Page 10 of Gifted to the Frost King

Her small hand touches my cheek, a burst of cold against my skin.

“Names are powerful.”

I nod, not sure exactly what that means. Rising from the floor, I brush my palms on the skirt of my gown.

“What are you doing here?”

Glimmer shrugs her delicate shoulders before flying over to my bed. She lounges on it with a dramatic flurry of sparkling dust. Rolling onto her stomach, she props her head onto her hands before kicking her feet.

“I was bored. No one’s ever in the palace besides the King—seeing a human was quite a surprise.”

“Do you know a way out of this place?”

The question is out of my mouth before I can think. It would be good to have an escape route even if I plan to stay until the Frost King lifts the curse on my village. I could have ruined my chances of saving my family if Glimmer decides to report my question to the King.

I expect her to fly off and do so at once, but her color merely dims. Her wings droop at her back, and sad eyes meet mine.

“You can’t. No one can, not until?—”

The snow fairy breaks off in a fit of coughs. Her body shakes as she hacks through it. She shakes her head before muttering something about tricky magic. Her wings flap, and she flies towards me. I don’t know what motivates me, but I lift my hand, and her cool body fits snugly in my palm.

“I forgot how little I’m able to say.” At my confused expression, she goes on. “If you want to leave this place, you must listen to the King. He’s the only one who can save you.”

“Save me? He’s the one who brought me here—the one who cursed my village.”

Glimmer shakes her head.

“Nothing is what it seems here.”

I let out a huff.

“You aren’t making sense.”

The snow fairy’s wings sag once more.

“That’s what she intended.”

“Who?” I ask.

“The sorceress, the one who?—”

Again, Glimmer breaks off in a fit of coughing. Using my finger, I gently rub circles on her back until it subsides. Glimmer smiles up at me.

“My tongue can be loosened more so than the King’s, but I am still not immune to what has been done.”

I nod, trying to sift through the riddles and half-truths that are all of her sentences.

“I just want to get back to my family.” Sadness washes over me.

Glimmer’s eyes lower, and her lips part, but before she can speak, six loud chimes of the tower bell echo around us. Unease turns my stomach, realizing that my evening is far from over.

The snow fairy flutters to my pointer finger and grips it with both hands.

“Come. I’ll lead you to the dining hall. The King has never been a very patient male.” At my lowered brows, Glimmer’s cheeks blaze dark blue. “I may have been eavesdropping, but only a little.”

Despite myself, my lips tug upwards as the fairy pulls me from the room. We travel down the hallway in silence. The dark blue carpet drags beneath my slipper-clad feet. The walls are lined with windows showing off the light snowfall and the sparkling buildings below. Silver motifs and designs adorn the marble walls as we walk.

It’s eerily quiet. Only the sound of my breathing and Glimmer’s flapping wings can be heard. Our path is just as confusing as the one the Frost King led me on. We pass by great halls and sparkling ballrooms adorned with crystal chandeliers.

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