PART 1

It is winter, as always. Olga – the princess of Serpukhov and Vasya’s big sister – is in her palace, waiting for her brother Sasha to come back.

Some useful info: Sasha is everyone’s favourite: Pyotr’s (RIP) favourite son, Vasya’s favourite brother, and Grand Prince Dmitrii’s BFF.

While waiting, Olga tells her children a story about a snow maiden who was made from snow magic and melts away when she allows herself to love. Hmm, who else is made of snow in this book, one might wonder.

They also talk about a ghost who haunts the palace and the highest tower. Olga thinks it’s all made up, but her daughter Marya swears she saw this “ghost” once.

Sasha is back, and guess whom he found on his way back: a PRIEST. Oh no… no. You stay away from Olga and Sasha, Konstantin!

He starts telling lies about Vasya, of course, saying to Olga that it was Vasya who caused their father to die. Which is kind of true, but not the whole truth.

A boyar named Kasyan comes to Grand Prince Dmitrii and asks for his aid. Tatars have been causing chaos everywhere lately – burning villages, kidnapping, etc. Dmitrii himself has been bored. In fact, he is so bored that his advisors resort to asking Sasha to just take him out of the palace and let him sleep with someone. So this request from Kasyan is a win-win situation.

Sasha and Dmitrii set out. It’s a hard journey in the cold. They make a stop at Sasha’s monastery. One day, a boy comes to this place for shelter as well. A boy with green eyes.

Sasha steps out to talk to this boy. But it’s no boy. It’s his sister Vasya!

PART 2

We go back a little and learn what led Vasya to Sasha.

She actually goes to Morozko first to ask for some of that money he offered her a while ago so she can start travelling. Vasya is very practical.

Morozko responds with his never-changing line: What’s wrong with staying at home?

Vasya argues back. Morozko doesn’t win, of course. Has he ever won an argument against her?

Vasya is soon on her way. A spirit named Midnight comes to check on Vasya and tells her that she signed a contract with a mysterious someone to help Vasya three times.

Winter is cold and the forests Vasya has to ride through are scary, but no scarier than civilization. When Vasya stops by a village, no sooner does she digest her first full dinner than a group of men try to steal Solovey and rob her.

So back to the forest we go. Vasya has a fever. Luckily Morozko is around. He warms her up, feeds and lectures her, then starts teaching her some basic self-defence. Morozko has realized once again that there’s no way Vasya will go back home, so he might as well prepares her for the road.

One night, Vasya attacks Morozko with a hard question: Did my father have to die?

No, but since Morozko knew that Pyotr’s death would seal the Bear and save everyone, Pyotr was also willing, so he took Pyotr away before Vasya could save him. Pretty ruthless, but it makes sense from his point of view.

Vasya cries. Solovey demands that Morozko do something about it, which he does. He kisses Vasya again. Note that he still hasn’t explained the last kiss he randomly planted on Vasya.

Morozko leaves. His horse isn’t happy with the way he is handling things. Immortals can’t care about people, otherwise, they become mortal. And let’s just say Morozko cares a whole lot these days.

Vasya continues her way. She finds a bandit lair, uses Solovey as bait – the same way Pumbba is used as bait so Simba and Nala can get past the hyenas’ defence – and rescues three girls. Then Vasya finds her way to Sergei’s monastery. Their greeting is full of emotions, which neither of them is allowed to express. But basically, it’s something like this:

VASYA: I haven’t seen you in ten years, brother!

SASHA: Mother of God, I’m going to lose my job.

PART 3

Vasya lets the men know how she found the bandits. Dmitrii decides to pursue them right away. He even makes Vasya eat standing up because there is no time to lose.

They find the bandits, and fight them along with Kasyan. At one point, Sasha thinks he sees a mist figure riding a horse and fighting alongside Vasya, like a spirit. But he dismisses it.

They camp. Sasha asks Vasya how their father died. Vasya only tells him about a Bear, but nothing else. She loves her brother, but they had been apart for ten years, he’s a bit of a stranger to her now; and a prudish one at that.

Kasya shares a story of his first love.

Dmitrii can’t stop making jokes, he quite likes Vasya. You know, as a BOY cousin.

They head back to Moscow. Solovey doesn’t like it, he wants to go back to the forest. Drinking melted snow and eating wild carrots makes more sense to him.

They meet Olga again, who is annoyed that Sasha didn’t send Vasya to her first. Thing is, Vasya can’t be controlled or put in a box, so sending her to Olga first wouldn’t have done much good, either. Even the winter-king is like, I give up.

