"My father's castle isn't far from here. Head towards the mountains. The highwaymen won’t be going anywhere, you battered them pretty badly,” he said, sounding impressed and Yanni felt much more confident.
No one had ever paid her a compliment like that and for some reason, she enjoyed being brave for a change.
She had no idea if there was a castle near the mountains, but for now, she chose not to ask any questions. Luciano needed to rest for a little while. He was pale and Yanni suspected that the larger highwayman had broken more than just his ribs.
“You might be right. I wish that I smeared the arrows with poison, but there was no time. Anyway, I think we’re safe for now. Those two will surely struggle to find help in the middle of nowhere.”
The young boy didn’t reply, and Yanni didn’t want to tire him out with more talking. They kept going, finally leaving the forest behind. At some point, she was certain that Luciano must have dozed off because he seemed to be a lethargic state and unresponsive.
Yanni wasn’t sure what to think, but she knew that he was probably exhausted and in a lot of pain.
Her horse had enough time to rest, so they were moving pretty quickly, but Yanni was still anxious. She kept looking behind her, but it was pitch-black now. The temperature continued to drop, and she was freezing. It was snowing heavily now. She could see the top of the mountains, and continued walking for what felt like hours. She was shaking and her teeth were beginning to chatter; her heart was beating way too fast. Now and again she took sips of wine that she had brought with her, and it helped to warm her up a little. Luciano—she thought it was a nice name—didn’t wake up at all. Yanni had to check on him a few times to make sure that he wasn’t dead. If they were lucky enough, maybe they would pass the Ice King’s territory soon. She thought that James would let the young lad rest and then he could take off when he was feeling better.
Sometime later, Luciano woke up.
"We’re not far from my home. The castle isn't visible from the road, so I need to give you directions,” he said.
Yanni was exhausted and had no idea how she was able to keep going. It was windy and her face was numb from the frigid weather. She didn’t want to talk and lose necessary energy. All Yanni wanted to do was stop and rest, but right then that was almost impossible. They didn’t want to be on the road while being caught in the storm, so they kept going.
Sometime later, Yanni noticed the mountains and radiating lights in front of her. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw the Ice Castle in the distance. She had to rub her eyes several times, not quite believing what she was seeing. The tiny voice in her head kept reminding her that maybe she was hallucinating.
The castle was massive, hidden between icebergs—the snowy mountains were just part of an illusion.
"Come on, you need to keep going for just a bit longer. I know you’re tired,” Luciano was telling her. "What's your name? Sorry, I feel terrible. I should have asked for it earlier.”
"Yanni, but most people in my kingdom call me Snow White," she answered and then saw that Luciano was waving his arms.
Moments later, several armed men were running towards her, but she was too weak to react. She collapsed into the snow, feeling as if all of her strength had faded away. Her feet and arms were numb from the cold. She had been riding, then walking for hours in such harsh conditions.
"Come on, help her. She needs to be taken to a warm chamber. Tell my father that I brought him Snow White,” the young lad was saying. “Come on, Yanni. Stay with me. I need to return the favour.”
She couldn’t hear him anymore because she was drifting away…
When Yanni started coming around, she felt warm and cozy and didn’t really want to move at all. Someone was talking to her, or maybe it was only happening in her head. The voice sounded angry, but for some odd reason, it also made her feel safe and calm.
Her mind was foggy, and she couldn’t remember what happened before she fell asleep. Maybe it was her stepmother, Ruth, or one of her lovers. She must have found out that Yanni slipped out of the castle without informing anyone of where she was going.
"She disabled both highwaymen with arrows? Are you sure?” the deep, harsh voice asked.
She needed to wake up, but her strength wasn’t coming back. For some reason, she couldn’t even open her eyes.
“Yes, I told you, Father; I was attacked. The highwaymen must have recognised me in town and they followed me to the forest. Yanni acted straight away and she was amazing. She shot them both with her arrows and then dragged me away to safety," someone else was saying, and Yanni realised that it was Luciano.
She liked that he stayed with her and didn’t just disappear. It seemed that his father was thinking about his answer, because silence stretched for several long moments.
“That’s interesting, but I’m surprised that you weren’t more careful. You shouldn’t have travelled around without an escort, Luciano, but I’m glad that you’re okay. I have to thank this girl personally when she wakes up,” the other voice said, sounding curious.
“Father, I know what you’re—”
“No, son, you have no idea what is going on inside my head. Your saviour is under the watchful eye of the best healers in the kingdom,” the other man said. Yanni liked his voice. It was sexy and calmed her racing thoughts. “Anyway, the show must go on, as they say. We have many guests that travelled from all around the world. We need to show them how to have a good time. Maybe Yanni will join us once she wakes up.”
Yanni could hear that someone had left the chamber—she was fighting with herself to wake up. She had no idea what to think about Luciano’s father. He sounded bold and confident. Then sudden pain sliced through her head and she began drifting away again.
Sometime later, after undoubtedly several more hours had passed, Yanni was conscious enough to recognise her surroundings. She needed to use the toilet badly, but at the same time, she was exhausted.
