LOGINShare
Into the Rain
Last Updated:
2024-10-29 19:42:56Despite all the precaution, Nathaniel and his company never reached the General. When the portcullis of the wall fell shut behind the group of four and their escorts, Nathaniel's suspicion spiked. His eyes grew frighteningly cold and calculating as he inspected the defensive measures of the stone corridor they'd entered.
Towards the sky, it was unsealed, more like a street passage with buildings to the sides. Yet, both ends were blocked with portcullises and only one door lead away from it. A door, which he suspected could be barred with iron locks from the other side. There was not one other soldier in sight, not even archers up on the walls to the sides of the stone corridor.Nathaniel's eyes met Sam's shortly. At the same time, all riders halted their horses and began to dismount. Since they were heavily armored, the escorts took a longer time than their four guests."Wait here. The General will come to meet you soon", Marcus Iceflower said, and, without another glRelated chapters
How to Make the Ice Prince Fall Old Habits Die Hard
Between the borders of Dragsa and the Icelands, three people wrapped in blankets sat with their backs to a big tree trunk, shivering. The warmth slowly returned to their limbs after they had shed the soaked clothes and left them to dry on a branch, but it took some time. Beneath the tree, it was almost dry, with sprinkles of water sometimes being blown in from the sides and the wind strongly pulled on them as if trying to rip the blankets away. Despite the storm, the three horses next to them were asleep, exhausted from the run. Lady Brandon leaned on one of them to share its warmth. She was asleep as well. For a person who was a captive in the golden cage of the Capital for years, she seemed oddly familiar to these dire conditions. Remembering how she was the only one protesting against going naked under the blankets, made Katherine wonder if she was the one being a flimsy society puppet now - a thought she disliked very much. And yet, neither her husband nor her friend s
How to Make the Ice Prince Fall Friendly to Oneself
It rained for the whole night and half of the following day. In the end, even the ground beneath the big tree's branches grew wet. Breakfast was a leaf of bread each. Around midday, when the sun poked through the clouds and made the water on the plants sparkle like diamonds, some warmth finally returned to the traveling group. That was also the moment Lady Brandon opened her mouth for the first time. "Where exactly are we going, actually?" Seeing that Nathaniel was about to set out again, she felt like she had to ask now. While resting, her gaze had wandered to the path they were coming from once in a while as if expecting something. Yet, nobody had come after them. Since she herself had noticed the lack of manpower, she wondered if they had not even enough to follow after them or expected them to find their deaths by themselves. Curious herself, Katherine gazed at her husband. Knowing that he had planned to stay on the border for a while after convincing the Gen
How to Make the Ice Prince Fall Disgusting Lie
For as long as a day, the party of three managed to escape the knights of Dragsa by riding along the river. Yet, the heavens were against them. On the second day, a whole mountain stood in their way, only leaving the hole the Dimgard had grinded through it. When they tried to bypass the broad massif, another party of knights blocked their way, then the pursuing party caught up as well. Uneasy, Katherine turned her horse, but the knights of Dragsa had them surrounded from all sides. It was like a Deja vu.Anxiously, her gaze swept to her husband, but Nathaniel's eyes seemed dark and gloomy. Even the regions around his eyes seemed almost black on his pale skin. Suddenly, she remembered that she did not see him sleep, neither in this night nor in the one before, where she herself had leaned against him under the giant tree. Had he held night watch? How exhausted was he now? With the questions, despair grew in her. After all, it was common knowledge that magic needed energy. Rememb
How to Make the Ice Prince Fall Angered Husband
