Crimson Snow

by D A Rice

  Brie said nothing for a moment. “If I’m taking that how I think you mean it, then thank you. I think.”

  Eason laughed, glancing back at her again to find her smiling behind him. He did a double take and she frowned again, eyes narrowing at his assessment of her. “Don’t get any ideas. I still don’t like you.”

  Eason smirked. “I would never.”

  Will sighed in her bag; Eason could hear it from where he sat on the horse. “If I have to hear you two flirting any more today, I think I am going to find a way to magically barf all over your food in here.”

  “Magical barf?” Eason asked in amusement, angling his head towards the saddle bag. “You can’t think of anything more demeaning?”

  “It will involve glitter, boy, what is more demeaning than that?”

  Brie shivered. “He has a point; do not encourage him.”

  “Glitter, I hear, does get into everything,” Eason agreed.

  “And it’s absolutely horrific to get out.” Brie smirked again.

  Eason laughed as Will sighed below them. “See? Our worlds have things in common after all!”

  “Demonic glitter barf.” Brie nodded, her lips twitching higher.

  Chapter 5

  The journey to Cylentra took a couple more hours. The horse’s pace was gentle, and Eason found he didn’t mind the ride. It was beautiful out here and the air was fresh. He found himself almost forgetting the tug on his mind, the eerie song fading the further from the forest they went. They stopped once for lunch, finding the food barf-free inside the saddle bag, much to Will’s chagrin. Lunch consisted, mostly, of almost stale bread, cheese, and some odd-looking fruits that Brie claimed held all the nutrients a growing boy needed. Eason smiled; he didn’t care as long as it didn’t make him sick.

  He found that he wasn’t all that hungry to begin with. This whole experience was surreal enough that his appetite had left him long ago. He still ate what Brie gave him, however, knowing that he would likely need it for what was to come. But his mind was distracted, taking everything in around him. Brie had explained on the ride that her mother, Queen Grimhilde, was a sorceress. Contrary to what Eason had known from the fairy tales, she did not actually like to use her power. Brie said the powers had adverse effects on her mother. The magic made her look like an old witch before it wore off, making her look incredibly beautiful again. The more she used sorcery, the frailer she became, and the longer the witch stayed.

  Eason had nothing to say to that, but it did explain a few things from the tale. Why she had looked so old giving the apple to Snow White, why she had terrified everyone around her in that form. He shivered as the horse stepped onto the bridge that led to the island of the old kingdom. How could he judge anything he saw in this land, when the stories he knew had been so wrong? The princess who was supposed to be good was horribly evil, the evil queen was supposedly good, and Brie? He glanced behind him surreptitiously, causing her to raise a curious eyebrow. Well, Brie didn’t exist in his stories.

  Relieved shouts of “Princess Brielle!” and “You’re back!” as well as “I am so glad you made it safely!” rocked Eason out of his thoughts as people ran up to greet them on the bridge. Brie was popular within her kingdom, it seemed. Eason grinned as guards from the gate into the city gently elbowed their way through civilians. They gave small bows when they reached the princess.

  “Princess Brielle, the queen wishes to see you right away,” said a young guard, whose grey eyes evaluated Eason in a quick, cool motion, before dismissing him in the next. Eason wasn’t sure whether to be offended or not, so he decided not to be. Eason’s gaze shot over his shoulder as he assessed Brie behind him. Was the queen really her mother? For some reason, he’d assumed the queen was her stepmother, like with Snow. He probably shouldn’t have made the assumption, especially with everything he thought he’d known about Snow being wrong. He returned his focus to the scene around him.

  “Thank you, Fallon. I’ll see her immediately,” Brie said with a slight incline of her head towards the guard. He was dressed a bit more formally than the others, wearing more metal over his leathers and a dark purple cape that attached at his shoulders. Eason assumed he was higher ranking than the rest, given the way he carried himself and how familiar he was with Brie. A captain maybe?