The chamber was lit by several candles. It was a long room filled with several other beds. She noticed that Luciano was sitting across from her reading a book.
"What's going on? Where am I?" she asked, feeling a cold draft over her skin. Someone must have changed her clothes too, because she had a light nightgown on.
The young man quickly gave her a reassuring smile and then she began to remember bits and pieces from the evening before. Right then she felt much better, but she must have walked for hours through heavy snow. She didn’t recall getting into the Ice Castle, and the rest of her memories were still blurry. She definitely hadn’t prepared for this kind of journey, and it was much colder than she had suspected.
“You saved me and I’m grateful, but the highwaymen broke my ribs. I have no idea how I didn’t pass out when we were riding your horse. We were caught by the storm. The healer told me that if we had taken much longer we wouldn’t have made it,” Luciano explained, scratching his head.
Only now, Yanni remembered that he was still young. He was tall and handsome, and she was curious to meet his father.
She attempted to get up. She felt stronger and saw her clothes folded neatly on a table situated near the door. She needed to get back on the road. The winter land couldn’t be too far from the castle. She suspected that she was very close.
“Okay, that’s great, but I really need to get going,” she explained.
"No, no, you cannot leave yet. My father is throwing a ball downstairs and he insisted that you attend so he can meet you. He truly appreciates that you saved my skin, and wants to reimburse you,” he said, standing up and Yanni wanted to laugh.
Luciano and his father didn’t need to pay her; they took care of her when she was hurt. She felt fine overall and her hands and feet were back in working order.
But then Luciano said, “Welcome to the Ice Castle, my home.”
She stopped. Had she really arrived at the Ice Castle?
"Who is your father, Luciano?” she asked. Her stomach made a funny jolt, because she
sensed that she might have actually found the person that she had been looking for.
The boy frowned and looked at her like she was from another planet.
"My father? He's the Ice King, James III," he said, and Yanni wanted to laugh.
So, there she was, in the palace of the Ice King, the man that she was planning to seduce and eventually marry. She should have figured this out much sooner. All the clues were right in front of her face the whole time.
He lived in the Ice Castle. The entire building wasn’t exactly made from ice, but it was surrounded by snowy mountains and icebergs. The chamber she was in looked very cozy and Yanni was looking forward to meeting the man who showed up to check on her when she was unconscious.
"Right, well, I would love it if you could introduce us properly, and in my kingdom, I’m known as Snow White. I also have to tell you that I’m the Princess of Tyndil and my stepmother, Ruth, is the Queen,” she explained, reaching to shake Luciano's hand.
He looked impressed with the fact that she was a real princess. When she rode off on her horse, she wasn’t expecting to attend any balls, and she wasn’t prepared at all. There were going to be other women there and she needed to find a way to stand out somehow.
"You will meet him at the ball, but trust me, everyone else will want five minutes with him too. My father has a certain reputation. He enjoys the company of women way too much," the boy explained and his eyes flickered with mischief.
Barbra had mentioned that James was kind of a womaniser and after being engaged twice before, he wasn’t going to get tied up easily. Yanni was certain that she could work her magic, and now Luciano made her even more curious.
"All right, well, I would appreciate it if you could provide me a dress for the ball. I didn’t bring any formal clothes with me and I want to dress appropriately,” she said, knowing that she hadn’t thought this whole trip through. She should have taken the carriage and officially paid the Ice King a visit as the princess. This would have looked better, but at the same time, she knew that her stepmother would have found out what she was planning.
"My father has already prepared a chamber for you in the south tower. I shall send the dressmaker to tend to all of your needs. I'm so glad that I met you on the way here, otherwise I have no idea what might have happened to me.” Luciano gestured for her to follow him.
Yanni picked up the rest of her clothes and walked alongside him. She was impressed with the castle, completely amazed with how warm and silent the place was. Barbra told her that people from surrounding kingdoms had said that he could turn people into ice statues, and that he was cruel. Yanni wasn’t sure if she believed the story. After all, the townspeople loved to spread gossip about everyone.
For years, her own father believed in magical creatures. Yanni always listened to his stories with fascination, but she wasn’t sure if she truly believed in these sorts of tales until she saw her stepmother using magic and killing the deer.
Luciano showed her to the chamber and then left her alone. She tried to get herself comfortable and couldn’t find any faults with the room. Everything was perfect and furnished in the highest of standards. Ten minutes later, a few servants arrived, bringing her one of the most stunning dresses that she had ever seen. It was deep blue and shined with inlaid crystals lined within the bodice. They helped Yanni to get ready and then she went to the bathroom to sort out her hair. She was kind of excited to attend yet another lavish ball. She hoped that maybe the Ice King would notice her in the crowd.
"Do you think we will see something spectacular tonight?” whispered one of the maids to the other while Yanni was busy putting on her makeup.
"I hope so. The last time he did something truly amazing. He turned stones into ice creatures,” whispered the other lady’s maid.
Yanni’s jaw dropped, not quite believing that she was hearing them correctly. It appeared that her husband-to-be wasn't exactly a normal human at all, but that suited her just fine. Suddenly, this whole seduction game seemed much more exciting.
