I'm trying very hard not to encourage my readers to think that Solita and Alaric have romantic feelings for each other... because they don't. Their relationship is purely brother-sisterly, and also best friend-ish. I although I'm :trying: not to have it seem like they're romantically attached, it's very possible I didn't do a great job.. let me know what you think, and what I can do to edit it. Why no romance?... hmm.. It's 'cause I'm saving it for someone else! . :)

Chapter 9 - He Returned

The days and weeks faded together like pale watercolors upon a canvas. For the most part, Solita spent her time under the instruction of her mentors and scholars. Suitors came for her hand, crown princes from faraway kingdoms, hypnotized by her beauty and drawn by her spirit. Queen Napea did not force Solita to bed with any one of them, nor did she give balls to honor their arrival. She did, however, hire spies to watch as Solita politely rejected each of them, while tightly gripping the knife behind her back.

Solita often took midnight walks, finding herself compelled to visit the same balcony she had escaped to from Sir Leo. Gazing into the shadowy distance, she wondered about her stepbrothers and how they were faring in the war. Sometimes she would quietly reminisce about the past five years with the princes and smile slightly.

In her childhood she had always been a bit of a loner, making few friends outside of the servant girls and having little interaction with the daughters of nobles, contrary to what was expected in a princess. She would much rather help the gardener tend to the flowers of the West Gardens, or gaze out from her tower and ponder deep thoughts. For the most part, Ethel never bothered to play with her, not that Solita particularly wanted his companionship. He was always busy chasing after girls, or having girls chase him, or sharpening up his battle skills.

Alaric, on the other hand, was always eager to pull Solita into walking with him around the kingdom and exploring every street and alley. The girls who chased after him were ignored, and he didn't bother to look for female companionship outside of his stepsister. His playful and easy-going spirit urged Solita to come out of her box, and gradually her tense nature faded into light-hearted happiness. She remembered the first time Alaric approached her, just a few days after the discussion of the crowning.

A pale girl of ten kneeled by the dirt, her sleeves rolled up carelessly and hands caked in dirt. She was pulling weeds from the garden, and sprinkling water on the sprouts of newly born plants. Despite what her stepmother told her – that planting was for peasants, something a princess should not engage in, the girl insisted on it, saying it was what her mother use to do all the time. Alaric approached her, a short thirteen-year old with a bright smile.

Solita turned before he stepped any closer. She looked at him inquiringly, and said, "Yes? Are you looking for something?"

He smiled nervously, and spoke.

"I was merely wondering… if you would like to come with me on a walk in the woods."

Solita turned towards her plants, saying quietly, "The queen forbids any interaction with the woods."

Alaric motioned towards the plants… "The queen forbids you to plant the flowers…"

She shrugged. "I'm afraid I cannot. Go with you into the woods, that is. Sorry."

"Then… can I help you?" He had a hopeful expression on his face.

Solita turned, surprised to hear him ask that question. "Are you not afraid to get your robes stained with manure and dirt, Prince Alaric?"

He shrugged like she had, and kneeled down beside her.

Solita had pleasant conversations with him while caring for the flowers. They did this for a few days, before the queen caught word of it and gave them both five whips for disobeying. The next time she saw him, they smiled nervously at each other without saying a word. A few days later, Alaric saw Solita by the fountain yet again…

Alaric ran towards Solita, and saying in an excited voice, "I have something for you…"

She smiled timidly, and opened the brown bundle.

"These seeds grow into a crimson red plant called raezels. I had them brought here from Avienal… it is the only place they grow."

Solita found herself affectionately creating comfortable holes for the seeds, and Alaric helping her.

The plants were still there, growing well, yet the flowers encased in buds. Solita found that it had a tendency to bloom irregularly.

Through the years, Alaric often accompanied Solita on horseback rides through the woods, after much pleading to his mother. Ethel often came with them, "for protection", he acclaimed slyly.

Solita smiled and imagined her stepbrothers fighting bravely on their stallions. There had been no news at all about how the battles were going, causing a few ripples of anxiousness among the court.

