Mirror World

For as long as Alice could remember something had been wrong with her reflection. It moved just a tiny bit too slow, looked just a little too sharp around the edges and from a young age on she knew better than to meet its eyes, keeping her gaze at her reflection’s collarbone and never raising it further. Her reflection’s chin was a tad too far up, as though it wasn’t looking down either.

Once or twice, just as she turned away from the mirror, she swore that for just a brief second she caught her reflection wriggling its fingers at her from the corner of her eye.

She didn’t mention anything to anyone, not after her parents scolded her when she had asked for their help, telling her to stop spouting nonsense. They said that she ought to do something more productive with her creativity than try to scare them.

So Alice buried herself in books and fantastical stories, badgered travelers for tales of their journeys and snuck into the tavern behind her parents backs to ask others about the things they had seen.

Their world had long since lost most of its magic, people told her. The last dragon had been slain by the Church knights a good fifty years ago, its bones mounted in the capital in the grand palace of the king and queen. But while magic was nearly completely gone, it didn’t mean that danger was as well.

It made her dream of daring adventurers and noble warriors as she listened to tall tales about defeating bandits and rescuing princesses. It made her wish she had been born a boy so she could go out into the world to seek adventure herself.

It made her sneak out with the rising sun to badger a local veteran until the man gruffly started to give her pointers that turned into full lessons.

He never told her parents and neither did she. She knew what they would think about such things, how they would scold her and forbid it and tell her that a girl had to spend her time with better, more appropriate things.

But it made her brave and daring when she stole away moments for herself and her dreams. It made it easier to face her reflection, draping a cloth over the top of the mirror so she wouldn’t risk meeting its eyes while still using the mirror.

Not even the wobbly reflection of a lake was safe. Actually, reflective surfaces that weren’t mirrors were the worst. She swore that sometimes she saw things beyond her reflection that didn’t exist in her own world.

A forest of glass trees, a sky filled with stars that made her feel searing cold just by glancing at them. Eternally drifting snow even though the night sky above was clear and cloud free.

Her reflection never spoke to her, never moved in an overly obvious manner, but it tickled along her senses every time. That sense of dread. Like she had something monstrous breathing down her neck, waiting to be looked at. Waiting to devour her whole.

Aside from her reflection, her life was perfectly ordinary. She hid her calluses beneath the gloves her parents were glad to see her wear, for it was currently in fashion for young ladies. She made sure to smile and be pretty and agreeable so they wouldn’t think to investigate how she spent her free time.

If they thought her to be an obedient girl, if they thought she wouldn’t lie to them, that she was perfectly happy to do as they said, she could be free outside her home for a couple of hours here and there.

Her closest friends knew what she was doing when she left the house at the first hint of dawn, sneaking back home two hours later just in time to greet her parents as they woke up and they kept her confidence.

Her friends though, soon started to groan and grumble over the tea parties they had to attend as their parents tried to find good matches for them for they were at an age to get married off. While most of them remained unenthusiastic, slowly, some of them started to look excited.

Alice was happy for those who liked their matches, listening as they described the person they had gone on a fifth walk with in two weeks, the letters and secret little gifts they exchanged. For the friends who weren’t happy, she offered what distractions she could.

She snuck them out to go dancing at the tavern and at festivals, leaving books and other little gifts tucked into their coat pockets on the way home so their parents wouldn’t know their children read those raunchy, exciting novels that they scoffed at.

Life was mostly good, if at times a little hectic.

Until her parents sat her down to discuss her marriage with her.

„You’re old enough now,“ her father said, calm and certain. „We have a good family name and we’ll choose someone to further our business.“

„There is no greater honor,“ her mother added, all prim and proper. „Oh dear, don’t look so surprised, surely you didn’t think you’d be the only one of your friends who wouldn’t get married?“

Her parents hadn’t mentioned marriage even once in the past and Alice realized that this was one of those things they considered so matter of fact they hadn’t seen the need to bring the topic up before.

„What if I want to choose who I marry?“ she asked and her parents hummed, thoughtful.

„You can, of course, bring up someone you’d like us to consider,“ her father allowed. „However, please be certain that he comes from a reputable family, we will not let you squander our hard earned fortune on an errand boy.“

Alice had no such person in mind, especially not someone they would consider worthy. She didn’t wish to get married to a stranger either. She enjoyed her freedom, to have her life and time to herself and to go out dancing until she was dizzy with how many times she spun around. To visit the old veteran who never went easy on her but treated her with gruff kindness all the same.

She had seen what happened to many married couples – married women especially – once the knot was tied. There were expectations, no more parties, no more going  wherever one liked. Decorum had to be maintained, women deferring to their husbands and, within a year usually, a child was born.

The thought of having to bear a child made her feel vaguely ill. Children were fine, they were cheerful little bundles that sometimes were quite snot covered, but she didn’t mind them. She just didn’t want one herself.

She tried to protest, carefully selecting her words, but her parents refused her sharply. She was to get married and that was the end of it.

She stood in her room an hour later, feeling the hot well of tears in her eyes, a downright angry helplessness looming ahead of her as she thought of her parents‘ expectations. Her hands empty where she had once held the reins of her own future. Only, she had never truly held them, had just been given a few years to do as she liked, her future always held in her parents‘ hands.

A movement from the corner of her eye made her startle and she glanced over, only to still. Her reflection was beckoning her over and it...it was and wasn’t her reflection.