  Fallon nodded. “I shall escort you inside,” he said with a tight nod, his eyes looking pointedly at Eason, who was trying not to stare back. The guard was intimidating, tall, and had a stern look on his face. He looked older than both Eason and Brie, but not by much. If Eason had to guess, he would say the guard was closer to thirty.

  Eason glanced around, realizing that Fallon wasn’t the only one who’d noticed his presence. Guards formed up around them as Fallon took the reins of the horse, escorting them through the people, who began to taper off with curious murmurs. The guards had leathers like Brie’s, as well as shields and swords. They wore helmets as well, where Brie didn’t, and Brie had a bow strapped across her back, unlike the rest.

  Looking up as they approached the wall, Eason could see more guards lining the top. These ones had crossbows which caused Eason to shiver. They must have reasons for the high security, he thought. The helmets they all wore only showed off their eyes and the lower half of their faces, making Eason wonder if there was more to them. “The helmets are spelled,” Brie explained from behind him, as if reading his mind, “any male guarding the wall must wear them to keep out Snow’s voice.If we had enough capable female warriors, we would use them. However, many of our women do not wish to fight if they can avoid leaving their families. We will not force them to fight. If an invasion does come, our women will step up to support and defend, but against Snow, we will lose many.”

  He nodded; he could still hear that voice of evil in his own mind. “I don’t suppose I could get one of those helmets?” he teased.

  Brie shook her head. “Even if we had them to spare, they would not help you.”

  Eason suppressed another shiver as the guard who held the reigns to their horse spoke up next. “Princess, the queen is in her tower. I must warn you, she does not look well. What happened out there?” He didn’t ask about Eason; he probably didn’t have to. It was obvious that Cylentra, at least in part, knew that Snow was awake. Eason cringed. He wasn’t looking forward to the talks he was bound to be a part of.

  “It’s alright, Fallon,” Brie responded to the guard now, “I’ll speak with my mother. I’ve no doubt you can feel what happened perfectly well. That will suffice for now. I’ll explain more as soon as I’m able.”

  Fallon only nodded below them as they moved through the city, but the guard’s eyes said far more about his displeasure. Eason looked away, deciding to take in Cylentra instead as they walked. Brie’s arms captured him between them as she brushed her hands down her horse’s neck. The city itself was multi-leveled, as if built into the cliffs that towered over the ocean below. He could see little houses on every level, built into the rocks, fortified against almost anything that could hit them from the coast. The roads were almost concrete-looking with little erosion and curved steeply up the rocky hill that led to the castle itself.

  The castle was a fortress. There was no other way to describe it. Eason could see the battlements from where they were down below, and the window slits that could hold archers. It was a highly defensible position, and the palace itself looked big enough to hold the whole of the city if necessary. Eason gave a low whistle as he took it all in and he could hear Brie snicker softly behind him. “Not what you are used to seeing, I take it?” she asked him, voice low.

  Eason shook his head. “Not even close.”

  The guards beside them said nothing as they led the way up to the castle proper. Eason watched as they made a path through the people. It was a gentle force when necessary, but for the most part, the people just watched from the sidelines, safely out of the way. Every once in a while, people would hold out a hand and the guards would nod in acknowledgment. It was almost as if this
was a normal salute between them, a mutual sign of respect. He glanced back at Brie, noting that she would occasionally acknowledge her people, just as the guards did. Eason grinned as he turned back to the front, contemplating the simple regard she had for those many would think beneath her. It was this simple act from her that brought the soft smile to his lips, despite the circumstances.

  He could already tell that there were a lot of customs here that he would have to get used to, especially since he had no idea when he would be going home. It seemed to him, however, that this was a kingdom that protected its people.

  Fallon halted the horse with a gentle, steady hand, and moved to help the princess get off. Brie nodded to him and dismounted, then motioned to Eason. Fallon lifted an eyebrow at him, his grip tightening on the reigns as Brie’s steady hand pushed on the horse’s neck, a calming presence. She met Eason’s eyes. “One leg at a time, Eason, and do try not to fall.”