Frustratingly for Nathaniel, there was no way to talk things through with his wife. Additionally, to her ignoring him, the guards were also prone on keeping him away from her, and he'd noticed the glances they gave him.When they'd entered the wall through another drawbridge and dismounted, he found himself separated from her by seemingly randomly standing guards and their horses.A chill swept through his eyes, and he slowed down so he could watch Katherine from up on his horse's back. She and Lady Brandon talked with the guard's captain, and he could hear the terms "rest" and "room prepared", before the ladies followed the man through a door out of his sight. They didn't glance at him even once.Nathaniel gritted his teeth. Did this woman think she was safe again after entering her home country? Since when was she so unguarded? Had he lost so much of her trust that she didn't even want his protection anymore? He should have talked it through with her before, that he
How to Make the Ice Prince Fall Temper Issues
Noticing that Nathaniel was missing, Katherine shed all her anger instantly, and seriousness took its place. She knew very well that this powerful husband of hers was not unbeatable. Even though she only knew later that it was him, she'd nursed him for weeks. The patient was someone who could not move at all in her memory. He'd seemed almost fragile with those black veins all over his body. Overlapping this image with the Nathaniel she knew was hard at first, but it made more sense when she saw his magic firsthand. Every power had its price. And his was just too powerful.He'd used this power just recently, so it would be no wonder if the repercussions overwhelmed him. Besides, she reminded herself a little late, none of the walls were inherently friendly places. Not the one they passed, and not the one they were in now. If he was ambushed somehow, he would be wounded like any other person."We should just return to the Icelands", Lady Brandon complained, but Katherine was
How to Make the Ice Prince Fall The Signal
"Seriously, you never tell me anything!", Katherine continued, regaining her former train of thought. "Not when you are hurt, not about your future plans, not even when it concerns me! Now, let me down, you dummy!"With a quiet sigh, Nathaniel rubbed his cheek against her neck. He didn't want to let her go yet. To his soul, cuddling her was a more powerful medicine than her magic could ever be. "Dear, we shouldn't cure it now. Not here. What would we do with the poisoned blood? The soldiers will get suspicious with almost a liter of it on the floor.""But you look so tired already. We can't just leave it be", Katherine protested, and struggled to free herself of his arms. "It's just blood. Maybe we can hide it somewhere here? Maybe in one of the closets?"A kiss prickled on the skin beneath Katherine's ear, before Nathaniel carefully sat her down. "It needs to be disposed of correctly, my dear. Did you never wonder what Sam did with the basins of blood you left?"
How to Make the Ice Prince Fall Battles
When the two parties clashed, Hazel was frightened to the bone. Tightly, she clutched Dorian's waist and buried her face in the leather armor in front of her. Despite her Lady's nagging, she'd refused to ride by herself after only a bunch of riding lessons.Yet, however deep she buried herself, she couldn't ignore the shouts, the neighing of the horses, or the sounds of blades. For the latter, there were two different ones: those hitting metal tingled in the ears but those quieter ones slashing flesh made her nauseous.The horse beneath her moved. Every time Dorian's sword arm cut through the air, she whimpered and clutched his waist tighter, despite the friction roughening her skin.The horse jumped forward. She shrieked. Then, another clash of swords. A splashing sound and something fell on her hair and hands. Dirt? Sweat?Suddenly, the horse reared up in fright and she fell backward. Unlike the last times, Dorian's body didn't hold her. She opened her eyes wid
How to Make the Ice Prince Fall Rescue
Breakfast was served in a rather broad ornamented chamber, and the commander overseeing the wall accompanied Katherine and Nathaniel. With a dishonest smile, he excused the behavior of his soldiers toward Nathaniel. Then he asked for his name.This was the moment the couple noticed that, strangely, nobody in the wall structure seemed to recognize Nathaniel's face at all. Had their messenger not informed them? In an instant, Nathaniel saw the opportunity. The messenger was one of the children that knew Katherine. This guy named Frey. Aston said he was quite witty."Raymond", Nathaniel gave his third name curtly and replaced his plate, prepared as far from Katherine as humanly possible, right next to his wife with a clattering noise. "Apology accepted."The commander looked slightly offended, but Nathaniel didn't care, especially since Katherine pulled at his sleeve with a worried face. "Dear, did you sleep? You look..."Taking her hand and kissing it, Nath
Latest chapter
How to Make the Ice Prince Fall Epilogue
