Chapter 42 Realm of winter


    “Did you see that?” Rose moved into a defensive stance that her Father had taught her.


    “Is it the bear?” Nina chattered. All around them was nothing, silence.


    “No, it felt different. It was in the trees.” Rose breathed a soft chilled breath as she whispered.


    “Bears climb trees.” Nina whispered as they huddled together tighter and listened.


    “That wasn’t a bear.” Rose would have rolled her eyes if she wasn’t so busy looking at every little motion around them.


    “Give me that!” Hilda knocked Rose’s basket down trying to grab the knife from Rose’s hand. She succeeded only because Rose did not want to hurt her. So far they didn''t weren’t injured and she meant for it to stay that way. Hilda was not so cautious; she waved the blade in Rose’s face once acquiring it.“You are only a frightened child! I will not have you leading us about scaring yourself silly!”


    “Perhaps you would like to shout louder so that our pursuers can hear us..” Nina hugged into her bigger sister for warmth. Behind Nina a big dewdrop head peaked out and white birch branches wrapped around both of them. Rose gasped and dropped the basket which had all of the sticks but one. “Let go of them!” She screamed while swinging with it and whacking Nina’s arm. The creature had vanished.


    “Ouch!” Nina cried waking up and Hilda was once again waving her knife in Rose’s face.


    “What did you do that for?!” She found it hard to stomp after Rose for her feet were numb.  Rose could see the Frost on her back weighing her down into a big drift of snow and then vanishing.


    Rose helped her out using her cape despite her clamor.


    “We must keep moving over tree roots and over stone to keep above the snow! Can’t you see the Frost cradling you?” she warned them. Rose had never seen The Frost before yet somehow she knew the title she had just spoken was true. She began to throw sticks at them so that they would run after her. This kind of encouragement actually worked for awhile.  The two older girls were forced to admit they felt warmer running.


    Eventually the sun rose which meant Rose had managed to keep them alive through the coldest hours of the night. Hilda and Nina showed no signs of being grateful. Rose had to collect sticks all over again. Of course she was also certain they weren’t even going in the right direction with clouds blocking the skies and no one suggesting they turn back to face a monster all they could do was move forward.


    Daylight did not comfort Rose in the slightest. She continued to see Frost walking among them, not hiding in the slightest. When she tried pointing him out to the other girls they saw nothing. In a way it was fascinating for he was such a fantastic looking creature, both agile and skeletal. The thick ice shards that formed the shimmering armor of his chest never looked the same twice and there was a certain soft spiky fuzzy quality about his legs that appeared to form into soft rabbit like feet. He could extend and shrink his birch arms to whatever length he required. Sometimes he even had icicle spikes on the top of his dew drop head. The Jack waved right in front of their faces while poking their noses making them turn red.


    Nina was the first to show a little interest, finally, in building a snow shelter. Her blanket was thoroughly soaked though stiff. She was beginning to turn blue. During what Rose thought was midday they managed to get a fire going. They huddled amongst some collapsed tree’s blocking them from the storm. They first dried out the blanket and then took turns wearing it while their clothes thawed. Rose felt that this was the time to reveal she had food. They were working better as a team. Once she did this the girls demanded to see what else was in her basket. Considering their immediate change of attitude Rose did not reveal her cakes. She decided she would ration them.


    Rose was always hesitant to stop because of their guest staying constant even at a distance with the presence of fire. She caught sight of his eerie bluish white reflections, while he patiently nestled in the tree branches about them. Rose wondered if she could talk to him. Find some way to convince him that the Ferryman wouldn’t want them anyhow. Then she noticed Nina eyeing her warily and realized that to the others she was only staring at nothing. Oh well, since he did not seem to be leaving a fortress against him was the next best option. Soon the storm would move over and out would go to the fire. Choosing an ideal location didn’t take her long. She went for the widest tree with broad low hanging rims that would support the roof. She dug down and used her knife.This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    Rose’s cloak was keeping her relatively dry and her boots were a good quality given to her from her father. The exercise made her cheeks rosy as she dug down and in. She felt the smaller the space the better for they would be closer together for warmth. She did make an extra hole for air or possibly a second exit in case things collapsed. And collapse is what they all did when it was finished. Finally safe and almost dry with food in their belly they slept through the second night.


