by Eustacia Tan
“I should have let them burn you.”
She didn’t need to look at him to know that he was smiling. She hated his smiles, hated how they represented every negative emotion that she had ever felt.
“You do know that I can’t burn, right? It’s part of the magic.”
He couldn’t burn?
Lizzie looked up and immediately regretted it. Her mind was clouding over.
“Poor Elizabeth. I thought you were smarter than this. I was waiting for you to come and stop me.”
“You didn’t... you weren’t...”
“It’s your fault that so many people died.”
“That’s not...”
“You should just give up right now.”
Lizzie closed her eyes and shook her head. She wanted to agree. Anything to get him out of her head. Anything to get her mind back to herself.
No!
“No,” she said and took heart from how firm her voice was.
Now it was the Nutcracker’s turn to be surprised. “No?” He grabbed her and forced her eyes open.
“You’re much stronger than I expected,” he said. “As expected of my granddaughter.”
“I’m not your granddaughter. We’re not related by blood.”
“Blood doesn’t matter, except when you’re forging a sword. Now Lizzie, I will make you a deal. I was planning to have you quietly put to death a few months after reigning, but I am willing to groom you as my heir. You’ll come home with me and Marie, and your parents will stay here.”
“They’ll be safe?”
“Your mother will be perfectly safe. Why would I want to harm my goddaughter?”
“And my dad?”
The Nutcracker shrugged.
“I’ll see you at dinner tonight. For now, I have to go tell Marie the good news.”
*******
“Lizzie, what happened?” Laura rushed up to her as soon as Lizzie entered the room. Blood was flowing out of the corners of her mouth and Lizzie thought Laura was missing a blackened tooth or two.
Not that her room was any better.
Bite marks were everywhere. Feathers from her pillows were lazily floating to the ground, and there were bloody teeth marks on the bed frame. There were even wads of spat out paper on the ground. Empty chewed up wrappers from her emergency snack stash lay on top of her books, their pages partially chewed off.
“I should be asking you what happened.”
Laura followed Lizzie’s eyes. “Oh that. I don’t know why, Lizzie, but I’m so hungry. But nothing has any taste. Nothing.” Laura brought her fingers up to her mouth and started chewing on them.
“Stop that,” Lizzie grabbed Laura’s hand and pulled it away from her mouth. “You’ve never bitten your nails before.” She stared at Laura’s hand, which was bleeding.
Quickly, Laura drew back her hand and hid it behind her skirt. “It’s the only thing that has taste.” Laura lifted her hand again, but brought it down as soon as she saw Lizzie’s glare.
Walking over to the table, Lizzie searched through the piles of bitten items and finally found a few strips of bandages. “Come here,” she said. When Laura was close enough, Lizzie started winding the bandages around Laura’s hands, ignoring her protests.
“No more chewing on your fingers. You’re going to hurt yourself,” Lizzie said firmly.
“But I’m so hungry,” Laura whined. “I need something to eat, and I need it soon.” The whiny girl in front of her was such a far cry from her ordinarily self-possessed friend. What did that apple do to her, Lizzie wondered.
“Where’s my mom and Grandmother Marie?” she said instead. Perhaps she could distract Laura. Not that she needed to help her. Why was she helping her?
“They went to get more food.”
“More food?”
“They weren’t happy when I wanted to eat the pillows. Lizzie, what happened? Who was outside?”
Lizzie turned her attention back to Laura. The girl in front of her didn’t look like her best friend or the stranger that betrayed her. This girl had a look of desperation in her eyes, even when she tried to mask it. It looked so familiar.
Marcelle’s face as she fell.
No, nothing like Marcelle. Not really.
“Lizzie, what happened?”
“The people tried to rebel.”
“Did they succeed? Is the Nutcracker dead?” Laura licked her lips as she fidgeted.
Lizzie wished she saw a change in Laura’s face when she shook her head. But all she saw was hunger.
“They managed to kill him. I thought that I had the upper hand but I started talking to him and I don’t know, was I wrong?”
