by D A Rice
“Life-changing,” Eason mumbled as his eyes dropped to the ground. His feet dragged as they finally made it to the last landing and walked down a short hallway. Fallon opened the door there and stepped back.
“The queen must have told you these things for a reason. She would not waste her time with useless words,” Fallon replied with furrowed brows. Eason walked past him and into a corridor of the main castle. He shrugged his shoulders, before turning troubled eyes to Fallon.
“Even if that’s true. How am I supposed to deal with Snow and the fact I’m not who I thought I was?” he snapped. He hadn’t meant to come across as irritated as he sounded, but he was still having trouble processing what Grimhilde said. How was he going to face his parents? Would he be able to act like nothing changed? So many conflicting thoughts swirled in his already chaotic mind. He jerked sharply when a rough hand slapped down on his shoulder. He blinked wide eyes up at Fallon, who met his gaze steadily.
“If the queen and Princess Brie believe in you, then you can overcome whatever plagues you and get the job done,” he said in a gruff voice as his gaze hardened, his lips drawn tight. “Do you understand? You worry about Snow and deal with everything else at another time. You cannot process all of this right now, and that is alright. Take it one thing at a time.”
Shock shot through him. It wasn’t like Fallon to care about him, about how he overwhelmed he felt. The man had all but told him to jump out the window only a few days earlier. What had happened? Had Brie had words with him? No matter what had happened to make Fallon say what he’d said, it made Eason realize how self-absorbed he was being. This world needed him to be focused and not screwed up in the head. Yet, he couldn’t help it. There were just too many voices within, all vying for attention. He fought to pull back his emotions and took a deep breath. He had to try. Letting it out slowly, Eason gave Fallon a tight nod. Fallon searched his face. Whatever he saw there had him nodding in return. “Good. Let us go before Brie gets impatient and starts yelling.”
~
Brie was sparring with one of the guards, and Eason judged that he was regretting it as Eason watched her unleash a series of hits on the poor man. The guard countered one of Brie’s overhand strikes, grunting as he shoved her wooden sword away, backing up a few steps. The guard was sweating profusely as he lifted a hand to wipe his brow. He was panting hard as he lifted his sword again, preparing to face Brie, who was barely breaking a sweat, her breathing light. Eason wondered how long they’d been fighting and figured it had probably been awhile, maybe even as long as he’d been in the crypt. She twirled her sword in her hand as she moved slowly to the left, her eyes constantly on her opponent.
Eason and Fallon stopped their approach to watch the two of them. Eason studied how Brie moved with a fluidity of a predator stalking its prey. He felt a certain pity for the other man, who moved with her as they faced off. Eason shifted his fight stance, mimicking the movements she’d taught him. The two opponents circled each other with Brie flashing the guard opposite her a fierce smirk as she faked to attack. Eason could see her opponent’s nerves for a moment as Brie faked another lunge. The man was not quick enough to recover his balance and Brie attacked, pelting him first on his shoulder, then his head. The guard stumbled back, dazed, and Brie straightened, twirling her sword with ease. “Enough,” she called as her eyes found Eason’s.
He could not read what her gaze said from where he stood, but he got the feeling she was somehow upset. It made him feel even more sorry for the guard she’d clearly been taking her frustrations out on. Eason blinked, straightening himself as she stepped towards him. He found himself meeting her halfway. “Nicely done, princess,” came Fallon’s voice beside him. Eason started, not having realized the guard followed him. They may have come to a truce, but Eason was still wary of his presence.
Brie nodded to Fallon in response, her eyes never leaving Eason, studying him as she pulled off a pair of leather gloves. “How did it go?”
Eason tilted his head back and forth in a so-so manner as he said, “it could have definitely gone better, but it could have gone worse, too.”
“Did you see her?” Brie asked, her tone icing on the word her.
Eason bit his lip, but nodded. “Yes. She was there. So was your mother. With her help, I was able to push Snow out but….” he sighed as his voice lowered, “Brie, I’m not sure how much longer I’ll be able to, with or without your mother’s help. Queen Grimhilde seemed determined to find another way to send me back when I left her crypt. It doesn’t give me much confidence for how much longer I’m going to last.”
