Frozen Flower

Liene Lejnieks sighed as she looked at the clock on the wall. Only twenty more minutes of class, then I'm free! Winter break, here I come!
She swung her feet, which couldn't reach the floor, and waited for her history class to end.
"…And, from 1337 to 1453, the Kingdom of France was at war with the Kingdom of England. There were many separate wars, but this time period is called the Hundred Years War…"
As her professor continued to lecture, Liene made the lesson more 'fun' by imagining Edwina Periwinkle, a British girl in her class, and Francine Versailles, a French girl, trying to beat each other up. She snickered and doodled this thought into her notebook. She was so focused on drawing that she didn't realize that the professor stopped talking.
However, she did jump when she felt a hand rest on her shoulder.
"Effin' cripes, it's just me," her friend Ingveldur said, rolling her eyes. "I just wanted to let you know that class ended."
"Oh." Liene blushed, slightly embarrassed.
"Listen, I have to go; I have to be at the airport in three hours," Ingveldur stated, tapping her foot. "I can't wait to get back to Reykjavik! I bet I'll have a white Christmas, that's for sure!"
"Lucky!" the blonde grumbled. For some reason, there hadn't been any heavy snowfall this year, which was unusual for the east coast.
The Icelandic girl smirked and gave Liene a thumbs-up. "I'll take lots of awesome pictures, for you." In a more serious tone, she continued, "I'm sorry you can't go back to Latvia. What are you going to do for Christmas Eve; I know it's important, in your country."
Liene shrugged. "It's all right. My parents just can't afford it this year. I heard that Fiske isn't going back to Sweden, either, so I'll just hang out with him. We can celebrate together." Though she said this with a smile, deep down, this saddened her. She wanted to spend Christmas Eve in her home country with her family, but instead she was stuck spending the holidays with the socially-awkward and often-creepy Fiske.
"All right, then. Have fun!" With another thumbs-up, Ingveldur left the classroom.
Sighing, Liene stayed in the room a few more minutes before heading back to her room.
Since Ingveldur left, she had it all to herself, which frightened her slightly. Why am I so jumpy? It's stupid!
She distracted herself by reading Pride and Prejudice (again), getting lost in the story. When she looked at the clock on her desk, she realized that it was dinner time. I better get going, before all the good food is gone.
Placing the book on her bed, she grabbed her coat and purse, and rushed out of the room, only stopping to lock the door.
It was already dark when she got outside, and she shivered, wrapping her arms around herself. Why does the dining hall have to be so far away? It's so cold!
Suddenly, she felt something move behind her and she whirled around, her eyes wide. She saw a flash of silver hurl towards her, and before she could move, a nauseating pain burst in her forehead. She shuddered and fell to the ground, unconscious before she could scream.
///
"Is she ever going to wake up? It's boring just watching her sleep."
"She's beautiful, though; I can see why Red is infatuated with her."
"Oh no, I hope he didn't hit her too hard!"
"Chill your tits, Lith, she's fine. See, she's already waking up."

Liene moaned, the voices making the pain in her head worse. "Can you please shut up?" she groaned, sitting up. She realized that she was on a bed, which confused her.
"Oh, thank goodness! I thought you'd never wake up!"
Liene opened her eyes to see a kind-looking girl with golden hair staring down at her. Startled by her closeness, she yelped and pushed herself backwards, resulting in the blankets cocooning her.
"Nice, Lithy, way to scare the pipsqueak!"
Liene turned her head and saw another girl, this one older than the one that scared her. This one's eyes were narrowed in cockiness, and she had a head of thick, spiky turquoise hair.
All the noise was giving Liene a bigger headache than she already had, so naturally, she was irritated. She also had no idea where she was, which didn't help her mood. Not caring about politeness, she held a hand to her aching forehead and bluntly asked, "Where the hell am I, and who are you?"
"Ooh, Pipsqueak's fiery!" the spiky-haired woman laughed, slapping her knee. "I like that!"
"Shut it, East!" the blonde girl snapped, obviously annoyed. Pinching the bridge of her nose, she sat on the bed next to Liene. "My name is Lith. The…charming…woman with the blue hair is East. The blond boy is Pol, and the girl with the laptop is Esto. We are your servants."
Nothing made sense to Liene. "Servants? Last time I checked, I was a college student, not royalty."
"Honey, you're the farthest from 'royal' you can get," East cackled, raising a pierced eyebrow. "I hate to tell you this, but you're Red's new toy."
"Huh?" All Liene wanted to do was curl up and sleep. This has to be a dream. It has to be.
"East, blunt as always." Lith shook her head. "Let me explain. All of us were taken from our homes a long time ago. Somehow, most of our memories were erased, including our real names. Red gave us the ones we have currently. As long as we can't remember our names, we are bound to him."
"You're not making any sense! This sounds like the plot of a horrible movie!" Tears began to form in the corner of Liene's eyes, the pain in her head becoming too great to endure silently.
