The sound of the people's shouts echoed through the smallest village in the province. Maja, the daughter of the village chief, slid and fumbled as she tried to escape the furious crowd, her lips blue and her bones aching with cold. Blonde hair clung to her forehead via the melted snow that dripped from the rim of her hood and descended slowly down her face, she knew if she ceased to flail for a moment, she'd lose her life. Hands grabbed at her from all directions though she was too swift and to desperate for anyone to get a hold, this was going to take longer than they thought, getting her to the rite would be a far too painful process, they might as well kill her then and there.
Out of nowhere, a rough hand grasped her clothed shoulder, "Ga vekk fra meg!" She screamed from the bottom of her lungs as she once again pulled away, the end was near now, if she could get past the crowd near the entrance she just might make it out alive. Her heart was pounding as she clawed at their bodies, shoving through their tight formation, blood, sweat nor tears would hold her back.
Her boots ploughed into the snow that grew deeper by the day, when the spirits of the night sprinkled their blessings over the land, only this felt like more of a curse than a blessing when it came to such occasions. Though there had been suspicion around Maja for a while, she'd never expected for it to lead her into danger, besides she'd have her father by her side if such chaos did break out, only now it seemed she was mistaken all along, the man supposedly protecting her was somewhere preparing her execution, what kind of treachery could this be? This kind-hearted man that once read her stories and showed her how to hunt, and cook was having his precious child killed, his only kin.
An old lady that had cared for her mother once told her, "Nature works in mysterious ways, my child." and though she didn't have much time to consider it, this was most likely the type of scenario she meant.
"Stop shouting and grab 'er!" Sounded a gruff voice from somewhere in the mass, their eyes were ingrained with that same terror she'd seen in her father's, her mere existence so traumatising it sent their minds into a craze, but their motives didn't matter, she refused to let herself die at the hands of her father or his tens of psycho accomplices, each one infected with some bizarre disease. The only way was forward, she cursed and yanked at their sleeves and coats in order to pull herself through, away from the dread lurking behind her. In her heart she yearned to scream but dreaded wasting her treasured energy, her legs were beginning to fall limp beneath her, but she was getting closer, she could feel it.
Two hands now caught her wrists and yanked her back into hell, the promised land was fading, "Ga vekk fra meg!" She belted once again, throwing herself frantically around as they dragged her further away. With one final scream she lurched upwards, smacking her head into the man's nose, and ripping into the other stranger's arm with her teeth, breaking into a sprint as they cursed furiously behind her. So close, not another obstacle, she prayed from the depths of her soul, barely avoiding another tug at her freedom, she ducked and charged through the final set of legs, her face hitting first caused her jaw to crunch agonisingly, but before her lay the gate, only the wide open gate and they would never catch up, surely.
A gentle hush cloaked the hills, as the air glittered with balletic snow, each flake became lost in the multitude, one by one they landed and melted together in a repeating cycle that would easily last for weeks. The land glowed with a pearly-white sheen for as far as the eye could see, every inch of colour buried under the winter's bitter flower that bloomed with such grace and would hold control over its land for yet another winter. Laid on her back, wheezing in the snow was Maja, who thanks to her fear and desperation had managed to escape the mania, even if she didn't fully understand it. She needed to keep walking, even with so many hours to spare before nightfall, time was priceless with the knowledge that she'd easily perish with no shelter and a constant exposure to the night's biting cold. She would have to walk miles to find the next village, but her legs were numb, and her head was pounding, the shock had frozen her stiff.
As she looked up at the endless, granite sky, she'd never felt more alone. There was nothing but snow and a few sad fir trees, not even a forest to explore, she was lost in the middle of nowhere, perhaps she was supposed to die, and because her father failed she'd just freeze instead, why had he turned on her suddenly? She felt a hot tear sting her face.
By now the damp had begun to itch her through her fur-lined cloak, even so, her body still refused to move, she stayed in her limp state, wondering if she'd ever see her father again, so she could ask him why. Her eyes fell heavy, "Oh my, what on earth? Someone grab that child!"