It looked like her on the surface, but the nails looked just a tiny bit too long, the skin a little bit too smooth, the curled fingers hinting at a power she could only dream of having.

Never before, not once for as long as she could remember, had her reflection done something so obvious. She found herself stepping closer, keeping her gaze lowered as she lifted the cloth far enough to reveal half of her reflection’s face.

„Do you want to be set free?“ the reflection asked and while it was her voice, it had a strangely musical quality to it, reminding her of people trailing fingers long the rims of glasses to create melodies.

Alice lifted her gaze a little further and bit back a gasp. Her room was no longer reflected in the mirror, instead there was that glass forest again with the icy stars above, everything covered in thick snow.

„I’ve watched you for so many years,“ her reflection said, all sweet and soft and kind and it rang wrong in the very marrow of her bones. „Such a smart girl, don’t you think you deserve better? A life of your own that no one but you controls?“ Her reflection leaned closer and Alice hurriedly lowered the cloth a little bit to ensure their eyes couldn’t possibly meet. „Don’t you want to see magic?“

She did, was the thing. She wanted everything the reflection offered, but she had also read enough stories to know better than to think it was that easy. There was always a price to be paid.

Her reflection smiled and it looked too sharp, the hint of teeth revealed were too white. „You are of course, right to be suspicious,“ her reflection said, still so sweet and soft and kind and she wondered if this was what she sounded like when she spoke with people while she acted perfectly polite and proper. „I do require a little price to be paid.“

„What is it?“ Alice found herself asking, leaning a little forward. Cold radiated from the mirror, but it didn’t chill her the same way the frost in her world did. Instead it felt...refreshing. She wanted to breathe it in until it suffused every fiber of her being, setting her free like a wild north wind.

„A day in your shoes,“ her reflection said, holding out a hand as though she might reach out to touch it. „Nothing more and nothing less.“

A day of trading places. A day in a world of glass trees and ice stars and eternal snow to be...set free. To touch magic. It sounded too good to be true, but Alice found she wanted to take that deal. She wanted to take it more than anything else if it meant she could finally be fully in control of her own life.

„What will you do if we trade places? And answer me truthfully,“ she demanded, making sure to keep her voice down so her parents wouldn’t come investigate. Her reflection’s smile grew a tad.

„I want to walk a world of warmth,“ it answered. „Soak up the sunlight, sit at your table and eat your hot food and drink your sweet wine and fill myself to the core with it all, so when I return, the cold will melt beneath my touch.“

It sounded reasonable, she had to admit. She wouldn’t mind sharing what she had, to give up a few meals and some nice drinks. A day of her life was nothing in the grand scheme of things. It was nothing compared to a life of servitude and empty, polite smiles and not knowing whether or not to resent her husband and parents for taking everything she wanted from her.

Her husband could give her all the books he wanted, all the fighting lessons he wanted, at the end of the day, he was the one who held the reins of her life. Who could drag her wherever he wanted, like a collared dog.

„Just one day?“ she asked and her reflection’s smile turned into a grin, the chill radiating from the mirror spilling forth until she swore she saw frost appear along the wooden frame.

„We will trade places from sunrise to sunset,“ her reflection offered. „The moment you see the sun set we trade places again.“

Was this deal truly too good to be true? She would trade some parts of her life – not even a full day – and some heat for magic and freedom. Maybe her reflection thought the same thing, maybe the heat of her home meant something more than she realized in that world of eternal night and snow and glass trees.

„You will hurt no one in my world and no one in yours can harm me,“ Alice said and the reflection pressed its hand against the other side of the mirror.

„Yes,“ it answered and Alice hesitated just one more moment, before she took a deep breath and pressed her hand against glass so cold it should have hurt but instead it just felt refreshing. Like the cold opened up her lungs and made her breathe in more than mere air. A taste of something more filled her mouth.

A sudden pain in her palm made her flinch back and she stared wide-eyed at the thin, shallow cut, a few beads of blood oozing forth. She snapped her gaze towards the mirror to see that her reflection was bleeding as well. Only what welled forth from its palm was pale pink and half translucent.

„A deal made and accepted and sealed in blood,“ it said and she pressed her lips together, not protesting. If it bound her reflection to her conditions, it was...alright.

„Could have warned me,“ she muttered and her reflection laughed, tinkling like tiny silver bells she had once seen sold by traveling merchants from the capital.

„The sun is setting soon,“ her reflection whispered. „Once it rises once more, come here.“

„Alright,“ she whispered back and then there was silence, her reflection acting as always. A little strange, a little unsettling, a tiny bit too slow in following her movements.

When she glanced up as she reached for the cloth, she saw the wide grin stretched across her reflection’s lips, the cut on her palm throbbing. She lowered the cloth again and went to bandage her hand before she started to make preparations. Just because the cold spilling from the mirror didn’t bother her meant it would remain that way once she reached the other side.

By the time the sun began to set she was ready, clad in warm winter boots, a fur lined cloak thrown over her shoulder and a bag packed on her back, with food and something to drink, a lantern tied to it and candles stashed away in wrapped paper, along with flint and stone. She had a dagger hidden on her person, something the old veteran had helped her pick out and had taught her to fight with.