“Of course not,” Laura said quickly. “You’ve been training forever. You’re a princess, even if you’re not the Princess.”
There was a knock on the door before Lizzie could form a reply. The door opened and Snow White stepped into the room, her eyes shining.
“Come quick, Laura. Lizzie! How are things? You can tell me later. An old friend has appeared. Come and meet him.”
Chapter 15
“Princess Lizzie, you're safe,” Heinrich exclaimed as the princess walked into the private garden. He had been worried that the Nutcracker wouldn’t let her go. Marie took out an apple that she had been holding and quickly passed it to Laura, who took one bite and shook her head sadly.
“You’ve met Lizzie?” Marie asked. She hadn’t let go of his arm since he had bumped into her while wandering the halls. Princess Lizzie looked at Marie, a look of surprise on her face. A look very much like her mother’s.
“Mr. Heinrich is the friend I was telling you about,” Snow White said. “Laura, have you met him?”
For a moment he thought Laura was going to lie, but instead she nodded. “He was at the Goblin Market.”
Snow White looked like she wanted to ask more questions, but they didn’t have the time.
“We have to go,” Heinrich said quickly. “There isn’t much time.”
Marie nodded and then let go of his arm and pushed him to the side. Heinrich stumbled back and fell behind a tree as he heard soft footsteps.
“Queen Marie,” a rusty voice said. “The Nutcracker King requires your presence.”
“Of course,” Marie said, her voice a little higher than before. “Can you give me some time with my goddaughter and granddaughter?”
There was a brief pause.
“Five minutes, my Queen. I will inform the Nutcracker that you have persuaded Princess Elizabeth to become his heir. It will make him most pleased.”
He could hear the creaking of the soldier as he left and then hands reached him and pulled him up.
“I’m sorry, did I hurt you?” Marie asked anxiously.
Heinrich shook his head. “I’m fine.”
At the same time, Snow White was talking to Princess Lizzie, her questions flying like arrows.
“His heir? What does he mean? Lizzie, what happened? Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I’m sorry,” Lizzie said. “Mom, you have to calm down. I was going to tell you but Mr. Heinrich came.”
“That just means we have to leave immediately,” Marie cut in. “I’ll distract the Nutcracker and join you just before dinner.”
“No,” Heinrich said immediately. “I’m not letting you go. What if he doesn’t let you leave?”
Marie smiled. “He will. He’ll want me to help Lizzie prepare for dinner.”
“What about us?” Snow White asked.
“You need to go and get dad,” Princess Lizzie said. “I’ll go with Laura to get my savings and anything else we can use on the journey. Right, Laura?”
Laura looked startled. Heinrich looked at her carefully. She was much paler than before, and her hands were shaking. He even thought he saw a smear of blood around her lips.
“We’ll meet at the servant’s gate,” Heinrich said, pushing his worry out of his head. If there was a problem, they could solve it later. “Make your way there as quickly as possible. W
e don’t have much time before the Nutcracker realises that you’re all gone.”
They let Marie leave first, and then left one by one, Heinrich leaving last. Using the instructions that Princess Lizzie had given him, he managed to make his way to the gate and opened it.
The road outside was empty. Hopefully it would stay that way until they left.
*******
Marie was the first one to arrive. She flew into his arms and he drew her to the side.
“I was so worried,” Heinrich murmured.
“I was lucky. He was in a good mood. We don’t have much time.” She took a step back and looked around. “Why haven’t the others arrived?”
Just as she spoke, they heard footsteps and, instinctively, Heinrich pushed Marie further to the side of the gate, out of sight. He peered into the castle, heaving a sigh of relief as he saw Snow White, along with a dishevelled man, making her way towards them.
“My apologies,” Snow White said, “The guards suddenly decided that my crown wasn’t a good enough bribe. Thankfully, our own guards came to the rescue. But I don’t know how long we can hold them back.” She introduced the man with her. “This is my husband. Darling, this is Mr. Heinrich. Where’s Lizzie and Laura?”
