Winter Maiden

Sean lost the one he loved long ago. By the hand of the Winter Queen, will his happiness return?

Winter Maiden

by Omegax45

 

 

 

                        There is a village in the mist of a deep forest, one of few remaining that is entirely made of log houses.  The people that live there are from generations of families that had created the village long ago, and is recognized as a historical site.  The people are allowed to continue living there so long as they maintain the houses as close to their original forms as possible.  Despite some modern improvements, and a few energy generators, the village remains the same as it did when the first generation lived there.

                        There is a house that is a bit larger than the others residing near the edge of the village.  It is owned by a young man in his late twenties that owns a large red truck, one of two vehicles in the village that is used to get to the nearby city.  He had inherited the house after his parents and sister left, moving to the city for the medical care that his sister could not get within the village.  The house itself is too large for one person to live in by himself, with only one out of the four bedrooms only being used.  This hadn’t always been the case.

                        The young man had been married.  His wife was a childhood friend of his and they were deeply in love.  He had proposed to her when they were ten years old, a joke amongst the village people to this day, and they were married at the age of eighteen.  As a wedding present, his parents moved out of the house and into a small apartment near the hospital his sister is in.  The young couple’s happiness did not last, for the young woman passed away from an accident in the forest when they were ice skating on the nearby lake.  She had fallen into the lake through some thin ice.  The young man had frantically screamed for help as he tried to break through the ice to save his wife.  A nearby woodsman heard the screaming and arrived with his axe to cut into the thick ice that the young woman had swum under in her panic.  By the time they had broken through the ice and brought her back to the village, she fell gravely ill.  She died before they could reach the hospital.

                        The young man had grieved after her passing, and still grieves to this day.  His parents came to visit every two weeks to check upon their son, believing after several years that he should move on and find someone new.  The young man is persistent, believing his beloved to be the only one for him.  He still visits her grave in his wedding tuxedo, placing her favorite flowers in a vase next to her gravestone.  It could be a blizzard outside and temperatures well below freezing, but he would still go outside in nothing but a tuxedo to give her flowers.  Some call it romantic.  Others believe that he is being insane to risk his health like that.

                        There is a legend that has been told for generations.  It foretells of the spirit of the Winter Queen, a woman that once lived in a kingdom long gone that married the god of seasons, but lost her life at the hands of one of her guards that was in loved with her.  It is said that the spirit will help save the lives of those lost in winter storms or has allowed one to glimpse their deceased loved ones.  It is also said that she will cause people to hallucinate and lose their minds if they prove to be an evil soul that brings harm to all it touches.  No one can say if the legend is true or not, but it gives the villagers reason to try and live good lives and stay indoors during stormy weather.

                        The young man himself does not believe in legends.

 

* * * *

 

                        It is a cold winter’s day.  The snow is several feet upon the ground and sparkles in the bright sunlight that is not yet strong enough to cut through the cold air and melt it.  The trees are bare of their leaves, their twisted branches resembling long bony fingers in reach of something not really there.    The sky was a brilliant blue, not a singly could in the sky.

                        A man in his early twenties walks through the snow, wearing a black tuxedo with a green tie and white gloves.  The pants of the suit are getting wet from the snow he walks through that cover the thin boots upon his feet, a bouquet of white roses in one hand.  He ignores the cold as it cuts through his tuxedo and pays no mind to how much damage he had done to the outfit for the last couple years.  He refuses to go to his destination in nothing else.

                        He smiles as he reaches the small gravestone that stands tall above the snow, the bright gray marble shining in the afternoon light.  Next to the gravestone are roses that have wilted long ago, their white petals stained brown and have either fallen off or had been eaten by the animals of the forest.  He removes the damp and brittle remains and places the fresh roses into the vase barely visible in the snow. 

                        “Your favorites,” he said, looking at the gravestone, “This will be our fourth-year anniversary.  I would’ve made you a delicious dinner.  Wild salmon in lemon garlic sauce, boiled asparagus, mashed potatoes with mushroom sauce, and butter biscuits.  Your favorites.  We would talk about having children.  I know you want them so very much.  We would try again, and I would worship you like the angel you are.  As you are now…

                        “Oh, by the way.  My sister’s getting better.  Yeah, the doctors’ say that Nancy’s responding very well with the new medicine.  She may even come for a visit next month with my parents.  They all miss home very much.  I can’t wait to see them.  Mom will probably clean the house, despite how many times I clean it.  And Dad…he’ll probably reclaim the living room chair.  You know, the one that reclines and is right in front of the TV. 

