“There’s only one cure for an icy heart. It can piece you together, or tear you apart. People search for it for a lifetime, but it is so rarely found. Though, once caught, it is eternally bound. Yes, it will melt away your petty curse, but leave behind a scar, so much worse. Hence search for it with caution, for there is a lack. Beware, once this magic is caught, there’s no going back.”
In a kingdom, long gone by now, a king ruled over with an iron fist. He was cruel to his people and invested everything he had into claiming more land. He was merciless, taxing the poor, beating the rebellious. The whole world had grown to fear him. Then one day, a witch traveled through the king’s city. She watched as the king sentenced a man to twenty lashes for stealing a loaf of bread. The witch felt sick to her stomach, watching the poor beggar faint in a pool of his own blood.
Fuming with rage, the witch marched into the king’s castle. She demanded that he stop being such a cruel leader. She shouted at him that the way he was acting was hurting the kingdom and his people. The king showed little to no interest for the witch’s words and simply brushed her aside. Without even a glance towards the witch, he ordered his servants to escort her out of the palace. Erupting in blistering fury, the witch screamed words of ancient tongue so loudly the whole continent had felt the earth quake. She sent a harsh wind flowing around the room. She pointed a finger at the king, her hair flying in all directions. She told him that he will be cursed in the worse of ways. The witch declared for all to hear, that the king would pay for the pain he has caused them. The tornado-like winds spun faster until the surrounded the witch swallowing her whole. The wind disappeared in mere seconds, the witch had vanished into thin air. The king was unnerved but didn’t dwell hard on the witches words.
It was nearly five years later, when the king had learned the severity of his actions. In that time, he had married a charming woman. The queen was known for her kind nature, and was looked upon favorably by all those she met. She turned the king’s life around, proving to him that brutality was not a way to rule a kingdom.
With a new queen and gentler king, their kingdom prospered. Months after the marriage, the citizens rejoiced at the news of the queen’s pregnancy. They had a baby girl, with skin pale as clouds and abnormally bright hair. It was first thought that the child was severely ill, but doctors had found nothing wrong with her. Many people thought unkindly of the new princess and her peculiar appearance. The king never cared though, he loved his daughter more than anything else in this world, no matter how others saw her.
It wasn’t until the girl reached the age of ten, did the curse start to reveal itself. Spurts of ice and snow would erupt from her finger tips at will. Her curse was so soft at first, that no one saw real harm in it. However, what once was just making snowballs and little flurries. Turned into the girl being able to freeze an entire lake with the simple chill of her breath. The king and queen became nervous as their daughter’s powers continued to grow at astonishing rates. They brought in doctors and enchanters from all across the globe, in hopes of finding a way to break the curse. Sadly, no one could find a way to reverse it. Feeling the pressure of time, the king sent his soldiers on a hunt for the witch that cursed him all those years ago, but she was never found.
When the girl reached the age of sixteen, her powers were uncontrollable. A snow storm raged through the town endlessly, burying citizens and freezing much of the kingdom to death. Left with no other choice, the king banished his daughter away from the city. The girl was forced into the mountains to live out the rest of her days in solitude, the storm following with her. But after a few decades, the girl realized that she no longer aged. She was trapped in an endless storm of her own creation, forever.
Or at least, that’s the story my father told me. There was a mountain, just west of my home town, which was constantly drowning in snow. It was odd, especially since all the neighboring villages were dry and sunny year round. The story of the frozen princess had been told for generations, it was the only explanation anyone had for the weird phenomenon. Many people have tried to find scientific explanations for the random snow fall, though it was nearly impossible to get any research done. No one dared venture foot on the mountain’s slippery slopes in fear of getting lost in its nightly blizzards.
I never really believed in the story, thought it was a ridiculous concept. That was, until I turned ten. Unlike the girl from the story, ice did not erupt from my fingertips. Life would have been much simpler if it had. But no, I was cursed with the power of fire. Anything I laid my hands on would be burnt into chars or melted beyond repair. When I lost my temper, flames would consume my body and set aflame to everything in their path. Because of my intense tantrums, I rarely got to leave my house. 
