short wlw fairy tales

sapphic twists on fairy tales || no terfs allowed. this is an all-inclusive blog || other wlw works are shared as well ~ we all need more in our lives

[ohmisscornelia]

Femslash February

Queen Susan had many suitors, yet the only one she cared for lived deep into the woods

more here x

[lunawlw]

👑The Princess

and her Knight

[badbadchurch]

gays be like what if i kissed this frog 👀

[fairycloth]

A new fairy is knighted 🌸🌿🗡🧚🏿

[litvar]

So there’s a fairy tale show on Netflix called Revolting Rhymes,

And it puts twists on classic fairytales that we know and love. And one of the main plots is the intertwined stories of Red Riding Hood and Snow White...

And it starts off really cute and adorable, a rich, sad princess, a poor girl who befriends her... but if you’re queer and watching the show...

The writers start giving the audience little hints that these two girls have a much deeper bond then you originally thought...

Until it just hits you like a ton of bricks that OH MY GOD their friendship transformed into romantic affection and all Red wants to do is make SW happy...

And after they both have character development in separate storylines, they reunite some time later...

And it’s like nothing has changed between them and it is SO SWEET.

Anyway, the fact that the writers of this children’s show took classic tales and turned them into something more modern, beautiful, open minded is INCREDIBLE. And it’s so great how they did everything, subtle little hints and not so subtle hints. Its just like a big FUCK YOU to narrow minded people who think that their children seeing G-rated mlm or wlw relationships will somehow “turn their child gay” and I LOVE IT. Also Rose Leslie and Gemma Chan playing a couple (even if it’s just voice acting) YESSSS!!!!!

[nataliegjacksonart]

Finished!

[desperatlytryingtowriteabook]

The Maiden and the Selkie

Inspired by The Maiden and the Selkie song, which was very much gay in my mind before I heard the pronouns, so I indulged myself in this small ficlet

She goes to the shore often, because she has to and because she likes the freedom it gives her. While her brothers go fishing, she gets her boots off, raises her skirts and walks into the cold water. She plunges her hands in the ocean and picks up algae and seashells. When the baskets tied around her hips grow too heavy, she knows it’s time to go back to the rocky shore. She sits on the pebbles, picking one in her hand and enjoying its smoothness under her fingers as she watches the grey and green waves swallow her brothers’ small boat to spit it back only seconds after. She braids her hair so that the wind can’t ruffle and entangle it too much and she waits for her brothers to return.

Keep reading

[aleikats]

Idk which version is better but I think I’m leaning a bit more with the instagram version. The filter makes it kinda dreamy like. Looks like an ol’ prom or wedding photo Patreon | Scale Brushes @ Gumroad | Twitter | Facebook 

[fairytalewlw]

The Snow Queen ~ What Took Place in the Palace of the Snow Queen, and What Happened Afterwards

pt. vii

The walls of the Snow Queen’s palace were carved by the winds. Walls were built where the snow had been blown. Northern lights lit them up, reflecting blues and greens Gerda had never seen before.

Gerda weaved through the walls, careful to keep herself hidden. She came across a frozen lake. It was cracked, giving off the appearance of a jigsaw puzzle, with each piece so similar in shape and size it seemed as though the breaks were purposeful. Right in the centre of the lake sat the Snow Queen’s throne. Here, she would sit when home, and would claim to be sitting in the Mirror of Understanding - the best place in the world.

Behind many a wall, Kay lay on her lonesome. Though she could not feel the cold, for the Ice Queen had kissed it away, Kay was blue from the cold. Day in and day out, she would play the same game she had played since arriving. She would drag flat pieces of ice around, joining them up in different ways to make different sculptures. This is the game she was playing when Gerda’s eyes fell upon her.

“Kay!” Shouted Gerda as she ran towards Kay.

Kay looked at her, but only for the sound. She looked to Gerda with no recognition in her eyes. The only person she could think of was the Snow Queen, and she had travelled to the warm lands.

“Kay!” Gerda called again. She flung her arms around Kay, holding her tight. She never thought she would see her again. “I have found you at last.” She sighed against her, never wanting to let her go.

But Kay did not react, quite unencumbered.

“Kay?” Gerda questioned, her eyes filling with tears once again. She knew they had been parted for years, but she hoped Kay might still recognise her. They had been as close as could be. To Gerda, they still were. And yet Kay still hadn’t acknowledged her presence.