                        “People are saying I should start dating again, but I won’t.  You are the only one for me.  I won’t replace you with anyone else in my heart.  That will mean I will stay as a bachelor for the rest of my life, but hey.  Maybe you can meet me at the golden gates in your wedding dress and we can get married again in Heaven.    What do you say?

                        “Well,” he stands up, “I better get going.  You’ll get mad if I catch a cold out here.  The dry cleaners will need this suit by Monday to get all the mud out of it.  Happy Anniversary, Rose.”

                        He turns and walks away, a ray of sunlight shining on the engraved words of the tombstone:

 

 

                        Here lies Rose Winters Laim.  Beloved daughter and wife. May she rest in peace.

 

 

* * * *

 

                        “Here he comes again,” a villager whispers as they spot the young man walking out of the forest, “It’s been three years and he still visits her grave.”

                        “Four,” his companion corrects, “Sean loved Rose with all he had.  Still does, from the look of things…”

                        “He really should move on,” a third villager joins in on the conversation, “It’s not healthy for him to live by himself in that large house or going to see Rose’s grave in nothing but a tuxedo.”

                        “It’s not our call what he does with his life,” the first villager said, “I heard his family’s visiting next month.  Maybe they will talk some sense into him.”

                        “I sure hope so,” the second replies, “I hate to see the guy down so much these days.”

                        “Hey guys,” the second villager spoke up after a minute of silence, “Remember the legend?  About the Winter Queen?  Maybe if we pray to her, she will let Sean see Rose again for a little bit.”

                        “Don’t be stupid.  That’s just a legend.”

 

* * * *

 

                        Sean enters his house and locks the door, toeing off his boots.  He carefully removes his tuxedo with care and hangs the dress shirt, tie, and jacket upon hangers next to the front door.  He frowns a bit as he slides his dress pants off, the bottom of the paints stained from mud and the color dulled to gray in some areas.  The dry cleaners would not be able to repair the damage done.  He would have to get them replaced, but he knew he wouldn’t.  He wipes as much mud off as he can and hangs the pants on a separate hanger, walking through his house in nothing but his boxer and a pair of wet socks. 

                        Sean is considered by many women as a handsome man.  His torso ripples with muscles that are not too thick or too thin, his skin with the sheen of a tan.  His chest has a thin layer of tiny dark curls that matches the mass of raven curly locks upon his head.  Strong legs carry him to his bedroom, legs he had joked with Rose and others about cracking walnuts with the underside of his knees.  He raises a large hand to brush his bangs away from forest green eyes as he sits on his bed and slides his socks off his feet, dressing in a simple pair of faded blue jeans and a white undershirt that had seen better days.  No one is home to chide him otherwise.

                        He walks out of his bedroom and begins cleaning the house a bit, just enough to remove any garbage that was left lying around during the weekend.  Afterwards, he takes out a frozen TV dinner that his parents had sent to him a week ago along with other supplies out of the fear that he isn’t eating enough.  After heating it up in the oven, he sits down and searches the channels on his television for anything good.  The bad side about living in the village is that there is no ‘digital cable’, like in the city.  All of the televisions in the village rely on antennas sticking out of the top of the televisions, or ‘rabbit ears’ as the city folk call them.  Of course, according to his parents, the ‘rabbit ears’ cable will soon be taken out due to the changes in media technology.  Sean doesn’t think the cable will be missed in the village.  The children just go outside and play, unlike most city children according to his parents.

                        He finishes meal without finding a single channel to watch, turning off the television.  He throws out the tray and washes the dishes before heading upstairs back to his room.  It is late, and he is tired.  Stripping down to his boxers, he climbs into his large bed and becomes comfortable, turning off his bedside lamp.  As his eyes begin to close, one thought runs through his head.

                        ‘I wish I could see you again Rose.’

 

* * * *

 

                        Sean wakes up in the middle of the night, the bright moon shining serene light into his bedroom.  He is a light sleeper, meaning that something had waked him up. 

                        He waits a few minutes, listening to the sounds of the house.  He hears rustling that could only be made by someone within the house.  Becoming suspicious, he slowly reaches for the baseball bat under his bed and gets out of bed, tip-toeing to the open bedroom door.  Peeking outside, he sees no one.  Continuing further, he finds no one in the living room, but the kitchen light is on.  Suspicious, he tightens his hold on the baseball bat and quietly walks up to the kitchen door and looks inside.

