The Snow Prince

Chapter 6: Stranger In The Snow

The snow was as relentless as ever. The thick white flakes were Alex's only company in the dark woods. The trees were twisted and gnarled, their branches reaching out like hands in the darkness. The snow coated them, like a mask. It had taken everything from the trees, their leaves, their beauty. It simply coated everything. 

"Stupid snow. Stupid trees. Stupid cold." Mumbled Alex under his breath, as he fought to keep marching through the ever-constant blizzard. "'A curse of misery, a curse of woe', well I hope you're happy snow prince, because I'm pretty miserable now." Alex knew that with no supplies, it was going to take him at least two days to get home. 

But then, through the trees and the snow, there was a lump moving in the same direction as Alex. As Alex started to move faster, the lump became a person.

"Hey!" Bellowed Alex, almost flinching as his voice was the only other sound in the forest apart from the wind whistling through the trees. The person in the distance stopped and, from what Alex could discern, turned towards him. Alex was trying his best to run through the snow and catch up to this mysterious stranger in the snow.

As he approached, Alex could start to make out the features of the person before him. He was young- perhaps only a few years older than Alex at best- with startlingly white hair. His hair was the exact shade as the snow surrounding them. Another thing that Alex noticed was the stranger's eyes, they were the bluest Alex had ever seen. They reminded Alex of a flower from his mother's book. Forget-me-nots. True to the name, Alex didn't think he'd ever be able to forget those haunting blue eyes.

"Hello, my name is Christian. What are you doing out here?" asked the boy-Christian. " I was trying to get back home to my village, but the man who offered me a lift left me in the forest after taking my bag." sighed out Alex. Christian looked troubled, his pale eyebrows pulling together. " So you're out here all alone?"

"Yeah, it's a two day journey back."

Christian seemed to decide something, and his handsome face cleared of it's previous worry. "Well it sounds like we live near each other- my village is also a two day walk-  and I have frightfully over-packed my bag, so I have plenty of supplies to share. Nobody should be out alone in this weather, least of all in the woods." Alex was taken aback by the young man's kindness.

"Well if you're sure and it puts you to no trouble, then, I would be happy to accompany you."

Christian gave Alex the biggest grin he had ever seen. It made his eyes twinkle like jewels as his face took on a complete look of joy. Alex couldn't help but to respond with a smile of his own. He had rarely seen somebody so transformed. He thought Alex to be quite attractive to begin with; in a cold sort of way, like he were carved from marble. Or perhaps from ice. But his smile gave him a warmth that was indescribable. It made the tips of Alex's ears burn red and also gave him the motion that Christian did not smile so unreservedly very often.