As I got older, the flames grew stronger and more uncontainable. My father had started to let me leave our home less and less. The solitude of those walls nearly drove me mad. I snuck out my window in the dead of night, and I left the city eagerly. My home town was a beautiful place; it’s such a shame it was filled with so many ugly people. I rarely got to go outside, but when I did, everyone would always stare. They would whisper to each other about the field I burnt down when I was a toddler. Or the flag I accidentally lite on fire at the new year’s festival when I was twelve. I made a lot of mistakes in my life, and they made sure to never let me forget them. Even in my home, the servants would discuss how much of a brat I was as they cleaned up the ashes from my tantrums. My parents too, they would shout at each other when they thought I was asleep.  My mother would scream about how uncontrollable I was getting, while my father would fight back on my behalf. Finally, the pressure of the whole thing got to be too much.
I traveled around for some time, going city to city. But it never took long for another incident to take place.  No matter where I went, something would always happen. Even if it was just as simple as me accidentally touching a piece of paper. My flames would always appear, making me have to disappear.
After traveling through multiple cities, I found myself at the snowy mountain’s base. I used a flame in my hand to illuminate the path as I made my way to the top. The wind blew roughly through my hair as I kept my head down to avoid the snowflakes hitting my face. I didn’t know what I was expecting to find up there, other than barren land and tons of ice. But I continued up hill, for whatever reason I felt the strong urge to get to the top.
Eventually night fell, and the intense winds began. I pushed forward trying to find anywhere that could shield me from the oncoming storm. All hope seemed lost, when I saw the roof of a building in the distance. Once closer, I observed that it was a worn down log cabin. It looked like at one time it could have been a real work of art, however now its wood was black and molded. There was only a single window, with a layer of dust so thick I couldn’t even see through it. Over half the house was buried under the thick snow fall, I wondered how it hadn’t collapsed yet. I tried to push the timber door open but it was frozen on its hinges. I pushed with all I had against the handle while simultaneously using my flames to melt my way through. Once free, I fell in the darkness of the cabin. The door slamming shut behind me, as I laid on the ground panting heavily. I rested my cheek on the chilled floor, my vision faded into black.
When I woke up, the raging storm outside was now still, except for the occasional flurries. I got my feet and took in my surroundings. The house was oddly bare; the walls were a bland white with a single mirror hung up. The mirror was shattered; its broken pieces were now concealed in frost. There were lanterns scattered around, I shook one in hopes of lighting it but the oil was frozen stiff. The only thing still together in this broken down home, was a waist high book shelf stocked to the brim with soggy paged novels. My eyes scanned over them but I didn’t recognize a single title, then I noticed something. There was a large lump near the wall opposite to the bookshelf.
It was a girl; she was completely enclosed in ice like a statue. She sat in a fetal position with her cheek resting upon her knee. The girl looked like she was dreaming peacefully as her hair covered half her face. Out of curiosity, I rested my palm atop her head. She slowly thawed out, once free her body went limp and fell to the side. I thought she was dead at first, until her mouth open and took in a sharp inhale of breath. Her eyes opened sluggishly while her chest struggled to regain its breath. I placed my hands under her shoulders and attempted to help her sit up. The moment my hands touched her bare arms she gasped the simple word “warm.”
The girl’s hands reached out me and pulled me closer. I was startled, but didn’t move away from her. I didn’t understand why she seemed so happy to be warm, until I noticed how unnaturally cold her skin was. I fought the urge to pull my hands away; her cool skin sent my teeth chattering at the mere contact.
