Chapter Bear Prince


    Rose heard the door open. She opened her eyes feeling well rested. She continued to lie still to observe the bear as he lumbered in. He had two fish in his mouth. His shoulder was dripping not just with snow this time blood. Beneath the blood she saw a glint of metal. He dropped the fish by the fire and gave a great sigh staring into the flames. He looked down at the little snow maiden with sad eyes. Somehow Rose felt during this moment as if she were an intruder and not a guest, she smiled weakly with embarrassment at him when his head turned abruptly to look at her.


    “You are hurt, may I help you?” Rose spoke as she sat up with real concern. Almost immediately after the Snow Maiden opened her eyes and sat up quickly with a stiff motion. She was smiling broadly yet her eyes were blank and she looked at no one in particular. Truly she still reminded Rose of a little doll. This movement seemed to aggravate the bear. He snorted and gave off a sort of moan. Rose thought he was heading for the door again instead he turned to the window with a low sill.


    The window was placed just where it should be in Rose’s hata. In this cabin it was very tall; it nearly reached the ceiling. The cabin itself was very tall, Rose suspected it was to accommodate the bear so it could rise up on its haunches whenever it wished. It was then that Rose noticed that there were no shutters over it; the entire window was covered with sheer ice. You could see through to the outside where snow fell. Rose felt the air around her for a moment. There was not a hint of cold inside the room. The bear stood on his hind legs and tapped the ice, at the same time up popped the Frost with its domed head of dew on the other side who also tapped with its long icicle fingers right where the other’s claw touched.


    “Did he do that to you?” Rose stood up astonished, still thinking of the bear’s injury. The bear had his back to her and shook with a kind of chuckle then as it turned around the fur became a cape that swung with fluid motion and before her was a gorgeous man. So handsome it stung to look at him. He flipped the fur to the inside and the outside of his cape sparkled like the sheer blue ice of the window. He adjusted his appearance a little, while Rose remembered to close her mouth.


    “You ask funny questions because of your heart you cannot help but know.” Fedor, for it was Fedor, sat down on the sill which was wide enough to be a bench and gestured she take a seat on the chair that was across from him. She didn’t remember it being there before then again it seemed to have always been there, just as she knew who he was without him saying so. The Frost in the window matched every move made by Fedor as he spoke fuzzy ice growing and melting off of its birch tree arms.


    “I think I wish to speak to you of your first question for I am a spirit of nature and greedy only for my own purposes.”


    Most people would have nodded but Rose was not so inclined for she didn’t understand and never pretended. This pleased Fedor.


    “To answer your question I was and am in pain. You offered to help me, will you still?”


    “I don’t know you.” Rose stated bluntly for this perfect image frightened her, “You seem to be a dream. Yet, I don’t like seeing others in pain even if they aren’t real.”


    “You did not answer my question with a yes which means you are not yet dependable.” Fedor raised a brow.


    “I don’t believe I am. I am just a child. If I agree to help you it cannot be about your shoulder for that is already healed.” Rose admired his sparkling breastplate, exposed shirt sleeves showed no sign of blood.


    Fedor laughed a boyish laugh and behind him the Frost tinkled. “Oh I do like it when humans are clever. It gives me hope for your race. You are good and clever and that makes you very special.”


    Rose gasped, the way he spoke of humans even though he looked like one made her see the image of him a little differently. She remembered being little staring down into a pot her mother had filled with water. Making faces at her own reflection.


    “You are the Frost.” She whispered, still unsure even as she said it. “That is merely your reflection.”


    “Very good,” Fedor smiled, “Even your Mother with her exceptional sight could not determine that. Like most humans she would not speak to me unless I appeared in this form to her.”


    “So you are the voice of Father Winter, Fedor, and Frost. With such power, why take the form of a bear?” Rose was brimming with more questions than ever before whether or not she would be answered was another matter.


    “In this form I can speak with humans. I cannot interact with them physically or aid them in any way.” He reached out his hand to Rose who felt the inclination to reach back and like a ghost of legend his hand passed through her up to the arm.This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    “You see it takes all my effort to maintain this image and to translate. Ours is a language far beyond yours and yet in many ways so much more simple when you get down to the elements. Humans are, well I don’t wish to say stupid or slow but unaware of what truly surrounds them. They suffer from a sort of blindness.”


    “I don’t think I shall be offended. My mother and I have the sight.” Rose pondered out loud.


    “It’s not just sight really. I could tell you fathoms of things. Not being able to do them yourself you would not understand. Then there are things I instruct to do and you simply refuse. And there are also rules of mortality which I must obey and not reveal to you. Things you might be able to discover yourself. I must not hinder the possible growth of your soul in any way.”


    “I felt you touch me as the Frost.” Rose realized if it was difficult for him to translate it might be difficult for him to stay on topic.


