Imprisoned in the ice crystal she herself created, Princess Snow could do nothing other than wait. Wait and reflect on how she had gotten to this point.
She couldn't feel the cold anymore; she had yet to figure out if that was a good or a bad thing.
It was very dark inside of the ice castle, and she was fighting off the sleep that came with her self-imposed captivity.
Even though she would never have revealed it to others, she was honestly losing hope. She was beginning to doubt whether or not she had an actual chance of saving Lestarva.
The revelation of her stepmother's true character could only be described as a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach that made Snow feel like she was going to be sick or faint.
With the King suddenly becoming ill and bedridden, the Queen was free to indulge in her dark desires that she had kept hidden for so long.
Bring me more delicacies...
Bring me more clothes and more beautiful jewels...
Bring me ÄRMs with the power to control everything...
I want MÄR-Heaven.
Seeing the woman who was like a mother to her (she was always so kind and gentle) show her true colors was nothing short of a nightmare. She wanted it to be a nightmare; she wished that she would bolt up in her bed, realizing that the whole thing was a sick fantasy and she had nothing to worry about.
It wasn't. That fact broke a part of Snow's heart.
So, she ran.
As far and as fast as she could possibly go, with her faithful companion Ed right beside her.
She ran to find someone to fight the Queen and save MÄR-Heaven.
She ran to escape her stepmother's army, which was in hot pursuit of the runaway princess.
They managed to outrun them, but not for long.
Surrounded with little hope of escape, Snow could see no other course of action which she could take.
She froze the entire castle and herself, and then sent Ed to find someone who could save them from this horrid state of affairs.
Maybe this whole situation would be more bearable if she were able to move around. She felt a need to pace back and forth, to ponder aloud, to discuss things with someone trustworthy, and to gesticulate wildly to emphasize her chaotic thoughts.
She didn't have any of that. She was all alone in the dark with little chance of someone coming to rescue her.
A tear tried to make its way out of her eye, but was stopped by the crystal substance surrounding the young princess.
She couldn't even cry.
Snow could not remember feeling this pitiful and pathetic at any point in her life before. It made her angry at herself; she wanted to shake herself until her teeth rattled for being like this.
The princess still could not feel the cold enveloping her body and the castle, yet Snow felt even more weary and was having trouble keeping her thoughts coherent.
This brought a once hidden thought to the front of her mind.
Am I going to die?
That question was beginning to drive Snow out of her wits with the amount of time she spent thinking about it. A deep amount of shame flooded her being; she reminded herself that Ed was going for help and would be back any time.
That would keep her from thinking about it for a moment.
She also thought a lot about her childhood.
She thought about the games she played as a young girl, the toys she held dear attachment to, and the night times where she begged for a bedtime story.
She thought about the stories her various babysitters told her: stories that described beautiful princesses waiting daintily for handsome princes to come rescue them and whisk them off to their castles, where they would live happily ever after.
I don't need a prince to come rescue me! I can take care of myself!
The young Snow had puffed out her chest and proclaimed this defiantly, all the while wondering why these women were so willingly meek and did nothing for themselves.
Now, her opinion of these storybook characters was beginning to change.
Maybe these women were at the end of their capabilities; they no longer had the strength or will to carry on alone. They were tired and only wanted somebody to relieve them of this situation that draining so much of their soul.
Maybe these princesses had gone through many of the same things that she had. Maybe they had to go on the run and their enemies managed to close them in. Then, they must have had no other option but to trap themselves and wait for someone to save them.
Maybe I have more in common with them than I originally thought.
She no longer saw these princesses as weak, but instead saw them as women who were defeated by circumstances that came their way, and would have fought for themselves if they could.
Perhaps the reason she froze herself in a giant crystal was because she wanted someone to come and rescue her. Behind the facade of a strong-willed girl ready to fight for what she holds dear, there was a hint of that fairy tale princess, waiting for the strong prince to liberate her.
Because for both the princesses and Snow, if they were captured, everything would be over.
Somebody...anybody...save me...I'm begging you...
Later, Snow would never acknowledge to her teammates that she went through this moment of insecurity. It would remain tucked away inside her soul forever, never touched upon again. She hated the thought of seeing her friends' faces touched with pity and anger at those who caused her suffering.
For now, though, she needed someone to get her out of this crushing darkness that she herself created.
I'm so tired...come back soon, Ed...ok?
With that final thought, Snow finally fell asleep, waiting for her prince.
Exactly 1000 words...I'm happy with it! I hope that I do well in this contest, and good luck to everyone else who enters it!!