I observed the girl while she clung to me. Her hair traveled in long blonde waves down to her waist. Her skin seemed to shine with how pale she was, it put the snow surrounding us to shame. She wore a white gown with lace sleeves, it was peculiar since she lived in the one place where is snowed year round. Although, despite the strange appearance, she has kind blue eyes. The girl had this aura of comfort around her, it was odd. I was never one to trust easily, but I didn’t feel that with her. Maybe it was her puppy dog eyes or her fragile state, I don’t know.
“What’s your name?” I asked shifting my position to get more comfortable with her arms around me.
The girl jerked away and untangled herself from me “I-I’m so sorry.” Her cheeks were dusted with pink “My name is Demetria. I-It’s a pleasure to meet you, sir.”
I snickered under my breath “The name’s Seraf, and it’s a pleasure to meet you too. Though I’m pretty sure you were just frozen like a statue a few moments ago.”
She laughed nervously rubbing her hands along her arms for warmth. “I don’t really know how to explain my situation, all I can do is give you thanks for freeing me temporarily,” her voice grew quieter with each word.
I sat and wondered about the old tale my father told me. Demetria seemed to fit the story’s description creepily well. It was also strange that she just so happened to be living on the mountain that the frozen princess had been said to inhabit. The princess in the story would freeze everything on contact, and slowly buried a whole city in snow. Could it be possible, that story had some truth to it? Or could this all just be a huge coincidence?
I stumbled for words “I know this is going to sound…weird… But there’s this story. It’s real famous around here, about a princess who was kinda in your position.”
Demetria hummed in response. My hands fumbled around “In the story, she had ice powers, and because of them she was exiled from her city. Any chance you might fall under the same category?”
She tilted her head in confusion, “I suppose so?”
I grinned ear to ear, “Well! This is going to be fun then!”
I jumped to my feet, holding out my hand out to help her up. She hesitantly took it and I hoisted her up. Demetria’s legs shook from the sudden weight on them, sending her collapsing into my arms. “Where are you taking me,” she questioned nervously. I held her close as we make our way out of the wood building. She watched my feet with wide eyes, they simmered the snow with every step, “We’re going to find you a witch to break your curse.”
She raised a single slim eyebrow, “Why?”
“Why what?”
“Why are you helping me,” Demetria asked with a skeptical gaze.
I thought for a moment, “I don’t really know I guess. Just seems like a fun adventure.” We continued to make our way down the mountain slopes, eventually Demetria was able to walk by herself, but she remained clinging to my hand. “I’m sure you’re aware of this by now, but this storm is going to follow us as long as I remain in your care.” Demetria shouted over the howling winds while stumbling over a buried stump. I bent down to help her regain her balance before nodding in response to her words.
“Then you should also be aware that anywhere we’re going, will be buried under layers of snow within three days’ time.” I shook my head again instead of verbally responding, making her pout in irritation. We walked for a while more before the winds screams began to soften. I kept my eyes looking forward but explained to her my plan. “There’s a witch, in the town to the east.” I started, “She used to be in charge of me when I was younger, when my powers were still reckless, or at least more so than now. I’m sure she can help you, she’s a very skilled sorcerer.”
I heard Demetria huff in annoyance behind me as she mumbled under her breath “I don’t care much for witches.” It was understandable really, if I found out my curse was due to a witch, I wouldn’t look favorably on them ether. Sadly though, you have to go to the source of the problem before you can fix it.
We walked in silence for a long while, Demetria’s face never wavered from the same dazed expression. Ever since I had taken her out of that ice, she looked like she was deep in thought. “You know, I never understood that story as a kid.” I broke the silence earning her attention. “I never got why the witch punished the princess for the king’s actions. I mean, it’s not like the princess did anything to her. Just never seemed right,” I questioned.
Her head hung low in thought “I used to question her motives as well. But I believe she did this because it hurt my father more. My father, the king, was a strong man. He was feared just as much as he was admired. When the witch cursed him, there was nothing he loved more than victory. Knowing this, I think the witch waited until he had something truly important to him. Something that would tear him apart if lost. It just so happened that the thing he held dearest was me. You see, if she cursed my father, he could live with it. He could have dealt with having to be forced away from everything he loves. But subjecting this curse to the one person he wanted to protect, that would hurt in in the worst of ways.”
