The Snow Maiden

Blanket Forts

The small window of the attic rattled. No matter how hot the little brazier fire burned, the room remained cold. Link huddled about it within several quilts, trying not to think. The coals popped to each other with red hot kisses.

With a creak the door on the floor lifted and a slender figure with a blanket over her shoulders appeared. He could just make out Nani's face in the faint light of the coals.

She shuffled over and made a nest of herself in the blankets on the mattress opposite of him.

"Hello." she said quietly.

He looked out the window and then tucked his face out of the blankets.

"Can't sleep?" he asked.

"I was worried. You're asking questions about being a murderer and that brother of yours is still out there. You blame yourself for that."

Link stared. "How do you know that?"

"When you listen more than talk you pick up a lot of stuff most people miss."

They listened to the rattling little window and the popping coals. Link rubbed his tired eyes.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"Oh, why do you care." he said without thinking. He mentally slapped himself. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to sound annoyed, it's just...I'm sorry."

"You have a lot on your mind." she said as though that excused him. "And you deserve to have someone worry about you. You're a good man."

He smiled weakly. "That's sweet of you."

She bowed her head, those promising eyes sparkling even in the dim light. They stared at each other awkwardly for a moment before he looked away.

"Shadow-the guy I went out with, he's still out there. I couldn't stop him, but it's my fault."

She cocked her head to the side, questioning. He hid his face.

"I thought I was doing what I needed to. That snow girl is evil, she's killing people, she was created by an evil curse, and Shadow, well, he's been trying to kill me ever since we met each other."

Her eyebrows flew up before they came back down in a disbelieving frown.

He hesitated. "He's...not the greatest guy, and he doesn't like me much. But I got into a situation and, well, I jumped to conclusions and now," he looked back out at the snow whirling by the window. "I think I may have-I think they're both...and though I always figured the world would be better without the two of them, created by darkness as they are, I still have this awful feeling in my gut. I don't understand." he buried himself deeper into the quilts till all he saw was black. "Nani, I think I may have done something awful."

The house groaned about them. He thought of the caved in roof of that morning and felt fearful for the other villagers. How many would be smothered in this incredible blizzard? What if the Snow Maiden was so upset the storm never ended? What if he had mortally wounded her and her death didn't bring about the end of the curse? Worse yet, if she did die, did that make him a...a...

Nani made a soft noise to get his attention, but he didn't move. He didn't want her to see him and the horror spreading on his face. And that softness he had seen on Shadow's face-how could Shadow be completely evil if he could look at someone like that? Never mind the fact that it was the Snow Maiden. It was almost as if he had fallen in love with her or something, but his shadow was suppose to be incapable of love.

The monster in his gut just grew uglier and uglier. He could feel his arms trembling with the windowpanes. He flinched when a soft hand reached through the quilts and ever so gently lifted his face up. Nani had left her own cocoon and leaned down in front of him. Backlighted by the soft red ember glow, he could just see the faint outline of her body through her long-sleeved nightgown. He flinched back.

"What are you doing?" he asked, "You're going to get cold."

Her gaze jumped from one of his eyes to the other, as though reading him. A expression of what could only be compassion wrinkled the skin between her eyebrows. Her other hand curled against her chest. She rolled in her lips, then sighed.

"There's nothing I can say." she said. "But...I can see."

"See?"

"You aren't a murderer."

He took a shaking breath, but was afraid to pull his face away. He wanted the promise held in her mouth and eyes more than ever now, and waited for them.

"How...how do you know?"

"Because murderers are filled with hate."

He inwardly crumpled and drew away. "But I was filled with hate. I was angry that they drew me into a trap I assumed was there, I was angry that she killed that woman's husband and angry that Shadow always tried to kill me. I'm...Nani, I've ruined everything. What if everyone...what if everyone dies because of me." his voice broke. What was he saying? Why was he divulging all this to a girl he'd only known for almost a week now?

Her hand came back and he could not deny the gentleness she used to coax him back out of his blankets.

"There's always tomorrow. But right now, it is night, and you have done the best you could."

"But-"

She shook her head and he snapped his mouth close. Then she gave him one of those smiles that held the promise and had caught his attention the first time he saw her.

He wasn't sure what came over him then. The yearning inside of him swallowed his reasoning and he leaned forward, searching for comfort. He kissed her. Before she could think otherwise he had his hand out and was drawing her in. He wasn't even entirely sure what he was doing. It wasn't like he had kissed a lot of girls in his lifetime. Mostly it was just girls kissing him out of the blue when he was still too naive to know what love was. Now he found the need for the soft girl in front of him instinctual and had to fight not to force her closer. Soft, now, soft.

And then he woke up. He jerked away.

"Oh gods," he wanted to hide his face like a child, but couldn't stop staring at her. "Oh gods, aw Din, Nani, I'm...please, don't be mad, I don't-I'm so sorry."

Her face was blank as she stood up. It was worse than if she had yelled at him or even scowled. He couldn't read anything from her. The sinking feeling in his chest rivaled the monster preying on his innards with guilt. Before he could think of anything to say that could possibly fix the situation, she left like a white ghost in her nightgown to the trapdoor and disappeared into the darkness below.