Silent Snow

I heard rumors of the Queen lurking through the woods searching for Raven and I. This caused me to be weary and nervous with every sound near the small cabin. Well, Raven is who the Queen searches for. The Queen has not discovered my existence yet, thankfully. It was the only small miracle of well herd new we would receive from the castle; the rest would not be as pleasant. The Queen has hired many of men to try to kill us. Each time one of the men failed their lives were ended. It is even rumored that she has done away with their families to strike fear in the hearts of those to be hired afterward. I worried that there will be no man left in the Kingdom when we return. If we can ever return.

I push myself to walk back to the cabin despite the heaviness of my limbs; as I approach I see the outline of a person by the window. She seems to be talking to my sister, so I hide. No one can see me; they may run and tell the Queen that there are two that wear the same face. I press my bosom into the tree’s bark and stare at the back of the figure's head. She has long gray hair, that is welled brushed. Her clothes are slightly rumpled from all the walking she has done in the woods. She is has a basket filled with beautiful and brilliant combs. She must be a seller of the lovely items. She holds up a extraordinarily beautiful sliver comb, its tips look as if they had dipped in a fine oil. My sister’s face is lights up in excitement; she turns her head so the women can comb her hair. I smile, pleased to see her so happy.

The old woman starts to brush my sister’s hair, after the fifth run through; she places the comb on the window sill. She take the sliver pieces my sister gives her and thanks her. Then she walks away with a determined swiftness. My sister picks the comb and stares at the intricate details. As she hold the comb over her head to see the comb in the sunlight she suddenly collapses. I run to her side, picking her head up from where it lays next to the window sill. Her breathing was even, she seemed well enough. She still had normal eye movement, something the doctor of miners taught me to look for. Perhaps the heat is what caused her to fall. I struggle to pick her up and bring her into the shade of the home. Go back to where the comb lies and pick it up from the ground. I smell the tip of the comb; it does not smell as if its is any oil. Perhaps it is one that I have never smelled before. Perhaps it is something new in our kingdom. I frown at the sliver edges; I take the comb with me. I carry it off the back path and bury it underneath the trees. I fear that it may have been a way to kill her.

When the miners get home, they tell me that Queen was spotted in a guise of an older woman who is selling combs. My eyes widen and I quickly tell them what had befallen my sister at the hands of the Queen. They frown and try to think of ways to keep us truly safe from the Queen’s attempts to harm us. Immediately the Prince’s name makes an appearance in my mind. I am sure he could find a way to protect us, but it is a risky thing to do and a foolhardy thing to ask. How could I know that he can be trusted? Perhaps he is secretly working for the Queen, trying to gain my trust. What if he intends to eventually led my sister and I to our deaths? Yet, I have nowhere else to turn but him, he is our only hope. I watch as my sister rests, the poison was not enough to truly do any harm. Next time, though, it maybe. I make my excuse and leave my sister with the men, whom I have grown to trust. I hope that I will once again run into Erich.

“Erich,” I whisper harshly into the air. “Erich, please I need you.”

“Fair maiden, is that your voice I hear on the wind? I have waited for you by this same tree, the one where I discovered your name.” He steps forward and I see a smile stretch across his face.

“I need your help,” I feel moisture on my cheeks and I know that I am crying. “Someone wishes me and the one dearest to me dead. Your highness, I ask of you for your protection.”

A distressed look overshadows his face, “I will see what I can do for you dearest Rose. First I must know your location, so that I can have my guards there post haste.”

I hesitate and take step back, “I. . . I am sorry majesty. I should not have come. My haste has made me panic. I will be fine. I must go now.”

I could not bring myself to take the risk, despite that I have come out to search for him.

“I will prove to you that I mean you no harm.”

He swiftly closes the gap between us and presses his lips against mine.