THE HOT BATH SEEMED to melt away what troubles I'd been feeling since I froze Blane and this whole mess had started. The castle medic took a look at my injury from the iron knight and patched it up with some type of ointment and a bandage, that he said would work on healing the raw skin.

I was given new clothes which weren't really what I'd consider myself ever wearing even in the human world. It was a long silk dress the color of a red raspberry that laced up in the back, with a gold lining and sleeves that nearly hid my hands.

The shoes were thankfully ballet flats that matched the dress, and I was given a mesmerizing crystal necklace that might've actually been made of ice itself. The maid put makeup on my face, and my white-blonde locks were pulled into a strange braid down my back that was otherworldly.

A crown was placed on my head though I was hesitant at first to wear it. I had never worn a crown a day in my life, not even a fake one as a child, and this just seemed to be going too fast.

The maid assured me it would be ok and just to take a deep breath, so that was what I did. She placed the icy elvish crown onto my head and I froze in near shock in front of the mirror.

I was taken as a baby, but seeing myself this way, it almost felt like a memory that seemed. . .so right.

I left my chamber for my advisor to introduce me to all the guests and staff inside the palace, because I was told I'd be dining with them before I went to see the Clan. No one, not even Calder, had told me anything about who the Clan were or why I had to see them. I was told only I, my advisor and one other person of the staff could come with me to the chambers to see them because it was a private affair. That made me all the more nervous.

Coming down the long staircase from the top wing of the castle, I could feel my heart thumping at the speed of a racecar engine. My advisor, the lady who had greeted me at the gates who's name was Eeira, gently patted my hand reassuringly. I gave her a small smile to hide my true feelings of actually wanting to cry.

"Are you ready, Princess?" she asked me, but I couldn't seem to bring any repsonse to my lips. I took another deep breath and gave a nod, and she guided me forward.

Coming to the edge of the downward staircase that led to the foyer, my eyes wandered around the adorning crowd.

"It is with great pride that I present to all of you our lost Princess, Eerika Arnesen!" Eeira called out to them.

I watched as everyone around slowly bowed, and I shifted awkwardly in my place. On the side wall I noticed men in silver knight armor and cloaks, and realized those must have been the men of the royal guard. Calder stood stiffly at the head of them, looking so professional and focused that it rather mesmerized me. It seemed like he was straining himself to keep his statue appearance though, but when my name was called he looked over at me.

His stony expression changed, and he almost seemed taken back by me. His eyes traveled slowly up and down my body before they settled on mine, and we locked. I felt a blush rise to my cheeks and quickly jerked my gaze away.

A man stepped up the stairs and with a warm smile outstretched his hand for me to take.

"Come ma'lady, it is time for the feast in your honor."

"Okay," I complied, placing my hand in his and being guided down the stairs to the dining hall.

I was bombarded with introductions and compliments during the entire dinner, but none on the answers I wanted of where my parents were. I had wondered why they hadn't come to see me, to take their lost daughter in their arms or even celebrate my return at the dinner.

Every now and then I snuck a corner glance at Calder who stood with his knights by the windows and entrance. I didn't understand why he hadn't told me he was actually the captain of the guard, especially at however young of an age he was. He hadn't looked at me anymore since our shared gaze earlier, but on the other hand I was still irritated with him so I didn't really care.

Did I?

"Your Majesty, I believe it is time for your meeting with the Clan," Eeira spoke in a low tone next to me, but to my opinion that seemed a bit rushed. The dinner hadn't even adjourned yet, and was I really going to meet with these strangers before I met my own parents?

"Isn't it a little soon?" I questioned her. "What about my parents? I haven't even met them yet. Don't. . .they want to see their grown up daughter?"

Eeira seemed hesitant with her reply, patting my hand once more. "I'm afraid this is something that needs to be done now, Princess."

Realizing I wasn't getting anywhere with what I wanted, I agreed and we both stood from the long table.

"The princess must take her leave, everyone. Thank you for your visit. The staff may return to their duties," Eeira said. Everyone around the table began to get up and take their leave.

