Then stillness. And calm. The clouds and storm withdrew, pulling speedily out of the cave. And there, on the ground, rested Katiyana’s brown colored linen dress, void of the princess’s body.
“Where did she go?” Queen Radiance shrieked. “Where is she?”
Jeremy stood up from behind the rock. “Kat?” He ran toward her.
“Kat?” Iden knelt beside where she had been standing. Then he turned his eyes to Jeremy, the figure he’d previously been unaware of. He raised an eyebrow in curiosity. Only a few wispy clouds remained, taking their time as they retreated out of the cave. Then Iden spoke once more. “Brother? Is that you?”
The Queen’s Army
Iden, what are you doing here?” Jeremy asked.
I wanted to scream! If they would have just let me out of the mirror I could have helped them all figure it out. I was sick and tired of being ignored! But Jeremy Simkins, Iden’s brother? That would make him . . .
“Where did she go?” Queen Radiance demanded.
“What are you doing here?” Iden asked Jeremy, ignoring the queen and standing once again.
“I’m looking for you. I heard you’d gone missing and I wanted the reward money.”
“Why on earth would you need the reward money?” Iden asked with a scoff. I was still having a hard time swallowing the idea of the two being brothers; they looked nothing alike.
Jeremy looked down at Katiyana’s remains—just a pile of ice and snow now. With the clouds gone, it would begin melting soon. Most unexpected. I had to get out of that mirror.
“This is all your fault!” Queen Radiance shouted. For once she wasn’t blaming me; Iden stood on the other end of her accusations.
“Who’s she?” Jeremy asked.
“Queen Radiance, meet Kael,” Iden said, swinging his arm and gesturing toward his brother with his hand. “Another prince of Mayhem.” Iden patted Kael on the back. “My brother.”
They embraced. It must have been so long since they’d seen each other—nearly seven years, when Iden would have first left the royal castle of Mischief.
“You’ll both have to die,” the queen announced.
Iden released his brother. “And what do you imagine will happen to you if you slaughter two princes of Mischief?”
Queen Radiance surprised me with how long she took to consider the question. “On second thought,” she began. “Since the girl is gone. Perhaps I’ll just let you go free.”
I knew she had something else in mind. It wasn’t possible that she would let them go without enacting her revenge.
“Now there’s an idea,” Iden said.
Kael—it felt so strange to call him that—knelt down beside Katiyana’s dress.
Where had she gone? How could I bring her back?
Queen Radiance scooted around them, keeping her back to a wall at all times.
“Keep walking,” Iden said, resting his fists on his hips.
“Brother, what should we do?” Kael asked.
Iden eyed the queen until she removed herself from his sight. He then knelt beside his brother. “I don’t know. I don’t even know what happened.”
Suddenly, a great shouting came from outside and the brothers stood to find its source. Just below them stood the entire army of Mayhem.
“What are we to do?” Kael asked. “She’s sent her whole army for us!”
But I could see what the army had really come for. The queen’s captain, a man she had appointed only recently, straddled his horse and waited to greet the queen after she descended the hill. Now that I looked at him up close, I recognized him as one of the twelve men who had been discussing bringing down the queen that day she wouldn’t listen to me. It’s a pity she hadn’t heeded my warning about them. Perhaps she could have prevented appointing one of them as her captain. I felt the smile form on my lips.
“Queen Radiance,” his voice boomed. Another rider came up beside him and held a scroll which he unrolled and held out for the captain to receive. “We hereby charge you with the following crimes: Burning the home of Les Farnsworth. Burning the home of Kilderoy Salvy. Burning the home of Tenser Waller. Burning the home of Marvin Wilkey. Burning the home of Ernst Bage. Burning the home of Gregor Grahn.”
I couldn’t believe how long he went on! Burning homes, torturing—each torture method getting a full list for itself—murdering, stealing. The queen stood and listened to it all as one hand held up the side of her dress ever so slightly, as if she planned to run as soon as he finished, maybe even before he finished.
“We hereby sentence you, Queen Radiance, born Tirnosha, queen of the kingdom of Mayhem . . . to death.”
“You can’t do that,” she defended, but several men were already moving in to restrain her. “I’m the queen. You can’t charge me with anything.”
“It looks like she’s going to resist,” the captain said. “Hold her steady.” The queen closed her eyes and began muttering a spell, moving her lips gently at first, but with greater persistence and volume as the spell went on.
“Power of wind, power of rain
Power of thunder and lightning and hail
Power of swords, power of hate
Power of sickness and evil and fate
Come to me now . . .”
“What’s happening?” the captain yelled. It appeared his sword was trying to break free from his grasp. A pitch black, thunderous, monstrous storm cloud began to develop right over their heads.
“Stop her!” I yelled, but nobody heard me. I could hear the wind, not only through the mirror, but the whooshing, whipping sounds entering through the cave as well.
The captain’s sword lifted from his hands and into the air, joining the mass of commotion in the sky.
The queen went on.
“Power of darkness, power of night
Power of ocean and raging sea . . .”
