Snow White

Gerti quietly entered the nursery where all the noble children, too young to attend the ball played with their nurses at their beck and call. The nurses constantly reminding them that they needed to be quiet during the ball while they played. How Gerti longed to just stay here, not go back out to the dance she had long anticipated. She found one of the royal nurses who were aiding the noblemen's nurses with the youngest babes.

"Where is Snow White?" Gerti asked.

A nurse led her to a baby laying in a beautiful bassinet. Gerti looked down at the baby, Snow White smiled back at her. Gerti smiled. She thought the child must look like her mother, for she bore no resemblance of her father. Her skin was so pale, Gerti wondered if she was healthy. She reached her hand in and Snow White began to play with it. She was so deep in thought that she didn't even notice when her own nurse--or former nurse--came up beside her.

"I remember when you were that little. I remember when your mother was that little." The old woman said.

"You knew my mother as a baby? I didn't know that" Gerti said jumping out of thought.

"Yes I only wish that I could still hold you both in my arms" Nurse looked around and gave Gerti a big hug that almost lifted her off of the ground.

It was enough for Gerti to begin to crack a smile, till she looked down again at Snow White.

"This is my step daughter." Gerti said.

"This WILL BE your step daughter. No marriage has happened yet, and if I know your mother at all she won't let it happen anytime soon. She can be a strong stubborn woman sometimes, in the best possible way. She could be a knight--if women could be--she's one of the bravest protectors that I know" Nurse went on.

Gerti enjoyed imagining her mother as a knight in shining armor. Nurse looked at her, she knew she had done good. She wished nothing more than to ease this child's burden, even with humor.

"So promise me not to completely give up on being a child, you are your mother's daughter, and she let her inner child live even after she got married at 12 for a few years." Nurse paused in thought "Don't let life weigh you down, you know your mom's only 25 and life hasn't been kind to her, she's strong, but if it weren't for you I don't know how she'd have any heart left in this court. Hold onto those you love. That's how you survive." Nurse advised before having to go attend to a child.

Gerti looked down at Snow White and was overcome with a feeling of love, and determination. She leaned in to whisper into the child's ear "You will have a childhood. You will be free. I'll make sure of it. I'll protect you, that's a promise." With that Gerti turned around brushed herself up and began to head back to the ballroom.