The Ice Princess

Chapter 11

"How about the princess, does she?" The man inquired.

"She's too naive and innocent."

Excuse me?!

"'Innocent?' I heard about your little...spat...last morning." I could tell the man was smiling.

"Donovan, just go before I throw you into the dungeon." Marie-Hale said exasperatedly.

"But then who will 'fetch' your little elix-"

"Go!" Marie-Hale practically shouted. I heard Donovan's footsteps echo away.

So I was right! It was an elixir. I rushed back into the dining room before Marie-Hale saw me.

When I walked back into the room, my heart pounding, King Dartley raised his eyebrows at me. I opened my mouth to tell him what I saw, but Marie-Hale's footsteps forced me to shut up.

I sat down quickly and resumed eating my pancakes. As I ate, my mind whirled, making me ignore the growing coldness of the key inside my shoe.

**

I spent the morning in the music room. I played a few songs on the piano. When the queen took off for god-knows-what, I called up Carter and Alex.

"So. We resume putting the puzzle pieces together?"

They looked at each other and nodded. "Sure."

We walked to the tower door and I took my shoe off.

"Uh..." Alex said.

"I kept it hidden in here, okay!" I snapped playfully.

Carter stifled a laugh and I opened the door. There lay our unfinished puzzle and random pieces scattered around it. We settled ourselves comfortably and resumed work on the puzzle. Half an hour later, I noticed the low, rumbling sound outside. I went out of the tower room and looked out the nearest window.

"It's a storm," I explained when I saw Alex's and Carter's confused faces. By then, I also noticed that the temperature had lowered. Carter checked his watch.

"It's -16 degrees celsius outside!" He cried incredulously.

"Why'd you check your watch?" Alex asked.

"My watch can detect the temperature outside."

"Of course it can." Alex gazed out the window with a forlorn look on her face.

"What's wrong?" I sat down next to her.

"What? Oh," she snapped out of her trance. "Oh, um, it's nothing."

I cocked an eyebrow at her. "Really."

"Yeah, yeah. Really."

"You know I don't believe you, right?"

She rolled her eyes. "Yeah, whatever."

"Tell me!" I shook her.

"I can't! It's personal!" She snapped.

I was shocked. She never snaps at me. "Alex," I persisted quietly. "What is it?"

She kept silent, staring out the window. Carter realized this was a girl conversation and continued working on the puzzle.

I deduced what I know. The storm, making her feel lost and abandoned, the lack of communication with anyone....

"Alex, your parents died in a storm, didn't they?"

She whipped her head at me. "How'd you know?"

"It's a gift. I can see underneath the surface, not many people can."