Her reflection pressed a hand to the other side of the mirror. „Come here.“

She approached, her heart in her throat and her fingertips brushed over the concealed dagger before she took a deep breath and lifted her hand. This time the cold mirror wavered and then she felt it, the press of skin against hers, utterly devoid of warmth.

Her reflection grinned sharply and pressed forward and Alice felt at once like she got pulled and like she pushed herself, the world around her twisting and turning until it felt like she tumbled, her warm room turning into a flurry of snow that she fell into with a gasp.

She felt the cold wind, felt the freezing snow, but none of it could leech the warmth from her. When she glanced down, her eyes widened. There was the faintest hint of a golden glow on her skin, something she had to focus on to really see it. Like warmth illuminated her from within.

Sitting up, she turned to glance at the mirror and saw it floating in front of her and for the first time, she met her reflection’s eyes. They were pools of compassionless, terrible black and now that she met its eyes it stopped looking like her.

It was still modeled after her, she realized, but it was too strange, too sharp and too long-limbed and thin and shadows clung to the folds of its dress far too much.

„I knew waiting until you finally needed me was a good call,“ her reflection mused, reaching up to undo the cloak clasp, letting it fall to the ground. Alice’s own cloak didn’t move an inch. „Don’t worry, I will be back for you.“

And then the mirror frosted over and shattered, the pieces piercing the snow, dull and reflectionless and Alice stared at them, a sudden horror gripping her tightly.

She had never once seen this cold world in daylight, not in all the years she had been alive. The stars were ever present, night a constant companion.

The frost on the mirror refused to budge as she hastily tried to rub it off and she only succeeded in cutting her palms up more. At last she sat back, her blood gleaming ruby red in the snow as she stared at the ruined, useless mirror.

She wouldn’t be able to see the sun rise like this. She was stuck in this world until her reflection came back for her.

...like fuck was she going to just sit around and wait. Shoving to her feet, she brushed the snow off of her cloak and dress, took off her backpack and grabbed the largest mirror piece to tie to her pack before she shouldered it once more and started walking. This couldn’t be the only damned mirror around, but just in case it was, she was going to take a piece with her.

The forest was silent in a way that felt wrong. Not because something seemed to linger here, hiding in the shadows, but because there was nothing. An absence of life. As though anything that had once held a pulse and presence had gotten...devoured.

Likely by her mirror-self.

She had no idea how long she walked, but her entire body ached and was covered in sweat, her breath fogging heavily in front of her face, when she saw the first sign of life. An owl, nailed to a tree with frosty mirror shards. Blood was frozen down the tree and snow was covering the rather big bird.

She flinched back, averting her gaze and she was about to move on when one wing twitched. It was...it was still alive? How? She lurched forward with a gasp, her hands hovering, bandaged in little strips of fabric she had torn off of her underskirts.

A traveling doctor, glad for a captive audience for his tales, had once told her not to remove foreign objects. It could risk nicking an artery or it could leave an artery open that had previously been plugged closed by said object.

But there was no one else around and the owl looked...done. Maybe it was the only kindness she could offer, a faster death than whatever slow and creeping thing this was.

„I’m sorry,“ she whispered as she reached out. To her surprise the shard dislodged easily, ice attempting to bite into her fingers, only to meet the warmth living beneath her skin and be held at bay.

Alice did her best to be gentle as she removed the shard and then she stood there, with a large owl cradled in her arms and no idea what to do next. But even as minutes slowly ticked by, the bird kept on breathing, blood slowly starting to leak out, like it was growing warm in her arms.

She ripped a few more strips from her underskirt and bound up the owl’s chest and continued on her journey with her nearly-dead companion. It felt cruel to leave it behind in the snow. Once it took its last breath, she could bury it somewhere.

But the owl kept on breathing and slowly, against all odds, it seemed to heal. It shifted to turn towards her and she tucked it beneath her cloak, wondering just what she was doing, but unable to leave the bird behind.

When she tripped over a root hidden under snow and she stumbled down to her knees, she shifted to lean back against a tree trunk, feeling exhausted. Snow started to drift down even though the stars remained visible above and she watched her breath fog in front of her.

She should get up, but she was so exhausted and she also couldn’t feel the cold seeping past her skin. Sowly her eyes drifted shut as she sat curled around the big owl.

Alice had no idea how long she slept until suddenly something in her lap shifted and grew heavy and when she felt fingertips smooth along her temple, brushing cold wetness away, she blinked her eyes open.

For a moment she sleepily looked up at a young man, his eyes filled with stars, his hair long and the color of moonlight on still lakes. A cloak of gray and white owl feathers spilled across his shoulders, his ears a tad longer than hers and pointy, glimmering silver jewelry hanging from it.

Then her eyes widened and she recoiled, knocking her head back against the glass tree and she hissed, kicking out her legs and giving the stranger a shove. He fell to the side with a yelp of pain, then laid in the snow, groaning and curled up, his face drawn in pain. Blood beaded out from where he pressed his fingers to his chest.

„Who are you?“ Alice gasped out, shuffling a step or two away from the stranger, only to realize that her arms were empty. She looked around hurriedly, but she couldn’t see the owl anywhere. „Where is my owl?“

„Yours?“ the stranger rasped, slowly sitting up and she watched as he started to shiver in the cold. „Are you sure you want to lay a claim like that? We don’t take such a thing lightly here, sunwalker.“

Alice stared at him, at his feather cloak and suddenly things fell into place. „You’re the owl?“ Her voice sounded half incredulous and half wondering and he sat up a little more to sketch a stiff, clearly painful attempt at a bow.

