WBWB | Chapter 22

The whole world 4b343b0781 was snow and 1715d04739 ice, sparkling like 5599bc2b4f crystals in the 0f886edec3 sunlight. Some trees were e249789ee8 bent over, their 00cc55f7ac trunks nearly touching ddc81a8585 the ground under 8519ed95ab the weight of 1726109131 the ice. Everything was aaed171a1b covered in dfde719a25 a layer 6d6551bd6c of snow 2aba198525 and ice. 6458d7cd1eeb3e1b

The wind howled.8f7bbfcebb9e639c

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♪ When af05017842 the Snow 5a5bb7bf47 Queen comes eaa2632e09 in midwinter,
♪ The whole 9442bc1612 world shivers.
♪ The Queen c296859eca in her jeweled 76a0f5fe4c ice dress,
♪ Descends in 33c55557fe her crystal carriage.3891ca46b39901f2

I turned my gaze 65297b5a87 towards the source of e1febe1124 the singing. Lady Ana bfd8d87d67 was humming 35f86deda1 a tune.a869ae5cd472513d

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♪ The chattering river’s song stops,
♪ And the 632707ebea ferocious bear falls b2aaea2b0e asleep.6d2a6a6ae49ce416

Her voice was 8b2c875ad7 as clear as 1c06808a3e frozen ice, free 1b86639bd8 of impurities.2530b550741a0a9d

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♪ When the Snow 729ba1fa8a Queen comes in midwinter,
♪ The trees 5a3606926e of the forest d643881201 don new clothes.8e699b6e42e5e44b

Lady Ana, 0aa756a677 still singing, 1da1e48a52 jumped off 28248cf163 her horse. Her movements d66f3c0e53 were agile 2dd0fd6e31 and light. We tied c00530f964 our horses 26dffec0f7 to a c71f60f993 nearby tree d1017389a2 and approached 750ac09ed7 the lake, 769118df93 carefully stepping a8c3ec0a53 over or 2556834926 breaking the 8ee0cb52a8 fallen branches e0d513d0cf scattered on cb6066ab68 the ground.b245d2107d32d03e

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“Are you 7221f40b14 sure it’s 3bc786076c safe for ed714a8d5b us to 638c2519be go onto a06b99d6cc the lake?”f09ad0769653cd63

“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.”6c43966a28242e13

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“Is that so?”910fe9c0380bc1da

Completely ignorant dd63760163 of this cf508e8f18 unfamiliar world, e38d0e8f41 I trusted 3a32e3bbe1 Lady Ana’s 476c74fa26 words without b92381121e question. She smiled and held 16002c3980 out her hand.69e06d60752a3898

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“Teacher, come here. I’ll show you how to slide.”9c2fabe99498d0c9

I cautiously stepped c55ecfb7d0 onto the ice, 3946359a68 following Lady Ana. Indeed, the af0e6f2c0e ice was efb37ef476 slippery. I had to tense 659ca5f966 my legs to maintain 34a43e2370 my balance. Once I managed to f0d2cbe767 stand somewhat steadily, Lady ef0b0ef898 Ana let go of 78bed17976 my hand.303bcd19e991f6e5

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“Look, Teacher, this is b4cff73b68 how you do it!”4d4c3c4b7d2f5a7d

And then, as 7f4cec32e6 if by magic, 5e664a09db Lady Ana began c62411ae29 gliding across the ce3257fa84 ice, crossing her 4ef41e8d87 feet. She skated bceb5100e0 quickly, pushing 2773894184 off the 32a8db15ed ice, and ef8806c3cc even spun 234d7f533f in place. I, on the 17640c4c54 other hand, found 23ba5dfe8d even moving difficult. Perhaps because the movements 6cbfa50cf3 were unfamiliar, I quickly aa2edf515c became breathless and my 0606ebac2f body heated up.a78c0b814b7af46c

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“Ana! Don’t go too far!”030e901e00caf82f

“Teacher! Come quickly!”1b7b0d9fb1633823

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Lady Ana looked like 7929254a3c a fairy born of 8f778eb7a0 snow and ice, constantly cc52405596 gliding across the surface, 508dbe94a8 sometimes closer, sometimes further 5cb577d243 away. Her cheeks ea9ae7e790 were flushed, ac86eca3b6 and her 3aac0b7d08 eyes sparkled 97467c1453 with joy.6b275b67d400ca7e

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.f9622f83791c8853

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Crack, snap!762e1fdded495081

A chilling sound suddenly 3e66960d43 pierced the air, and 550386bca2 Lady Ana suddenly disappeared.6a2e138a7298ffa7

