The winter air bit at any exposed skin. Even your fur coat seemed to do nothing against the wind. If the night wasn’t so cold it would be beautiful.

The forest seemed to stretch on for miles. You got lost trying to avoid bandits and creeps. Of course now you were in the middle of nowhere. Every rustle seemed to put you on edge. Even just the hoot of an owl was like a monster coming after you.

Luckily, a large palace seemed to loom out from the sparkling snow. You walked past the rusted gates that were open just enough for you to squeeze in. There you noticed red roses. They stuck out against the white like a sore thumb. They seemed to be in pristine condition.

After pushing the heavy doors open, you were in a large room. It was impossible to see if it weren’t for the slivers of moonlight. A soft orange glow came from down the hall. After following it you noticed a fireplace that was lit. This palace looked abandoned, so why was this lit? Perhaps someone else was seeking shelter from the storm.

The fire felt heavenly as you started to thaw out. You were too focused on being warm that you failed to notice something behind you.

”Such a poor helpless thing, all frozen from the cold.” A deep voice mused behind you.