Page 32 of The Enchanted Frost

“I went to bed in the early hours of the morning, tiredfrom all the excitement and jaded—my plans for the future were to secure a match that would provide me with the money, reputation, and societal clout I longed for, but deep down I feared that even that wouldn’t satisfy the empty ache I felt. I’d only slept a few hours when I was wakened by a loud banging. I went downstairs to find a stranger forcing the front door open. I tried to call for help, but the house was empty—my parents, the servants…everyone was gone. The man followed me into the kitchens, and though he assured me he wasn’t going to hurt me, he informed me I needed to leave immediately because the home had been repossessed.”

Frost frowned in confusion. “Where had everyone gone?”

I sighed. “Unbeknownst to me, my father had been gambling for years, and in a desperate attempt to avoid financial ruin, he placed an incredibly risky bet with our home as collateral. He lost, and with it everything we owned and more. His final act of defiance was to throw an expensive party he could never pay for the day before the house was to be taken. After I went to bed, he attempted to leave town, but was detained by the police and later sentenced to debtor’s prison.”

“Leaving you and your mother to fend for yourselves?” Frost’s voice tightened with concern.

I bit my lip, shaking my head. “My mother, who knew she would soon be evicted, had been secretly selling off anything of value for weeks, though I didn’t know this until later when I overheard gossip on the street. She raised enough money to buy passage on a ship to a neighboring kingdom where her sister lived, leaving in the night without a word to me.”

Frost’s eyes widened in horror. “Your parents just abandoned you, leaving you in a home that was no longer yours?”

I managed a nod. “My father was desperate to escape prison and my mother was equally desperate to escape being dragged down with him. Though she would likely haveavoided prison, surely she would have lost her status in society.”

“But how could they leave their child behind?”

I shrugged. “They left me behind my entire life. My governess was the only one who made sure I was fed, clothed, and educated, and I thought she truly loved me.” I took a wavering breath, the pain of this discovery even deeper than losing my parents, who had never shown any sign of affection. “But though she faithfully cared for me, I was nothing more than a job for her, and once payment ceased, so did her efforts.”

A movement caught my eye and I glanced up to see Frost’s eyes blazing, tiny snowflakes swirling about him in his agitation. “No one should ever have to experience what you did.”

I squeezed his fingers in gratitude for the empathy I had been seeking from the moment my life had drastically altered.

“The new owner allowed me to dress in my simplest gown, but refused to let me to take anything with me as it all belonged to him…not that there was much of value left anyway. I protested but he shoved me out; I tripped over this door knocker on my way down the steps. In his banging on the door and receiving no answer since all the servants had left, he’d managed to wrench the top part free and had thrown it down. I took it with me, not because a broken piece of metal had value, but because it was the one link to my former life. I used to look into it like a mirror, noting how my appearance changed as my face gradually grew thinner and my hair became dirty and matted. Some days I almost thought I’d dreamed my former life of prosperity and would touch this to remind myself that it had been real, that I used to matter…or at least I thought I did.”

“Did everyone in your life abandon you?” Frost asked, his voice hushed.

“My so-called friends, who were simply the children of my parents’ peers, never had actual regard for me…nor did I for them. We built friendships based on what we could get from each other. There was one family I knew distantly that was not really wealthy enough for our circles but who carried the weight of an old and honored name. The day I was cast out, I passed by their home while stumbling down the street, not knowing where I was going. I heard my name and looked up to see the lady of the house hurrying after me. Though she didn’t have money to spare, she told me she could offer employment as a maid, with a small room to sleep in and regular meals instead of a paycheck.”

“Then why were you living on the streets?” Frost demanded. “Did she renege on the offer?”

I lowered my eyes. “My pride as a gentleman’s daughter caused me to angrily refuse, considering such a position beneath me regardless of the fact that I had nothing. Of course I deeply regretted it later, but even if I’d been willing to humble myself to ask for another chance, the family moved shortly after.”

“So what did you do?” Frost leaned closer, his breaths coming quickly as he listened intently.

