Chapter 30
30
N obody stopped them, and nobody shouted, "Grab the fairy and pirate!" Nobody blocked their way. Anna almost wished for it, but at the same time she wanted nothing more than to finally find out the truth. What had happened back then? Why were her memories gone? And who had banished her to the non-magical world and then brought her back years later?
As they stepped across the threshold, she felt a tingle. Was that the magic of the palace? The Snow Queen?
She raised her eyes to the high columns and dome, which was decorated with carved ice reliefs. The ice was colored or painted so that she could clearly see the sequence of images despite how high up they were. The crowning feature was a woman with long white hair and the outline of a country illuminated by the sun — was it the Kingdom of Winter? There was also a depiction of a festival where young and old celebrated together.
There were windows set into the high walls that tapered toward the top. The frames alone exhibited the finest craftsmanship — unless they too had been created by magic. The pure ice floor gleamed, as did the steps and railing that led to the second floor. Still, it wasn't freezing cold, as Anna had expected. It didn't occur to her for a moment to wrap her coat more tightly around herself, but perhaps she was distracted by such splendor, the likes of which she had never seen before.
"Close your pretty mouth, madam, or it will be obvious that we are strangers."
Caught in the act, she pressed her lips together and glanced at the captain, who grinned at her as she stepped onto the wide staircase next to him.
"Don't touch the railing, it's incredibly cold," he warned, so she linked arms with him, keeping her hands away from the shimmering work of art.
Every step made their hearts beat faster. And with every step, she gripped Chris's arm tighter. What awaited them? Or rather, what were they walking into? What lay ahead?
When they reached the second floor, a wide hall opened up before them. It had several corridors and doors leading off it. They followed the whispering crowd as it streamed deeper into the palace down a long hallway.
"Let's follow them. Maybe they'll lead us to our destination."
Anna nodded. Her excitement was growing, so she didn't trust her voice. Chris sensed her restlessness and stroked her hand. "Calm down, Ani. I am with you and always will be, I promise you that."
Grateful, she peered up at him. She focused on his proximity, his warmth, his familiar smell of salt, wind, and freedom before her confidence finally returned. Every step became more powerful, her gait more confident, and as they passed through an ornate door behind the other people into an anteroom, Anna no longer doubted for a moment that they were doing the right thing.
The room was packed with people. Countless merchants and residents of the realm were waiting to be admitted through another door to see the Snow Queen. There were chairs, but nobody was sitting in them. The guards next to the door didn't seem to care about order and just randomly allowed a few people in, one at a time.
Anna stood on her tiptoes so she could peer over their heads into the queen's room, but she wasn't tall enough.
"I would lift you up, madam, to satisfy your endless curiosity, but I think it would draw too much attention to us."
She heard the smile in his voice and nudged him jokingly. "I can wait for our turn."
"You can?"
Grinning, she turned away and stretched upward on her tiptoes. She heard his soft chuckle but ignored it. There had to be an opening somewhere through which she could see the queen.
Without noticing, they inched closer to the door and as soon as Anna found a gap she could peer through into the receiving room, they were beckoned to enter.
Anna's mouth gaped open, but she immediately closed it. Ignoring the splendor that loomed over her, she focused on the magnificently dressed lady sitting on a throne made entirely of ice. It was on a dais so that despite her seated position, the queen could look down on her — even on Chris, who was one of the tallest men in the room.
She raised her head as majestically as if she had done nothing else all her life, and yet , miraculously, the tower her white hair was styled into did not totter. A diadem sparkled above her forehead, competing with the numerous ice crystals stuck into her hair. Her skin was almost white and her lips were extremely pale. She was a distinctive type of beauty.
She wore a light blue silk gown trimmed in white taffeta. There were ice crystals adorning the full skirt and the ruffles along the hem, with a pearl belt around her slender waist to match her necklace and earrings.
Everything about her embodied power and stately splendor, even her bearing and the contemptuous gaze she cast over those present. She nodded patronizingly, whereupon two men came forward and bowed deeply before her. Was this the queen the innkeeper in Frost Home had raved about? The picture before them reminded Anna of the stories she'd heard from Anton, who had warned her about the powerful sorceress.
"What is your desire?"
The voice was deep, which made Anna sit up and take notice. But it was not the queen herself who had spoken, but rather a servant dressed in a white robe standing next to her.
Once again, the supplicants who stood before her bowed, then humbly raised their heads to look at the queen. "Thank you for granting us an audience. We ask for your help. It's about our vines. We need magic to make them grow. It's so extraordinarily cold and without the fairies…"
The queen nodded graciously and the servant beckoned the men closer. "You will be granted support."
