Chapter 5
Snow White opened her eyes and looked around: it was her room, the one she slept in every night, but it was cold and her body felt heavier than usual. An alien numbness held her body in its grip.
Something was holding her hand, someone was at her side. Her scent of roses was unmistakable: "Grimilde." The princess said, turning her head toward her: the queen was sitting beside her on the bed, looking at her with a beautiful, warm smile. "You're finally awake..." she sighed. Her eyes were never so warm and kind. The queen had a complex expression: a mixture of pain, worries, hope and love... Love? It was obvious, though. A look like that is especially recognizable.
"W-what happened?" The princess had a vague idea of the events that had transpired during the night in the dwarves' dwelling, but blurry images of her walking down the stairs to a room off the hall flashed through her mind, making no sense of the subsequent lapses in memory.
Grimilde frowned and tightened her grip on her hand. "You..." but paused to rephrase, "I couldn't stop the curse from taking its course."
The emotion on her face was clear: she felt responsible for what had happened, even though it hadn't really been her fault.
She thought it was her fault because she felt responsible for Snow White's life.
"Are you okay?"
"Yes." Grimilde lifted Snow White's hand and kissed the back of it. Snow White blushed.
"How am I awake now?" She asked and smiled at the queen, then noticed the dark circles under her eyes and her very tired face. The princess felt very sad and tried to get up from the bed, but Grimilde stopped her with a hand.
"Rest, it's all over now."
It was obvious that it wouldn't be enough for a mind as curious as the princess's, and the queen knew it too well. In fact, the girl didn't stop at that question and gently pushed the older woman's hand away so she could get up and move closer to her. Grimilde blushed as she found herself face to face with Snow White and remembered what had happened a few moments earlier.
"You're hiding something from me."
"Snow White, you have to believe me, there are reasons why—"
"Grimilde, what have you done?" She asked, worried about her.
Looking into the princess's eyes, Grimilde knew she wouldn't be able to escape her questions, so she opted for the quickest and most painless solution: walking away.
She wasn't ready to talk about what had happened. Not yet.
"You need to rest. I'll have Mariella and Rachel called so they can keep you company while the doctors run their final checks..." She was already reaching the door, ignoring the princess's repeated calls. The queen gritted her teeth and, before opening the door, spoke: "I'm sorry... I juts need time. You'll find me in my office or in my room, if you'd like to look for me."
And so she left the room, abandoning the princess to her confusion. Snow White's first reaction be confused and disappointed by the queen, but how could she, knowing she had saved her?
She didn't have time to indulge in her reflections, since many people would be visiting and keeping her company that day. She was so relieved that Mariella was okay, aside from the amnesia and the fright, and being reunited with her maids allowed her to relax for a few hours.
Soon, however, her doubts returned, and the questions she wanted to ask Grimilde became a powerful call in her mind. So, after long minutes of arguments and attempts at persuasion, she convinced her maids to take her to the queen for a talk. When she found herself in front of the elegant door of the regent's chambers, the guards let her pass without hesitation.
"Thank you for accompanying me."
"It is our duty, princess. Would you like us to return to take you back for the night?"
"Don't worry about that." Rachel and Mariella exchanged a look, but said nothing else, retreating to their rooms. They wouldn't admit it out loud, but they were exhausted after all those hours spent worrying about the princess's health. Joy had exploded in their hearts when the queen announced that the princess had awakened and was well. That said, rumors were circulating that something very strange had happened in the castle dungeons, but no one could figure out what it was.
"Excuse me..." Snow White knocked on the door, tightening her shawl around her shoulders, then entered. Grimilde greeted her in her night clothes, standing next to the sofa with a glass of wine in her hands. The scene brought to mind the night not too long ago when they had shared such intimacy. The princess closed the door behind her and took a deep breath.
"I'm sorry to disturb you at this hour of the night... you must be tired."
"No, it's right that you're here to get answers." Grimilde sat down on the sofa, pointing to the space beside her to invite the princess to follow her. Snow White bit her lip and hesitantly reached the queen: she wanted, with all her heart, to hug the blonde and hold her in her arms.
She longed for comfort from the only person she could think of at that moment, but she would have to talk to her about what had happened before she could give in to her desires.
"I don't know where to begin..."