OLGA: (imagines her baby sister hanging out with hot-headed men like Dmitrii): I can’t watch.

SASHA: Don’t watch.

Konstantin is still charming people, turning heads and hearts. But he isn’t doing it on purpose, to be clear. He’s a little down-spirited nowadays and still in shock, as one should be, if one was threatened and chased out in the cold by the winter-king.

Still, most people think he’s great. Not Sasha, though. Sasha goes to ask Konstantin some questions about Pyotr.

A few words out of Konstantin’s mouth and Sasha knows this man only tells half-truths. He senses that the priest hates Vasya too and sees right through the charming mask. Yay, Sasha!

Sasha and Vasya attend a banquet. Dmitrii talks to them both in private about the real problem. The Khan isn’t pleased and there might be a war.

Vasya and Sasha accompany Dmitrii to see the ambassador of the Khan, Chelubey. When the man starts talking, Vasya realizes something: He is the bandit captain she rescued the three girls from.

Vasya tries to tell Sasha, but he is still bitter about her not being honest with him so that conversation doesn’t end well.

Marya blackmails Vasya into taking her out riding the next day.

I know your secret, AUNT, she says, so you’d better give me free horse rides or I’ll tell everyone.

They go into the city and actually enjoy themselves. But they run into Chelubey, who knows that Vasya knows he’s a fraud. Luckily – or unluckily, we don’t know yet – Kasyan is there to get the girls home safely, though not before Vasya knocks a guy off his horse and into the mud.

Olga is justifiably unhappy.

Vasya decides to tell Kasyan about Chelubey since Sasha is unresponsive. After all, aside from his occasional staring and showy accessory choice, Kasyan seems harmless. Kasyan promises to do something about the Chelubey problem.

At the feast, Vasya attempts to tell Dmitrii too but Kasyan stops her. Hmm.

Morozko pays Vasya one of his random visits. He is sad. Isn’t he always? People’s belief in the spirits is near zero. They kiss, with Vasya actually participating this time.

Vasya says she doesn’t know what to do now. She can’t keep lying to Dmitrii about being a boy forever, but she also doesn’t want to go back to being a girl and getting put in a labeled box.

MOROZKO: Everything has its pros and cons.

Yeah… thanks, all wise Winter-king. Even Vasya’s horse could have told her that.

Anyway, Morozko has some struggles of his own. He has begun to care too much. You know, ABOUT VASYA. Soon he might start melting like the snow maiden in the story because he dares to love a mortal.

Kasya challenges Vasya to a horse race to entertain Dmitrii – or so he says. Vasya has a little convo with Sasha that morning. She wants to leave after the race, there’s no place for her here.

Sasha says he has been investigating into Vasya’s claims about Chelubey. It seems she might be right. Eckkk… seems like you shouldn’t have told the secret to that Kasyan in such a rush, Vasya.

Horse-racing time. Kasyan brings in a mare that makes everyone’s jaw drop. Even Solovey is like, Uh… is it too late to back out?

Here Kasyan lets Vasya know that he knows she’s a girl all along and that he wants to marry her.

Shocked and confused, Vasya enters the race still. But turns out, it isn’t the horse race that Kasyan cares about. He just wants to distract her and get close enough and SWOOSH, he pulls her cap off. Her hair flies out, exposing her identity as a girl.

By this time, Solovey is too exhausted so even if Vasya wanted to escape, she couldn’t. Hmm, isn’t Kasyan smart.

Dmitrii is livid. Olga is furious. Both Vasya and Sasha are locked up.

That night, the ghost comes to Vasya and tells her to escape because there will be a bloody battle here tonight.

Kasyan comes and talks to Vasya again about his marriage offer. His true face shows and he’s all kinds of abusive towards Vasya. But Kasyan also reveals something important: Vasya might want to ask Morozko about that jewel she’s wearing around her neck.

Olga goes into labour that same night. It’s a difficult labour, Morozko stops by just in case Olga dies. I’ve got to say, this guy has a pretty tragic part-time job.

Vasya begs Morozko to go away, he repeats that it isn’t up to him. Morozko offers Olga two choices: Let the baby be born dead and she can live, or have a C-session (medieval version) to save the baby and die.

Vasya makes the decision for Olga and lets the baby die so that Olga can live. Oh no… it’s kind of… erm… not your decision to make, Vasya.

Although to be fair, anyone would be condemned for any choice they make here.

Once again, Olga is furious with Vasya and throws her out.

