There is a legend in Snowdell that the royal castle on the hill was built by friendly frost giants in the days before such creatures passed over the Jagged Mountains in search of mates. They were aware even in the kingdom's infancy that the winters would get worse with the passing of years and they did what they could to help their weaker human cousins to survive.
Princess Snowella often daydreams about what such creatures would look like, though she has never been able to see one in her magic snowglobes. With a gentle twist of her fingers she can observe the steamy jungles of Tropica or the swirling sands of the Azmatar Desert. Today's focus is a globe in which great scaly alligators slide smoothly into murky water, their yellow eyes looking hungrily in the direction of huts built high in the enormous marsh trees hung with rubbery vines. The natives get their food by throwing special barbed spears from the heights at shadows in the water and hoping their marks don't turn out to be baby gators. Wars have started that way, pitting the tiny natives against beasts five times their size. The globe itself is carved from a piece of rock native to Marshian, shaped by the artistic hands of a wandering wizard.
Such sights do not befit a member of the royal bloodline, her father likes to say. Her little toys are fine for a distraction, as long as she remembers that Snowdell is her obligation. Though she is barely more than a child, her studies in political theory have already begun.
She starts at the sound of a gentle cough, catching the globe on the tips of her fingers. Evret stands just outside the door to her bed chamber, his wavy brown hair hanging in its usual disarray over his muscular shoulders.
He is the constant in her life, the sturdy man-at-arms who is there as the daughters of the nobility grow bored of her dreamer ways and wander off to discuss the latest fashions and fawn over the boys who claimed a dance at last night's ball. She cannot count the number of times he has saved her from embarrassment and she can never forget the time he saved her life.
"Do you wish to cancel today's lesson, Princess?"
Snowella blushes as she realizes the position of the far distant sun, giving her head a violent shake. "I'm so sorry, Evret. Time just got away on me and I didn't realize how late it was. Of course I still want my lesson."
He lets free a gusty sigh, though there is a twinkle of amusement in his eye. "Very well, Princess. I will await you in the music room."
Snowella reaches with care into the terrarium standing beneath her wide window, lifting her pet snail out with careful hands. The little creature is another product of magic, an ordinary snail made extraordinary by the snowglobe shell on his back. "You're coming with me, pretty Snowi. I know how much you love to hear Evret play." Snowi crawled lazily up her arm as she walks gracefully through the stone halls kept warm by heating vents.
Evret is playing when she enters the music room, its ornate walls draped in red velvet curtains with thick golden tassels. There is a sweet melancholy to the melody he creates with subtle finger strokes, telling a story of lust and love and loss through just a few key strokes. The ordinary piano on its stand is anything but plain when played by the masterful hands of Evret.
She seats herself beside him, picking the keys out with timid fingers at first. He has won hundreds of jousts and can swing a sword that almost matches his weight but it is not for these reasons she finds him intimidating. He has no magic in his blood yet he creates music that controls the feelings in her heart, without even realizing his power. Their fingers brush as she reaches for the wrong key, her sparkling blue dress just a shade darker than the ice blue sleeves of his uniform. He shifts away, allowing her greater control of the keyboard. It is the closest she's ever come to holding her own against his brilliance and it shows on her face as she turns to smile at him.
Her body ruins the moment, her stomach growling like the fierce jungle beasts in one of her globes.
"That's enough for today, I think. I'm sure Cook will have your dinner waiting, Princess. She'll be most upset if the dishes she works so hard to prepare are served cold." Evret notices Snowi for the first time, pulling a face. "Your lady mother will be very angry if you get slime on that gown, Princess. Couldn't you at least leave that thing in its cage until you had a chance to change?"
Snowella sighs. "He's not slimy, Ev. He's certainly cleaner than Father's slobbering hounds. Besides, he gets lonely if I leave him alone too much."
Evret rolls his eyes but says nothing. The knight has discovered that with women, there are some arguments one simply cannot win.
The Princess has her own little table to the side of the dais at which her royal parents dine. In a couple of years she will don full ball gowns and be expected to chat politely with potential suitors but for now she can still order what she pleases and ignore adult conversation when the entertainers are especially good.
Her father spares no expense when it comes to the tastes of his dear little princess. Snowella's strawberry obsession is known to the kingdom, its inhabitants often wearing read in honor of the princess on the day of her birth. Snowella eagerly tucks into a strawberry chicken salad She feeds little bits of spinach to Snowi when she thinks Evret is not looking. The snail eagerly makes the nasty greens disappear.
Next is a strawberry-glazed duck with tender, crispy skin that crackles as she chews. She is not the least bit embarrassed to nibble the meat off the bones, knowing Evret will shoot her a disapproving look. She giggles at the thought of her oldest friend wearing the frilly dress of her etiquette tutor.
The final course is her absolute favorite dessert: double-layer strawberry shortcake. She takes her time working through the layers of cake and cream, setting the strawberries on the edge of her plate, saving them for last. Each berry is eaten with care, chewed slowly for maximum flavor enjoyment. Evret looks away as she works to chew a fat berry brimming with juice, flicking her tongue over her lips to catch the juice that threatens to run down her chin. She sets aside her fork with a happy sigh, eyes flicking up to catch Evret's gaze.
His lips part as if he wishes to say something. His lips part, then close as he gives his head a small shake. Snowella takes no notice as she pillows her head on her arms, studying the teeny people trotting the length of Snowi's shell with a happy sigh of contentment.
Story by 
Pureflower
Glacier Antlephore
Flier
