Disclaimer:I don't own anything from KKM or the Snow Queen. Yeah, you know the drill.
At last. We reach the kidnapping of King Yuri! In the middle of the night magic pulses thick in the air and calls to the mirror fragment embedded in Yuri's heart. So answering that call Yuri leaves the house. But Gretta wakes up to and follows after him. She witness's Yuri's kidnapping by the Snow Queen but is no match for the magic at work here. And she's unable to rescue her father. So in the morning, they find Yuri missing. And only Gretta knows what happened.
Chapter 11
Yuri woke up to the darkness around him. Unable to remember how he got there in the first place. It was nearly midnight now and Yuri felt strange. Well, stranger then before he blacked out.
Yuri's body quivering with a heightened sense of awareness that he had never experienced before. The pain was still there in his chest and his body felt sluggish from his fever. But this out of place sharpness Yuri seemed to have at least keep his mind clear. As though his mind felt drawn to something. Something that resonated with something deep inside of Yuri.
I have to go...she's waiting for me. Yuri thought sleepily, I have to find her...
Yuri's mind, however clear it seemed to be, was actually in a trance. Caught within a spell which called to him, bidding Yuri to come to someone...
And then Yuri could hear it. The wind itself was singing to him. Or at least carrying a song to him. Oh and that voice. That voice was so beautiful. And so familiar. Entranced, Yuri opened the window and he paused to listen:
Come to me, come to me.
Follow the Fay, into the snow.
And come meet me there. At the end of the road.
We will go away. On the roads of the aurora. Then your pain I shall bring to an end.
Open your eyes and open your ears. Then you shall see. Then you shall hear.
Then the pain will be no more.
You will be free. And you will be here, in the arms of the drifts.
I've been waiting for you. My love. And my King.
Come to me, come to me...
The song was longer, but the rest of that beautiful song tragically fell on deaf ears. Yuri was fully entranced now. As intended by the spell. He then grabbed the first article of clothing from in his closet, which happened to be his school uniform and put it on. But his jacket was nowhere to be found so Yuri didn't bother looking for it.
Slowly he made his way down the stairs and eased open the door. The magic in the air muffled the usually sharp senses of the men sleeping in the other room as Yuri came upon the door. So he left the house undetected.
But not by little Gretta.
She heard a noise and dashed out into the hall to see who it was. Feeling an odd sense of alarm. Then Gretta noticed that Yuri's bedroom door was ajar and looked inside. He wasn't there. Confused she backed out of the room. Maybe Yuri was in the bathroom? No, that didn't seem to be it. Gretta felt like something was wrong.
Children you see, at this age, haven't forgotten to believe or how to see this forgotten type of magic. The Fay could not trick her so easily. Not in this world. For she still knew how to see, even if there weren't any Fay in their own world. As far as they knew anyway. Even Gretta could feel the magic in the air.
Unable to shake that feeling of unease Gretta tip-toed down the stairs and saw the front door was open! Did Yuri go outside? But he's sick! I've got to find him! So little Gretta ran to the door and looked outside, shivering from the cold night air. Then she spotted Yuri at the far end of the road. Staring at the sky. His body covered in a strange multicolored aura. Curious, Gretta followed his gaze and then gasped in awe.
Northern lights flared across the sky and danced like silk ribbons of light. Twisting and turning across the diamond stars in the clear dark sky in a wild dance. It was breathtaking. But Gretta shook her head and thought of the matter at hand. She stepped into her shoes and followed after Yuri. Sparing a quick glance behind at the house so she wouldn't get lost. After all, this wasn't her world. Gretta didn't know the customs yet. There wasn't any time to wake the others because she might lose sight of Yuri completely.
"Yuri!" Gretta called as she drew closer to where he stood. But then out of nowhere the wind howled and a wall of snow nearly blinded her. She squinted her eyes and managed to see a white carriage fly down from the aurora. Drawn by four beautiful and strong looking white stallions.
Gretta was frightened now and slowly forced her way through the gale to reach Yuri. Calling his name over and over again. She had to get him back inside before his fever got worse when suddenly, the carriage landed before Yuri and the door opened. That's when she saw the Snow Queen.
Her hair was like liquid moonlight that flowed over her shoulders like silk. Even through the harsh winds Gretta could see her beauty. The cloths she wore looked like water just barely frozen enough so that you could see the ice crystals and were a deep clear blue. Like a glacier. While on her shoulders was a thick coat with a white fur collar that blended into silver and blue silk. Lastly, on her head as a crown of ice resembling basic snowflakes. But it was her eyes that were so vivid and stood out from all her other features. As cold and clear as ice.
