None of the warriors or knights dared to speak as we got closer to the castle. Liam and his new trainee Hudson were to my left guarding me, Nuri being the brave tiger that he was seemed to know where we were heading and strolled in front of my riding horse like an extra guard. Elis was on my right being protected by Mosi and Salina. We spoke about the plan earlier at camp and we all agreed that I will be the only one to step foot inside the castle, even with the innocent villagers inside, sending in my army will just be putting more lives in danger with my mother. And on the other hand, my knights and summer warriors will be busy handling my mothers knights outside of the castle.
The snow was falling dramatically now at the base of it's power, coating us all in white. The winter wind was now blowing the sound of music to us and we could hear every string being strung as the instruments went on.
As I rode up the metal of the knights armer clanked together in unison in fighting formation, "Halt!" A knight yelled. He was a man in his late thirty's with neck long red hair and a long scar down his face, a scar that my mother had gave him when he went looking through the garbage for extra food twenty years ago.
"I wish to see my mother," I replied calmly.
He did not move, none of them made room for me to pass. As I was expecting.
"Am I not allowed to enter my own home knight?"
"The Ice Queen has labeled you a traitor for running away into summer and giving our secrets away to the enemy and has hereby sentenced your execution," He announced. And as he unsheathed his sword I heard him say in a hushed voice, "I'm sorry Princess."
I stayed on my horse as I delivered my speech, with Nuri right by my side, loud enough for all thousand of them to hear, "I am no traitor to Winter. I was sent out by my own mother into summer by her stupid request. And what I found out there was who I really was, the truth she has never told me. My mother is the Ice Queen, and my father is the summer King, Slator, who we all have seen once or twice sitting patiently on my doorstep."
I took a deep breath while I let the news sink in to the knights, "I am here to take my rightful spot as the Queen of winter, I will not be like my mother. Unlike her I will never bring harm to my people, I will protect you, feed you, shelter you and care for you. Not just give you enough for you and your families to merely survive a few harsh years in winter and die of the cold while you hold your loved ones close! I will be the Queen that saves you, I give you my word knights of winter! I have men and women from both winter and summer who stand by me, trust me on my word. So I ask you now knights, follow me into this new life, or die by my mothers hands in this one."
The knights in front of me did not move, but I could tell on their faces that they were going through each and every word that came out of my mouth. To even remotely believe the heir that stands in front of them, or to still fear the Queen behind them. Others looked at me with disgust, everyone knew that I was apart of another season simply on the outlook of my body, but the power within me - my mothers power - shut any negative comments about me right up. Although now, hearing that I've joined and even cared for summer has ended my reputation with them right then and there. Those humans were ignorant in pride for their winter, that didn't care for the gentle side, instead they ravished off of being known as one of the deadliest.
It looks like I have the knights divided amongst themselves, " If you want proof of my word, proof of my power then I shall give that to you," I yelled to all of them. Lifting both my hands up I covered the sky in a blaze of blue embers and had it fall with the snowflakes in front of them. This stirred some of the knights, I could see a slight shift of how they were holding their weapons that I had their attention, maybe even their obedience. These knights were intrigued by the new power I held, but also at the different life I was offering them.
And others still stayed stubbornly loyal to my mother, "You've been a traitor from the beginning!" yelled a man to my right, diverting my attention slightly as another to my left launched an arrow to my chest.
I was hardly distracted though, with my new sense of power to the land I was able to quickly make an ice shield that blocked me from the arrow. I turned -hauntingly slow- to the man who was quivering holding his bow and arrow, keeping his eyes locked onto mine.
"Whoever is joining my side do so now, for whoever is my enemy, I and my army behind me will give no mercy!" I gave my battle cry, and soon the knights and warriors behind me joined me as the others scattered into place.
The knights that were switching sides started to attack the men that stood by their sides who still had their weapons trained on me. Hundreds of arrows flew into the sky, the wind helping them fly towards us and ready to pierce through our defence. But I expanded the shield I had held and created an ice barrier on top of my people. With safe coverage from above we charged closer to the ice doors, the sound of hooves crunching the snow with speed and the brave men and women behind following me gave me the type of courage to trust that they will hold themselves up against my mothers men.
