Wynter (A Snow White Retelling)

Wynter Is Alive

"Mother!"

Lucinda rolled her eyes. "What now?" she mumbled to herself.

"Mother!" Andrew threw open her bed chamber doors, not waiting for the guard to open it for him.

"What have I told you about shouting like a cow herder?" Lucinda scolded. "I've taught you better than this. A prince never raises his voice."

"They don't know who I am, Mother!" Andrew said, disgusted.

"Who offended you this time?"

"I was in the eastern villages, and no one knew who I was." Lucinda watched as Andrew paced back and forth between her bed and the window. "It was like I was invisible. It was like..." Andrew froze. "It was like they thought I was one of them."

"Those peasants are just blinded by their love and adoration for the king and his daughter," said Lucinda. "Even in the wake of their deaths the peasants still love them more than me."

"More than us?"

"Of course," Lucinda answered quickly. "As you finally learned today."

"What I learned is that Wynter is alive!"

"What?" Lucinda exclaimed as she rushed toward Andrew until she was mere inches from his face. "Tell me you're lying."

"I am not lying. I saw her with my own eyes in that wretched village. Those people need to be taught how to show respect to me."

"Never mind that! The brat is alive!"

"Don't act so surprised," Andrew scoffed. "I warned you that the huntsman wouldn't go through with it, and I was right."

"Don't lecture me, boy." Now it was Lucinda's turn to pace. Heat rose to her face as she thought about Wynter still drawing breath. "How did she talk her way out of this one? She isn't that good."

"Cyrus must have let her go," said Andrew.

"Your distain for the huntsman isn't a valid reason to accuse him of treason."

Andrew let out a dry laugh. "I saw them together. Apparently Wynter's refusal of me went deeper than simple defiance."

Lucinda's eyes wide. "The 'revered' princess has been running around with a huntsman?" She laughed. "Oh, it's too good to be true."

"Good? He let her live!" Andrew shouted. "Are you even listening? She is alive, and she has two traitors hiding her right under your nose."

"You have much to learn, son," said Lucinda. "You have to look at the bigger picture. How we can use this to our advantage?"

She said that to make it appear as if that was all part of her plan, but in reality, she hadn't planned on any of it. Lucinda felt her heart pound in her chest as the consequences began to sink in. If Wynter told anyone in the kingdom that she didn't kill her father, they would probably believe her, and news would spread quickly. Lucinda knew where that would leave her.

She continued to pace as she tried to find a solution to yet another problem that Wynter created. She tried to keep a stoic expression so that her son could not see the panic she felt inside.

"Wait," Lucinda stopped pacing and faced Andrew, "who is the other traitor?"

"You can't guess?" Andrew scoffed. "Doc."

Lucinda's neck and shoulders tensed. She should have known better than to let the physician roam free after the king died. He was too loyal to the king and his daughter even now.

She had underestimated both Cyrus and Doc's loyalty to Wynter, even in the face of death. That was a mistake she was not going to repeat.

Lucinda walked across the room to a wooden chest that sat under the window. She opened it and dug down past all the dresses until her hands hit a cold, hard surface. She grabbed the object and pulled out a smaller wooden chest. She placed it on her vanity and pulled out from it a dusty book with yellowed pages.

"You're reading now?" Andrew asked. "We still haven't figured out how to get rid of Wynter. Permanently!"

Lucinda glanced up and shot him a warning look that silenced him. She had hoped Andrew would be bright enough to figure out how to use Wynter's allies against her. He was so eager to follow the huntsman and make sure Wynter was dead, yet he didn't do anything when he learned she was alive.

Lucinda shook her head. She would be by his side, helping him make the big decisions as king, but she wasn't going to clean up after him. He had to learn how to fix things on his own.

"Ah ha!" Lucinda put her finger on the page she was looking for. "There you are."

"What is it?" Andrew asked.

"It's a way for us to get everything we want," said Lucinda. "I will take care of this. You need to go meet the tailor. I am having him make you an entirely new wardrobe fit for a king."

"But I can help—"

"You can help by getting to your fitting on time."

Andrew opened his mouth to say something else but then closed it again. Lucinda smiled. Maybe he was learning after all.