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  Frozen

  A Fractured Fairy Tale

  J.E. Taylor

  Frozen © 2018 J.E. Taylor

  All rights reserved under the International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, organizations, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Warning: the unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in prison and a fine of $250,000.

  © 2017 Cover Art by Cora Graphics

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  FROZEN

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  About J.E. Taylor

  FROZEN

  Will the ice queen keep her royal station, or will the fight for the throne end in a bloody battle?

  Elsa must marry before midnight of her twenty-fifth year or lose her kingdom. The only problem is that no man in Bryggen can be near her without getting frostbite.

  Kyle Bryggen, the founder of the kingdom Elsa rules, has been in hibernation for two hundred years, and now he is awake and wants his kingdom back.

  They could be a match carved in ice, except every time they meet, they want to kill each other.

  When a diabolical senator manipulates the law to his own purpose, Elsa must choose between the lesser of two nightmares.

  One will lead to the ruin of her kingdom, and the other will lead to her death.

  Chapter 1

  I stood on the balcony of my castle overlooking Bryggen and the ocean beyond, my heart heavy with my responsibility. The fall air, chilly and refreshing, did nothing for my mood. I sighed. This was the year I had to find my soulmate, or otherwise my kingdom would be lost.

  My sister, Anna, found her true love many years ago, and she and Kris had been together ever since. They even had a horde of children running around the castle, making it a lively place to be. While I got to play the doting aunt, it also served as a reminder that the clock was ticking away.

  If I didn’t find someone soon, my ability to produce an heir to the throne would be nullified, and with it, our family’s reign would end. While Anna was my sister, and her children my kin, the senate had made it clear that the offspring of a woodsman were not to be named king.

  It was such a silly rule, but one I had no power to overturn. Because the senate was so divided on the issue, they’d put it to a public vote. While this lovely kingdom of Bryggen professed their love of my sister any chance they got, they revealed their true prejudices.

  I almost froze the entire kingdom on the spot when the senate announced the results, but Anna assured me she did not want her children to take the throne. I still didn’t know if she truly felt that way, or if she’d said what she had to quell my fury.

  Either way, the bitter pill I’d had to swallow still tainted the back of my throat.

  So, the burden of a successor lay with me, or otherwise the head of the senate, Aaron Brax, would take the throne, He was neither just nor compassionate, and I would hate to see him become the ruler over Bryggen.

  The senate gave me five years to find a man suitable to be the father of the kingdom’s heir. They expected me to step down either way and to start being “attentive to womanly responsibilities,” as Senator Brax had put it so eloquently when they’d announced the directive.

  Since my parents passed, and I took the throne, Brax had been volleying for my demise.

  This was the last year I had to choose a king. If I was not betrothed by the last toll of the bell on New Year’s Eve, Senator Brax would become king.

  “What are you thinking about?” Anna’s singsong voice pierced my thoughts as she stepped beside me.

  I glanced at my sister with her dark hair and bright green eyes, a polar opposite to my light locks and blue eyes. Happiness radiated from her the way the cold emitted from me. Having her so near tempered the darkness in my soul.

  “I was thinking this year would be the year I find someone able to bear with me.” I smiled, softening the words so my aggravation didn’t bleed into them.

  Anna slung her arms around me and gave me a tight hug along with a peck on my cheek. “That would be divine!”

  I chuckled and turned away from the town below. “I think the fresh air of the mountains is just the thing I need today.” I headed inside with the purpose of escaping my thoughts, and this town for a little while.

  “I’ll go with you.” Anna trailed behind me.

  “I need some alone time.” I glanced back at her. “I have to figure out what to do in the event I can’t find someone to put up with me.”

  Her smile faltered, but she nodded, halting in the hallway as I headed for the back door. She knew where I was headed.

  My ice castle still sat at the top of the snowcapped mountain. The freezing temperatures offered me solace and comfort when I couldn’t find inner peace in the kingdom below. My escape beckoned.

  Chapter 2

  The glistening ice welcomed me, and I sighed, climbing the clear steps cascading over a deep chasm. My footing didn’t falter on the slick stairs, but I knew well enough that the abyss below had claimed many careless trespassers. Only those familiar with the ice dance seemed to scale the hazard without issue.

  The door to my sanctuary stood ajar. I blinked at the breach, and a shiver captured me as if a spirit had walked across my grave. I pushed the door all the way open and paused. I strained to hear anything that would give me an indication of who the intruder was. No sounds drifted my way, so I slipped inside as quietly as possible, ready to blast anything that moved. Fortunately, there was no motion. Not in the grand foyer that shimmered with silver icicles. The simple beauty always took my breath away.

  On light feet, I crossed to the heart of the castle, where I used to spend most of my time standing in front of an ice fire of my own making. The hearth sat barren, but the white fur ball in the far corner made my heart skip. I gasped at the sight of the enormous polar bear.

