by Barbara Becc
"Yeah, I'd say she better be. She almost killed those children and us today."
"That was never her intention," Hunter spat, more defensive than she wanted.
Snow looked at her and her eyes were piercing in anger. It was gone after a moment and she sighed and sat down next to Hunter. "Listen kid, I understand this urge for revenge, believe me, I do. When my stepmother sent me away because she thought my mark was a bad omen, I dreamt of revenge every night. It was all I wanted for years. But revenge is a poison in your blood; it will cloud your mind and kill you slowly. Those fires will not undo Ella's pain."
A soft voice from the shadows said: "I know."
A smile spread on Snow's face. "Hello Ella," she said without turning around.
Ella came forward into the light of the fire under the watchful eyes of the Seven And One. They had their hands on their weapons but didn't move. Ella carefully stepped over a log and sat down next to Hunter. Her face was dirty and her curly hair was full of sticks and leaves, as if she had tried to dig herself into the undergrowth to hide.
Snow kicked another log towards the fire and sat down on it, next to Ella but not too close. She looked at Ella, the moonlight making her white mark stand out bright. Hunter expected her to speak but she seemed to wait for Ella to talk first.
Ella was wringing her hands and Hunter stretched out her arm to take her hand. She flinched, staring at her hand.
Hunter waited until she raised her head and looked at her before she spoke. "I'm not going to hand you over to the Queen. And Snow isn't either."
Snow looked over to Doc and shrugged. "Sorry," she said, a sheepish smile on her lips.
Doc sighed and shook his head. "I always knew you'll be my ruin one day." A groan ran through the other dwarves but Doc raised his hand to quiet them. "Don't worry, we got your cut covered. It won't be a load but it won't be less than usual."
Tiny crossed her arms in front of her chest and glared at her companions. "If one of you mud-bugs as much as suggests that we hand the girl over for pay, I'm gonna punch your nose back to the High Mountains."
"Thank you," Ella said almost inaudible. "And I'm sorry for causing so much trouble. And sorry for bringing your lives and those children in danger and — "
"Enough with the sorrys," Snow said and shook herself as if all the apologizing caused an itch down her back.
"What is next?" Hunter asked with new found confidence. "You said you have an idea how we could take on the Queen herself. Let's hear it."
Snow raised an eyebrow at her demanding tone but didn't comment on it. "See, the Queen married the old king. After he died, she married the duke and since he has died too, she rules alone. She is queen by marriage, not by blood. She would have to give up the throne for someone with a more direct lineage."
Hunter nodded. "Yes, we know that but Ella is the Duke's daughter from his former marriage, she's even less related to the King's lineage."
Doc cleared his throat and all eyes turned to him. "She wasn't talking about Ella." He grinned while Snow seemed to try to hide inside of her coat. "There's a reason why I call her princess."
A collective gasp went through the group. Hunter stared at Snow, tracing the contour of her face. If she ignored the prominent white mark in the middle of her face, she did indeed have a resemblance to the pictures of the king that used to hang in every home.
"You are the lost daughter," Hunter whispered. "They said you were dead."
"I bet they did," Snow grumbled. "Yes, I'm the lost daughter, and the one who convinced my father that my mark was a bad omen was the Queen, my stepmother. They sent me away into the mountains at the care of an old woman. The only thing I ever heard from home was when Sir Jeremihah came up to our hut and told us of my father's death. And the next thing he told me was that the Queen would not like it if I stayed alive and advised me to hide from her. I was 12 and on the run from the queen's hunters."
"But you could have claimed the throne anytime. It is your right," Hunter wondered.
"I was angry, yes but also terrified. Dethrone my own mother? I couldn't even imagine." Snow shook her head. "It's been almost 20 years now and I'm still terrified to face her."
Doc put his hand on hers and his thumb was softly stroking over her hand. "What made you change your mind?"
"You should know," Snow laughed out, "my short-legged, angry revolutionary. All this talk how the queen ruins the country, how bad she is for the people. I guess it rubbed off on me. Responsibility for the people and all that."