Fallon shook his head. “If you think like that, then this training you are doing is pointless.” Eason glanced at the guard, his words from earlier coming back to him. If Brie and the queen had faith in him, he could do anything. But do they? He wasn’t so sure anymore. He could tell that Brie had distanced herself from him, and Eason wasn’t entirely sure why. As for the queen, Eason didn’t really know what to think of her. What would her books say? Will they be able to get us out of this mess?
Brie’s hand on his face brought him back to himself and her eyes softened. “Fret not for the time being. You have already pushed Snow out more than once, and probably many more times than you give yourself credit for.” Her eyes shifted, reading his. “I know that you can do this. My mother’s training can only help you. It will strengthen an already strong mind.”
Suddenly the doubts in his mind were eclipsed by Brie’s faith. What Fallon had said was true. At the very least, Brie had some faith in him, even with the distance he felt from her now. Fallon had been right, too, Eason had to prioritize. He could figure out his family issues later, he had no choice. For the moment, Eason nodded, his eyes shifting to the guard beside him. “Thanks, you guys.”
Brie took a step back, the cold in her returning. “It is getting late; let us go and get sustenance.” Turning before Eason could reply, she stalked out of the training arena.
Eason glanced at Fallon in confusion, her mixed signals causing his brain to stir even more than it already was. Fallon shrugged. “In this, you are on your own.” The guard smirked, then turned the opposite direction, leaving Eason to wonder what he’d done to stir Brie’s ire.
Chapter 12
A hesitant knock on her door had Brie turning, leaning her back against the vanity as she said “enter,” already knowing who it would be. The door opened as Eason poked his head in, a worried expression in his ice colored eyes. She tilted an eyebrow at him, “dinner should be ready in a very short while.” She knew her voice was cold, but she was having a hard time trusting the man in front of her, even though she had thought she could. Had she been stupid to put her faith in someone so entrapped by Snow? She’d seen him fight her many times and come out the victor. She was proud of him for that.
So why had he not told her about the ribbon hidden in his room? What else was he hiding from them? He looked at her, his hands coming together in front of his stomach. He was no warrior, this was evident in how he conducted himself. He showed his doubts and his insecurities. She’d thought that made him honest, but she was having a hard time being patient with the secrets she knew he kept.
“Yeah, I know,” he said shyly as he took in the glowing globes in her room, the books and discarded weapons, her cherry oak vanity and her bed. His eyes found her balcony last. It was smaller than her mother’s, but bigger then the window Eason had in his room.
She followed his gaze before sighing. “Why did you come here, Eason?”
He jerked, taken aback by her tone and her annoyance. She didn’t want to be frustrated with him, but she couldn't help it, if they were to help him, they had to work together. He’d had all day to tell her, or her mother, what had happened. He hadn’t. Not even when it could have put both him and the queen in danger.
He looked down. His loose tunic and dark leather pants looked good on him. Better, even, then the dark pants and tight-fitting shirt he’d worn when he first got here. She h
adn’t seen him wear them since he’d gotten here. Clothes from his world were as strange as he was. Not that I should be admiring him right now. Her focus re-shifted.
Eason shuffled his feet anxiously, “I’m sorry, it’s just…. you seem mad at me for some reason, and I can’t figure out what I did.”
Brie’s eyes narrowed as her arms crossed in front of her chest. “What are you hiding from me, Eason?”
Eason flinched as his hands came up to his neck, “What-- What do you mean?” He seemed genuinely confused, which irritated her further. She stalked up to him and he took a step back.
“You have not been honest, Eason Grey, or should I say, Eason Grimm?” Brie cornered him against the wall, hands on her hips.
He blinked, his appearance of unease rising. “Hey, that was news to me, too!”
“Indeed. But I have no doubt that you knew about Snow’s gift in your room, did you not?” Brie asked, voice low. Eason’s eyes squeezed shut as he cringed, speechless. Brie watched him, nodding to herself before stepping back, disappointed. “Why didn’t you tell me? Or my mother?” she asked him, voice softening to hurt.
