SNOWFLAKES
A COLLECTION OF SNOW QUEEN SHORT STORIES
CHAPTER 1
STORY TIME
This story takes place in the few peaceful weeks between Heart of Ice and Sacrifice. I badly wanted to include it in Sacrifice, but neither the timing nor the setting was right. I hope you enjoy it! (Bonus fact: The book Rakel reads here is the book Gerta and Kai read to her when they visit her in the year she is unconscious.)
Rakel playedwith the tip of her white braid and looked out over the icy flower garden she had created shortly after retaking Ostfold. Her gaze rested on the ice statue she had made in her brother’s likeness.In spite of all my best efforts, he’s gotten even more distant. I haven’t had a decent conversation with him—nor have Oskar or Halvor.She sighed.How can we lure him out? He knows we will not hurt him. What purpose does his isolation serve?
She pressed her lips together in displeasure. “Perhaps we should seek out those who previously counseled him. They might better understand the workings of his mind,” she murmured.
Snow crunched, and hope surged in Rakel for a moment. Perhaps it was Steinar! But no, there were two sets of footsteps on the crisp snow, and they ran with childish impatience. Rakel was not at all surprised when two children catapulted themselves at her.
“Princess!” Gerta squealed.
Kai backed away for a moment so he could gravely bow. “Princess.” He immediately threw himself at Rakel again, making her stagger.
“Good afternoon, children.” Rakel patted their backs. “Is Grandmother Hilda speaking with General Halvor again?”
“The General and Oskar, yes,” Kai said. “The General said we could come find you.”
“He said you were moping, so you would be free to play with us,” Gerta added.
“I see.” She tried to give the pair a rusty smile.
Gerta jumped up and down with glee. “We were wondering if you and Phile could tell us a story.”
“Unfortunately, Phile is gone,” Rakel said. The sly Robber Maiden had been sent to scout out the area to make sure the Chosen weren’t preparing a surprise attack.
Gerta drooped. “Oh.”
Kai frowned at his friend. “I am sure the princess could tell us a marvelous story.”
“Oh, yes! Please do, Princess!”
“I’m sorry to say I don’t really know any stories,” Rakel said.
Gerta and Kai lost some of their brightness. “We understand,” Kai said. He smiled bigger than usual in an obviously forced expression.
Feeling guilty for their disappointment, Rakel recalled the royal library. “I could, however, read a book to you.”
Gerta clapped her hands. “A book?”
“You would let us look at a book?” Kai asked with reverence.
Rakel wanted to shift with discomfort, but she forced herself to stand still. Often, her isolation caused uncomfortable situations—like not knowing any stories or failing to have any kind of knowledge of what cities looked like. But even in her isolation, she hadn’t realized that she was still given a few privileges. Her ice castle on Ensom Peak had a small fortune’s worth of books and maps, making it easy for her to forget that regular citizens often didn’t own any of either.
“I will show you the Royal Library, where you can look at as many books as you wish,” Rakel said.
“A library?” Gerta’s voice was hushed in awe. “Do you think they have more books than you have in your ice castle?”
“The Royal library has hundreds, if not thousands of books,” Rakel said.
“Thousands of books,” Kai repeated with wide eyes.
“Could you show us your favorite book?” Gerta asked.
