AN: Second last chapter! Love/hate where we are? Let me know your thoughts with some clicky clicks to the reviews button! We are so close to the end :D
The Final Escape
Endymion watched as Serenity's prison of ice canvassed over her eyes and ascended quickly, capturing all remaining uncovered flesh. Her eyes were frozen open, widened with both fear and begging. He looked around the room, watching pieces of the puzzle slip into the water as the entire circumference of the lake grew smaller and smaller. He sank to his knees, staring up at his once-best-friend-now-realised-soulmate as the music from his mother's locket played sadly, the only remaining sound in the room. She had wanted him to flee, but he couldn't just leave her. And what about Sammy? He would be sinking into the water before her - already the edge of the ice was creeping towards him and was only metres away. He didn't know what to do. What would Serenity do?
Serenity would be clever and think of a way to get them out of there, wouldn't she? He frowned as he tried to tune out the music. He swivelled his head around, looking for a weapon. Anything that he could use to break the ice that imprisoned Serenity. But there wasn't anything. Maybe if they were in the Throne Room, or the dining hall...
He slammed his fist down onto the ground with a pained cry. The locket continued to tinkle out its beautiful but morose song, and the sound that had once reminded them of the love between his parents now made him think of his with Serenity. And how thanks to him and his blind approaching of the Snow Queen, that was now broken. Serenity was sure to die. And he wasn't sure if he would let her go down alone.
"I'll love you until the end of time," he said as he stared up at her face. She had been so brave, searching for him after all this time. He knew just from the state of her clothes - and especially her boots - that it had been no easy feat. He hung his head. "Because our love is eternal"
And then he crossed his legs and sat there, waiting for death to eventually claim them. It wasn't that he was giving up - Endymion could never be accused of giving up. It was more that he was recognising defeat and spending his last few minutes with the one he had wanted to share the rest of his life with. And it looked like they would. All five to ten minutes of it. He didn't want to waste it looking for puzzle pieces that he knew he'd never find.
With a rough and freezing hand, he rubbed his eyes. A wind had picked up and it was stinging his eyes. And the last time his eye had stung, everything had gone downhill. The puzzle pieces were even starting to move, the wind was so strong! Some were being picked up and tossed around like they were merely made of paper. Others started to meld together as if they were the consistency of melted butter on warm toast. It was then, as Endymion was remembering Gran and how she'd always give him raisin toast on a cold winter's morning, that he realised something was happening. Something that wasn't the Snow Queen's doing. The wind was not one of hers. And if anything, he could swear he was watching the puzzle fit together. And as each piece was as different and unique as a snowflake, that was a difficult task, to piece them together.
Soon bright white pieces that had slipped off the edge of the lake into the dark blue water remerged, carried by the winds and connecting with other pieces.
It was a miracle, but, the puzzle was making itself!
Endymion jumped to his feet and watched as large letters became visible through the whirlwind. 'ET' and 'ITY' could already be seen, swaying on the floor like they were being pulled around by magnets.
"I don't believe it," he whispered. "All these years I've been looking for letters, and you had to make them yourself." He groaned. "Looks like I'm not as clever as I think I am."
He ducked as 'RN' flew over his head, narrowly missing knocking him out.
He watched in disbelief and fascination as only one letter remained, before a cracking sound echoed around the room. He glanced over to see Sammy's frozen statue standing at a 40 degree angle. It was in the process of falling into the water! Endymion rushed over to pull it back, but he couldn't get a grip. The ice was too cold and too slippery. He contemplated jumping into the water and trying to keep it afloat once it fell in, but another look at the statue turned down the idea. It wouldn't be held up by anything weaker than an elephant, by the looks of it.
"Concentrate," Endymion growled under his breath as he felt himself get sidetracked. It was as if a veil had been lifted from over his eyes. His brain was no longer foggy, his heart was no longer stone cold, and his eyes saw everything exactly the way it was - which at present, was tragic. He was having trouble focusing, with all the extra stimulation suddenly being thrown at him, and he no longer being impervious to it.
