Goddess May I

by Awesome one

Anna, one of the greatest bards of her time, seeks out the mysterious Goddess of Winter. She longs to find the truth behind the many stories surrounding the Goddess who supposedly resides in the mountains of her childhood home. She is prepared to go down in history for this epic journey. But she is not prepared for what awaits her there.

1. Chapter 1

"Uh huh wow! That is just, gods, so fascinating. Really. But I've got a carriage to catch so…maybe let go?" Anna pulled her arm, snared between the thick fingers of the drunken man sitting on the stool next to her, babbling on about his old war tales. The poor bloke seemed so lonely and had been in such a need to wet his throat the bard had happily thrown down coin for a few pints. Unfortunately she hadn't foreseen him growing drunk so quickly on the thick brew and latching onto her like a pup to the teat of his mother. She had foolishly revealed to him that she was on the hunt for new stories and he had began regaling all his years spent in the King's Royal Navy. As if his story about Billy the One Armed Chart Boy leading them in circles for three days would inspire nobles and royals for years to come. Anna of Arendelle was not a cheap bard by any means. She had written epics of great warriors to the North and brought a Queen to tears with her beautifully crafted words. She had sung a haunting group of lyrics to a barbarian threatening a village and impressed him so much that he promised to leave that village be for the rest of the time he spent alive. She had seen war so that she could sew the images of blood and tears into every letter, every curve and swoop of every word. She had sailed far and wide over countless oceans to visit distant lands and learned a great many different languages just to grasp the full effect of everything she portrayed to these strange new people. Anna of Arendelle was one of the greats. She did not tell stories of drunken sailors making mistakes. She told stories about magic and wonder, lore and love, betrayal and death. She didn't lie, she didn't need to. She went out to experience it just so she could pen it in beautiful hand, using the strongest inks on the most expensive of paper, and sold the volumes to the greatest libraries in the major cities. Arendelle, Weselton, Southern Isles and the neighboring lands. She would speak to the people or the scholars about things that seemed implausible or downright insane then track it down to find if it were true for herself. If it turned out to be the myth everyone thought it to be then she would turn away and find a new story to seek. In most cases however it turned out to be true.

Anna was on one of her quests now. She was only passing through her home town of Arendelle to find the North Mountain of lore said to be home to a goddess. According to legend she had power over winter itself and lived within a great castle made of ice guarded by large creatures made of snow. They were described as bulky creatures as tall as the oldest of trees and stronger than 30 horses tied together. They were docile so long as fools didn't dare go near their great goddess. A goddess whose beauty was rumored to be so breathtaking that any who looked upon her fell to her feet smitten and swore themselves to her. For the goddess was a lonely creature banished from the heavens for injuring one of her sisters and cursed to the earth for all eternity, longing for a mate but never finding one. Many men had gone in search of this goddess hoping to prove their stuff by being the one to bed the lonely Ice Goddess but none had come back. They were either consumed by the bitter cold of the snow dressing the mountain ranges of Arendelle or were blown clean from the peaks by the howling winds above. Part of the problem was that there was no North Mountain on any of the maps in Arendelle. The mountains stretched far too both sides of the valley and reached so high into the sky at some points that they disappeared into the clouds. A person could wander the ranges for years and possibly never find the North Mountain. Of course they'd likely freeze to death before that, succumb to hunger and thirst, or be eaten by the vicious wolves that prowled the peaks.

Anna, however, would be the one to find it. She had spent an entire year gathering all the information written about the Ice Goddess and a fortnight in the Arendelle library pouring over maps, old tomes, and even older journals written by the past Generals of Arendelle's prestigious army. This quest meant more to her than any of the past because making this discovery would make to be one of her greatest works yet. Never before had she put so much into one of her quests. She felt giddy just thinking about it.

"Oi did I tell y'ah 'bout t'e time me an' ol' Billy got potatoes t'rown at us?" He looked up at her through glazed mossy colored eyes and twitched his lip to the side, expertly flicking the ale foam from his mustache.

"Most likely. Honestly I really have to catch a carriage. I'm in a hurry. The sun won't wait for me you know!"