Gerda collapsed into Kay, her arms wrapped around her neck, and her head resting on her chest. Her whole body wracking from her sobs. Her burning tears fell upon Kay’s chest and soaked into the skin and the muscle until they reached her heart, thawing the lumps of ice which had formed, and consumed the splinters of the Elf’s looking glass.

Just as when they were together as young children, Gerda began reciting their hymn. Her voice was choppy through her tears, and it sounded like it was going to kill her if she breathed too deeply, but she just about managed to get the words out. “The rose in the valley is blooming so sweet, and angels descend there, the children to greet.”

Upon Gerda’s last word, Kay too burst into tears. In fact, she cried so much that the splinter fell out of her eye. Looking up, she saw Gerda and, though her closest friend had changed through the years, she recognised her as if they had only seen each other hours before. “Gerda!” She wept. “My dearest Gerda!” She threw her arms around Gerda’s neck. “Where have you been for so long? You have changed so! And where have I been?”

Kay pulled away from Gerda to look at her surroundings. “It is ever so cold here. So empty and cold.” She shook her head and wondered how long she had spent in such a desolate place. Kay let herself fall back into Gerda’s arms and immediately felt like she was home. Tears pricked her eyes once more, this time because she realised how lucky she was to have someone who loved her as much as Gerda did.

Tears also pricked Gerda’s eyes as she held her love in her arms. It was something she was beginning to think she would never be able to do again. Overcome by emotion, Gerda kissed both of Kay’s cheeks, and they both bloomed a deep red. Next, she kissed her nose, and the colour grew deeper. Her eyes fell to Kay’s lips, and back to her eyes, and she saw Kay do the same. Slowly, she closed the gap between them, kissing Kay gently on the lips.

Blushing more now, Kay pulled back first. “Wow.” She breathed.

“Wow.” Gerda echoed.

Kay’s heart had been empty for as long as she could remember. Now, it was as full as it could be. “I love you, Gerda.”

“I love you too.” Gerda stood up, took Kay by the hand, and led her out of the Snow Queen’s palace to her freedom 

On their way out, they spoke of Kay’s grandmother and their two houses which stood side by side. Each path they took, the wind ceased to rage, and the sun began to shine. At the gorse bush, Bac waited for them alongside a Young Reindeer. The Young Reindeer had an udder filled with milk. Bac motioned for Kay and Gerda to feed themselves before he carried them closer to home. He made a few stops along the way. The first was to the Finland Woman. With her, they warmed themselves. Then they stopped at the Lapland Woman’s home. She made them new clothes and gave them a toboggan each. From there, Bac and the Young Reindeer accompanied them to the boundary of the country. Here, the first vegetation protruded from the snow. Gerda and Kay bid the reindeer farewell and began walking forwards towards the woods ahead of them.

When the pair reached the fringe of the forest, a young damsel rode towards them on a magnificent horse. From just her silhouette, Gerda knew it was the Little Robber Maiden.

The Little Robber Maiden, too, recognised Gerda on sight. “I see you have found your friend. She is a fine filly. You have done well.” The Little Robber Maiden winked at Gerda, and Gerda’s cheeks flushed. “I am happy for you.” She said, such kind honesty feeling foreign in her mouth.

“Thank you.” Said Gerda graciously, for she knew how rare such words were from the Little Robber Maiden. “Do you know of the whereabouts of the Prince and Princess?” She inquired.

“They have gone abroad.” Replied the Little Robber Maiden.

“What about the Raven?”

“The poor soul has passed.” She answered. “Their Sweetheart is a widow, and she wears a black cloth around her leg. But enough of them. Tell me of how you are, and how you managed to catch your own sweetheart.”

And so, Gerda, with some input from Kay, told the story of how she had rescued her from the Snow Queen’s palace.

After finishing their tale, Gerda and Kay looked at each other with such love that it filled the Little Robber Maiden with disgust, and she mimicked throwing up. “You are clearly made for each other.” She said, revulsed, before changing her tone to make it kinder. “If I ever pass through your town, I will be sure to visit.” And with that, she turned on her horse and rode back into the forest.

Once again, Gerda and Kay took each other’s hand. The sun still shined above them, coaxing the flowers to emerge from their buds. It made the rest of their walk more pleasant, as they were able to take in the sights of spring until they recognised the buildings which made up their own town. At the sight of these, Gerda and Kay took one look at each other and ran home as fast as they could.

