Bitter tears flowed down from those golden eyes like a waterfall during high noon. She ran towards her room while aggressively wiping her lips, trying to remove the feel of Lord Waldebert's kiss that was deeply imprinted on her skin. Maria Blanca then closed her door, crying about how shameful she felt after what had just happened in her mother's garden.
With blurry vision, the pale princess threw herself onto the bed and continued wailing. She did not understand what happened. She could not fathom why Lord Waldebert kissed her and told her it was a gift meant for her. "I—I thought kisses—kisses were for—for lovers?" She wondered, letting her tears drown her soul.
Seconds after she came and wept for the unfathomable act of the adviser, a knock sounded from her bedroom door, banging as if the person behind it seemed to call out to her. Maria Blanca fretted, thinking it was Lord Waldebert. However, when she carefully walked towards the door and slightly opened it, she was surprised to see her aunt, Queen Gertrude, standing there. The princess opened the door wide for her, only to be surprised again when the queen hugged her tightly, letting her weary head rest on her bosom.
For how many years since Aunt Gertrude stepped into the palace, the embrace was the only kind gesture Maria Blnaca had ever received from her. She wondered if the queen knew what happened, or if she just heard her crying as she ran along the hallway. Nevertheless, Maria Blanca no longer cared as long as she had found an unexpected comfort from the queen.
"Dry those tears, princess. Remember, today is your birthday, and we must celebrate! Tell you what, we shall have a picnic in the crystal forest. Everyone said that it is beautiful there. A snow paradise! I always wanted to go there. Perhaps this is the perfect time. Will you come with me?"
Queen Gertrude's invitation made the poor princess leap with joy. She had never been outside the palace's strong fortress, and now her chance was here. She excitedly agreed, and later on, she, the queen, and one of her loyal maids rode on the royal carriage, moving their way to the said Crystal Forest.
Her heart was pounding, too excited to experience and feel the outside world. At last, when they arrived at the Crystal Forest, passing through a shortcut, Princess Maria Blanca could not contain her smile and laughter, running past a few frozen trees with bark as dark as coal and leaves, crystallised like diamonds. The queen and her maid then laid out a cloth and a platterful of sweet treats for them to devour while they had their picnic.
As Queen Gertrude rested and leisured with some of the desserts, she let Maria Blanca do with her antics, running around and savoured every scene and sensation of the forest.
The princess was enamoured with the place. It was ethereal and unlike any of those watercolour paintings in her storybooks. She touched the crystal leaves, felt the cold and hard branch of a tree, and even exclaimed to see crystalised edelweiss flowers uncannily growing on the entwined roots of the trees. Her giggles resonated throughout the place, bringing life to the once desolate forest.
Finally, there was renewed vigour amidst the cold breeze of the snow as Princess Maria Blanca pranced around, embracing the mystical winds that circled her. The horrible ordeal that had happened earlier began to fade as she let her head wander around the beauty of the crystal forest and the mysteries she would love to uncover.
Oh, how the pale princess was becoming more beautiful as she went on with her youthful tomfoolery, playing with the snow, singing to the trees, and just being joyous to finally see the outside world. Yet, just a foot away from the bliss, with envious eyes darting towards her, Queen Gertrude called her maid. She whispered something that made her dim maid scarcely object until she was convinced.
With full compliance, the maid nodded and went to the pale princess, offering to play a game with her. "Come and let us play, princess!" She curved a feigned smile, offering a hand to her. "Let us play 'find-the-nightingale'."
"How do we play that?" Maria Blanca innocently asked as she took the maid's hand while unknowingly walking away from where the picnic was.
"It is like doing hide-and-seek but with a song. I'll hide and you will look for me. Before that, you close your eyes, slowly count to ten, and then find me by listening to my song."
"Oh, that would be fun!"
The maid chuckled… though there was a guilt brewing inside the pit of her stomach.
They started to play, and the maid found it quite enjoyable. But when she remembered what the queen told her, she composed herself and proceeded with the plan. She let Maria Blanca win the first two rounds of the game, but on the third round… it was different.
What was once an innocent game had morphed into something diabolical…
When the pale princess covered her eyes, facing the tree, and began to count from one to ten, the maid ran deeper and deeper into the heart of the forest, where the trees were large, thorny, and scary. No crystal leaves and flowers were blooming there. To the maid's advantage, she knew her way out—but not Maria Blanca. As the princess began searching, the maid sang a song for her to follow. She sang repeatedly, luring the naïve princess to a dark place that no pure soul could recover.
Maria Blanca followed the maid's song, going deeper and deeper into the darkest part of the forest. Her heart was beginning to pound harder, provoking her chest into painful breathing matched with sweat that was so cold to the skin. "Whe—where are you?" She called out to the maid before another song was heard from a distance.
The maid sang more tunes for Maria Blanca to follow, taunting her like a banshee, until she sang no more and left the princess at the heart of the crystal forest, trapped with no certain way to return to the picnic area.
When she finally deceived and abandoned Maria Blanca, the maid returned to the carriage and reported to Queen Gertrude, saying, "The deed is done and the princess is now somewhere in the heart of the thicket."
A maniacal smile curved on Queen Gertrude's lips when she heard what the maid said. "May the snow take her life and the wildlings eat her body." And she laughed, screeching with delight while poor Maria Blanca was becoming more anxious, still calling out to the maid.