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“Ana!”643e77bfae65cd09

“Teacher! Teacher!”ff539527cf651f34

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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.f81a561dae48f1ad

Lady Ana cried out, “Teacher! Help me! Help me!”a6afd3efee2b257f

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“Grab my hand!”7f66ad58b37c13a3

I crouched 3dc16408c8 near the 767856f32c edge, reaching a0e9d0ea62 out my c63c8d6bcc hand, when 38f02e7736 a terrifying 2f44261f37 sound reached 3c8d52cf48 my ears.9b5c3ad2c387225e

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Crack, crack, crack.c6166b9f7d0dff92

The sound came bd896d5488 from the ice e422321b68 beneath me. At that 95f1791015 moment, I 04d57265f1 instinctively stepped ab51d0035a back. a3008940567d2cde

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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.fcd822d5f829ab8c

‘What should I do? Think!’a009b9c125985c94

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Then, like a flash c2d5bb5dbf of lightning, I remembered 3e67cc7d4b the branches. The broken 3c272f3584 branches of 1d1597d1d5 trees that 14453c8087 had succumbed 3df62a4256 to the 2215dfa9c5 weight of d853bb2e29 the snow! 1f9dc8a0328b58da

I shouted,a2baf86075bc5957

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“Ana! Wait! Don’t try to come out!”649f77a7219705a3

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. 1520492d7d00351b

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I ran back with a0d2a46f63 the branch. By the time I 907998cedf reached her, Lady Ana 003e6322ac was clinging to a c44843893d piece of broken ice ec1bea8339 in the watery hole, 7bcfccff26 unable to even cry 8110e8fb39 anymore.e0ae1ddb7382290a

“Grab this!”612616d80d152670

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Lady Ana grabbed the a3cf656e9d branch with trembling hands 89dd33af0c and pulled herself up. I dragged 2464aeb3ae her onto abcafa5c20 a section dc3bf0afee of ice f5aaca6164 that felt e1c18c60eb solid enough, 121bd0fbd0 far enough 9fd2e9dad0 from the f49e779b1b broken edge, 2e6f08bfeb and hugged 54cb86df0d her tightly. Her body, 88d745d192 stiff with 106ef1c957 cold, was ca2d26a887 trembling uncontrollably. Her long hair f5cd75f9ef and clothes were 98b00f7c9b frozen solid.d10f54333253b344

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. a9067eb1b77d4f8e

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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.6cc0b67465ad492e

“Put this on, quickly!”1ebde04523ade87f

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Wrapped in warm clothes, 3a6bebd877 the feeling of being 9b44bd6c7f alive must have finally 9b6b73902f hit Lady Ana. She began to sob, e09d0e9a3a her shoulders shaking.da45c2742fdeb431

I didn’t have time to comfort her. I put my arm around her shoulders and helped her up.4eff8ab1c1726861

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“Let’s go! Quickly!”c06363c7a427a258

I instinctively knew d0433ba62d we had no ee85ddfaeb time to lose. It was a 50f882f81f primal, animalistic instinct. 00c7a74b6e0144f6

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We ran 80ed36d4e3 towards the d58e585e22 shore, and b7603940b2 I untied 7357e47fdc the reins f1332c2d6b of both 9a5975dc91 horses. Lady Ana cb99cd7189 was in a9ff10072e no condition dddd6bea89 to ride, bf6875928e so I c15a6af658 put her d7ccc5eff3 on Brulee d50786b993 and climbed 686b547093 up behind b88ae4f1d5 her. Then, holding her 3b6fd4f7f1 tightly with one eb5addb786 arm, I shouted 9af50bde75 at Brulee,ac34078a77ca3d1e

“Brulee, run!”be5c10be2db84e68

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Brulee into action. Lady Ana 5ca2fd5f69 swayed precariously 80e0eac083 on the 41eb45a557 saddle.48ecbbf768104e2a

Lady Ana dcc556ed75 was losing 34a34266f1 consciousness from 46e12e2d8c the cold. Holding the reins cb63dbdb94 with one hand 7671b84ce3 and clutching her 793cfd1e55 tightly with the 5e0585143f other, I shouted,a7ef85735b5b099a

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“Ana! Sing! Sing the song you were singing earlier! Quickly!”41602ad27f734bdd

At my d89bb9e6ca repeated urging, 81569412b9 Lady Ana 420c5c2678 started singing, 5a783fb44a her voice 46f9ca0000 trembling.9380e0e94d755e92

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♪ When the Snow e13a56cb80 Queen comes in midwinter,
♪ The whole 78b59d291a world shivers.836808f1ef5a63ad

Hearing Lady Ana singing 3668e2de37 through chattering teeth, I 580988b0d8 felt a wave of 77decd0024 regret.a345458114903f00