In those eyes were raw emotions. Unhidden and open. Those icy blue eyes were so lonely, yet held a welcoming triumph for finally having Yuri. Gretta didn't think she was a bad person. However this didn't bode well for Yuri. Then, Gretta watched as Yuri stepped into the carriage. And that's when she realized that this person was kidnapping her father!
"YURI! NO! DON'T! YOU CAN'T GO!" Gretta shouted over the wind. "PLEASE STOP!"
However, the snow whirled around her in a blur of white and then she began to feel drowsy. The magic became so thick in the air that it pressed hard on her tiny body and assaulted her mind.
Gretta tried to fight it but it was too strong. There was no way a child could withstand that kind of magic. Before the magic took her consciousness she feebly pleaded Yuri, No...Yuri...please come back... he disappeared inside the white carriage with that woman. Then it began to fly away and poor little Gretta then succumbed to the magic. And she crumpled into a small heap in the snow.
Out of the now calming winds, a figure came out of the white around her. Like the very wind blowing, he lifted her up effortlessly like leaves in the breeze. The figure looked upon the child in his arms with pity and flew Gretta back to her room. Again, undetected.
After pulling the covers back up on Gretta's shoulders and warming the child up with his magic the man knelt beside her. "Forgive me. I was too late to stop her..."
The young man stood up and watched outside the window as the carriage flew away and the lights faded. He clenched his fists. "I'm going to keep my promise. I won't let his fate become like mine. I promise you that." Then, as soundlessly as he came...he was gone. Leaving Gretta to her fitful dreams. Of carriages and snow.
Just moments before Yuri had been in a daze as he stood there. Confused as to why he was. Why was he outside? Who was calling his name? Why didn't the cold bother him? Yuri asked himself these questions as he walked outside into the snow. Or had, until Yuri looked to the sky and everything became clear.
She's here... Yuri realized. He began to feel faint but was rooted to the spot. Held up only by the magic working it's way through his very blood.
In what seemed like miles away Yuri thought he heard someone else calling his name too. Is someone...calling me? Yuriasked himself dreamily.
Yuri would have turned around but then the northern lights flared across the sky. The lights were dancing for him. And Yuri watched them with awe. His vision had become so much more sharped and vivid, so everything looked like it was in high definition. Then out of the millions of colors a white carriage formed.
Yuri watched as it effortlessly rode on the aurora as if it were a physical road and landed before him. Again Yuri's body quivered with a strange wild energy. Resonating with she who embodied winter. The Snow Queen.
When the doors opened Yuri found his face growing unbearably hot, form both the fever and his blushing. She was so beautiful and flawless. Her skin was pale and smooth like ivory, yet somehow it looked so warm and soft. Then her white hair was so white it almost seemed like threads of pure light rather then actual hair. Oh, but it was her eyes that locked so lovingly with Yuri's that made his blood boil so hot that it hurt.
The young Queen's smile was so soft and tender when she said, "I've been waiting for you, my King."
Yuri just blinked with confusion he couldn't fully express, "Who are you...?"
"I am the one who will end your suffering my King. I have traveled far to meet you at last. Come with me...and I'll make the pain go away." she offered a hand and ushered him in.
Yuri took her hand instinctively. Feeling so unnaturally drawn to her. Like a moth to the flame. "But what about..." he looked back at his house, still able to feel the smothered feelings of his deep love for his friends and family and asked, "If I go with you, how will I find my way home?"
With pity in her eyes she said, "They cannot help you with this. If you stay, the pain will only deepen. And you may end up hurting both yourself and them."
Yuri didn't really understand what she meant but knew he didn't want to hurt his friends. "Can you...really help me?" he asked.
The Snow Queen nodded, "I am the only one who can. For it was my fault that this happened to you. I must make amends. So come my dearest. Come with me..." she pulled him into the carriage and Yuri found that couldn't resist her. He stepped into the carriage and was pulled next to her. She pulled off her coat and draped it around his cold shoulders. "Better?" she asked with another smile.
He nodded sleepily, "Yes...but where are we..."
"Shh..." the young Queen hushed. Brushing her fingers down his face, making him shiver. "You must rest now. You're ill. And the journey is long. Sleep now..." she whispered seductively.
At those words Yuri's eye began to droop. Feeling like this was wrong he tried to fight it, "I...can't. I shouldn't...be here. My friends will be so worried about me...When will I be able...to go...back home...?" It was no use. With both his fever and the magic working against him, Yuri fell into a deep slumber.
