This I wrote because I wanted to have a piece about winter. I wanted snow, since where I live we're covered with it, and although I detest it most of the time, it's still pretty to look at. :3 Anyways, the characters used are from my online novel, they've got a tragic past. XD Enjoy! Constructive criticism is welcome!
Sorry it's kind of long too. ^^;;
__________
The frozen condensation created a crystal design on the large glass panes of the window, the frost betraying the bone chilling temperatures that waited just past the protection of the sealed shutters. Despite the fact that it was later in the morning, the light was still a dreary reddish grey, although for anyone who had lived on Caligo, they were quite accustomed to the monotony. Wind howled from outside the tower chamber, as if beckoning the figure well hidden in the folds of the velvet comforter to rise.
As though they had heard, the thick, comforting blanket was thrown to one side of the large bed, revealing the figure of a beautiful young woman. She lay still for a few moments, as though the cold temperature in the chamber had to sink into her skin before she was capable of moving. But eventually she stirred and slid to the edge of the bed. Placing her porcelain feet in black velvet slippers she pushed away from the bed and approached the curtains that hid one of the windows of the room. Snapping the deep violet drapes to either side, her gaze focused first on the frost that had etched its way across the windowâs surface and then onto the scenery beyond it.
For as far as her keen eye could see, a blanket of crimson bathed across the planetâs surface, it was as if an ocean of wine swam below her. At the sight of this, a vague memory of her childhood danced around her mind, barely keeping still long enough for her to grasp a hold of it. When she finally captured it, and watched it in her mindâs eye a wave of sadness washed over her. The young woman stepped away from the iced window and looked at the chamber around her. It was barren, hardly decorated, which gave the room an almost unwelcome air. She felt as though it was her childhood all over again.
A sudden wave of panic coursed through her as she got the desperate feeling to leave these suffocating rooms with their drowning halls and isolating corridors. Striding over to the armoire, she pulled out a thin, scarlet, satin robe to cover her white lace and silk gown. After she had tied that on securely, she pulled out a much thicker cloak, made of layers of velvet, with the inside lined in crimson satin. The hood that she pulled over her head was trimmed with the silver fur of a sacred beast, thought to have gone extinct long ago. Beneath the cover, she hid her long mahogany locks, and her porcelain face that always seemed permanently etched with pain and sorrow. As she approached the chamberâs door, she turned to take one last look at the room, as though confirming her feelings to flee.
There is no home for me here. There never has been.
Taking a step into the crisp, clean snow, the drastic change in temperature was hardly noticeable. She had grown accustomed to the harsh and bitter winters from her years on Terra, so the coldness of Caligo couldnât even compare. Although the climate of her home planet did not normally agitate her senses greatly, unless there was the time to time freak weather system. As she let her marigold eyes focus on the falling snowflakes around her, she felt as though she had entered an entirely different world. Even though she had seen the scenery and discolored snow a thousand times before as a child, it ceased to send goose-bumps up her arms.
As she stood in the middle of the field that had once been filled with crescent roses, it was hardly visible underneath the snow. A few blossoms here and there poked through as if trying to fight for their lives. Looking out across the landscape, the deep crimson of the snow sparkled around her and faded to its natural color as the distance grew shorter. It had always been the trick of the sky to cast the eerie colour on the icy flakes. The blood red of the sky casted its reflection on the world below, using the frozen water as a mirror, as if it was trying to get a glance at itself. Memories of her childhood and the tall tales that were told flooded her mind.
The Ice Queen. They say that she had been madly in love with a man. The origins are never clear, and vary from story to story. And the outcome was always the same. In some way or another he broke her heart. So in her bitterness and grief she cried. But these tears were no ordinary tears. Because this man had broken her heartâcrushed itâshe cried the blood that had once pumped through it. And in her fury, she went on a wild dance across the land, spilling her tears of anguish with her. Ever since then, the snow has been dyed a permanent crimson red.
They too call me the Ice Queen. But for far different reasons. Breaking away from her thoughts for a moment, she lifted her eyes towards the clouded sky. As her hood slid off her head, her mahogany locks fell around her face and she slid her eyelids closed. Small cold drops fell on her face and she welcomed it, as though beckoning it to wake her from some dream.
