She was told to fear him...
She was told that his evil would devour her...
She was told to stay far away...
But what if they were all wrong?
What if the Cold Prince could love?
What if he loved her?
Anya is born with a gift that only the royal famil...
"Don't worry about that. I'm on it." Prince Sebastian turned to leave the room.
"Wait!" I stopped him. "I answered your questions, your majesty. Please, tell me why this stone is so important."
Prince Sebastian turned to me. "My grandfather used to tell me stories about the winter stone. He'd possessed it, and so did his father before him. It was a stone kept secret by the royal families; a powerful stone that only certain royals could touch. If anyone else touched it for too long, it would turn them to ice and kill them.
"This stone is dangerous because it increases its owner's strength and power. Because of this, it should be heavily guarded or it'll end up in the wrong hands. My grandfather sensed my father's wickedness and kept the stone hidden from him in fear that he'd find a way to use it.
"When I was a boy, my grandfather taught me how to use it to its maximum strength. After he'd hidden it, he told me where to find it and begged that I wouldn't go looking for it until I became king. And now, it's in my father's possession, it's what my grandfather feared most."
"I'm sorry. If we'd known this, we wouldn't have taken it."
"Well, it's certainly too late now," he sighed.
"Well, maybe there is good in this situation. If your father can't touch it, then he can't use it, correct?" I asked.
"That's what I'm hoping," Prince Sebastian stated. "But I still have to find a way to get it back from him before he finds a way to use it."
"What do you think will happen if he does?" I asked, and the Prince's eyes grew dark.
"We aren't going to find out." He turned to leave again, but I still had so many questions.
"Your majesty," I began, causing him to stop again. "How am I able to touch the stone if I'm not a royal?"
"Lady Anya, there is a grace within you that not many can possess. I've only seen it in the Dargana family, one of the richest families in the Ice Kingdom. It's very possible that you belong in the Northern Tribe and somehow migrated south. Then again, the Dargana men have been known to be traveling men. It's possible that one traveled right into your grandmother's bedroom window." My mouth hung open. "Close your mouth, Lady Anya, it's not very becoming of you."
"Your mouth isn't becoming of you, either!" I fumed. Prince Sebastian smiled, but it didn't last long.
"Well if you're done bombarding me with your questions, I've got work to do."
"I'm not done," I told him. "There are also books written in a weird language I'd never seen before. One had the winter stone in it. I just couldn't read the words."
"The language is called Grietish," he admitted. "It's a language that only the Royal families used to distinguish themselves from the peasants and to keep their workers out of their mouths when they spoke privately. Over time, only a few ever used the language. Nowadays, many royals don't even remember it existed. My grandfather taught me so that I could read the old scribes and study the history books."
"I'm realizing that I know absolutely nothing," I admitted, feeling overwhelmed by the revelation of the secret language and the meaning of the white stone.
"I suppose you'll learn soon enough," he told me. "I'm having a change of plans. Take me to the books. Now that my father has the stone, he'll be looking for them as well. I need to make sure he never finds them."
"Follow me, your majesty," I replied, and scurried toward my bedroom door, leading the way.
Within minutes, we stood in front of the empty bookshelves, and I pressed on the shelf that opened inward. The Witch's Closet came into view and we stepped inside to grab the books.
Only, there were no books. Every single shelf had been cleared. I slowly met the Prince's eyes.
"He took them," he spat. "Every last one of them."
We were doomed.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