His whole face squished to one side as he contemplated Anna's words, "Eh? Sun? It's daylig't out t'ere?"

"Gods help me. Here," She reached into her coin purse tied to the cinch around her hips and set a stack of silver coins atop the bar top in front of the man, "Drink your self to sleep friend. I must be going."

His ale clouded eyes widened perceptively and his lips pulled apart to show a gruesome gap toothed smile, "Gods bless y'ah miss!"

"Yes please Gods bless me. Goodbye stranger!" Anna gave him a jovial wave despite her previous irritation with him and pushed her way out of the tavern into the muddied street outside. Just down the way she saw an open carriage waiting for her with her bags already in the back. The driver was leaned against the side of the carriage packing his long stemmed wood pipe with smoking tobacco. Anna smiled as she drew nearer to him and leaned forward to hug his thickly muscled arm.

"Hello Olaf! I'm sorry I took so long. I indulged the wrong type of fellow and he just about talked my ear off."

The burly old man ran a hand through his thin white hair and clamped his teeth over the stem of his pipe, "It's alright Miss Anna. I do get paid for this sort of thing you know. I should get paid extra 'cause 'm-"

"Getting to old for this. I know Olaf. Same story, different setting. I keep telling you to quit."

Olaf grunted and held out his hand for Anna to hold onto while she climbed into the carriage, "And I keep tellin' you there ain't no way I could live with myself if I let you traipse around like you do without me there protectin ' you. Your Mom and Pop would have my head."

Anna laughed merrily and reached through the window in the carriage door to give her oldest, dearest friend a slap to his boulder like shoulder, "Don't bring my parents into this please. I have seen 24 winters. I do not need my parents brought into anything anymore."

"Aye but most would disagree. You not being wed and all. It's very unlike ladies of your bringing up. Just the other day while we was at your old house with your folks, your Mom gave me this speech about how unbecomin' it was of you to be off writing silly songs and stories instead of bein' home takin' good care of some fella and giving him all sorts of babies. Not to mention you are always dressin' in those men's dressings. "

Anna huffed and folded her arms, sinking back into the seat of the carriage, "Okay firstly, you do a splendid impression of my mother's voice Olaf. I'm a little jealous. Secondly, I love wearing dresses thank you very much. They just get in ones way when one is trying to locate myths and run away from big things with teeth that have a hankering for tiny humans like me!"

Olaf tapped his chin with his pipe thoughtfully and gave a little nod of acquiescence, "That's a fair point Miss Anna."

"I know it is. Thirdly, I am not going to be some mans housewife just to please my mother. Thank you but no thank you! I have a gift that I refuse to waste so I can breed with someone who has the intelligence of a rock." Anna scrunched her nose up in distaste thinking about the last man—Hans—her mother had tried pairing her with.

"I thought rocks were pretty smart. That one time I had a whole conversation with a rock."

"Those were trolls Olaf. Not rocks."

"Looked like rocks to me."

"That's the general idea. Hence the name Rock Trolls."

"Don't get lippy with me! I'll have you walkin'. You wouldn't want that would you?"

Anna folded her arms petulantly, "No…"

"Thought not." He gave her a little tut before climbing up into the seat and taking the reins in his large hands. He gave it a little whip and the two cart horses started forward in the direction they were pointed. Anna hoped they would make it to Oaken's Trading Post before dark so they could trade in the carriage for a nice sled and get a hot meal before they began their ascent up the great mountains of Arendelle. The meal would be less important of the two. When they were planning everything out and deciding on the route they would take Olaf had been persistent that they only travel during the day to lessen the chance of an attack. Anna, the silver tongued devil that she was, had easily convinced him they would spend less time in danger if they steadily traveled through the night as they did the day. He hadn't been pleased but he had given in as he easily did when Anna used the lure of her quick witted words.

