The wind whipped at Erden's hair. He stood staring at the dark mountain, wishing it could give him the strength he needed.

Since the time Snow went missing, he had repeatedly imagined her wandering the forest alone, hungry, and exposed to the elements. The thought of her being lost in the wilderness had been too much for him to bear. As the months passed, he had hoped against hope that she would be found alive. Who knew that she was alive and well all this time? That was, until she decided to end things herself.

Is there not a special place in Hell for those who had taken their own lives? He recalled being told that souls who had deliberately altered the karmic universe were condemned to wander endlessly in the Hell of the Wrongful Dead. The ache in his chest grew stronger. Snow, if only I got to you earlier!

Footsteps. Someone was approaching. He quickly wiped the tears away from his cheeks. A reassuring hand squeezed his shoulder.

"Brother."

Erden could not bring himself to meet Weilong's gaze. "She ought to be interred at the royal mausoleum," Erden said, trying to keep his voice even.

"I know how you feel. I feel the same way too. But it's a long journey back. It's not possible to carry the coffin with our horses. If we wait for a carriage, it might be too late. The only thing we can do now is see that she gets a decent burial."

Erden looked away. The mountain range was so beautiful from here. It felt like his body was at the top of the world and close enough to touch Heaven, while his heart and mind were sinking to the depths of an abyss.

"Did they say when? Or where?"

"They said they found her in the forest, so they will return her to the forest. Later, today."

Erden nodded, fresh tears threatening to prick his eyes.

"I'll go back in. Come in when you're ready."

Erden waited until he heard the cottage door close. Then he collapsed to the ground with his face in his hands.

When he entered the cottage again, the dwarves were saying their goodbyes to Snow, one by one.

"Little Sis, I'm sorry we don't have any incense or Hell money to burn for you," said the oldest dwarf.

"Mei mei, don't be angry with us, we're not supposed to offer prayers for younger people. I hope you can find your way from this world," said another with a long beard.

The third dwarf held a round pastry in his hands as he shuffled towards the coffin. His eyes and nose were red from weeping. "Little Sister, I never got to say... thank you for the food you made. You brought so much joy to us. Please, go in peace. Leave without regrets."

He turned away, sobs racking his body once more. Erden's heart hurt to watch them mourn Snow. It took him all his willpower to maintain his composure.

Weilong came forward. "Be at peace, Sister. I'm sorry we cannot bring your body home and give you the full rites. I hope you understand. Your suffering on Earth has ended, be on your way." His adopted brother lingered at her side, before he got up. Now, it was his turn.

Erden treaded silently. The hems of his cloak whispered against the floor when he knelt by Snow's coffin. The dwarves had draped a colorful patchwork blanket over her legs and placed faded strips of fabric, made to look like flowers, around her head. In a way, he was relieved to see that death had not diminished her beauty, though he sorely wished he could have given her a better send-off.

You should be dressed in your finery, like a princess, and given a proper burial site. Not buried in the woods like a pauper. His gaze fell on her pale lips. She looked so cold already. 

You can't stand the cold. You've always hated it. And yet...

***

Snow was falling fast outside his quarters, and Erden held his hands closer to the coal brazier to warm himself. It was Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year. Usually, there would be a lavish banquet to celebrate this event, with all the concubines and princes in attendance, but this year, the Emperor was too ill to join. All the households, the concubines and their children, would celebrate by themselves.

He was alone, having no foster mother or family to care for him in the Palace. It's alright, he told himself. I'm old enough to care for myself. I don't need a family to look out for me.

He was about to go back to his books when he heard a tapping at his door. "Who is it?" he called out.

He opened the door to find Snow and her nanny standing in his courtyard. Their hair and eyebrows had turned all white from the snowflakes pelting them, and their breath formed puffs of clouds in the frigid air.

"Snow? What are you doing here? It's freezing!"

She smiled a radiant smile, like a ray of sunshine on a wintry day. "I c-came to give you t-this!" She pushed into his hands a container wrapped in layers of cloth. "B-be careful not to spill it, I m-made it for you!"

