Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy 8 or any of it's wonderful characters such as the damn sexy Seifer cries but if anyone wants to buy him for me… evil laugh I also don't own Snow Queen it's all Anderson's
SNOW QUEEN
The Dead of Winter
Once upon a time there was a small little village where all the villagers gathered to celebrate everything together and everyone knew everyone and all was peaceful and lovely. Winter was one of the most festive and happiest times of the year and everyone would gather to celebrate at the small frozen lake and skate while listening to festive music. Ah, it was almost a dream come true…until…
"Mommy! Mommy! Look at me!" A small blonde girl twirled on the ice in her brand new skates. Amie turned and smiled at her beautiful daughter, all blue eyes and dimples, just like her. "Quistis I'm so very proud of you!" She exclaimed giving her a quick kiss on the head when she was done.
"She's amazing isn't she?" Came a deep voice from behind. Amie turned and smiled at her husband, Wolfgang the owner of the well known "White Bear Inn". "Aye the most amazing little girl in the world." Wolfgang wrapped his arms around his wife's small frame and pulled her into a deep kiss. Amie started at the insistent tugging on her skirt. "yes dear?" she asked as she pulled away from the warm embrace of her husband and looked down at her now frowning daughter. "must you leave mommy?" Amie hugged her daughter to her, "I'll only be gone a little while darling." Quistis nodded and smiled up at her. She reached up and kissed her on the cheek before turning to reach out for her nanny, Mina, and began to skate again.
"Be safe my love" Wolfgang whispered before lifting his small wife onto her horse. Amie smiled down at him and said "always." Wolfgang nodded his head firmly before turning from her and skating towards his daughter. Amie let out a gentle sigh before turning her horse towards the woods. It was a long ride to the house of her mother, Spring.
As she rode through the woods it suddenly became very dark and the winds began to pick up blowing snow harshly against her causing her to clutch more tightly to the reigns. A low chuckle resounded in the wind sending a chill down her spine that was not caused by the eerie blizzard. "Shh easy girl" She whispered to her horse as it began to stomp and snort. "It's just the wind" she said as more of a comfort to herself than to the horse. The horse snorted again and suddenly, in a flash, a beautiful woman stood in front of them with long white hair and piercing eyes, and in another flash she was gone. The horse, spooked, reared up throwing it's mistress into the freezing snow.
Wolfgang laughed picking up his daughter and twirling her above his head, his deep laugh ringing throughout the village. As he gently put his daughter down an old friend, Caraway, came and tapped him gently on the shoulder. "Wolfgang" he said after clearing his throat. "Yes?" Wolfgang asked raising an eyebrow at the solemn man. "We… uh found your wife's horse." Wolfgang frowned at the man while Quistis looked from each man shivering at the tension she felt flowing between them. "What?" Caraway adverted his eyes from the mans in front of him. "We found your wife's horse but your wife…" Wolfgang's eyes flew wide open with realization before storming off into the nearby woods where his wife was last seen. "Form a search team!" He called over his shoulder. Mina came to stand beside Quistis grabbing the girls hand. Quistis looked up at her nanny in confusion and asked, "Mina if they found mommy's horse… then where's mommy?" Mina smiled sadly down at the little girl and whispered as a tear trailed down her cheek, "I don't know sweetie, I just don't know…"
Hours later Wolfgang stumbled to his knees in defeat, icy tears pouring down his face. "Amie!" He called hoarsely. "Amie, where are you!?" He choked. One of the men came up to him and whispered "it's getting late Wolfgang the men will freeze if we stay out here any longer! We need to head back now…" Wolfgang looked up at the man, and the man flinched at the deep sorrow that seared through his heart at the pain he saw in Wolfgang's eyes. "Go on home without me. I'll not leave her here alone! She's here somewhere all alone, cold and…" Wolfgang trailed off. The man nodded and turned back to the other men, signaling them to go back.
Quistis raced down the stairs and through the front doors of the renown inn. She ran past Mina who called out to her and headed straight for the woods. She screamed as she ran fear freezing her heart. Where was mommy and daddy? She ran past tree after tree calling out helplessly until she tripped over a log. Crying she called out to her mommy again. Where was she? A blue bird landed on the ground next to her chirping urgently. Quistis wiped her tears away and looked at the bird asking softly, "Where's my mommy?" The bird chirped at her and fluttered to a branch, looking back at her and chirping. Quistis quickly stood to her feet and ran to the tree the bird was chirping in. "This way?" She asked excitedly and the bird flew to another tree and chirped more.
The bird led her to a small clearing and perched itself on a fallen log. Quistis ran to the log and placed her hands on her knees as she huffed for breath. Slowly she straightened up and looked past the log. The first thing she saw was the rose brooch her mother had always worn. It was always warm to the touch no matter how cold it was outside. "Magic", her mother would say and smile and kiss her small daughter. Quistis wiped away a tear as more came into focus, a red cape, just like the one her mom wore, long pale blonde hair covered with snow, a pale hand reaching for something…. "Mommy!!" Quistis screamed scrambling over the log and throwing herself over her still frozen mother. "Mommy, don't leave me!" Quistis cried. Sometime later a familiar voice called out to her, "Quistis is that you?" Quistis looked up to see her father standing at a distance, she stood and stepped back from her mother and looked up at Wolfgang her eyes bloodshot, tears streaming down her face as she simply said, "Mommy's dead."