Despite it being summer here Arendelle was rather cold and halfway up the trail to Oaken's Anna had to slip on a thick woolen cloak treated in minx oil. It was rather long towards the back end and brushed her ankles each time she walked but it was warm and the slits in the sides for her arms had buttons to keep most of the cold out until she had use of them. Olaf had done a fine job in choosing it. As per usual he would not allow Anna to shop for their supplies. She was so prone to forgetting the necessities and splurging on confections that wouldn't last or ornate leather bound journals she claimed she couldn't live without. Brilliant and talented she may have been but she didn't have much of an attention span or the maturity to buy to survive rather than for pleasure. She was forced (though not unhappily) with the job of acquiring all the knowledge needed for such trips and remembering it all which was thankfully something she was good at doing. Olaf helped with that too on occasion by keeping her on track. If it was snowing outside he'd have to practically belt her to the chair to keep her inside instead of frolicking in the cold white power like an exuberant child. Anna had always adored winter for the chance of snow. Olaf wasn't a very big fan of it. He always complained that staying outside in it made him feel like a lumpy snow man. He was more of a summer kind of man.

By the time they reached their destination the sun was just beginning to set behind one of the great mountains in the distance. Anna was thrumming with excitement. She threw open her door and jumped out without looking first, landing directly in a large pile of snow. It surrounded her clear to her chest and, though the minx oil in her cloak prevented it's wetness to seep past the cloth, it didn't stop the cold.

"Oh cold, cold, cold, cold! Olaf! Help! I'm being attacked!"

Olaf jumped to his feet (rather quickly for an old man) and was on the ground in a half of a second with his favored crossbow pressed to the cleft of his shoulder. His alert eyes scanned the perimeter for the unseen enemy supposedly attacking his little friend. She flailed her arms toward him pathetically like a toddler reaching for its mother. He seemed slow to take in that she had cried out help where no help was needed and shook his head in frustration. Though he still lent her an arm and pulled her from the snow attempting to swallow her.

"What have I told you 'bout lyin'?"

Anna gasped dramatically, "I am not a liar Olaf! I was merely exaggerating the situation."

"Okay, well, what have I told you 'bout exaggeratin' the situation?"

Anna lifted the tail of her cloak to inspect it for dirt she knew wouldn't be there simply to avoid making eye contact with Olaf, "You haven't. You told me not to lie."

Olaf opened his mouth to speak then snapped it shut. His bushy eye brows hunkered down and he squinted at her in clear exasperation. She flapped the snow from her cloak and lifted her legs high with each step to wade through the waist deep snow, pausing only to pat her man servant on his chest. She could hear grumbling as he unloaded their things about bards and their tricky way of wording things to flounder people.

When she got to the stoop of the long building almost entirely blotted out with snow she stepped up onto the only wooden step to reach high and tap the snow covered sign hanging above her head. The snow fell away to reveal a simple sign proudly displaying the name of the establishment and the name of its owners.

"Brilliant. Olaf! We've made it!" He waved her off and continued with what he was doing before she spoke to him. She smiled happily and clasped her hands together in front of herself. After checking with the owner and securing a sled to take up the mountain she went to help Olaf lug their heavy cases into the barn where the sled was kept. She struggled with one oddly long case that she suspected to be Olaf's weapon chest. When Anna finally dragged the chest into the barn beside the sled she fell to the ground with a huff and flung her arm over her eyes.

"Hey none of that. It was your idea to go all night. I ain't gonna be the only one awake for this bloody cold trip." He easily lifted the heavy case Anna had dragged in to stack it with the rest and set about tying them down to the sled with braided rope.

"I've just had a sudden change of heart. Let's sleep here and get a good start tomorrow morning. Goodnight!" She pulled her hood up and rolled over onto her side, getting cozy in the pile of hay she lay in. Before she could get well and truly comfortable Olaf slid his arm around her middle and picked her up like barrel, tucking her beneath his arm and carrying her over to deposit her in the cushioned seat of the sled.

"Hey, hey buddy! I do not pay you to manhandle me!" She huffed and kicked her feet up on the dash of the sled beside the reins. Olaf slid into the seat beside her and knocked her feet back to the flooring before taking the reins in his hands and giving them a light whip to prod the reindeer along.

"I should though. For all I do when you get yourself in trouble."

Anna scoffed and flipped one of her braids over her shoulder dramatically, "I resent that. I do not get in that much trouble."

