Delicate Ice Crystals

Fluffy ice crystals adorn her glossy black hair like shimmering diamonds and settle upon her eyelashes. Apple-bright windburned cheeks and nose accentuated her pale skin. Large crystal-blue eyes assess the frigid snow drifts and unmistakable ice spires with a sculptor's eye. Beside her, in the snow, lay her bag of tools for her magic. Pacing around a sizable ice pillar created by a frozen trickle of water draining from a nearby cliff, she imagined what might lay inside the ice. Reaching into her bag, she removed an ice chisel and began marking the ice. She had to break it gently, or the solid ice would crack, spoiling its possibility.

It was a difficult and precise effort, sawing through the pillar of ice from both sides until she could use a pair of specialized tongs to pull it loose. It was heavy but slid upon the snow drifts toward her horse and litter quickly. She secured the block of ice and picked up her tools. Checking once more that everything is secure, she mounts up and begins the trek home. Light begins to fade from the sky, and the snowflakes become more featherlike. The twilight ended as she dismounted and ensured her horse was comfortable in the stables. The ice block could wait until morning.

At dawn, she rose and gathered her tools; she began to mark and trim, score and chip, and saw at the ice. Eventually, her arduous labor revealed the sculpture– an elegant pair of swans.