Inside Kay’s house, everything stood as they remembered. Even the clock made the same ticking noise. However, while in there, both Kay and Gerda realised they were now grown up. Everything seemed smaller, the gaps tighter, the ceiling closer. 

Outside, the roses still bloomed. Opposite them stood children’s chairs. Gerda and Kay no longer fit in them, and so instead sat on the grass, still holding the other by the hand. As they sat there, they soaked in the sun’s rays and moment by moment forgot the cold, empty splendour of the Snow Queen. It felt as though it had been a dream.

Kay’s grandmother slowly made her way outside and sat with the pair in the garden, and recited a verse she had heard once upon a time. “Unless ye become as little children, ye cannot enter the kingdom of heaven.”

And Kay and Gerda looked into each other’s eyes and at last understood the hymn they had learnt.

The rose in the valley is blooming so sweet, and angels descend there, the children to greet.

They sat there, two grown-ups, and yet they remained children at heart. And forever, they would remain that way. On their wedding day, as they became parents, as they became grandparents. Gerda and Kay’s love for each other kept them grounded and reminded them that they could stay child-like for as long as they lived. And this remained true until the day the angels descended to take them, hand in hand, to the kingdom of heaven.

(if you can, please donate to my paypal here💖 thank you)

[hartleyskies]

Good morning babes, please read this short story by @insomniac-arrest it’s VERY GAY AND VERY GOOD This is my interpretation of the main character Princess “Flowers Sprout from my Skin and Probably Grow Through the Seams in All my Clothes" Tiana

[fairytalewlw]

The Queen Bee

Once upon a time, there lived a King. He had three children - two sons and a daughter. His eldest son was named Hector, and the youngest son was named Hugo. The daughter, the youngest of all, was called Henrietta. Though Henrietta was beautiful and kind, all the things her father needed her to be, she was still a Princess and therefore seen as insignificant when compared to her brothers, the Princes. It would be one of them who would carry the weight of the Kingdom. Therefore, she was pushed aside.

One day, Hector and Hugo decided to go out into the world to seek large fortunes. However, they fell into a foolish way of living, and so could not return home. Henrietta went out to look for them. Though they treated her as though she was nothing, she still loved her brothers and wanted them to come home.

When she found them, they only laughed at her.

“I’m amazed you even managed to get this far, Hennie!” Guffawed Hector, as he held his sides.

“Look at us.” Boasted Hugo. “If this is all we could manage, there’s no chance of you getting any further.”

Henrietta hung her head and let her brothers start leading her home. It wasn’t worth arguing for herself. She would only lose. She always did. The only time she could successfully stick up for herself was when she was doing so on behalf of another.

On their journey home, the trio came across an ant-hill. Had Henrietta not stopped them, Hector and Hugo would have pulled it down if only to see the anxious ants scuttle away from their home. This time, the brothers listened to their sister, and the siblings carried on past the ant-hill.

Not ten minutes later, they came across a lake upon which many a duck swam. Hector and Hugo wanted to catch two to roast, but Henrietta stopped them by saying “Leave the poor things be. You shall not kill them.”

A small while later, they passed a bees’ nest which lay nestled in an old, gnarled hollow oak tree. In it, was so much honey that it ran down the trunk. Hector and Hugo licked their lips at the sight and started plotting how they could remove the bees so they could get their hands on the honey.

“We could poke the nest with sticks.” Suggested Hector. “Hide while they swarm out, and collect the honey when the coast is clear.”

Hugo nodded gleefully. “Or, we could light a fire beneath and smoke them out!”

Hector was delighted by his brother’s suggestion and immediately ran to gather dry leaves and twigs for them to set alight.

“No.” Said Henrietta firmly, holding him back. “Let the pretty insects enjoy themselves. I shall not allow you to burn them.”

Begrudgingly, both boys followed Henrietta’s orders and the three of them set back on their journey.

After walking for a little longer, the group came to a castle. As they passed the stables, they saw fine horses standing there, though each one was made from the purest marble. Curious, Hector and Hugo convinced Henrietta to let them investigate the castle.

The last room that they came to was locked by three bolts. But in the middle of the door lay three circular holes so that its contents could be seen.

Within the room sat a Little Old Grey Man. Hector called to him, but he did not hear. Hugo called to him and he still did not hear. The third time, when both Hector and Hugo called together, the Little Old Grey Man heard. He rose from his seat and came out to the siblings, locking the door behind him once more. He spoke no words but led them to a table covered by trinkets of all kinds.

