Chapter One

Eating. Sleeping. Staggering, grumbling, dusting, bathing and grumbling some more. This was all she could remember doing for the longest time.

She had no idea how long it had been like this. The sky was always dark, it was always snowing, and the last clock had broken …. well, a long time ago. Ever since he left, things had been so … empty. Like a haze sat over everything. Life felt like a dream: a dreary, boring, unchanging dream.

Every day she'd wake up from dark, murky slumber, to clean the same halls, make the same food, and watch the same kingdom fade into the same ice and tundra. Every night she'd twirl about the house, murmuring music that only she could hear, dancing with a partner that had long since vanished. Every night she would crave whatever trace of him she could find.

And every moment of it all, she was cold. So very, very cold. She could scarcely remember what warmth even felt like.

Beyond the occasional trespasser, nothing ever changed, and nothing could ever change. She was always surrounded by dust and ruin. And by the cold.

After an eternity of this, finally, a noise woke her from her stupor. A crash, coming from upstairs. Shaking herself free of half-conscious thoughts, she turned her gaze upward, before making her way toward the noise. What in the seven hells was that?

She walked up the creaking stairs, turning through dark, lonesome hallways until she finally reached the attic. She stepped inside and…

Huh. That's odd.

There was a hole in her ceiling. What was even more peculiar was what had made it: lying there amidst some debris was an hourglass. A glowing hourglass, to boot.

She cautiously made her way towards it. The fact something made out of glass apparently survived a crash landing … suffice it to say, she did not trust it. It could be anything, some alien technology, some dangerous weapon she had never seen before. Or maybe-

Her fervent guesswork was interrupted when she touched the device. In the blink of an eye, it's power had taken hold of her, and she saw just what it was capable of.

She was in a ballroom. People were chatting. They were dancing. They were happy. They were alive.

Her friends were there. He was there. There was no pain, no sorrow, no cold. She was exactly where she was supposed to be.

It was wonderful. It was too good to be true-

As quickly as the vision had taken hold, it had vanished. She fell onto her back and scooted away from the thing in confusion and panic. What was that? How could it be possible?

For the longest time she lay there, panting, staring at the hourglass in shock and awe. It sat there, dimly glowing, the light beckoning her.

She couldn't believe it. It was far too good to be true, and yet here it was. Some precious treasure had been sent to her from the heavens, something that let her access the past. That beloved, merciful past….

But the past was also dangerous. It was where things first ended up like this. Where everything had gone wrong. Where she had lost everything. Where she had been betrayed.

And even if this thing - this device she still had no idea how to use - only showed her what she wanted to see, was there any guarantee that she could come back? Or would she be lost in those visions forever, unable to wake up?

But then again, why would she want to wake up? There's nothing for her in the present. Not anymore.

After a while of self-argument, she rose to her feet, made her way back towards it, and gingerly picked it up.

This time, it did not instantly drag her from reality. She held it close to her chest and for the first time in a long time felt …

Warmth. That thing she had forgotten about. That thing that was stolen from her all those years ago. It had finally returned.

She sank to the ground, sat on the floor and wrapped her arms around this new blessing, closing her eyes tightly and letting herself sink into that better place.

"... Peter." she murmured.

For the first time in a long time, Queen Vanessa was happy.

Everything was different after that.

Sure, the place was still a dreary hellhole, and the sky was still always dark, and trespassers would still bother her from time to time, but the gift had changed everything. Once she had finished sweeping the house, eating her breakfast and ensuring her home was secure, she would creep back up to the attic for some reminiscence.

She finally had something to brighten her rotten days. Something to cling to when all else around her was cold and darkness. She would hum happily to herself as she worked, always looking forward to the moment when she would be able to sit down, and for even an instant, feel free of all the gloom and darkness around her.

This happy state of affairs couldn't last forever. Eventually, the one this fabulous power came from would come for what they lost.

And eventually, they did.

She was enjoying a nice breakfast when she heard something. A door opening. Footsteps. Something being knocked over.

Of course, she dealt with this problem the same way she always did. She slammed her silverware down, stood, made her way to the door and shouted:

"WHO'S THERE!? WHO DARES ENTER MY HOME!?"