Olaf gave her a side glance and snorted.

"I don't!"

"No? Remember that time you fell off that waterfall?"

"Not my fault! That river was deceptively shallow. How was I supposed to know that ankle deep water ended with a massive waterfall?"

"You shouldn't have gone running along it in the first place!"

Anna folded her arms and sunk down in her seat, "It was pretty. I was taking it all in."

Olaf shook a stern finger at her without taking his eyes off where he was leading the reindeer, "Yes and that's why you're always getting' yourself in trouble! Like that time you were takin' in those carvings on the wall and ended up trapped in a cave full of cannibals!"

"Okay you are obviously exaggerating. They weren't cannibals they just happened to be quite partial to meat belonging to various creatures that happened through their cave. I happened through it and they wanted to eat me."

"What about when you were taking in an interestingly colored boulder that blinked at you and unfurled into a huge dragon?"

Anna bounced in her seat with excitement just recalling the moment, "Oh but that was exciting wasn't it Olaf!? The dragon's scales had to be larger than my head. And do you remember the thousands of gems wedged between them? That's why it glittered so prettily."

"Glittered from the firelight of our carriage it bloody set on fire trying to kill us!"

Anna sighed wistfully, "That's what makes it so poetic."

Olaf harrumphed and shook his head, "Bloody bards."

They fell into a comfortable silence after that, simply content to exist in one another's presence. They had been paired together the day Anna turned three years old. She could remember him from her earliest of days as being the same broad chiseled man with a strong jaw and a soft heart always eager to protect his charge. He must have been in his thirties then and though he was only hired to watch over Anna until she had reached her teen years he had stayed with her. Having become attached to her magnet personality and her chipper attitude he couldn't find a reason to walk away. With no child of his own she stood in place of any he could have sired. Though they bickered constantly Anna loved him dearly as he did her. Olaf had always been there for her even when she didn't know she needed him and she couldn't fathom how she would get along without him. Eventually she knew they would part if he found a nice woman or if she managed to find someone who could keep her interest but until then she refused to let him go.

As they moved along Anna reached into his side bag for his pipe and packed it full of tobacco for him like she had learned to do by watching him then lit it with a match. He took it gratefully and clamped his teeth over it, pulling the light colored smoke into his lungs and making it whistle quietly. When Anna was a child that noise had simply delighted her and had always sent her into a frenzied fit of giggles. Now it was a sound she associated with all things warm and of home.

"So," He spoke around the pipe with practiced ease, "do you really think we are going to find a powerful queen up here?"

Anna held up a single finger, "Goddess. And yes. I really do."

"Queen. Goddess. What's the difference? They are both woman of power."

"A Queen rules many, a Goddess rules all."

Olaf rolled his eyes and shook his head discretely, "Bloody bards. Fine, Goddess. Do you really think it's a good idea to just show up at her house unannounced? That seems like the type o' thing Goddesses wouldn't be very keen on."

Anna nodded her head in thought, "You make a very good point. I told you we should have bought chocolate."

Olaf snorted, "And what difference would us havin' chocolate make?"

"We use the chocolate as a peace offering obviously. Honestly Olaf."

"'Cause I'm sure a Goddess who has the ability to control winter would want chocolate from two humans. 'Oh here you go Miss. Thanks for not turnin' us into snowmen and lettin' us stay with you. Also could you tell us your life story so my friend here can pen it all down for the masses to read? Gee thanks, you're a real friend'. Brilliant plan Anna."

Anna sniffed with faux haughtiness and smoothed her palms over the front of her cloak, "You should know I have noted your sarcasm and it will be in the pages I write. Also this is hereby declared as slander against me, your employer."

Olaf smiled around the pipe between in his teeth and laughed his warm rolling thunder of a laugh, "Slander? Now you're being ridiculous."

"And you are fired! So there!"

"Actually you fired me when you fell off that horse and I laughed at you. I think that was…oh I'd say four winters ago."

Anna pinched her brows together in thought, "Did I? Then I've been paying you for no reason this whole time?"

"I suspect so."