Once the Little Old Grey Man had given the siblings food and drink, he showed them each to a bedchamber. After all, the sun was setting and it was not safe to be out in the dark. They would continue their journey when morning arrived.

But when morning arrived, the Little Old Grey Man came to Hector and took him to a marble table. Here, he showed him three tablets, each detailing a step which would lead to the disenchantment of the castle.

The first tablet read, “In the wood, under the moss, lie the thousand pearls belonging to the King’s daughter. They must all be found. And if one be missing by the setting of the sun, he who seeks them will be turned to marble.”

Never one to turn down a challenge, and always one to prove his worth, Hector set out to find the pearls. He spent every hour of the day trying to seek them out, but by sundown, he had not even found one. As the tablet foretold, he turned to marble in the castle grounds the very moment the sun dipped below the hills.

The next day, Hugo took on the task but did no better than his brother. He, too, turned to marble in the castle grounds.

On the third day, Henrietta’s turn came. She had no interest in the tasks until she had lost her brothers to the first. Now, she needed to do them in order to save them.

Firstly, she tried looking in the moss for pearls but found none. It was a tiresome job, and she did not know how she could be more successful. Stressed out, she sat upon a stone, rested her head in her hands and cried. And, as she sat there, the Queen of the Ants (whose life she had saved), came to help her. Her, and five thousand ants, all worked together and it was not long before they had found all the pearls and laid them at Henrietta’s feet.

Henrietta thanked them endlessly and ran back to the Little Old Grey Man to find out her second task. The second tablet read, “The key of the Princess’ bedchamber must be fished up out of the lake.”

As soon as she had read it, Henrietta ran out of the castle and to the lake she and her brothers had passed on their journey. At the brink of it, she saw the two ducks whose lives she had saved. Grateful to Henrietta, they dived to the bottom of the lake and collected the key for her.

Again, Henrietta thanked them endlessly before running back to the castle to find out what her final task would involve.

The third and final task was the toughest. Henrietta had to choose the youngest and the best of the King’s three daughters.

When Henrietta found the three marble Princesses, she saw that they were all beautiful and exactly alike. But she knew that, just before turning to stone, the eldest had eaten a cube of sugar, the next some golden syrup, and the youngest a spoonful of honey. And so, Henrietta’s true task was to choose the daughter who had eaten the honey.

Through the window, the Queen of the Bees buzzed. She and her family had also been saved by Henrietta’s kindness. The Queen bee tasted the lips of all three Princesses but finally settled upon the lips of the one that had eaten the honey. This is how Henrietta knew which girl was the Youngest Princess.

Thus, the spell was broken, and those who had been turned to stone - human and animal alike - awoke, and took their proper forms. As for Henrietta, as soon as the Youngest Princess awoke, she knew she would never lay eyes on a more perfect person. The Youngest Princess held the same view of Henrietta. And so, the two wed as soon as they could. Henrietta was finally put first by someone she loved, and she and the Princesses lived together happily ever after.

(if you can, please donate to my paypal here💖 thank you)

[fairytalewlw]

hey up pals !! it’s my birthday !! on this day, where i become a teenager no more, i gift to you, a surprise story !!!!! ik this isn’t the way it usually works but i thought it might be nice for you (at least, i hope it willl be). the fairy tale is the queen bee and will be posted at 10:30pm gmt (aka in 3 hours time if all scheduling goes to plan). 

i had never heard of the queen bee before but i have grown quite fond of it now, and i hope you do too. have a fab day, and i hope i’ll see you in about three hours 💖

(if you can, please donate to my paypal here💖 thank you)

[fairytalewlw]

The Snow Queen ~ The Lapland Woman and the Finland Woman

pt. vi

When Bac stopped suddenly, Gerda jolted out of her daze. It felt strange to not be moving after the past few days. Bac had stopped beside a small house. It was crooked and gloomy and looked quite miserable. The roof hung low, obscuring viewing in and out of the windows. Even the door lay low, so low that to enter the house, you would have to crawl upon your stomach.

This was the first house in Lapland. Since they had been travelling for so long, both Gerda and Bac were in desperate need of a rest. And so, they decided that they would visit whoever lived in the miserable old house.

Nobody was in the house except for an old Lapland Woman. She sat by the fire, dressing fish by the light of an oil lamp. She welcomed them kindly and listened attentively as Bac told her of his history and Gerda’s tale.