“Not here. The three of you should hide,” Heinrich said, ushering them out of view.
A minute passed.
Then another.
Nothing.
“Do you think they’re trapped?” Snow White whispered, fear in her eyes.
King White shook his head. “Lizzie’s a smart girl,” he said, mostly to himself. “She’ll get out of it. Laura will help her.”
Finally, they heard footsteps. But from the sound of it, there was only one person. Heinrich clenched his fists, ready to knock out any intrusive servants. Instead, Laura ran straight out of the castle gate. She looked around, searching for something. When she turned around and saw the four adults, she heaved a sigh of relief.
“You're still here. Let’s go.” She held a small satchel and two cloaks in her hands. “I have the jewelry. We couldn’t find any more cloaks, though. I think Queen Snow and Queen Marie should put them on.”
“Laura, where’s Lizzie?” Snow White asked.
Laura bent down, her hands on her knees and her breathing ragged. “We have to go. Do you know a way out?”
“Doc’s waiting at the cottage.”
“The tunnel’s still open?” Snow White asked. She turned back to Laura. “Where’s Lizzie?”
“I’ll explain later. Let’s go.” She started walking, and Snow White and King White immediately followed. After a few steps, Laura slowed down and motioned for Heinrich to move forward.
They managed to hide among the chaos and the wailing that engulfed the city, making their way to the house without being recognised.
“We need to leave, immediately.”
“Your bag is magic,” Doc said, by way of greeting. He handed Heinrich the satchel Tsura had given him. “Do you know that I’ve placed enough supplies and cloaks for everyone and it’s still not full?”
Tsura had helped them after all. He made his way to the entrance and lifted the cover.
“Doc, you should go first.”
The dwarf nodded and jumped down. Laura followed, and then Queen Snow White and King White, Marie, and finally, himself. He did his best to block the entrance before moving forward.
The tunnel felt a lot more cramped with all of them in it.
“Now where is Lizzie?” King White asked, his voice bouncing around. Heinrich could see him jump a little, and the next time he spoke, his voice was a little softer. “I thought Laura and Lizzie were escaping together. That’s what you said, Snow.”
“Lizzie’s probably at dinner,” Laura said.
“Dinner?” Snow White asked. Now it was her voice that echoed through the tunnels.
“Not so loud,” Doc murmured. “We’re almost there.”
Laura kept quiet until they had all climbed out of the hole. Doc immediately set to work covering the entrance.
“Laura, what did you mean?” Snow White asked again. “I don’t understand what’s going on.”
“I’m sorry,” Laura said again. She straightened and withdrew a letter from the pocket on her skirt. “Lizzie wrote this for you,” she said, handing it to Snow White.
“We have to go,” Heinrich said. “You can read the letter later.”
Snow White ripped the letter open, King White peering over her shoulder all the while. As Snow White read the letter, the light in her eyes turned from worry to sadness.
“What is it?” Marie asked. Wordlessly, Snow White handed the letter over to Marie. This time, it was Heinrich’s turn to peer over a shoulder.
Dear mom and dad,
I’m sorry to have lied to you, but I hope that the both of you are far, far away from the castle by the time you read this. I know you want me with you and I’m really sorry to have to do this, but I can’t go. I have to stay here and pretend to be the Nutcracker’s heir. You won’t have enough time to leave if I don’t. Please take care of Laura for me. I don’t want her to become like Marcelle. She’ll always be loyal to the Red-Caped Princess, and I need you to find a cure for her. I will try to find one for her, since we were best friends. I hope that one day, we can be friends again. If you hear that I’ve become a monster like him, please don’t believe it. I promise I’ll follow what you and dad taught for as long as I can. I love you both. I just wanted you to be safe.
“We have to go back for her,” Snow White said, her voice trembling. “She’s still a little girl. She’s still my little girl.”
“No,” Heinrich said immediately, “You’ve read the letter. This is Marie’s and my last chance. We have to press forward.”
