Bart Belly's Arc

Chapter 2 of 21

Bart's body was ready, but the cold was not something muscle could beat. He stood at the edge of the square in his snug red Speedo, belly bare, bellybutton poking over the waistband. The wind bit his skin. He shivered. One step onto the ice and he would freeze before he ever found the golden Speedo. He needed gear. He had none, and no idea where to find it. A worn, slack bag lay near his feet. Empty. He picked it up and stared into it, as if warm clothes might appear inside. They did not. "That won't fill itself, you know." Bart turned. A small polar bear watched him. A silver tiara sat on her head. A purple cloak hung from her shoulders, stitched with tiny gold snowflakes. She looked young, but she spoke like someone used to being obeyed. This was the princess of the Polar Kingdom. "You're the soft one everyone talks about," she said. "The one who wants to walk the ice." Bart's ears flattened. "I trained for weeks. I'm not soft anymore." She circled him, eyeing his bare stomach. "Strong and frozen is still frozen." She smiled. "But I know where the old gear is kept. Furs. Boots. Warm things from before my grandfather's time." Hope jumped in Bart's chest. "Show me. Please." The princess led him past the edge of the square to a cavern of ancient ice. Its walls glowed pale blue. Jagged spikes hung from the ceiling. Cold air rolled from the dark mouth. Bart hugged himself and followed her in. Inside, chests lined the frozen floor. The princess flipped one open. Bart pulled out a thick fur coat, heavy boots, gloves, a hood. He shrugged the coat on. Warmth wrapped his shoulders at once. He grinned wide. "Take what you need," she said. "Fill the bag." Bart stuffed the bag with furs, gloves, and dried food from another chest. He tied it shut. His hands stopped shaking. For the first time, the ice felt survivable. He turned to thank her. The princess stood by the cavern mouth, her face careful now. "There's a price," she said. "These are royal supplies. My father won't let a stranger take them for nothing." She paused. "He wants something from the ice. A bloom that grows only past the wilderness. Bring it back, and the gear is yours to keep." Bart's stomach sank. "And if I don't?" "Then he'll send guards after you before you reach the path." She said it plainly, without cruelty. "I can't stop him. But I can give you a head start." Bart looked at the full bag in his hands. He had beaten the cold. Now he owed a debt he might die trying to pay. He tightened the hood and stepped toward the light. "Then I'd better move fast," he said.