Five years later"Your Holiness - Uh, ah, Majesty, I mean!"Leaning on the newly-built rails atop the dome of the palace, with the view of the Capital in the background, Katherine scolded lightly: "Shht, Hazel, she just fell asleep."In her arms rested a baby, maybe a few months old, with a tuft of black hair and fair white skin. If she opened her lids, angelic blue eyes would blink up innocently at the viewer.Hazel's head appeared at the end of the staircase leading to the roof. Apologetically, she bit her lip and whispered. "I'm sorry, your Majesty. A letter arrived from Dragsa, and Prince Patrick hurt his knee while playing. He's on his way here.""Dragsa...," Katherine muttered and stretched out a hand to take it. "I wonder what they want. They were very quiet in the latter years."Lowering her head, she took a glance at the paper. Instantly, her brows furrowed, later followed by a deep sigh. "I almost expected it. What a shame."Her gaze wandered to the west, in the direction of
How to Make the Ice Prince Fall Glass and Obsidian
For once, the third wall belonging to the palace let nobles and commoners alike pass. They flooded in in masses and coagulated on the streets and the grass field before the dome. Everywhere, where they could hope to catch a little glimpse of what was about to happen in the throne hall.In front of the dome, Nathaniel dismounted and reached his hand out to Katherine to help her off as well. For a second, Katherine remembered how Pete helped her when she mounted Bell for the first time, and her smile grew shaky. Pete and Jack. One retired after suffering grievous wounds, and the other fell in battle when the undead attacked the palace to free the Queen, Emilian, and Helmina.The burial was in the time of Katherine's long travel back but she and Nathaniel visited the grave two days ago. Still, she could not believe that her funny, one-eyed companion was truly gone. It was delusional but she could not shake the thought that if only she'd been at the Capital, her power might have saved him
How to Make the Ice Prince Fall Parade
Weeks later, the couple reached the Capital and was welcomed with much tom-tom. Aston, it seemed, was back on his feet. The new scar parting his right brow even suggested that his exaggerated description of a battle with the best undead swordsman in history might be more than just bragging. Infuriatingly, however, the scar made him even more handsome, and he confidently put it on display at any opportunity he got. Especially in front of the ladies.Shortly after their return, King William officially announced his retirement in favor of his nephew. Though the commoners were confused at Nathaniel's sudden emergence, the prepared aristocrats soon placated them, and the rumors of his activities as the illusive sixth General did the rest.Katherine was surprised to hear that word of her ability had elevated her picture in the icelandic society to somewhat of a saintess. King William obviously prepared on this end as well, and thus nobody dared suggest that a dragsean noble was unfit to be
How to Make the Ice Prince Fall Traveling Home
The ship of the king of the Glaciar Coast was a gigantic vessel with a kind of lofty wretchedness to it. In fact, Katherine thought that the silver ornaments on the dark wood looked like bones, and if the sail had been a bit more tattered, the "Charon" would've been the perfect ghost ship. When she mentioned it to Lady Brandon in jest, the sister of said king laughed out loud."Oh, he'd love to hear that! If his crew wasn't ridiculously superstitious, I bet he'd search the whole ocean floor for a sunken vessel to serve him!""Is that so?" Katherine lifted her brows, perplexed. "Isn't it already enough that it can fly?"Granted, the hovering of the gigantic vessel wasn't completely 'flight' as the ship was only lifted by the water the Glaciar Coast's mages manipulated with much afford. It could also only be implemented for short periods close to a water source. For the unsuspecting viewer, however, it looked exactly as if the ship was flying.It was this practical fea
How to Make the Ice Prince Fall Reunion
