WBWB | Chapter 22

The whole world was snow and ice, sparkling like crystals in the sunlight. Some trees were bent over, their trunks nearly touching the ground under the weight of the ice. Everything was covered in a layer of snow and ice. 

The wind howled.

♪ When the Snow Queen comes in midwinter,
♪ The whole world shivers.
♪ The Queen in her jeweled ice dress,
♪ Descends in her crystal carriage.

I turned my gaze towards the source of the singing. Lady Ana was humming a tune.

♪ The chattering river’s song stops,
♪ And the ferocious bear falls asleep.

Her voice was as clear as frozen ice, free of impurities.

♪ When the Snow Queen comes in midwinter,
♪ The trees of the forest don new clothes.

Lady Ana, still singing, jumped off her horse. Her movements were agile and light. We tied our horses to a nearby tree and approached the lake, carefully stepping over or breaking the fallen branches scattered on the ground.

“Are you sure it’s safe for us to go onto the lake?”

“Of course, Teacher. It’s been so cold. The ice is frozen solid, harder than stone. It probably won’t even melt by next spring.”

“Is that so?”

Completely ignorant of this unfamiliar world, I trusted Lady Ana’s words without question. She smiled and held out her hand.

“Teacher, come here. I’ll show you how to slide.”

I cautiously stepped onto the ice, following Lady Ana. Indeed, the ice was slippery. I had to tense my legs to maintain my balance. Once I managed to stand somewhat steadily, Lady Ana let go of my hand.

“Look, Teacher, this is how you do it!”

And then, as if by magic, Lady Ana began gliding across the ice, crossing her feet. She skated quickly, pushing off the ice, and even spun in place. I, on the other hand, found even moving difficult. Perhaps because the movements were unfamiliar, I quickly became breathless and my body heated up.

“Ana! Don’t go too far!”

“Teacher! Come quickly!”

Lady Ana looked like a fairy born of snow and ice, constantly gliding across the surface, sometimes closer, sometimes further away. Her cheeks were flushed, and her eyes sparkled with joy.

Then, as Lady Ana ventured further towards the center of the vast lake, far beyond my reach, I became worried. Unfortunately, my worry wasn’t unfounded.

Crack, snap!

A chilling sound suddenly pierced the air, and Lady Ana suddenly disappeared.

“Ana!”

“Teacher! Teacher!”

Lady Ana’s head and arms surfaced above the broken ice, and she flailed, crying. Hearing her screams, I ran towards her, stumbling and sliding. She struggled to pull herself out of the icy water, but the ice kept breaking under her grasp. I could see her floating in the freezing water, amidst the shards of broken ice.

Lady Ana cried out, “Teacher! Help me! Help me!”

“Grab my hand!”

I crouched near the edge, reaching out my hand, when a terrifying sound reached my ears.

Crack, crack, crack.

The sound came from the ice beneath me. At that moment, I instinctively stepped back. 

Lady Ana, her face streaked with tears, looked at me as she thrashed. I will never forget that look in her blue eyes as if asking, ‘Are you going to abandon me?’ But if I reached out now, I would be pulled into the freezing water with her.

‘What should I do? Think!’

Then, like a flash of lightning, I remembered the branches. The broken branches of trees that had succumbed to the weight of the snow! 

I shouted,

“Ana! Wait! Don’t try to come out!”

I desperately pushed myself across the ice towards the shore. I fell several times, hitting my chin, but I couldn’t afford to feel the pain. As soon as I reached the shore, I searched for a branch. Fortunately, I spotted one nearby that was long and sturdy enough. 

I ran back with the branch. By the time I reached her, Lady Ana was clinging to a piece of broken ice in the watery hole, unable to even cry anymore.

“Grab this!”

Lady Ana grabbed the branch with trembling hands and pulled herself up. I dragged her onto a section of ice that felt solid enough, far enough from the broken edge, and hugged her tightly. Her body, stiff with cold, was trembling uncontrollably. Her long hair and clothes were frozen solid.

Remembering the Duke’s warning about frostbite, I quickly took off Lady Ana’s wet clothes. Instinctively, I felt it would be bad for her to keep them on. 

Stripped of her clothes on the ice, Lady Ana shivered even more violently. I took off my hat and put it on her. I also took off my coat and wrapped it around her. It wasn’t enough. I took off my boots and put them on her feet. The biting cold gnawed at my exposed skin and bare feet.

“Put this on, quickly!”

Wrapped in warm clothes, the feeling of being alive must have finally hit Lady Ana. She began to sob, her shoulders shaking.

I didn’t have time to comfort her. I put my arm around her shoulders and helped her up.

“Let’s go! Quickly!”

I instinctively knew we had no time to lose. It was a primal, animalistic instinct. 

We ran towards the shore, and I untied the reins of both horses. Lady Ana was in no condition to ride, so I put her on Brulee and climbed up behind her. Then, holding her tightly with one arm, I shouted at Brulee,

“Brulee, run!”

Brulee into action. Lady Ana swayed precariously on the saddle.

Lady Ana was losing consciousness from the cold. Holding the reins with one hand and clutching her tightly with the other, I shouted,

“Ana! Sing! Sing the song you were singing earlier! Quickly!”

At my repeated urging, Lady Ana started singing, her voice trembling.

♪ When the Snow Queen comes in midwinter,
♪ The whole world shivers.

Hearing Lady Ana singing through chattering teeth, I felt a wave of regret.

♪ The Queen in her jeweled ice dress,
♪ Descends in her crystal carriage.

‘I made a mistake.’

♪ The chattering river’s song stops,
♪ And the ferocious bear falls asleep.

‘I shouldn’t have taken her to such a dangerous place.’

As an adult, I should have stopped her. I should have warned her not to venture too far into dangerous territory.

♪ When the Snow Queen comes in midwinter,
♪ The trees of the forest don new clothes.

But instead, I had been swayed by her, trusting the words of a child who wanted to play. I, a teacher.

♪ When the wind blows across the lake and fields,
♪ The icicles shatter with a clear sound.

I had let a child be my guide. I was unfit to be a teacher, unfit to be an adult. I was unworthy. Guilt threatened to consume me. 

If Lady Ana died, I wouldn’t be able to live with myself. 

I would die of guilt too.

“Ana! Sing! Keep singing!”

‘If I were a proper teacher, I would have protected her.’

♪ When the Snow Queen comes in midwinter,
♪ The whole world shivers.

Lady Ana sang again, but her voice was fainter than before. Like an echo. Listening to her sing, I realized I loved this child more than I had thought. Like my own sibling, yes, as if she were my own flesh and blood.

‘What will I do if Ana dies?’

I rode like a madwoman.

‘You’re the only one I have left to love here.’

I didn’t have a fur hat, coat, or boots, but I didn’t feel the cold.

I don’t remember clearly how we reached the mansion or what happened afterward. What I do remember vividly is the wave of relief that washed over me when we reached the mansion gates.

I flung open the door and practically threw Lady Ana inside. Then I collapsed on top of her. The mansion was warm. Warm enough to bring tears to my eyes.

“Help!”

I screamed with my last bit of strength. The sound of hurried, chaotic footsteps was the last thing I heard before losing consciousness.

* * *

I regained consciousness much later. 

When I came to my senses, I was lying in a familiar place. 

It was my room, and the fire in the fireplace was roaring in front of me. I tried to move but couldn’t. 

Looking down, I saw that I was lying on a long sofa, covered in a pile of blankets. Someone had dragged the sofa closer to the fireplace and laid me down. I should have been sweltering, but I was shivering with chills, my body aching all over.