Page 23 of Gifted to the Frost King

He’s being selfish—knows he should be doing a million other things. Preparations still need to be made, yet he is walking with her and willing the beast to stay away, even knowing the price he will have to pay for it later.

When Dove looks up with a soft smile on her lovely mouth, he knows the pain he will experience tonight will be more than worth it.

14

DOVE

Our walk through the halls is quiet.

Thankfully, the silence is not as awkward as it was at dinner the night before. Something unspoken rests between us. His plea to let me see the male he once was latched onto my heart. The truth is, I want to know him—to learn who he was and who he could become. I want to understand what he did to have this curse placed upon him.

“My father, the first Frost King, built this palace as a wedding present for my mother.” We pass by a crumbling wall where frost spreads like cobwebs. Frosty’s lips pull down. “It was quite magnificent when it was well maintained.”

“It’s lovely,” I say. We take our fourth right turn down another dilapidated hallway. “But terribly confusing to navigate.”

Frosty chuckles, and the sound sends shivers down my spine.

“That’s by design. It was built as a refuge for them. The magic woven into the palace keeps unwelcome visitors lost in its labyrinth. Give it time, and the castle will reveal itself to you.”

His steps falter along the carpet. He turns towards me with wide eyes.

“I—I had forgotten that.” Heat flares inside his eyes. “With you here, memories are unlocking.”

I give a small smile. “I’m glad.”

We continue our journey, plunging into silence once more. He glances over at me as I try to keep pace with him.

“What about your family?” he asks before flinching away. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have—well, with everything?—”

“It’s okay,” I say. “I’m happy to talk about them. If I break the curse, I’ll return to them soon enough, right?”

An emotion ghosts over his features, but he quickly recovers with a nod.

“I have a mother and a sister fifteen years younger than me. She was a bit of a surprise to both of my parents, but Sophia was a gift. Papa got sick shortly after she was born and passed away before her first birthday.” A familiar sadness clogs my throat. “I wish she could’ve known him. He was a wonderful father.”

“I understand the pain of losing one’s parent. I am sorry for your loss, Dove.”

“Thank you,” I say, blinking away my tears. “Anyways, we never had much—even less so after Papa was gone. But we had love, so much of it I didn’t realize how lucky I was. Mama is caring and a phenomenal baker. Sophia is a thoughtful girl of ten.”

Their faces swim in my mind, and I tuck them deep within my heart. I will be reunited with them again. I know it in my soul.

Frosty nods his head.

“You were fortunate to know such love. We don’t know how lucky we are until it’s gone,” he says. His gaze darkens slightly. “Was there anyone else you spent your time with? Friends? Lovers?”

I wrinkle my nose.

“Mama, Sophia, and I lived at the edge of town. I didn’t have much time for friends due to all the work needed to keep our small farm going. No time for lovers either, I’m afraid.” I let out a humorless chuckle. “There were a few marriage offers from one particularly enamored man, but I wouldn’t wed him. Not for all the silver in the world.”

“Hmm,” Frosty makes a non-commital noise while his face tightens.

My answer doesn’t seem to agree with him even if he was the one who wished to know. We continue in silence until we reach a set of heavy doors. Each one has the standard silver snowflake adorning each door—the handles gleam as if polished recently.

The Frost King clears his throat before turning towards me.

“I wanted to show you this first. It was always my favorite room.”

I watch as he presses down on the handles, and the large doors fly open. The breath stills in my lungs as I take a staggering step forward. It’s a library. My village only had one meager book vendor that sold old, worn copies at a high price my family could never afford.

---