Page 10 of The Yuletide Fairy's Curse
“There are many works of art in this palace,” Kolfrosta said steadily.
She thinks I’m overreacting to something, Dalla thought, and that made her angrier. From under her gifted cloak, she unsheathed the dagger and slammed the blade into the vanity table.
Kolfrosta did not flinch. She looked at the dagger and then back up at Dalla.
“The design,” Dalla said, breathless. “Do you recognize it?”
Gingerly, Kolfrosta extracted the dagger from her table. The blade was beautifully made, iron and all, and the engraved snowflake design caught the light. Kolfrosta’s fingertips turned red where she touched the metal, like it burned her.
So irondidhurt the fae.
She set the dagger back on the table and looked up at Dalla. The look in her eyes was enough of an answer.
“Where is my ring?”
Kolfrosta touched the pendant at her neck. She nudged it aside, revealing a chain so thin Dalla would have missed it. When Kolfrosta tugged the thinner chain, it popped out of her garment. The ring was looped around it, the weight of it swinging in Kolfrosta’s grip.
Kolfrosta lifted the chain and offered it to Dalla. Dalla grabbed it, turning it over. The ring was still warm from Kolfrosta’s skin, and it looked exactly as Dalla remembered.
“How did you get this?” Dalla choked.
“You gave it to me,” Kolfrosta said.
“That’s not possible.”
Kolfrosta drummed her fingers against the table. “All fae have some kind of power. Puck and I, we control the seasons and the harvest. But there are other things we specialize in.”
Dalla thought she would vomit. “Memories,” she said. “Like the ones on the tree.”
“Yes,” said Kolfrosta. “I can manipulate memories.”
Dalla slid the ring over her forefinger. It fit perfectly—as it should. It had been made specifically for her. For years, this object had been her most treasured possession.
So why would she give it to Kolfrosta?
The answer hit her, obvious and unyielding.
“I’ve been here before,” breathed Dalla. But she didn’t remember it at all.
“Yes,” said Kolfrosta again. “If you would like your memories back…” She reached under her bed and brought out a wooden box divided into squares. Each square contained a bauble like the ones on the tree.
Dalla considered. Her thoughts were already so jumbled. What kind of person would she be today if she had retained the memories of her first visit here?
“No,” she said. “I want answers.Whyhave I been here before?”
The pieces were coming together. That first night when Kolfrosta visited Dalla and then left had always puzzled her—but if that was the altered memory she was left with…
“I had to do something about the harvest,” said Kolfrosta, closing her eyes. “I thought if I stole one of your kingdom’s precious daughters and held her hostage, it would force the king and queen to act. I targeted their youngest daughter—you. And I brought you here.”
Dalla clenched her fist. “But you brought me back.”
Kolfrosta nudged the box back under her bed and stood, reminding Dalla of her much taller stature. “I did. There are times where I am…soft.”
Other than murdering my family, Dalla wanted to say, but she didn’t.
“When I brought you here, I couldn’t help but observe you. No other human had ever been to my domain. You were so taken with it. I thought… Well, I thought I could do you the courtesy of showing you around. It didn’t feel right to keep you as a prisoner.”
“So you let me go,” Dalla said, “because I liked the palace?”
