Author's note: To the contest creators that started it all...thanks!

____________________________________________________________

In the northern reaches of Sweden, the bards sing a tale of a girl who died and revived to become the Queen of Ice.

Swedish men from these villages spread wild stories about this Ice Queen to their progeny about how she bewitches those caught out in blizzards and warn them never to get caught in a blizzard lest the Frost Queen take them.

The truth is much harder to believe than a simple fantasy, but it is nevertheless still the reality.

Our story actually begins the day a father betrothed a girl to a savage beast.

It just so happened upon a cold winter's night that a white polar bear barged into a family's home, ate off their platters and asked for their daughter's hand in marriage. Frightened as the poor father was of the animal, he gladly accepted to be rid of the unwanted company and thus,  cast his daughter away in the process.

That same night while all including the aforementioned suitor slept in the cool gaze of the full moon, she ran away and lost herself in the cold and eventually succumbed to hypothermia.

However, it seemed as if the angels above chose for her not to perish and gifted the girl with immunity over the winter elements. Unfortunately, that same blessing became instead a curse as her heart has been frozen ever since.

To this day, she wanders around, gathering lost souls, saving them with an icy kiss and then bringing them to the ruins of a fortress to serve her.

Her name is Kyla Blom and she is the Lady of Ice.

"Are you done wising away in your thoughts?", a voice asked from the other side of the throne room.

"That depends. Have you completed the tasks assigned to you, Alf?"

As he stepped into her vision, he rolled his eyes and answered snarkily, "Depends on whether the Queen of Ice is willing to step down from her high horse and examine the work herself. For someone who is rumored to be terrifying, you are indeed aptly named Frost Flower as all you do is stay in one spot, concerned that your beauty might vanish anyway."

She glared at him, irritated that he treat her this way after she revived him from near-death. That blonde-haired blue-eyed halfwit needed to be taught a lesson one of these days for his imprudent behavior. Who exactly did he think he was?

"Alf, is it done or not?", Kyla responded back.

"Yes, it is...don't get your panties in a wad, princess."

Suddenly, a gale tore apart the hall towards his face and he rapidly bowed down and sputtered out a million apologies.

"I meant no disrespect, my queen..."

"That is better...", the aforementioned Ice Queen started to say, only to be interrupted.

"...but you do act as if every day you were witnessing your funeral firsthand."

"You shall be quiet!", she commanded. Shards of ice then flew into his mouth and encased his mouth so as to keep him silent.

"Hmmmmmpghgghgh", Alf complained.

She sighed and then muttered, "Where is the wise and noble squire who swore to protect me at all costs?"

Peeling the frost off his lips, he replied, "I am right here, Lady of Ice."

It is curious to think that when she had first met Alf, he had resigned himself to despair and thrown himself into the icy sea. The girl had to drag him out of the ocean with her own strength and resuscitate him. That ungrateful man spat out water in her eyes and requested to leave him be. After knocking some sense into him, she carried him off on the polar winds to the fortress and learned he was not human. Rather, he is an elf, but he promised he would protect her in exchange for food and shelter.

As the kiss had an unintended side-effect of removing the memories from those chosen, he was unable to recall his name and so was named Alf.

Totally appropriate considering he was an elf and all.

"Come this way...your highness," he said tauntingly as he escorted her out of the throne room.

Suddenly, a little girl appeared in the Ice Queen's view and stumbled, almost falling into a mop bucket  were it not for Alf's quick reflexes.

 The advisor stood near the little girl and examined her for any injuries that would need bandages and finding none, sent her away with a warning to watch her feet next time.

For all the immaturity he seemed to possess, the Lady of Ice reasoned he was reliable, clever and loyal to a fault.

Little girl curtsied and bid the Lady a good day before returning to her chores.

The lady reminisced on the first time she had welcomed her into the castle and that that girl, Mira, had been truly fascinated with Alf's appearance and seemed instantly smitten with that dastardly elf to his amusement.

"Hello, sir," she had whispered as she gazed into his eyes in a way that I found unbecoming for a young lady.

"Enjoying the view?", he inquired only for her to blush and mumble incoherent phrases.

"Alf, stop pestering the poor girl," she said.

"I cannot help it if she would fancy me. We elves are of a finer species than most," he teased.

"An elf?", the child remarked before turning pale.

Kyla Blom went over to her, patted her on the back and commented, "Do not worry. Although, this elf has a very high regard of himself, he is not of the elven sort who would harm humans."

Then, she added, "The only seducing he could ever do is in the mirror."

As the girl giggled, Alf's face of outrage was priceless.

"Mirror...what mirror...how many times do I have to defend myself against these women? I do not look at mirrors all day...", he mumbled under his breath.

She chuckled with pure amusement in response.

A sudden snap pulled her back to reality and she saw Alf waiting for her.

Kyla dashed over to his side and together traversed the stairs to the dungeon.

Author's note: Question: Does third pov make sense for you in this chapter or should I change it back to first pov? This matters as my next chapter will be in another's pov and it if 3rd pov, then I do not have to make it multiple povs.

Update: The story is now in 3rd pov.