I cannot disagree and say that I do not act emotionless, and regard few with true emotion. But it is not because I do not know how, or do not care too. It is because I too cry tears of blood. My heart too has been crushed and broken to pieces. But I, unlike the queen in the tale do not dance wildly and shed my tears. I never express the pain and fear and loneliness I feel on the inside. My whole life I have dedicated to creating the feeling of revenge and rage towards those that have done me wrong in some way, but that is not truly who I am.
Deep within, I know that I am still that child who is scared to be on her own. I am scared of everything and everyone. But it is so much easier to hide it behind this mask. If I let these feelings overwhelm me I know I have no chance to survive. So even though I am alone, and used, and beaten, I live on. They call me the Ice Queen, but I call myself something much different. To me I am the Forsaken Queen. The one no one wants to deal with. The one that everyone hides so they donât have to think about. With the last thought lingering in her mind, she did not notice the crystal tears that had formed at the corners of her closed eyes. Neither did she feel the presence of the figure that silently approached her from behind. Not until it stopped and stood a short distance behind her, as though observing intensely.
When it finally dawned on her that she was not alone, she was not surprised. Instead, she opened her eyes and took one last look at the scarlet sky above her before lowering her head. Lifting the hood of her velvet cloak back over her head, she made sure to hide her face as much as possible. A moment later she turned around to face the new arrival, but she was not expecting to see this. He wore an elaborate suit. It was not so much that he was wearing such a decorated outfit, but rather the colour of the outfit that startled her the most. His entire suit was white, as white as her cloak and the nightgown hidden underneath. The accent colour, that trim and the added detail were all black, making it stand out all the more, but she found that surprisingly, he was quite capable of pulling it off. It was a difficult colour for a vampire to wear. Since their skin was already so pale, white usually had the tendency to make them look far more deathlike than normal. But his outfit didnât. If anything, she thought it made him look more majestic.
As though he could read her mind, he let his stormy grey eyes fall and look at the clothing on his body before looking back up into her sparkling marigold irises. Even as his expression was blank and betrayed nothing of how he felt, she knew that he was grimacing on the inside.
âMother felt I should wear something more formal. I suppose she is tired of seeing me wear my travel gear.â She found it odd that he was almost trying to make small talk. Odd, but strangely cute. Especially since he was not the kind of person to do so. Cracking a small she looked down at the snow for a moment.
âI think it suits you fine. It is a nice change from the normal drab you wear, so I would agree with your mother on that.â Her voice was soft, just above a whisper, but he heard it perfectly. The two of them remained where they were, unsure of what to say next. She found it strange that neither had anything to say. Thinking back on it, she was positive this was their first âawkward momentâ so to speak. As the princess turned to look around at the snow landscape once more, she felt her heart sink. The thoughts that had passed through her mind and the fairytale sheâd remembered continued to ring in her head.
âAila, you are no forsaken queen to me. I have never meant any harm or pain towards you. I have only ever wanted to protect you.â His voice rang in the young womanâs thoughts, and the sincerity he spoke with paralyzed any response. As a sort of relief from the sudden intensity of which their conversation had turned, she closed her eyes and lifted her head slightly, just enough so her hood still remained where it was. How was she going to respond to that? She had grown used to the idea of being alone, so the fact that he was telling her she wasnât was a hit to her reality.
He watched her actions closely, as he knew her well enough from her childhood what most if not all of her body language meant. When she closed her eyes, he couldnât help but stare as the falling snowflakes stuck to her long brown eyelashes, twinkling like crystals when she moved. Her cheeks were slightly flushed from the cold winter wind, making her face glow. He normally did not dare himself to look at her this way, but at this moment in time he couldnât help himself. Even the beast in his mind was silent as though mesmerized by her beauty.
As though transfixed, he closed the distance between them, his childhood lover not noticing the breach in her personal boundaries. Cradling her face with a porcelain hand, he watched her marigold eyes shoot open and focus with surprise on him. Their eyes locked for a moment, both lost in the othersâ mind.
âHow can we go back to the way it was when we were children, when so many things have separated us from the innocence and purity we used to possess?â Sadness was beginning to consume her. She so desperately wanted to return to those days when all they had and needed was each other. But she knew that it was never going to be like that again.
