Ella rocked back and forth steadily as she read by the warm fire in the hearth. A year. A since she had run from that awful excuse of a prince and hidden herself in the forest. Her father's cabin was small but held everything she had needed to learn about how to live alone in the woods. The basement below was stocked well, something throughout the summer and fall Ella had continued to stock, and there was more than enough firewood to keep the small house warm. Her delicate hands had bled but were now calloused enough to keep up with her work. And a the scruffy practically wild cat that had lived in the woods, was now her constant companion in the lonely winter nights. 

Looking up from her book, the small clock on her mantel chimed six. Six and it was already so dark out? A blizzard really much of set in over the course of the short day. Getting to her feet, the wild cat looked up, but quickly settled himself when he realized there was nothing to be alarmed about. Giving a small laugh, Ella went to the kitchen area and started to prepare the vegetables and meat for her dinner. A nice stew sounded good. The bones she had kept boil all day had surely made a nice broth by now. Humming to down out the moaning wind, the young woman continued her work without any notice of the dark nearly frozen figure trudging his way towards her cottage.