Heir to the Ice Queen (Book 1)

Ch. 28

     We reached the boarder in no time, where summers grass starts to die out and whiten away. Where the trees start to grow from both thick and thin trunks which determined the amount of leaves they would be able to hold. I could not see any snow falling from where I stood, but I could feel the gentle frost of wind blowing in my face, a contradiction from the summers humidity behind me. I breathed in the scent of it, home - but we didn't cross right away. The adrenaline from earlier started to wear off, getting replaced with anxiety.

     What if when I cross the boarder she takes away all my energy? I know she'll try but what if she wins before the real fight even begins? What if I'm not stronger than her, even with the ability to control fire? She has been the longest ruler of a season for a reason, she isn't weak, she can't be underestimated.

     I didn't open my eyes when I felt a mans hand gently take mine, I knew it was Ray from the hold. 

     "I've never been this close to the boarder before... Winter looks beautiful. Care to show me around?"

     I felt the corner of my mouth smile a little and then I opened my eyes to see him staring intensely into mine.

     "You are more powerful then her."

     Six words. It was all he needed to say to me to make me feel sure of myself. She can't be underestimated - but neither can I.

     I slid off my horse and scratch Nuri behind his left ear, telling him to stay, he simply replied with a lick from his rough tongue on my fingertips. No one moves when I do, not even the winter knights who had just come from here, they all can feel the tension this moment will bring. I take slow steps at first, just like I did over a month ago over into summer. And then I felt the gentle crush of snow under my steps as I walk back into my home.

    I was waiting for some sort of impact, each step I took into the snow was slow and measured. It wasn't until I was fully surrounded by winter that I feel my heart start to race and a pain shoot into my chest. It was like my energy was being ripped out of me, the way a pack of wolfs rib meat from bone. My mother was trying her best to take all of it now, to leave me with nothing. Before, when we were civil with one another, she would feed off my energy slowly so I couldn't notice. But not anymore. I bite the inside of my cheek as I swallow the pain and push my shoulders back to stand straight. Instead of ignoring the pain I follow it to where she was and envision myself making a thick wall of not ice, but fire. Flames so high and bright that block her from me. The more thought and concentration I put into pushing her out, the less weight I felt in my chest. Until there was a sever so powerful that it pushed me into the ground. The charge of all my power - and some of hers- comes rushing back into me.

     I breath with a new sense of awareness. My skin feels like its humming with power, with being awake with the land. When I close my eyes, I can feel the power I took from her leading me back into the castle, and that I've weakened her. Good. But being more connected with the winter season, I felt it's power and its potential, and how empty the land has become. How it has been robbed of proper care. There are very few animals that can live in this weather, let alone people.

     I turn around to face the rest of the men and women, and I find Elis at the front locking his eyes onto mine, he's worried that something went wrong, I've just sat in the snow for minutes without saying anything. Standing up and brushing the soft snow off my pants, I simple nod my head to him and his face breaks into a smile as him and his warriors enter winter for the first time with delicacy, shivering slightly at the new cold. Good thing they packed extra clothing. My knights on the other hand cross the boarder back into their home with a new found confidence.