“I survived, somehow. I learned to sell little bouquets of flowers during the warm months and matches during the winter. Though I was far from successful, I managed to stay alive for over a year. My pride crumbled as I begged my old friends to buy my wares, yet I possessed no true humility, only festering anger that grew every time I saw someone riding in a fine carriage or strolling along in furs and jewels, reminding me that the only reason I was not in their place was a cruel trick of fate.”

I paused at the memory of my constant resentment,recalling how it had swept through me as I watched my former peers living carefree, spendthrift lifestyles while I was punished in the harshest of ways. While the anger hadn’t filled my belly, I’d clung to it because beneath it lurked the despair I was afraid would overcome me in its place; focusing on how I’d been wronged kept me from sinking into absolute hopelessness.

“I couldn’t bring myself to consider that perhaps I fully deserved my situation. I’d done nothing worthwhile in my life or showed kindness to anyone.” I paused, fighting to hold back the sobs tightening my throat.

Frost enfolded me, wrapping both arms tightly around me in a comforting embrace. “No one deserves to grow up in a loveless home without a single person who cares for them, to be cast out of the only life they know with no warning and no way to sustain themselves, nor should anyone live their entire life without ever experiencing what it is like to love and be loved.”

“Until now. You have shown me what it is like to have someone truly care for me…and to care for him in return.” I drew back and lifted the door knocker to gaze into its mirrored surface. “Every time I have looked into this, I have compared my reflection to who I was. Now I understand that who I was is not a person to admire or who I want to be. I know how little I deserve any form of love, but if I had the chance to try again, I’d like to become someone who saw others rather than simply her own ambition.”

Frost gently took the door knocker and gripped both my hands in his. “You were given the worst possible chance at life, and yet you have decided to care about others rather than spending your days fighting fate. You are absolutely worthy of love.” He looked like he wanted to say more before his expression smoothed and he continued. “No matter what you’ve done, you deserve to be deeply loved. It’s been mygreatest gift to come to know you and discover your beautiful heart.” He pulled me close, tucking the edge of his cloak around me.

Night began to settle around us, casting the ice garden in a new kind of beauty bathed in the cool light of dusk. Frost eventually released me and reached into his cloak, pulling out a tiny ice flute, its surface shimmering like starlight in the darkening sky. He lifted it to his lips and began to play.

The haunting melody was soft, carried on the wind like a secret. Part of my mind registered that the music was attuned to a frequency beyond my hearing. I could somehow feel the gentle, whispered song of the snowflakes responding to each note, as if my soul, now entwined with this wintry realm, could understand the language of the elements themselves.

A sudden shimmer lit the sky and I looked up with a gasp to see a ray of brilliant green, seemingly called to life by the flute. Frost’s music wove through the aurora like a thread, binding the moment in enchantment. In rhythm with the melody, the sky above us shifted as more swaths of color joined the first to dance across the dark canvas—vibrant and alive, the aurora spread across the heavens, its colors shimmering in a mesmerizing display that reflected off the ice, casting an ethereal glow over the frosty garden. The enchanted sight stole my breath, a magical interplay of light and shadow that made winter’s beauty feel almost otherworldly.

Long after the final note faded we remained side by side, our shoulders brushing as we watched the aurora’s light continue to dance across the ice, casting everything in a soft, ethereal glow. The beauty of it left me breathless, but it was the quiet connection between us that made the moment unforgettable. Without thinking, my hand found his again,our fingers intertwining naturally, as if they had always belonged together.

Once again, I found myself immersed in a moment I wished could last forever. I had never thought much about the future—whether it had been during my life of privilege when my path seemed predetermined, or on the streets where every day was a constant fight for survival. But ever since meeting Frost, I had begun to hope in the possibility of something more.

I glanced at him standing beside me, his head tilted back to watch the aurora dancing above us, the colors reflected in his eyes. “Have you ever thought about what might exist beyond your role as the Keeper of Winter, or are there any dreams or wishes you’ve imagined for yourself?”

He blinked, clearly taken aback by the question. “I’ve never thought about it.” Deep in thought, his gaze shifted to the light caressing the patch of ice blossoms growing alongside the path. “I’ve lived for so long with only a single purpose—to maintain the balance of the seasons to keep the world in order. It’s all I’ve ever known; I’ve never allowed myself to think beyond that.”

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