âWhat it was like in our past can never be brought back. You know that, and I do too. No matter how much we try too. We have lost what we had. I know that more than you know, but that doesnât mean we are lost.â His voice was gentle and soothed the pain that swelled in her heart. As he spoke to her like this she thought for a moment that maybe they could work it out. Tears burned in her eyes as she chastised herself for being so emotional. She knew better than to get her hopes up because as soon as she attempted to plan out some kind of future, it was sure to fail.
âSomeday, we will have a life, and against everything weâve gone through we will not give it up. You say that to others you are the Ice Queen, and to yourself you are the Forsaken Queen. But to me Aila, you are the queen of everything I hold important. You are what I fight to protect everyday,â The tall youth stopped and seemed to let her soak in what heâd just said. This was not something he was used too, the emotional side of him something he had pushed into the deep recesses of his heart, but he knew that this was something they both needed.
By then the tears had begun rolling down her flushed cheeks. Sheâd tried as hard as possible to be strong; she didnât want him to think her weak. But deep down inside of her she knew that he didnât. Somewhere in both of their minds they understood each other on a level that no one else could. That was why they knew that one day their lives would cross once again. Breaking away from her thoughts she listened once more when his pause ended, âWhen I left all those years ago, it was not to forget about you and to leave you by yourself with no one to care for you. It was because I cared for you that I left. I thought that without my dangerous presence there you would be able to live a safer existence. I didnât realize how much you would suffer.â
With a weak smile the tears ran dry and the sadness ebbed away. Burying all the past regrets and pain from her state of mind she tried to be optimistic. He was right, neither of them could change the past, but at least they were in control of their futures to a certain extent. Looking into his gentle stormy grey eyes she took a step closer and stood up on her toes. Her lips were soft and warm when they met his, and at first he didnât know how to respond, but seconds later he returned the kiss. It was the first time they had dared to feel this way. But it seemed that the love the Ice Queen had possessed in the fairytale had been passed on, but renewed and returned.
When the two separated a new sense of life flowed between them and warmed the blood that coursed through their bodies. It was as though they had become completely oblivious to the winter wonderland around them. Because in that moment, they were once more the innocent children from their memories.
__________
The frozen condensation created a crystal design on the large glass panes of the window, the frost betraying the bone chilling temperatures that waited just past the protection of the sealed shutters. Despite the fact that it was later in the morning, the light was still a dreary reddish grey, although for anyone who had lived on Caligo, they were quite accustomed to the monotony. Wind howled from outside the tower chamber, as if beckoning the figure well hidden in the folds of the velvet comforter to rise.
As though they had heard, the thick, comforting blanket was thrown to one side of the large bed, revealing the figure of a beautiful young woman. She lay still for a few moments, as though the cold temperature in the chamber had to sink into her skin before she was capable of moving. But eventually she stirred and slid to the edge of the bed. Placing her porcelain feet in black velvet slippers she pushed away from the bed and approached the curtains that hid one of the windows of the room. Snapping the deep violet drapes to either side, her gaze focused first on the frost that had etched its way across the windowâs surface and then onto the scenery beyond it.
For as far as her keen eye could see, a blanket of crimson bathed across the planetâs surface, it was as if an ocean of wine swam below her. At the sight of this, a vague memory of her childhood danced around her mind, barely keeping still long enough for her to grasp a hold of it. When she finally captured it, and watched it in her mindâs eye a wave of sadness washed over her. The young woman stepped away from the iced window and looked at the chamber around her. It was barren, hardly decorated, which gave the room an almost unwelcome air. She felt as though it was her childhood all over again.
A sudden wave of panic coursed through her as she got the desperate feeling to leave these suffocating rooms with their drowning halls and isolating corridors. Striding over to the armoire, she pulled out a thin, scarlet, satin robe to cover her white lace and silk gown. After she had tied that on securely, she pulled out a much thicker cloak, made of layers of velvet, with the inside lined in crimson satin. The hood that she pulled over her head was trimmed with the silver fur of a sacred beast, thought to have gone extinct long ago. Beneath the cover, she hid her long mahogany locks, and her porcelain face that always seemed permanently etched with pain and sorrow. As she approached the chamberâs door, she turned to take one last look at the room, as though confirming her feelings to flee.