"Chamberlain, prepare a guard to join us to the meeting, please," Eeira told the man who had sat next to her. He turned and looked over at Calder and his knights across the room.

"Captain, accompany the princess to see the Clan."

I jerked my gaze over to Calder who shared a glance at me, clenching his jaw. "Yes Sir."

"Let us be off then," Eeira said, "They are waiting patiently for us."

The walk down the basement corridors of the palace seemed to take forever, and the longer the wait the more I grew nervous. I didn't know what to expect with these people, especially why it seemed so important to see them. I didn't know what they were going to tell me, and that worried me even more.

Calder walked alongside me but didn't speak, and I wasn't sure if that was because of our dispute from earlier or because he was being professional. Either way the silence was killing me on the inside.

Finally we reached the chamber where this said Clan was supposed to be, and Eeira had me wait outside with Calder to let them know I had arrived.

Silence continued to loom over between us, but I knew I had to break it sometime before it completely ate me alive. There was no one else around so Calder didn't have to keep up his professional exterior.

"How's your neck?" I asked, not being able to see it from his cloak and armor. I had almost forgotten that I'd hurt him this morning. Perhaps that was another reason he wasn't speaking to me.

"It's fine, Princess," he replied simply, back to formal names. "Nothing to bother with."

I paused, wondering if I should leave the conversation at that, but found more words tumbling from my mouth before I could stop them. "I'm sorry again, about that."

"Quit apologizing," he snapped at me, turning his icy blue gaze to mine. "You're the princess now. You need to get a backbone about yourself. Never apologize for something so meaningless."

I wanted to question what he meant, how he could think saying I was sorry for hurting him could mean nothing, but I didn't get the chance. Eeira returned and said the Clan was ready to see me. Holding my breath Calder and I entered.

The room was dark, the only illuminations being the fire goblets around the room, and a circular hole in the floor filled with crystal clear water. On the far side five cloaked figures stood, their faces hidden. The whole scene felt suspicious and eery to me, but I tried to hold my ground.

"Welcome, Princess. We have waited many long years to see your return. Please come forward."

Hesitant to do so I looked over to Eeira, who gave an assuring nod. I stepped closer to the figures.

The one in the center who had spoken came closer and removed his hood, revealing a simple older man with hair that had gone gray. He gave a wise smile at me, and the other four figures began revealing themselves as well.

"Why am I here?" I asked, still feeling so lost on no information.

"We have called you here, Eerika, for one simple reason. To help you," one of them, a woman also aged, replied.

"Help me with what? All I really want are some answers. I've been thrusted into this whole other world and life in just a day and I feel I deserve to know everything. Like why those iron knights and guards are after me, who this frozen queen is and where my parents are."

"You do deserve every explanation, Your Highness, and we are at your service to give them to you. As long as you are prepared for what you will receive," another wise man said.

"I am," I replied a little too quickly, not giving much thought on the agreement.

"Wait, Your Graces, you don't mean. . ." Calder spoke up, but wasn't able to finish from another of the Clan stopping him.

"Your words are spoken out of line, Captain," he scolded him sternly, "Don't make the mistake of being decommissioned until notice."

"If it regards the Princess's safety then there is nothing against what I say on this matter," he retorted, stepping forward. "This is dangerous. You can't possibly consider this."

"Do not tell us what we already have the knowledge of, Calder Hansen. We must do what is necessary," the woman snapped at him.

"Ok, can someone explain to me what's going on? What's dangerous?" I interrupted, trading glances between them.

"To give you the answers you seek, Your Majesty, we need to show you something that's very important. It's a piece of the past that we can place into your mind."

"It's more like throwing someone into an oblivion of memory that your body cannot handle and that could possibly never be brought out of," Calder corrected. "There has to be another way."

"There isn't, Mr. Hansen," the leading man spat, "Now remember your place or I shall have you thrown from this chamber!"

"Captain, please," Eeira begged him to silence himself. She placed a hand on his shoulder to pull him back though Calder was hesitant.

Pursing my lips together, I turned back to the Clan. "Let's do it."

"Eerika," Calder spoke my name, and I could hear the near fear in his voice, but I assured him.

