SpeechBubbleMe: Who wouldn't be?
I am a burglar: Sure thing.
Al Drin Hoshizora: Didn't know.
Imprisoned once more, Kai had passed the time using an ice spike to carve random objects into the wall. He drew himself alongside Gerda, including the split gem. He thought about his friend, thinking of how she possessed the final piece to the Snow Queen's mirror. He wondered how long he could keep that a secret from the queen.
It was inevitable, perhaps, that she would find out. The Snow Queen had spent years searching the globe for the missing shards, a task that should've been impossible, but had been achieved anyways. It wouldn't be difficult for her to find one final piece.
It was not a matter of if she would find out, but when.
Perhaps he should tell her now. Maybe if he did, the Snow Queen would be more lenient. But then he remembered the damage she had caused to the village when she first went looking for him, and he instantly thought against it.
Before he could decipher things further, the ice spikes blocking the only exit from the ice room suddenly retracted. Kai whipped around as, once more, he was given an opening to escape. However, he knew the only reason the ice spikes would vanish would be if the Snow Queen willed it, which also meant that unless she was releasing him, he was still a prisoner.
One of the Snow Queen's ruffians appeared at the entrance of the room. "The Snow Queen says you are free to leave," He said bluntly.
Kai's eyes widened at the statement. Could it be? Was the Snow Queen truly releasing him from her castle?
The guard seemed to notice Kai's hopeful expression, and he said, "Only this room. Not the castle."
Kai's smile vanished, and he groaned. "What do you mean?" He asked.
"The Snow Queen says that as long as you are here, you are not a prisoner, but a guest," The guard explained to him. "All the castle is free to you, but you cannot leave its boundaries."
Kai rolled his eyes. "A guest, huh?" He asked, folding his arms. "Your queen has a funny way of treating guests, doesn't she?"
The guard shrugged. "She has a funny way of going about everything," He replied. "Just don't tell her that."
Kai grumbled deep in his throat. Dropping the ice spike onto the ground, Kyle glumly paced towards the exit of his room. If he would be a captive, at the very least he would be allowed free reign in his prison.
As he left the room, Kai said to the guard, "If I'm a guest here, can I be granted one thing?"
"What?" The guard asked.
"Can I see my friend?"
After their narrow escape, Gerda, Belle and the Beast had decided to take up temporary residence in the cabin until the wolves grew bored and left. Gerda had gone off to rest in one of the rooms upstairs while Belle and the Beast remained in the living room.
"Are those wolves gone?" Belle asked the Beast as he stared out the window, checking to see if the predators were still lurking about. The prince caught sight of several dark figures slinking through the woods surrounding the cabin, and he turned to Belle and shook her head.
"It seems we're stuck here for the time being," The Beast said to her.
Belle grumbled. "You've got those claws and fangs of yours, can't you just fight them off?" She asked.
The Beast furrowed his eyes. "I'm a prince, not a fighter," He snapped, sounding offended.
Belle leaned against the chair, sighing deeply. "Well we can't just run, either," She pointed out. "I guess we'll just have to wait it out."
"None of this would've happened if you'd just stayed at your little village," The Beast reminded, rolling his eyes.
Belle narrowed her eyes at the Beast, and stood up. "We're doing this to help a friend," She said to him, pointing a finger at him. "But it's not like you could understand that!"
"What's that supposed to mean?!" The Beast shouted, his fur bristling with anger.
"The only reason you're here is just so you can become human again!" Belle shouted back at him. "It's not like you care about helping us save Kai! It's the same reason you got cursed in the first place!"
At that, the Beast surged towards Belle, stopping only a few inches short. He let out a loud roar into the woman's face, causing her long hair to blow back and nearly causing Belle to topple over.
The Beast stopped roaring, and glared at Belle. The woman shivered for a few moments before opening her eyes and returning the glare.
The two remained like that for a few tense moments, their eyes locked together. Both waited to see who would back down first.