The knights against me still blocked the doors in front with swords in their hands ready to attack, hoping they would be the ones to end the traitor princess. I turned to Elis who rode by my side still as the two armies collided all around us, "This is where I leave you," I said to him. He didn't have time to tell me anything, no words of encouragement or a last second pep talk, instead a simple nod and the deep look in his eyes told me that we were both ready for the next moment.
I rode my horse faster, breaking away from the battle behind me, feeling the snowflakes kiss my bare cheeks harshly. There were over twenty men now left barricading the doors ready for my attack, but I wasn't getting off my horse just yet. I lifted my left hand and sent two ice blocks in the middle of the group and divided them in half. The group on my right went straight into battle as warriors came and sent their spears into their chests. The knights to my left were meant for Nuri. And the sight of a tiger charging at them with full speed sent the weak men running.
I couldn't help but smile and my little tiger, his eyes full of pleasure from a hunt.
But I would have more time later to enjoy this moment, for now the path to the door was clear. I slid off the horse and let him run out to safety and pushed the doors I've walked through over a thousand times wide open with a gust of snow. Inside what was waiting for me was my party. Common villagers were in their nicest clothes - which happened to still be nothing more than torn up rags, but at least they were clean - dancing hand in hand to the soft music. There were hundreds of them that it was hard to see the other side of the room clearly, let alone get past them. Their pale sunken in faces blended together along with their peasant clothing, and their smell of unbathed skin. They specifically did not make eye contact with me, nor did they even bother to watch their steps. I had people bumping into me left and right, like I was in their way.
But I wasn't going to blame them, no one was enjoying this. The look of pain and fear was across everyones face, so intense that I could smell it. This was my mothers doing, not theirs. And speaking of evil, my mothers voice boomed over the music and fighting outside.
"Evie!," She greeted me standing from her throne, "Welcome home daughter."
The villagers stopped dancing then and with their partners still in hand, they moved along the castle walls giving me a clear path to the thrones, their heads bowed down to avoid brining attention to themselves - it was as if my mother made them rehearse this a million times until I arrived.
I looked at my mother, in her finest new white dress - that she beat and overworked the best designers in winter for - as the fabric stuck to ever curve of her body, her flawless skin that looked like the smoothest ice itself and piercing bright blue eyes and wondered how I ever thought that she could ever have an ounce of love let alone care in her body. I also noticed that there was a crumple of broken ice next to her. It was quite petty of her to ruin my throne only to show it off like some sort of prize. But I didn't care about my throne, I cared about the two ice sculptures next to her.
I saw my father there, so close to save, and she knew that he was what I wanted. Although she placed her hand gently on the spring king's shoulder. Another tactic of distraction. I walked casually down the vast throne room, closing the distance off until I was at the bottom of the steps, showing her no emotion from my face.
Meanwhile, our eyes never broke off from each other, "Mother I-"
"Oh Evie do not look at me like that, I have throne you the party you have always wanted. Look I've gathered all your filthy peasant friends inside the castle, and look I have even brought your father here too!"
"Mother enough of your games. This is between you and I. There is no need to involve anyone else, it's just weak of you to do so."
She kept petting the Spring King's head as if she was grooming him, "Weak of me? Evie you have got to be one of the most stupidest children I have given birth to," She gave a wicked low chuckle," Your father was right in front of your face for the last one hundred years and you had no idea. I have purposely been taking your strength, your power since you were born and still you did not even bat an eye. You have always been stupid Evie, stupid and weak."
Her face hardened and within seconds she had each of her hands on both statues and blew them down onto the cold ground. I didn't take long to react, I could have saved both of them by turning them back into normal. It wasn't hard to do, a basic lesson of freezing and unfreezing. But my mother being the Ice Queen that she is knew this too and called for a more dramatic show. She clapped perfectly manicured hands so effortless together, but that calm motion sent a pain of freezing ice towards me - towards the villagers.