The Snow Queen took one of the ice crystals from her skirt and blew on it, causing it to sparkle as if it were… Chris and Anna exchanged a quick glance… as if it were covered in fairy dust. Could it be? Was the source of fairy dust bubbling up somewhere inside the palace and the Snow Queen was using its magic?
While more petitioners were admitted, the Snow Queen repeatedly reached for the crystals, made them glitter using only her breath, and then handed them out to the men and women. Sooner than they expected, it was their turn and Anna instinctively sank into a deep curtsy next to Chris.
"What is your request?" the servant asked, and they rose. Anna glanced at the captain, who bowed discreetly to the queen and spoke without hesitation.
"Our farm is near the giants' realm. One of them crossed the border and destroyed our crops with several kicks. It's so extraordinarily cold and as long as the fairies aren't there…" He left the sentence hanging just as the first petitioner had. Apparently, Chris also wanted to get to one of the crystals so that they could get a closer look at the magic.
The queen nodded graciously to them like the other residents before, took one of the ice flowers from her robe, and blew on it, whereupon the ice was covered in glittering particles. She handed it to Chris and they bowed a second time.
With an inconspicuous nod of the head, the captain signaled Anna to leave the room. What? She should leave? But they hadn't learned anything. Anna needed her memories. She needed to save the fairies.
As soon as they slipped out through a side door and out of earshot of the guards, Anna pulled him into a niche hidden by a group of statues. "That was your plan?"
"Softly, madam."
"I thought we were going to confront her."
"Confront her in her palace where all she has to do is snap her finger and either her magic or the guards will place us in the dungeon? No, that wouldn't be wise. But look, now we have a pinch of the fairy dust — if that's what it really is. Look closely at the ice flower. What do you think?"
Frowning, she picked up the cold flower, which didn't melt despite her body heat. "How do I know if this is real fairy dust?"
"Because you're a fairy?"
Anna sighed. She still didn't feel a spark of magic. "I think you've seen fairy dust more than I have."
"Touch it. Maybe it will help bring back your memories."
Slowly, she touched the little work of art, but no image flickered and she didn't feel anything. "It's not working. Now what? Is there a plan b?"
"Aye, what do you think?" He dug into an inside pocket of his leather coat and pulled out a rolled-up piece of parchment.
Curious, Anna leaned closer. "What is it?"
"An ancient incantation to bring magic together."
"What? Where did you get it?"
"It is one of the few things I took with me from the mysterious island. The spell has come in handy a few times."
When Anna heard voices, she glanced up in alarm, but they were hidden so deep in the alcove that no one discovered them. A few more traders and farmers who had been with the queen walked by, all full of praise for the generous ruler who had begun to use her magic for good.
Chris, meanwhile, unrolled the parchment and whispered something in the ancient language she had heard from his mouth on the sea. The ice crystal began to glow and glittering particles separated and floated out of the niche. They immediately hurried after them down a corridor that led deeper into the palace. The applicants' voices fell silent and the only footsteps to be heard on the polished ice were their own.
The sparkles rushed to a staircase that led upstairs. Anna hesitated, but Chris pulled her along behind the magic. "Come on, we can't lose sight of it!"
They followed the magic up more stairs, through narrow hallways, and past paintings. Here, the palace was no less splendid. The glittering particles of magic were whizzing so quickly in front of them that Anna didn't have time to admire the grandeur. She felt warm. Without stopping, she opened her coat and fanned herself.
"Come on, Ani."
With as many stairs as they'd climbed, they must have reached the highest tower by now. Nevertheless, the glitter didn't stop, as if it wanted to go straight up into the sky.
They didn't encounter anybody. Everyone seemed to be on the bottom two floors, fortunately. How could they have explained that they didn't have permission to access the top floors?
As they ascended a steep staircase, Anna's heart pounded, and not just because of how fast they were going. Something was up there. Something powerful. Instinctively, she knew the dust would linger in the top room.
Chris hurried behind her. When she slowed, he didn't push her. "Are you okay, Ani?"
"I feel the magic. What we're searching for is up there."
"The fairy dust?"
"I don't know." With one last step, she entered the highest room in the Ice Palace. It was extremely windy. Floor-to-ceiling windows framed the round room. When she peered out to check how high they were, she took a step back in shock. There were no glass panes at all. She peered over the edge. It was a great distance down. Her heart beat faster, anxious and on high alert. Was this where she had fallen back then? Images flashed through her mind, and there was that sensation of falling and a woman's scream… her scream. It was her scream that she had heard among the anemones in the park.