"Damn my memory," She patted her coin purse tied to her belt, "I apologize," When Olaf looked over she held up a hand and patted her purse again, "Not you. This. The poor thing has been emptier than it should have been because of my ignorance."

Olaf opened his mouth to no doubt give her some sort of sassy retort but the sound of splintering wood overshadowed whatever he said. The sled jerked forward and the straps anchoring the reindeer to the sled snapped, sending it running off into the darkness making all sorts of noise. Despite not having the reindeer to pull it anymore the sled was still propelling forward and seemed to be going faster by the second. Anna grasped the dash of the sled tightly and looked around with fear blown eyes.

"Olaf what's going on!?"

"It would appear that the Goddess doesn't want visitors!"

"What is that suppose to mean!?"

He pointed over the edge of the sled at the ground just before the sled jolted again and creaked loudly. Shards of jagged ice stuck up through the snow like lances trained directly for the runners of the sled and tore at it with each one the sled ran over. The structural integrity of the sled was decreasing rapidly and each ice shard only made it worst, rocking and jarring the sled that was speeding down the mountain face uncontrollably.

"Okay I know you'll be angry at me for this but this is definitely going to make the story about finding the lost mountain and its icy goddess all the more epic!"

"I swear to the Gods I will push you out of this sled right now Anna!"

"That is incredibly rude!" The sled jolted hard and a part of the runner flew up past Anna, narrowly missing her head. She squeaked in surprise and scrambled away from the side of the sled, huddling against Olaf's strong form. Through the darkness near the edge of the tree line Anna was certain she saw movement but they were moving so fast they blew past it before she could get a good look. A flash of blue blew through the thicket of trees and a new set of jagged ice spikes stuck up to tear their sled apart.

"Oh my Gods Olaf! I think I just saw her!" She sat on her knees and twisted in the seat to look back towards where the movement had been. Nothing could be seen through the darkness. She braced her forearms against the back of the seat and leaned forward, hoping the extra few inches she pushed herself out would allow her to catch sight of the goddess again.

"Put your ass back in the seat!" Instead of giving her time to obey Olaf gripped the back of her cloak and pulled her down roughly.

"Hey! What did I say about manhandling!?"

"Now is not really the time for that Anna!"

Beneath her feet the wooden floorboard bowed up and splintered. The right runner broke off and flew with the wind past Olaf's arm. In no time at all the sled would be ripped to pieces and they would be mercy to the jagged ice spikes growing from the snow. Looming not so far ahead of them stood a frosted wall of ice. Deep cracks ran up the face starting from the base of the ice wall to create a small entry of sorts. To the left and the right the wall disappeared behind the trees. If they continued forward the sled would slam into it and they would probably die on impact. That is if the sled didn't tear apart before it got that far.

"We're going to jump Anna!"

She whipped her head in Olaf's direction and shouted, "Are you mad!?"

Olaf didn't allow for an answer. He pressed his wide palm into Anna's shoulder and shoved mightily. Her small girth gave way under his immense strength and she tumbled from the sled into the snow, narrowly missing the jagged ice spikes sprouting from the snow. The impact was rough and jarring but not enough to slow her immediately. Her body tumbled at an alarmingly fast past, round and round, at odd angles that shot lances of pain all round. Desperately she clawed at the snow to slow her pace but it did little more than tear at the sensitive flesh of her fingers and wrists. Another flip round and down the side of the mountain and her soft cheek met an unearthed rock. Fresh pain livened the skin for but a brief moment before the adrenaline now turning her blood into a cocktail of energy swept it away. She slid right uncontrollably, veering in the direction of the ice spikes, and nearly became impaled. Reflexively she curled her body, best she could, away from it but it was not enough to prevent her cape from being snagged. The spike bit into the fabric and held tight enough for the entire garment to be torn from Anna's body. She jerked roughly backwards and snapped her head into the snow from the whiplash. A thrumming beat filled her skull like a temperate child banging at the thick bone with clenched fists. Blackness crept at the edge of her vision. Her body lost its tightness as she began to lose her grip on consciousness and she rolled limply for a few more turns. Without her futile attempts at trying to control her descent she rolled hard to the left and was stopped when her body hit the strong base of a tree. Something she hardly felt now that she had been slowed considerably after her cape had been stolen from her.

