Page 37 of The Enchanted Frost

Her breath caught at my confession, and for a moment joy lit her features, a stark contrast to the worry that had clouded them moments before. But this emotion was quickly overshadowed by fear as she realized the weight of my words.

Tears spilled down her cheeks as she leaned into my touch, her voice trembling. “I love you, too. Which means we must find another way to keep winter’s balance without losing you. Surely this is not the only possible path.”

Her plea struck me deeply, a reminder of the duty I had upheld for so long. Could I truly abandon that for my own happiness? My mind whirled with conflicting thoughts, but even amidst the uncertainty, one precious truth began to crystallize in my heart.

Borealis was silent for a long moment, watching us with a mixture of curiosity and sadness, as if aware of the battle that had been raging within me. “It appears this love for something so fleeting and fragile has exceeded even that of the season you’ve been charged with preserving.” His statement bore the note of grim finality.

At my nod, Borealis released a long, weary sigh. “If your love is sincere, and if it is strong enough to stand up to great testing, there is—”

“Another way,” Blanche breathed, her fingers tightening around mine.

Borealis’ inhuman eyes flicked towards her before nodding briefly. “But it requires a price beyond what most would agree to. Are you willing to pay the cost should you succeed?”

As I stood with the cold wind swirling around me, the storm within the pillar raged on, a reminder of the consequences of my actions as well as the fragile balance that depended on my choice. A chill ran through me that had nothing to do with the cold.

I took a deep, shuddering breath. “What is the cost? I will do whatever needs to be done.” Despite my gnawing unease, resolve made my voice steady.

Borealis shifted, his form becoming more solid as his gaze narrowed on me. “The price is your immortality.” His pronouncement echoed across the glacier.

At his heavy pronouncement, Blanche spun to face me with a horrified gasp. “No, Frost. You can’t make such a sacrifice. I’m not worth—”

I couldn’t bear for her to conclude that thought. I cradled her face, silencing her remaining protests. “You willalwaysbe worth it, Blanche. Don’t let the regrets you feel for past mistakes make you doubt that you deserve love. Now that I’ve met you, I could never go back to the incomplete existence I endured before you came into my life; eternity is meaningless without you.”

My gaze fell back to my reflection, now more human than ever before. But it was more than a reflection of an immortal being losing his powers—I saw a man who had tasted love and had begun to thaw from the inside out; thefrost that had once defined me was melting away, replaced by something warmer, more fragile, and infinitely more precious.

While with that thaw came the terrifying prospect of mortality—of a life lived and then lost, marked by weakness rather than control of the elements—looking at Blanche standing before me with love and fear warring in her eyes confirmed what my heart had long known: while winter was something I would always cherish, the season that had once been my only joy could never compare to her.

My heart clenched at the thought of losing Blanche, of watching her slip away like the snow in spring. What was my magic if it meant I lost her, or an entire eternity without the warmth she’d brought into my life?

I closed my eyes, battling the flood of emotions that threatened to overwhelm me. Memories of my past surfaced—centuries spent as the embodiment of winter, a force of nature that was untouchable and eternal. I had believed myself content then, detached from the world without ever knowing the depth of love, the ache of longing, or the fear of loss. But now, faced with the prospect of truly living—and dying—this once clear path seemed terrifyingly uncertain.

My heart was heavy with the decision that lay before me—the woman who had brought warmth to my cold existence, or the world I had sworn to protect? It was an impossible choice, one that tore at the very fabric of my being. Though my powers were an intricate, cherished part of me, what was my magic or my eternal existence if they meant I lost her?

“What happens to the world if Frost gives up his position?” Blanche’s voice distracted me from my swirling thoughts, and I glanced at the woman who had transformed from someone who’d never cared beyond her own pleasure to someone who faced an immortal being with concern for the fate of others.

Borealis met my gaze. “I will assume Frost’s responsibilities. Perhaps in time a new, worthy Keeper may be found and trained. But for now I will maintain the balance along with my own duties of monitoring and establishing the magical laws.”

A chill ran down my back that had nothing to do with the frigid temperatures. Borealis would do an admirable job of keeping order, creating storms, and dutifully harvesting souls. But one thing that had sparked tension between us in the past had been a disagreement on these precious human lives: while I took my duties seriously and never shrank from collecting the souls of those who had died due to the cold I nurtured, I had insisted on only taking those who naturally succumbed to winter.

In contrast, Borealis had at times urged me to bolster my power and better protect the balance by creating larger, more deadly storms or even targeting specific individuals who would be vulnerable should a sudden blizzard arise.

I shuddered to think of a winter under his dispassionate oversight. While I had never found my emotions involved before Blanche, I had always respected the humans who lived under my care. Yet the alternative was unthinkable.

“I cannot lose her,” I said, the finality in my voice surprising me. “But I also cannot let the world suffer for my choices. I will do whatever it takes to restore the balance. If that means giving up my immortality, then so be it.”

Blanche gasped and reached for me. I pulled her into a tight embrace, feeling the warmth of her body against my own—a warmth that had become more precious to me than any magic I had ever wielded.

Borealis sighed, his form solidifying into a towering figure. “Before you may make such a consequential decision, you must face the trial, Frost, to see where your heart truly lies and whether you have the strength to follow throughwith what you think you desire now. Once you have observed what I will show you, the choice will be yours. If you remain firm in your current decision, you may choose to become mortal, bound to the same cycle you wish to break. You will live and die as all mortals do, and the power of winter will no longer be yours to command. Only the sacrifice of something dear to you can change the course of fate.”

Blanche tried to protest, but I silenced her with a gentle kiss, pouring all my love and resolve into it. I stared into her eyes as I pulled away. “This is my choice, Blanche, one I make gladly.”

As we stood together, the ice beneath our feet began to shimmer, reflecting not just our images, but the love and sacrifice that bound us.

The cold wind howled around us as we turned to face the trial ahead, and I knew that whatever the cost, I would do all in my power to keep her. No matter the outcome of the unknown before us, with her my life would never be the same again thanks to all of the love she had brought to my previously unchanging life.

CHAPTER 17

Blanche

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