„Prince of feathers and stars, at your service,“ he said. „And I believe I owe you my life, do you wish to claim it as payment?“

„No,“ Alice gasped out, horrified at the very thought. „Absolutely not!“ When he opened her mouth, she sharply held up a hand, „Let me think, please.“

They sat in silence for a moment as her pounding heart calmed down and then she realized how she was speaking with a prince. He didn’t seem upset, just sat in the snow, shivering and bleeding a little, looking kind of worn down.

Well, she didn’t really need her own cloak, she wasn’t getting cold and it was kind of heavy. Opening the clasp at her throat, she pulled it off her shoulders and shuffled forward. The prince was slow to respond, but he stilled when she draped the fur lined cloak over him.

„Oh,“ he breathed out, bloodied hands rising to clutch at it. „It’s so warm.“ He glanced at her, lashes long and thick and his eyes full of stars. Stars that weren’t searing cold like the ones in the sky above. „Are you certain you wish to share?“

„Yeah,“ she answered. „The cold doesn’t bother me. How’re your wounds?“

„Healing,“ he said, tension slowly easing out of him as he wrapped her cloak around himself as much as possible. Strangely enough, the warmth seemed to do more than just chase his shivers away.

The pain started to disappear from his face, an almost shimmering flush appearing on his cheeks and he gave his chest a careful pat. „You not only saved my life, but gave me your warmth so I can heal, how can I ever repay such kindness?“

„I need to see the sun rise,“ she said. „Or I’ll never be able to go home.“

His expression of regret gave his answer away even before he opened his mouth, „These lands are never changing. We are the night lands, where stars and the moon reign supreme.“

So the sun was neither rising nor setting and all she had left was a piece of frosted over mirror. Was she really forced to wait until her reflection came back for her? How long would that take? Would she return home to find that everyone she had ever known had died of old age?

Would she herself wither away the second she walked through the mirror again, the time she had spent in this world of eternal night catching up with her all at once?

She bit back the urge to cry, exhaling heavily and she was glad when the prince said nothing about how her inhale hitched once, briefly.

„How did you end up in this world?“ he asked, leaning forward a little, his gaze full of quiet compassion. „The last time a sunwalker was here, I wasn’t even born yet and our kingdom hasn’t seen one of your kind since.“

Had people been able to travel through mirrors before? Maybe back before the last dragon had been slain, when magic had still been a wild, free force in the world. Before it had slowly died, getting suffocated and snuffed out by people who feared it too much to let it exist.

There wasn’t much to say, but she still told the prince her story and he listened quietly, cozily wrapped up in her cloak. She did notice the way he had shifted the collar of the cloak up a bit to press the soft fur against his cheeks.

„Are there other people?“ she asked after she told him that she had gotten tricked by her reflection, staring up at the sky and the thick snowflakes that still drifted down, while not a single cloud was in sight.

It reminded her of the snow globe a friend had once bought from a traveling glass maker, shaking the little creation so the white flakes within swirled around, falling slowly over a child playing with a dog in the painted-on snowy bottom.

„They should all be asleep,“ the prince answered, looking past her into the dark of the glass forest. „Years ago, a sorceress attacked and she stole a part of the cold heart of our world, so our magic couldn’t harm her, our blades couldn’t reach her.“

His expression was solemn and distant. „My father came up with a curse for the entire kingdom. To turn everyone to ice and snow until she was defeated. I volunteered to distract her, to keep her away until the spell was completed.“

He glanced at her, the stars in his eyes glittering. „I was dying, so very slowly, when she left me pinned to that tree. I thought it would be over.“ His voice was soft and filled with a quiet ache. „Until suddenly, there was warmth again.“

So Alice and the prince were the only two people left in this world? At least, at this moment it seemed to be the case.

„I’m glad I could help,“ Alice said and she meant it. She was glad to have been of use, though it was also a huge coincidence that she had stumbled across the prince, pinned to the tree as an owl. Well, it was either that or it had been fate.

The prince smiled at her, looking downright sweet, before the smile disappeared again and something more grim and solemn settled over him. „The sorceress will return,“ he whispered. „And when she does, full of warmth, all my people will melt away.“

„Why does she want to destroy your kingdom anyway?“ Alice asked, shuffling to sit more comfortably in the snow, tugging at her skirts to keep them from getting caught under her boots.

„Because then she can finish devouring everything,“ the prince answered. „We protect the heart of this world and once we are gone, it is hers for the taking.“ He glanced at her. „I believe once she accomplished that, she will go to your world next and eat its heart too.“

Alice wondered if her home’s heart was the sun in the sky or if it was something else. If it was all the plants and water and air. Or maybe, if it was whatever magic was still left alive somewhere, hidden away to be kept safe.

She stared at the churned up snow around her where she had been shuffling about, the prince kneeling less than an arm’s length away from her. Then she inhaled and sat up straighter.