The locket was being blown about, and was sliding towards the edge of the crumbling lake several metres away from Endymion. He glanced between Sammy and the locket. The locket he could save, Sammy he could not. But Sammy was Serenity's younger brother; the locket was just an object.
At the last second, Endymion dived to snatch the locket as it flew over the edge, only just managing to catch the chain in his fingers and save it from the fate of the water.
ETERNITY
The winds died down, and Endymion was left panting as he stared into his reflection. It had been so long since he had seen himself and was surprised by how mature his face had gotten. A cracking sound erupted, and he watched over his shoulder as a fissure began to thread up Serenity's leg. He could hear the ice breaking from inside in long, low hisses and crackles. His eyes darted between Serenity and Sammy, but Sammy didn't appear to have changed in any way. The ice surrounded Serenity's fingers broke off in a large chunk, and he raced over to inspect her dainty little fingers. He didn't know whether he should help break the ice or let it do it on its own - he didn't want to stop the magic that was working at her freedom. Two of the pale white fingers twitched, but Endymion couldn't be sure if that was his imagination or not. When another chunk of ice broke away, leaving her entire palm exposed and dripping with water, he enclosed it in both of his own, willing his little warmth to transfer to her. A sad smile flickered as he remembered once wishing he could hold Serenity's hand, to know what it would feel like. What cruel irony.
Water dripped over his wrists as the ice capturing her arm weakened. It snapped off and fell to the ground, shattering into hundreds of small pieces. The ice was breaking faster now, as the large fissures began to weaken the integrity of the whole statue and cracks began to crawl around everywhere, like self-forming spider webs. But Endymion held on to Serenity's hand the entire time, until at last, the splinters broke around her face and she took in her first gasp of cool, fresh air.
"Sere," Endymion whispered in relief, feeling a weight lift off his chest. She was free again - he was free again!
A large chunk surrounding Serenity's midriff broke away and she was able to move without restraint again. She reached out and hugged Endymion, who returned it fiercely.
"I am going to be so cold when this finishes," Serenity said, glancing down at her soaking wet dress. They both laughed as if she had just told the funniest joke of the century, even as she shivered.
CRRRREAAAAAK.
SPLASH.
Serenity stopped trying to twist out of her leg locks and looked over Endymion's shoulder. "Sammy? SAMMY?"
"Oh my Lord, get me out of here, get me out of here, it's freezing!"
Endymion rushed over to pull the boy out of the water, who collapsed on the ice and hacked many deep coughs.
"Sammy!" Serenity cried, returning to her task of breaking out of the remaining ice, which shackled her from the knees and down.
"S...Serenity?" Sammy's face crumpled in confusion. "Is that you?" He looked up at the man who had pulled him from the water. "You're..." his eyes narrowed and an extreme look of concentration crossed his young face.
"I'm Endymion. I live next door to you."
"Oh yeah, hey, since when did you get so old?"
It was then that Serenity and Endymion noticed something. Sammy was not aged all those years he had been imprisoned as ice. He looked as if he were twelve years old.
"Sammy, how long have you been here?" Endymion asked with a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach.
"Well... I don't know. I haven't been frozen that long. I think. She said she was going to find someone else to finish the puzzle. Did she come find you?" His eyes bulged momentarily. "Where is she?" he whispered in fear, ducking his head and glancing around.
"She's gone to the mountains to recap the snow, you're safe for now," Endymion said. "So you went missing when you were twelve, and I've been here nearly five years, which means you should be... 17 years old."
"And you're both grown ups," Sammy added, glancing between his sister and his next door neighbour. "How'd you even get here? Did you come together? I thought you hadn't even ever spoken to each other! Mum thinks you're going to fall in love some day." He snapped his mouth shut. "I'm just kidding," he said before sobering. "So, where is mum?"
"At home," said Serenity as she tugged at her left leg. Her ankle was still stuck to the ice below. "Which is where we're going now, as soon as I can..." She was joined by Endymion, who grabbed her lower calf with two sturdy hands and pulled. The ice snapped apart and Endymion narrowly missed being knocked out again, for the second time in an hour. "Right, now we can go home."
