The heaven was dark and dreary. She wept as death came hovering in the air, swallowing the whole Kingdom of Erdestea into the deepest pit of its belly. She cried in many snowflakes, falling in haste as they slowly consumed what was left of the kingdom. Heaven knew of the travesty that occurred—an innocent little dove now gone, all because some vile soul could not take the truth that the fairest among them all was not just a beauty on the outside but also on the inside. Now, as it grew blue, the heaven wept more in bitterness and pain.
The pale princess no longer opened her eyes, her breathing slowed, and her mind no longer dreamed except for the pitch black that cocooned her in its arms.
The winds even knew of the event as they began to hum an ancient melody that pleaded the angel of death to pardon them—to pardon the pale princess from entering a limbo of unrest. Such a call drifted on hither-tither, perking the ears of the woodland beasts—forcing themselves to wake up and be out and about from their hibernation.
The discomfort in the atmosphere made them anxious. In some way, they even perceived a faint voice of Maria Blanca, singing a peculiar tune. Realising that something felt amiss, the woodland beasts all hurriedly made their way on foot to the cottage of the seven dwarves.
Upon reaching the cottage, the prominence of death reeked, causing nails to be pinned deep into each of their endearing hearts…
Sprawled on the floor, like a true withered edelweiss, their beloved Maria Blanca lay asleep, and no matter how many times they tried to wake her up, she no longer fluttered her white lashes to gaze upon their faces. They saw the bitten apple rolling nearby, and when one of the rabbits sniffed, the odour was so putrid that the poor creature scoured away, hinting at everyone of the bad state of the fruit.
Coming to an understanding, the animals wailed with their cries as sad as those of orphaned children. The birds began to sing along with the melody of grief, and the deer chimed in with their grunts, which resonated with the great sorrows their hearts felt.
As their song of sorrow lingered, the cold breeze blew, carrying their melody and making the crystal leaves ring like church bells.
By the stream, as he drank some cool water, the great elk heard the strange cries and was alarmed. He had never heard that kind of sound—a sound that conveyed anguish, bitterness, and daunting sensibility he somehow understood…
He knew something was wrong…
Something felt awry as the sound of sorrows grew louder and louder…
And the elk knew it had something to do with Maria Blanca.
In lightning speed, he raced back to the cottage with his hearing blurred by the loud pounding sound of his distressed heart.
Once he arrived at the cottage, crying faces greeted him with menacing air now thick as if invisible hands were strangling him. Drawing closer and closer, he finally saw Maria Blanca on the ground, clearly no longer having her spirit, making his heart break into millions of pieces. As the animals gave way while he walked towards the pale princess's side, the mood became colder, scratching deep into their skins as sorrows reigned. With a plea inside his mind, the elk tried all he could to wake the princess as he pushed her hand, blew a soft breath to her face, and brushed his nose to hers—yet, misfortune was now upon them, and Maria Blanca now drifted far, dancing in the arms of death.
There were tears, but anger brewed more deeply inside the elk. He immediately turned away and ran towards where he could express and satisfy the yearning, entwined with the sprouting madness; his sentiments were leaving a mark on his soul.
Also, in haste, some animals fetched the seven dwarves and had to do the daunting task of telling them the unfortunate news that had happened.
Upon arriving at the mines, the frantic creatures swiftly seized the dwarves, leaving them baffled, and immediately abandoned the dilapidated site only to return to their precious Maria Blanca. The dwarves were questioning them about their erratic behaviour, asking them if Maria Blanca was in trouble. Of course, words were not blessed on the animals' mouths, for their deep sorrows could only be expressed through their action, especially the tears in their eyes.
Knowing these creatures could not answer them back, the dwarves said no more. However, along with the silence, they did notice the trickling tears running down their faces. It seemed odd for them that these creatures would be crying. It was indeed strange for them to learn of their emotions on full display, for usually, these beasts would just be on their way, doing beasty things on the crystal forest, but ever since Maria Blanca came, the dwarves were slowly understanding them, even learning their disposition as they realised they were not far from humans at all except they were made different. Seeing those tears, the hovering forlornness that came along with them, the seven little men had this bad notion that they tried to shove it off.
Yet when they arrived at their cottage, their worst nightmares came into fruition…
Maria Blanca lies on the ground, no longer drawing breath.
As the seven dwarves ran towards her side, their eyes began to sting with tears as they called upon her name. They tried their best to revive her, carefully taking her towards the heat of the hearth, but their pale princess no longer responded. Each one of the little men, her little fathers, once more called out to her, whispering her name as they quietly pleaded heaven to bring her back. Yet, no matter how much they tried, her fate was already sealed—in the arms of death, maybe for a long time.
The pain in their hearts was unfathomable, summoning thick grey clouds to hover over the kingdom, bringing forth more snow and permitting winter to declare blizzards at any time. The afternoon was no longer the same as those past days. As Maria Blanca lay on the table placed near the hearth with the animals paying their respects to her, the seven dwarves burned the odd apple some of the animals were pointing to, and then reluctantly yet wholeheartedly crafted a one-of-a-kind coffin that befitted their beloved pale princess. The bedding was made from pure gold, intricately carved with edelweiss flowers, while the pillow was made from the finest silk they had kept for a long time. To protect her body from the elements, the dwarves used a majestic crystal glass, allowing them to still gaze upon her beautiful face and reminisce about the days she spent with them.
Though the coffin of Maria Blanca was very ornate, it was a surprise that the seven little men finished it at the stroke of midnight. And when the winter grew loud, with swirling winds blowing from left and right, everyone carried the princess and made a procession for her as they took her to the village's old church, where her crystal and gold coffin was waiting for her. As they made the procession, the seven dwarves were singing Maria Blanca's lullaby while pearly tears never halted from streaming down their cheeks.
The church remained intact since it closed because of the unending frost. Its old beauty was untouched, with the saints and angels on the pillars, and the altar in full glory as He waits for His flock to return. The ceiling also retained its beauty, although the colours were now dull, as if understanding with sadness the air was bringing. Once they stepped foot into the sacred place, the seven little men gently placed their sleeping princess onto the coffin, positioned the flowers the animals brought to her sides, and kneeled before her as they gazed into her face and then quietly said their prayers.
Even as the dawn came, the woodland creatures and the seven dwarves remained in their vigil—bowing their heads as they fervently prayed for the eternal peace for their beloved Maria Blanca.
"Sweet dreams, princess…" The seven dwarves whispered as they stared at their princess, with painful tears turning to crystals.