„The sorceress will have to come back,“ she said. „She mentioned as much and when she does, we’ll have to be ready for her.“

The prince lifted his head, surprised, his long hair shimmering as he moved to look at her. „You would aid me?“ he asked, voice soft and full of wonder. „After all you have already done for me? Even though this is not your world, not your home?“

„Yes,“ she answered. „Because she would threaten my home too, wouldn’t she?“ Her brows furrowed. „I also do not appreciate being tricked and used as a pawn.“

„I understand.“ The prince got to his feet with a quiet grace that Alice had never seen before, the sort of smooth elegance that she thought was reserved solely for fiction and tall tales. And magical beings. He held out his hand, his smile sweet and hopeful. „Will you join me?“

She took it, his skin cool but not cold and his hand was elegant, almost delicate looking, but he pulled her up effortlessly, as though she weighed nothing.

„My home lies this way,“ he said, gesturing off to the side. „Allow me to host you as we plan.“

„Gladly,“ Alice said and deep down she had to admit that she was a little excited to see what his home looked like in this place of eternal night.

They walked on and this time, it was as though with every step, the forest rushed past them faster and faster and it was only when she glanced at the prince that she realized it was his doing.

He was glowing, ever so faintly, as though the moon illuminated him from within, snow brushing past him and the two cloaks he wore billowing out, his feet not sinking into the snow as he walked.

And then they arrived, at a sprawling town, almost a city really, of white and blue houses, as if they had been carved from ice and glass and beyond it, rising like it had emerged straight out of a story book, was a gleaming white and silver castle, majestic and big.

The tips of its many towers looked like they were decorated with the burning cold stars above and now she saw a moon as well and it looked like it had been placed, ever so gently and carefully, at the tip of the tallest tower, balancing there precariously.

„Welcome to my home,“ the prince said with a smile. „I fear I won’t be able to offer you the greeting you deserve, but we should be more comfortable as we wait.“

He led the way down the main road, but for all that Alice was staring around in awe, noticing that the glassy white of the houses that had looked like ice at first was wood and the blue-hued walls were made of some kind of cut stone.

She had so many questions about this world, but she shelved them for the time being. Right up until she glanced at the prince and she noticed how solemn he was, how quiet longing and grief clouded his starry gaze as he took in the empty city.

„Tell me about this world,“ she requested, hoping to distract him. „I am so very curious.“

He did perk up at that and as they walked towards the castle, he answered all her questions, told her about the cold mines where they got their stones from. Apparently they were made by the heart of the world bleeding through the earth every couple of centuries to take care of her people.

The palace was empty and silent when they entered it at last, the prince easily pulling open gigantic double doors made of glassy wood and covered in carvings and delicately crafted metal, making it look as though silver-white flowers were growing and blooming up the doors.

They decided to plan in the kitchen, where the prince brought out fruit that had an icy shell, with color shimmering beneath. The fruit cracked open easily, like the frozen surface of puddles, revealing an almost blood red interior, seeds the size of her thumb awaiting, gleaming like rubies. It tasted of spring and joy and the eager gladness to have warmth return after a too long winter.

She offered the food she had brought along in return, sandwiches she had made and the bag of nuts along with a bag of cookies and the prince was all too eager for it. The more he ate from her food, the more he seemed to glow, a faint shine of gold appearing under his skin.

He kept glancing at her with every other bite, like he couldn’t believe that she was real, that she was truly offering him this. Alice had to admit that she felt much the same way. Each fruit he handed her tasted different, some spilling forth a deep blue juice and others shimmering golden. Others again were black and stained her fingertips like ink.

They all tasted wondrous and downright breathtaking.

„She will not stay gone for long,“ the prince said once Alice admitted to the deal she had made with the sorceress between bites. „She has to return to uphold her end of the deal, or all the heat she stole from your world will flee her body to return to where she got it from.“

That was reassuring, Alice had to admit. She placed the big shard she had taken along on the table and the prince stared at it, tracing along its edges, her blood frozen onto it, red like rubies.

„This is a very precious mirror,“ he said softly. „One of the relics of old, brought here and left behind by one of the first sunwalkers.“ He smiled. „It will reassemble here, where the biggest piece is, which will allow us to prepare for her return.“

„Then let’s get to it,“ she said and he grinned at her, gaze dark and full of stars and his lips revealed that his teeth were a little sharper than hers, fangs visible.

*.*.*

It indeed didn’t take long at all before the shard began to shift and then it drifted up. The prince hurriedly threw all doors open, allowing the rest of the mirror pieces to hurtle through the air unhindered.

He had shed her coat by now and as soon as the shards started to reassemble themselves, all the cracks and breaks smoothing away, he grabbed his feather cloak and turned into a swift circle, his form shrinking and collapsing and wings spreading. He took flight a moment later, a huge owl that flew silent circles above.

Alice took a deep breath, fingertips ghosting over the dagger she had hidden on her person and she made sure to keep her gaze lowered as the mirror cleared and she saw her reflection again.

Only, it looked even less like her, the edges of her reflection sharp enough to cut flesh and darker than a lightless night.

„The sun is setting,“ her reflection said and it was true, the light spilling through the window in her room behind it was a dark gold. Her reflection held out a hand. „I hope you will forgive me for that little trick, I just needed a day more than I offered initially.“

So two days had passed since they had traded places. Alice had no idea what her reflection, what the sorceress, had done in her home while she had been here, planning and prepping.

She was sure to grow tired soon, however and a part of her, no matter how scared and nervous she was about this encounter, was glad that it happened now rather than later when she would be dead on her feet.

Her reflection beckoned and then grew impatient. „Come here, girl,“ it said. „Don’t you want to go home? Don’t you want magic and freedom?“

It tickled at her, ever so briefly, that longing to be in control of her own life. To have magic, no matter how little of it she would get. Even if all she’d be able to do was light a candle with a snap of her fingers, it would still be amazing.

