No images were flickering as her gold eyes remained closed. She could feel the stream of water caressing her skin like the soft silk of her bedsheet. It was cold… very cold that she almost lost her senses. She remained still, thinking death might be upon her, readying their hands to carry her to heaven.
"May the Lord take my spirit." She whispered in her mind until her head gently bumped into a sloped land.
Immediately, she awoke from the bump and frantically swam closer, noticing that the waves carried her to a bank, far from the horror of the heart of the ice forest. She gasped, trying to grasp some air as she crawled far from the water while calming her shaky nerves. Her breathing laboured, deeply inhaling and exhaling as her thoughts quarrelled over whether she would pursue exploring the place or stay there and wait for some good Samaritan to help her.
But if she chose the latter? How long shall she wait? How certain will that good Samaritan be able to find her? Maria Blanca's lips trembled, and she could feel her soul breaking into tiny pieces. Far away from her palace, from her known comfort, far from the friends she loved on her birthday, her heart sank, and the poor princess could do nothing but cry, withering with the falling snowflakes that slowly succumbed to her. She slouched down into the earth with her head lying heavily on her crossed arms, letting those tears flow until they managed to equal the stream that took her far.
She was hopeless and lonely in an unknown place.
Letting sorrows seize her soul, the pale princess could only cry a thousand tears, scared to know that the world outside the walls of the palace was completely unknown to her. While she remained in her sorrowful state, little woodland creatures heard her cries, appearing out from their abodes as they perked their ears and peeked through holes or fallen branches of a tree.
Slowly, they hoped and trotted towards Maria Blanca, obviously inquisitive about her presence. There were a family of rabbits who smelled her, and a pair of squirrels carefully circled her. There were also the birds who saw the commotion and flew down, softly pecking at Maria Blanca's head, which prompted her to realise she was no longer alone.
"Oh!" She gasped at the sight of sweet faces looking at her. "Gre—greetings to you, little ones!" She shyly addressed, hurriedly wiping her tears from her eyes.
Growing more curious, the woodland creatures drew nearer and some even hopped into her lap, familiarising every feature, most especially her scent. Maria Blanca laughed at their lovely gesture as some tickled her skin, fading away the sadness her soul was feeling.
"I am sorry to disturb your peace." She finally said after getting to know the creatures that welcomed her. "I am lost and I do not know where I am. I don't even know how to go home. I think I am very far from my place."
Once she shared her sentiment while stroking the head of a fat little bunny, the birds suddenly circled her, tweeting a song; the squirrels began to do some dance, and as if on cue, the woodland creatures parted, making way for the great elk that was walking towards them.
He was majestic, and the pale princess's eyes grew wide when she saw him. She had never seen such a creature. Those antlers that adorned his head were like a bundle of crowns, and the frozen droplets were like crystals, just like the leaves in the crystal forest. The moment she and the elk were feet apart, Maria Blanca's heart was pounding loudly; she was frightened, not knowing what the animal would do to her.
But to her surprise, the elk locked his gaze into her and bowed his head down like he knew her. The little creatures even followed.
Maria Blanca was puzzled and could not comprehend what had just happened. When she had gained some composure, she stood up straight, uncrumpled her tattered skirt, and presented the elk a respectful curtsy. "Good day, oh, great beast!" She greeted, "My name is Maria Blanca. I lived far away. I do not know my way out of your forest, and I am afraid."
Out of the blue, the mighty elk, whose presence was enwrapped with mystic, moved closer and planted a soft kiss on her cheek, causing crimson to colour on her white face. With no more words to say, the large creature gestured for Maria Blanca to climb onto him, and then the two rode off to somewhere far from the forest. The little creatures, who became fond of the pale princess, immediately trailed after them.