Frozen: Sacrifice and Forgiveness

The Trap

She blinked, and printed words crisped from the blurred blotch. Natalia sighed as her eyes wandered back to the first sentence. This was her fourth attempt at reading the page. Or is it my fifth? She groaned in disgust and set the book on the trunk next to her bed.

She'd awoken late that morning, still in her clothes from the previous night. After changing, she opened the cabin door to find her mother on the deck washing laundry. Intending to help, Natalia had approached the washtub, only to be ordered back into the cabin by her mother. I must've heard 'You need to rest!' and 'Don't you dare leave that room again!' half-a-dozen times.

The young woman had spent the day struggling to make headway on her current drawing, sewing, and reading endeavors. She couldn't focus on any of her hobbies: her attention continually drifted back to yesterday's events.

Natalia drew her knees to her chest. Her memory lapse and the resulting chaos had certainly taken a toll on her nerves. Still, this instance wasn't nearly as bad as the other occasions her spells had resulted in her getting lost. There was only one explanation.

Lars.

The evening repeated itself over and over in her mind, interspersed with dozens of unanswered questions. She retrieved her sewing project and tried to busy herself once more.

A knock on the door startled her, and she pricked her finger with the needle.

"Come in!" she called as she pressed the tiny wound against her handkerchief.

Lars poked his head inside. "Good afternoon. Are you able to entertain a visitor?"

"Yes! Please, come in!" Natalia scooted off her bed to greet her guest.

"Don't get up for my sake," Lars insisted, entering. "I'm sure you're tired." He left the door slightly ajar as he removed his short boots.

"No, no, I'm fine!" Natalia assured him. "Mamma just forced me to stay inside today."

Lars chuckled. "So I gathered." He studied the young woman for a moment. "You do look well-rested. I'm glad."

'I'm very glad I met you.'

Natalia felt heat rise in her face. "Any special reason you've come to call today?" she inquired, clasping her hands behind her back.

"First and foremost, to check on your health," Lars responded. "Second—" he slung a sack from his shoulder, "—I need your help with something, if you're up to the challenge."

"Of course!" She grinned, though there was a nudge of disappointment in the back of her mind.

Lars returned the smile, then sat on the floor and opened his bag. Natalia tilted forward for a better perspective. The sack contained two pairs of boots, which Lars removed and put on the hardwood. One set was tall, the ones he'd been wearing the night they met. The other pair looked to be mid-calf in height. As she examined the footwear, Lars withdrew a dagger from the bottom of the bag.

He froze at Natalia's gasp, and fumbled for an explanation. "No— I'm— It's—"

"Did Leone give that to you?" she interjected.

Lars' petrification melted into relief. "Yes, he did." His lips suddenly dipped to a frown. "That's not a problem, is it?"

"No, I was just curious if it was him or Pappa."

"Leone said it was his. Why would you think your father gave it to me?"

"Well, it is — was — Leone's, but before that it was Pappa's, and before that it was his father's, our grandfather's."