She was only grateful that the spinning had stopped even if she felt it still in her swimming vision. She wiggled her toes and rolled her ankles, pleased that she could still achieve that with no pain, and repeated the move with her fingers and wrists. Once satisfied that nothing was broken she pulled her left arm from under her weight and slowly moved to her back. After such a violent experience she needed a moment to gather her wits. The adrenaline rush subsided leaving her feeling drained and she argued that closing her eyes would do no harm. She would simply rest and then she would find her bearings, locate Olaf, and whatever of the sled remained after it met that ice wall. Though the drain was more than she had anticipated and the moment she closed her eyes, no matter how cold the snow was beneath her, she drifted off.

When she awoke it was to the sun rising to create morning and the air fresh with early smells. What woke her were the horrible shivers shaking her lithe frame and the horrible cold all around her. Snow had melted and seeped into the backside of her breeches and through the double layer of her silk vest and finely tailored poet shirt. Cold crept from below her and had curled around her, through her clothes, like a claw that gripped her tightly in its vice. Only now she wished she had worn a dress if only for its offering of many layers. Her brilliant mind was quick even after the beating it had just taken and whispered to her the warnings of catching death by cold. With no fire, no warm stones, no blankets, and no warmth to speak of she knew she'd have but only the option of movement to fight of the setting freeze inside her. Yet she found the desire to move, even if movement meant survival, just beyond her reach. She felt sluggish and lazy. All she wanted was to fall back asleep but that would not do. She was Anna of Arendelle, one of the greatest bards alive! She had encountered far more formidable things than this and she would not allow herself to be bested by snow!

Gritting her teeth she rolled to her side and rocked herself onto her knees. Snow dipped past the top of her boots just below her knees and dug its cold fingers deep down to her ankles. She braced a hand on the tree beside her and drew herself to her feet. Her knees wobbled for a second worrying her into believing she may fall down. With her feet steady beneath her and her confidence far outweighing the actual boundaries of her strength, she felt well enough to let go of the tree.

She had only managed one step before she was intercepted.

Not by Olaf as she would have assumed but instead by a large creature made up of the white dust around her driving her to illness. The snow creature was tall and his shoulders wide, his arms thick and his hands the size of small boulders. His enormousness forced him to hunch over himself leading to his hands swinging near his knees and his large square shaped head to droop into his chest. Blue orbs dazzled in the area where eyes normally rested on a face and, skipping the smooth area where a nose would be, he had an open area for a mouth full of jagged ice spikes for teeth. Anna stared up at him with fascination and tilted her head to get a better view of his side profile. The large creature mirrored her actions. Perplexed and intrigued Anna tilted her head in the other direction and was delighted to find that he copied the movement again. Slowly she lifted her arm and gave the creature a wave to which he repeated. Now smiling she stepped forward to touch him, eager to learn all she could of the creature. However the gentle sweetness he had been offering her broke and he fell back into a defensive stance. Ice spiked through the snow-skin of his shoulders and forearms and, if possible, he seemed to grow in size. Where there was no fear before Anna gasped and fell on her backside into the snow, scrambling to get away from him. A low intimidating growl rumbled from deep in the snow creature's belly.

"Wait! I'm sorry! I didn't mean you any harm!"

If the creature understood her he didn't acknowledge it in any way. He advanced quickly and, before she could blink twice, he had her slung over his shoulder wedged between two ice spikes. Natural instinct kicked in and she struggled against him, beating at his back with closed fists and screaming loud enough that it echoed throughout the frozen forest. He withstood the annoyance for only three long strides before he held her aloft by her legs and shook her violently. Instantly she fell submissive. Pleased with her reaction the creature placed her back over her shoulder and took up his long strides in the direction of the ice wall. Minutes bled into what was probably hours. Anna lost count somewhere along the way. She worried about what was to become of her once they reached their destination. Was this creature taking her to the Goddess or was it rouge taking her back to its cave? Which would be better in the long run? And what about Olaf?

