A Dream of Ebony and White: A Retelling of Snow White (Beyond the Four Kingdoms Book 4)

by Melanie Cellier

  Gertie, who still hovered nearby, moved forward to arrange my dress and limbs elegantly inside the glass coffin. And I supposed I should be grateful that it wasn’t made of wood. It meant that the edges of my vision could take in some of the throne room, at least.

  Just before she stepped back, Gertie leaned down close enough to whisper in my ear. “Don’t worry, Princess Blanche. I have a plan.”

  I was fairly certain her words were supposed to fill me with relief, but a queasy feeling still roiled inside me. Despite her forced betrayal, I didn’t want to see Gertie do something that might get her killed. Because I was afraid her plan didn’t involve searching out my grandfather as soon as he appeared.

  But I could do nothing but wait and hope. The final hours of the night disappeared, and the room began to lighten, dawn peeking in from the long windows that lined one wall. A bustle surrounded me soon after that as servants appeared to clean the room and fill it with large bowls of white flowers. A strange hush accompanied them, and it took me a while to realize it was the presence of my apparent corpse that cast such a pall over the room.

  I had never been so frustrated in my life as at my inability to stand up and take action.

  But all too soon, new sounds filled the room. Courtiers had begun to arrive, their curious voices changing to notes of horror when they advanced far enough to see what lay at the front of the room. A brief hush would fall, only for new voices to sound. I couldn’t see all the way down the room from where I lay, but I could tell from the noise that the room must be nearly full when a sudden heart-rending cry sounded over everything else.

  My heart seized. Even without words, I recognized that voice. Alexander had arrived.

  I heard a commotion as if he were pushing through the crowds toward the front, and then a scuffle. He had approached close enough that I could see the guards restraining him, although I couldn’t see his face. He continued to struggle against them, and it took three to hold him in place.

  Alida stepped forward, taking a seat on the throne behind where my coffin lay on the dais. She gestured toward the guards.

  “Allow him to approach.”

  As soon as they released him, he sprang forward, falling to his knees beside the coffin. His eyes traveled over me, fastening on my face and breathless lips. An agonized groan sounded, and he dropped his face into his hands.

  His pain made my own heart split in two, and tears welled uselessly behind my eyes where they could not escape.

  “Thank you all for gathering on this tragic occasion,” said Alida loudly, her eyes roaming over the crowd. “You see us torn by grief that my stepdaughter has returned only to be struck down by a mysterious illness.”

  Did she really intend to act as if it was she who had called the court here today? As if there was no question of rebellion, no threat made against me? But apparently so. She continued on, thanking them for their loyalty and support at such a heart-rending time, coming so soon after her dear husband’s death. I shut out her words, unwilling to listen to them.

  Alexander’s despairing form still knelt beside me, and I thought I would burst at being unable to leap up and comfort him. But just as I was wishing I could at least twitch a finger to show him I was still alive, a subtle movement in the corner of my vision caught my attention.

  A short, familiar figure had appeared on the edge of the gathered courtiers. Gertie moved with careful grace, skilled from a lifetime of moving without being seen. No one seemed to question her presence or even notice her. And then she was kneeling beside Alexander.

  He hadn’t seen her approach, but he started as she whispered something in his ear. Her visible position at the front of the room caught Randolph’s eye at last, and he moved threateningly forward. But whatever her message was, it had already been delivered.

  My heart sank all the way into my toes. Because I had caught only two words. True love. Of course that was what all the tales spoke of. The true key to every enchantment. The answer to every problem. And Gertie had been my maid for years. She obviously knew how I felt about Alexander.

  But she didn’t know how he felt about me. Which meant we were all doomed.

  As Randolph’s hand closed around Gertie’s arm and she let out a small squeak, Alexander stood to his feet. With one mighty push, he sent the glass lid of the coffin crashing to the ground, a loud crack and the sound of splintering glass filling the throne room.

