The Heart of Ice

Chapter 6

Davina

The heel of my boots made a rhythmic clicking sound, echoing throughout the corridors as I cross the marble floors. Despite what Killian did in the garden, my day was going pretty well, so I decided to continue exploring the castle, stopping when I came across the Library. Now, I stand near an open window, my eyes fixated on one of the bluer books adjacent to the brown and black ones. It's spine is decorated with snowflake designed sequin, along with different hues of blue. It reminds me of a book my father used to keep in his study, reading it at least once a week.

I find myself gravitating toward it, delicately running my fingers along the spine. The Great War: The Kingdom of Ice & The Kingdom of Fire, it was called. My heart dropped at the words, goosebumps taking place against my skin. It makes sense that the castle would have it, it does, but that doesn't explain why my father would. I mean, he could've been a curious citizen, but he just doesn't strike me as the type. Maybe an 'always up to something' citizen.

Carefully, I remove the book from the shelf, placing it on one of the nearby tables. It's heavier than I thought it would be. My finger finds it's way through the pages, skimming and stopping on the points that may be relevant later.

Two Gods, two Kings, one war . . . The Fire Kingdom threw the first attack the day Ardel was deemed as King . . . The war alledgedly started over an artifact called The Heart of Ice . . . All the way to the very last paragraph in the book: The artifact is still missing to this day, both Kingdom's blaming each other for it's absence. It is predicted that this war won't end until The Heart of Ice is found and restored into The Ice King's hands.

"It's a very interesting book," A voice sounds from behind me, causing me to startle. I whip around to see a girl, bright blue eyes peering into my soul, blonde hair flowing down her back. "You can take it with you, if you want."

I quickly close the book, wiping my hands against my gown. I wish I would've changed into actual clothing before leaving my room. She probably thinks I look absolutely ridiculous right now, not that it matters much to me. I'm guessing she must be the Librarian, the one who stood out on the castle steps when I first arrived, books stacked in her arms. "I'm sorry for barging in like this," I start, glancing back at the book. "I was just curious."

"You don't have to apologize," she laughs. "I understand. That book is one of our more popular ones, anyway." She walks around to the other side of the table, opposite me, sliding the book towards her. "The Great War, huh? You must be Davina?"

I prop a slight smile on my face. "How did you know?" I ask. Of course she knew. Everyone in the Kingdom knew, maybe even the neighboring Kingdoms, too. Though, I still try to appear calm and collected, my mind is racing. Everything is changing too fast, way too fast. Maybe learning about the war or something could distract me—help me settle in faster?

"You are my soon-to-be Queen, you know. I think it's my job to know," She pauses, taking subtle glances between me and the book. "Also, you can tell a lot about a person from their book taste. It's practically cliche that The Ice Queen would want to read a book about the incoming war, right?"

I raise a brow, crossing my arms. "I guess that's true. It would make sense, afterall."

"Of course it would, but I'm not judging you. I would be more concerned if you weren't trying to learn more about the war, if I'm being honest," She says through a forced chuckle. I can tell she's as uncomfortable about the topic of war as I am, as everyone in the Kingdom seems to be. It's nerve wracking, not knowing who won't and will die; it's childish to assume no one will, no matter how gruesome that thought may be. It's almost certain.

"So, what do you know about the war?" The girl asks, hope in her eyes. She must want me to tell her something—comforting. The simple fact is that nothing is comfortable about this, nothing.