A/N: This chapter is about the past, therefore it may be slightly confusing, though definitely not as confusing as the last few chapters...And I noticed that this story seems to contradict itself a lot. I don't really organize my thoughts, so if you notice something that goes against another chapter, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE tell me! I've been re-reading my chapters so hopefully this chapter doesn't contradict anything I've said in the past. And to those of you who actually read that entire author's note, thanks! 

~

"Are you sure you want to do this, Ice?" A man asked his wife. Ice turned to look at him, her gaze sad but determined. "I have to do it, Shift. It will not take long for me to re-establish my reputation. And for our daughter...well we will just have to see."

Shift kissed Ice and held her hands tightly. He took in her appearance, trying to remember every detail. He knew very well that in sixteen years, she may not look the same.

Black hair, green streaks, her wide pinkish eyes. Everything about her was beautiful to him.

"As your husband," Shift began, his voice growing quiet. "I wish you good luck. But as your king..."

Ice laughed. "You know very well that you have no control over me." She said pointedly. Shift smiled wryly. "Yes, I know. That doesn't mean I can't dream, does it?"

Ice laughed again. Shift made a mental note to remember that laugh, so he could replay it in his head for years to come.

"Goodbye, Shift. I'll see you soon."

Ah, what a person she could be, making it seem like it would only be hours instead of sixteen years between the times they would see each other.

"I'll go get Maple." Ice said quietly, turning away from her husband and walking into the castle. Shift watched her go, a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach.

He was so absorbed in his thoughts that he didn't notice a small boy walk up to him, with white blue-streaked hair and green eyes, until he was tapped on his shoulder. 

"Where she goin'?" The boy asked. Shift sighed. "Away for a while, child." He said quietly. 

Instead of walking away, the boy stayed until Ice came back out of the castle, carrying their daughter. And the boy watched her go by, staring at her. Shift supressed a smile. For some reason, this child was fascinated. His parent's had obviously chosen to keep him in the kingdom for all his life, instead of sending him to the human world. 

But look at the dangers! Was it really worth the risk?

Ice smiled at him as she walked away. She waved her hand in the air and opened a portal, and she stepped through. The portal engulfed her, and she was gone. The king stood there watching, long after she and the young boy had gone. 

~

Shift continued to rule the kingdom, but not a day went by where he didn't worry about his wife and child. He told his new assistant about them, describing them right down to the last detail.

River was a good listener, and a surprisingly good drawer. After he was given the full descriptions, he drew beautiful full-color drawings and hung them on the wall for the king.

Shift looked at these drawings everyday, for they could not have been more accurate even if they were real photos.

~

Ice watched her daughter grow up proudly, seeing that she had the same knack for establishing a reputation as she did.

She called her daughter Emily in the human world. Whenever Emily asked where her father was, she would say: "he's working for us, my love. We'll see him soon."

But for Ice, soon never came.

There were many places for the people of any of the kingdoms to get lost, for they had access to all of the other dimensions. While Ice said she was "at work" she was really visiting other dimensions, seeing how everyone was doing.

One day, she got lost. Emily was only twelve. She came home from school one day expecting open arms, but there was no one home.

And she waited for a week. No one ever came home. Emily never really found out what happened to her mom, but she had a feeling that she wasn't dead. Or more, she refused to believe that horrible thought.

How loyal she was, to wait for a week. To make her own meals, which commonly consisted of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and apples and sometimes chips.

Eventually, Emily had to call someone. But, seeing as she had no relatives, there was no where she could really go. So she was sent to a foster family. 

Of course, these people treated her well. But to Emily, her world was ending. She didn't care how well people treated her, she didn't care how much respect she had. She just wanted her mother back.

And it was then, Emily Thomas vowed never to love again. For love was a weakness, and when it was lost, so was your mind. She saw that now.

~

At the same time, back in the Kingdom of the Snow, Shift was alerted by River. There was an urgent message waiting for him. He hurried down the spiral staircase and outside, his eyes worried. Was it a message from Ice. She was always sending him messages. Though, he reflected, they were never urgent. What if someone had gotten hurt. If something had happened to Maple or Ice...

He stopped at the message office. Here, messages from every dimension were reported, if they were sent to this specific place. The man at the front looked at Shift in pity. His eyes were narrowed slightly as he squinted down at the message, struggling to decipher it. 

"Sir," he began slowly, "it seems to me that...your wife has gone missing."

For a moment, Shift could not speak. Cold emptiness settled in his chest as he took in what he had just been informed of.

Ice was smarter than that. She couldn't have gone missing. She knew her way around quite well. And she still had a daughter to raise. She needed to be around. Four years, that's all she had left. The king thought dully. She couldn't have gotten home first? And now I may never see her again...

The man laid a comforting hand on Shift's shoulder. "Even the professionals get lost sometimes. But they're professionals for a reason. I'm sure, one day, she'll come back. But we've been watching for a week...and she hasn't shown at any of her stops."

"A week?" The king asked harshly. "A week and you've waited until now to tell me?" 

The man winced. "I'm sorry, your highness, but we had to be sure that she hadn't just made a detour. And now that we know..."

"I COULD HAVE GONE LOOKING FOR HER!" The king yelled, his voice so furious that the man jumped backwards and hit the wall. "THERE COULD HAVE BEEN SOME CHANCE, BUT NOW SHE'S LOST! NOW WE WILL NEVER SEE HER AGAIN!" 

"We don't know that for sure, sir." The man pointed out, trying to keep his voice as steady and reassuring as possible. 

"OH, HOW MANY PEOPLE HAVE COME BACK FROM THE BETWEEN?" Shift yelled. When the man did not answer, the king continued, except now he wasn't yelling. He spoke in a menacing, quiet voice. 

"If we do not bring her back within five years, I swear I will go myself to find her and if I get lost, with God as my witness, I will find my way back. But I will not come back unless she is with me."

The man nodded vigorously and Shift spun on his heal and began walking out of the building, his heart aching and his stomach clenching at the thought of his wife stuck somewhere, all alone. "Wait! Sir!" The man called. Shift turned back around. "What?"

"Do not worry about your daughter, sir. She is safe with a foster family."

The king didn't say a word. He only bit his lip and walked out of the building. His heart was breaking, and, piece by piece, it was falling into the empty black abyss that was now his chest.

His daughter, oh his daughter! Who would take care of her? A foster family wasn't good enough. She was too special. She was his. 

But, as much as his heart yearned for her to be home and in his arms, his mind told him that the idea was unrealistic. She wasn't old enough. She wouldn't understand what this place was. And she simply couldn't process it, not when her mother had just disappeared. 

As the king marched back to the castle, he realized that no matter what, he would never fall in love again. For his love belonged to Ice and Ice only, and if she never came back, then so be it. 

His heart was hers, and hers was his. And there was nothing-nothing-that would ever change that.