Tale 26- The Princess in Ice

 The Traveler walked through the forest, before hearing footsteps and turning. From behind, somebody grabbed her shoulders, the girl’s entire body tensing up in fear. He’d found her, surely. Shaking, she closed her eyes in fear, before someone laughed. Sarafelle, giggling, put her arms around the Traveler’s waist from behind, glad to see she was okay. “You ran off so suddenly, I’ve been searching for you for ages!” Sara spoke, the Traveler sighing. The feeling of Sarafelle’s hands on her body was uncomfortably familiar, but she knew the girl held no ill intent, so she allowed the contact to continue, albeit reluctantly. Sarafelle likely didn’t even know the reason for her tension, so there was no harm in allowing herself to be held, even just a little. The two sat down in a clearing, lying on the grass and staring up at the sky, Sara turning to stare at the Traveler, a shine in her eyes. “I heard this brilliant story the other night from one of the other maids. Want to hear it?” she offered, the Traveler nodding and turning over onto her stomach, pulling out the book and Sara following, gazing down at the newest tale. Giving a slight smile, she turned to the Traveler, and told her the tale of ‘the Princess in Ice’.

‘Many moons ago, there were two sisters who lived in a castle. The youngest fell victim to a curse which encased her in ice, where she was forced to sleep until awoken by a true love’s kiss. Many of her old friends were upset at her disappearance, enlisting various princes to try and save her, but her older sister created various trials for them, declaring no man could pass them unharmed and, therefore, no man was fit to marry her sister. Many years passed, thousands of men trying to get past the painful and bloody challenges they had to undergo to free the sleeping girl, but all failed in succession. One day, a man entered the castle, prepared to undergo every single challenge, and, alongside the other competitors, managed to complete the first few trials without issue. The older sister, surprised such a small man had gotten that far, watched as each one was picked off minute after minute, the young man surviving even so. Despite all odds, he made his way to the chamber where the sleeping princess sat, the older princess being in shock that he had gotten this far- before he pulled off his wig. Revealing long hair and a feminine face, the older sister’s prophecy rang true- no man would pass the trials…but a woman would. Tenderly, the girl, one of the princess’s old friends, walked toward the sleeping royal, gently kissing her and both of them staring down as the ice began to melt away. Within seconds, the princess had awoken, immediately hugging both of them tightly and asking what had happened. Explaining everything, the girl and the princess were soon married, and helped the oldest rule the kingdom.’

Sarafelle rolled onto her back again after finishing, tilting her head back to see the Traveler drawing in the illustrations. She sighed. She admired her so much…and wanted to help her as much as she could. Gently, she moved her hand behind her head and touched the Traveler’s wrist, who recoiled and gave a slight wince. Suddenly worried, Sara sat up immediately to see what was wrong. The Traveler shuffled back slightly, her illustration unfinished. She knew Sara had good intentions, but she hated being touched. It was the one thing he used to intimidate her, leaving bruises and scars nearly as painful as the events of that awful night. Sarafelle paused, letting her move back, before staring down at her sleeve. “Show me, please.” she spoke, the Traveler averting her eyes under the hood, before sighing and pulling up her sleeve, revealing the unhealed bruising. Sara’s eyes went wide. “Who the hell did this to you?” she hissed, the Traveler immediately tensing up. Sara noticed and calmed down, looking down at the grass in hopes of not scaring her more. “Look…I know you might not trust me enough to let me hug you, but do you want to hold my hand?” she offered, the Traveler remembering that physical contact seemed to be a good comfort for some people, but hesitating. This was different to being gripped by the wrist, sure, but the feeling still worried her. She took a deep breath, calming her thoughts. Tentatively, she reached out her palm, Sara taking her hand very gently in her warm grip, before replacing her sleeve and giving a small smile. “We’re in this together now, okay? He can’t hurt you when I’m here.” Sara spoke, the Traveler looking down at their joined hands. She felt a strange sense of comfort, and felt a tiny ghost of a smile pass over her. So this was what tenderness felt like.

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