Frost (EDITING)

THE SWAN QUEEN

"Hazel, have you seen the Princess?" said Nurse Rosetta.

"No." said Hazel, "What is the matter?"

"The winged monkeys released their hostages and I was attending to them, when I spotted someone who is not from the rebellion. She doesn't look like an Ozian either. She's rather...strange."

"Let me see." Hazel said, following Nurse Rosetta into a building, that had been turned into a makeshift hospital. They walked up to the corner of the long hall, beds filled with the gravely wounded and their mourning family members.

"Here she is."

Hazel looked at the girl. She wore a sparkling white tutu dress. Her frost blonde hair was messy and covered with dried blood and dirt. Her body was still; she appeared to be near death.

Hazel touched her hand. There was no response. She placed her fingers on her wrist. There was a faint pulse.

" She doesn't look like common folk to me. Do you know who she could be?" Rosetta asked. 

Hazel gazed at the girl's face. It seemed oddly familiar.

"She is someone important." Hazel said, "For I have seen her...in my visions."

"We retrieved an object from her." Rosetta fetched a shining object from the side table and handed it over to Hazel.

It was a small, silver tiara in the shape of a swan.

"You don't think she is..." 

" The Swan Queen." Hazel said.

****

Cold water splashed over his face.

He laughed. It hardly bothered him.

" Who sent you ?" she asked, again.

He did not answer. He felt a cold numbness all over his face, as the girl's icy gaze examined him.

He knew her pretty well, but she did not recognise him. If she did, she wouldn't dare to detain and torture him. Poor Little Red Riding Hood. He could see through her; beyond her tough skin, was an innocent child, tormented by nightmares and guilt.

He heard the door creak open. There was a pattering of footsteps.

"He refuses to tell us anything. A tough nut to crack." Red sighed.

The other girl glanced at him. She reminded him of someone and brought back a painful memory, that he had buried in his heart.

Her innocent laughter rang in his ears; the girl as sweet as a ripe apple and pure as freshly fallen snow.

A surge of guilt washed over him; his hands shook, like they had once, when he had tried to kill her. The arrow had fallen from his hand.

"Run! Run away, Snow and never turn back."

He knew that this girl was as far as her mother, as could be. She lacked her innocent doe like eyes, that had charmed him once and made him weak. Her lips twitched to the side.

" The Huntsman." she said.

Red looked completely taken aback.

He smirked. " Pleasure to meet you, daughter of Snow White."

" I was wondering why the Council didn't send someone earlier. I did not expect to see you." she said.

He let out a light chuckle. "You are a smart woman."

" Indeed." she said, " I do not wish to gain information out of you. I have no need of it . However, I would be glad to have you on my side."

She put a hand forward. He spat on it. She withdrew it, betraying no emotions on her face.