Alexa Frostbite

Prologue - The Wintertime Tragedy

The night drew breaths of ice onto the village, and Alexa braced herself against the cold, reaching out to touch the snowflakes as they fell. As she held them in her palm, they didn't melt.

She was lying atop the village chapel, spread-eagled on the slate roof like a grounded bird. Most days she had more in common with a caged one. Looking up, she gazed at the greying sky, trying to imagine another world. Another life. A life where she was someone else, perhaps one of the nomad women who traversed country borders with nothing but a pony and a bundle of rags. Perhaps a stowaway on a merchant ship bound for tides unknown. Perhaps the New World. She crushed the snowflake in her palm. None of that mattered; she would never leave this village. As she turned onto her knees, a flurry of snow came flew out of nowhere and hit her square in the face. It dropped onto the frosted slate. With a very un-ladylike 'oomph', she lost her footing and slid off the edge of the roof and landed bottom first in the snow by an icy water barrel. Dazed, she glanced upwards. And she glared.

"James," she hissed at the shadow as he emerged from behind a pile of logs. His black cloak dangled like a limp spider in the snow. He almost blended into the dank walls of the inn. Her friendly darkness.

"Hello little sister," he smiled and held his arms out. She threw a ball of snow at him. James chuckled, wiping his cloak.

"Is that any way for a lady to behave?" he asked. Alexa narrowed her eyes. She knew very well he was trying to rile her up. She was anything but a lady, the farthest thing from it in fact. Her mother tried to deny it, but they all knew the truth. Of what she really was.

"I could say the same for you, brother," she grinned and jumped up, launching herself into his arms before he could reply.

"I missed you," she whispered.

"How could you not?" he said. She took great pleasure elbowing him in the ribs.

"I trust mother and father have not heard of my travels? I have tried to be careful, especially with the remnants of the army from that Spanish War lurking about," he said. Alexa peered at him, searching for any sign that he'd been away, but she found nothing. Her brother left no trace of his journeys for her to see or even smell. No fiery spices, no incense, no tang of foreign foods. Nothing. Sometimes he brought back the odd souvenir, but they were always taken and burned. Of course, it was perfectly fine for him to sneak out of the house every year, so why couldn't she? Alexa lowered her head. She didn't need to ask herself to know the answer because between all the suitors, all of those lessons on that god forsaken harpsichord, all of the studying, her parents would never let her leave the village. Some days they wouldn't even let her leave the house. They insisted there was something out there in the woods, beyond the four walls of her room. They told her they had to keep her safe from the world and all its faults.

"Alexa? Are you quite alright?" James was staring at her, his eyebrows raised. She laughed and shook her head.

"I am just fine, brother dear," she replied. "Despite your childishness".

"Childish? Me?" He gasped. "I do not know what you are talking about. How can you say such a thing?" Alexa rolled her eyes: one blue, one red. Her brother was lucky. His eyes, though red, were smooth and soft, whereas her own tended to drive away any suitors before she'd even opened her mouth. If they failed to flee, her words – too brash for their future wife – cemented her dismissal. Not that she wanted to marry. By the Gods that was the last thing she wanted to do with her life. Or death. She tended to get the two mixed up. Staring over James's shoulder towards the woods at the edge of the village, she sighed.

"Tell me," she began. "What was it like? Out there. I wish to know".

"Alexa, you always wish to know everything". Her brother smiled, taking her hand in his.