Child of Frost

Chapter 1

My sister, Elizabeth, and I were different from the moment we drew our first breath. The people that we grew up with had hair as white as the snow which surrounded our nation, and blue eyes which shimmered like sapphires underneath the sunlight. We were born in the land which represented winter, the country known as Biron. It was through the effort of Isolde, the first Winter Maiden that we were able to live out several tranquil eras.

The Winter Maidens were known for their elegance and gracefulness, and unparalleled in terms of their wisdom even amongst the other maidens. Possessing slender bodies, pale skin, arctic blue hair and gold eyes with orange shades which burned like candles, they were admired by all.

We were supposed to be important, yet we were left on the doorstep of an orphanage by our biological mother.

She never did come back for us.

Elizabeth was the incarnation of the winter maiden, elegance was in her very nature. She was a well-mannered lady who excelled in both the arts and academics. I was the opposite, my incapability to portray the Winter Maiden showed with all the broken cutlery, torn and dirtied clothes, and my lack of social skills with other nobles. With a major blunder in a party meant to introduce us to the life of glory and privilege, it was the last straw for the king with me and he decided to release me from my role as a Winter Maiden. My sister was displeased with my departure and wrecked havoc in the throne room which I heard about from rumors. Elizabeth was restrained in her chambers until she was brought back to my side by a breathtaking lady with a teardrop face. I eventually got to know her better, the lady who was named Sarah who had the warmest personality that could melt even the coldest hearts. She never talked much about herself but through the three months that we were together, she assisted us in settling down with our new lives. We knew we could trust her.

Elizabeth and I decided to stay far away from the eyes of people and together, we lived in a once-abandoned cottage in the forest, transforming it into a cozy little home after some cleaning up with help from Sarah. I had gone to gather some food to stock up on supplies, and unfortunately, I met with a rampaging arctic bear. The powers of the Winter Maiden I possessed did not come to use, as I couldn't control it. Defenseless, I was cornered and in the nick of time, Sarah shot the bear with arrows and with that the bear was subdued. Her fearlessness and sharpshooter skills brought me to admire her. Although, it was slightly disturbing when she brought it back to our cabin and dissected it for our dinner. The meal was delicious, it was the kind of thing that normally would not be eaten by many. However, all good things come to an end, Sarah had to leave for the capital city and we never heard from her again.

Not long after the departure of Sarah, I grew tired of being confined to the boundaries of our cottage. I wanted to unwind outside in the snow but Elizabeth didn't let me due to my recent run in with that bear. Thus, I snuck out at the break of dawn long before she would wake up. Scooping up a handful of snow, it felt cool to the touch. The townspeople had to wear gloves to withstand the bitter cold, different from the abnormal tolerance that my sister and I had. I dreaded the power now compared to when I was in the capital, being unable to feel the sensation of something freezing. Still, it wasn't fun playing alone. I wanted companions as I missed Sarah. I headed back knowing fully that Elizabeth would reprimand me. On my way back, I felt something following me. It was eyeing me from the shadows. I quaked in terror and stopped, closing my eyes. I soon heard a cracking noise before opening my eyes again and eyes locking with eyes like black beads. I was speechless at the sight of it. There was an enormous eruption of ice that encased the arctic bear. Compared to my sister I was unable to control my power, constantly trying to restrain it. If my power did come out it would result in what had happened to the bear that pounced on me, sealed in a giant ice crystal. Later during the afternoon, Elizabeth found me with ease and after bringing me back I accepted my fate.