  A small chuckle came from the saddle bag and Brie smirked. Eason rolled his eyes. He hadn’t exactly fallen in the valley where they’d had lunch, but it wasn’t the most graceful dismount. He pulled his leg up before sliding out of the saddle, Brie held out her arm in a subtle way of keeping him steady and he smiled at her in thanks. The last thing he wanted to do was fall on his face in front of all her guards. Doing it in front of her mirror was bad enough. Brie moved around him and pulled Will out of the saddle bag.

  Will was still chuckling softly. “Quite the entourage, princess,” the mirror chided.

  Brie rolled her eyes, “quiet or you’re going in my rear pocket, Will.” There was another small chuckle before Brie slid the mirror carefully into a side pocket on her armor. She nodded to Eason again, motioning towards a path that led up to the castle gates. He paused as the guards around them parted, Fallon handing off the horse to a stable hand. Everyone else split off to do other tasks.

  Fallon, however, fell into step beside Brie, who started up the path to the palace, pulling off her riding gloves. Eason paused, his eyes on the castle before him. There was so much to see, and he found himself overwhelmed by it all. The doors were ornately carved in a marble texture and glass. He could see a well to the side of the palace steps too, covered in ivy. It was off to the right, hidden in the trees that lined the path to the palace steps.

  Brie turned back to him halfway up the steps with an eyebrow raised. “Eason Grey, are you coming or not?”

  Eason shook himself out of his reverie and nodded once. “Absolutely.” Fallon had gone silent beside the princess, his fists tightening at his sides, even with the helmet he held there. His eyes held no love for Eason, but he didn’t say anything. The princess had shut down his line of questioning early, and it seemed he wouldn’t press her, at least not here. Eason had to admire Fallon’s obvious respect for her. It seemed everyone respected the princess. Eason jogged up to her, his hand rubbing an ache in his chest as he fell into step on Brie’s other side.

  “This place is amazing!” he said of the courtyard behind them. The green leaves of the trees blew gently in the breeze as their shade speckled the ground below.

  Brie eyed him as they walked, “this is Cylentra. The longest kingdom to survive in Enchantra, and the most defensible.” Her voice was proud, and Eason didn’t blame her.

  He nodded, rubbing his chest again, “I can see that. Are all of you warriors here?”

  Brie paused before the doors, her hand coming up to stop his as he went to rub his chest again. “Yes. Why do you keep doing that?”

  Eason tilted his head, his hand stilling under hers. “Doing what?”

  “Rubbing your chest like that; why do you keep doing it?”

  “Oh,” he shifted, his fingers caressing his shirt and gripping it gently in reflex. “I dunno, I guess it’s a bit achy. Maybe I’m just nervous or something?” His voice sounded skeptical, even to him, especially with the way Brie was looking at him now.

  “It is starting,” was her response as she met the eyes of Fallon, who’d come around her to see what was going on. His eyes narrowed, brown locks of sweaty hair dripping into his face with the slight shake of his head.

  “This boy?” Fallon asked, taking a step back with his hand on the hilt of his sword. Eason tensed, his hands coming up in mock surrender.

  Brie beat him to it, placing a hand over her guard’s grip, she gave Fallon a stern look. “Don’t.” Her eyes turned back to Eason’s.

  “We need to get you to my mother,” she said after a pause, and pushed the heavy doors open, blocking Fallon from Eason as she did. Eason took a step back, shrugging awkwardly at the captain before quickly following the princess inside. He stopped again shortly with a low whistle.

  They’d stepped inside a foyer which housed a grand staircase that split on either side. The rails were inlaid with gold and ivory, as were the steps. The floor beneath them was white tile as well and the ceiling arched like a cathedral. Eason turned in place, openly staring. The ceiling had carvings in each panel and Eason squinted, trying to make them all out.

  “The boy got distracted again, princess,” came Will’s voice from in front of Eason, causing him to stop and meet Brie’s eyes. She was up on the stairs watching him with amusement. Fallon had paused closer to the top on the right side, less amused.