It happened to fast - but also it was slow enough for me to see my mistakes - I had already reached for my father and the Spring King and started to unfreeze them when the ice she sent started to freeze over the innocent villagers as they tried to run for the door. Their bodies stuck in time, in death, with their emotions of horror forever frozen onto their face. I couldn't concentrate my power in three separate situations in that short amount of time, so I didn't think - I just acted. I stopped my mother's ice from freezing anyone else, and unfroze my father just before he shattered into small pieces - like the Spring King. I gritted my teeth so hard that the pain vibrated through my head, I messed up, but that was a consequence I would deal with when I have the throne.
My father lay still on the ground and I thought I was to late, that he somehow died from being frozen to long, but I had heard his heart beat moments ago. He should be getting up, he should at least be moving. Or was it the Spring Kings heart beat I had heard? Guilty thoughts started shooting through my mind, that I should have fought her a long time ago, that I should have saved the two royal kings way before this moment, that I was indeed stupid to think that I could have saved them and ended my mother in the same day. I just continued to stare at his unmoving body, his dark mahogany skin that was once vibrant with gold hues, now seemed pale and almost as dull as death. My hope started to fade - until a fierce gasp of breath came from him as he sat up. It was like watching someone come back to life.
The wind was stirring around us, whistling in my ears, both our powers were fighting against each other. But I knew this was an unfair fight from the beginning as long as she had winter citizens in here with us. From the very beginning I only wanted this fight to be between her and I, and I was going to make sure it did.
I gathered my strength and started moving my hands franticly to build a thick wall of ice that trapped by mother on her side of the castle. She couldn't summon her ice as fast as mine and her face grew in rage as she saw the villagers that survived quickly escape the castle. Each gust of ice she hit to my wall only caused a small crack, but I was strong enough to hold the wall on my own until everyone was safely out.
With the castle doors open I could hear the swords hitting against each other, men and women screaming in war cries or in agony. I didn't dare turn around to look though, I could feel the frenzy outside, but I was fighting my own battle indoors.
Everyone was out of the castle in a few seconds, no one was stupid enough to stay - all but my father. It was as if he was just a baby learning how to walk for the first time. His legs were weak and he kept falling over himself just to stand. I couldn't go to help him though, not without letting my mother break free. She was already cracking my wall harder and harder with each blast she delivered.
"Father!" I yelled in desperation, "You need to gather up whatever strength you have left and leave, NOW!"
"Evie," He whispered over the sound of ice clashing into each other, he kept his eyes on me and I saw on his face, how surreal this must all feel to him. But we didn't have time for an emotional reunion. If I didn't get him out of here then there won't be anything left of him to unite to.
"Slator! Stop slacking around and move it!"
But luckily Elis knew when to come in for his brother. He ran to him and squeezed him in relief. He was finally back with his brother, and for a few short moments he enjoyed it. But then there was a loud crack from the wall that brought everyones attention back to the present.
Elis held my father and together they were walking, half stumbling towards the open door when he stopped near me, "Evie-"
But I was having none of it, "For the last damn time everyone leave now!" I roared in frustration. Behind the wall my mothers face was far from perfect. She was yelling until her skin turned red, a color never seen on her before, as she saw he favorite prisoner leave. She started pounding the wall with her fist and the cracks became deeper, slowly chipping the ice apart.
The wall was coming down anyway, so in the last moment I brought it falling on top of her as a distracter, and I blew a gust of harsh snow towards my father and Elis to hurry them out the door. They landed in the pile of snow that was mixed with blood and dirt, but they were safe. I started to close the doors to separate us once and for all when I saw Ray far off in the distance winning a fight between a winter knight.
He was so strong, so focused on his fighting and his surroundings, blocking all of his hits and never stopping once one fell down. But he didn't see the arrow that flew to him, landing straight in his right shoulder. The knight took advantage of his distraction and hit the hilt of his sword right in his temple, making him fall to the ground.
I wanted to run, to scream and freeze everyone, whether they were on my side or not, to just stop time. But instead I made the hardest decision I have ever had to make, because time seemed to never be my friend.
I let the doors close and faced my mother, her face was in a killing calm, her stance like a wolf ready to pounce on its weak prey. We were ready for our long overdue fight.