Prologue: a mother's sacrifice

The poisonous wind blew aggressively against the trees as the sky roared and flashed in anger. The night was cold and darker than black itself. The dark clouds covered every ray of moonlight as she ran through the forest. The woman was tall with white hair, icy blue eyes, and blue lips. She carried a little girl in her arms pressed against her big stomach, running with the wind on her feet.

The ground froze as she ran, looking around with fright. Her life and that of her daughter were in danger and she knew she couldn't save them. She was pregnant, almost nine months, and very weak, yet she ran with her might.

"Cyrus, please answer me," she cried telepathically to her husband, she was met with harsh silence, "Don't worry, baby, you'll be fine," she whispered to the girl in her arms, coming to a stop at a tree. She could hear the barks and feet of her enemies closing in. "We can't both die," she mused, staring at the big willow tree. She walked towards it and with one stomp of her foot, a thick ice column sprouted from the ground, lifting her and the baby off the cold, white ground. She placed her daughter in the tree covered by thick and big leaves then sighed.

"Mommy, what's going on?" She sobbed.

"My beautiful Wynter, they want the cold stone in my heart and your crystal heart. I can never let them take it to her or this world is doomed."

"Who is her?"

"The ice queen, my auntie… I can't explain, I have no time but just promise me you won't move. Stay here and wait for your father or the vessel of the universe, she will explain. Promise me you won't move."

"Mom…"

"Wynter, promise me."

"I won't," the child whispered, "be careful, mommy," the woman looked back, feeling them getting closer.

"I love you, My Wynter, if you see your brother after this, tell him that he will always be my venomous frost and I love him too," she smiled, tears rolling down her cheeks. She kissed her forehead and the ice pillar leveled down.

"I love you too, mom," she whispered and blew her mother a kiss. The woman caught the imaginary kiss and ran off with a much greater speed, using her ice to speed off. The girl sighed as the hundreds of wolves, lycans, and vampires ran past her. She closed her eyes and tried to communicate with her younger twin brother to ask for help. "Frost, can you hear me?" Nothing. She placed her hand on her heart and exhaled. "Frost, I call upon our bond, hear the voice of your cold sister, and answer," she said softly. She felt a sharp pain in her head that made her wince and then his voice.

"Oh thank heavens! Wynter, where are you and mom? Everyone is going crazy trying to find you both," he said worriedly.

"The northern boulders, come find us fast before they kill mom," she cried.

"I'll tell dad now," the link cut off. She heard an explosion, ice spikes flew piercing every single tree in sight but not hers. She couldn't take it, she jumped down from the tree and ran in the direction her mother ran to.

After running for a while, she got closer to the battleground. Her mother stood in the middle of the wide field, ice spikes surrounding her. Her eyes were fully blue and her skin glowed like a mini-moon. If it wasn't for the baby in her womb, she would have transformed into her full form. She let out an ear-deafening scream and a big ice eagle flew out of her body, killing all in its way. She spun her hands in a circle, sending a spiral wave of ice toward her enemies.

She fell to her knees holding her stomach in pain as tears streamed down her cheeks. She murmured a spell quickly as she felt her life slipping away and energy depleting. A lycan picked up one long ice spike and threw it at her. Unable to move, the ice pierces deep into her chest. She cried out but continued with the incantation.

"Finally, Arabel, we have you," the leader of the vampire said tiredly, "take her heart and let's leave before Cyrus gets here," he added clutching his bleeding chest. The woman chanted the final spell out loud and with icy fingers, ripped out her own heart. A little stone glowed from inside and rose in the form of an eagle.

"Get that eagle!" The lycan chief shouted. The eagle flew straight to the little girl who hid behind a tree crying. It slammed into her with force, sending her flying half a mile back. She screamed at the excruciating pain in her heart and body, she felt her soul splitting into two. "There she is!"

The wind suddenly encircled her and formed a massive tornado, trapping her inside, but she was protected by the sharp blades of the wind. The wind took the form of a lady, her hair white as the star, her skin glowing like the moon, and her silver eyes shining brightly. She looked down at the girl and sighed sadly, tears glistening in her beautiful eyes.

"I am not from this reality so I cannot help you completely, but you have made me shed tears. You are too young to face this so sleep and forget for now. You will return and finish what your mother started, you will end the reign of the ice queen. This is my promise to you as the vessel of the universe." She carried the sleeping girl into her arms and disappeared with the wind.