"You're just confusing her more, Lith," Esto stated, looking up from her laptop. "I'll explain this. Liene Lejnieks, you were taken by a powerful man named Red. Not many know of him, but those who do know that he's very fearsome, and not one to mess with. He is also very lonely. A few years ago, he took us from our families and somehow erased the memory of our lives and our real names. He also made a deal with us: we would be free if we correctly guessed our real names."
Liene nodded, the story distracting her from the pain in her head. "Where do I come in? I still remember my name, and my memories."
"Red is starting to get bored with us." This time, it was Pol who spoke. "He wants something more than servants and companionship. He wants a bride."
"What?" Ice filled Liene's veins, realization hitting her. "Why me?"
"Red's been watching you for a while," Lith added, gently stroking Liene's hair. "You're everything he desires: small, fragile, beautiful. You're his doll, or little bird."
"He wants to cage me," Liene whispered, understanding what the older blonde meant. Looking into Lith's eyes, she pleaded, "Can't you just let me go?"
"I'm sorry, Liene, but we can't." Lith closed her eyes. "If we did we'll be severely punished."
Turning around, she grabbed her shirt and pulled it up, exposing a scarred back. "This happened the last time I let one of Red's pets escape. I don't want to know what he'll do if this happens a second time."
Sickened, Liene let her head rest on her knees. "I don't want to get married; I'm only eighteen!"
"That's too bad, Pipsqueak. As long as Red has an interest in you, every part of you belongs to him. Your body, your mind, your soul. Everything." Fire burned in East's eyes. "Just like us. Only you'll be treated kinder."
A loud buzzing noise made Liene, as well as Pol, jump.
"Haha, that gets me every time," he said, sheepishly.
"Time for dinner," Esto said, solemnly.
"Time to meet your future hubby. Hooray! Enjoy your wedding night!" East laughed, but no one joined her.
"The rest of you go set the table. I will get Miss Lejnieks ready." Lith put a hand on the small blonde's shoulder.
"Fine with me. I don't want to be her maid!" East scoffed.
Pol just nodded, and Esto narrowed her eyes, turning off her laptop.
"Very well," she said.
Once everyone left the room, Lith began to prepare Liene for dinner. When she was finished, the small blonde couldn't believe her eyes. An ankle-length, blood red dress emphasized her small frame, and a matching red headband made her hair shine.
"You look beautiful, Miss Lejnieks," murmured Lith, a small smile on her face.
A dreamy look crossed her face, her navy eyes misting over. "Pol made it just for you. He's so good at sewing and fashion."
"You love him, don't you?" Liene asked.
"I used to," she whispered. "Somewhere, deep in my mind, I can remember that we were together, once. But Red won't allow relationships, here. He thinks it will help us get our names back."
Just as Liene was about to respond to this, the bell rang again.
"It's time for dinner." Lith's voice turned flat and dead. "It's time for you to meet Red."
The small blonde's stomach turned, and she started to shake. "Do I have to go?"
Lith narrowed her eyes, and Liene knew the answer to that question. "If we're going to leave, let's go now."
The blonde servant nodded, placing a hand on Liene's shoulder. As soon as the two reached the door, Lith leaned into her ear and whispered, "If he tries anything, come to me. I'll take your place. If he's drunk, he won't notice."
"What?" Liene knew exactly what the taller blonde was referring to. "Why would you do that, for me? You just met me."
At that moment, Lith looked older than she really was. "Because I love him."
Without saying another word, she walked out of the room.
Not wanting to get left behind, Liene quickly followed the taller girl, almost tripping because she wasn't used to wearing heels. After cautiously walking down a long flight of stairs, she finally made it to the dining room.
Lith cleared her throat, closed her eyes, and spoke. "Presenting Miss Liene Lavinia Lejnieks!"
The taller blonde nudged Liene, forcing her into the room. She stumbled, but thankfully didn't fall. At the table, she saw her servants, as well as three people she didn't know. Two were women; one was perky-looking and curvy, while the other was serious and bony, her mouth drawn in a grim frown. However, the third person was who Liene found herself staring at. He was the tallest person she had ever seen, though she didn't know if this thought appeared because she was so short. What made him stick out was his apparel. A heavy, winter coat covered his large frame, gloves encased his hands, and a thick, red scarf was wrapped around his neck, covering his mouth. She realized that the only skin visible was the part of his face from the nose upward. His eyes were a steely gray blue, and his hair was pale blond.
"Welcome, my little Liene!" he said, standing up.
The blonde noticed that his voice was smooth, even though the scarf muffled it. Isn't he hot? Why is he wearing all that clothing?
"Your seat is next to mine." He turned to the two women. "Belle, Raine? Be dears and bring the food out? I think our guest is getting hungry."
"Really now, Iv—Red, now we have to act like servants?" the curvier of the two scoffed. "We're your cousins!"
"Shut up, Raine!" the other, who Liene presumed was Belle, hissed. "Be grateful that he lets us live here! We should be thankful that Red decided to take pity on us!"