Demetria gaped at the sky with her hands behind her back, “I’ve only ever seen my father in tears once. It was the day that our people rioted, and demanded that I be exiled from the kingdom. He cried and pleaded with the people to understand, but nothing could change the outcome. I had to leave, so I found refuge in the mountains, where I knew no one would come. I let myself slowly freeze away into nothing. That is until, you found me.”
She fell silent once again in her thoughts, this time I decided to just let her be. It was nightfall when we made it to the mountain’s base. Luckily, we had just missed the nightly blizzard. She told me that it would take roughly three days for the storm to catch up with us, so we continued traveling for as long as we could. After hours of walking, Demetria asked me silently if we could rest for a while. We made camp and I lit a fire. Before I could even ask if she was hungry Demetria was fast asleep.
Most of our journey continued on like this until we made our way to the city. I hadn’t been there in so long, I had to admit that the thought terrified me. I didn’t know what anyone would say if they recognized me. Some might be happy…most probably wouldn’t.
We snuck around town in the shadows. I looked at the large clock in the towns square, and then to the storm clouds in the distance. I turned my gaze towards Demetria, she nodded in understanding. Our journey had taken much longer than expected, we had a little over eighteen hours left, until the blizzard catches up. This city had no chance of withstanding such a storm, the thoughts alone put my nerves on edge. I had to keep practicing my breathing to stop the flames itching under my skin from resurfacing themselves.
Finally, we made it to the bizarre shop on the corner of town. I looked both ways before darting across the street to the building. My fist pounded on the door while I hissed “Jesus Ebony! Open the door!” After a few moments, the door swung open to reveal a small irritated woman.
“What on earth do you want –” She froze midsentence, her murderous eyes slowly started to widen. After realizing who I was, she flung herself at me with glee “Oh my lord! Seraf!” She wrapped her arms around while jumping up and down like a psycho. Ebony pulled away just to pull her hand back and swing it back at me. I felt a sharp pain in my left cheek, “Ow! Why did you just hit me?” I shouted and held on to the side of my face.
The small black haired women rested her hands on her waste and glared daggers at me. “That’s for just leaving in the middle of the night without a single word, idiot!” She continued to rant on my irresponsibleness until she paused to look at Demetria. “Um Seraf, who’s the pale child?” Demetria gasped, her usually kind eyes burned with irritation “I am not a child,” she hissed. Ebony put her hands up in surrender, she didn’t mean to offend Demetria, she just has a habit of thinking through her mouth. Still, I gave Demetria a warning glance. I understand her dislike towards witches, but we need Ebony’s help, and her being a brat won’t get us anywhere. Demetria huffed and adverted her eyes while mumbling an apology.
Ebony waved the girl off with a laugh and invited us into her web infested shop. Ebony blew on her old wooden chairs sending dust all over, before offering us a seat. “So what can I owe the pleasure of your company to?” She asked while brewing a pot of tea. I scratched the back of my neck nervously “I-It’s a little hard to explain…”
She took a seat on the creaky floorboards, “I’m listening.” I awkwardly tried to explain what had taken place over the last few days, sounding bloody bonkers. But she just nodded her head and hung on to every word. Once I finished, she rested her chin on her palm in thought.
“Do you think you can help,” Demetria asked emotionlessly. Ebony made a confused sound before stating “Possibly?” Demetria’s eyebrow twitched in irritation, “Only possibly?” The kettle screeched and Ebony stood from the floor continuing to talk to us with her back turned “There’s some…difficulties.”
“What sort of difficulties?” I asked nervously while standing to look out the shop’s window. My heart skipped a beat in panic, as snowflakes started to fall. They were small and harmless, but it still was a warning of how little time we had left. Ebony stood at my side watching the flurries fall, “The problem is, Demetria would most likely die if we just shuttered away her powers.”