"Oh gods, what have I done?" Doc said in mock desperation.
Snow laughed and placed a kiss on his mouth. She took a look around, noting the expressions of the rest of the troops. "I understand if anybody feels uncomfortable with this. I can't ask you all to follow me."
Doc stood up and faced the other dwarves. "I'm in this because I can't let my girl do this all alone, but this isn't a job like any other. You are all free to go and separate yourselves from us."
There was a short commotion, mumbles and whispered conversations and then Tiny stood up and said, "It's as much our country as it is Snow's and the queen makes our lives as difficult as anybody’s. We're in." Nods all around, a few raised glasses and the discussion was settled.
Doc took out a map and pointed to the location of the castle. "We can be at the castle in two days if we hurry."
Snow looked at Ella whose face had paled. "You'll be our ticket inside; we're bringing you to the Queen just as she ordered. We'll do it when she holds court, when there's lots of people around. It will still be a risk," she said with a glance towards Hunter.
Hunter nodded. "We could get arrested by the royal guard; they're under her orders."
"That's why we need lots of people there, witnesses," said Doc. "And the time is right. The people are getting angry at the queen, and not just the simple folk. Even the nobility is losing faith in her because it's their lands that lay idle. You can't expect nobles to live off old potatoes for long."
Hunter looked at Ella and realized that she was absolutely terrified. She scooted closer to her and placed her arm over her shoulders. Ella froze at the touch. Hunter wondered if she should take her arm away again but then Ella leaned to the side and settled against her. Hunter could feel her breathing slowing down and the tension going out from her shoulders.
"I'll protect you," Hunter said. "I won't let them hurt you." She didn't know how she was supposed to keep her promise but she would do anything to protect Ella.
"All right, I'll do it," Ella said.
Snow let out a sigh of relief. "Good, then let's get some rest. Hunter here needs to sleep and you look like you need a good meal and some sleep too. We'll stay here for one more day and then make our way to the castle."
~~~
The old man pulled at the reins and the donkey came to a halt with an annoyed grunt. Hunter and Ella climbed down from the cart and thanked the driver for helping them. He grunted just like his donkey but when Doc handed him a coin his face lit up and he drove on with a happy whistle.
Hunter looked up the path towards the drawbridge. It felt like it had been another life, another person that left through this gate to find Ella a few weeks ago. Now she had returned but not like she had imagined. Instead of bringing back the fugitive to become a royal guard in return, now she was here to overthrow the queen and make someone who had been a fugitive and a mercenary most of her life the new ruler. It sounded like a profoundly bad idea but the desolate state of the villages they had passed through, the neglect and the hunger they could see in the country, convinced her that Snow as queen could hardly be any worse.
Hunter put her hand on her sword to show that she was ready to take on whatever happened. The pain from her rib made her wince. Ella came up to her side and Hunter gratefully put her hand on her shoulder, placing some of her weight on her to keep upright.
As they had expected, the Queen was holding court. People waited for their turn to complain, as the nobles were now voicing the
ir concerns about the situation in the country. She looked bored, dismissing their complaints and threatening them with accounts of treason for their lack of faith in her.
Hunter showed her parchment with the Queen's orders and the guards let them go through. They entered the throne hall under the murmurs of the people, interrupting Duke Ganniston, count of the largest county in his complaints. He scowled at them, seven dwarves, a tall human in a hooded cloak and Hunter with her hand on Ella's shoulder. He opened his mouth to complain about the interruption but Hunter fixed him with a glare and shook her head. He was so surprised at her audacity that he shut his mouth and stepped to the side.
The Queen had leaned back on her throne and closed her eyes when the Duke had spoken but now she sat up and squinted at the group that had caused the disturbance in the routine. A smile spread on her face when she recognised Hunter. "Looks like my hunter has returned to bring me a gift. Step forward and show everyone the Cinder-Ella."
A hiss went through the people in the court and Ella tried to hide behind Hunter. People were yelling for her punishment, wanting to see her hanged. Hunter looked at Snow, urging her to do something.