“You poor thing.” Said the Lapland Woman. “You still have far to go. Finland is another hundred miles from here. It is there that her house stands. You will know it immediately as it has an azure glow. I shall give you a few words from me. When you give them to the Finland Woman, she will give you more information.”

Gerda thanked the Lapland Woman, taking her words which were written on dried cod since she had no paper. Before she left, Gerda was given a warm meal and a hot drink, leaving her feeling content. The Lapland Woman waved goodbye to Gerda and Bac, reminding them to pass on her words.

Bac set off with a buck, carrying Gerda to Finland with as much gusto as he could muster.

At last, the duo arrived in Finland. At the Finland Woman’s house, Gerda and Bac experienced quite the conundrum. There was no door leading into the house. Unable to find one, Gerda knocked on the chimney instead. The Finland Woman beckoned Gerda and Bac indoors, directing them to climb in through the window.

Inside, the heat was so intense that the Finland Woman spent most of her time almost naked. Immediately, she fussed around Gerda, getting her to remove some layers for the heat would have been too great otherwise. Having placed a block of ice on Bac’s head, she began reading the words of the Lapland Woman. Once she had read it three times, she knew it off by heart. With it taken in, she listened to Bac tell his story in his own words, and then Gerda tell her own. When they had finished, she said nothing but just blinked to her visitors.

“You are so clever.” Said Bac. “I can tell. You are able to twist the winds of the world into a knot. Could you gift Gerda a potion so that she may possess the strength of twelve men? It would be enough to vanquish the Snow Queen.”

“The strength of twelve men!” The Finland Woman echoed, indignantly. “Much good that would be.” She huffed and got up from her seat, walked to a cupboard and took from it a large skin that was rolled up. Back in her seat, she unrolled it to reveal strange characters printed upon it.

All the while, Bac begged the Finland Woman would help Gerda. And Gerda just looked on with teary eyes.

After a few moments, the Finland Woman blinked and took Bac to a corner where she put some fresh ice upon his head and whispered to him. “It is true that Kay lives at the Snow Queen’s. She finds everything to her taste and believes it to be the best place in the world. But this is not true. She suffers a splinter. At some point, a splinter of glass caught in her eye, and another in her heart. Before she is returned home, these must be removed. Otherwise, the Snow Queen will retain her power over her.”

“Is there nothing you can do to help Gerda?”

The Finland Woman looked at Bac curiously. “Do you not know?”

Bac shook his head. “Know what?”

“My dear,” began the Finland Woman. “I can give her no more power than what she already has. Throughout her journey, people and animals alike have served her. Can you not see how well she has got through the world on her own? I can give her no power because her power already lies in her heart. If she is unable to get to the Snow Queen of her own accord and rid the glass causing Kay to suffer, we cannot help her. The Snow Queen’s garden lies two miles from here. You may carry her to the large gorse bush but do not loiter – return as quickly as you can.”

With that, the Finland Woman took Gerda in her arms and lifted her onto Bac, sending them out into the cold at an unimaginable speed.

“My boots! My gloves!” Called Gerda. “They have been left behind!”

But Bac ignored her calls and raced on until he reached the gorse bush the Finland Woman spoke of. Here, he set Gerda down, wished her luck, and ran back towards the Finland Woman’s home. Gerda was left alone, without shoes or gloves, in the very centre of icy Finland.

Fearful for she was now alone, Gerda ran on as fast as she could. As she got closer to the Snow Queen’s lair, she became engulfed in a ferocious flurry of snowflakes. As much as they disorientated her, Gerda could tell that none of the snowflakes were falling from the sky. Instead, they swirled around her. The closer they came, the larger they grew. When she looked closer, Gerda could see that each snowflake was unique, shaped like a different animal.

Distracted, Gerda had not realised how closely the snowflakes had surrounded her. The cold was so intense she could see her own breath, which curled around her too. Her breath held its smoke-like form, and accumulated around her, growing thicker and thicker until it forced the snowflakes away from her. Gerda was able to walk onwards, feeling safe from the snowflakes, and carried on towards the Snow Queen’s palace.

Kay did indeed reside in the Snow Queen’s palace. However, unbeknownst to Gerda, she never thought of her, and least of all thought that she would be standing before the palace.