Katherine woke up feeling fresh and well-rested. The plush cushions under her head were like soft clouds, and the blanket bore just the right amount of heat. The air smelled of salt and herbs, an unusual but welcoming combination."Hmmm." With a blissful sigh, Katherine stretched. She didn't feel so good since they resided in the hut in the Icelands with King William, his mistress, and son. Did she only dream of that long, arduous journey to a mountain in Dragsa?"You're awake." Her eyes snapped open when she heard that voice. It was undoubtedly the deep timbre of her husband, Nathaniel. And there he was, sitting next to the bed in a cushioned chair, a gentle gaze in his eyes.Eyes that rested strangely deep in his pale face. A face that was bare of the slight smile that sometimes tugged on the corners of his mouth when he looked at her. Instead, he seemed solemn, exhausted, plagued by a deeply hidden sadness that he maybe wanted to hide. Yet to her eyes, his feelings were an open
How to Make the Ice Prince Fall Dark Thoughts and a Cold Heart
Deep satisfaction brought some power to Katherine's exhausted body, yet she did not like the feeling at all. The guilt over hitting an innocent civilian clouded her mind, together with the question if it was the right thing to do. Trapping Ethan in the other dimension was too easy. It didn't feel right.Days and nights she'd dreamed of how to take her revenge, how she would torture him and finally look into his eyes when he died. Now, she'd acted impulsively, and the results were anything but what she imagined. Yet, should she have let the chance slip by?When she'd heard him giving orders, she'd finally stopped in her path because she felt like a coward who ran from the only real battle she'd sworn herself to fight. At first, she only wanted to observe and hid where the canyon's wall stood out a bit, just in earshot of Ethan. But the opportunity was too good. She didn't know how her smart and cunning cousin could act so dumb. It didn't match his usual approach, yet maybe
How to Make the Ice Prince Fall Sandcastle
It was Ethan. He stood just outside the rift, his usual harmless smile on his face, and the hands hidden in the pockets of his dark trousers. "Kitty. Fancy meeting you here."If Katherine had been raised in any lower class than aristocracy, she would've spit in front of his feet. Even so, her face soured as if she'd bitten into a raw lemon. "I don't... fancy it at all."Stepping aside to give the rest of the dark stream free access to the rift, she noticed that Ethan'd brought two helpers who lingered in the back nervously. The white lab coats outed them as researchers. She glanced them up and down and decided not to ask where Ve was. After all that happened today and with her magic nearly depleted, she wanted nothing more than walk away from this whole mess.So, she did just that. Turned around and walked along the canyon that was now almost free of the dark substance.After a second of surprise, Ethan called after her: "Hey, don't you want to know what I'll do with this? Aren't
How to Make the Ice Prince Fall Entering the Rift
Meanwhile, the Duke of Sleipnir got comfortable on the edge of the cave. Shortly after he'd disposed of the corpses by sending them into the rolling dark river below, some of Loki's staff came over. They were shocked to see only one person left in the cave. "Um, your Excellency, where... where is the leader?""Hm?" Ethan turned and blinked. "Oh... he... how should I put this? He was too enthusiasistic when he saw his experiment finally succeed. Look, the brilliant result of all his hard work is below this cliff. He didn't want to wait anymore and took everyone to follow him down. Which might have been the wrong decision, so to say."The staff carefully crept closer to the cliff, and when he saw the darkness below, though it was more a creek than a mighty river now, his eyes widened. "Do you mean to say the leader is...?""Dead." Ethan nodded unemphathetically. "Most likely."Unexpectedly swiftly, the staff got over his shock. For a moment, he pondered, then asked: "But the experiment
How to Make the Ice Prince Fall In the Moonlight
"Ahhh! It hurts! It hurts! You're tearing me apart!" Nathaniel felt the unusual urge to roll his eyes. He never knew that his magic was such a sissy. First, it asked for his help, and now it screamed like a pig on the slaughter bench because of a little pain. And why could it even feel pain? Its body was nothing but insidious black smoke that appeared like a black liquid in its compressed form. There were no tendons, no bones, no flesh, and no nerves - in short, nothing that could hurt. "Shall I stop pulling then?", Nathaniel asked sarcastically in his mind. Well, if that magic of his wanted to go by itself, all the better for him. "No, no, no! Please don't let go! Don't let goo-oo-ouuuuuuch!" It felt like mentally pulling on an elastic band, Nathaniel decided. Somewhere where he couldn't see, something else was pulling the other end, turning the band longer and longer. It got harder for him to hold on with each passing second. Then, with a last loud howl fr
