Gray Hearts Episode Thirteen: Chill

Gray Hearts by Raspberry | Content Warnings

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Autumn, true to her word, bundled me up and sent me on my way. I trudge down the dark path, my new boots crunching on the frozen dirt. I can’t remember if the sun was already setting when I left her house, but now the only light is a sliver of the moon peering between leafless tree branches. I pull my coat tighter. The air is turning from cool to icy with every step, and, despite my multiple layers, I can feel the chill in my bones. I send a silent thank you to Autumn for not sending me here in the summer dress Yeo-reum gave me.

This may be the one time I don’t have to wonder who is waiting for me at the end of the path. Or how much further into this realm I have to travel. It feels like I’ve been here for months, but I can still remember losing Quinn like it happened a moment ago. I wish I knew how much time has passed. Has it only been a minute for Quinn, or has she been waiting and wondering if I left her?

The path opens up, stopping my thoughts. A frozen lake glistens under the moonlight. A stone bridge soars over it, covered in a layer of what seems to be freshly fallen snow. I can see the outline of a castle in the distance, its midnight spires poking into the starless sky.

I take a deep breath, and my exhale is a puffy cloud. My feet shuffle slowly, and I pretend it’s because I’m worried about slipping on the ground (and not that I’m nowhere near ready to face the fourth season). The snow crinkles underneath me, and I wonder if I should be trying to sneak in. Though with the rust orange coat from Autumn, I wouldn’t be camouflaged even if I tried. 

The castle is dark, even as I come closer. I can see two lanterns on either side of a large wooden door, but if there are any lights inside, they must be hidden. The lantern glow reflects off ice sculptures scattered around the courtyard. I step around the sculptures, life-sized people sitting with their heads in their hands or standing in posed postures. I’d be more creeped out if I didn’t already have to deal with Prin’s porcelain dolls and Yeo-reum’s gallery of couples. I barely spare them a glance as I march up to the door and knock loudly. 

I hear the sound echo and fade. I count to ten silently and then knock again. And again. My hands are cold, but I can feel the soreness from hitting the solid wood and debate on trying to kick it instead. 

The door swings open before I’ve made up my mind. I’m face-to-face with her. 

Winter looks exactly how I remember her face in the mirror. Her long, dark hair glistens in the lantern light, running down to her waist without a tangle or out-of-place strand. Her dark, hooded eyes look me over curiously, and her thin lips curve into a cautious smile. 

“Can I… help you?” she asks.

“You… don’t recognize me,” I say slowly, and then wonder why I said that aloud and gave away any upper hand I might have had. 

“Should I?” She purses her lips, and I wait for recognition. “Well, it’s hard to tell with you blue-lipped and shivering like that. Come in, come in.”

She lets the door swing open and gestures me inside. I hear it slam behind us as she turns to the doorway on her right and leads me down a spiral stone staircase. 

We emerge in a kitchen. There’s a crackling fire in the hearth, and she nods for me to sit at the fur rug before it. I stretch my hands out and let the warmth seep into my numb fingers. 

“You know,” she says, sinking into a rocking chair next to me, “I don’t think I’ve ever had anyone just walk up to my door like that. How did you come here?”

I lower my hands and try to sit up straight as I look at her. 

“Actually, I walked here,” I begin. 

“Would you like something to drink? Some warm cider? Hot chocolate? Tea, perhaps?”

“No, no thank you. I just had some tea at Autumn’s.”

“So that’s how you came here,” she says, giving a clap like a puzzle was solved. “How intriguing. Autumn usually doesn’t take visitors. Or send them my way.”

“I chose to come here,” I reply. 

“And why is that?” Her brow raises. “Did you… need my help?”

“I suppose you could say that,” I say. “I’m here for Quinn.”

In an instant, her face shutters, switching from mild curiosity to icy rage. She stands so quickly her chair falls backwards and onto the stone floor with a crash. 

“She doesn’t belong here,” I say, jumping to my feet. “Neither of us do. We need to go back to our world—”

“No, you don’t belong here,” she cuts in with a sneer. “And you can see yourself out. As for Quinn, she belongs here with me.”

“I’m not going anywhere until I see her.”

“Well, then, you can stay locked here for eternity for all I care,” she replies curtly. 

She rushes towards the door, but I’m on her heels, blocking the door with my foot as she tries to slam it in my face. 

“Look, lady,” I huff. “I just went through all of your sisters to get here, and if you think I won’t figure out a way to get around you too, you’ve got another thing coming. So we can either waste however much time it’ll take for me to outsmart you, or you can show me where you’ve trapped my friend.”

“Trapped?” Her expression slips into a look of hurt for a moment. “I would never trap Quinn.”

“Bold words from someone trying to shut me in the basement,” I counter and take a deep breath. “Look, I’m not going to… grab Quinn and carry her off, okay? What do you have to be afraid of showing me to her? Unless… you really do have her trapped here and worry that she wants to break free?”

It’s a pretty obvious bluff, but I can tell I found her weak spot already. She’s like Prin and Yeo-reum, trying to hold onto someone without admitting that it’s against their will. 

“I’ll take you to her on one condition,” she replies slowly. “Once you’ve seen her, you can ask if she wants to go back with you. If she doesn’t agree, then you leave. Alone. And don’t come back.”

Her tone is confident. I don’t know how long Quinn has been here… enough for me to have gone through three seasons. What if everyone was right and it’s too late for her? Did her memory fade away like mine almost did? Did Winter give her a new friend to replace me? Is she even the same Quinn that I know?

I catch Winter’s lips twitch, the triumphant smile she’s trying to hide. I square my shoulders and look her in the eye.

“Deal,” I say with as much confidence as I can muster. “Take me to her.”