Heart of Ice

Tragic Ever After

Arnele snapped open his eyes when he felt a hand run through his hair. He jumped from his position on the floor and patted his hands around his body for a weapon.

Finding nothing, the panic that was only on the rise, rose so high his hands shook. A voice whispered his name but he did not pay it one bit of his attention. He frantically looked around for something to use in defense.

A hand landed on his arm and he raised his hands to attack but his eyes found someone he had not seen in what seemed like to be forever to him but were only a couple of months.

"Arnele." Anna said his name again, in hopes that the Ice Witch had stayed true to her words and he was out of her cage.

"Anna." Arnele whispered his sister's name.

Oh, his baby sister. The one he spent hours upon hours, days upon days, taking care of. The sister who took care of him whenever he fell sick or injured himself in a fight. The one person in his family who always fought for him. And the one person in the family he will always fight for.

Anna smiled brightly and wrapped her arms tightly around him. The shock that had consumed had now worn off. He wrapped his arms around her and hugged her back as tightly.

Arnele had missed his baby sister so much, no words could describe them. He pulled back when he realized they were still in the Ice Witch's fortress.

"Anna! What ever are you doing here?" Arnele planted his hands on Anna shoulders and held her in place. "You should not be here." His eyes looked over Anna and realized how tired she looked.

"I know. But you are not supposed to be here either." There was a sadness in Anna's eyes that was starting to seep out.

"Anna, what are you doing here?" Arnele knew Anna had done something she regretted.

"I am here to rescue you. And I did. I did rescue you." Anna nodded her head frantically as her eyes stayed downwards. She could bring herself to look into her brothers eyes.

"How?" Arnele could bring himself to do anything but whisper the words. He knew something was wrong.

"I — you're free to go." Anna whispered. "But— but I have to stay."

Arnele opened his mouth to protest but Anna shut him up.

"Please, do not argue with me, brother. Just do as I say. And go." Anna swallowed the lump that was forming in her throat. "But I need you to do something for me. I need you to look for someone. A man about my age, except he is much taller than me. He was with me but we were separated in Frost Will. I want you to look for him. And then go home. Go home, brother." Anna pulled away from Arnele.

"Anna," Arnele whispered the words as the despair settled in.

Tears well into his eyes as he watched his sister slowly take steps backward but she did not look up. Anna's eyes stayed trained to the floor as the tears dropped down her face.

"Goodbye, brother. May we see each other again."