Snow White shook her head. “How can I leave her behind?” she whispered.
King White took her hand and squeezed it. “We have to,” he said softly. “If we turn back now, the Nutcracker will know where the others have gone and we’ll all get caught. You know how effective his torture methods are.”
“Don’t you care about your daughter?”
“It will do no one good to return,” he said firmly. “Let’s go, now.”
Snow White turned to Marie. “Please, godmother. Go back with me. Let my husband, Heinrich, and Laura go. If we go back, he won’t hurt her.”
Marie looked at Heinrich and Snow White. After several unbearable minutes, she shook her head, and Heinrich let go of the breath he didn’t know he had been holding.
“I’m sorry, Snow,” Marie said softly. “You have to let me be selfish this once. I can’t go back to him, not ever. This is our last chance.”
“But if you don’t go, it won’t work,” Snow White said softly. “He won’t forgive us. Please, you came back for me once. Now I’m begging you to go back for Lizzie. If we turn back now, we can still make it back before sunset.” Tears fell from her eyes.
“I’m sorry,” Marie said again. “But we have to go, now. You can come with us, or you can go back. I won’t stop you either way.”
Snow White looked back towards the city. She took a step towards it, but King White caught her. “Snow, we can’t do this,” he whispered. “Lizzie’s smart, she’ll survive until we come back for her.”
“And you promise that we’ll come back to her?”
“I promise.”
Snow White laced her fingers with King White and gave them all a trembling smile. “Alright, so where are we headed? I’m afraid I’m not very good with directions.”
Immediately, all eyes turned to Heinrich. He coughed. “We’re going East.”
“East?” Laura said, her eyes shining. “You mean, to Beauty’s kingdom?”
“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” King White asked, “I mean, won’t it be safer to head West to Paperland? My family is there and they can protect us. We haven’t heard from King Charming and Queen Beauty for years, who knows if they’re still alive.”
Heinrich shook his head. �
�To get to Paperland, we’ll have to cross through the Nutcracker’s kingdom, and it’s far too risky for Marie or I to do so. King Charming and Queen Beauty are fairy-blessed. They’ll be old, but I doubt that they’re dead. It’s the safest place for us. Besides, the least we could do is to warn them of what the Nutcracker is planning.”
“I agree,” Marie said. “I refuse to go back where the Nutcracker can find me. As soon as I step foot into his kingdom, someone will let him know where I am. His network of informers is... formidable.”
Everyone shivered at her words.
“Then it’s settled,” Heinrich said. “We’ll head East. Doc, will you come with us?”
Epilogue
“Princess Elizabeth,” a servant said softly. “His Majesty, your father, requests your presence in the throne room.”
Lizzie dismissed the girl with a wave of her hand. It wasn’t even time for lunch, and already he was calling for her. She finished arranging her hair and hurriedly made her way to the throne room. One good thing about this palace was that it was so small. Everything was contained in one, multilevel building, rather than spread out over one spacious compound, like her home.
It was suffocating.
As she approached the throne room, Lizzie took a deep breath, and knocked on the door.
“Who is it?” the Nutcracker shouted.
“It’s me, Father,” Lizzie said, spitting out the last word.
The doors opened and Lizzie tried to glide in. She had to walk with as much grace as Grandmother Marie, or so she was told every day. She made her way to the throne and knelt to the floor.
“Rise,” the Nutcracker said. “How are you today, Elizabeth dear?”
Lizzie kept her eyes trained on the floor. “I’m well, Father.”
“Lucky brat,” the Nutcracker muttered. “And here I am, slaving away at matters of state. Do you know what the latest report is?” He didn’t even give her a chance to reply. “The soldiers can’t seem to enter Beauty’s kingdom at all. Your stupid subjects are aiding and abetting the enemy, hindering the progress of my men. How dare that ungrateful Snow White and her snivelling husband set up a government in exile. I’m regent, and that is treason. What do you think, Marie?”