  “Right! My bad,” Eason moved quickly, coming up to Brie’s step before nodding, “I was just taking in the view. I’ve never seen anything like this before!”

  Brie smiled with a nod. “It is rather beautiful,” she said, glancing back towards the arcs in the ceiling that one would never have guessed were there. From the outside, this part of the castle looked flat. Magic?

  Brie met his gaze again, warmth lighting it from within. “Come, Eason. Let us take you to the queen, so that she may see what to do with you.” She moved up the stairs.

  With one more glance back towards the foyer, Eason followed.

  Chapter 6

  Fallon met them at a pair of massive wooden double doors with a beautiful engraving etched into it. As Eason drew closer to them, he realized they were engraved with a scene of a dragon facing a forest. The enchanted forest perhaps?

  Fallon opened the doors, stepping aside to let Brie and Eason walk through before him. They strode into a room and it was just as beautiful as the foyer, if not more so. With massive windows that lined the room and marble pillars set just before them, Eason felt his mouth drop in awe. He could see the gold-like ivy here too, just as it had been on the staircase rails in the previous room. Light floated in gently from all sides, and Eason could see a grand chandelier set into the ceiling. Because of the abundant natural light from the sunlight streaming in the windows, he guessed they only lit the chandelier at night. He imagined it looked like stars when the light cast off the white crystal it was made from. Even now it sparkled, casting glittering light in all directions.

  “Brielle,” a voice, smooth and low, called towards them as they approached the center of the room. Sitting on a throne of cast-off bronze and gold, was a beautiful woman who wore a deep purple dress embroidered with gold designs along the hem and sleeve edges. She wore a bejeweled crown on her black hair, which flowed loose around her shoulders. She was elegant as well, her hazel eyes framed by thick black lashes.

  Eason could see the resemblance between mother and daughter in the eyes. Her full lips were painted red and currently pinched together. She looked them over silently for a moment, staring longer at Eason as he watched the gears turn in her head. The attention made him fidget nervously, feeling like she was looking into his soul to judge him. He moved to rub his chest again, but halted, forming a fist and dropping it to his side, instead.

  “Brielle, I noticed you have picked up someone and are missing others.” The queen’s voice was tight with suppressed irritation, but her gaze softened a bit as she regarded her daughter. “What news have you for me?”

  Brie took a deep breath, as if to collect herself, before launching into her story. She spoke of her routine task to check on Sn
ow. She spoke of stumbling in on Eason waking the other princess and how the dwarves sacrificed themselves so they could escape. The princess paused as she looked at Eason out the corner of her eyes. “I believe this boy is not from here.”

  The queen listened quietly as Brie spoke. Her eyes strayed to Eason, watching his reaction as her daughter explained what happened. “What makes you say that, dear daughter of mine?” she asked when Brie was done, eyes never leaving his.

  Eason swallowed audibly, he could feel sweat dripping down his back. He wasn’t sure why he was so nervous, but he found that he was. It was like meeting his girlfriend’s parents for the first time, even if Brielle was anything but.

  “His attire is a dead giveaway, as well as the way he speaks. He tells of a tale that is very unreal; the likes of which made me think he is delusional in some way.”

  Eason jerked his head around to her, seriously? She went there? In front of her mother no less? Brie ignored his incredulous stare as she kept her gaze on the queen.

  “What tale is this?” The queen asked curious as she lifted a straight brow, slim fingers coming up to her chin thoughtfully, if not amused.

  “He believes that Snow is an innocent princess who is tricked by the evil queen into eating a poisonous apple. According to his version, the queen was jealous of her beauty, or some such nonsense.”

  The queen snorted so unladylike that Eason’s eyebrows lifted in surprise, his attention back on the woman in front of him. She waved a hand as if in dismissal. “I have no care for her beauty.”

  “You are by far the most beautiful, my queen,” Will quipped from inside Brie’s pocket.