Young Writers Society

Chapter 4

“Still nothing?" Andrei inquired, looking up from the pile of books that were spread out on his desk.

"Still nothing." Sonya replied full of vexation, slamming yet another book shut. The princess raised her grey eyes from the dark mahogany desk and looked around. The royal library was and had always been her favorite room in the castle. She knew there was some sort of magic in being surrounded by books.

Yet today, as she regarded the many volumes stacked high against the dark maroon walls, their presence was more intimidating than magical.

Almost two thousand volumes and not one of them matches the rhymes that echo in my head? How is that even possible? Sonya wondered as she fell back on her chair, defeated.

"What made you change your mind?" Andrei asked, circling around his desk to get close to her. "About the Snow Queen, I mean."

Sonya sat up in her chair and huffed. "I didn't want to say this in front of your father because I knew it would make me sound like a child, but every year, on my birthday, the Snow Queen pays me a visit."

Andrei pulled up a chair and set it right next to her. "What do you mean by 'paying you a visit'?"

Sonya took a breath before beginning to tell her tale. She hadn't spoken about this phenomenon to anyone, not even her own father. Maybe it was her attraction to Andrei that made her feel so comfortable about retelling this event to him, or maybe it was her need to get it off her chest. Either way, Sonya knew that she could trust this farm boy with her secret, so she began.

"Three years ago, on the night of my eleventh birthday, I felt a pair of cold lips against my forehead. I remember their touch sent shivers up my spine.

"My eyelids fluttered open, and that's when I saw her. She was right in front of me, leaning into my bedside. Her face was long and oval shaped, like mine. Her skin was the color of snow. Her eyes were so bright and beautiful, once you saw them it was impossible to look away. Her irises seemed to be changing color, from a dark blue to a glistening grey. I don't know if it was my imagination or what, but I think I saw miniature snowflakes trapped in her eyes.

Her lips were narrow and tainted the lightests of pink. Her hair was long and thin, the same color of mine. And atop her head stood an impotent crown, adorned with blood diamonds and sapphires.

When she realized that I was awake, her eyes widened and turned to a pale blue. She then disappeared, leaving behind a faint scent of pine needles."

Andrei's jaw dropped. "So that's it. She's real. All this time, I thought the woman I saw outside my window had been a dream, but she clearly she was not."

Sonya frowned. "How can you be so certain?"

"Because the woman that you described is the same woman I saw! She had the same oval shaped face, the same long yellow hair, and the same crown! She was standing outside my window on Christmas last year! I remember she put her hands on the glass, and when I set mine against hers, she… disappeared. All this time, I thought I was insane, I thought I had seen a vision… But I was wrong! She's real!" 

Forget what I said. This young boy is a lunatic. The princess thought to herself as she watched Andrei ramble on about the stories he'd heard. Maybe the woman that kissed my forehead that night was an intruder ridiculously dressed. Yes, that's probably it. That's the most logical explanation.

"Come on, Andrei. Help me check the storybooks, maybe we'll find our verse there." Sonya told him quickly, grabbing him by the arm and dragging him towards one of the shelves.

But before they could get there, a powerful gust of wind opened one of the windows and let in the cold air.

"Oh, dear!" Sonya cried, running towards the open window. "Andrei! Andrei, help me close it!"

The young boy dashed to her side, and together they shut the window panel with such force, they both fell to the ground.

Sonya blinked timidly when she realized her nose was only millimeters away from Andrei's. They were lying on the wooden floor side by side, propped up in their elbows. If Sonya were to lean i a little farther, she could've easily brushed her lips against his.

"Y-you have a delightful perfume, princess." The farm boy said awkwardly, not sure whether or not it would be appropriate to stand up or crawl away from her.

The corners of Sonya's delicate mouth turned upward. "Why thank you."

Kiss me, you fool! The princess screamed in her mind. This is the part in every story where the two main characters kiss! We are the main characters in our story, so stop staring at me like that and kiss me! 

"Uh..." Andrei stuttered. "We should probably get back to our research..." He whispered, slowly backing away from her.

Sonya look down at the ground trying to hide her disappointment. "Yes. Yes, of course."

Andrei stood up quickly and offered her his hand.

"That's alright." Sonya said, shaking her head. "I can stand up by myself."

The princess's chilly attitude towards him felt like a very sharp arrow head piercing Andrei's heart. He had been so close to befriending her, and now, that seemed very unlikely.

"Andrei!" the princess exclaimed. "Andrei, look what that gust of wind brought in!"

Sonya rushed towards him clutching a single piece of paper. It was slightly torn and covered in tiny snowflakes that were beginning to melt, but the words written on it in black ink were perfectly readable.

Written on the piece of paper were the following sentences:

The Most Powerful Snowstorm In Recorded History

ATTENTION! Casting this spell will freeze the face of the Earth.

Ingredients:

The tail of the fastest horse, to make the fastest wind

The throat of the lion who possesses the mightiest roar, to make the mightiest thunder

A single drop of rain from the Amazon, to fill the clouds with the darkest rain

The heart of the coldest man, to make the coldest air

Preparation:

Yet none of them knew how to prepare the spell, since that part had been torn off.