Dark Days
King Darius look down at the coffin of Snow White one last time before it was covered in earth for eternity. "Good bye, my love." Tears again came rolling down his cheeks.
Despite what the people though, his and Snow's relationship wasn't true love at first sight. That had just been infatuation, which wore off soon after the wedding. But in the years following it did grow to a friendship and then a kind of unique love. Snow would not go unoverlymorned.
Almost six months later it was deep winter and Darius was looking out the window at the snow his wife had been named for. His rooms were draped in black as night and his clothes were the black of his heart. He hardly eat and sleep almost never. His brown hair was long and greasy and normally clean shaved face was covered in a scraggly beard.
Darius still hadn't come to terms that his love was gone. Had been stolen from him much too soon. His days were spent staring out the window towards the graveyard his mind adrift.
Some part of his mind heard the door behind him but the rest of it didn't care. He wasn't draw out of his mind until he felt small hands pulling at the wrinkled end of his shirt.
"Oh little Lucia." Darius hoisted his seven year old daughter onto his hip, "It's ok darling, it going to be ok," more to himself than to her.
"When in Mummy coming back?" something in Darius' scattered mind came back together, he must be strong, for their daughter.
"Mum isn't coming back remember? She fell ill and died."
"She isn't coming back?" tear started to well up in Lucia's eyes.
In that moment Darius realized that he couldn't go one like this. If he did, Lucia would lose not just a mother but a father as well.
"No, but I will be here for you always."
Five years had past since what the people of the castle called his "dark days" had ended. The kingdom had long since recovered from his neglect and Lucia had grown into a lovely young lady. Lucia had forgiven how Darius had just left and forgotten about her. But Darius had still not forgiven himself. His heart was still heavy from the loss of Snow even all these years later, but he mustent let himself slip until Lucia could rule the country on her own. Maybe by then he could forget.