Warmth emanated through the cloth. A porcelain jar of hot soup. "Thank you," he stammered.

"Happy Winter Solstice Day!" she said, her eyes sparkling. She gave him a quick nod once her nanny began nudging for them to leave, and Erden watched the two trudge through the snow-covered courtyard before closing the door.

He carefully placed the jar on his table. She could have sent a servant to deliver this to me, she didn't need to come all the way here herself. She must have wanted to come really badly. He smiled to himself when he recalled her nanny's exasperated expression at the doorway.

The fragrance of ginger filled the air when he lifted the lid. He peered inside to find pink and white glutinous rice balls floating in a sweet soup. The rice balls were perfectly formed, and he imagined Snow rolling them between her palms. She made this for me.

Happy Winter Solstice.

The warmth he felt in his hands, spread to his heart and welled up in his eyes.

***

A tear rolled down Erden's face and dripped onto the back of his hand as he gazed at Snow for the last time.

"Snow, forgive me for not being there for you. Forgive me for not being able to save you from this fate. From the day we met, I've felt something for you. You captured my heart; my heart belonged to you. It pained me not to tell you all this, and I wanted to, but now it's too late." His vision was getting blurry again. "I have loved you for a long time, Snow. I've loved you every day. If only you knew how much you mean to me. I hope that we can see each other again. That we can be together again in another life."

He wondered how many reincarnations he would have to go through to find her, and whether she would even remember him. How am I going to go through this life without you?

Erden reached into the coffin to hold her hand. To his surprise, her hand was cool to the touch but not as cold as he imagined. He glanced up at her face. Snow's eyelashes were fluttering ever so slightly.

Is that the wind? Or something else? He peered at her eyes and thought he detected movement beneath her eyelids. It cannot be!

He searched for her pulse but his hands were trembling too much. The only way he could be certain was if he could hear her heartbeat.

"What are you doing?" One of the dwarves cried out in bewilderment when they saw him bent over her coffin with his ear to her chest.

He turned towards them with wide eyes. "She's alive!"

"Erden," Weilong said reproachfully.

"He's gone mad," the dwarf with the splint muttered.

"She is alive! Look!" Erden pointed at her moving eyelids and everyone crowded around the coffin.

Snow's eyes suddenly flew open.

There was a collective, involuntary gasp. "She's a living corpse, no! She's a ghost! Gwai ah!" a dwarf wailed, backing away. What he said terrified the other dwarves who cowered behind Weilong and Erden. Soldiers peered in through the windows at the commotion.

Snow stared glassy-eyed at the ceiling at first, but then she slowly looked around and her gaze locked on him. The blood drained from his face. The next thing he knew, he was on the floor with a throbbing bump on the head.

"Erden! Erden! Wake up!" A hand vigorously shook his shoulder. He opened his eyes to see Weilong embracing Snow. Cheers erupted from the dwarves as they hugged each other.

"Snow," he croaked as he got up. "I'm not dreaming, am I?" He grasped her shoulders and touched her face. She felt real enough; it could not be a dream.

"Erden. You came for me," she said, her voice cracking. In her eyes was the same sparkle that he remembered, and she smiled a radiant smile through happy tears.

"Oh Gods! You're really alive!" He embraced her, burying his face in her long hair, and she wrapped her arms around his neck. How? What happened? It did not matter!

He would have wept for joy himself, but the cottage door was suddenly kicked open. Men in uniform blocked the door and took their positions at the windows.

Commander Tai, the thickset leader of the soldiers who had escorted the princes to the cottage, strode in. "Princess Snow of the Jade Kingdom, I have orders to capture and arrest you for murder. Come willingly or I will have to use force!"

Author's note: Uh oh! Trouble's brewing! Can they get themselves out of this situation?

The round shape of the glutinous rice balls or tang yuen symbolizes reunion with family. Winter Solstice is supposed to be a time when the family gather to have a family reunion meal. I guess you can say it's like a family Christmas gathering?