She wanted that, but she wanted to stop the sorceress more. To know this wondrous winter world would be safe – that her own would be safe in return.

„I actually like it here quite a bit,“ she said. „I don’t think I want to go back.“

Her reflection sighed, shifting briefly to glance off to the side where Alice knew her room had a window. The sun was setting and if the sorceress wanted to uphold and fulfill the deal, they had to trade places before the light was gone.

„Stubborn child,“ her reflection muttered and reached out and Alice felt her heart leap into her throat as the mirror cracked outward, a hand pushing through.

The moment the sorceress stepped through the mirror, she lost all resemblance with Alice, but those black, heartless eyes remained. She was tall and thin, all sharp nails and sharp teeth and a terrible cold spilled forth from her. But just beneath her skin, Alice could see a faint golden glow, the heat and light she must’ve stolen from her home world to bring back here.

To melt all the snow and ice to kill the people the king had tried so hard to save.

Alice took a step back while the sorceress stepped forward, black robes shifting and glimmering as though covered in crushed crystals. Around her neck hung a crystal the size of her palm and it pulsed faintly with frosty coldness.

This must be the piece of the heart she had stolen.

The sorceress reached out, only for the prince to swoop down, half transforming mid-dive. Gray and white wings flared out as she just barely dodged his claws and a blast of magic made him tumble back to the ground.

He smoothly rolled with the momentum, springing back up and grinning at her. „I’m not as weak as I was last time,“ he said and the moonlight glow under his skin was a little brighter, threaded through with gold. „I was gifted warmth, while you had to take it.“

The sorceress snarled, rage written across a face that might have been beautiful if not for the greedy, angry hunger written across it. She wanted everything the prince had, she wanted his power, the warmth Alice had given him with her cloak and food and by holding him, carrying him away from the tree he had been nailed to.

She carefully kept away as they fought, spells flinging through the air and the prince dodging, wings flaring and he managed to make the sorceress bleed, blood that looked like a weeping, old wound, half pink and half translucent.

Right up until the sorceress reached for the crystal around her neck, fingernails easily chipping off a sliver that grew large in her hand. The prince’s eyes grew wide and Alice watched as he tried to get away, turning into an owl once more, but the sorceress released the shard and Alice was too far from them to do something.

It zipped through the air, faster than an arrow and burrowed into the prince’s chest, slamming him into the wall of the hall they were in, nailing him in place much like he had been nailed to that glass tree.

Exhaling sharply and straightening, the sorceress turned to Alice. „I can’t believe I had to give up another sliver for that brat. Now, be a good girl and go back home.“

„No,“ Alice whispered. „I won’t, no matter what.“

„Suit yourself.“ The sorceress sounded more annoyed than anything else and she flicked out her fingers, magic sparking. Alice flinched back, squeezing her eyes shut, arms rising in front of her as though that would stop anything – the spell turned to dust around her.

„What,“ the sorceress said, black, remorseless eyes widening in surprise and then they grew even wider with realization. Alice, too, realized what had happened a moment later.

It was part of the deal, her deal. No one in this world could harm her.

„Oh, clever little girl,“ the sorceress hissed, stalking forward. „I admit I forgot about that pesky tidbit, but no matter. As long as I drag you through that mirror, I still win.“

Alice glanced past her very quickly. The sun stood low in the mirror, in her room back home. The shadows were long and dark and grew ever more. The prince had kept the sorceress so busy, time had slipped past them all like trickling water. Just a little longer and the sun would be gone. Just a little longer.

She quickly backed up right up until her back hit a wall and then she swiftly started scooting along the side, the sorceress following her with big steps, the annoyance on her face growing and becoming something truly pissed off.

„So much trouble,“ she hissed as she took two quick steps to come within reach, but Alice was ready for it. If nothing else, she would do her best to buy time and make her teacher back home proud.

Her dagger flashed through the air, drawn quickly, its sharp blade cutting across the sorceress’s fingers, who flinched back with a howl. Alice’s breath caught in her chest as she saw the wounds gleaming like hot coals, blood sizzling and bubbling where it touched the surface. Her dagger shone as though illuminated by sunlight, warm and bright.

The sorceress was moaning and backing up, staring at Alice with wide eyes. There was a flash of fear before it got drowned out by anger.

„Oh, you wretched bitch,“ the sorceress gasped out, half curled over her hand. „How dare you.“

The sorceress’s eyes were darting around like she was trying to find a solution. Alice realized that she had no idea how to fight without her magic, how to get past the dagger Alice held in front of herself, grip steady even as her heart was pounding frantically in her chest.

And time was running out, the sun was setting, only a sliver of light remained in the mirror. With a howl of desperation the sorceress lunged forward, but this time Alice no longer felt frightened and she wasn’t going to run. She side-stepped her smoothly, bringing the dagger around and up, slashing across her front and through the necklace holding the crystal.

The delicate silver-white chain shattered like frost breaking under a flash of heat and the sorceress flinched back with a howl, nearly collapsing and that searing glow of hot coals across her chest distracted her long enough for Alice to catch the crystal.

„No,“ the sorceress shrieked, trying to claw at her, but her hands slipped off of Alice’s arm like warm butter melting in the sun and she hurriedly backed up.