  His massive head lifted, and blue eyes peered at me from across the room. They widened and then the beast was on his feet, rearing up to ten feet tall with a roar.

  “Don't be growling at me. This is my home. You're the squatter,” I yelled with my fingers splayed at the ready, cocking my head to make my point.

  The beast dropped to all fours with a grunt and circled around me.

  The closer he came, the more nervous I got, but he hadn't done anything to raise my hackles enough to blast him with ice. Yet.

  As he passed behind me, I turned my head to catch him rounding again, but he wasn't there. A low chuckle came from right behind me. I spun, almost letting ice fly. At the last second, I curled my hands into fists, stopping whatever damage I was about to inflict on the handsome man standing where the bear should have been.

  His hair was as white as the polar bear's fur, and the same blue eyes peered down at me through wayward bangs as he towered over my tall frame. He was just as formidable in human form as he
had been as a bear.

  “So, this is your place?” He waved at the ice surrounding us.

  I started at him, still stunned by the transformation. I had heard stories of the man-beasts when I was young, but never had the pleasure of meeting one. The fables of old said they were terrifying, dangerous killers who were to be avoided at all costs. A thrilling chill tickled my spine.

  “Yes,” I said after my full inspection of him.

  “And you are?”

  I laughed at him, and when he raised a single eyebrow, I said, “I am the queen of Bryggen.”

  Both his eyebrows rose in response. “I am king of the Hanseatic League.”

  I cocked my head. There was only one man who had ever declared himself king of the Hanseatic League, and Bryggen was named after him. But he had perished centuries ago. Kyle Bryggen was said to be ruthless in his quest for power, handsome as the devil, and he ruled the trade routes with an iron hand until the day he’d disappeared.

  “There is no such thing,” I said, narrowing my eyes at him. I relaxed my hands just in case I needed my icy will.

  He smiled at me. “There used to be,” he said and continued his circular study of me. “You enjoy the cold, queen of Bryggen?”

  I kept quiet, watching him, wondering if he knew anything about me or my powers.

  “Hmm?” He stopped pacing and leaned forward a little, his gaze piercing and inquisitive at the same time.

  “What is your name?” I demanded, straightening my back.

  “I think you already know what my name is. Just like I know exactly who you are. Elsa Glasere.”

  His voice dripped with vitriol as he said my name, like I had done something that warranted such dislike.

  I took a step back, and a chill built in my palms. “Kyle?” I swallowed. “Kyle Bryggen?”

  He nodded. “You woke me from my long slumber, young lady.” He stepped closer, crowding me as a growl crept into his voice.

  His dagger-like eyes pierced right through my soul and I moved back, right into the wall. He placed his hands on either side of my head. His sharp nails dug into the ice as he leaned close to my face. “I don't like being woken up.”

  I placed my palms on his chest and pushed with more than my physical strength. I blasted him across the room with an arctic wind. “I don't like being cornered.” I flipped a strand of hair out of my face and lifted my chin.

  He hopped to his feet. His cocky anger was now replaced with wariness.

  “I am the queen of Bryggen, and you will show me some respect.”

  “And if I don't?”

  “I will put you in a deep freeze that will last another two hundred years.”

  His head tilted to the side like a lost puppy.

  “If you know who I am, you must know what I can do.”

  “You melted the ice that blanketed this area. That is what woke me from the dead and left me ravenous enough to attack anything that happened my way. It has taken me years to find restraint again.”

  I didn't have the heart to tell him that it was my sister's love that had cracked through the ice and let me reign in the frozen tundra. I had been surprised my ice castle still remained, especially with the green hills and flower-filled valleys surrounding it. This haven, this snowy landscape only encompassed the highest peak in the region. Halfway down the mountain face, the snowy landscape ceased.

  Frustration clouded his gaze, and he took a step towards me.

  I closed my eyes and concentrated. The same powerful storm that pushed him across the room brewed under my skin. I let it seep from my palms, controlling the gale into a graceful swirl of a breeze. When the first frigid flake touched my cheek, I opened my eyes. Snow gently fell in the space between us, and he stared at it with his mouth ajar.

  “I brought the ice to Bryggen. I only meant to pull back what I had created.” I closed my hands, and the snow stopped.

  “Why did you pull back any of it?”

  “Because, while you and I seem to be unbothered by the cold, the people within Bryggen don't have the same resilience.” I studied his creased brow as he stared at the snow on the floor. “I am the ice queen.”

  His gaze snapped up to mine, and he crossed the distance between us in a less predatory manner then stopped with enough distance to not encroach on my space.

  “I made this palace you have decided to... invade.” I waved at our glistening surroundings.

  “You should learn to lock your doors.”

  I laughed. “The steps are deterrent enough.”

