Disclaimer: Snow White and the Huntsman is not owned by me. I take no profit from writing about the characters.

Towerlocked

One

She was only a child when they locked her away. Completely alone in the world with no one to defend her. At first she screamed, but then they choked her until her lungs burned. After that she learned to keep quiet.

The door closed behind her with a resounding clang. The sound felt so permanent to her young mind.

Her small eyes watched them timidly. Not once did they show her pity or offer a kind word. The treatment was so foreign she didn't know what to make of it. Yet it didn't hurt her because there were so much deeper pains inside her.

She lost her father, her closest friend and her kingdom all at once. All that was left now was her own life; for whatever reason, she was allowed to keep that for now.

Her body trembled from fear and cold. They turned their backs on her and left her alone.

She knew she should be crying. Her father's body was probably still lying on his bed with the dagger in his heart. She felt his loss but it was so raw and aching she couldn't yet manage any tears.

Slowly she took in her new surroundings. There were no silk sheets here or beautifully-woven rugs. No curtains hung on the tiny window. The fireplace was little more than a hole in the wall. The walls felt cold and damp under her touch. This room told her everything she needed to know: it was the place of a prisoner, not a princess.

She was young but she understood that much.

Tears finally came that first night. They felt hot against her chilled skin and made small pathways down her dirty cheeks. As they made their silent course she tried to focus on the little things: her father's laugh, William's mischievous smile, the song of the birds, the way her mothers fingers felt combing through her hair…

Those memories were still hers. She was Snow White, royal princess. Not everything in her was lost. Now all she had to do was keep it in this solitary place.