  And then he was back down, on a single knee this time, the court watching in shocked silence as he pressed his lips to mine.

  Chapter 29

  Fire raced through me again, this time starting at my lips and spreading down through my body. When it hit the piece of apple lodged in my throat, the obstruction disappeared. And as the heat traveled, I felt sensation and movement returning.

  The warmth of Alexander’s nearness, the sensation of his lips—dreamed of for so long—and the fire and freedom burning through me overwhelmed my senses. For a moment it held me locked in place as effectively as the enchantment had done.

  And then Alexander pulled away, his eyes once again searching my face, and I drew in a deep, gasping breath. Randolph had released Gertie and leaped instead to seize Alexander’s arm, but at the sound of my coughing gasp, he faltered.

  Alexander seemed not to have even noticed him, his eyes still glued to mine. A spark jumped between us, relief and love so obvious in his eyes that my mind spun off track, forgetting everyone and everything around us. Was it possible? Could it be true? Did Alexander love me after all?

  I pushed myself up slightly, meaning to reach for him, but a collective gasp distracted me. Free at last to move my head, I turned and took in the court. The entire crowd appeared to have surged forward, leaning to see what was happening up on the dais. But as I sat up further, their curiosity turned into shock and even fear. Gasps and a couple of screams filled the room as chaos broke out.

  “Impossible!” screamed Alida over the noise. “Somebody do something!”

  I had no idea who she was speaking to, or what she hoped for them to do. And apparently her guards shared my confusion. At least none of them moved toward me. From the expressions on their faces, they were immobilized by the same shock sweeping through the courtiers. Even Alexander remained frozen, only his eyes moving as he took in each tiny motion of mine.

  But while everyone else might be held captive by shock at the apparent sight of a reanimated corpse, I had been locked in stillness for hours, stewing over exactly what I wanted to say and do if only I could move. I pushed myself into a full sitting position and scrambled out of the coffin. The soft skirts of my red dress billowed around me, and I knew with my coloring I must make a dramatic picture.

  Good.

  “Court of Eliam,” I said in a loud, ringing voice. “I am Blanche, only child of King George and Queen Viridienne. With the death of my father, and by our laws of succession, I am your rightful queen.”

  Complete silence fell over the crowd.

  “I have been under an enchantment and not dead.” I wheeled around and pointed an accusing finger at my stepmother still seated behind me. “Although she would have had me so.”

  A murmur swept through the court, and Alida surged to her feet.

  “Lies!”

  I cut her off, my own voice sounding louder. “Are they lies, stepmother? Did you not drive me from my home for fear of my life and then pursue me across the kingdom? You who should have loved me and stepped willingly in as my regent. Tell me, what right do you have to the crown?”

  “I…I am the queen!” Alida’s usual poise had deserted her.

  “You could have been the Queen Regent,” I said, still speaking loudly enough for all in the room to hear me. “If you had claimed the title, I would not have denied you. But you did not. You have attempted to usurp my throne.” My voice turned dark. “And the name for that is treason.”

  Noise swept through the court again, only this time cheers mingled with the shocked gasps.

  “Long
live Queen Blanche!” came a cry from the back of the room, and it was taken up by all of my supporters. Slowly the chant gained momentum as more of the court joined in.

  Alida’s face twisted with hatred. “This is my throne. This is my kingdom. I will not hand it over to you, a mere child. The guards stand with me. The kingdom is mine.”

  She turned to survey the men who lined the room. “Guards! Arrest her and all who support her.”

  They drew their swords and began to move forward. Shocked yells and screams rang through the crowd as the courtiers drew away from them, huddling into the center of the room. Several guards moved toward me, but Alexander threw off Randolph’s restraining hand and leaped to stand between me and them.

  Although he faced away from me, I could feel the way his body moved in tune with mine, every part of him focused on me. Without conscious thought I swayed toward him, wishing for a brief second that we were alone. But he didn’t turn or speak to me. Instead he called out in the loudest shout I had yet heard.