Konstantin is right there because he was called in just in case Olga died. He catches Vasya and demands she come with him to pay for her crime.

There was a soft (confusing? fragile?) moment when Konstantin kind of says he needs Vasya in his life to feel whole again.

Vasya isn’t afraid, she knows whom she is dealing with and does not have time for this nonsense. She gets close to Konstantin – which isn’t hard because it’s something he’s been waiting for, no matter what comes out of his mouth – charms him, kicks the crap out of him, then runs to find Solovey.

I wonder what Konstantin would have done if Vasya had agreed to remain with him. Did he intend to marry her? Make her die so he could watch? Make her be a model for his paintings? What’s your plan here, K?

On her way out, Vasya runs into Morozko, who also thinks she should get out of the city. Kasyan is a sorcerer and he wants to usurp the throne.

But Vasya makes Morozko explain about the jewel first. Here goes:

Chyerti need to be believed in in order to exist. But because men are starting to abandon the old ways, chyerti – including Morozko – are fading. So Morozko needed to give that jewel to someone with the Sight so that he could be seen and remembered.

Well, that was a hard blow. The one man Vasya thinks she loves has been using her to save his own neck. She threw the jewel back at him and rides away.

PART 4

Sasha and Rodion (another bada** warrior monk) also make their way out, they meet Vasya and the three of them get into Dmitrii’s palace just when Chelubey’s people attack.

Sasha dashes inside to save Dmitrii. The two have a quick awkward moment.

SASHA: Erm… sorry?

DMITRII: I’m still pissed, but we’re both gonna die if I don’t work with you, so whatever.

They charge out and into the battle together.

Vasya finds Solovey in the stable. Kasyan’s mare is there too, but it’s glowing – with real fire — for some reason. So Vasya does the “sensible” thing and yanks off the bridle and sets the mare free. It turns into a firebird – the legendary Firebird – and flies away.

Vasya rides back to the courtyard. Konstantin is there and he’s taking Marya to Kasyan. Vasya gets there too late to save the girl. Well, Konstantin, do you have an explanation? Vasya has no time for this.

He does — Kasyan promised I can have you if I bring him a girl with the Sight.

Erm… K, you realize that’s the same trick the Bear used on you, right?

Vasya is outraged but she doesn’t want to hurt Konstantin because he baptized her baby sister. But she warns him to stay out of her sight.

Vasya tells Solovey to go protect Sasha, and she herself runs up the tower to find Marya.

In the top room, Marya is in a trance. Vasya finds Kasya there and they kind of get into a sword + fist fight in which, of course, Vasya gets hurt terribly. But the ghost appears again and we learn who she is this time. It’s Vasya’s grandmother Tamara. She had the Sight too.

Kasyan and Tamara used to be in love, but he used her to attain immortality. According to legend, the sorcerer put his soul inside a needle, inside an egg, inside a duck, inside a hare… well, this guy certainly puts Voldemort to shame, doesn’t he?

In this case, though, it’s just the jewel the ghost wears.

Vasya and Kasya fight again. Morozko’s shadow appears in the room, which is usually a sign that someone is going to die. Vasya snatches the ghost’s jewel and crushes it, killing Kasyan.

But there’s a bigger problem at hand.

The Firebird’s flames are burning Moscow and the whole city is in survival mode. Well, when you released a horse with a glowing tail, what did you think was going to happen, Vasya?

Now, what can we use to put out a fire of this scale? A snowstorm, of course.

But it is spring, and Morozko isn’t strong. Not to mention that all the churches and prayers here weaken him. He is so weak he can’t even be found anywhere Plus, Vasya has broken the bond between them, which served as a source of Morozko’s power. Guess you shouldn’t have thrown that necklace away, huh, Vasya?

But Vasya has a way. Since Morozko is also a Death God, one can see him if one is dying. A reckless plan, but OK, what else can you do anyway?

Vasya walks up a burning street, choking and suffocating. And sure enough, Morozko appears when she feels like she’s dying. After some struggling, he does manage a snowstorm, which must cost a lot considering what Morozko has working against him.

They have a final conversation before saying goodbye. Morozko says he is fading and can only be seen when there is death around or when it’s below 0°C, there’s nothing they can do so let’s just accept that. Vasya doesn’t think that is good enough, and we can be sure this girl will do something about it.

The fire is extinguished. Vasya tells Sasha and Olga the truth about everything. Everyone is happy. Well, for now. The city’s people certainly aren’t happy about their houses being burned overnight.

END