Alice watched the sorceress and kept the mirror in the corner of her eye as she quickly walked backwards towards the prince. The sorceress staggered fully upright again, gaze manic and with true desperation, as she tried to cast spell after spell, each one turning to dust and nothing, Alice standing there unharmed and untouched.

The last of the light faded from the mirror in that moment and with it, she watched the golden glow of warmth vanish from the sorceress, who suddenly looked terrified and hunted.

With a snarl she turned into a flurry of icy winds, vanishing from sight, fleeing as fast as her wounded state allowed. Her heart pounding, Alice waited a moment longer before she lunged for the prince, pulling the shard from his body and carefully catching him as he fell. His breathing was ragged and the blood that had spilled forth had frozen down the wall and along the edges of his feathers.

„We won,“ she whispered as she cradled him close and warily peered around, as though the sorceress was going to appear again at any moment.

„Should we let her get away?“ she asked quietly and with a long exhale that turned into a groan, the prince transformed back in her arms. She grunted in surprise at his sudden weight, hurriedly sinking down with him. She was certainly not strong enough to carry him.

„Let her,“ he rasped out, a grin on his lips even as pain was written plain as day across his face. „She has lost.“ He reached for the crystal Alice was holding and she only now realized that it felt like a thousand deep, long winters in her palm, like endless ice and howling blizzards and cold nights so clear all the stars glittered in the sky.

She handed it over without protest and the prince shivered and sighed, the wound closing up fast as though a part of its power was soaking into him. When he shifted upright, this time she offered him a hand and he took it, starry gaze bright and glad and wondering as he looked at her.

His grip on the crystal, on the shard of a heart, tightened. „Let me return this to its rightful place,“ he said quietly. „And then I can introduce you to my parents. Allow us to thank you before you go home.“

„Alright,“ Alice said softly and he smiled, sweet and bright and edged in the warmth that still lived under his skin, tangled with the soft glow of cold and moonlight.

„Follow me,“ he said and she did, dagger still clutched in her hand and she peered back at the mirror to find it floating there, showing off her room that was now bathed in darkness, the sun gone. Oh, it seemed now that the sorceress had lost all that stolen power, the mirror was hers to use.

The prince led the way down a winding staircase. Down and down until they reached another large double door, this one decorated even more beautifully than the entrance door to the castle. He opened it and beyond it laid a massive cavern and within, a heart like a mountain, snowy and icy, rivers spilling forth from it and running back into it through holes in the stone above, waterfalls pouring onto the heart.

The heart of this world was incredibly beautiful and she watched as the prince pressed the crystal against its snowy surface until it vanished. A shiver went through the air and the waters pouring forth started to gleam and glitter, a faint glow illuminating the entire cavern and the prince closed his eyes, inhaling deeply. A smile spread over his face, so glad, so relieved it nearly made her tear up.

Then he sprang to his feet, turning to her, his sweet smile growing into a grin full of excitement and eagerness. „They’re returning.“

He held out his hand and she took it without hesitation. This time the stairs rushed past them much like the forest had, the prince glowing faintly, though he did not release her hand until he reached the landing and pushed the door open and suddenly there was light and life everywhere.

People poured forth, excited and beautiful, their hair various shades of white and silver and cold, icy blue, their eyes filled with stars. It was rather overwhelming, if Alice was being honest and then the king and queen pushed through the group of gathered nobles and castle staff and they swept their son up in a big, relieved hug.

He hugged them back just as tightly before he took a step back and reached out to her. „Mother, father, allow me to introduce you to the sunwalker who saved us all.“

Alice, thankfully, didn’t have to say much, the prince was more than happy to regale the entire tale to all the eagerly listening ears and the king and queen, dressed in finery so wondrous Alice was sure not even story book writers could have been able to describe it, crystals and gems and pearls shimmering like ice and stars, the fabric and embroidery in shades blue and white and silver and as they moved, the fabric glittered like snow on a clear, sunny day.

„Allow us to throw a feast in your honor,“ the king said while the queen stepped forward, taking Alice’s hands in her own, her gaze full of grateful warmth.

The queen added, „To celebrate our victory and you for your aid. For saving our son’s life.“

„The sorceress is still out there,“ Alice couldn’t help but point out and the queen laughed, bright and cheery and beautiful.

„We will have hunted her down before the first dish gets served,“ she said and her smile was sharp and dark and edged in something dangerous. „My magic is already seeking for her. There is nowhere she can hide and without stolen power, she cannot win.“

„But enough of that,“ the king said, stepping forward to place a big, cool but kind hand on her shoulder. His gaze was just as kind. „What do you wish for, in return for everything you did?“

„Can I visit again?“ she asked without much thought. The thought of never seeing this world again, to live on as though her adventure here had been nothing more than a particularly vivid and fancy dream, sat wrong with her.

„You will always be welcome,“ the king promised. „But, is that all?“ At her nod, his gaze gentled. „Then we will give you everything you could ask for whenever you are here.“

He stepped back, his wife giving her hands a gentle squeeze, her palms and fingers just as cool as her husband’s, as their son’s. Alice found herself swept up by the retinue of the king and queen then as they turned to give orders to their people, to tell everyone to get ready for a celebration.

Alice found herself laced into a dress so beautiful it stole her breath away, the fabric cool against her skin, glowing ever so faintly with cold and moonlight. It shimmer and glittered like ice and snow and when she turned, the skirts flared out like snowflakes swirling in strong winter winds.