(if you can, please donate to my paypal here💖 thank you)

[fairytalewlw]

Do you have a masterlist? Or at least an easy collection of all your writings?

here is a list of most of them :) https://fairytalewlw.tumblr.com/contents i’ll update it with the more recent ones when i get back home. i hope this helps

[sapphicmoodboards]

Beauty and the beast sapphic moodboard

[fairytalewlw]

The Snow Queen ~ The Little Robber Maiden

pt. v

A few days into her journey, Gerda was travelling through the woods. It was dark, but her new carriage shone like the sun and caught the eye of the robbers waiting to ambush the next person to pass by.

“‘Tis gold! ‘Tis gold!” Cried the robbers, and they rushed forward, first taking Gerda’s horse, and then roughly dragging her out by her arm.

“How plump, how beautiful!” Exclaimed the Old Female Robber. She had long, knotted grey hair that fell past her shoulders. Her bushy eyebrows hung over her eyes so Gerda could not make out the colour of them. “She is like a plump lamb! How nice she will be.” The Old Female Robber continued, brandishing a knife which shone so brightly Gerda could not look directly at it.

At that very moment, the Old Female Robber cried out in pain. “You naughty child!” Her daughter was strapped to her back and had bitten her on the ear. She tutted at her child for now she had no time to kill Gerda.

“She shall play with me!” Said the Little Robber Child who was strapped to the Old Female Robber’s back. “She shall give me her pretty frock and she shall sleep in my bed.” As if to punctuate the end of her commands, she bit her mother’s ear once more, cackling as her mother jumped in pain once more.

Though they tried to hide it, the Old Female Robber noted that the other robbers were laughing at her. It wasn’t surprising. Ever since the Little Robber Child had begun to speak, it was clear she was in charge. Whatever she said went, and, if she was honest, the Old Female Robber didn’t mind. Carrying the family was tiring and was growing increasingly so as she aged. Therefore, when her daughter asked for anything she was happy enough to let her do it. She just wished she wouldn’t get bitten in the process.

“I will go to the carriage with her.” The Little Robber Child’s sister spoke up, emerging from the crowd of robbers. She was older and even more headstrong. Her mother left them be and took the Little Robber Child for her nap.

“You are a Princess, no?” The Little Robber Maiden said as she guided Gerda to the carriage and beckoned her friends to return the horse.

Gerda shook her head, sitting down in her carriage as her horse began to lead them through the trees, going deeper into the woods.

The Little Robber Maiden shrugged. “They will not kill you if I am not displeased with you, regardless of that.”

Once again, Gerda nodded. The pair sat in silence for a few moments before Gerda could hold in her story no longer. Her tale of Kay flooded out, and the Little Robber Maid listened with rapt attention, tears prickling at her eyes. When Gerda had finished her account of the happenings over the past years, the Little Robber Maiden took Gerda’s hands in her own. “You shall sleep with me tonight. With all of my animals too.” She offered.

Gerda nodded, accepting the offer, knowing, however, that it was more of a command. The two of them had now arrived at the home of the robbers. The Little Robber Maid took her through the various buildings and into what appeared to be her own. They ate a little, and by the time she had finished her bread and butter, Gerda was feeling really quite lethargic.

“Let us sleep.” Said the Little Robber Maiden and showed Gerda to her straw bed. To Gerda’s surprise, beside the bed lay nearly a hundred pigeons, all sleeping, though slightly disturbed when the Little Robber Maiden came near. “They are all mine.” Explained the Little Robber Maiden. She saw Gerda looking at the roof where netting was strung from corner to corner, from beam to beam. “They would all fly away if that was not in place. Now!” She changed the subject abruptly. “This is Bac.”

Gerda turned to where the Little Robber Maiden had beckoned to. Out of the shadows came an old reindeer. Once he was stood in the light, Gerda could see he had a copper ring around his neck which tethered him to a pole in the corner of the room. It saddened her to see him so confined.

“We are obliged to lock Bac in.” The Little Robber Maiden explained, showing no remorse for the entrapment of the animal. “Each evening and morning I tickle his neck with my knife. He is so frightened of it!”

The glee with which the Little Robber Maiden spoke filled Gerda with unease. Her unease quickly turned to fear as she retrieved her knife from a hole in the wall. It was even brighter and sharper than the Old Female Robber’s. Gerda found her body overcome by a cold shiver as the knife was held cruelly against Bac’s neck. Gerda whimpered on behalf of Bac.

