-drops a ice flower on your lap and disappears into the winter before you figure who -
Monarch is awakened by abrupt breeze of gelidity caressing pallid flesh, sparsely painted eyelids prying open to allow azurline gaze to peer at surroundings. Once crackling fire within the confinements of fireplace (MEMORY of hours prior surfacing at front of mind at how decalescent flames licked at empty air; obscure shadows DANCING beguilingly and felicitously across the walls) had now jaded into an attenuated incandescence of EMBERS embedded into wooden logs.
Inadvertently, Queen had fallen trustingly into the arms of oblivion so long ago, glancing over chair's back to observe ceiling to floor window. Not only had night blanketed over the world in a M I D N I G H T cloak (establishing theory of a prolonged nap spent in antecedent King's chair), but fenestra was AJAR, despite having closed it the day hitherto. Such a sight galvanized perplexity, meddlesomeness RISING at core.
It was only then, crystalline eyes cast downward, attention falling to PECULIAR object placed in lap. A flower carved from acquainted element, scintillating in the bantam amplitude of light shining through room. Lithe digits GLIDE beneath commodity and into hand's palm. Arm raises to place item at eye level, observing and admiring the detail within EVERY crevice. Names flitted around mind as to who suspect could be, but not a single one halted. Too many possibilities.
Lips pursing, body rises from the allaying EMBRACE of father's chair, engaging in the few steps needed to close the gap between self and fireplace. Hand sweeps mindlessly over muted embers, palm of hand B U R N I N G as a sheet of snow coats the formerly burning logs, all previous signs of elated flames now diminished. And carefully does woman B E N D at the knees to slip ice flower from skin and into the soft powder before retreating to her chambers.