Page 54 of Gifted to the Frost King

The sorceress purses her lips.

“Difficult? Yes. Impossible? No.” She waves a hand. “I knew he would find you—knew it would happen nearly five centuries after he was cursed. It may seem far-reaching to you, but I was a mother motivated by the love of her children. I had to ensure the one who hurt them was properly dealt with.”

“I watched him as Glimmer for centuries. In the beginning, his memories had not yet begun to fade. There was time for him to return to the egg—to ask Glimmer for forgiveness after stealing from her people, but he never did. He only continued treating her like a pest until he forgot why he had disdain for the snow fairies entirely. If he had shown remorse, I would’ve put you on his path sooner, but it was clear he still had much to learn.”

I sigh and look down at Frosty’s still form.

“When he finally lost the memory of who he was, I knew there was a chance for him to start over. He befriended Glimmer, all the while ignorant of what he had done. Then he found you, just like I knew he would. When the memories of the past started to reveal themselves to you, I watched him show regret over his actions. He returned the egg and apologized toGlimmer. From how you two looked at each other, I knew he would break the curse in the nick of time.”

Her shoulders sag.

“The only thing I didn’t see coming was the storm. If he hadn’t saved us, I would have perished in Glimmer’s body.” Blue eyes burn brightly. “You truly changed his heart and turned him into a male worth forgiving—a male who would forsake eternity with his mate to save the smallest member of his kingdom. That is a male worthy of mercy, so I am giving you this final act of kindness.”

The sorceress waves a delicate hand, and magic coats my skin. A cold wind causes my ears to ache, and I cry out. Reaching up to touch them, I recoil at the feeling of delicate points. My sight has vastly improved, and I can see myself reflected in the polished stone wall. It is me from the vision—an elf.

“This is how you were always supposed to be. I took great measures to hide you amongst the humans. You’ve lived countless lives, Dove.”

The world around me tilts.

It’s as if I can see them play out before me. Sometimes, I was born rich, and sometimes, my family struggled as the one I’m with now does. All of them ended the same way. With me alone until I succumbed to old age. I’ve been cursed for just as long as Frosty.

“Save your anger and enjoy your future,” the sorceress says, touching my cheek. “Say his name and break this curse.”

A laugh puffs out of me.

I'm more irate than I ever have been in my life. The rage at what I’ve just learned—the lives filled with loneliness I’ve been forced to endure because of this sorceress. All of it boils out of me. My vision blurs with it as I bare my teeth.

“Your curse worked too well, sorceress. He forgot his name long before he ever met me.” I huff a humorless laugh. “There’s no way for me to break it.”

The sorceress’s eyes glow.

“Just because he may have forgotten it doesn’t mean you never learned it.”

“If I hear one morefuckingriddle, I’m going to?—”

A breeze surrounds me, and my snowflake blazes hotly to life. I grip it in my hand to keep it from burning my skin. It pulses against my palm, demanding my attention. The wind around me kicks up again, only this time with a distinct scent of magic.

“Let us show you,” a voice whispers in my ear. “Open your heart to us and feel.”

Taking a steadying deep breath, I grip the snowflake and let go. Warmth envelopes me in a hug, and I’m shifted into another memory. It swims up from the murky dark as I stand in an empty room save for two marble statues. It is of a male and female, wearing circlets around their heads. Their hands are carved together.

On the floor before them is the Frost King, the silver crown glinting on his head as he pleads at the feet of the statues. Tears run down his cheeks, and my heart gives a painful squeeze.

“Please, mother and father, help guide my mate once I find her. I fear I will have forgotten what I need to do by the time she comes. I have left a clue for her queen’s rooms through the hidden passageway. If only you would help guide her to what I’ve left there—even now, I can’t remember. It’s all beginning to blur.” He shakes his head, and more tears spill over his cheeks. “The truth is buried deep. When the moon is high, the three stars will guide you to the key.”

From behind the statues, two figures appear—ghostly and pale. It is his father—the older male from the other memories—and his gorgeous mother. Their matching white hair is long, andtheir faces are pinched with grief as they stare down at their son. Their eyes lock with mine and glow brightly.

“See,” they say in unison.

I am pulled through another memory. This time, it is an amalgamation of every one I’ve seen while being here. Only now everything has been revealed to me. That first night I spent in my room, his father's ghost made the rock glow under my window. His mother was urging me down the corridor with a gentle breeze. They summoned the old door and placed the necklace in my path.

They were in the room with egg, looking disappointed in their son. They guided me through the corridor and the storm. His mother had been the one lifting my necklace last night to guide me toward the King to save Glimmer. They were there at every turn.

“Remember what you saw. Save our son,” their voices whisper in unison.

I try to shuffle through the memories of everything I’ve witnessed since getting here—they play over and over in my mind. The first vision, in particular, sticks out. Did his father say his name? I don’t think he did. There’s something else tickling the edges of my mind. A small wooden chest rests in the corner of the room. It was the same one in the second vision, only that time a sheet had covered it.

When I first glimpsed it, I thought it had been covered in symbols, but as my memory plays it back, I realize it hadn’t been symbols at all. It had letters strewn together to make a name.

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