5
Yanni was shaking with anticipation as she walked downstairs to the main hall. She hoped that she looked beautiful; she had never spent so much time getting ready before. The Ice King was an enigma to her. She had no idea what to expect from him and she was looking forward to finally seeing if he was as handsome as everyone claimed. The maids were convinced that the Ice King was blessed with magical powers and Yanni was skeptical. She still wasn’t quite sure what to make of their claims, but had to admit that turning anything into ice sounded amazing.
She continued walking through the long, dark corridor, trying to get a feel for the whole place. The castle seemed massive. She passed multiple doors, curious to know what was behind them. She got lost several times, walking into the library and other oddly shaped chambers. She had time to figure out that the Ice King was a wealthy man.
Yanni felt a little ashamed that she hadn’t left her own kingdom to travel around. Maybe they would have met sooner if she had.
She was beginning to wonder why Ruth had to travel so much in the past. Maybe she was secretly hoping that she could meet James if they were attending the same events together. Yanni couldn’t be sure, but she knew Ruth. Her stepmother loved intrigues and she was a great actress.
There were many different possibilities, but right now, Yanni didn’t want to think about it.
She walked down the marble staircase, hearing music echoing in the corridors. She passed several other finely dressed women who were rushing towards the main hall. Moments later, she entered the ballroom and gasped in amazement.
She spotted ice figures scattered around, and the entire room had a winter land feel to it. All the servants were wearing white uniforms, greeting guests with glasses of champagne. There was also fake snow settled on each of the tables and Yanni was amazed that the ice statues weren’t melting along the floor. It was warm and pleasant inside the ballroom. The food seemed out of this world. Yanni had never seen any of these dishes before, so she decided to try a little bit of everything.
“I’m glad that you made it here without any trouble,” Luciano said, suddenly materialising next to her. “Come on, let me introduce you around. My father hasn't made an appearance yet, but everyone is waiting for him."
Yanni was a little shocked, because the young lad looked handsome wearing his navy-coulored uniform. He was well mannered too.
He took her around the ballroom and started introducing her to many army officials, along with their wives. Apparently, the Ice King still had his army on standby just in case. His son mentioned that the winter land had often been attacked by mountain trolls. Yanni thought it was a joke. She didn’t think that trolls were real, but decided not to say anything.
She kept glancing around, talking to a few women and waiting for the main guest to make his appearance. Her heart was beating loudly in her chest. Everyone in the ballroom was talking about him, and Yanni was becoming impatient. She had no idea how she was supposed to behave around him—even if he stood right in front of her. She wasn’t sure if she was ready to seduce him or even knew how, for that matter. The title of Queen was important to her, but what was more important than the crown was the respect she hoped to gain.
“Yanni, I really wanted to introduce you to the dwarves. Apparently, they are from your kingdom,” Luciano said a bit later when she tried to grab another drink.
She was surprised to hear that the dwarves were in the winter land as they approached their group. All of them had long shaggy beards, and large disfigured noses. They were playing cards and drinking craft beer. Yanni noticed that some of the guests looked displeased, but she didn’t care.
She reminded herself that this was exactly what she needed to avoid. The Ice King could show up at any second and she needed to act like a lady and make the best impression. Her inner self was screaming and wanted to dance and have fun. Yanni loved good parties, but over the years, it honestly turned into an unhealthy obsession. She knew that once
she had some wine she would be of control.
“Snow White, yes, I thought I recognised you from the tavern in Tyndil. We have a friend from around that area. Why don’t you sit down and play with us?” one of the dwarves asked, winking at her.
Her stomach made a funny jolt and she pretended that she was offended. A group of women were eavesdropping.
“Yes, I’m known as Snow White, but I think you made a mistake. I don't go to the local tavern and I have no idea how to play cards,” she said, tossing her black hair over her shoulder and marching away. She didn’t know how many people had seen her acting like a party girl, and now she was attempting to fix her reputation.
Finally, Luciano left her alone, and Yanni noticed that he saw a young lady in the crowd. She assumed that he would be preoccupied for a while.
After a few minutes, Yanni picked up a glass and then joined a group of ladies from the Northern Kingdom. Each of them had dark olive complexions and thick dark brown hair.
“Excuse me, ladies, but I heard that the Ice King hunts for white bears and wolves. He always travels alone without an escort and he kills the animals with his bare hands. I think that’s very impressive,” one of the women said, sounding very excited.
Yanni was sipping her wine, thinking that it was most likely just another rumour. She didn’t believe killing wild animals for fun was impressive in any way. She thought it was unnecessary and cruel.
"Nonsense, he doesn't hunt, he travels around other kingdoms on official business. I heard that he has a different lover in each place and they are devoted to him. It’s clear that this man is never going to settle down again. I personally know a few women that tried to tie him up, but none of them ever succeeded," said a man with a funny hat who suddenly joined the group. All the women looked at him like he just grew a pair of horns. They weren’t happy to hear that but Yanni thought that his statement was quite funny.