Abigail was walking through the snow filled streets of Corona, looking for sticks. She was a firewood collector, after all. And there was too much snow in the woods to cut any trees safely without risking wet wood or starting an avalanche. But even Corona's streets where full of snowdrifts. Still, the wood would eventually dry and be able to be used again.
The wind and cold was picking up again, causing Abigail to have to squint to see through her googles again, brushing the thin layer of snow off of them. She sighed and looked up at her horse.
"I'm getting too old for this." she told her horse.
The horse gave her a look signaling You're only thirty four.
It was quite a day for both of them. First, have the snow pick up when she was just ready to cut down the perfect oak, then get lost trying to get back home, then somehow find a young boy trying to get all the way to Corona from the mountains. On days like this, Abigail questioned her lifestyle to be a lumberjack like her parents, living like a hermit outside of Corona. Maybe that boy and his father grew up the same way.
The poor kid. Abigail wondered if the royal family would help him. Still, the blizzard made things busier than ever. The family might not help him. She prayed that hopefully the boy would at least get a few guards to help him out. It probably wouldn't happen, but Abigail always thought on the bright side.
Occasionally, she would get a few people ask if she was cold and wanted to spend the night in their house, but Abigail politely refused, reassuring them that her home wasn't that far away.
Making it to the castle, she looked at the firewood to see if there was anything she could give to help the people taking refuge inside. Peeking under the tarp, she only saw a few soggy sticks over her blanket and tools. Not even enough to light a spark.
"But princess! You promised!"
Abigail looked up from her basket at the noise, then saw a young boy being thrown into the snow by her feet by two palace guards.
The boy looked up at her, than back at the palace. He ran to the doors just as they shut, running over to them and pounding on the door.
"Princess! Rapunzel! Please! I'm not asking for much else! Just help my father!" begged the boy.
That was when Abigail noticed.
It was the same boy that she helped get through the woods.
Walking over to him, she held out her hand to him. It took him a minute before turning to look at her.
"You need help with saving your father?" asked Abigail.
"How have you-" he asked, quickly wiping the tears in his eyes away.
"Look- I don't know why I found you again- maybe because we're the only two people walking around Corona in a blizzard or maybe something else, but you need my help." replied Abigail. "I know more about science than you think. For example. The chemicals in those vials are calcium and chloride. They can melt practically anything together- especially ice and snow."
The boy looked at the vials on his staff.
"See? I know my elements." replied Abigail.
"They can't melt through the crystals." replied the boy.
"Then we just need to find something that will." responded Abigail.
"It's not just the crystals." replied the boy. "It's the rocks too. They caused all of this. At least, the mess I got my father in. I thought I could find a way to stop them when they were destroying my village- but I couldn't even get that right."
Abigail put her hand on the boy's shoulder.
"I'm sure you meant well." responded Abigail.
"I just always mess things up." replied the boy. "No matter what. I just- mess up everything. All the time. And I've messed things up- way worse than you know. Maybe- I thought I could be trusted. But I can't. No one can trust me. I barely trust myself."
There was quiet for a few minutes.
"Whether I trust you or not, there's no way I'm letting your father get trapped in a crystal." Abigail told him.
"You're- helping me?" the boy asked in confusion.
"Of course. What kind of person would I be if I wasn't?" she asked. "Look, I've helped a lot of people who come into the woods. I want to help you. Your father. Besides- I've seen what these rocks can do."
"You have?" asked the boy.
"They're unbreakable. Sharp too. They spread fast. I can't even get to the good trees anymore because it's too dangerous for me to go over there." replied Abigail. "Either way- will you trust me?"
The boy looked up at her for several minutes.
"I trust you." he responded.
"Abigail. Lumberjack." she told him.
The boy climbed up on the horse behind her.
"Varian. Alchemist."
This is Alice Foreshadow, heading back down the rabbit hole.