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♪ The 8c0ad4c58f Queen in 9f164934cc her jeweled 213e3616a6 ice dress,
♪ Descends bed06c831c in her 33c7d78306 crystal carriage.00d3b15aa3ec7b33

‘I made a mistake.’993149e9efa4a4b5

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♪ The chattering river’s song stops,
♪ And the f09b1912b0 ferocious bear falls 9cda05ba8d asleep.82e718ba5518882f

‘I shouldn’t have taken her to such a dangerous place.’ad39096ee212db2d

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As an adult, I 3614f8f5f2 should have stopped her. I should 5c4ed75a42 have warned 53392bfd02 her not dbb86f304c to venture 83f67a31ee too far 3d66f5a8c3 into dangerous ca7585d1e9 territory.e869ce7a359ac51c

♪ When 649d2aa5b4 the Snow 95e1d392aa Queen comes a4ab502756 in midwinter,
♪ The trees 5e86dd4fca of the forest 024b2a1997 don new clothes.5f5ef2336ad6090d

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But instead, I had 18fdf94142 been swayed by her, 2ae6925c97 trusting the words of 250c434fee a child who wanted 41ad9d61be to play. I, a teacher.3f24bde7dd529d2c

♪ When the wind b0235031fa blows across the lake 2f634f5ab8 and fields,
♪ The 2929362e90 icicles shatter 9514656e0b with a ec456d21cf clear sound.bec25e00c28e3900

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I had 6ec0b129c6 let a e63272a371 child be 8193ee0943 my guide. I was unfit to 83b2d97630 be a teacher, unfit b2f3e8ea4c to be an adult. I was unworthy. Guilt threatened to consume a6e7317192 me. 26577121eee32840

If Lady Ana died, I wouldn’t be able to live with myself. 12717944da8b3858

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I would die of b4c0bdfdf1 guilt too.1f18af0da2871394

“Ana! Sing! Keep singing!”4ea52742c0eccf14

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‘If I were a proper teacher, I would have protected her.’67d29f0a74d7951f

♪ When the Snow c19597d649 Queen comes in midwinter,
♪ The whole world 271e09681a shivers.2d6222899389662d

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Lady Ana sang again, e2e445c39d but her voice was 2986552221 fainter than before. Like an echo. Listening to her 7b2e8ec8f8 sing, I realized 4fcfdb48e4 I loved this ca917bbdd6 child more than 0dcd6a3a85 I had thought. Like my f360ca0f75 own sibling, f5a9a95470 yes, as bf81b219ea if she de29527dfc were my dd13f133aa own flesh b16bad4c43 and blood.063504801083a657

‘What will I do if Ana dies?’0ed18cc293e7e20c

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I rode like 1c452481ad a madwoman.9eb250b0052305e8

‘You’re the only one I have left to love here.’5905e09c18629573

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I didn’t have a fur hat, coat, or boots, but I didn’t feel the cold.42cd57b8e7ad9667

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.b63921f4889f3696

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I flung open the 7992ea93d9 door and practically threw 8d31808145 Lady Ana inside. Then I b8ce749b8f collapsed on edcc82b4c2 top of 78ee10e359 her. The mansion was warm. Warm enough 4b970b8886 to bring 377db69023 tears to bca23db0d9 my eyes.2155e167528feb5f

“Help!”3fe4c344b1cff2be

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I screamed ba7f76c4da with my 49dbb0aea2 last bit 4b4dfe744c of strength. The sound cdfc502e8c of hurried, b44377c1d9 chaotic footsteps 49c67b2ebf was the 20707f4dfc last thing 9415c50831 I heard 0c7ba12c6e before losing fb0b02bfc6 consciousness.b3e36c1dae2d6db1

* * *20670f45ae58634b

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I regained consciousness much fdf65a6620 later. 42b2a1b1617ff6fd

When I 2d683264a3 came to 059c0a079a my senses, ec5b13ae6a I was 8959464b1c lying in ad157a8aab a familiar 96a6d92499 place. f1a84340104ed355

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It was my room, and the fire in the fireplace was roaring in front of me. I tried to move but couldn’t. 7158deb494d45265

Looking down, I af85c193ec saw that I a233f7936f was lying on c1cc33b9f3 a long sofa, 42bc3065ff covered in a f2e33e1ecd pile of blankets. Someone had dragged ad99f3f4c0 the sofa closer a5b4836b33 to the fireplace 138ec46b51 and laid me fafd962810 down. I should have been a2ca2e560d sweltering, but I was 7412299f51 shivering with chills, my e768baefe4 body aching all over.0b1e2445bcdf5e64

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 8a4a56470f35972b