It was a beautiful morning, but the Prince was having trouble summoning up the interest to even get up. He had ridden out yesterday to visit the lovely girl in the palace. It hadn't gone well. He had found out that not only was she a princess, but also that she was now dead. He groaned thinking about it. It turns out that he could have married her with his family's blessing, if only he had found her sooner. Now it was too late. Now she was dead. No one would tell him how she died either, only that the Queen had forbidden anyone to speak of it.
He had stayed the night in a nearby inn and now was laying on the straw mattress he had rented staring up at the ceiling. He could hear other travelers having breakfast downstairs, but he didn't feel up to company. Of course, he couldn't stay here all day either.
Pushing himself up, he looked around the room for his boots, cloak, and hat. As he donned his clothing, he decided to go fetch his horse and ride whatever direction the creature wanted to go. They could spend the day wandering while he tried to figure out how to mourn the beauty he had loved and lost. He had never even gotten to really know her.
The Prince couldn't help smiling as he remembered how her ebony-dark hair gently framed her face, how her rose-red lips curled up to smile at him, and how her snow-white skin gleamed with her sweetness. The servant he had spoken to said that was her name, Princess Snow White. What a perfect name for such a perfect princess. Her enchanting voice would echo in his heart until the day he died. No woman would ever compare to her perfection. The memory of her smile would never leave him.
With a heavy heart, he trudged out of the tiny rented room. His horse would be the best company for him now. Perhaps in a few days he would have the courage to return home.