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“There is a platter of desserts over there should you get hungry during the night. There is also a pitcher of water, and another of wine. Please ring the bell should you need anything. I will be here to serve you right away,” he finished.
“Thank you.” I smiled thinly, watching as he nodded goodbye and closed the door behind him. My heart was nearly pounding in my ears as I listened for the telltale sounds of a key sliding into a lock. When I heard a soft click, I knew my misgivings were true.
Maybe I’d been too quick to call this place home.
A part of me thought I might be jumping to conclusions, and this was all just to keep me safe, but it didn’t feel like it. Why would they keep me here locked inside like a prisoner? Who was I that I would need this level of security?
I moved closer to the door and pressed my ear against it, listening.
The soft mutterings of several voices just beyond the threshold came through. They had posted a guard by my door to ensure I stayed inside.
For a moment, I just remained there and listened, but I learned nothing of value. Eventually, I started to explore the rest of the room. There was a bookshelf full of old leather-bound books, some wrapped in gold and silver and others with more plain spines. When I approached the window, I saw that my chambers were on the first floor.
I gently pushed against the glass of the window. It opened with a very quiet squeak. I froze, looking over my shoulder to see if anyone had heard. When no one rushed inside, I waited a while longer until I chanced opening it further. Luckily, it didn’t make another sound. I pushed it open all the way and yanked the hood of my mantle up. Then I carefully climbed out onto the manicured lawn behind the castle.
I lowered myself to a squat, looking around to see if anyone was outside doing their rounds. There was very little light, but from what I could discern, my room butted up against the sprawling gardens behind the castle. Cast in nothing but moonlight, the flowers glowed with soft blues, purples, and pinks. All of them must have been bred for cold climates because they bloomed despite being surround by white snowdrifts.
It was breathtakingly beautiful.
Outside of the castle, the air was refreshingly cold, and I stood up, taking it in and feeling more levelheaded by the second. I started walking through the garden, enjoying the solitude of the dark, cold night. There weren’t any guards that I could see as I wandered deeper into the shadows. As my eyes slowly adjusted to the dim lighting, I could see more.
I stopped when I reached the edge of a cliff. Out beyond, there was a turbulent ocean that slammed into the icy rock below. I understood why there was no need for defenses behind the castle. The only attack that could survive would be from the ocean, and only if they could withstand the violent waves that I could hear crashing against the freezing ice walls far below. To my right was the city. Some of it was built into the cliffsides, but it was so large that it went on for miles. Even when we’d flown in, its people spanned beyond its stone walls. There were an even larger number of tents that had been constructed outside the city itself, and that nearly doubled its footprint. To my left was a dark, snowy forest.
On impulse, I turned towards it. There was a walkway that led through the gardens, and I followed it as far as it allowed until I had to walk through the snow. I tried to stay in the shallower drifts, avoiding the much deeper ones until I reached the line of trees. I didn’t know what drew me in that direction, but something about it felt right. Once the trees fully encased me, I felt like I could breathe. I could tell there was something of a path, and I tried to follow it as best as I could. In the distance, I could see a soft blue light.
When I reached a clearing, I paused. In the center of it sat a giant wolf. It was at least three sizes larger than any wolf I might find on Earth. Its fur was stark white. It was so bright that it practically glowed under the moonlight. Its eyes seemed exceptionally blue, an icy, sparkling gemstone color that pulled me in.
I stopped short, afraid, but the great beast made no move to attack. Instead, it cocked its head and gazed back at me with curiosity. Behind it, transparent blue glowing forms of its pack gathered around it.
Either I was seeing ghosts, or this was magic.
Before I realized what I was doing, my feet were moving closer, and then I was standing right in front of the only wolf that appeared to be flesh and blood. If I lifted my arm and reached for it, I’d be able to touch it.
The wolf stood up off its haunches, and I gasped at the sheer size of such a beautiful creature, fully expecting it to leap and tackle me to the ground, yet the creature still made no move to hurt me, nor did it show any signs of aggression. Instead, it slowly walked towards me while its mystical cerulean gaze centered on me. The glowing shadows behind it walked with it, yet nothing about the entire situation triggered my instincts to run.
I stayed, frozen in place as the giant snow wolf approached me. The blue of the wolf’s eyes brightened, giving off enough light that I would have thought it was a pair of headlights, at least from a distance. The hair on the back of my neck stood straight up, and I took a step back, anxiously watching the wolf for signs of danger.
“Ella, it’s an honor to meet you.”
There was no one there to speak out loud. The wolf cocked its head, and I knew at once that the voice was coming from the wild creature. It was a woman’s voice, older and scratchy, like it was traveling through time or maybe even another world to reach me.
“I must confess, I know not who I am speaking to. I apologize.”
“How would you? I know the place you hail from. I’ve seen the life you were pulled away from, and I know the one you lead now,”she continued.
“Indeed,” I whispered.
“I am the seer. I know all. I see all,”she finally explained.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, seer,” I said, a bit more confidently.
“The fate of Icegard rests in your hands.”
My brow furrowed and I opened my mouth to ask what she might mean, but she shook her head and continued to speak.
“The barrier between Icegard and Helheim is failing. You must not let that happen. Should the Dark King break through, it will be the end of times for all the people of Icegard. He’s coming not just for their lives, but for the very fabric of their souls.”
“I don’t know what someone like me could do to save this world. I don’t even know anything about it,” I whispered.