She dug her elbow into his pliable snow-skin and rested her chin on her fist.

"I don't suppose you've packed another human recently? Today in fact? Stocky fellow similar to you except perhaps less made of snow and more of the human stuff?"

Continued silence was her only response.

"Can you speak at all?"

No answer.

"Do you even understand what I'm saying or is this coming off as unintelligible noise?"

He growled loudly and shrugged his shoulder to jar her. She hissed when her fist slipped and she ended up punching herself in her tender cheek.

"Alright. Message received."

He walked on in continued silence that was becoming easier for Anna to deal with. The cold from before that had woken her was growing in strength and seeping through the front of her clothes now. She was beginning to feel so tired her head was rolling forward and her eyes were drooping low. Past the point of shivering she had moved into the stage of complete numbness. Even her lips held no feel when she brought a finger up to meet them. Intermittently her eyes would slip closed and she'd nearly fall into a deep sleep only to be woken by a rough shake from the snow creature. Between those moments when she was awake with half lidded eyes she took in her surroundings. Trees began to grow heavier with snow until no green shown and ice layered overtop the snow dressing them. The air was growing thinner and crisp. They were close enough for Anna to swim in the clouds. A beautiful staircase of ice stretched across the dark chasm separating twin peaks. If her arm had been only a few inches longer she could have touched the railing when she reached out for it. They came around a rocky corner into a snow blanketed clearing that he waded through to come upon another set of stairs. These he took quickly, almost eager to reach their peek, if the giant was capable of real emotion. At the top he set her down only for her to stumble into the towering double doors before her. Her arm looped through the ornate handle of ice before her knees could give. Just from that the door obeyed her and swung open, dragging her with it. She crumbled against the door, knees and legs useless. All that held her up was her arm hooked into the handle, now stuck there, as the rest of her sagged. She barely summoned the strength to lift her head and take in the room opened to her.

The room was vast. It took the shape of an elongated rectangle with massive windows at the farthest end of the room. Ice spread through the hard rock walls like veins that bled onto the vaulted ceiling above. In the bleeding veins above were designs and patterns, etched by something finer than any tool or artist could ever hope to achieve. The floor was made of the same dark stone the walls were only this was streaked by a natural clear rock found only in the heart of mountains. Solomonic columns twisted up from the floor into the ceiling, the swirled design allotting a beautifully designed row of marble then ice like light and dark serpents tangled together. Inlaid into the marble were hundreds of differently colored gems, some not even from this region, and taking up a disorganized pattern between the gleaming ice. Hundreds of open doors lined both walls, leading to places Anna could never begin to guess. A long narrow rug made from varying hues of blue silk dressed the floor leading from the entryway up to the dais at the end of the room. Upon the dais sat an ornate throne made entirely of the clearest ice Anna had ever seen and in it sat a wonder.

The Goddess of Winter.

No words Anna knew were capable of describing her allure. Her skin was paler than starlight but no less breathtaking. Like starlight Anna wanted to reach for it, bask in it, and write songs about its unearthly beauty. Her body was dressed in a pure white dress that was cut to fit her body alone and could do justice for no other. Least not in the way this Goddess did. Deep slits ran up both thighs clear to her hips and displayed her long lean legs crossed at the knees. Her feet were bare save the long tangle of silver jewelry studded by clear diamonds and sapphires wrapped round her delicate ankles. A braid of silver cinched the billowy top of the dress to her thin waist. The sleeves hung low over both creamy shoulders and dived low into her bust before it came to a sharp V at her sternum. Round her neck ice flakes curled and spiraled to make a necklace that shinned in the early morning light filtering in from the windows at her back. Both her arms overlapped the arms of her throne in a boneless elegance that inspired the poet in Anna. Long beautiful fingers curled round the edge, flexing mindlessly in a petting motion. Beneath them ice ebbed and flowed like the waves of an ocean, crawling only as far as where the throne met floor before retreating back to the power of her sensuous flexing. Round her brow, just above light sharp eyebrows, rested a thin circlet made of ice and a single hexagonally cut sapphire. Her jaw was strong and raised high against Anna, her unwelcome guest. How appealing it was to the quivering bard and how she wished to kiss the skin there reverently over and over. Her lips contrasted lovely against the nature of her skin, full and dark like the stain of a red fruit. Though lovely they were, they offered no sight of kindness in a smile but stayed impassively straight. Matching the lightness of her brows she had a head of thick platinum blond hair, tousled, giving her the look of a wild animal. Little braids were tangled in with the rest of the straight hair cascading over her shoulders and falling down below to her ribs. But what destroyed the last of Anna were her eyes. Crystalline blue pools flecked by yet more blue blazed from below her circlet of power, near glowing from their brightness. They contained ominous power that tied Anna in knots and filled her with the urge to fall at this woman's feet. Yet, the longer she stared, the more she seemed to find within their swirling depths. Interest was there intermingled with prudence and inquiry. They flicked from Anna to the creature behind her and held the giant long enough for him to bow his head and disappear back outside.

