“So, what’s it going to be, dears?” Ruth asked, staring down at her nails. “I’ll allow you to say goodbye to your now-ex-fiancé. And you, my King, if you ever try to get close to her again, your son will be trapped in this spell forever.”
Yanni turned around and walked up to James who was watching Ruth like he was prepared to use his ice anyway. The muscles were popping in his jaw. She couldn’t let Ruth hurt Luciano in any way. She was trying to think about her options, but it looked like Ruth had thought about everything.
“I know what you’re thinking, Snow White. No, you will never come back to him. If you ever step foot in this kingdom, the spell will kill the boy. Do you really want to be responsible for his death?” Ruth rambled, then started laughing hysterically.
She trapped Yanni, playing on her good nature. She knew that Yanni could never let anything happen to Luciano.
“No, I won’t allow this, Yanni. I can’t lose you. I’m in love with you,” James said, and her heart swelled in her chest. Suddenly she had an idea, it was crazy and very risky, but she couldn’t let Ruth win.
“Give me your magic now, this is the only way,” she hissed, knowing that it was the only thing that divided Ruth and James. He could gift the magic to anyone that he wanted. It was yet another risk, because then there was a chance that he could lose it forever. Their eyes met and Yanni could see that he was torn, but their time was running out. She wanted him to trust her. Deep down, she had no idea if she could even stand up to Ruth.
They were staring at each other for a long time, and Yanni felt the same. She loved him, she knew that he was the only man for her.
“Tick tock, the time is running out,” Ruth was saying. Then James touched her hand she felt his ice moving deep into her veins. It was like she dove into ice-cold water, and her lungs ceased. Then her heart started pumping more blood into her veins. She felt him giving her his powers—his energy and everything that would allow her to destroy Ruth forever.
19
It was the most incredible feeling that she had ever experienced. It was like she was breathing fresh air for the first time. Fear and anger faded away, replaced with a low buzz of energy that was in the back of her skull, thrumming through her veins and warming her soul. Yanni felt like she was almost levitating above the ground. She didn’t know if she was doing the right thing, but she couldn’t lose James.
She imagined being in his embrace and her eyes fluttered shut. She was picturing herself defeating Ruth.
Yanni smiled at James, then turned around determined to change the future. She walked towards her stepmother who still stood in the middle of the ballroom. People were staring at her in silence; the tension inside her unfurled.
She felt the energy rising to the surface of her skin, swelling through her once more. Deep down, she had no idea what to do, so she had to improvise. Ruth had tried to kill her and Yanni suspected that she wouldn’t hesitate to do it again, but she wasn’t scared. The old Yanni who cared only for herself more than anyone else was long gone.
“Lead on, stepmother. I will do what you say,” Yanni told her, looking her directly in the eye. Only now she realised how much she truly hated her. They’d never bonded, or had any kind of connection and now she understood why. It was
because Ruth’s heart had always been filled with darkness. She had never tried to be good and kind to anyone. Envy, jealousy, and bitterness—that was all she ever felt.
Ruth smiled with satisfaction and then she gestured for Yanni to go ahead. Luciano was still unresponsive, but Yanni knew that as long as she left him with James, he would be all right. She just had to kill Ruth. She’d never hurt anyone before, but it was either that or die herself.
They left the ballroom, and her skin was buzzing as she walked along the corridor, heading towards the exit door. Yanni waited until Ruth’s magic couldn’t reach anyone else, aware that the guards were nearby. James still had part of his magic, but Yanni wanted him to stay out of it. She stopped and turned around, facing her stepmother again. Everything happened quickly. Yanni didn’t even think about what she was doing.
“Die, stepmother. It’s time now,” she shouted and then released a steady stream of energy. The icy magic streamed from her fingertips and the wind moved down her spine. Ruth was completely caught off guard. She struggled to remain on her feet.
She backed away a few steps and Yanni gathered all her strength, thinking about James. She held onto an image of them together being happy forever.
The magic pounded through her and Yanni had never felt better, she thought it was incredible. The ice started spreading everywhere, covering the walls, the floors and ceiling. The entire castle was slowly beginning to turn into an ice land.
But then her stepmother somehow managed to release her energy, fighting back. It was bright yellow fire and it met with Yanni’s icy energy in the middle of the corridor. Their energy collided, clashing with each other and Yanni was having trouble staying on her feet. Her skin started to itch, almost as if it was burning away.