My breath got caught in my throat, “W-What?” Ebony looked down sadly, “The story of the cursed princess has been around for generations, Seraf. The fact that she’s even still alive means that her powers are the only thing keeping her that way. If you remove them, well…let’s just say it’s like playing Russian roulette with five bullets.” She left us to absorb the information while she poured herself a cup of tea.
“Demetria-”
“No, it’s okay.” She cut me off, her hands were folded in her lap as she swayed back and forth on the chair. “I still want to do it.”
I marched to her side “No! That would be suicide!” She refused to meet my eyes “She said there was a chance I could live.”
I gripped her shoulders and forced her to look at me “Demetria, I won’t let you make that gamble.” Tears started welling up in her angel blue eyes, looking at me with desperation, “What other choice do I have?” Her voice was hushed and scratchy. I didn’t know what to do, I really didn’t. I just knew that I didn’t want to lose this. I’ve only know this girl for a few days, but I had grown attached to the company. I had grown accustomed to turning around and seeing the cold girls twinkling eyes. The way she would stumble around everywhere like a klutz, but remained persistent on going forward. I even enjoyed our conversations, though I rarely understood the stories she told me about. I barely knew this girl, and I feel like that was the exact reason I didn’t want to let her go. I wanted to know more, something I’ve never wanted to do with anyone in my life. I didn’t want to let her go, not yet.
“We can return to the mountain. O-Or we can travel around the world, just as long as we stay moving the storm shouldn’t be a problem. We have so many options Demetria, we just have to keep an open mind.” Her lips quivered as the tears she shed froze to her cheeks. Her hands covered her face, and she nestled against my shoulder.
My fingers combed through her hair trying to calm her down. The wind outside was howling and the snow started to fall in larger clumps. Ebony observed the weather, cup of tea in hand. “It looks like soon; you might not have a choice.”
I looked up “What do you mean?” 
She pointed out the window “The storm is catching up; my guess is the entire town will be buried by nightfall.”
“Is there anything we can do?”
She tapped a long black painted nail against the window frame, “Perhaps…” She eyes me up and down like a wolf to a rabbit.
Demetria started to calm down but still clung to the warmth of my body. Suddenly Ebony’s eyes went wide, her fingers drew in the fog on the window. Demetria and I both looked up as she gasps loudly. “I know a way,” Ebony declared.
“What? How?” I stood from Demetria’s hold. Ebony started to mumbled some strange words to herself. It took me a minute to realize she was singing an old kids song; it was common little riddle we were all taught in grade school.
“There’s only one cure for an icy heart. It can piece you together, or tear you apart. People search for it for a lifetime, but it is so rarely found. Though, once caught, it is eternally bound. Yes, it will melt away your petty curse. But leave behind a scar, so much worse. Hence search for it with caution, for there is a lack. Beware, once this magic is caught, there’s no going back,” She sung.
“There is another way to break this girl’s curse, Seraf. But I need your full cooperation for this, understood. Your powers and hers, they are opposing yet equal each other. If we combine your life forces, the power should be able to cancel each other out.”  She wandered around the shop in search for something. Both Demetria and I gasped when she pulled out two sliver painted daggers.
“I need your hearts,” She stated.
“Um what?” My mouth hung open in shock. Ebony picked a book of the shelf and began to leaf through it “Your hearts, stab them.”
Demetria snorted “Your joking right?” Ebony looked at them, her silver eyes just like the daggers in our palms. “Just trust me. And don’t question me any farther, we don’t have the time. Do as I say.”
Demetria held the dagger to her chest timidly, her eyes kept switching back and forth between its tip to my eyes. My throat gulped as I took the same position. “It’s going to be okay, trust Ebony,” I comforted.
“We don’t have the time for chit-chat,” Ebony said impatiently.
“On the count of three, okay?” I asked Demetria. She shook her head in response, but I could see the terror in her eyes. I counted, each number making my tongue drier.
