A Promise Binds Me to Her

Once upon a time, in deep winter, a queen was admiring the falling snow when she saw a rose blooming in defiance of the cold. Reaching for it, she pricked her finger, and six drops of blood fell.
Because the red seemed so alive against the white she thought, 'If only I had a daughter, skin as white as snow, lips as red as blood, hair as black as a raven's wings and with the strength of that rose.

Soon after, two daughters were born to the queen. One with; hair as black as a ravens wings, skin white a snow and lips as red as blood, she was named Snow White. The other with; hair as brown as the earth itself, skin as white as snow and lips as pink as the lip of a seashell, she was named Alexandria.

They were adored throughout the kingdom as much for their defiant spirit as for their beauty.

“Come on Alexandria, Will!” Snow White persisted upon the duke’s son and her sister, “it’s injured, we must take it to mother she will know what to do,” she continued wading her way through the field of golden wheat,
“Snow...Snow calm down, the faster you go the more likely you are hurting it,” Alexandria sighed sending William, the one whom had knocked the bird from the tree in the first place, an aggravated look. Snow unwillingly slowed her pace.
All three walked through the village. Snow was too engrossed in the bird’s well being to see the people of the village; many had to move aside to let her past. Alexandria rolled her eyes at her sister, even though they were twins there were only a few similarities between them. For instance the day of their birth was something they both shared; Alexandria being only a few minutes older than her sister.
Snow White was more interested in caring for animals and the creatures that wandered into the land that had no home. Alexandria was more protective of her sister, her family, and her home. Snow White was the caring sister who would not harm a fly, whilst Alexandria would do anything to keep what she holds dear safe.

Snow and Alexandria headed towards their parents’ bedroom, where they knew they would be. When they went inside, Alexandria saw the looks on everyone's faces, and knew something was terribly wrong. Snow did not see it, but Alexandria slowed slightly as she followed her sister inside, gazing upon the forlorn faces of the best medical practitioners in the land,
"We found it in the woods" Snow explained to their mother, holding out the black, white, and blue bird, "it's injured, Mother" Snow held the bird out to their mother, who softly stroked it,
"It must have broken its wing" the Queen sighed, “do not worry, it will heal with time" she assured her two daughters with a smile,
“Snow will look after it, you can be sure of that,” Alexandria smirks gently placing her small hunting bow, which her father had given her, on the stone floor. Another difference between the sisters was that Alexandria loved to fight and hunt, Snow would often scold her for being somewhat morbid and gruesome.
Queen Eleanor smiled warmly, feeling nothing but pride for her daughters,
“You both possess rare beauty, my loves,” she hums, soothing a worried Snow White by stroking her long black hair, “in here,” she smiles, reaching out both of her hands and placing them over each girl’s heart, “never lose it, it will serve you well when your time on the throne comes,” her smile falters slightly, yet again Snow is caring for the bird to see it. Alexandria, though, with her hunting skills could see it clearly. Why was their mother saying such things? Eleanor could tell her eldest daughter had caught onto what she was saying and placed a soft hand upon Alexandria’s shoulder,
“I promise I will protect her, with my life,” she swears darkly.
Later that day, Alexandria was sitting at the base of a tree and Snow was leaning against a branch in the same tree, whilst William was climbing out to grab an apple,
"Be careful you don't fall" Snow said, slightly worried for William's safety,
"I'm just getting you an apple" William told her, grabbing a bright red one and climbing back to Snow White, "here you go" he held out the shiny object to Snow. She reached out to grab the delicious looking fruit,
“Thank you,” she said kindly, only to have it snatched away, “William!” she squeals, William laughs and hops down from the tree. He let the apple drop from the height and it bounced off of Alexandria’s head landed next to her with a thud. Alexandria looked up and shared a devilish smirk with her sister. After helping Snow down from the tree, Alexandria and her sister chased after William. Leaving the bright red apple to rot upon the cobblestone courtyard.

The next winter was the harshest in memory and the girls' mother passed away. The King was inconsolable.

Snow and Alexandria stood looking over the courtyard of the castle, the very place they had chased the Duke’s son but a few months ago. Snow let out a sob and pushed her way into her sister’s embrace Alexandria wrapped her arms around her grieving sister and looked back out into the courtyard. Peeking out of a small mound a snow was a small piece of red, it had a rotten look about it. Then she remembered the apple that had been left there that summer, the memories of happiness seemed to annoy her and she turned her head quickly planting a soft and loving kiss upon her sister’s head.

The girls’ father became very distant over the next few days and so Alexandria stated the same promise to her sister that she had said to her mother the day of the injured bird. She promised; that she would never let any harm come to her sister, that she would never leave and would always protect her, even if it meant losing her own life.

Taking advantage of his grief, a dark and mysterious army appeared and lured him into battle. The dark army was defeated, but what would soon come to pass was far darker.

So enchanted by the beauty of the dark army’s prisoner was the King that he forgot, for the first time, his broken heart and the very next day, she would become his wife.

The sisters sat upon a window seat watching their step mother to be being readied for her wedding. Snow was more than happy that their father had found himself another love in such a short time; Alexandria on the other hand was somewhat sceptical. The woman watched them both a strange look upon her face,
“You’re so beautiful,” Snow white said kindly swinging her legs back and forth underneath the bench, her sister merely rolled her eyes. Yes she was very beautiful but that was the thing she could not understand. Her father said it took him many a year to have the courage to ask for the girls’ mother’s hand in marriage, and she was one of the most beautiful people in Alexandria’s eyes, but merely a day for this bewitching woman stood in front of them.