    “Yes well as the Frost I am truly in my element and do as I was meant. In that form all I can really do is harm humans who cannot adapt themselves. It is the form I take to do battle with other immortals. Yet I have no wish to harm every human who accidentally stumbles into this fray. Of course this means I must pay a price. In order not to harm mortals or just to aid them I must become mortal.”


    “So as the bear you bleed. As the bear you can die?” Rose’s eyes grew wide. “My Father, he hunts you. He thinks you kill people.”


    “And he would not be wrong.” Fedor shrugged, “His weapons do not frighten me. They only delay me. If I lose the body of this bear it is true I must experience death and lose this coil. Yet it only means I would have to find a new mortal form. Perhaps next time I shall be a salamander. I do love the little creatures.”


    “Why not just become human? It seems that as long as you can change yourself you are safe.” Rose’s stomach growled, trying not to be rude; she spared a slight glance to the fish. The little Snow Maiden got up and began to skin them with a little knife from her pocket.


    Fedor sighed, “To become human is to truly fall. I would be unable to use any of my powers. I would have to learn what you call magic from scratch as if I were just born. Perhaps I have said too much in front of her. She cannot be trusted, you know.” He nodded in the direction of the snow maid.


    “Why?” Rose started.


    “She is not what she seems. She is a slave. She serves another master.” He looked at her and then quickly clenched his teeth shut. Through them he said. “I cannot tell you more. It would destroy your innocence.” Rose thought he was alluding to a tragic past perhaps of abuse. She felt sorry for the little girl.


    Soon they began to roast the fish over the magical silver fire. It tasted delicious. Fedor did not move away from the sill and traced patterns upon the window. His image on the other side did the same.


    “Fedor, I thank you for everything you have done. You saved me even though you did not have too. I suppose I owe you a debt.” Rose bit her lip not knowing what it was she was promising.


    “Suppose?” Fedor raised a brow. He went to the door and opened it. He sat down and began to make little figures in the snow. Rose braved the cold to see what he was doing. He had fashioned Old Jack finishing him by pulling two of the black pegs off his shirt to make the eyes.


    “You are the one who has been sending him! I knew it!” Rose stomped.


    “This is a Chill. As I call them. Not to be confused with what you consider a chill.”


    Rose shivered and she wondered if he had just done that to her on purpose to make his point. He whispered something in the rabbit’s ear and it awoke and bounded off.


    “Why are you destroying my Grandmother’s garden?”


    “My enemy seeks something from it. Of which I know not what. He is the one who opened the passage between worlds and destroyed the balance. I am here as a mercenary on behalf of Lady Spring to bring punishment to him. Rose I need you to find him for me.”


    “Me?” Rose shivered, this time not from the cold.


    “He is among your villagers hiding in the forest amongst Lady Spring’s bounty. He could be disguised as anyone, most certainly he is someone you have already met. His scent is upon you. If you find him for me I will leave your Grandmother alone.and I cannot interfere with her works; without cause. However much I would like too.”


    “What do you mean? Would you like too?” Rose folded her arms for warmth. The blizzard around them seemed to be swirling much faster.


    “I can say no more. It is best we part so that you can make your own discoveries. Farewell Rose, I shall not be far. ” Fedor vanished and so did the hata. Even the fish Rose had not yet finished was gone. The little Snow Maiden remained and trotted over to her with a look of confusion. They were next to the crashed cart half buried in snow.


    “I know where we are!” Rose exclaimed, taking the Snow Maidens hand, and heading home she found all her fear was gone.


    The Frost, who watched her from afar, knew this was a dream that would not last. He gripped his shoulder where he had been wounded by her Mother only moments ago while fishing. Elena had been the last of his loyal followers in this realm. He followed her daughter until he could protect her no longer and she crossed over into warmer lands yet more vicious hands. He nearly transformed into a bear again. Until at the barrier, Lady Spring met him, heavy with birth weeping.


    “Have you come to give me rest? Does not my Lord summon me below yet? Other places dwindle without my full power.”


    “His Lord rages, I assure you. His passions are deeply conflicted. Those who do this to you I cannot touch. Patience, we feel your pain.” Fedor bowed and kissed her hand. His cold gave her no comfort.


    “I bleed, I bleed, and every day I bleed this land grows hollow. My mother earth will not suffer this of me much longer. This land shall become desolate.” Spring looked around sadly for she loved all life and all things.


    “I shall remain until I fulfill my duty. I shall remain until all that is lost is found. I shall love this land even when there is nothing here to love.” Frost felt that this was truly his kingdom.


    “One day your obsession with these mortals will tear you apart. Your attachment to humans is heartbreaking. All they worship is the taking.”


    “In that respect we are much the same.” Frost retreated.