Into The Woods

Opal tilted her face up to feel the warmth of the sunshine on her cheeks. Though things had been much better in the castle thses days, and she felt less like running away, there was still something inside her that longed to be outdoors and free. So she hadn’t given up on sneaking out. (  At least, not entirely.  )

Buttons loved all the seasons. Even autumn. True, everything was dying, but it was doing it in such a pretty manner. The leaves were full of color, and Buttons wanted to enjoy it. Soon the branches would be completely bare, and not long after covered in lovely white snow.

The colors would not last long. A few days, maybe, and then there would be less and less variance. In order to enjoy it, Buttons had bundled up in a cloak against the chill, and settled beneath one of her favorite trees. Just sitting. Listening. Admiring.

It also meant, that for the short amount of time she sat here, she didn't have to think. The tree she was under was old, but it was large and solid. There were no clouds, no storms on the horizon. She could monitor the sun, and get home well before dark. In short, for a few brief moments, she had nothing to worry about, and nothing to fear.

A squirrel, probably gathering what it could before the real cold settled in, passed by not far from her. Buttons smiled, enjoying the carefree existence. Then she realized the work the squirrel would need to go through in order to survive the winter, and she felt a little more awe and respect for the little creature. For herself, she was all set, and grateful for it. She sighed as she saw the squirrel run up a nearby tree to its nest.

Maybe she should help? She could gather some nuts and seeds and pile them beneath the squirrel's home. There was always a chance a different creature would come along before the squirrel could gather the gifts, but Buttons realized that if it were the case, she would still have helped an animal.

With determination, Buttons got to her feet. She grabbed a stray branch and began to use it to brush away the leaves that had already fallen, searching with a keen eye.

Opal lay in her lovely, soft bed staring at the canopy overhead, trying to determine just how late it was. Fairly late, certainly, it was quite dark out, and the servants had long since seen her to bed. And she was pretty sure this wasn't one of the nights when her husband would be visiting her. There was a little disappointment to that, because she rather liked those nights, it was nice to be so close to him. But mostly she was relieved, because there was awkwardness too. ( Besides, she had plans. )

Verity hated hiding her remarkable beauty, but it was a necessity that could not be avoided. After enough time had passed that she felt comfortable in her little hut in the woods, she had taken to allowing herself the luxury of enjoying her looks around home. As long as she didn't stray too far and could hurry inside should someone approach. When out and about in the woods, she could not take such risks. Even more-so when she needed to head into town. People might recognize her, and that was something that she had to avoid at all costs.

Some day. Some day she would get her revenge, and Snow's kingdom would be hers once again.

In the meantime, Verity was downright sick of wearing rags and living in little more than a hovel. ( It was time to get a few things to make her life at home a little more bearable. )

It had taken a bit of sneaking in order to get out of the castle without being seen, but Opal thought she was getting better at it. It only took three attempts this time, and she’d avoided having to talk to her father-in-law at all. She was going to count that as a success, especially when it meant that she was now outside the castle walls, on her way through the woods, without a whole crowd of servants following her about with baskets.

( She was starting to get a bit tired of that, actually. )