Page 39 of This Frozen Heart

It’s ironic that the woman who doubted I had a heart is the one who proved to me that I do. And it is for her sake that I have lost it.

Mayhap my heart was less than adequate, filled with no passion and only ambition. But now that it has been replaced by cold, sharp ice, I cannot help but miss it and the man I used to be.

That is the only emotion I have the energy to muster. It would seem I have become the ice king Gerda accused me of being in our childhood.

“Isn’t it beautiful?” The Snow Queen beams with pride, and for a moment, I think she speaks of her smile.

Then I follow her gaze and see the palace crafted entirely of ice perched on the top of the mountain. The sharp angles reflect the rising sun rather than melt from it, making it nearly too bright to look upon. Even so, the expert craftsmanship shines through.

“It’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen,” I breathe, my heart skipping a beat. It’s the first thing I’ve felt since everything went cold.

“Even more beautiful than that peasant you were cavorting with earlier?”

I wince at the reminder of Gerta. For a moment, I know she seemed to me as beautiful as this castle. But I know now that wasonly because she was warm and I had yet to discover the beauty of ice. I had yet to realize the treachery in the heart of a woman.

Because of her, not only have I lost my chance at a perfect record and a promotion, but also ever being able to see my family again. That’s probably what she wanted. They were Constantinium overlords to her, after all. She knew nothing of how safe and appreciated they made me feel. Though Gerta would probably have betrayed me faster if shedidknow.

I took the path with the highest number of risks, and now I must pay the price.

Scowling, I glare down the mountain toward where the enemy who tricked me is running free.

“Wrong direction.” The Snow Queen grasps my jaw with cool fingers and tilts my face to look back at the magnificent castle. “To look anywhere else but here is to be overcome by the darkness.”

I turn to the Snow Queen and try not to be taken by her beauty as well. But the light reflects from her air almost like the ice castle, and from this proximity, I can see the ice baubles she has dangling from her ears. Such great beauty indeed . . .

Clearing my throat, I stare at the snow instead as the Snow Queen sets me on it. Moments ago, I think I would have felt relief to no longer be airborne. Now I feel nothing. “If you dislike the darkness that came with the freezing of my heart, why did you inflict it upon me?”

“Because though it is dark, it dulls the pain. I can tell, my little soldier boy, that you are no stranger to suffering. Now all of you is numb to it.” The Snow Queen lands on the snow beside me and strides toward her palace. A white fur cloak drapes behind her in the snow, nearly indistinguishable from its surroundings, so it seems like all the mountain is her train.

The Snow Queen strides up to her ice palace, and two massive doors open for her.

Not sure what else to do, but lured by the beauty, I follow her inside.

Inside the palace is a magnificent hall. The floor is made entirely of ice, and I have to stagger my steps to keep from faceplanting. Not that it would be such a horror to see the lovely ice closer. But I also cannot help but wonder at what it reflects.

There is a glass throne large enough for two to sit upon it at the end of the hall. There isn’t a cushion upon it, and though the arms of the throne are carved into swans, the back has spikes protruding from it.

The throne is far from the only piece of furniture in this hall that is filled with all kinds of ice sculptures, but it is certainly the most impressive. However, the dozen lost souls in winter furs wandering around the hall have eyes only for the Ice Queen.

A strange swirl of jealousy fills me to think that I must share her attention with all these people. It is bad enough that I must be her servant, yet I am not even heronlyservant?

When I was just one of many orphans under Granny’s care, she could not protect me from torment. That safety did not come until I was the only son of my father.

The Snow Queen on her part doesn’t glance either to the right or to the left until she sits on her throne. Then she offers a cool smile to the entire hall. “My loved ones, today I have two pieces of good tidings for you.”

The others in the palace glance at each other, looking confused, like they do not know how to be excited any longer. Then they move closer, jingling with each step.

I move closer, too, but I keep my distance from the strangers I don’t trust. Still, I find the source of the jingling— little icicles sewn into the hems of their layers. Some have only a couple, and others have a dozen at least. Is this some kind of token from the Snow Queen? If so, what must I do to earn my own?

“My first announcement is that another loved one has joined our family!”

The Snow Queen offers me a benevolent smile, and then every eye turns on me. No one cheers like my garrison when my recruitment was announced. Instead, they study me with suspicion, like they know I desire their ice and crave their Queen’s attention.

“Come here, boy.” The Snow Queen gestures to me.

I stride toward her, those between her and me only moving out of the way at the last possible moment. But it doesn’t matter, because now I am standing before the Snow Queen. Then I bow as I would if I had an audience with the Holy Empress, my frozen heart throbbing with her proximity. But itisa feeling, and after so many moments of numbness and distant frustration, it is almost a relief.

The Snow Queen strokes my face as she inspects it, and the coolness of her fingers sends tingles through me. “What is your name, new servant of mine? I don’t believe I’ve asked.”

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