Months passed after Margarete had fallen under the curse and Annalena lived in Schneewittchen castle with the seven brothers. They had taken her in and trained her to survive in the Black Forest. Reinhold was the one in charge of the training for the most part, with Gunter and Ottomar butting in once in a while. The twins, Emil and Ernst, watched Margarete night and day, only leaving to feed. Sven and Hannes carefully watch the movements of the hunter Wilhelm and his companion, but they had left the forest not long after the disappearance of Greta. They guessed that they were going to regroup and come back in the spring. However, no one was able to find anything on Greta. She had essentially vanished, which worried all eight of them.

Annalena would have been lying if she said that the winter months weren't difficult. They were grueling and freezing, but she stuck with it. She had a duty and a job to do. She did her best to stay alive during the winter months for Margarete's sake, learning to hunt and gather as well as hide efficiently if she got into an unsavory situation. She never went out alone, but the survival training was helpful if she ever got lost. 

She dreamed that Margarete would wake suddenly, as if she was just waking from an ordinary nap. It would be as if she had fallen asleep and simply forgot to wake up. In her fantasies, Margarete seemed sheepish and apologetic, but Annalena would shower her with kisses and reassurances. To double check, Annalena would sometimes pop her head in to see if she moved, but she never did. She even caught Emil and Ernst dusting her off with feather dusters once or twice during the cold months. 

It got harder and harder to see Margarete in such a state, and it broke her heart every time. Reinhold often told her that she shouldn't see Margarete so much, as it was bad for Annalena's health. She rarely listened, but sometimes she did skip her visit, as it was too much. Besides, it wasn't like Margarete knew that she was there.

When Annalena was under the spell, she was unconscious and conscious at the same time. She couldn't hear or see or anything, but she could think. It was like her brain disconnected from her senses, sending her into the void. She had no idea how long she had been under, but Reinhold had informed her that she was under for a little less than two hours. Annalena couldn't imagine what it would be like to be under for months.

Winter soon turned to spring, much to Annalena's relief. It was still frigid in the mornings and evenings, but there was a slight warm in the air that she appreciated during the days. Hunting and gathering became easier, and she soon started to hem her dresses to her knees. At first, she felt strange showing off her legs, but she grew used to it. None of the men seemed to care, and it helped her when she went into the wilderness.

Thump!

Annalena straightened as she looked to see where her arrow had landed. She was still getting used to the long bow that Reinhold had lent her. Before, she used traps for rabbits and rodents, but Reinhold believed that she was ready for something a little more practical. She walked over to the wounded tree and pulled the arrow out. She had gotten better, but she still missed her mark by a few inches. 

She stayed out most of the day, leaving the rest of the clan to their duties. She preferred to stay out of their way. Annalena enjoyed her time alone, as she was able to think and contemplate. She often plotted revenge on Greta, but as the weeks passed, she found that she didn't care about her. She only wanted Margarete to wake up.

As the forest started to darken, Annalena started back to the castle walls. She pushed open the old wooden door to find that the seven brothers were gathered in the front room. Slowly, she closed the door and walked over to them, all of them watching her carefully.

"What's going on?" she whispered, concerned about the gathering. Ottomar seemed worried, where the twins and Sven looked restless.

"Hannes found movement in the north again, but it isn't like Greta's movement. He thinks that there are scouts, similar to Wilhelm's," Gunter informed as Annalena nodded.

"What's the plan, then?" she asked, making Reinhold smile proudly.

"We're thinking that we need to go intercept them, mislead and such," Ottomar answered, looking at her. "We're going to make sure that no one gets close to the castle. We need to make sure that Margarete stays safe."

"I agree," Annalena replied before looking around. "How can I help?"

"You want to help?" Emil and Ernst asked in unison, almost confused. Sven just chuckled, shaking his head. Ottomar received something from Hannes, looking like Ottomar had won a bet.

"Of course I want to help. I feel like I need to pull my weight a little," Annalena answered with a shrug. 

"Well said!" Reinhold exclaimed, rubbing his hands together excitedly. "Here's the plan..."