Page 18 of The Enchanted Frost

“It was my pleasure sharing it with you.” I startled at the pinprick of cold that suddenly kissed the corner of my mouth as his fingertip gently touched me—an icy touch that, coming from him, somehow felt warm. “You’re smiling.”

Dazed, I reached up to graze my lips, twitching as if they ached to lift, a gesture I’d forgotten since realizing there was little to smile about ever again. Yet despite knowing death was near, in this moment I could see the beauty in a season where I had once believed it didn't exist. With him, I could finally capture the quiet joy I had spent years seeking that no longer felt so elusive.

CHAPTER 9

Frost

Icouldn’t look away from Blanche, mesmerized by the way her fingers caressed the glass and the awe that lit her soft grey eyes at the frosted design she’d created. My skin still tingled from where I’d touched her, long after I’d pulled away.

At first, I thought it was just a reaction to our differing body temperatures, but I hadn’t responded this way to the warmth of the fireplace—that heat had blistered my skin, whereas this sensation seemed to reach inside me, curling itself around my heart that I had believed only cared about my powers to create winter.

What was happening?

I was afraid to analyze the foreign emotions surging through me, or to investigate the reason I’d found unexpected joy not just in touching her—a mere human—but in sharing my world with her. With every weave of my magic in the designs we’d created, I felt an invisible connection binding us closer, leaving me changed.

What had I been thinking, sharing a portion of my powers with her?

I could have stared at the frost patterns we’d created for a good portion of my eternity…but then the delicate lacework shimmered as tiny beads of condensation formed on the glass, causing the once clear ice crystals to begin to soften around the edges. I leaned forward in surprise, stretching a finger out and drawing it back to stare at the droplets now clinging to it.

The condensation gathered, growing into larger droplets that trickled down the glass in meandering paths, disrupting the frosty designs. Each droplet moved slowly at first—as if reluctant to erase the beautiful patterns etched by the cold—but gradually the once icy canvas melted away, revealing the snowy landscape tinged with the soft hues of settling dusk.

Blanche heaved a disheartened sigh. “That was as fleeting as my life has become. If only beauty could last forever.”

I couldn’t answer as apprehension descended over me like a shadow blocking out the sun. While sunlight always eventually erased my frosted designs in the villages, they should have been immortal in my winter kingdom like every other image I’d created over the eons. Had the design melted away because it was created by a human, or had something gone wrong with the magic itself? Whatever the cause, it served as an unwelcome reminder that cold and warmth couldn’t coexist—a void created by our separate worlds that would forever keep us apart.

“What is it?” Her soft voice beckoned my worried concentration away from the window towards her inquisitive expression, her forehead knit with concern.

“It’s nothing.” I flexed my hand in an effort to dispel the lingering shadow of her touch. She already had enough weighing upon her soul for me to burden her with my concerns. And yet I yearned to share them with her, a strangewhim I’d never before experienced throughout my entire eternity.

Her fingertip caught a wayward drop as the last trace of her design faded, her look wistful as she stared at it. “I wish I could see more of your magic, to understand winter’s beauty the way you do.”

An indescribable feeling washed over me at her words, the bright interest in her eyes stoking my desire to share my magic with her instead of keeping the beauty of my creations to myself. A spark of hope kindled within me, longing to see her joy as she discovered something I cherished through her own eyes.

Yet as quickly as the eagerness came, uncertainty crept in its wake. Opening up more of myself to a mortal seemed dangerous, especially when their lives were so fleeting—and Blanche’s was rapidly nearing its end, as indicated by the enchanted hourglass in my peripheral vision. I had no need to involve myself beyond what was necessary to claim her soul, completing my duty to her and my kingdom.

But when her clear gaze met mine, all rational thought vanished. Against all sense, I wanted to spend time with her, to do everything in my power to make her last moments memorable.

“Let me show you winter through my eyes.” I extended my hand, and after a brief hesitation, she placed hers in mine. Slowly, I intertwined my fingers with hers, and together we stepped outside.

The cold air embraced us as we descended the castle steps; I felt her instinctively draw closer to me, pulling my cloak more tightly around herself. Delicate snowflakes drifted lazily from the overcast sky and each breath formed a misty puff in the settling night. Moonlight cast a silvery glow over the landscape, making the snow shimmer like a jeweledsea. A gasp of awe escaped Blanche’s lips, her eyes brightening as she took in the winter splendor.

Our footsteps crunched softly in the untouched snow as I led her away from the castle. The world was hushed and serene, as if holding its breath in reverence for the moment. When we neared a snow-dusted clearing, I reluctantly released her hand, lingering on the warmth of her touch for just a moment longer before letting go.

“What are you going to create?” she asked.

I smiled. “You’ll see.”

I put a short distance between us until I stood at the edge of the icy expanse. Her eyes widened with anticipation as I lifted my hands to the sky. A whisper of frost began to form beneath my touch as my power immediately responded to the unspoken command, rippling through the air and sending a chill sweeping across the land as my magic took hold.

The first flurries of snow appeared, delicate and almost hesitant, as if testing the air before drifting lazily from the overcast sky, each flake a tiny piece of my enchantment that transformed the landscape into a vast, white canvas. The wind picked up, swirling the falling snow into gentle flurries that danced around us, as if the world itself was participating in my magic, every gust of wind and flake of snow perfectly timed to my silent commands.

I couldn’t resist stealing a glance at Blanche watching nearby. Her eyes were wide with wonder as she instinctively reached out to catch a snowflake on her fingertip, lifting it to eye level to marvel at its intricate design before it melted away.

Her delight spurred me on. I moved with purpose, my steps leaving frosty imprints on the ground. With a graceful, sweeping motion, I intensified my magic. The surrounding air shimmered with the raw energy of winter as the snowfallgrew heavier. I once more looked at Blanche to see her slowly twirling, arms outstretched as the wintry gusts lifted her hair and showered her with delicate flakes. My heart lifted to see the joy on her face, absent of its usual concern or guilt.

All at once the calm atmosphere shifted. The change in the air was subtle at first, as if something had blocked my power. The sky swiftly darkened as thick clouds gathered overhead. The snowflakes grew more numerous, swirling around me in a chaotic dance, and the wind picked up, whistling through the trees and carrying the snow with increasing force. Blanche paused, grasping at her cloak that whipped away from her body in the gale and lifting an arm to shield her face from the blustery snow.

My heart pounded, each beat echoing through the emptiness where my power should have been. Beads of sweat formed on my brow as I concentrated, but the energy that normally flowed effortlessly sputtered and waned. I felt a fleeting flicker of my magic respond, only for it to extinguish as quickly as it had come. The faint glow at my fingertips flickered weakly like a dying ember before going out. Dimly I saw Blanche take a staggering step, trying to keep her balance in the wind as I frantically tried to reignite my magic.

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