Doc pressed Snow's hand once and she nodded at him. She stepped forward but instead of addressing the Queen, she turned to the people in the hall. "People, I ask you to listen to me," she called out in a loud and clear voice. "We have brought you the Cinder-Ella and we know that many of you were hurt by her. But we have travelled all through the country during our search and what we have seen was a destruction by another cause. We have seen children go hungry while the fields lay barren because the capable men and women have been sent off to fight yet another war. We have seen stocks go bad because there was no one to take care of them, to shift the hay, to turn the apples. Yes, we have seen fires and some were even caused by the misguided actions of the Cinder-Ella but our country was not destroyed by her."
"Enough!" the Queen yelled from her throne. "I will have you court marshaled for blasphemy and treason! Who are you to dare to speak like that?"
Snow slowly turned around and dropped her coat. Her long black braids fell down her shoulders over a plain white dress in contrast to her dark skin. The white marks on her face and arms stood out like the white of her dress. She fixed her eyes on the Queen who stared at her with fear.
"My name is Aurora Marjani of the House of Berlen, the daughter of King Jelani. Unlike you I am from the king's bloodline and here to take my rightful place on the throne."
Murmurs in the crowd rose to a deafening noise, shouts of "the princess, the princess lives, a new queen, the mark is real, the marked princess has returned" travelled through the crowds. Doc made a sign and the rest of the Seven spread out into the crowd, raising their voices and shouting "Long live the new queen!" until the people chanted it with them. Doc nonchalantly strolled over to the rows of nobles and whispered something to them. They whispered among each other, looking from the Queen to Snow and back.
The Queen jumped up and yelled, "Arrest them, all of them!"
Hunter saw the guards hesitate and before they could step forward, she stepped in their way. "This is no longer your queen, you don't have to follow her orders anymore." She looked the men in the eyes. She knew them and they knew her. She had trained with them and even if they didn't like her that much, they still had once listened to her. She hoped they would listen again.
Duke Ganniston had watched the whole scene from the side and Hunter caught his eyes. She tried to put everything into her look; the hope, the desperation. The mood was at a tipping point. They needed just one thing, one sign to win over this court of people. Hunter pressed Ella's hand, praying to all the gods she knew for a miracle.
The duke gave her a nod and stepped forward until he was in front of Snow. The room fell silent. Duke Ganniston looked at Snow, at her eyes and her mark and then he lowered his head and went down on one knee. "My Queen," he said.
A gasp went through the rows. The other nobles stood up like one and walked over to Snow, one by one going down on one knee and calling her their queen.
Hunter looked back to the old Queen. Her face was contorted into a mask of controlled anger. She raised herself up to her full size and pointed at everyone in the room. "You're all traitors, dirty traitors."
A large figure of a man stepped out from the rows of the common people, taking off his hood. Hunter recognized him; it was Sir Jeremihah. He walked over to the guard and addressed his men. "I'm resuming command," he said and Hunter held her breath. What side would he pick?
Sir Jeremihah looked towards the old Queen and towards Snow, who stood still with the nobles on their knees in front of her. He turned towards her and bowed. "My queen," he said and Hunter let out a breath. Sir Jeremihah turned back to his troops and ordered, "Arrest Lady Wind and take her to her quarters. She is not to leave her room unless the Queen orders it."
The former queen faltered, her face ashen and her shoulders sagging as if under a crushing weight. She knew she had lost and she let the guards lead her off the throne pedestal without a word.
Snow was staring at the nobles in front of her, still on their knees. Doc stepped over to her and gave her a soft nudge in her side. She startled and cleared her throat. "You may rise. I thank you for your trust."
The nobles stood up and returned to their chairs, leaving Snow standing alone in the middle of the hall. Hunter squeezed Ella's hand once before letting go and stepped forward to Snow.
"My queen," she said, barely hiding a grin at addressing her friend like that, "may I escort you to your throne?"
"You may," Snow said, holding her head high and looking as queeny as possible for someone who was used to walking through mud and rubble.
Hunter led her up the steps to the throne and waited till she had sat down before she bowed as much as she could with her bandaged rib and turned to walk back to Ella.