  “True guards of Eliam! To your queen!”

  As if it was some pre-arranged signal, the doors of the throne room burst open, and a new stream of guards poured into the room, their swords already drawn. When last I had seen them, they had worn the colors of Lestern, but now they had been re-attired in royal livery. It might have made them indistinguishable from their opponents, except that each of them wore three entwined scarves tied around either their arms or their heads. One white, one red, one black.

  Skin as white as snow. Lips as red as blood. Hair as black as ebony. Tears sprung to my eyes. Whatever Alida had tried to do, my kingdom stood with me.

  The new guards quickly broke past those of Alida’s guards just inside the door and raced to place themselves in a second ring between the packed courtiers and the encircling guards. A second stream hurried to the front of the room and positioned themselves all around the base of the dais.

  Muffled sobs and angry mutters still sounded from the courtiers, but each group of guards stood silently poised, just short of actual combat. For the space of a breath, I could feel the throne room teetering on the brink of chaos and death.

  Behind me I heard Alida suck in a deep breath, as if preparing to shout something, but instead a new voice sounded.

  My grandfather, the duke of Lestern, strode through the crowd, pushing past the guards to approach the dais.

  “People of Eliam. We are a kingdom of peace, ruled over by law. We stand with the true queen—daughter of King George. And we have no wish for bloodshed.” He ignored Alida, directing his attention at her hostile guards.

  Many of them shifted uncomfortably, their swords wavering as they regarded the determined new arrivals.

  I stepped forward to stand beside my grandfather.

  “My esteemed grandfather speaks the truth. We are a kingdom of law. And it is time also that we returned to the ways of the ancient laws—as Marin, Palinar, and Eldon have done before us. We stand with the law as we stand with them.”

  The meaning of my words might have been lost on most of the guards, but I saw them find their home among the courtiers. The other kingdoms would not look kindly on a usurper queen. Especially now they had returned to the old ways.

  Alexander, who had moved in time with me, his attention still on the guards around us, turned to focus out on the crowd.

  “She speaks truth,” he said loudly. “Our true queen bears the favor of the godmothers. One has aided her today.”

  That got a response even from the guards, and more of them dropped their sword points, looking between each other with questioning eyes.

  Someone in the crowd of courtiers shouted loudly, “Long live Queen Blanche!”

  Once again the shout gained volume as more and more voices joined. Soon it seemed as if the whole room resounded to the sound of my title yelled from a multitude of throats. Tears welled in my eyes again, but I straightened my back and looked out over the crowd, hoping I displayed both strength and gratitude.

  In the face of such overwhelming support, the remainder of Alida’s guards put down their swords, looking lost and confused as my own guards began to round them up. My grandfather smiled proudly down at me, offering me his arm and leading me around the empty glass coffin. We approached the throne.

  “It’s over, Alida,” he said quietly.

  “Never!” She hissed. “I will never see her—Viridienne’s daughter—sitting on the throne that should always have been mine. Randolph!” She turned to the one remaining loyal guard who had moved to stand by her side. “You wanted your chance. Here it is. Kill her!”

  Chapter 30

  Randolph surged forward, striking my grandfather with enough force that he fell away from me, landing hard against the ground. Chaos still reigned on the dais, with several of Alida’s surrendered guards still milling around on the raised platform, blocking us from view of the rest of the room. Even Alexander had stepped briefly away when I took my grandfather’s arm, calling for more guards to join us.

  But the precious seconds Randolph spent pushing my grandfather away had given me a chance. Because faithful Gertie had done me one other service after the visit from my godmother. One I had almost forgotten.

  I didn’t have to think. Just as Alexander had said so many weeks ago in the forest, my muscles moved while my mind was still reeling. Stooping down, I thrust aside the foaming red material. My hand curled around the now familiar hilt of my dagger.

