A Rose in the Snow - Chapter I

[tcs_tonsils_ 2829]

A Rose in the Snow

 

[!] A portrait of Borris Iver Kortrevich

 

5th of Vzmey and Hyff, 413 E.S.
                

 

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Chapter I

 

The brick walls of the keep were cold. Most of the balconies were still iced over from the freezing rain that had fallen a couple days before. Borgitta watched from her window as the snow fell softly; the individual snowflakes mutated into the blanket of white that stretched across the entire landscape. The hillside was distorted into rolls of white and light gray. It always snowed here, and even when it didn’t snow, the rain was freezing. The keep sat between two great plains. On one side were the extended snow-covered foothills, and on the other, the ocean. Being on a cliffside, When Borgitta turned from the fields, she was met with the vast expanse of ocean. She often wondered if there was land beyond the endless waves of blue and white. 

 

It was here that she spent a majority of her time, though lately, she had been coming here less and less. It was, however, not by any choice of her own that she did this, but rather because she had been pulled away by a multitude of preparations for this and that. It seems like her family always needed her to do something, talk to this person, and that family, make a lunch date with this prince or that nobleman. As she approached twenty, it became increasingly more disruptive for her family that she had not married yet. But here… she didn’t have to think about any of that. Here she could just stare out the window and wonder. 

 

Borgitta was not a tall girl, but her slender frame often made her look it, especially if she was standing alone. Her hair was a deep brown color, the very tips of her hair colored slightly darker than the rest. It was long enough to reach past her shoulders and stopped just above midway down her back. While she usually kept it up in a bun, frequently, when she was alone, she let it down. Her long hair had accented her longer face well. Her deep steel-blue eyes sat upon a thin small nose. Borgitta’s eyes were just the proper distance, not too close together, but not too far apart either. Her delicate eyebrows sat just above the socket of her eyes, allowing her to seemingly never show anger. Her pink lips, tender, never chapped. 

 

She sat with one leg extended away from herself. The flat of the foot rested against the bookshelf. Her other leg was tucked tightly into her chest, arms keeping it in place. Borgitta felt as if she had been sitting there for hours on end, letting the light slowly fade down further into the sky. Borgitta sat with a look of wonder as she watched the waves crash against the rock face below. The waves crash with such force; it is impressive to me that they do not break the rock face entirely, taking the cliff and Keep with it. She thought, going to rest her head on her knee. Borgitta sighed, glancing at the setting sun as it kissed the ocean. Slowly, she watched it dip into the waters like it was being consumed by some ancient beast. The waters glowed yellow and orange and red, the colors distorted slightly as waves crashed and turned into white suds in rows all the way out of sight.

Borgitta let out a soft sigh as she noticed the light grow on the ceiling above her, then spread all around the room as a torch protruded from the staircase on the other side. 

 

“Borgitta?” A deep, male voice called from the stairway right before a head poked out of the hole in the floor. 

 

She spun, letting her legs dangle from the bookshelf before she jumped off and landed with bended knees. “Vhat es et?”

 

“There vy are! Please stop retreating up here. We have too much to do for vy to run and hide for hours on end.” His massive bulk of a body exited from the stairwell and stood before her as he talked. 

 

He wore a tight white shirt, almost too small of a man of his stature. In fact, Borgitta was unsure how it didn’t rip with every twist and turn that the man-made. Over it, he wore a dark red coat with gray stripes running down its back. His slacks were looser than his shirt, though they were too small for him. Borgitta stood, dusting off her own dark blue dress. She always stood up straight when he was around. He had a commanding presence about him, so reverent and robust. So she stood, straight, peering into his pale eyes that were wrecked of weariness. He has a rather plain face. It was pale, with a shaggy set of ruffled brown hair sitting on his head. His eyes were a darker blueish-brown, though the dullness often made them appear lighter. Although he was still at a reasonable height, his bulk always made him loom over others. His shoulders were broad, and his legs bulged from under his pants.

 

“Szam!” She blurted out quickly, her hands moving to clasp behind her back. 

 

He stood, watching her in the growing darkness. “How was the ball?”

 

“Fine, Dobry.” She shrugged.

 

“Did vy learn anything new or, better yet, meet anyone new?” He asked, standing perfectly still.

 

“Uhm… nie, niet really.” Borgitta’s head shook lightly, each side of her face obscured into darkness as she went from side to side.

