powers. The storm is already receding. The Ice Fairies will retreat back to their territory.

I dive into the winds. "Fritz!" No answer. "Fritz!" I hit a lump and fly forward, landing in the snow. Fritz's body lies in a heap. He's dead. My chance at breaking this curse is dead. I shake him. "Fritz, please don't be dead. I'll kill you if you are."

He doesn't respond.