There is no home for me here. There never has been.
Taking a step into the crisp, clean snow, the drastic change in temperature was hardly noticeable. She had grown accustomed to the harsh and bitter winters from her years on Terra, so the coldness of Caligo couldnât even compare. Although the climate of her home planet did not normally agitate her senses greatly, unless there was the time to time freak weather system. As she let her marigold eyes focus on the falling snowflakes around her, she felt as though she had entered an entirely different world. Even though she had seen the scenery and discolored snow a thousand times before as a child, it ceased to send goose-bumps up her arms.
As she stood in the middle of the field that had once been filled with crescent roses, it was hardly visible underneath the snow. A few blossoms here and there poked through as if trying to fight for their lives. Looking out across the landscape, the deep crimson of the snow sparkled around her and faded to its natural color as the distance grew shorter. It had always been the trick of the sky to cast the eerie colour on the icy flakes. The blood red of the sky casted its reflection on the world below, using the frozen water as a mirror, as if it was trying to get a glance at itself. Memories of her childhood and the tall tales that were told flooded her mind.
The Ice Queen. They say that she had been madly in love with a man. The origins are never clear, and vary from story to story. And the outcome was always the same. In some way or another he broke her heart. So in her bitterness and grief she cried. But these tears were no ordinary tears. Because this man had broken her heartâcrushed itâshe cried the blood that had once pumped through it. And in her fury, she went on a wild dance across the land, spilling her tears of anguish with her. Ever since then, the snow has been dyed a permanent crimson red.
They too call me the Ice Queen. But for far different reasons. Breaking away from her thoughts for a moment, she lifted her eyes towards the clouded sky. As her hood slid off her head, her mahogany locks fell around her face and she slid her eyelids closed. Small cold drops fell on her face and she welcomed it, as though beckoning it to wake her from some dream.
I cannot disagree and say that I do not act emotionless, and regard few with true emotion. But it is not because I do not know how, or do not care too. It is because I too cry tears of blood. My heart too has been crushed and broken to pieces. But I, unlike the queen in the tale do not dance wildly and shed my tears. I never express the pain and fear and loneliness I feel on the inside. My whole life I have dedicated to creating the feeling of revenge and rage towards those that have done me wrong in some way, but that is not truly who I am.
Deep within, I know that I am still that child who is scared to be on her own. I am scared of everything and everyone. But it is so much easier to hide it behind this mask. If I let these feelings overwhelm me I know I have no chance to survive. So even though I am alone, and used, and beaten, I live on. They call me the Ice Queen, but I call myself something much different. To me I am the Forsaken Queen. The one no one wants to deal with. The one that everyone hides so they donât have to think about. With the last thought lingering in her mind, she did not notice the crystal tears that had formed at the corners of her closed eyes. Neither did she feel the presence of the figure that silently approached her from behind. Not until it stopped and stood a short distance behind her, as though observing intensely.
When it finally dawned on her that she was not alone, she was not surprised. Instead, she opened her eyes and took one last look at the scarlet sky above her before lowering her head. Lifting the hood of her velvet cloak back over her head, she made sure to hide her face as much as possible. A moment later she turned around to face the new arrival, but she was not expecting to see this. He wore an elaborate suit. It was not so much that he was wearing such a decorated outfit, but rather the colour of the outfit that startled her the most. His entire suit was white, as white as her cloak and the nightgown hidden underneath. The accent colour, that trim and the added detail were all black, making it stand out all the more, but she found that surprisingly, he was quite capable of pulling it off. It was a difficult colour for a vampire to wear. Since their skin was already so pale, white usually had the tendency to make them look far more deathlike than normal. But his outfit didnât. If anything, she thought it made him look more majestic.
As though he could read her mind, he let his stormy grey eyes fall and look at the clothing on his body before looking back up into her sparkling marigold irises. Even as his expression was blank and betrayed nothing of how he felt, she knew that he was grimacing on the inside.