    Rose dreamed of making snares and eating rabbit stew. She dreamed of going back to the woods and gathering supplies they had thrown out of the cart. She dreamed of her mother weeping and a boy with white hair. She woke up to a soft crackling and forgot what she had dreamed, for there was a tiny Frost crawling into her cave of snow poking holes in the roof with his icicle fingers. “Get out!” she popped up screaming and Hilda and Nina bumped heads as they tumbled about causing everything to crash down on them.


    It wasn’t bad because as Rose had planned the tree branches took the brunt of what could have come down. Unfortunately Hilda and Nina became even worse as companions after that. The next time they made her build the morning fire herself and rifled through her basket without asking. Somehow they did not find the cakes. They did pull out recognizable tools for Rose to make a small snare. Rose gladly parted company to do so. When she returned after setting the trap they were angry she had not brought back anything.


    “I’ll return to it in a little while.” Rose argued, “How can you expect me to catch something right away in this weather?”


    “Well we can’t just wait around, we have to get to our husbands!” Nina whined.


    “We do not know where we are moving too or if there will be food there! We have to collect supplies!” Rose retorted.


    “You are not your Father headman’s daughter!” Hilda sneered. “Go back and check that trap and if it’s empty we are taking it with us!” Rose sighed grabbing her basket moodily she went on her way before they began to pelt her with snow. Not far from camp there was a thud as right in front of her dropped the Frost. She was frightened, it had approached teasingly before and always the others for being foolishly damp or standing in the wind. It seemed to have a message specifically for her. She wondered if she had angered him that morning. It put one icicled finger up to the place where a human’s lips would be as if to hush her if she were about to scream again. She thought he was mocking her this morning. He pointed back to the camp and cupped the same hand to the side of his head as if to listen.


    Rose was unsure it seemed he wanted her to go back and listen to what Hilda and Nina were saying. He approached her at what seemed a slow motion yet was suddenly right before her face. She shivered; he pointed at her and then drew a long line across his neck with his icicle. His watery head dismembered itself and floated in the air. Rose turned and ran back to the camp fear driving her feet. Was the Frost threatening to kill her? Why wouldn’t he? She was the only one that could see him keeping up good ideas for warmth to repel. She slowed trying to comprehend its meanings when she heard Hilda and Nina and she hid behind a tree.


    “I do not know if I can do this even as a courtesy. Poor little thing is going mad.” Nina whimpered.


    “Look it must be done. I refuse to go back to the wood, to that village. We must get to Volpi and wed, How will we explain her once we get there? They won’t believe what attacked us. They will make us take her back.” Hilda shook her head firmly.


    “It would be nice to have those boots and that cloak. How will we start the fires and build shelters?” Nina pondered while rubbing her arms.


    “We have both seen her do it we can manage it easily enough ourselves.” Hilda lowered her voice to be even darker. “And then there is the matter of meat. We simply don’t know how much further there is to go. If we don’t find any food…”


    “You are not suggesting.” Gasped Nina,


    “I am, once we run out of food. I saw her hiding two cakes, she is saving them. Whether she eats them or shares them it does not matter once they are gone there will be nothing and it could be weeks until we get anywhere.”


    “Yes, our village had no knowledge of this storm outside. All of Volpi must be buried in snow too. We may end up traveling very far indeed. For that extra clothing she has on her I think I shall agree. It is the only way we two will survive.”


    Rose crept away as silently as she could. To think that all this time she had been protecting them from the Frost. They planned to murder her for her supplies and for her meat! She was going home. All she needed she carried. The loss of that knife was only a little tragic compared to what might be done with it. Wolves were bearable compared to these two.