I have found this story in an old note-book. I probably wrote it many years ago when I was a kid. It made me smile, so I thought to edit it a bit share it. It’s probably one of the few short stories I actually finished.
- S
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The world was covered in ice.
The sky was gloomy over snow-covered lands.
Crops were dying and barely fed people. The waters were frozen and people couldn’t satisfy their thirst.
The world was freezing.
One day, Prince Su came from the south preaching of a star that could melt the ice and bring light. People started listening and asking about this new life.Soon they demanded for a new King.
But the queen decided to imprison the Prince and execute him in front of everyone. One of the Queen’s servants, Aut, was very kind with the Prince. She fed him the warmest food, the warmest water and covered him in the most prestigious wool.
The Prince fell in love with Aut and promised to marry her and make her queen one day. Aut went crying to her Queen begging for forgiveness for the poor Prince. The Queen got furious and denied Aut to ever visit the Prince again.
Aut wrote to her Prince everyday and secretly sent him her letters. She apologized for not being able to visit him and for his fate. The Prince was confident though, and reassured her that he will be alright and that soon everything will change.
On the day of the execution, the Queen asked all her people to meet at the frozen lake, where the Prince will be executed. Everyone was there; mothers, children. The Queen’s servants stood by the Queen’s side. Including Aut.
Everyone gathered around the lake. The Prince was brought in chains before Queen. The Queen ordered an anchor to be tied at the Prince’s waist. She ordered the soldiers to push the Prince in the lake, but before he sank, he smiled to Aut. Then he disappeared under the dark waters and ice started forming above him.
The Queen was about to start her speech, the lake’s ice started melting and the Prince emerged from the waters. The Queen furiously ordered his death, but the soldiers were too shocked by what happened.
The Prince started promising warmth and serenity. He ordered the Queen to be imprisoned in the same lake. The soldiers eager for some warmth tied the anchor to the Queen’s waist and pushed her in the lake. The water around her started freezing and soon she sank in her ice prison.
The Prince married Aut and she became queen and the lands started melting. Light replaced the gloomy sky and the lands were filled with colors.
But serenity didn’t last long. As the years passed, the colors were replaced by brown and yellow shades. Waters started evaporating and crops started burning.
Even the Prince and Aut’s happiness vanished. Aut couldn’t live in a place so hot. The prince ordered a castle to be built by the lake, the coolest place. They met occasionally as the Prince couldn’t be in a place too cold.
Soon the only water left was the one in the lake. But the Prince prohibited anyone from going to the lake as the Queen might be able to escape. One day, some though, decided to go swim in the lake. They felt the cool water and were relieved. But soon ice started pulling them down. Everyone was scared to go inside the lake. Even the Prince could do nothing. So Aut jumped in the water and helped the men out. The ice couldn’t pull her down.
Someone else also jumped to help Aut. A soldier named Spry. Together they helped everyone out of the water. The Prince decided to thank Spry by making him lord and was invited to every royal event.
Aut and Spry spent lots of time together by the lake, the only place they could be together. The Prince became furious and thought he was betrayed and banned both from the kingdom.
Aut loved her Prince and wanted to prove nothing was between her and Spry. So she went and lived in lands of her own, next to the Prince lands. Some followed her and soon realized the temperatures were becoming cooler in Aut’s lands. Spry also went to live in lands next to the Prince and there temperatures were also cooler.
As the years passed the Prince realized his mistake and asked Aut to come back. But she couldn’t live in his weather and couldn’t live her people. Still in love they decided to meet for one month every year, the only time they could be together.
People started missing the ice that preserved their food. They begged the Prince to make the Queen come back. The Prince accepted only if the Queen would take lands far from his.
He ordered his soldiers to take the ice block that imprisoned the Queen and before it melted completely he asked her if she agreed to the conditions. Crying for the loneliness she felt all those years she accepted and was given the lands next to Spry and Aut. Soon the ice started coming back again.
The rulers rarely met. Except for the Prince and Aut who loved each other. When the rulers died, they were buried in their lands to preserve their temperatures. Except for the Prince and Aut who were buried next to each other, in the borders.
The weather started changing. Now all lands were able to benefit from every temperature.
First came the sun of Prince Su.
Then Aut cool breeze.
Then the Queen’s Ice.
and lastly Spry warmness. And when the warmness reached its peak, it meant Prince’s Su sun was back.
The people thanked their rulers everyday and knew they were watching them from above.
