Hearts heartbreak:The Crown's Bitter blood [1]

The frozen princess

The door slammed shut behind them, sealing Kingsley and Fay in a vast, freezing chamber. The air was bitterly cold, their breath instantly turning to mist. Ice coated the walls, and jagged icicles hung from the ceiling like sharp daggers. The cold seeped into their bones, making each step a painful struggle. Fay wrapped her arms around herself, her teeth chattering as they pressed forward, their footsteps echoing in the desolate room.

"Lovely," Fay whispered, her voice shaky.

At the far end of the room, they saw her—Lovely.

She lay crumpled on the floor, her pink hair a wild, tangled mess. Her once-vibrant strands clung to her pale, frost-bitten skin, limp and frozen. Her body was covered in gashes and scars, some still bleeding, staining the ice beneath her crimson. Her white gown was torn, and her breath came in shallow, ragged gasps.

Kingsley rushed forward, dropping to his knees beside her. "Lovely, wake up!" he cried, his voice shaking with desperation. Fay knelt beside him, her hands trembling as she reached out to touch Lovely's ice-cold skin.

"She's freezing," Kingsley muttered, quickly wrapping his cloak around Lovely's frail body. "We need to get her out of here."

Fay, her heart pounding, summoned her magic. Her wand appeared in her hand, glowing faintly as she focused every bit of power she had on healing Lovely's wounds. "Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo!" she exclaimed, releasing the magic. The light from the wand bathed Lovely in a soft glow, and slowly, the cuts and gashes began to close. Blood stopped seeping from her wounds, but despite the healing, Lovely's body remained deathly cold.

"It's not enough," Fay murmured, her voice breaking. "She's still freezing."

Kingsley looked around the room frantically. "We have to get her out, now."

Without hesitation, Fay turned her attention to White, who had been pacing nervously by the entrance. With a flick of her wand, she cast a spell, and in an instant, White transformed into a talking white rabbit dressed in a small waistcoat.

"What—what have you done to me?" White shrieked in outrage, his tiny paws flailing as he stumbled back.

Fay smirked, hoisting Lovely's fragile form over her shoulder with Kingsley's help. "Let's get out of here!"

With Lovely in tow, they rushed toward the exit. White followed, still shouting protests. As they burst through the doorway and into the cold forest air, White tried to stop them, but when they reached the edge of the burrow, an invisible barrier stopped him in his tracks. His furious shouts echoed after them as they raced into the Tulgey Wood.

The forest was alive with movement. Trees shifted, paths twisted and turned in impossible directions, and shadows danced in their periphery. The Tulgey Wood was not a place for the faint of heart—it was a place that could consume even the bravest.

"Fay, the woods are changing!" Kingsley shouted, trying to keep his footing as the ground beneath him shifted. They ran as fast as they could, but the paths kept warping, leading them in circles.

"We have to keep moving!" Fay yelled back, her voice filled with determination, though her legs were growing weak from exhaustion.

Suddenly, the air around them grew still, and a wide grin appeared in the sky, floating above them. Slowly, the body of the Cheshire Cat materialized, his eerie, disembodied smile the first thing to appear. But as the cat's glowing yellow eyes fell upon Lovely's limp form, even his grin began to fade.

"Lovely!" the Cheshire Cat exclaimed, his voice suddenly filled with concern. "What have they done to you?" He floated down, landing gracefully beside them. "I thought you had left this place for good."

Fay, her breath ragged, looked up at the Cheshire Cat with pleading eyes. "Please, we need help. She's freezing. We need to find shelter."

The Cheshire Cat tilted his head, his eyes narrowing thoughtfully as he floated above them. "Hmm, freezing, you say? That is rather inconvenient." He twirled in the air before pointing lazily with his tail. "Over somewhere... is the Mad Hatter's house. He might have something warm. Or not. Who knows?"

"Which direction?!" Fay demanded.

The Cheshire Cat chuckled softly. "Oh, just follow the madness. It's always a good guide." He pointed with one paw, gesturing vaguely to the right. "That way. I'd hurry if I were you. The cold doesn't wait."

Kingsley and Fay exchanged a brief look of gratitude before sprinting off in the direction the Cheshire Cat had pointed. Lovely's life hung by a thread, and time was running out. The path continued to shift beneath their feet, but they pressed on, driven by hope, fear, and a desperate need to save their friend.

As they ran through the ever-shifting maze of the Tulgey Wood, Fay couldn't shake the image of Lovely's broken body from her mind. They needed to reach the Mad Hatter before it was too late.