As fate would have it, it was the Beast. Getting on all fours, the cursed prince slunk away from Belle, slumping onto the hard wooden ground next to a sleeping Wynter. He faced away from Belle as he rested next to his reindeer.
Belle glared down at the sleeping form of the Beast, her eyes narrowed at him.
"And he says he's a prince," She muttered under her breath.
Upstairs, Gerda had pretended not to hear her sister and the Beast squabble with one another downstairs. She had remained in her bed, trying to preserve her energy. She knew they still had a long journey ahead of them when they left the cabin.
"Little girl."
Gerda's eyes popped open as she heard a small whisper. For a second, she thought it was coming from inside the room, but she then realized it was coming from outside the window. But who could be outside when there were wolves lurking about?
Getting out of bed, Gerda rushed to the window, pulling the windowsill up. Peaking out the window, she looked outside. However, she saw nobody; only the wolves outside the cabin, staring up at her.
"Strange," She whispered.
"Little girl."
Gerda froze as she heard the voice again. This time, she knew where it was coming from; it was coming from the wolves, specifically a large black wolf that towered over the others. It was gazing up at her with its golden eyes.
Despite her terror, Gerda stammered out, "Y-Yes?"
"What are you doing so far away from home?" The black wolf asked, raising an eyebrow. "Trying to save your friend?"
There was a mocking tone in the wolf's voice. It frightened and angered Gerda at the same time. "Yes, I am!" She retorted.
The wolf bared its fangs up at Gerda. "You will not succeed," He warned her. "The Snow Queen will dispose of you as easily as she did to everyone else who dared try to challenge her." Nearby, the other wolves crackled deeply in their throats.
"I'll still try!" Gerda retorted angrily, clenching her fists angrily.
"Then you will die trying," The wolf whispered coolly. With that, he turned and headed off back into the woods, vanishing into the shadows. The other wolves howled at Gerda, almost sounding like mocking laughter, before they, too, disappeared.
Gerda stared into the woods where the wolf had vanished, her face rocky. She clenched her knuckles so tightly that they turned red. As much as she tried, so couldn't prevent the seeds of doubt being planted within her heart.
Little did she know that someone else was watching her.
Kai's wish had been granted. He had been allowed to see Gerda through the magic mirror. But once he did, he almost wished he had never asked.
He had watched with horror as he saw his best friend trapped in a small cabin in the large woods, surrounded by dozens of large, bloodthirsty wolves. It had taken him only moments to piece together what had happened, and once he had, the only thing on his mind was that it was all his fault.
"Your friend went to try and rescue you," The Snow Queen said to him, seated in her throne. "She thought she could do it all by herself. Now she's seeing the fallacy of that viewpoint."
Kai was secretly stunned that Gerda cared enough about him that she would abandon her home just to save him. However, it was immensely overshadowed by horror and anger.
Kai whirled on the Snow Queen. "Let her go!" He demanded to her, his eyes ablaze with fury.
"You're in no position to be making demands, Kai," The Snow Queen reminded him. "It is your friend's fault for being such a fool. Had she stayed in her village, she would be safe and sound. This is her just punishment."
Kai's furious face was replaced with sorrow and fear. "Please let her go," He pleaded to the queen. "I'll do anything you ask."
The Snow Queen stood up from her throne. "The only thing I want of you is to get the final piece of my mirror," She said to him. "I want to find my lost child!"
Kai looked up at the Snow Queen, seeing the burning anger in her eyes. Turning away from the queen, he closed his eyes as he decided on which course of action he should take in order to save Gerda's life. As much as he didn't want to help the Snow Queen, he realized that it was the only way Gerda could be rescued from her predicament.
Opening his eyes, Kai looked up at the Snow Queen.
"I will. . . do whatever you ask," He said to the Snow Queen, nearly choking on his words. "Just spare Gerda."
A smile appeared on the Snow Queen's lips.
"That's what I want to hear," She whispered.
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