"Calder, it's ok. I'll be alright. I'll do what I have to to understand everything."

The clan members each nodding, the leader brought me over to the middle of the room to stand on a Norse looking snowflake pattern, right in its center. He told me to close my eyes as he placed two fingers on my forehead, and began chanting some Norwegian words I didn't understand.

"Vorde ditt sinn og vise hva tapt.Bringe til din øyet gjennom fortid. Og huske hva som var kostnads."

I suddenly felt a sensation course through my body and I gasped, my brain forming into one giant picture.

People were running around the palace, screaming and crying as other loud noises crashed around them. It was as if I was there in the midst of it all, but I wasn't. Iron knights were crashing through the windows, attacking the people and slaughtering them like animals. They were burning them alive from their armor and swords.

There was a tall woman standing in all of the chaos with a satisfying smile on her face, and somehow this past gave me the knowledge I didn't have. It was as if I were someone living this moment right now, and I knew. She was the frozen queen.

The image changed to a man and woman held safely in their bed chamber for what little time they had, surrounded by six other girls sharing similar facial features and all varied in age. The man and woman were the king and queen, the girls their daughters, and it was the family who the frozen queen was after.

"We must hurry my dear, we do not have much time," the king said to his wife, and through her sobs she agreed.

"Yes. We must do this now."

Turning to a bassinet the queen picked up a baby girl in her arms, who gave soft cries at all the disturbance.

"My little princess," her mother cooed to her, trying to keep a smile. "My beautiful Eerika."

I felt my heart skip a beat at that moment realizing it was me, that this was in fact my father, mother and sisters. None of which I had seen any sight from since I'd arrived.

"Your Highess, we must go. Let us take her now, please," Linnea approached my mother, Hanir close behind her and watching the door.

Mother was hesitant to hand me over, her lip quivering and more tears falling down her face that looked so much like mine. She kissed my forehead and my father did the same.

"We love you, Snowflake," he said to me, and helped my mother give me away to Linnea.

There was then a commotion outside and the chamber doors began to jerk at trying to be opened. My parents ordered Hanir and Linnea to go. A snowy portal appeared like Calder must have brought me through, and I was gone.

The doors then bursted open, and the icy witch entered with her knights close behind. My heart jumped up to my throat.

"You have nowhere to run Asger, Freja. And neither do your daughters. Your lives will finally be mine after waiting so patiently all these years. The Arnesen race is finished at last," she said with such confidence in her voice.

"Stay away from my family!" my father roared, charging the witch with an icy sword held high--before being run through with an iron spike in his chest that the frozen queen had conjured.

I screamed in unison with my mother, my own tears streaming down my face as I was forced to watch this all play out with nothing I could do.

The older half of my sisters in rage bursted into icy battle with the queen and her knights, my mother joining them to protect the littler ones. But the witch possesed all of the control.

I fell to my knees, feeling like my chest had caved in on itself and was crushing the air from my lungs. I watched as the rest of my family died in blood splatter, right there in that room where my infant self had just been no more than ten minutes before.

"The baby got away?!" the witch exclaimed with anger after one of her fey guards had searched the room and I was nowhere to be found. She froze the bassinet in her hands and threw it across the room to crash into shards on the floor.

"Find her! Find her now!"

I could feel my body going into some type of shock or seizure, and heard Calder's alarming voice though I couldn't bring myself out of the vision.

"Eerika! She's seizing, get her into the water, now!"

There was the sound of what seemed like silver armor clanging to the ground, and I felt strong arms quickly grab me and a cold rush wash over my body.

"I told you this would happen!" Calder shouted to who I assumed was the Clan, and felt him hold me to his chest in the water to try ceasing my shaking.

"It's alright Eerika, you're safe. Come back. You have to come back now. Come back to me, Eerika."

I finally sucked in a sharp gasp of air and my eyes flung open, though I was still struck in a daze. They found their way to Calder's face who let out a sigh of relief and clutched my cheek, stroking it with his thumb.

"She's alright," he said to Eeira before turning his attention back to me, but his words began to drift away from my ears. "It's okay, Eerika. You're safe now. You're safe."

Then my consciousness left me.