"Fine."
Both women got up and went into the kitchen. They came out minutes later, carrying large platters of delicious-looking food.
Despite the fact that she was kidnapped by a strange man, Liene took a seat, mesmerized by the food's scent. It looks delicious!
Dinner was a silent affair, minus the time when Pol dropped his glass of wine. Once Lith had cleaned that up, the meal went on.
Liene could feel the tension between Belle and Raine, as well as Lith and East. However, she ignored this and continued to eat, all the while discreetly glancing at her captor. Why are you wearing the scarf? I want to see your face.
When the meal was over, Liene found herself forgetting why she was so nervous. Everyone's faces swirled around, and she found herself smiling. Pol, who was obviously drunk, dropped yet another glass. When he went to pick it up, he knocked over a lamp, shattering the light bulb.
"How many Pols does it take to change a light bulb?" she found herself saying, giggling hysterically. "One! Because there's only one of you! No, wait, now there're two! Hi, Pol One and Pol Two! Why are there multiple Pols? Hmm, maybe they got partitioned! Haha!" She spun around, flinging herself onto Red's lap. "You're so fluffy! I want your scarf!"
She went to pull on it, but the tall man grabbed her hand. "Not yet, my little bird." He embraced her gently, stroking her hair. "Let's go upstairs, shall we?"
Liene found herself feeling weighed down. For some reason, it was incredibly difficult for her to speak. In the back of her mind, warning bells were going off, but she was too out of it to respond to them. Instead, she merely let herself fall limp, her head lolling to the side. The last thing she heard was East singing the wedding march, then her trademark cackle. After that, her world went dark.
///
Red gently carried his bird upstairs, much to the dismay of Lith. He knew she was in love with him, but he didn't care. She was fun to toy with, his little Lithy. He slept with her a few times, when both of them were desperate for companionship. It was a strange relationship, one filled with passion, tears, and blood. After the first few times, he could sense that she truly loved him. That was probably why she let his last potential bride go. She wanted to be near him at any cost, even if that meant being beaten and whipped. She was just too in love with him to care about the pain. It was too bad that he loved another.
Once Red was upstairs, he quickly walked down the hallway to his bedroom. After he was inside it, he quickly locked the door behind him. You'll be mine forever, my little Liene.
There were two reasons why he dressed in such heavy clothing. One was the fact that most of his body was burned in a fire that engulfed the cryogenics lab he used to work at. The second was…this. His room was kept just at freezing temperature for his…special project.
He set Liene gently down in the glass case, smoothing her dress and hair. You'll be mine, forever and ever. Nothing will take your beauty away!
He placed an oxygen mask over Liene's unmoving mouth and closed the case, smiling softly. Turning the dial on the panel next to it, he started the freezing process.
Suddenly, Liene's eyes snapped open her pupils shrinking to pinpricks.
"R-red?" she stuttered. Though he could not hear her, he read her lips.
"My name is Ivan, my little bird. Ivan Korovichenko."
He swore that she nodded before she closed her eyes, overtaken by a frozen slumber.

///
Five years later.
Liene opened her eyes and saw the cream coloring of a ceiling that was not her own. She had no idea where she was, and how she got there, but she felt…safe. She felt someone else in the bed next to her, and lazily turned her head. She saw a curtain of pale blond hair and a face scarred with burns.
After awhile, she felt the man stir, and she blinked, marveling at his beautiful gray eyes, which were flecked with blue.
"Hello, my little bird," he murmured, kissing her forehead.
Suddenly the name came to her. "Ivan," she whispered back.
The blond man smiled, revealing flawless teeth. "I was hoping you'd remember me; the doctors said that you could have possibly lost your memories. Damn that drunk driver…" He softly stroked her hair.
"We're married, right?" Liene asked, tilting her head.
"Of course we are! You're also carrying a little one. I was so relieved that it's still alive!"
Liene looked down and saw that her belly was swollen. I'm pregnant?
Aloud, she asked, "Ivan, how old am I?"
"You're twenty-five, my bird. Though it seems like you haven't aged since I met you." Ivan smiled, stroking her hair.
Suddenly, memories filled her brain. She realized that Ivan was lying, and that she hadn't been in an accident. Instead, she had been kidnapped and held against her will for seven years, though she had no memory of anything past her first night. She began to thrash around, her green eyes wild. "Where's Lith?" she shouted. "Where's Pol, and Esto, and East? What happened to Belle and Raine?"
"They are all sleeping! They figured out their names, and tried to escape. I couldn't just let them go, so I made them a part of my collection. They are beautiful dolls in beautiful glass cases. We can look at them forever. Especially that manipulative Lith; she wanted me all to herself. She had to be punished."
"A-and, what about me? Will make me into a doll, too?"
"Dear little Liene, you are already my doll." He turned to Liene and kissed her, pushing her back onto the bed. "You're lucky, my caged bird. You get a happily ever after."

End.