A sigh of ecstasy escaped the queen as she returned to her body, still draped over her crafted throne, miles away from where her mind had projected itself. The process always left her short of breath revived only through deep, steady huffs she kept strictly soundless. She would never reveal that anything could drain her great power, to anyone.

For years, her time was devoted to perfecting the technique. At first, the projection was less than a shimmer of an image across her private chambers, shattering with a burst vein in her forehead. Her patience became the thing most strained when finally the technique allowed an exact copy of herself to appear on Earth, powers intact.

It annoyed the queen how long and hard a master of magic her caliber was forced to work for such a simple task. The chore was supposed to be quick, supposed to simple – as easy and painless as formulating the plan had been. Instead, her beautiful face was stressed in a grimace for so long that wrinkles nearly formed around her frown.

A queen should not be sullied by such insolence, she thought as her eyes darkened into the far reaches of the throne room. She thought the same thing fifty years ago, when she cast the earth into a climate better suiting her taste. The best reward of her efforts: almost every country crumbling into turmoil and submitting to her magic and rule.

And yet, of the few that remained, the thriving Iceland continued to be a thorn in her side.

The queen never understood that country. Against all odds they somehow found a way to fight back the bitter frost. An island that used to flourish with tropical weather despite its name, a name the queen loathed. They still retained four seasons and their port was never without a trade shipment.

And the royal family. A headstrong prince who married a nearby princess for love instead of a political arrangement by his parents. He ruled with the ambitions of freedom and equality – two things that had nothing to do with ruling a country in the queen's eyes. Although, the adulation his subjects felt towards him was something the queen envied with passion.

Negotiation with the family left her playing the fool. While other countries begged to be spared from the endless snow, Iceland's king had snuffed her most ungraciously. Upon her first proposal, he demanded she never speak to him again relaying a speech of Iceland's refusal to succumb to her cruel ways. Just remembering his defiance caused one of her ice sculptures across the room to shatter in her power's grip.

It is no longer a matter, she reminded herself to calm her sparking nails. They have been dealt with. And soon the country would fall to her rule, the loathsome place would soon be pitted into political turmoil and destroyed.

A smile spread on the queen's lips. She would enjoy the chaos that would soon befall Iceland; it would prove an amusing past time leading up to Earth's grand finale. After its demise, she would turn it, and the rest of the surviving world, into a real land of ice.

Below her, a guard stepped up to the stairs before her throne and into her view. He bowed, one knee touching the ground while another stood to cradle his elbow. Once his head rose, she signaled him to speak with a halfhearted flick of the wrist.

"The guard you required has arrived, my queen. And so has the, uh," he coughed to cover the disgust in his mouth as he fumbled for an acceptable word. "Warm one." The queen hid her snicker at the guard's attempt not to insult her, all the while she could care less what he said about the wretch.

"Send them in."

The guard did her bidding without a second thought as none of them ever did. The towering doors of the throne room creaked open allowing the vessels waiting outside to enter from the darkness.

A stiff solider strutted in with the confidence and grace expected from someone of his standing. The navy uniform gripping his body was in perfect condition, without one of his many badges out of place. It was a wonder how he managed that; all the times the queen witnessed his sparring he was never one to be anything but vicious. His face held less than an emotionless expression as he bent at the waist for his bow.

Behind him, a meek girl tiptoed in looking much more raggedy in her simple skirt and shirt with runes tattooed on the sleeves. Just the sight of her sent an unpleasant taste in the queen's mouth, making her wonder why she choose the ratted-haired nuisance for such a vital task. Because she is the best, the queen reminded herself reluctantly.

The girl dipped her head, squirming under the stare if a woman she had rightfully feared her entire life.

The queen left no room for setbacks. "I've called you two here on a matter of the upmost importance. There is a specific task i need you two to complete."

"As you know, our colonization of earth has been temporarily prevented by the rebellious actions of Iceland, the land of surviving summer. The mission i am issuing you with is to end this remaining defiance."

"The survival of our kind is dependent on a new habitat, preferably Earth. If we cannot obtain this suitable host plant, our kind will perish. Knowing this, will you assist in the rehabilitation of our dying race?"

Immediately, the queen's gaze landed on the uncomfortable girl in her presence. Her eyes fell to the floor, heat warming her cheeks from embarrassment and unease being in the queen's sights. She nodded, shoving her glasses back to the bridge of her nose from where they slid.

The guard wasted no time considering her offer; the decision was already made within his head where orders were given only to be followed.

"What would you have us do, my queen?"

The queen could not help the grin curling her lips. Everything was falling into place.

"I need you to hunt down Iceland's crown princess and kill her."

Silverleaf15: Thank you so much! I'm really glad you like it! To answer your question, unfortunately not for awhile. The chapters steal glimpses into everyone's lives, not just Cinder's, so between bits of her story there are other events going on as well. But in the terms of the actual timeline of the story, Cinder will meet him very soon. And since I am also eager to see him, I might add him in sooner!

Thanks for reading and please review!