Princess Snow and the Empress

Epilogue: Golden Eyes & Snow-White Skin

Late Spring

The brown eagle soared high in the endless blue skies, its golden eyes scouring the rolling green plains below for prey.

It spied a procession of riders and carriages coming from the direction of the snow-capped mountains in the south. At the forefront rode two riders; one in black on a black horse with silver glinting in their hair, and another in grey atop a grey mare. As the two riders got closer to the white yurts dotting the green plains, the rider in black gave a shout and nudged their horse into a gallop, while the rider in grey tried to keep up.

The eagle circled low over the riders, before heading towards a rocky outcrop overlooking the plains. With a flap of its great wings, it came to perch on the outstretched arm of a prepubescent girl sitting astride a shaggy brown horse. Her tan and black jacket was trimmed with white fur, her cheeks were ruddy from the wind, and her gaze hawk-like as she observed the riders.

"I see them too, my feathered friend," she said. The eagle bobbed its head in response, its talons digging into the sleeve of her leather glove. "Let's go see what they want." She tossed her silver-cuffed braids over her shoulder and made her way down to the yurts with one hand on the reins and the other holding up her eagle.

The girl reached the campsite about the same time as the black rider. To her surprise, he was a strapping young man who was a spitting image of her father. He looked like one of her people, but he was dressed like a southerner in fur-trimmed silk robes and a black brocade overcoat, albeit he had on high riding boots. Who is this man? Who is he looking for?

The second rider approached. She thought it was another man, judging by their long overcoat and trousers, but the rider pulled off their wide-brimmed veil hat and revealed a delicate face. Her skin was white as snow, her eyes captivating, her hair long and black.

The young man dismounted from his horse, then moved to help his companion dismount as well. From the way he held her around the waist and how close they stood to each other, it was apparent that they were together.

He scanned the curious onlookers that had gathered upon their arrival, as if he was desperately searching for a familiar face. Finally, someone recognized him, and a murmur arose from the crowd. "Go get her!" someone shouted.

The girl turned to see one of the women dashing into their yurt. Why are they getting Mother? A few seconds later, her mother hurried out looking flustered.

"Mother," the girl started to say, but it was as if the diminutive woman could not hear her. She was staring, enthralled, at the tall, young man.

Her mother and the young man's eyes met and they stood transfixed for a long moment. From where the girl stood, she could see him getting emotional, his breath quickening as he tried to hold back tears. Her mother gasped and put her hands to her mouth, before letting out a scream of pure joy. She ran towards the young man, who also started racing towards her with a shout, his long legs quickly covering the distance between them. They threw their arms around each other and cried as they embraced each other tightly.

Though she was surprised by the turn of events, the girl found herself moved, and the onlookers cheered for them. She noticed the beautiful young woman standing awkwardly to one side, her eyes glimmering with tears, before the man released his hold on her mother. He held his arm out towards the young woman, inviting her to join them.

Just when her mother wrapped her arms around the woman in a warm hug, someone called out to the girl and said: "Erhi! Go get your father, your brother is home!"

- The End -

Author's note: What did you think of this ending for Snow and Erden?

Erhi is a Mongolian girl's name meaning musical instrument.

Oh my gosh! Is this really the end? I've finished writing a whole novel! I hope you've enjoyed this journey with me, I hope that this story has made you laugh and cry, and had you at the edge of your seats!

Thank you for reading to the end and commenting on my work, it means the world to me.

I hope to see you in the next book titled The Fox Princess and Her White Dog! What would you like to see? What would you like to confirm? Ask away!

P. S. Chow Chow will definitely make an appearance in the next book! Will it be a love triangle? Do you think there will be a big fight between Chow Chow and Erden? Let me know!

Read on for bonus chapters titled Wedding Night! ❤️