The banquet was beautiful and the dishes even more wondrous than what the prince had shared with her. He was only too eager to ensure she got to try everything, each bite feeling refreshing and fresh, like it was suddenly easier to breathe, like her body was waking up more and more despite how late it got.

Then the music started, melodies mesmerizing and captivating and the prince offered his hand. She gladly took it and found herself swept into dance after dance, the two of them soon laughing as they just had fun, since she knew none of the steps of their traditional dances and neither did he know how to waltz.

When she at last did feel too tired to stay, the prince accompanied her to the hall where the mirror floated, her dark bedroom waiting beyond.

„I know you asked for nothing,“ he said as they stopped in front of the mirror and he briefly glanced at it as though he wondered what she was seeing. As though he couldn’t see her warm room waiting beyond. „But allow me to give you a gift anyway.“

„Alright,“ she said, curious, and he tugged her closer with a smile, leaning in. He pressed a cool kiss to her cheek that made her skin tingle, a pleasant little shiver going down her spine.

„Come visit us soon,“ he said as he stepped back again, still holding her hand, gaze bright and the stars in his eyes glittering. „There is so much I wish to show you now that everything and everyone is safe once more.“

„Two days,“ Alice said. „I will be back on the weekend.“

He gave her hands a squeeze before he let go. „I will wait for you.“

When Alice reached for the mirror, it gave easily beneath her hand. It felt a little like pushing her way through thin ice, warmth awaiting on the other side. The moment she had stepped through the mirror, belatedly realizing that she still wore that wondrous dress, magic rushed through her and a gasp escaped her.

Magic and freedom. The prince had gifted her what she had wanted more than anything else and she whirled around to turn towards the mirror, to see him smiling at it, warm and sweet, a faint golden glow lingering under his skin.

He bowed to the mirror before he left, a little pep in his steps and then she was laughing and pressing her hands to her face, sinking to the floor as tears started to fill her eyes.

Magic and freedom. She was free.

*.*.*

Her parents never again spoke of marriage nor did they ever again remind her how she ought to act in public. What a young lady ought to wear or do or say or who she should be seen with.

The magic she had been given was nothing so obvious or fantastical as in the stories, it was quiet, cool magic that flowed as easy as breathing under her skin. It allowed her to mend cracks and rips with a glide of her fingertips, to cheer even the most downtrodden heart and it made her feel like she was dancing whenever she practiced fighting.

It was the best thing ever.

She returned to the prince, like she had promised and he showed her around the kingdom as much as possible in the hours she could spend at his side. The mirror never left the hall it floated in and before she knew it, she was walking through it more and more often, to the point where it became as easy as breathing.

She never told anyone back home what had happened, but people did notice that her heart grew ever tender towards someone, so one day she gathered her friends close and told them about a prince from a snowy land and how she had saved his life. How she wished to spend hers with him without giving up her freedom.

The next time she visited him, he took her riding, the horses big and powerful, their eyes pure white and their manes shimmering like spun snow. The mare she was given carried her like she was protective of her, walking forward proudly and never faltering, no matter where they went.

„I wish I could see your world,“ the prince said as they traveled towards the mountains in the distance, the world around them rushing past as the horses galloped forward. „But even if you can visit our world as you like, we cannot do the same unless we get invited.“

„Then I am inviting you,“ Alice said without hesitation and his gaze grew wide and glad as he looked at her. „I would love to show you around my home.“

So she did when they returned from their ride, taking his hand and leading him through the mirror and she watched him soak up the light and warmth. She lived on her own by now, earning enough money to live in a cozy little home and she introduced him to her friends, showed him around and let him eat and drink whatever he liked.

„Is this the prince?“ her best friend whispered as they watched him take in the sight of the tavern with glittering eyes. „You’re a lucky girl.“

She was indeed lucky. Lucky that they had met, that when she later offered her hand to dance, he took it. Lucky that he wanted to come back again and again, but told her that it didn’t matter where they went, so long as he could be with her.

„I’m falling in love with you,“ he confessed right in front of her mirror, smile so sweet it made her heart feel tender. „I understand if you are not -“

„I am,“ she hurried to interrupt him. „I love you so much, but are you sure you want me as I am? I will never be like the others.“

His smile widened as he tugged her closer, close enough that their chests were nearly touching and he leaned down a bit to gently rest their foreheads together.

„I want you exactly as you are, free and sunwalking and full of warmth and ice all at once,“ he whispered. „Brave and clever and dagger wielding. Are you sure that you want me as I am in return?“

She tightened her grip on his hands, a smile on her face, her heart racing for the best of reasons. „I want you exactly as you are, wondrous and starry-eyed and full of ice and warmth all at once,“ she repeated and his smile turned into a sharp toothed grin. „Sweet and brave and winged and free.“

„Good,“ he whispered and leaned down. She met him halfway in a kiss that tasted of smiles and fresh, cold air and warm sunshine.

They were happy together and they would not get married for quite some time yet. But once they did, Alice brought her parents and friends along, led them through the mirror and to a world of snow and stars beyond and she danced beneath those stars, knowing she had to give up nothing and yet gained everything.

And considering the way the prince looked at her, he felt exactly the same way. Neither lost home or dreams, but instead they shared everything, from their love to their worlds and they lived happily ever after.