It was hard to say that Alexandria was not happy for her father, because she was. She just felt that there was something sinister about to happen and Ravenna would be the cause,
“That is kind child,” Ravenna replied softly with a small smile etched upon her face, “especially when it is said that and your sister’s faces are the true beauty of this kingdom,” Snow and Alexandria smiled upon the compliment. Ravenna sat down and beckoned the children towards her, “this all must be difficult for you,” she mused softly looking between the girls, as if gauging their reactions, “I, too, lost my mother when I was a young girl. I can never take you mother's place. Never, but I feel that you two and I are bound. I feel it there" the girls look down to see that she had been looking at their hearts, "Your hearts" she smiled.

Alexandria’s face straightened out, it was the same thing their mother had said to them the months before her death. It caused her heart to ache.
Snow and Alexandria resisted the urge to wave back to the people lining the great hall. The girls could pick out woman cooing over the maid’s choice in clothing. Snow White was dressed in a beautiful and soft blue gown and had her hair in long black curls, tied up at the back so that it fell down her back in a waterfall of raven coloured locks. Alexandria wore the very same dress but in a soft pink to match her lips, her hair was also matching her sisters. Both looked beautiful and that angered Ravenna.
Ravenna noticed that the attention of the crowd was not on her, but on the two children trailing in her footsteps. She had worked so very hard and lost so much and she was not going to let two meagre infants destroy that.

With that Ravenna became Queen, and the girls were no longer motherless.
That night both girls climbed into their shared bed, Snow could not hold in the small giggle of excitement as she thought of all the wonderful things she and her new mother would do together. Alexandria was a little more precautious, she had caught onto the strange and angered look the new Queen had given herself and her sister, more so her sisters, as they all walked up the aisle. She feared for her sister’s safety.

Ravenna had tricked her way into the kingdom with a phantom army. She now welcomed a very real one.

The soft padding of feet awoke the princesses. Snow White turned to her sister, fear obvious in her eyes,
“Maybe something happened in the kitchen,” Alexandria soothed, trying to calm her sister. That’s when she caught onto the faint rustling of chain mail and the sound of armour crashing against itself, “Would you like to go see father?” she asked quickly petting her sister’s head. Snow nodded and pushed the covers off of them.

Snow White clung to her sister’s hand as she raced them both through the hallways of the castle. When they reached their father’s room Alexandria stopped suddenly and turned round pulling her sister into a deep embrace. Snow caught sight of their father; laying in the bed a knife stabbed through his heart his blood on the bed sheets, over her sister’s shoulder. A strange choking noise came from her throat,
“Shhh, shhh Snow everything’s going to be okay, I'm here and I will never leave you,” Alexandria whispered into her sister’s ear. Snow white was about to protest, scream at her sister for thinking such a foolish thought, nothing was going to be alright they were parentless, when Ravenna accompanied by three knights in shining black armour turned the corner.

Alexandria seethed, seeing the content look upon the cruel woman’s face. This was all her doing.
Ravenna scoffed as Alexandria latched onto her sisters hand and pulled her down the hallways and out onto the courtyard. Men and woman dying everywhere, it seemed Ravenna’s men held no boundaries and would kill anything on sight,
“The princesses!” someone called out near to the bottom of the stone stair cases. Alexandria pushed her sister through the throng of screaming bodies,
“William!” Alexandria called out catching his attention. Pushing her sister out in front of her. William reached out a hand to take Snow White’s, but she was grabbed both from her sister and from William,
“Snow!” they both screamed. Alexandria kicked the man in the shin only to have him slap her with his metal glove. Leaving a bloodied scar running from her cheek, over her eye and stopping just above her eyebrow. Alexandria clutched her face and watched as one of her father’s men killed the man, grasping her sister, with his sword. Both girls were then lifted onto horses.

As the horses made a break for the entrance to the castle; Snow White’s rider was shot with an arrow and both he and her fell from the horse. Alexandria’s horse was just outside the entrance when she saw this, elbowing the man who was sharing the horse and jumping off she scuttled under the pointed wooden spikes at the bottom of the door,
“The princesses!” William screamed again, “Father we must go back, we must!” he pleaded clutching the leather of his father’s clothing,
“William, don’t leave us!” Snow screamed reaching a hand through the doorway, her pleading eyes set on the Duke. The Duke looked back watching as the two girls were carried off screaming; by Finn the Queen’s brother,
“It is too late now,” he sighed, cursing himself for not acting fast enough, “we have lost them,” and with that the Duke and remaining men rode off into the night, away from Ravenna’s clutches.
Alexandria fussed and spat ugly words at the brute that was holding herself and her sister. So much so that Finn had to give her to one of the Queen’s men; to restrain her. Alexandria’s fruitful language was the only thing to be heard, the masses had been forced to kneel and fell silent, all but the noise of woman sobbing, watching as the Queen made her way out onto the steps,
“The remnants my queen, what do we do with them?” called one of the black suited knights, he was speaking of the kneeling men and woman. Alexandria saw their tear filled eyes and the fear in their frames; they looked like an animal who was to be slaughtered,
“To the sword" Ravenna decided without hesitation. She turned to leave when she saw her brother with the two princesses, "Finn!" she shouted, he looked up at her slowly, "lock them up, one never knows when royal blood may be of value" she mused, with that she turned and headed back into the castle.

The girls were dragged along endless hallways, Alexandria never stopping the fight to try and save her sister. They reached one of the tallest towers in the castle and were shoved into cells. The girls were split up for the first time in their lives. Snow White couldn't handle the loneliness she felt and broke down in a veil of tears, Alexandria could see her young sister’s shoulders racking from the loud and painful sobs. It pulled on her heart to see her like that.

Alexandria had broken her promise, or at least that is what she thought.