The Little Robber Maiden cackled. “Scared?” She asked, pulling Gerda onto the bed.

Choosing not to answer the question, the Gerda asked a question in response. “Do you intend to keep your knife while you sleep?”

“I always sleep with the knife.” Smirked the Little Robber Maiden. “It is best to be safe. Now,” She said, changing the subject again. “Tell me all about Kay, and why you have ventured out into the world on your own.”

And so, Gerda re-told her story, feeling less scared with each word. Above and beside her, the pigeons cooed softly. When she had finished, the Little Robber Maiden thanked Gerda for her story, wound her arm around her neck, her knife in her other hand, and settled down to sleep. Unsurprisingly, Gerda got no sleep. The knife in the Little Robber Maiden’s hand remained on her mind, not allowing her to get any rest.

In the early hours of the morning, the Pigeons spoke to Gerda through their coos. “We have seen Kay! A white hen carries his sledge. Kay was on the carriage of the Snow Queen. “

Gerda’s heart began beating so hard she feared the sound of it might wake to the sound of it. “Where did she go?” She whispered, praying she wouldn’t wake the girl behind her. “Do you know anything about it?”

“Lapland! We have no doubts. For there is always snow and ice there!” Replied the Pigeons. “Only you must ask Bac for more.”

Copying the Little Robber Maiden’s previous actions, Gerda beckoned Bac to come as close as he could so that she would not wake the Little Robber Maiden with her voice. “Bac, what do you know of Lapland?”

Bac bowed his head wisely. “Lapland is my home. It is glorious, beautiful! One is able to be free in the deep valleys.” He smiled wistfully before returning to answer his question. “The Snow Queen has her tent there for summer, though her fixed home is higher up and closer to the North Pole – on an Island called Spitzbergen.”

Though she was pleased to hear news of Kay, Gerda still feared for her friend. “Poor little Kay.” She sighed.

“Do you choose to be quiet?” Snapped the Little Robber Maiden. “If you do not, I shall make you.”

Reminded of the Little Robber Maiden’s knife, Gerda spoke no more words until the Little Robber Maiden had woken on her own accord. At this point, Gerda relayed to her the words of the Pigeons and Bac.

“Do you know where Lapland lies?” The Little Robber Maiden demanded of Bac.

“Who should know better than I?” He said. “It was there where I was born and bred.”

The Little Robber Maiden nodded slowly, absorbing the information and searching for a spot of kindness in her heart. “Listen.” She said to Gerda. “The men have all left for the day but my mother remains, and she will continue to do so for the rest of the day. But, she drinks from a large flask in the late morning and sleeps for a little. It is at this moment I will do something for you.”

What that thing was, she did not tell Gerda, but Gerda no longer felt uneasy in the presence of the Little Robber Maiden. For this, she was grateful.

Morning passed, and Gerda had been left in the Little Robber Maiden’s house with just the Pigeons and Bac for company. Just before the sun reached its highest point in the sky, the Little Robber Maiden ran into the house. “My mother has sipped from her flask and is out cold! Snoring like a train!” She laughed, turning to Bac. “I would love to give you a tickle with my knife for every day of the rest of your life. Alas, I shall untether you and allow you to return to Lapland, on one condition. You must take the girl with you, so she may find her friend once more.” Instead of tickling Bac’s neck with her knife, the Little Robber Maiden slashed the copper ring around his neck, setting him free.

Bac bounded with joy. “Thank you! It would be my pleasure!” He continued to buck as the Little Robber Maiden tried to place a saddle on him.

With strong arms, the Little Robber Maiden lifted Gerda upon the saddle and gave her a small bag with some tattered belongings in it. “Take these leggings for it will be cold. I have also put in some gloves of my mother’s – they will reach to your elbows.”

Gerda wept with joy.

“Please do not cry.” Said the Little Robber Maiden. “I cannot bear to see you fretting. Take this food,” she handed Gerda two loaves of bread and some ham. “You shan’t starve on your journey now.” And with that, the Little Robber Maiden sent Gerda and Bac on their way. “Farewell!” She called.

“Farewell!” Gerda called back, a grin on her face for she would be seeing Kay in a matter of days.

Bac, excited to get home, rode through the day and night, only stopping when the northern lights shone above so that Gerda could see them properly. Much quicker than expected, the pair of them arrived in Lapland.

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[venus-dyke]

female robin hood and maid marian moodboard