The winter court was cold, that was an established fact. But even now, as three figures trudged through snow and slipped on ice it seemed an impossibility for it to get any colder.

But it did.

The wind that howled and felt like daggers against the skin had gotten so cold that any exposed skin quickly went red and raw with frostbite.

The figures approached their goal, ahead of them, the trees had been pulled over by the shear weight of snow on top of them and then been frozen into an ornate patterned boundary. They stepped through the only gap.

The two high fae had covered up in furs while the human they dragged with them was so wrapped up in furs they could barely be distinguished. However, all three paused now. For around them was an artistic warning. Ornate statues littered this frozen garden, men, women, fae and animals in various poses littered the garden. It was only when you looked closer did you realise that they were in fact not statues at all. But people, frozen in moments of joy, sadness, fear and anger.

The three pushed on until the sound of tapping could be heard, it rung out across the silent sheets of ice. The wind seemingly to scared to try and hide the noise with its howls.

Ahead, a block of ice was being carved, a lion. Or half of one anyway. Its owner slowly walked around tapping pieces off, seemingly not noticing the arrival of his guests.

"My lord, we have the human, we caught her as instructed" called out the first fae as all three dropped to one knee.

The tapping continued.

"My lord" the fae asked again after a minute had passed.

The tapping stopped.

"I heard you Issac" a dull, plane voice called out. "I simply didn't care" the man's voice continued.

Appearing from behind the ice came a tall fae, thin and sickly. His dress was exquisite , a waistcoat made from silver leaving his chest and arms revealed and an ornate pair of trousers with silver trim. A fur coats hung from his shoulders. But his feet were bare, his arms longer than they should and his eyes were lifeless balls of ice that the fae did not dare to meet. He approached to within 10 feet and stopped,

"speak" 

"My Lord, this human was caught stealing books from your very own collection, a trivial matter for one such as yourself but you requested her brought to you" the fae responded.

"Trivial" the same lifeless, bored tone asked. "You call my life's work trivial"

"No my lord, I didn't mean it like that" the fae spluttered. The fae shifted a little but found themselves unable to rise from the kneeling position. From fear or frost his muscles would not budge.

"I disagree Isaac, you find my obsession, childish and trivial" the high lord said. "And yet you thought to steal from me"

The faes head shot up, a look of horror on its face. "No, my lord Kamdor, I would nev-" the words stopped, as they felt something catch on their throat.

Kamdor wasn't even looking at him, his eyes were gazing emptily at a sculpture. Without shifting his gaze, Kamdor, the high lord of winter raised a finger to his lips. "You, thought that because I choose not to notice humans I would not notice them stealing from me" he clarified. "Clever, I will admit, using my ignorance against me, because I didn't notice"

Issac tried to speak but couldn't. It was like something was stuck in the back of his throat.

"I wouldn't have noticed, until your human told me" Kamdor replied. He turned and walked back to his sculpture, picking up his hammer and chisel he began to work again.

"You didn't notice, did you, that your human didn't react to my art. Because they had seen it before" Kamdor replied.

Issac coughed now, spluttering out an attempted defence. His lungs trying to get air past the growing blockage in his throat.

"Goodbye Issac" Kamdor said as the icicle that had been growing in Issac's throat slowly emerged from the man's throat as the man's body began to shut down. 

Only with the death of Issac did the human woman speak, "my lord, thank you" she cried out at last. She threw her hands to the floor a tense expression on her face.

In weather like this, so cold. Humans couldn't cry, the water would freeze in their eyes. This woman had a desperate expression.

Kamdor said nothing, he did nothing in response.

The woman continued her strange ritual of rejoice and worship of this man. "Thank you my lord"

Kamdors eyes snapped to her, he approached  her now. "What, what is this you are doing" he asked.

The woman dared not to look up, "admiring you my lord, your wisdom and your mercifulness" 

"Admiration, I don't have that hear, I have space"

The human had no time to react. She was imprisoned within the ice her admiration frozen on her face forever.

Kamdor gazed at her for a moment. Then returned to his sculpture, bored with the expression already.