She wanted to turn Ruth into an ice statue, but her stepmother began to laugh. She looked like she was dancing, controlling the bright fire that was pouring from her hands.
“You stupid little whore, do you think that is going to work? You’re not strong enough to defeat me. Nothing is going to bring you back to your Ice King!” Ruth roared, pushing her magic towards Yanni, melting her icy energy.
Fear sunk its icy claws into her stomach, almost freezing her in place. A bead of sweat ran down her face. She was aware that the ball guests and possibly James were watching her. Yanni couldn’t let Ruth triumph.
“We will see about that,” Yanni muttered, aware that her legs were ready to give out on her. She gritted her teeth. She just had to hold on to it for a bit longer. She was losing and it wasn’t going to be long before the fire devoured her completely.
Moments later, someone was standing behind her, embracing her with strong arms.
“Together my Ice Queen—together we are going to defeat the witch,” the voice whispered in her ear. Yanni felt his strong muscles flexing and then more magic pounded through her. It began floating from James connecting with hers, pushing Ruth’s fire away.
Yanni didn’t understand what was going on, but she saw a glimpse of fear in Ruth’s eyes. She was being pushed by the bright white icy magic. It reached her faster, ceasing her counterattack in an instant.
The ice started covering her feet, then upper body, finally reaching her chest. Everything happened in an instant. She screamed, falling to the floor and becoming an ice statue. It was the end of her.
The energy faded, and Yanni, along with James was thrown a meter away, landing on the marble floor.
She hit her head, lying on top of James. Her body ached, and the buzzing around her was a little distracting. The ball guests began to approach, along with guards. Yanni was disoriented.
“My lady, are you hurt? Is she all right?”
More than one person asked. The impact of ceased energy combined with Ruth’s darkness must have thrown them backwards. Everyone was suddenly gathered in the hallway.
“I’m fine, I’m going to be fine,” she said, rising back to her feet. The electricity was rushing down her hands. She felt the ice magic inside her. She quickly grabbed James’s hand helping him back on his feet.
“Thank you, but how—?”
“After I made sure that Luciano was all right, I went around the castle, aware that you were heading towards the back entrance. I couldn’t leave you on your own. My magic was powerful, but Ruth was much more experienced. You defeated her, I only gave you a bit more strength,” he said, and then brought her into his arms.
“My stepmother, is she dead?” she asked, not sure if they should be celebrating yet. James smiled and brushed a lock of her hair away from her face.
“Let’s see for ourselves,” he suggested. People were moving away, trying to give them space. Others were whispering, talking about Ruth and her ma
gical abilities. Everyone was buzzing with snippets and whispers.
Yanni’s heart was pounding in her chest when they both approached Ruth. She was an ice statue, her mouth was still wide open, but Yanni knew that she could no longer hurt anyone. Yanni’s and James’s powers had pushed her to the place where she belonged—the afterlife.
Yanni was officially the new Queen of Tyndil. She should have taken charge from the start, but then she would have never met James. Now, she didn’t regret anything.
“You have the magic too. We share it, because of our love,” James told her smiling, then he lifted her hand, squeezing it tightly. “Ladies and gentlemen, the evil has been defeated, and everyone can continue to enjoy the ball. Yanni is officially the new Queen of the Winter Land, the Queen of Tyndil and the Queen of Ice.”
Then he kissed her passionately, right in front of everyone. The grip on her back tightened as Yanni tilted her head. James deepened the kiss and her breathy moan shocked her to the core. She was melting in his arms, aware that they had an audience.
It was the truth, Yanni grew up. She only defeated her stepmother because she truly believed that she could do it. And it was one of the greatest feelings in the world.
Soon, her stepmother’s ice statue was tossed outside and she would stay there as a reminder of the evil that they had overcome together as one.
The peace was restored and once everyone calmed down, James and Yanni continued with the party. Then he announced that he was taking a new wife and he wanted to throw a lavish wedding. And then after that, Yanni had a drink, cheering herself for a change. She thought she could have just one, after all.
The end.
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Joanna Mazurkiewicz, The Ice King: Snow White
(Series: Adult Fairy Tales # 3)
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