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A series of cracking thumps heralded the arrival of one of the ice giants. Gwendolyn looked up, furrowing her brow. They didn’t usually approach her unless summoned; they were dubiously sapient and preferred to spend most of their time standing still and staring out into the swirling snow.
This one cradled something to its chest. At first Gwendolyn thought it was tree trunk, but then the giant carefully lowered a bundle of brown fabric to the floor at Gwendolyn’s feet.
It was a girl. Her face was milk white tinged blue from the cold, and her eyes were closed. That was the only part of her Gwendolyn could see. The rest of her was swaddled in layers of clothing, meant to protect her against the snow and wind outside. Clearly it hadn’t been enough.
Gwendolyn wondered how long she’d been out there. Her castle was far from any town, and not many people came this way.
Well, she couldn’t very well let the girl freeze to death in her foyer. “Thank you,” she said to the ice giant. “I’ll take care of her.”
The ice giants couldn’t venture further into the castle, where it was warmer, for fear of melting, so Gwendolyn hauled the unconscious girl to her personal quarters. She dropped her, somewhat awkwardly, on the rug in front of the fire and began to strip off her sodden overclothes.
When she’d got the girl down to a simple tunic and pants, Gwendolyn fetched a thick blanket to wrap the girl in. The girl was warm enough to shiver now, which boded well. Gwendolyn set a kettle on a small camp stove and began to boil water. She had a veritable army of ice wraith servants to prepare her meals and keep her castle, but she still preferred the ability to make her own tea sometimes.
By the time the tea was steeped and poured, the girl was sitting up by the fire. She pulled the blanket tight around her shoulders and looked around as Gwendolyn brought her a steaming mug of tea.
“Drink this,” Gwendolyn said. “But carefully, it’s hot.”
The girl dutifully sipped at the tea, wincing at the temperature. “Where am I?” she asked.
“Castle Glacera, in the mountains,” Gwendolyn said. “You’re a long way from home.”
“You don’t know where my home is,” the girl said.
“You’re a long way from anyone’s home,” Gwendolyn said. “Except mine.”
The girl grudgingly conceded the point. “I suppose I owe you thanks,” she said. “I’d have frozen to death out there if it weren’t for you.”
“You can thank my ice giant, if you like,” Gwendolyn said. “It saved you, not me. I didn’t know they were smart enough to do that, actually.” Something to investigate further. “So do you want to tell me what you were doing wandering around alone in the snow?” Her tone made it clear this wasn’t a request.
“I only meant to skirt the mountains,” the girl said. “The snow came down early this year.”
“I like to be unpredictable,” Gwendolyn said.
The girl gaped at her, apparently not quite sure if she was kidding. Gwendolyn let her wonder.
“You haven’t told me your name,” the girl said slowly. Gwendolyn could see her putting pieces together, bits of rumor and story. Gwendolyn smiled, teeth sharp and perfectly white.
“You can call me Gwendolyn,” she said. “And you are?”
“Arina,” the girl said.
“A serviceable name,” Gwendolyn said. “Where are you from, Arina? Why are you traveling alone?”
“Varson’s Creek,” Arina said. “And I’m outrunning a curse.” She glared fiercely, as if daring Gwendolyn to mock her for this.
Gwendolyn merely raised an eyebrow. “A curse?”
“A century ago, a fairy put a curse on my thrice-great grandfather, that the thirteenth child of any of his descendants would bring misery to all they loved upon reaching their majority,” Arina explained. “And I am my mother’s thirteenth child.”
“A peculiarly specific curse.”
Arina shrugged. “She was a fairy. Perhaps she knew something we don’t.”
“Undoubtably,” Gwendolyn said dryly. “It seems that this problem could be avoided by having fewer that thirteen children.”
“That was my parents’ intent, but well, I was the last born of triplets,” Arina said.
“And thus fate plays us for fools,” Gwendolyn said.
“Indeed,” Arina agreed. “So I’ve run away, so as not to risk my family while I break the curse.”
“Do you know how to break the curse?” Gwendolyn asked.
“No, but there must be a way,” Arina said fiercely. “I won’t rest until I’ve found it and am able to return home.” She glared at Gwendolyn as if daring her to challenge her.
Something thawed a little in Gwendolyn’s heart. “And I suppose you’ll want to go right back out into the snow, to nearly freeze to death again,” she said, covering it up.
Arina wavered. “If I must.”
“Don’t be stupid,” Gwendolyn snapped. “You should stay here until the snow melts.” She didn’t want to look too hard at why she cared what happened to this stubborn girl.
“I wouldn’t want to impose,” Arina said stiffly.
“Nonsense.” Gwendolyn swallowed. “I have a library. With a lot of books on magic. Perhaps there is something in there to break your curse.”
Arina lit up, and her enthusiasm was like the warmth of the fire they were still seated in front of. “Really? Do you mean it?”
“I wouldn’t have offered if I didn’t,” Gwendolyn said, looking away from the girl’s earnest face. “Just don’t be a nuisance. And fates help you if you damage my books.”
“I’ll be careful,” Arina promised. She grabbed Gwendolyn’s hands. “Thank you so much!”
Gwendolyn waved away her thanks, but she felt a blush begin to stain her cheeks for the first time in longer than she could remember.
She rather thought the castle would feel warmer with another person around.