Eason took a deep breath, his eyes finding the ceiling, “I wasn’t sure how you would react. Snow was in my room. Not physically, really, more like a ghost, but physical enough to leave me the ribbon. I panicked,” he banged the back of his head gently against the wall as his hand rubbed down his face, defeated. “I’m not sure how much longer she’ll just be in my head. What if I bring her here?” When his eyes next found hers, they were shining with unshed tears.
Brie softened. “You’re a Grimm. You have more strength than you think.”
“What does that even mean?” Eason groaned, his hands finding his hair in frustration as he slid down the wall.
“It means, that somewhere within your blood, you hold the key to putting Snow in her place. It means, that out of all the people she could contact, it had to be a Grimm. You’re the only one she could bring from another world, but also the only one who could stop her for good.” Her fingers found his chin, lifting it, kneeling in front of him. “But, in order to succeed, you cannot do this alone. You have to let us in. If you are not honest with us, how are we supposed to trust you at your word?”
Eason nodded as he soaked in the truth of her words. “I know.”
Brie sat back, crossing her legs in front of her as she studied him. “I’m impressed, though. Snow found a way to get to you, to mess with you in the physical realm, still you pushed her out. My mother rallied at your strength.”
Eason smirked. “I’m not sure I did that.”
Brie shook her head. “My mother says you did. She does not lie.”
Eason met her gaze, drawing his knees up. “I’m sorry that I didn’t tell you, Brie. I was just scared.”
Her hand found his forearm. “I believe you now, but I may not the next time.” With how often Snow was in his head, Brie could not risk him lying to her again. If she found out that he did, she would have to take drastic measures neither of them would like. Snow would be too powerful within him, and she would use that.
Brie could not risk his heart, and she found that it wasn’t just because she loved her kingdom. She was growing fond of this boy from another world, and she would do what it took to save him from her evil half-sister as well as himself. “Be confident in who you are, Eason; it is all you have.”
Eason nodded, his gaze shifting to the balcony over her shoulder. “I am Eason Grimm.” His voice was soft, but there was a confidence in it that hadn’t been there before, as if he had decided something. When he met her gaze, that same decision was there. “I am Eason Grimm, and I promise I will not withhold anything from you ever again.”
Brie studied him for a long moment before nodding. “Good.”
~
After dinner, Eason stood in his room with Brie, all the shelves and furniture pushed against the wall to make as much room as possible in its middle. She held two wooden swords. Will sat on the bookshelf, as Fallon studied them from the doorway he was leaning against, an eyebrow raised. “You wish to train him here?”
Brie shrugged. “He missed physical training earlier, why not? Besides, maybe if I stay, Snow will not show up.” She tossed Eason a sword.
He caught it, wide-eyed. “That’s your plan? To stay the night with me?” He fumbled to get in position as Brie took up her stance, not waiting for him.
Fallon watched stolidly. “For once, I am in agreement with Grimm. How is this a good idea?” His hand motioned around the room. “You will destroy everything in here, and if Snow does show up, what exactly are we going to do? Harm the boy, if necessary?”
Brie gave Fallon a look before tossing him something from around her neck.
Without looking, the guard reached out, grasping it from midair.
Brie continued. “There is no ‘we’ Fallon. You are leaving. If Snow does show up, I cannot risk you being here.”
Eason’s mouth dropped open as his gaze found the guard’s, whose eyes only narrowed.
Fallon straightened. “You are not staying in here alone.” Eason’s eyes shifted from him to Brie. Is he jealous? Or merely concerned for his princess’s safety? Eason couldn’t tell, but before he could figure it out, Brie attacked him, ignoring the guard completely. Eason flung up his sword in a panic, shuffling back. The middle of the room was clear, true, but there were still plenty of obstacles to avoid.
“Situational awareness, Eason, focus!” Brie commanded, shoving him back with the sword. To Fallon, she hissed, “I am your princess, and I command you to lock us in. I am in far less danger from Snow than you are.”