“One…”
“Two…”
I inhaled deeply “Three.” I pushed the dagger in with all of my might, pain surged through my body. My vison went black before I could even turn to see if Demetria had done the same.
It was strange, the sense of dying. Beforehand I was panicking; my body wouldn’t stop trembling with fear. But now, I felt at peace. I was just surrounded by darkness; it was inviting like sleep. Suddenly, the dark was interrupted by the echoes of Ebony’s voice. I heard her chant words of ancient tongue ferociously. The calming darkness around me erupted into flames. Fire consumed everything, I was lost in it. The tranquility I felt before was now once again stolen from me by the power I possessed.
Ever since I was a little boy, my father had told me I needed to control my flames. But I never could, they always controlled me. They fed on my every emotion. I couldn’t get angry without them setting the curtain shades on fire. I couldn’t feel sad without my tears burning like gasoline. I couldn’t even be excited, because the fire could spark and set someone’s hair on fire. I’ve been taught my whole life to limit my emotions. That if I could control them, I could control my power. But it never worked. Bundling up all these emotions, just made the outbursts even worse when they finally came out.
Because of me, my family has had to rebuild our home three times. Because of me my aunt’s hands will be forever scarred. And now this town will suffer, because I was selfish. Because I didn’t want to let Demetria go. It was all my fault.
For the first time in years, tears streamed down my face. Once they started, they couldn’t be stopped. I fell to my knees and sobbed ugly howls. My fists pounded on the hot coals beneath me in anger. The crimson colors around me started to fade into a bright blue. I continued to sit and wallow in the emotions I have never let myself feel before. So many happening at once, I was overwhelmed.
Then, just as soon as it had all started, it stopped. I soft slender hand rested on my shoulder, and a sweet toned voice whispered a lullaby in my ear. I looked past my tears to see Demetria, she kneeled next to me and took my face into her hands. She sang a song that a mother would sing to soothe a crying infant. I got lost in her eyes, they always had a way of making my mind go blank. The blue flames around us slowly turned white, until they disappeared into blankets of snow. But the snow wasn’t harsh or in blizzards like Demetria’s regular storms. The flakes swayed softly to the ground and landed amongst the sparkly mounds. The snow seemed to dance to melody of her singing.
Far off in the distant I could still hear Ebony’s chanting but my mind toned it out. I just wanted to enjoy this peaceful moment, and the sound of Demetria’s hum. But it soon became hard to ignore Ebony as her words grew louder and louder until they made my ears ring.
“Exaudi me!” Her voice shook the ground. The entire picture around me started to crack and chip away like glass. The beautiful snow, was falling apart and falling into the darkness surrounding us. Demetria continued to sing, she too started to shatter and fade away like broken glass. I reached out desperately towards her, but the ground caved out from under me. My mouth opened to scream, I felt like I was free falling into nothing.
I woke up. The dagger was no longer in my chest, my hands couldn’t even find a hole where it was. My head spun “W-Where’s Demetria?”
“Whose Demetria?” The voice of my father asked. I sat up in my bed, sweat trickling down my forehead. I wasn’t in Ebony’s shop. I was back home; why was I here? My father was placing a log in the fire place while smoking a pipe “What’s wrong with you, boy? You look like you just saw a ghost or something.”
I pushed my blankets off of me and ran to the window. There, I could see the mountain, still submerged in snow. My hands ran over my face trying to wake myself up. Was it all a dream, none of it real?
“Seraf, the fires going out,” My father pointed out to me. I flicked my wrist at the blackening logs and the fire started again. I looked at my palm and then back to the mountain top. If I still had my powers, if that was real, then maybe she was to. Maybe my frozen princess was still hidden away in that cabin. My father hummed the childish riddle while rocking in his creaky chair.
“Hence search for it with caution, for there is a lack. Beware, once this magic is caught,” He hushed.
“There’s no going back,” I finished with a grin.