Time faded by, the weeks mixing into months. Solita was surprised not to find any attempts for her life, although knew that Queen Napea must have a reason for it. Perhaps, thought Solita, she has plans for me after the return of Alaric and Ethel.

9 months after the departure of Prince Ethel and Prince Alaric

Solita walked along the streets of Nivalis as if in a trance, staring morbidly into the ground. Nine long months had passed. She had turned sixteen already.

The war had been far longer than they predicted. It seemed that Avienal had also called for help from other kingdoms, and giving them a better chance of not being quickly defeated. Today was the day the soldiers and princes were supposed to return to Nivalis, for there was a rumor of victory running among the people. Solita sighted the little beggar boy she met the day the messengers came.

He was no longer a beggar, it appeared. He smiled with dark naïve eyes and reached for the princess's hand. Solita clasped his hand tightly, the same way Alaric clasped hers. They stood in silence for a while, staring at each other. Suddenly, the moment came. A horn sounded, and the iron gates were pulled open.

Solita let go of the little boy's hand, and looked up, her heart beating rapidly. Could it be? They have returned at last? She watched as a shadowy figure came in on a horse, no longer gleaming pure white but stained with blood and dirt. It was Ethel. His face was tired, and there was no mischievous light in his eyes. His left arm was bandaged under his armory, which was also stained with blood. Nevertheless, the Nivalis flag was waving in the evening sky, fluttering in the chilly wind. The crowd that had gathered cheered for their return. The cheers faded as they realized the same thing Solita did.

Alaric was not there.

Solita told herself that he must be in the back of the soldiers, and he will emerge soon. They all watched for the prince. It seemed the soldiers had narrowed down to a group of thirty – seventy were slain in the war. They all had tired, grim expressions on their faces, despite the victory of Avienal. Suddenly what Solita saw caused her heart to freeze for a moment.

Alaric had returned, yes. Just like he promised.

Only he was lying in a coffin.

The end

of P a r t I

:nervous laugh:... I almost feel bad for killing off Alaric, but... his death is necessary for the main plot to flow. If you spot any mistakes, either within the plot or grammatically, don't hesitate to let me know :) ... I really hope that with the flashbacks I haven't made Alaric and Solita's relationship seem romantic - tell me what you think!

This is the end of part one...there are three parts to this story.. into total there should be about 27-30 chapters. The next chapter will be up in a few days... I'm taking a short break from writing for a while to organize the plot completely and read some more of other people's fanfics. Yay!

panemonium: I think having dwarves takes away from some of the darker, angst-y side of the retelling.. This version will have a great deal more violence, evil things :harharhar: and a bit of sex, than the original version. She'll run away, but I still haven't decided whether to have her be alone in the cottage or what...

PaperbagPrincezz: : hangs head in shame: Yes, indeed, you are right about Alaric and Ethel and Solita... so, do you think I expanded Alaric and Solita's relationship enough in this chapter? Yay for beta-readers! Very insightful about the love triangle...

dreamingdaemon: :worships: That's an error on my part, thanks for catching it!.. :curses arithmetic:

fireworksinmypocket: Hahahaha.. Robin Hood appearing in "Snow White"? Hmm. Bandits, outlaws.. and thieves... I might use some of those ideas, if you don't mind:) Yep. Glass coffin still there. Flower :hehe :wraps scotch tape around mouth to keep from saying anything:

mistyqueen: Yes, it's a sibling love... Of course, now... :sniffs:

EvenSong: Great things to point out:) The peasants know about it through pure rumors and grapevines.. there are merchants and travelers who enter and leave the city and discuss it with other commoners. Of course, the nobility would think it rubbish to get involved with the "commoner-talk", although you are quite right on that point that the nobility have better messenger systems. I tried not to imply that the commoners found out before the nobles, though.. let me know where I did and I'll edit it. I type everything on Word first, so there shouldn't be that many typos, but for some reason I find that this "document manager" thing distorts a lot of the formatting and creates errors... : arrghhh: Do you mind pointing out the ones that you see : hopeful smile : And as for poor Alaric... sorry to disappoint you!