 

The man lifted his brow, a small smile forming on the corner of his mouth. “Oh? Well, Yam niet so sure, considering that there es a man standing at our front gate asking for vy.” Even though the low flickering torch light, he could see the deep red blush enveloping the girl’s cheeks. She looked away, a smile forming on her face. The smile only grew as she regained eye contact and nodded.

 

Borin stood in the entryway to the palace, his helmet placed snugly under his right arm. He hummed softly as he waited, shifting slightly every so often when his feet felt tired or sore. He wasn’t sure how long he had been waiting. Maybe an hour or so? He thought, arm moving to adjust how he was holding the helmet. Nie, Nie… Ea have been standing just at the gate for at least an hour. Borin shook his head, though it was barely noticeable. He sighed, letting his feet drift apart lightly and taking a more relaxed stance. Borin was a handsome man by the standard of the time. He had dark brown well, groomed hair which was brushed over to the side. He was tall, perhaps 6’6, with a thin face and a long, firm chin line. He was clean-shaven, most likely before he arrived or the day before, as there was little to no stubble. He looked maybe 22, though when his beard grew to a certain length, it made him appear 10 years older. His eyes were deep blue, such as many of his fellow countrymen. 

 

Upon looking back up from the ground, Borin noticed a particularly large painting resting perfectly in the center of the right wall. He wasn’t quite sure how he missed it when he first walked in. Perhaps he had just been too focused on what he was doing here. Taller than even he was, the painting was of three people. They were held within a gilded frame and in front of a soft green background. In the foreground, Princess Borgitta sat in a dark wood chair. She was wearing a blue dress, a gorgeous rendition of her classic flowing silk dresses. Her legs were crossed, and her hands clasped resting on top. 

 

Behind her to the left stood her mother, a blonde-haired, blue-eyed, sturdy-looking woman who had one hand resting on the chair and her other arm to her side. She had a simplistic purple dress that belled slightly at the bottom as it touched the floor. She was a thinner woman, though her stern facial expression lacked any sign of weakness. Next to her, with his hand also resting on the chair, was a burly, hulk of a man. A dark brown cloak draped over his shoulders, the man towered at least a foot above the woman standing next to him. He wore a dark gray vest over a black shirt and pants. A thick, gold crown sat upon his brooding pale head and shaggy brown hair. Borin read the plaque below the painting, his lips pursed somewhat. King Maghnus and Queen Nikolette Balyaev with their daughter, Prinzess Borgitta Iva Balyaev.

 

Borin stood dumbfounded in the center of the room. Prinzess Borgitta? He thought. But… His thoughts trailed off as the sound of a door opened somewhere in front of him. He heard talking from the grand staircase before him straightening his body. Soon after, the woman he had on the last saints day walked down the stairs standing beside the man he called king. Immediately he felt her eyes lock in with his as he stared at the Princess. He blinked, then forced himself to bow before the royal family before they reached the bottom of the steps. 

 

“Priveja, Vyr highness.” He tilted his head up to see them as they walked closer.

 

“Ah, Lord Borin.” He said in a deep, amused tone. As Maghnus walked closer, his hands clapped into a clasp before him. “Vhat a pleasant surprise.” 

 

Borin stood back up, shifting the helmet again under his arm. Even though his nervousness, he found himself smiling as his eyes fell on Borgitta again. Quickly, however, he redirected his gaze back to the king while retaining his smile.

 

“Da. It am a surprise indeed…” 

 

He simply nodded, placing a hand on his daughter’s shoulder. “So, vy are here for mea daughter?” 

 

“Yam.” He stated.

 

“Vy must be a very confident man to stand out en the cold for such a long time en hopes that vy may see the prinzess.”

 

Borin hesitated, not exactly sure how to respond. “Ea…”

 

However, before he could, Maghnus bellowed out a laugh as a larger smile crept up his face. “And et would seem vy are as humble as vyr father.” 

 

  “If vy say so.” He managed to get out.

 

Borgitta just stayed silent, eyes fixated on the floor and a permanent pink hint resting on her cheeks. 

 

“Are vy hungry?” Maghnus asked, shifting to adjust his belt. “We vere just about to sit down for dinner. Vhy don’t vy join us.”

 

“Ea would lov…” He started before being cut off by the king. 

 

“Dobry! Vell, come, let us dine.” He turned, moving towards the massive doors to the right. Borgitta followed closely behind him, and Borin hesitantly followed, his arm numbed from holding his helmet for so long.

Edited February 18, 2022 by tcs_tonsils_