Heart of Ice

By Emily Hutnyak

They call her the Ice Queen. They say she has no heart.

I know better because she entrusted me with its care.

I struggle through the snowdrifts, my frozen breaths blending with the blinding mist. If the people of my kingdom knew I was attempting this, they’d call me crazy.

But they hadn’t spent the last ten years imprisoned on a pirate ship, reliving their mistakes, and they weren’t there the day before both my love and the land slipped into their winter. They don’t know of the token I hold.

My numb fingers close around the icy tangle of metal and crystal in my pocket. Usually, my heart leaps upon touching it, but today, it beats slower and slower.

Stumbling through the frozen palace gardens, I remember that day…

***

“I wish you didn’t have to go.” Isolde leaned on the railing of the bridge, her golden hair blowing in the cool breeze. “The healers say Mama will pass by fall. That’s in two weeks. I want you to be here.”

I gently touched her hand. “They could be wrong. She can still get better.”

Her fingers tightened around the worn wood. “Have you heard the rumors? The people are saying it’s all a clever plot, that the Midnight Scythe are slowly poisoning her, so I’ll claim the throne. They expect I’ll be a weak ruler, leaving the kingdom unstable and free for the taking.”

My hand fell away from hers as I frowned. “You’re not weak. And surely you can’t think a stragglers’ band with delusional hopes could kill your mother. This is a peaceful time—that Scythe group will never gain enough influence to be a threat.”

“They already are a threat. Though maybe you haven’t noticed with the way you’ve been so busy preparing to go to sea.”

“Isolde, please.” I sighed heavily, taking her hand again. “Do we have to argue today?”

She smiled, eyes full of unshed tears. “No. I’m sorry, Niclas. I just… I don’t want you to leave.”

A wish that was heartbreakingly naïve. No peasant boy should be a friend to a princess, especially one nearing the age of courtship.

Which is why I intended to let our friendship fade with distance. Nothing good could ever come of it anyway. We had become too comfortable sharing secrets and pretending we were equals.

“I know. But I must.” I looked down at the worn planks. “And if I don’t go soon, I’ll be late.”

“You’re leaving now?”

“I’m sorry, Izzy. I didn’t want to drag out the goodbye.”

She turned to face me, and time seemed to stop as I memorized the scene. The gardens’ autumnal glory framed her in a way that put the most famous of portraits to shame.

The fleeting moment shattered as Isolde wrapped me in an embrace.

Perhaps I should have pushed her away. Kept our friendship as it was, no more. We had never dared show affection this openly.

But I didn’t. I held her as we quietly said our goodbyes.

When she pulled away, tears dripped down her cheeks. “Promise you’ll come back, Niclas.”

“I can’t.” I eased back a step, putting some distance between us. “When I return home, you’ll be engaged to some prince, your knight in shining armor. I’ll have no place in your life.”

Her eyes sparked with blue fire. “I will not. I don’t want a prince, and you’ve always been my knight.”

“I’m just a peasant—well, a sailor now. Nothing like the knight you deserve.”

Pressing her lips into a thin line, she fumbled with the clasp of her necklace. “You’re wrong.” She shoved the jewelry into my hands. “And to prove it, I’m ordering you to keep this.”

My eyebrows rose. I unwound the tangled chain and stared at the pendant. The crystal was full of as much beautiful fire as the eyes of its owner. “Izzy.”

“See? No prince will come since you’re holding my heart. I know you’ll protect it.”

“I can’t take this.”

Everyone in the kingdom knew of this necklace. The queen had given it to Izzy at birth, just as she’d received it from her mother, who had received it from her mother. Legend was the gem came from the FirstKing’s crown, and each new princess gave it to whomever she claimed as her future husband.

No royal marriage ceremony was conducted without the suitor giving the heart back to his bride.

I had no right to even touch it.

“It’s an order, remember?” Her lips pecked my cheek. “Be safe, Niclas. I’ll be waiting for you.”

She left without looking back. The necklace lay heavy in my hand, still warm from sitting against her skin for so long.

I shouldn’t have kept it or held on to my love for a girl I could never have.

But I tucked it in my pocket as I left and vowed to never let it go.

***

The castle walls loom in front of me as my steps slow. My gaze locks on a high balcony where a lone figure stands, straight and stiff as an icicle.

Am I too late? Perhaps not.

“Isolde!” My call is rough, worn raw by exhaustion.

She tips her head to stare down at me with a cold, regal air. Does she recognize me after so many years?

I hold up her necklace with shaking fingers. “Izzy! I’ve come to return your heart!”

She needs to remember she has one that’s fiercely loyal and loving. One that can love her people instead of hating them.

I fall to my knees. The pendant slips from my grasp and lands on the snow, still flashing with weak fire.

“Niclas?” Her question is hesitant, sounding almost hopeful.

As I fall into exhausted oblivion, full of warmth from her voice, I smile. She remembers. She can change. She can heal, and the kingdom with her. Whether I see another sunrise or not, it was worth it.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Emily Hutnyak is a young writer with dreams that touch the sky and an overactive imagination. She spins stories about teens like herself finding their place in the world and tales of the light and hope that can be found even in the darkest of places. When she’s not writing, you can generally find her hanging out with friends and family, reading, or, on rare occasions, venturing outside to get some fresh air and sunshine.

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