Just as lightning flashed across the entire sky, the captain quickly pulled out his bow and loaded it with an arrow. It took several shots, given the determined, chaotic wind.
Then it happened. An arrow hit her, then another. What aim! I cheered.
I watched the queen’s shocked, disbelieving face, surrounded by beautiful dark ringlets, a trickle of blood falling from her perfect mouth. She hunched forward before dropping to the ground with a thud, arrows snapping. She wore her favorite black dress—quite fitting, don’t you agree? It’s always nice to wear black when someone dies.
The storm quieted, the clouds dissipated, and the captain’s sword fell from the sky, landing on the open ground between the army and the base of the hill. The captain dismounted, retrieved his sword, and stuck the queen straight through. If you’re going to do a job, you may as well be thorough.
They loaded her body onto the back of a horse and roped her in place before turning to ride away.
“What just happened?” Kael asked.
“Justice,” Iden said. “Justice.”
I extended my arm, reaching my hand toward the surface of the mirror, hesitant but hopeful. With the queen dead, I knew my prison would have to release me. I closed my eyes as all the memories of what I’d endured inside the mirror flashed in turn through my mind until WHOOSH! A fierce, brief wind sucked me out of the mirror where I landed on my feet, unsteady on the rocky cave floor.
“Justice indeed.” The sound of my own voice boomed now that I was free. Both princes spun quickly, on their guard, eager to see who had just spoken behind them. It felt so good to be out of that mirror!
“Who are you?” Kael asked.
“Me?” I said, as if I needed to; there were only the three of us left in the cave. “I’m Katiyana’s father.”
Resurrection
But that’s impossible,” Iden said. “King Fredrick died years ago.”
“I didn’t say I was King Fredrick. I’m the girl�
��s real father.” I turned to the pile of snow, which continued to swirl about even though the wind had died. I worried it would begin to melt now that the sunlight was coming through the cave entrance. I knelt beside where she had stood only moments before. How could I have come so close? How could I get her back? It would have to be a spell.
But the swirling ice crystals began to meld together again, taking the shape of a human body once more. I watched in awe as fingers formed, legs stretched out, facial features returned and frozen hair grew out past her shoulders and beyond, clumpy with pieces of ice. There she lay, white as snow—including her hair—solid and stiff. I bent down and listened for breath, but there was no breath to be heard.
I glanced up at Iden. His arms were crossed over his chest and he wore a confused look on his face.
“Iden, Kael, help me lift her. I can’t think in this cave. I need some fresh air.”
I struggled to lift even her head.
“We’ll carry her,” Kael said as he kindly moved in to take my place. I hobbled up to the opening of the cave, my legs nearly crippled from lack of exercise. How I had waited for this moment! Such joy; I was free! And yet what trepidation—poor Katiyana, I had to bring her back.
A jumble of emotions ran through me. Could I conjure a spell under so much pressure? The sky! The real blue sky! I looked up, taking in all its glory and openness, breathing in deeply the cool, fragrant air.
As we descended the hill—how uneven the ground was, such things I’d forgotten about—Iden and Kael whispered behind me.
“Where did he come from?”
“How does he know our names?”
We reached the bottom. My stiff legs begged to be loosened with a long walk, but Katiyana came first. Katiyana, my daughter, my own flesh and blood—could I bring her back?
Kael and Iden gently placed her on the ground and backed away after giving each other the strangest looks. What worry could be seen in Kael’s eyes. I blocked them out. There I was, alone with my daughter at last. I spoke with the greatest feeling, letting the words fill my soul and roll off my tongue with power and humility. And yet I shook with dread, for no spell had ever been so important to me.
“Thank you, Winter Wind,
For your blessings deep,
For placing Katiyana
In your flawless keep.
Return her now, I beg,
Bring her back to life.
Give her back to me;
Remove from her this plight.”
I closed my eyes; I couldn’t bear to look. An icy breeze swept across my neck. I listened to the stillness all around me. Her dress rustled. Then finally, she gasped for breath.
I opened my eyes as she began shivering violently, as though she’d been in the coldest place. I felt her arms, her dress, her hair, all colder than ice. “Iden, Kael, help me warm her!”
The three of us surrounded the princess and raised her up. I sat behind her and rubbed her arms. She coughed, throwing herself forward and away from my chest where her head had been resting. Kael held her hand. Iden looked on in pity. Slowly, the color began to come back to her skin and hair.
Finally, she opened her eyes. She saw Iden first. “Trevor Blevkey,” she said weakly, her head limp and her lips still quivering. “I thought I told you to never come back.”
“Kat?”
The princess turned to see Kael. “Jeremy,” she said, slipping away from me and falling into his arms. “I was so cold,” she whispered in his ear.
“Everything’s going to be all right now.” He savored the embrace, squeezing her tight. “And look,” he said, at last releasing her from his clutch. “It’s the prince of Mischief. I’ll be getting that reward money after all.” He nodded toward his brother.
Katiyana coughed several times, but afterward began to gain her strength once more. “Trevor? You mean you really are a prince? You’re the prince of Mischief?”