                        The baseball bat hits the floor.

                        “Hello love.”

                        Standing in the kitchen is a woman with long curly brown hair that reaches her thighs and has warm brown eyes.  Her form is slender, her arms and legs like willow branches.  Her breasts were round and perky, filling the top of the violet flower dress she is wearing and her feet are bare.  Her left ring finger sports a beautiful one carat diamond rings surrounded by smaller diamonds on a gold band.

                        “R-rose?”

 

* * * *

 

                        “Sean hasn’t been out of the house for five days now.”

                        “I wonder if something has happened.  I know his parents sent him that ‘cell phone’ the city people use in case of an emergency…”

                        “Maybe he’s taking a break.  He just celebrated his fourth anniversary alone.  Give the guy a break already.”

                        “But…wouldn’t he have run out of food by now or something?”

                        “His parents usually send him that city food.  You know, a meal in a box or something…?”

                        “They’re called TV dinners, and they’re not really that good for you if you eat them all the time.”

                        “I’m sure that Sean is fine.  We just have to give him his space.  After all, all we do these days is nothing but gossip about him.”

                        “…You’re right, Trixi.  We are really bored.  We need something new to talk about.”

                        “But what?”

                        “Well…Have you notice how much hair is growing out of Mr. Drazen’s ears?”

 

* * * *

 

                        Sean never knew if his happiness would ever return to him.  Rose was his happiness and she died four years ago because of his carelessness.  He felt that he didn’t deserve any form of happiness after that.

                        Yet somehow, somewhere, God smiled upon him and gave him his happiness back.

                        The moment he saw Rose in his kitchen, he had been stunned.  Many questions raced through his mind almost all at once, so close together that he barely comprehended them.  Was this really Rose?  How is she here?  She died four years ago, didn’t she?

                        But the person before him spoke in Rose’s voice.  How could he not remember it?  It is as beautiful as an angel’s voice.  She stared at him with those beautiful eyes that leave him breathless.  Her beautiful face is as he exactly remembers it:  pale with few scars, nose pointed and narrow, her right cheek sporting a small mole near her eye.  She touches his cheek with hands calloused from years of working as a farmer, yet felt like the softest thing he had ever felt.  His conscious mind tried to tell him that his wife is dead, but how can he argue with the person before him? 

                        Sean’s mind shut down when he heard his name rolling off her small tongue.  He grasped her, taking her into his arms and kissing her deeply.  His tongue played with hers, tasting the heaven he had stolen from him so long ago.  He wasted no time and brought her to his room.  Once he strips them of their clothing, he takes his time to worship every inch of skin that belongs to her.  His goddess.  Everything about her is exactly as he remembered.  Every scar.  Every freckle.  What parts of her brought great pleasure and the sweet moans that stick to his memories like delicious honey.  What parts of her that made her laugh.  When they became one, he felt like he died and went to heaven.  They did not sleep that night.  Too lost in their need to be one in every form and way, they had lost themselves to their love and pleasure.  They had forgotten about the outside world.

                        The next morning, Sean awoke alone.  He had been scared that he had dreamt it all.  Then Rose arrived in his room with breakfast.  He had taken her again just to make sure that this wasn’t a dream.  It wasn’t. 

                        Since that day, they had not left the house.  They had cooked meals, clean, watched television, read books, and even played board games during the day.  At night, they spent in one another’s arms, lost in the sea of pleasure.  Sean didn’t know what force brought Rose back to him or what price he had to pay for all this, but he knew one thing.

                        He never wants to let Rose go again.

 

* * * *

 

                        “It feels like spring is coming early,” Sean said one day, both he and Rose on the couch as they watch the sun begin to set.

                        “Indeed,” Rose replies, “The farmers will be going out to plant their crops soon.  It might be a good harvest this year.”

                        “Remember how we would try to get out of crop duty?  How we would fake our stomachs being hurt so we can go play at the lake?”
                        “You had to sneak out because you were never good at lying.  Your parents were very mad at you each time.”

                        They both laugh at the shared memory, becoming quiet afterwards.  They held one another’s hands, enjoying the quiet peace of twilight.  Then Rose spoke.

                        “I have to go.”