Fallon tensed. “It is not Snow I am worried about. No offense, Grimm, but if Snow can get into your room and leave you presents, what is to stop her from making you harm Princess Brie?”
Eason shook his head as he ducked under Brie’s next swing, rolling over his bed in order to avoid it. “Nothing. I’m in complete agreement, believe it or not.”
An almost animalistic growl came softly from Brie’s throat as she turned on Fallon, pointing her wooden sword. “Luckily, this is not your decision to make. Now leave and lock the door behind you. There will be no more arguments.” She turned to face Eason again, blocking the swing he levelled at her with her distraction. She grinned. “Good, Eason.”
Fallon paused, his face disgruntled as he watched Brie and Eason spar for another moment. Shaking his head, he backed out of the room, closing the door as he left. The click of the lock was almost deafening. Brie side-glanced the door behind her and then focused solely on Eason again.
“Now then, Eason Grimm, let us see what we can do to push my sister from your living nightmares. I told you once that I would fight for you as long as you fought for yourself.” She saluted him with her sword, her gaze fiercely protective. “I am a woman of my word.”
Eason laughed incredulously. “Brie! There are some things you can’t fight with a sword!” he said, throwing his own on the bed as the panic rose inside him. If Snow came back tonight, Fallon had made some very noteworthy points he couldn’t ignore. What was the princess thinking?
Brie smirked, throwing her own sword on his bed and striding forward. “Do you not know who I am, Eason? My mother may be the stronger of the two of us, and the better to train with, but I am still her daughter.” She paced over to the window and sat down on its sill stubbornly, her arms crossing her chest. “I have a few tricks of my own.”
Will chuckled low from the bookshelf behind him and Eason whirled with a start. He’d forgotten the mirror was there. Will’s vacant eyes met his own. “Have faith in her, boy. You are the safest you will ever be right now.”
Eason’s shoulders caved in as he strode over to Will, defeated. “Yes, but is she?” Will glanced behind Eason at the princess perched in the window, but he had no answer.
Chapter 13
Eason paced in his room as Brie lounged on the bed, a book in her lap. She didn’t meet his gaze, only tilting an eyebrow
, turning a page as she read. “Are you going to be like this all night?” she asked without looking up.
“Most men would jump at the opportunity of having a woman in their bed,” Will added from his perch on the bookshelf. The mirror had been there most of the night, offering suggestions to Brie about which books might have Grimm history within them. It didn’t seem like she was having much luck. Eason had helped her look for a little while, but he found that his nerves were overriding his ability to think.
“Yeah, well, most women wouldn’t kill a man for even thinking of touching her.” Eason mumbled and Will laughed. He sighed as he sat on the edge of the bed and Brie finally met his gaze, an amused grin on her lips. “I really wish you hadn’t locked yourself in here with me. It’s terrifying.”
Brie set the book in her lap beside her and moved to sit next to Eason. “It is done. I have no regrets if it gives you one night of reprieve. Besides, I can take care of myself.” She nudged him with her shoulder, and he smirked.
“Yeah, that I definitely know.” He smiled at her before laying back on the bed, his gaze turning worried. “I’m not sure what kind of reprieve I’m getting. I can’t sleep with you in here. I can’t risk it.” His eyes clenched shut, the heels of his hands rubbing them. He paused like that, remembering the last time he’d not been able to sleep. His hands dropped, but only Brie was there, hovering over him with a worried look in her eyes.
“It does not look as if you’ve slept very well for awhile, Eason,” she said softly.
“Basically, you look like crap, boy,” Will supplied, which caused Brie to smile again.
Eason let out a chuckle. “I bet I do.” He’d seen his reflection. His cheeks were thinning, his skin looked sickly, and the bags under his eyes left them looking hollow. He’d kept himself from rubbing his chest, but the burn was still there, if not worse, and the haunting voice had returned to singing in the back of his head. He’d tried to block it out, to push as the queen had taught him earlier, but the singing had only seemed to grow stronger. His arm covered his face as he spoke. “Maybe you should just lock me up until your mom finds a way to send me back.”