"Ani, what is wrong with you? You're as white as a sheet."
"It's so high." She frantically searched for something to hold on to when she noticed what was in the center of the room. It was a basin made entirely of ice, yet incredible warmth was emanating from it. Within it bubbled a sparkling mass.
It was dust, glittering dust.
"Chris?"
The captain stepped up next to her. He stared at the inside of the bowl in disbelief. "Is that fairy dust?"
A cold voice came from behind them, "No, it's definitely not!"
They didn't need to turn around to know who was behind them. Yet they did so anyway, with incredible slowness, as if by doing so they could undo the fact that they had been caught. It was the Snow Queen. Her eyes were filled with anger, her hands raised to cast a spell.
Strangely, Anna felt no fear. Just anger — pure anger. She couldn't contain herself any longer. It no longer made any sense. The most powerful woman in the land stood before them, blocking the only existing exit. There was no way for them to escape. Her fate was sealed, and at least now she could find out the truth. "It was you! It's your fault the fairies are dying!"
"It's certainly not my fault, you stupid fairy." With a flick of her wrist, the fur cloaks crumbled into dust so that they stood before her as who they were. "I knew you weren't who you said you were. But a fairy and a pirate? What did you think you were doing sneaking into my private quarters and approaching my magic?"
Chris raised his hand threateningly, as if he wanted to tip the bowl over. "Why did you do it? Just to see your kingdom prosper? Taking Ani from me and turning the world upside-down just so yours could be the most powerful of the four realms?"
"What are you accusing me of, pirate?" A ball of ice formed around the pool, making it impossible for them to reach the magic or knock over the basin.
The captain was unimpressed by her power. He drew his saber and stood protectively in front of Anna. "You shut down the source of fairy dust and caused the fairies to die."
Her thin lips almost became lines as she pressed them together tightly. "Why would I do something so vile?"
Anna listened. Chris wanted to speak again, but she motioned for him to wait. She decided to lay all their cards on the table. "I lost my memory and was in a distant land that had no magic for years. Someone banished me there."
"And you think I did that? Again, I ask you why would I do something so vile?"
"Tell us!" the captain demanded. "Since Ani disappeared, the country's prosperity has been in free fall, and only your realm has miraculously made it to the top of the economic pyramid. Purely coincidental?"
"Certainly not a coincidence, pirate. But tell me, should I stand idly by while my people starve to death?"
"In the past, you didn't care about the interests of your subjects either."
"I would have, but no one asked me. After all, I am the queen. I certainly don't run after the farmers to ask if I can help. No, anyone who needs my support must ask for it. And as your realms descended into chaos, my subjects finally took the step and begged their queen for help."
Anna couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Is that true?"
"I am the most powerful woman in the country. I don't need to lie, little fairy."
"Then who was it? Someone started this."
"I can't tell you that. However, you have committed a serious crime."
The captain once again stood protectively in front of Anna, but she pushed him aside and bowed to the powerful sorceress. "Snow Queen, excuse our baseless accusation. My family is dying and I don't know how to stop the tragedy."
"That is your reason, but what is yours, pirate?"
Chris still didn't seem convinced of her innocence. "Someone banished Ani for years and then brought her back. That person must be held responsible. Only then will she no longer be in danger!"
"I see what you need. It is certainly is not a spell for a fallow field. If you had been forthcoming with your true intercession straight away, you would be further ahead than you are now. But, because I care, I want to grant you your wish, fairy, and give you what you need to save your family."
Anna listened in disbelief. "You'll do that?"
The Snow Queen nodded graciously. Again, she took a snowflake from her dress and blew on it. Without taking her eyes off Chris and his saber, she handed Anna the ice flower. "It began at the source of the fairy dust and there it will end. Close your eyes, fairy, and you will learn everything."
Anna's pulse quickened. She squeezed her eyes shut excitedly as a spell overcame her. Her hair swirled and her heart pounded as she hugged the ice flower to her. As she waited for the magic to reveal everything to her, she heard the Snow Queen's cold voice again.
"She lost her memories and is innocent. But you, pirate, are not."
What did that mean? What was the Snow Queen referring to?
"What are you doing? Where are you sending Ani?" Chris snapped.
"She'll be where she belongs, just like you." Then she called louder, "Guards! To the dungeon with him!"
Anna opened her eyes. "NOOOOO!" She tried to grab Chris's hand, but the captain, the Snow Queen, and the space around her evaporated as if it were merely a dream. Vertigo seized her and carried her away — far, far away — until she fell onto the hard ground. Dazed, she blinked. Where was she?