                        “Go?  Do you need to use the bathroom?”
                        “No, Sean.  I mean I have to leave.  I have to go back.”

                        “Go back,” Sean became confused as Rose got off the couch and went to the door, jumping to his feet, “Go back where?  This is your home.”

                        “You were only promised seven days,” Rose turns around, eyes full of sadness and a bittersweet happiness, “Do not worry.  We will meet again next winter if you want, but you shouldn’t really stay so loyal to me.  It is very sweet of you, but it is not healthy.  You should find someone that can give you happiness, much like I did.”

                        “Rose…” Sean felt fear gripping him in an icy grip.  He is losing Rose again?  To who?  Why? No.  No!

                        “My ride has arrived,” Rose opens the door and there is a white wolf outside, his eyes a brilliant gold, “I’m sorry Sean.  You will be alright.  You have so many people that are worried about you.  You shouldn’t really worry them.”

                        “Rose…”

                        “Goodbye Sean.”

                        “Rose,” Sean yells, reaching for his wife.  Rose steps out of the house and vanishes, her body nothing more but tiny white crystals that are swallowed by the wolf in a single intake of breath.  The wolf looks at him, almost with pity in his eyes, before shaking his mane and walking away.  Sean begins to follow it, ignoring the icy wetness under his bare feet, but the wolf disappears in the light of the disappearing sun.

 

* * * *

 

                        “Poor Sean.  He’s been so depressed since he left his house after that week of no show.”

                        “I had thought it was his sister at first.  But then she shows up with his parents for a visit, so it couldn’t have been that.”

                        “I wonder what has happened then?  Sean is usually a bright and cheery guy.”

                        “Who knows?  But I get the feeling we should leave him alone for awhile.”

                        “Yeah.  I guess you’re right.”

 

* * * *

 

                        Sean had lost his happiness again.  The week he spent with Rose was a wondrous heaven that he did not want to leave.  Yet he was once again banished from Eden.  His love is on one side of the wall, he on the other.  He cannot go back.  She cannot come to him.

                        His parents and sister were concerned when they saw him two days ago.  Not even knowing that Nancy will be leaving the hospital for home care was good enough to lighten his mood.  They had suggested that he moved to the city and live with them, that maybe living alone was having such an effect on him.  Sean refused, stating that Rose was here and he wouldn’t leave her.  He knew that he was just telling them what they needed to know to try and get help for him, but he did not care.  His beautiful angel is gone.  His winter maiden.  Even locking him up in a brightly-lit padded room and feeding him mind-controlling drugs wouldn’t change that fact.

                        One night after his family left a week before, Sean gets ready for bed.  His parents had brought fresh meats and fruits and vegetables for him rather than the TV dinners, and he made a small meal.  His appetite had diminished since Rose had vanished.  He feels like he has no reason to live anymore.  He only stays alive for his family’s sake.  He knew what it is like to lose someone you love.

                         He is passing by the door when he hears scratching.  Looking at the door, Sean decides to ignore it when he hears a wolf howling.  Eyes widening, he runs over and unlocks the door, cursing as the chain gets stuck.  Once freed, he flings the door open, his hopes rising.

                        There was no one there.  Sean lowers his arms and his head, about to chide himself, when he sees a basket on the porch.  It was big and covered in thick white blankets.  He picks the basket up and looks at it in curiosity before taking it inside the house.  He places the basket down and notices for the first time that the basket is made of weaved fairy vines.  Fairy vines got their name from the flower they produce in the spring, the petals looking like the wings of a fairy.  The fair vines also grew next to the mountains of the forest, very far from the village.  The fairy vines also only grew in the late spring, and the basket looks like it had been made with fresh lily vines.

                        A soft sound draws his attention to the blanket.  He watches the blanket shift slightly and he slowly moves the blanket away.  Inside is a tiny infant, appearing to be a couple weeks old.  Its tiny head was covered in a thin layer of brown hair that reminded him of Rose’ hair color and he gently lifts the infant into his arms.  The infant had no clothing on, so he could tell that it is a boy.  So many questions ring though his head, but once the baby opens his eyes, those questions are long forgotten and he holds the infant tightly to him. 

                        The infant has forest green eyes.

 

THE END

 

 

Author's Note

I had thought of making this a horror story, but I like this ending better. If you want a horror version, let me know.

I also think I got all the error and grammar corrected, but if I miss any, let me know as well.