  For the first time since I’d laid eyes on him, dimples appeared and the briefest of smiles flashed. He gave me what I thought was a nod before he glanced up at the structure.

  “Such attention to detail,” he said and this time his voice was not full of mockery or malice. “I think I’ll keep it.” His full smile appeared, but his eyes held the challenge his voice didn’t carry.

  I scoffed at him. “The hell you will.”

  “Who are you to stop me?” His hands found his hips.

  His cocked eyebrow fueled my growing frustration. I raised my hands to show him, and within a blink his oversized bear paws slammed against my palms, pinning me to the wall, blocking whatever assault I was about to launch. He had shifted so quickly I didn’t have time to process the transformation.

  He growled in my face, his sharp teeth close enough to tear out my throat. Instead of the fear any rightful person would feel, fury welled up, and I kneed the bastard with everything I had.

  His eyes widened, and he grunted, dropping to his knees. The transition to human form was as immediate as his shift to bear had been. Pain webbed through his features as he cradled his balls.

  I leaned close. “I expect you to be gone when I return.” I stormed out and down the stairs, marching back to town with anger pounding in my veins.

  Each audacious act of his flashed pure venom through me, and by the time I got back to my room in the palace proper, I could feel the ice radiating off my skin, matching my malignant rage.

  Chapter 3

  A tentative knock interrupted my agitated pacing. There was only one person who would ever dare to approach me when I was in this kind of mood. I closed my eyes and sighed when the door cracked open.

  Anna’s worried gaze peered around the door, reminding me of when she was a child. Her wide eyes diffused whatever leftover anger still pulsed at my temples. “The footman said you were on a tear.”

  The last time I was on a so-called tear, I had frozen the land. I laughed at the terminology and shook my head. “I just met someone that infuriated me. He basically has taken over my ice castle.”

  Her eyebrows rose, and her mouth popped open. She was probably the only one in this kingdom who knew what my ice castle meant to me.

  “Someone is living there?”

  Someone, something. I didn’t quite know how to categorize Kyle Bryggen. Especially since he, by all rights, should be a pile of bones in a grave.

  “Yes. And I told him he needs to be gone when I come back.”

  She blinked. “He?”

  I rolled my eyes. “Yes. He.” A broad smile broke out on Anna's face, and my eye-roll turned to a glare. “Don't even suggest it. He is way too...” I snapped my lips closed, trying to find the right word. “Infuriating.”

  Anna chuckled. “What does he look like?”

  “A polar bear,” I said. Shock registered on my sister’s face, and it was my turn to laugh. “Yes, he is one of those things.”

  She gasped. “A man-beast?”

  “Yes. And a royal pain in my ass,” I mumbled as I turned away from her. I had to admit, in human form, he was quite pleasing to the eyes, and the white hair didn't detract from his rugged good looks. In fact, he looked only about ten years my senior at best. Being a man-beast certainly hadn't aged him, and he looked damn good for someone close to two hundred years old.

  “If he was a bear, how do you know he was a man-beast?”

  “Because he shifted.” Somet
imes Anna’s brain didn’t quite catch up, and I had to be patient while she connected the dots.

  She chewed on her bottom lip. “So, what did he look like as a man?”

  “Hair as white as a polar bear, eyes blue and icy, and the type of body that rivaled his polar bear form.” Just describing him out loud sparked irritation. For as hot as the man was, he was an epic jerk. “But he had no manners.”

  “What did he do?”

  “He decided that the ice castle was his for the taking.”

  She raised her eyebrows.

  “He's lucky I didn't turn him into a giant ice cube.”

  “Did he try to take anything else?” Dread filled both her voice and her eyes.

  I laughed and shook my head. “If he had, he would be an icicle. I stared out the window at the mountain. “I will go back tomorrow to make sure he heeded my orders.”

  “You can't go alone,” Anna said.

  I turned back to her. “Have you met me?”

  Anna crossed her arms, and the glare she leveled made my skin prickle.

  “He is too dangerous to bring anyone up there with me.”

  “All the more reason for you to take a dozen guards with you.”

  “The guards will slip off those stairs. You've seen it before. Besides I can handle him.” We both had witnessed the perils of those ice steps. I didn't want to be responsible for sending anyone to their death, either by falling into that endless chasm, or at the hands of Kyle Bryggen. I had no doubt that heathen would kill on sight.

  “Then I will go with you.”

  “Oh, hell no.” There was no way I was letting her near the ice palace again. The last time she had been there, she almost died as a result. “Not after the last time you went. Besides, Kris would never forgive me if anything happened to you.”

  She pressed her lips into a thin line.

  “If you make a big deal of this, I’ll just give the man the palace.”

  Her arms slowly fell to her side and her eyes widened. She knew how much that place meant to me. I’d created it out of thin air, so the idea of giving it up to protect my little sister wasn’t taken lightly.