An inhuman scream made her turn back. Lady Wind had turned so quickly that the guards were too dumfounded to react. She jumped forward, towards Snow, her red robe billowing out behind her. She had a dagger in her hand, glinting in gold and jewels. It was a decorative thing but no less lethal.
The old queen shrieked again, raising the dagger and screamed, "You will not take this from me, you freak, you monster; you will not have this!" She rushed forward, the blade aimed at Snow.
Hunter saw Snow reach for her weapon at her side but as she wore a dress instead of her armor today, she had nothing to defend herself with. Hunter's sword was in her hand before the thought had fully formed in her head, the pain in her side forgotten. She jumped in front of Snow, using her own body to shield her and holding out her sword to threaten the old queen. But before she could even shout at the woman to stop, the Lady Wind hurled herself towards Snow, ready to plunge the dagger in Snow's chest and impaled herself on Hunter's outstretched sword.
A sound like a sob left her and she sagged down, the hilt of Hunter's sword sticking out of her chest as her golden dress turned as red as her robe. She fell over, her robe spreading out on the floor at Snow's feet. Hunter knelt down and checked her breathing but Snow’s stepmother was obviously dead.
A fearful silence had fallen over the hall. Hunter looked at the hundreds of faces staring at her and her throat closed up. But then Ella caught her eyes, smiling at her and Hunter could breathe again. She stood up and squared her shoulders, wincing just slightly and said as loud as she could, "The old queen is dead. Long live the Queen!"
Hunter looked around and saw the fear in people's eyes change to relief and hope. After years of neglect and suffering, the people had a new reason to live.
From hundreds of optimistic faces, the shout "Long live the queen!" branded towards her. But Hunter only saw Ella and her smile finally made Hunter feel hopeful too.
She stepped down from the pedestal and walked towards Ella. Taking her hand, she smiled towards Snow and gave Doc a nod. They both dipped their heads, smiling at her. Hunter took Ella's hand and walked towards the door.
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In the chaos of excitement, no one saw them leave and they were never seen again at court or in the kingdom. But occasionally packages and letters would arrive from foreign countries with spices and trinkets and stories written in two handwritings.
On those days, the Queen and her short-legged husband wore the happiest smiles.
Clockpunk and the Vitalizer
HK Lune
“Clockpunk and the Vitalizer” draws from the Irish legend Táin Bó Cúailnge, also known as The Cattle Raid of Cooley. I originally planned to use another Irish myth as inspiration, but the Táin’s themes of greed, sacrifice, and heroism made it too good to pass up. Despite trading a queen for a supervillain and a cow for a superweapon – not to mention a mighty hero for a heroine way in over her head – I hope readers enjoy the story this iconic tale inspired.
~~~
Usually she was just Dolores Veta Garza, exhibit designer at the Cooley Museum of Art and everyday citizen of the mountainside city. She spent most of her time alone, enjoyed her work, and had plenty of time for her hobbies. Her family lived a few short hours away, and while Cooley had its problems, Dolores made a comfortable living within its borders.
When the time came to protect the city, though, she became Clockpunk! Defender of Cooley, Time Jumper/Slower! Beloved hero and superperson! With a black and silver suit fashioned by Dr. Awesome himself, two silver gears “jutting” from her back, Clockpunk kept evil great and small at bay. Her identity hidden safely behind a one-way visor covering her eyes and hoodie over her head, she feared no one and protected everyone.
Well, at least that’s how it started. Being the newest superhero in the seven-state region came with a lot of different requirements, not least of all execution. Dolores needed to prove her grit to the others, the more experienced heroes busy defending their own home cities. She had every intention of doing so as she sat in traffic, tapping her fingers on the steering wheel to keep herself composed. Did I lock up my office? Is the curator’s new assistant cleaning up the old weapons corner tonight? The museum wasn’t the real problem, of course. Nor were the glassy skyscrapers and frantic people rushing past her as her car stood nearly still. Remember: seven seconds of slowdown, seven seconds of future sight. Everyone knows. Ha, ha. Even The Vitalizer knows...