“My real name’s Iden. And let me introduce you to my little brother, Kael.” Iden placed his hand on Kael’s back. “Second oldest prince of Mischief.”
Katiyana stared hard at her childhood friend for a long time, as if she worked at piecing it all together. It was beginning to make sense to me now. Why he had left the orchard. Why he had urged Katiyana to leave as well. Why he had been at the castle that night. He had been serving his seven years.
“Is it true?” she asked Kael in disbelief.
He nodded. “I’m sorry for all the trouble I’ve caused you. But I really have always loved you. There just wasn’t a lot I could do about it. At the time.” He cleared his throat, a hopeful look on his face.
Katiyana looked back and forth at the brothers, shaking her head in disbelief. She settled on Iden, contemplating. Then it was as if something dawned on her. “Is it true what you said in the cave? Am I the princess of Mayhem?”
“Indeed,” he answered.
“What?” Kael asked.
“It’s true,” Iden said. “I figured it out on my own. That’s why the queen wanted her dead.”
“I don’t believe it,” Katiyana said. “It seems so impossible.” Up to this point she hadn’t seen me. I knew the back of her head, every imperfect bend of her hair. But I couldn’t wait for her to turn around. I couldn’t wait to see her see me.
“But if you’re the princess of Mayhem and the queen is now dead . . .” Kael mused.
“That’s right,” Iden confirmed. “Queen.” He winked at his brother.
Kael attempted to let it soak in before speaking again. Finally, someone remembered that I was still there. “There’s someone else I want you to meet, Kat.” He paused, correcting himself. “I mean, Princess Katiyana,” He motioned his hand toward me and we all stood up. She turned, and there, positioned before me, was the face of my daughter. The face that looked so much like my own, it was almost like looking into a mirror.
“Hello,” I said timidly. What if she didn’t accept me?
“Princess Katiyana, this is your father,” Kael said.
“Or so he says,” Iden added, the suspicion thick in his voice.
“Just look at them, Iden. Can’t you see the resemblance? They look more alike than we do.”
“My father?” I could have stood there and listened to her voice forever—her pure, clear, live voice. “Is it true?” she asked, a look of hopeful excitement on her face.
“It is,” I answered. “For your whole life the queen kept me captive inside a mirror where I could see all of the outside world, including you. I wasn’t sure if you were my daughter at first. Queen Radiance married Fredrick soon after our fling, but watching you grow, seeing your face, hearing the way you speak, those blue eyes . . . I’ve always loved you, Katiyana. Always.”
She covered her mouth with both hands, letting out a joyous laugh, and threw herself into my chest, flinging her arms around my neck. I spun her around twice, and then held her head against me and stroked her dark, wet hair. I would never forget the feel of her hair beneath my fingers—the first meaningful experience since my freedom. All the years I’d spent in the mirror had been worth it for that one moment. I delighted in it, let it fill me until I knew I’d always be content that she lived—that she knew I lived.
Eventually, Iden cleared his throat. He had always been such a pest. “So, now what?”
“What do you mean?” Katiyana asked, lowering herself from our embrace.
“Will the kingdom recognize her as royalty? You saw what they just did to the queen. Is it safe to take her to Mayhem? Will they even believe us?”
“The three of us are witness enough. I’m sure they will welcome their new queen with joy. I think I’d like to hear an explanation from Jeremy Simkins, though. Little got past me, Prince Kael, whilst inside the mirror. What on earth have you been up to these past months?”
He lowered his head, seemingly uncomfortable to hav
e all our attention at once.
“Yes, Jeremy Simkins. Where have you been?” Katiyana echoed with her hands on her hips, her eyes squinted in playful reprimand.
My admiration for him only grew as he shared his story. He had tried to break away from the Simkins family, but Cora wouldn’t allow it. She’d been counting on the reward from the king and queen for housing Kael through his seven years of poverty. She threatened to report him, which would have resulted in his denouncement. It was a life-changing sum, and I can’t say I blamed her.
Just before learning of Iden’s disappearance, he had renounced his right to the throne himself, giving up his title as prince of Mischief so that he could pursue a life with Katiyana. That must have been why I saw him leaving the castle that day. But the problem of Cora Simkins remained. The king and queen told him he was now responsible for paying the Simkins family their promised reward himself. The amount would not change, even if he did not complete the seven years, and Cora had the legal right to hold him to it.
I watched as he shared everything he had been through while Katiyana had lived comfortably with her seven little men. I watched her—for real—as she fell even more in love with him listening to it all, and I gladly gave my consent to the match.
“You did all that for me?” Katiyana asked, a smile lighting up her face.
“And I’d do it all again.” I always knew I liked that boy.
Iden cleared his throat once more. “That’s all very lovely, isn’t it? But what about me? What would you have me do, Queen Katiyana?” I wondered if Prince Iden held a bit of a grudge that he’d failed at winning Katiyana over; never before had I seen him so solemn, so submissive.
Snow Whyte and the Queen of Mayhem Page 18