  Drawing it free, I straightened in one fluid movement. Randolph turned toward me, his own hand drawing his sword. I lunged forward and plunged my short blade into his sword arm. He cried out, his arm jerking back, and his hand releasing his hilt. The weapon slipped back into its sheath.

  Alida gave a wordless cry of fury, and Randolph steadied, blood now dripping down his arm and onto the floor. His left hand reached for my neck, and I stepped back, my skirts hampering my movement as I tried to remember how far I stood from the edge of the dais.

  But the tips of his fingers had barely brushed against me when a third figure leaped from the side and tackled him to the ground. For a moment all I could see was a tangle of flying limbs as the man I had loved for years fought the man I had always hated and feared.

  I stepped forward again, a small cry falling uselessly from my lips. But I could see no way to aid Alexander.

  And then the movement stilled, and I saw him kneeling with one knee pressed on Randolph’s back, both of his hands holding Randolph’s arms twisted behind his back. The captain of Alida’s guard lay, face pressed into the ground, my dagger lost in the scuffle but his rent sleeve red with spreading blood. I had done my bit to help Alexander before their fight had even begun.

  “Guards!” Alexander’s grim call brought several of the men marked with my colors running to his aid. The remaining members of Alida’s guard had been cleared from the dais, and order was slowly descending on the rest of the throne room as well.

  Only when my guards had Randolph firmly in hand did Alexander step back. But I hadn’t waited to run to my grandfather’s side.

  He leaned on my arm heavily as he pulled himself back to his feet, but he assured me he wasn’t badly hurt.

  “I’m old and tough, my dear.” He managed a smile. “I’m not so easily damaged, I assure you.”

  I still watched him with worried eyes, aware of his age. But it seemed he spoke truthfully, his movements a little stiff but otherwise unhampered. I surveyed the room. A guard gripped Randolph firmly on either side, and groups of Alida’s guards sat in small huddles around the room, their hands on their heads, and my own guards standing over them.

  Several others stood nearby, their eyes on my stepmother, but they hung back, clearly reluctant to place their hands on a queen—even a deposed, usurping one—without direct orders.

  “Arrest her,” I said, glad to hear my voice didn’t waver. She drew herself up to her full height, her eyes holding mine as the guards moved in on her. But she had no moves left, and we both knew it. A
s I looked into her eyes, I felt a release somewhere deep inside me. For so many years she had been able to subdue me with little more than a look, my fear holding me bound. But I feared her no longer. I was free.

  I turned away to show her she had no further hold on me. As I did so, however, my eyes fell on a man several steps from the dais. He lurked near a small side door, attempting to edge around a group of my guards without drawing any attention. Sterling.

  “Guards!” I called loudly, startling several of the groups around me. “Arrest that man!” I pointed toward him.

  He started as well at the sound of my call and lunged for the door, but my guards moved more quickly. Within seconds, they had him by the arms, dragging him up to the dais beside the restrained Randolph and Alida.

  “This one, Your Majesty?” asked one of the guards. “We weren’t sure if he was one of the courtiers, or…”

  “His name is Sterling,” I said, “and he’s from Eldon. He is an associate of my stepmother, and a dangerous enemy.”

  The man’s smooth mask had slipped, and I saw fear lurking in his eyes. I stepped toward him and dropped my voice.

  “We will be making sure that ours is one prison you do not manage to break out of, Sterling.”

  I stepped quickly away again, not wanting to be near him a moment longer than necessary.

  “You!” shrieked Alida, from beside him. “This is all your fault! You said it would kill her!”

  Sterling shrugged, despite the guards’ firm hold on him. “I thought it would.”

  The guards who had arrested Alida were distracted by the unexpected commotion around Sterling, and she managed to wrench her arms free. Before anyone could realize her intention, she drew a small dagger from her boot and plunged it into him.

  She had been aiming for his heart, but somehow he had seen her coming and managed to twist away, the blade sliding instead into his shoulder. The guards holding him cursed, and one of them jumped back, freeing one of Sterling’s arms.