From under hooded eyes she turned her head just in time to catch his back as he strode away. His departure held command over the doors and they began to close with her still strung from the handle. She struggled to loosen her arm from it and fall away from the doors just as they slammed shut. Like they, she slammed too but into the floor instead. Cheek rested against the fine silk carpet and her numb limbs stretched out in uncomfortably careless directions. From her heap on the floor she caught sight of the Goddess rising from her throne and stepping down the two-stepped dais. Slowly she advanced, pinning Anna with her glowing eyes, voluptuous hips swaying sensuously with each step she took. The tattered ends of her otherwise pristine gown fell around her ankles and trailed behind her. Her legs parted between the fabric to show the long taunting flesh between the slits up the sides. Before now Anna had always imagined Gods and Goddesses to be modest creatures. This dress was anything but modest. This woman was the driving force behind the creation of passion and desire.

Her slow gait came to a halt a foot away from Anna's face. Truly incapable of anything other than rolling over and staring up at the Goddess, that's just what Anna did. And the Goddess stared back. Nothing shown in her eyes that Anna could understand, nothing on her face gave way to any readable emotion. After a few silent moments she crouched and settled on her heels, her elbows braced atop her strong thighs. This close up Anna could make out an indiscernible splash of freckles across the bridge of her nose and over the planes of her chest. Each little mark endeared Anna to the Goddess that much more.

So struck by her beauty Anna was, she couldn't even worry about what the Goddess was planning to do with her.

She scanned Anna's features with her fathomless eyes, taking in the blue tint of her lips and the droop to her lids. Slowly she reached forward to press three of her fingertips against Anna's weak pulse. Just the touch alone felt like a blessing and Anna suspected it very well could be. This woman was a Goddess and one that had been rumored to be virginal for centuries. She didn't dull out her touch like a peddler selling goods. It made Anna's skin ache to wake from its frozen state so that it could truly feel the gift that had just been bestowed upon it.

Then she spoke and Anna's ears worshiped her.

Her vocals were rich and low, sounding melodic even just by speaking the soft words she did.

She said, "You will die shortly if you don't ask for my help."

Caught up as she was on the waves of comfort just her voice evoked, Anna found herself confused. Was she supposed to ask for help? How did one go about asking a Goddess for her help? She parted her lips to offer her plea but she just felt too consumed by the cold to find language left to say it. Instead of words she limply reached for the Goddess—her Goddess whom Anna would worship all her days should she live—and loosely curled her fingers round her ankle.

This seemed to please the Goddess. A soft smile spread cross her face and lit her already bright eyes. Gently she traced Anna's fire red brow with the tip of her finger, keeping the touch so light it barely existed.

"Gerda. Come."

Somewhere, somehow, the woman by that name heard her Goddess's call and within minutes came from one of the many doorways lining the throne room walls. It surprised Anna to see someone actually human residing in this place but she was to close to dead to broach it any further than that. The woman rushed to Anna's side and fretted over her, yammering on about her state, to which the Goddess said nothing. Her eyes just held Anna's up until Anna couldn't keep them open anymore.

So that happened. I'll possibly add a second and maybe third chapter. Most likely just a second because, lets be honest, I'm terrible at finishing things I start.