Mirror, Mirror

1.10 Ice Princess

Raw talent was a catalyst for magic. Her mother had unlocked her magic through song. Her mother's mother had unlocked it through painting.

Starla had tried everything to unlock her magic. Obviously, she had tried all forms of clothing making since that was like, her thing. Wouldn't that be poetic if the thing she loved to do was also the thing that released her magic? It wasn't though. So she had tried other things. Singing. Painting. Sword fighting. Dancing. Running. Everything that had ever succeeded in the past, she'd tried, but nothing had worked.

There was one thing she'd never tried though, something that hadn't even crossed her mind as a potential talent until now.

And so, she would attempt to unlock her magic tonight in the garden, alone.

She put on her coat and boots, then grabbed a few items: candles, a lantern, a bowl, and her favorite book, Wings of Jade. Then, she headed to the palace garden.

❖

It was a cold, clear night, with the stars and sliver of a new moon casting down their light. Starla, even bundled up in a coat, scarf, and her favorite pair of boots, shivered. She found a clearing in the garden that felt particularly magic-inducing and sat down. She arranged some candles around her to get in the mood, lighting them with her lantern. Then, she filled her small wooden bowl with water from a nearby pond and set it down in front of her.

"Passion begets magic, so here goes nothing," she said. "I'm going to read my favorite book in the world."

She took a seat at the center of the candles, breathed deeply, and opened Wings of Jade. She held the book in one hand and placed the palm of her other on the side of the bowl, willing the water to turn to ice.

"Even fairies need heroes," she began. "Our hero's name is Jade, and she dies at the end.

"Chapter 1. In Faeterra, there was an order to everything. Moon fairies, the most powerful, commanded water. Jewel fairies had a special connection with animals. Glass fairies could fly with unnatural speed. And flower fairies? They were at the bottom of the hierarchy and only lived to serve the superior fairies."

Starla paused, checking her bowl of water for any signs of freezing or magic. This had to work. Disappointed to see the water looking as ordinary as ever, she continued.

"Everyone knew flower fairies didn't have any special powers, and Jade was no exception. She was a humble flower factory worker who wanted nothing more than to blend in with the rest of the crowd and avoid the vicious temper of the Boss. She didn't mean to be a hero— it just sort of... happened. One moment, she was following orders, crushing petals in the assembly line—"

Starla startled as she felt something cold and wet hit her cheek. She heard the telltale hiss of a candle going out. She lowered her book. Her bowl of water hadn't changed at all but...

It was snowing. It was really snowing. That... wasn't what she'd meant to do, but it was the first time her magic did something. She was elated.

Dropping her book, she got to her feet, nearly catching the hem of her coat on a candle. She let out a laugh of pure joy and spun with palms outstretched. She'd made it snow.

Suddenly, something changed. The wind picked up and blew out all the candles. The temperature dropped. The soft fluffy snowflakes changed to sharp and stinging as they whipped against Starla's face.

She tried in vain to turn it off. She didn't know what she'd done wrong.

Eventually, she realized that she needed to get out of the storm or be in danger of hypothermia, or getting stuck in all the snow. She grabbed her beloved book but abandoned her materials (tomorrow Starla's problem) and ran through the garden as snow piled around her.

Was it getting worse? Was that just her imagination? The wind howled in her ears. Her eyes burned with the cold. She prayed for it to go away. What if this was like the storm her mother had caused when she'd first gotten her magic?

She had to warn the palace. She had to get back. She had to—

Then Starla turned a corner and saw— her.

There, at the palace entrance, surrounded by the King and his guards was a woman with short, dark hair whipping wildly. She was glowing, and it wasn't from the lantern light. The snow and wind swirled around her, singing angrily. She was at the eye of the storm. Or rather, she was the storm.

The mysterious woman looked up, her eyes locking onto Starla's, and for a moment, it was just the two of them in the world. In that moment, so much passed between them. Confusion. Hatred. Despair. And pain, pain, pain. The woman mouthed, I'm sorry, at Starla.

"Someone, open up the doors!" the King shouted, breaking the trance. "My daughter, the Ice Princess has been found!"