I read about Grand Pabbie, a great leader of trolls. The book claims that his clan is hidden in a place called the Valley of the Hidden Rock. The trolls have the ability to morph themselves into rocks, making it very difficult to locate the mysterious clan. Grand Pabbie himself is said to have vast knowledge and remarkable powers enabling him to heal. Being a shaman, he has the capability to cure spells and curses. Since all of these books were written by Fate, I surmise that all that is within them is true.
Could Grand Pabbie help Ember?
I read book after book, expanding my knowledge and finding more hope for Ember.
This hope is useless if I cannot get it to him.
The most interesting knowledge comes from a book about nature and the unnatural abilities given by Fate to specifically chosen individuals.
Fate says this on the topic:
"Nature must be balanced in order for life to go on harmoniously.
Ice cannot rage on in an unrelenting blizzard. Fire cannot burn everything to ashy remains. Water cannot pour until all is drowned. Wind cannot blow until all is knocked down.
Likewise, if there is an element living inside a human being, one cannot expect to live their life in harmony when there is no balance. A balance must be found."
Balance?
My mind wanders back to Ember's blazing room.
It had been so hot.
The walls had been moaning in agony as the blistering pain overtook them.
The marble floor had been screaming for relief as the flames licked with it's scorching saliva splattering everywhere.
I remember Ember's sweat-streaked, red face.
I remember my own body recoiling at the unnaturally high temperature.
Wouldn't it have been so irresistibly wonderful if a winter's snowstorm had blown into the room in that moment? Completely impossible, but would it not have been nice?
Balance.
Fire's polar opposite.
I suppose you might remark, "All right, Ida, we all know that Ice is the opposite of Fire, but what does this even mean for you? You're dead."
Yes, this is a setback, I will agree with you.
How can I possibly be expected to sit here in the Land Where Time Stands Still when I have all of this knowledge here that could help Ember... if Hans hasn't already hurt him.
Just sitting here thinking about it has got me feeling jittery and anxious.
I must make my move. I must do it now.
The Time Keeper has been gone for quite a while. I reckon he should be getting back soon.
I leave the tower and allow myself to sit on the ledge outside, my feet dangling down towards the water a great distance below.
The clouds surrounding the great clock still appear as depressed as they had been when I first arrived.
The air is cold and bites into my skin with a fierceness I never imagined air could have. It is like an untrained puppy, gnawing at it's owner. Vallaria's sake, could someone please come train the air to have better manners? (That was only partially a joke.)
"Do you speak?" I call out to the gray clouds above.
They do not respond.
I stay this way for quite some time (oh my, not this time thing again). It is just me, the silence of the clouds, and the biting of the wind.
I admire the tower's prismatic display.
At last, I hear the metallic door of the clock tower creak just the slightest bit.
Etias pokes his head out; a mass of smooth, silvery tresses.
"Why are you out here?"
"It says nothing in our agreement that I cannot be out here." I tell him, matter-of-fact. "I have not left the tower."
"I suppose not..."
He emerges fully onto the ledge. He shuts the door behind him with a definite thud.
He allows his body to slide down next to mine and lets his legs hang down as mine are.
I can feel his warmth. It battles against the chill of the air.
"How was your day?" I inquire.
"Nonexistent."
Oh, right. There aren't any here.
"Er... never mind."
He studies me with his intense, violet eyes. It makes me as uncomfortable as the day he did this when we first met.
"You are cold." He says simply.
I was hoping you'd notice, Etias.
"A little." I say, tactfully. I wrap my arms around myself, allowing my body to give in to the trembling it desires to do.
Etias watches me carefully, scanning over my shaking body with those purple irises of his. I can sense some conflicting emotions within them.
He takes off his own cloak and settles it around my shoulders.
I will be totally honest with you and you will probably never have any respect for me ever again.
I am using him.
However, I was not planning on the irresistible scent of his cloak. I wasn't planning on the cloak being so warm, having been heated by his own body. I wasn't planning on those beautiful eyes moving me as much as I was hoping to move him. I wasn't planning on feeling anything for the embittered Time Keeper.
Etias is so very near at this moment.
I am having trouble breathing. Since I have been in this ugly chartreuse gown ever since I arrived here, I guess I can still blame my lack of oxygen on this. I will not. I cannot breathe because of Etias.
He continues to examine me.
I avoid his gaze.
Right here in his pocket is the one thing that will help me get back everything I have sworn I would get back. Right here is the key to unlock my every desire.
Why is it so difficult for me to just reach in and take it?
Because I'd be betraying him...
Thought after thought battles against one another in my mind.
"He's the one who keeps you here. You owe him nothing."
"Look at the way he stares at you, how can you go against him?"
"You vowed to release the snowflakes."
"He is a lonely soul, why would you break the bond that has been developed?"
"Espen's pocket watch..."
"But what about Etias?"
"What about Hans?"
"What about Ember and the rest of your family?"
This thought wins out above all the others.
The last time I chose love, I endangered my whole family.
If I hadn't been so blinded, maybe things wouldn't be as they are right now. Maybe my family would be safe. Maybe I wouldn't even be here.
Do I think Etias is a two-face like Hans? No, I do not. If anything, I am the two-face.
Etias is standing in the way. I must push him aside.
I take the key from Etias' violet robe.
He doesn't notice, as he is far too busy studying me.