âMother felt I should wear something more formal. I suppose she is tired of seeing me wear my travel gear.â She found it odd that he was almost trying to make small talk. Odd, but strangely cute. Especially since he was not the kind of person to do so. Cracking a small she looked down at the snow for a moment.
âI think it suits you fine. It is a nice change from the normal drab you wear, so I would agree with your mother on that.â Her voice was soft, just above a whisper, but he heard it perfectly. The two of them remained where they were, unsure of what to say next. She found it strange that neither had anything to say. Thinking back on it, she was positive this was their first âawkward momentâ so to speak. As the princess turned to look around at the snow landscape once more, she felt her heart sink. The thoughts that had passed through her mind and the fairytale sheâd remembered continued to ring in her head.
âAila, you are no forsaken queen to me. I have never meant any harm or pain towards you. I have only ever wanted to protect you.â His voice rang in the young womanâs thoughts, and the sincerity he spoke with paralyzed any response. As a sort of relief from the sudden intensity of which their conversation had turned, she closed her eyes and lifted her head slightly, just enough so her hood still remained where it was. How was she going to respond to that? She had grown used to the idea of being alone, so the fact that he was telling her she wasnât was a hit to her reality.
He watched her actions closely, as he knew her well enough from her childhood what most if not all of her body language meant. When she closed her eyes, he couldnât help but stare as the falling snowflakes stuck to her long brown eyelashes, twinkling like crystals when she moved. Her cheeks were slightly flushed from the cold winter wind, making her face glow. He normally did not dare himself to look at her this way, but at this moment in time he couldnât help himself. Even the beast in his mind was silent as though mesmerized by her beauty.
As though transfixed, he closed the distance between them, his childhood lover not noticing the breach in her personal boundaries. Cradling her face with a porcelain hand, he watched her marigold eyes shoot open and focus with surprise on him. Their eyes locked for a moment, both lost in the othersâ mind.
âHow can we go back to the way it was when we were children, when so many things have separated us from the innocence and purity we used to possess?â Sadness was beginning to consume her. She so desperately wanted to return to those days when all they had and needed was each other. But she knew that it was never going to be like that again.
âWhat it was like in our past can never be brought back. You know that, and I do too. No matter how much we try too. We have lost what we had. I know that more than you know, but that doesnât mean we are lost.â His voice was gentle and soothed the pain that swelled in her heart. As he spoke to her like this she thought for a moment that maybe they could work it out. Tears burned in her eyes as she chastised herself for being so emotional. She knew better than to get her hopes up because as soon as she attempted to plan out some kind of future, it was sure to fail.
âSomeday, we will have a life, and against everything weâve gone through we will not give it up. You say that to others you are the Ice Queen, and to yourself you are the Forsaken Queen. But to me Aila, you are the queen of everything I hold important. You are what I fight to protect everyday,â The tall youth stopped and seemed to let her soak in what heâd just said. This was not something he was used too, the emotional side of him something he had pushed into the deep recesses of his heart, but he knew that this was something they both needed.
By then the tears had begun rolling down her flushed cheeks. Sheâd tried as hard as possible to be strong; she didnât want him to think her weak. But deep down inside of her she knew that he didnât. Somewhere in both of their minds they understood each other on a level that no one else could. That was why they knew that one day their lives would cross once again. Breaking away from her thoughts she listened once more when his pause ended, âWhen I left all those years ago, it was not to forget about you and to leave you by yourself with no one to care for you. It was because I cared for you that I left. I thought that without my dangerous presence there you would be able to live a safer existence. I didnât realize how much you would suffer.â
With a weak smile the tears ran dry and the sadness ebbed away. Burying all the past regrets and pain from her state of mind she tried to be optimistic. He was right, neither of them could change the past, but at least they were in control of their futures to a certain extent. Looking into his gentle stormy grey eyes she took a step closer and stood up on her toes. Her lips were soft and warm when they met his, and at first he didnât know how to respond, but seconds later he returned the kiss. It was the first time they had dared to feel this way. But it seemed that the love the Ice Queen had possessed in the fairytale had been passed on, but renewed and returned.
When the two separated a new sense of life flowed between them and warmed the blood that coursed through their bodies. It was as though they had become completely oblivious to the winter wonderland around them. Because in that moment, they were once more the innocent children from their memories.
