Joxter's Frozen Heart

A Fool's Walk Home

Why didn't he listen?
Why why why whywhywhywhywhy?!
It hurts...
He had been curious... Too curious. But was it really such a crime to want a glimpse of The Lady of the Cold?
Apparently yes.
He had heard the warnings, of course. Heard that she could freeze someone to death with a glare. But he was careful. He could just pull his lovely red hat down in front of his eyes if it got dangerous. That had been his plan. It was fool-proof, he thought.
Though, unfortunately he was a bigger fool than his plan could fool-proof against.
So cold...
Stumbling through the heavy snow, clutching at his chest, he tried to find his way home. But there was a snowstorm roaring around him, and his vision was fading in and out. It was hard to walk. Hard to see.
And the pain. Oh god the pain! It was radiating out into his limbs and his head... Radiating from his heart... It was like it was going to burst. It was... Burning... No... Freezing... It was galloping, as if it was desperately fighting something off, or if it was just trying to keep his blood running so he wouldn't freeze to death.
Freeze... How had it even happened. He could barely remember... Everything was fine. He got close. He had his hat ready, and then...
Two ice cold eyes...
He hadn't died... Right...? Was this death... Maybe it was... He could see... A light... It looked so warm... So close...
Struggling the last bit of the way, he saw the light was from windows in a house... His house... Mymble's house... Could it really be...? Was he safe...?
With the hand that wasn't desperately clawing at his chest in agony, he reached for the door knob. His fingers were so stiff and his movements so trembling from the cold that he could barely grab hold of it, much less use it to open the door, but after fumbling for a bit and thinking that he would die here, right outside his home, the door opened.
An angry woman looked out at him.
She was so beautiful... Was it an angel...?
"Joxter! What on earth do you think you're doing?! I've been worried sick, you idiot! Sneaking out like that! Do you realise...?" Mymble shouted, but then stopped, as her hands flew up to her mouth in horror, and she took a few steps back.
He was so pale... His skin was pale, almost blue-ish, and his nose, usually bright red, HAD turned an icy blue. His teeth were chattering and he looked like he could barely walk. And his eyes... There was something... Wrong...
The Joxter stumbled through the door, and over to Mymble, looking up at her.
"M-m-m-my-mym..." He managed to stammer, before his body gave in, and he passed out in her arms.