Holding the young King close she whispered sadly, "You can never go back. Usually, I would have given you a choice. To come with me and forget...or to stay there and go on with that pain." she stroked his dark hair, "But I can't give you that choice. I finally realized that you are not purely human. So this magic, from the mirror, it has effected you far more deeply. I hope you'll forgive me for this..." the young Snow Queen kissed his brow and poured her magic into him. "When you awaken...you will have forgotten everything." she then reached down and plucked his pendent from Yuri's sleeping neck. Which Yuri had in fact been around his neck the entire time. And with her magic she transported it back to Yuri's house. Where it landed on the floor in front of the door as a final memento of his.
"You will not see those people with the same eyes ever again. Such is the price...to be loved by the snow which dances." The Snow Queen said sadly, watching as his world faded into the distance...
Conrad woke up early the next morning to a feeling of unbearable sadness. He had not expressed it yesterday, but, Conrad felt strangely outdone by Wolfram's confession. And after trying to convince himself to let Yuri go Conrad found that he couldn't. He loved his King far too much.
There was a feeling deep down that told Conrad that everything Yuri said to his younger brother was true. That he didn't love Wolfram like that. But then...who was this person Yuri said he was promised to? And why did Conrad have a feeling like it was him? No. That seemed too prideful, even to him, and yet...it felt strangely right.
That was it. Conrad had to tell Yuri how he felt too. Even if Yuri wasn't feeling up to it Conrad had to express it or he would go mad! So slowly Conrad got up. Under the pretense of checking on Yuri's condition anyway to go see him.
However, when Conrad walked out of the living room into the hallway when he spotted Julia's pendant on the floor. Dusted in snow. Alarmed he looked up and saw the door standing wide open! But how could it be that none of them noticed? Not only that Yuri had walked right past them but how cold the house had become?
Turning on his heels Conrad dashed back into the living room, "Gwendel, Gunter, Wolfram wake up! It's His Highness!" The three jolted awake to Conrad's distressed shouting.
"What's going on?" Shori mumbled as both he and his parents came down to the source of the racket. But then they too saw the open door. "It can't be!" Shori almost jumped down the stairs to run to the door. "Yuri must have been sleep walking! But in his state..." Shori couldn't finish his horrified statement.
"That doesn't explain why we didn't hear him come down here." Gwendel said as calmly as he could.
"Oh no! We have to find His Majesty before-" Gunter gulped. Trying to force down his usual growing panic to be professional about this.
"That idiot!" Wolfram snarled to hide his obvious fear. "Running off in the middle of the night. He probably just ran off to his Eminence's house to cry his eyes out. After rejecting me and all. Serves him right."
"Should we call his house to see if he's there?" Shoma suggested.
"Yes, let's do that first." Gunter nodded.
"We won't find any tracks in this snow. But just in case he didn't make it all the way there we should start looking for him." Conrad added.
But before they could do anything Gretta came at them in a full run yelling, "Yuri's been kidnapped! I saw it last night! We have to save him!"
Conrad knelt down and took her small shoulders in his large soothing hands, "Calm down Gretta. Did you see what happened?" But even he was unable to keep the panic out of his own voice.
Gretta nodded. "I did. But when I woke up I was back in my room. I thought I dreamed it all up. Then I heard you yelling and realized it wasn't a dream." she pointed at the open door, "I woke up in the middle of the night and saw that Yuri's door was open. He wasn't there so I thought he went to the bathroom or something. But I couldn't shake the feeling that something bad had happened. So I went down stairs and saw the door hanging open. I looked outside and saw Yuri, covered in a strange light. I was afraid of losing sight of him so I didn't wake you guys up. I followed him outside when I saw it. I saw a white carriage fly down out of the sky! It landed in front of Yuri and I saw this white haired lady talk to him. Before I could reach him a strong wind blocked me from getting to him in time. Then he...then Yuri..." she began to sob. "I called his name over and over. Asking him not to go. But he couldn't hear me. Yuri entered the carriage and I fell asleep in the snow. But something or someone brought me back inside and warmed me up. But Yuri...I couldn't..." Conrad pulled the sobbing child into his arms.
A mixture of emotions ran through his mind. Rage, loss, fear, determination and resolve. Conrad turned to the rest of them and vowed, "We'll save Yuri. No matter the cost." The group nodded.
"But where can we even start?" Shori asked, comforting his speechless mother in a side hug.
Conrad looked up at him, "Where this whole mess began Shori. Back in the Great Demon Kingdom. This was done by magic. And magic is how we'll save Yuri."
