One minute, she was sat by the crackling fire, the warmth sending her to sleep. The next, she was lying on a ledge at the side of a mountain.
She cried when she thought about the warmth, the heat she had always taken for granted. She was sure she’d die on the mountain. Her frozen corpse would be found by mountaineers. She thought that someone would surely come looking for her? But the sinking feeling in her stomach returned. No, they wouldn’t. She had no one left in the world who cared about her. She had seen to that.
Her fingers shook as she tried to tie up the laces on her boots. They had come undone as she climbed onto the ledge. Her dress had already snagged on a rock, leaving a chilly tear.
Regret consumed her. She had done right by her dead mother, but it had cost everyone else greatly. Avenging her had always been her goal since she found out that Edward, the Frog Prince, had tricked her mother, turned her into a frog in place of him, and then killed her.
‘J-James,’ she tried to shout, but her teeth were chattering so much.
A childish part of her hoped that if she said James’ name enough times, he would somehow hear her; even if he was a thousand miles away. But if he did hear her pleas, would he come? He no longer cared about her. He had made that apparent.
Wind swept over her, causing her to shake. Panicked, she pushed herself against the rock, as far away from the edge as she could. She wrapped her arms around her legs and rocked back and forth. Her lips, she feared, would fall off. She couldn’t feel anything anymore. Looking out onto the skeletal horizon, she waited for death’s merciful release from the painful nightmare.
She was glad, however, that Galissa was on the mountain.
Snow had to rid herself of the Sword of Souls as soon as it was used on Edward. She couldn’t have anyone know her plan.
***
Gallisa heard pained cries as she walked down the walkway from her palace. The palace sat in a large dip in the mountaintop. The circular peak shielded the palace from the ferocious winds, and due to the location, from any avalanches too.
The small village on the left side of the mountain was home to Gallisa’s snow fairies. Each of them lived in small houses made of solid ice, spelled never to melt. They lived harmoniously.
Gallisa lived in her magnificent ice palace with only her guards to keep her company. She loved her subjects and would often visit them, but she was bigger than they were, the size of a human, as a queen should be.
A lonely queen.
A snowstorm swept the mountain. Gallisa pushed her blond hair over her shoulder and raised her arms, calming the storm as much as she could. The cries were quiet. She listened carefully and followed the sound.
She climbed down the rocky surface and jumped onto a small ledge.
A woman with jet black hair was lying in the foetal position, covered with a thin blanket of snow. Gallisa brushed off the snow and tried to wake her. ‘Snow.’ Galissa gasped. ‘You shouldn’t have tried to climb the mountain. I would have come and got you.’
Snow didn’t answer. Her lips and skin had turned to a dark blue, and her rattling breaths were shallow. Gallisa pulled the woman up, lifting her over her shoulder.
Once back at the palace, she closed the doors and walked into the living room and placed Snow onto the sofa.
Gallisa absentmindedly made snowflakes dance around her perfectly polished fingernails. Her hair, an ash blond, had a slightly blue hue to it. Pushed to one side, her hair hung past her small chest and down to her belly button, which was on show in the small gap where her royal blue crop top stopped, and her high-waisted trousers started. From her belly button hung a pretty silver charm.
Snow finally awoke and looked at Galissa. ‘Thank you.’
Galissa smiled. ‘You’re welcome.’
Snow had secretly gone off before Edward’s death and made a deal with Galissa. She was looking for an object that trapped the evils of the worlds in a small chest; an eternal prison.
She wanted to rid the world of its evil, and to do that, she had to push everyone away, for a short while.
‘What is that?’ asked Snow, who was sat across from Gallisa. Snow was pointing at the charm.
Gallisa looked down at her belly button and smiled fondly at the glistening triangle. ‘It’s a good luck charm given to me by a wonderful man. I haven’t seen him for many years although he wouldn’t have aged a day.’
‘Oh,’ Snow said. ‘Were you in love?’
Gallisa shook her head. ‘He didn’t love me. He was simply fond of me. I don’t think he was, or will ever be, capable of love.’
‘Sorry,’ Snow replied, feeling awkward for asking.
Gallisa laughed. ‘You asked a perfectly reasonable question. Don’t apologise.’
Snow nodded and sipped her cocoa. The castle was beautifully decorated. It looked like a winter wonderland. Glistening baby blue voiles covered the ceiling-high windows and blew slightly in the breeze.
On the silver ceiling, thousands of long, glistening icicles hung.
Snow looked at the icicles wearily. ‘Will they fall?’
Gallisa smiled. ‘Of course, not. Everything in this palace is spelled. Nothing will ever melt or fall.’
Snow finished her cocoa and set her mug down on the glass table. ‘So how have you been?’
Gallisa smiled. ‘Lonely… but it’s not too bad.’
Snow looked around the palace. ‘Before last year, I didn’t even know snow fairies existed.’
Gallisa walked over to one of the long windows and pulled back the voile. ‘We are warriors of everything good. Snow and ice are deadly, yet both are just as beautiful.’
Snow walked over to the window and looked out at the powdered white world. ‘What does that have to do with anything?’
Gallisa sighed. ‘Unfortunately, humans are drawn to beautiful and deadly things. We bring out the truth. We protect them from being lured by them, and we control the weather, to a point. We also have all of the powers that other fairies do.’
Snow smiled sweetly at Gallisa. ‘That’s actually really nice.’
Gallisa walked back to her five-seater sofa and sat down. Gallisa was thinner than anyone Snow had ever seen, but she pulled it off so well. She walked with a royal air, and everything she did looked graceful.
‘Back to Lori,’ Snow said, changing the subject. ‘She will find out that I’m not dead. She will look for me,’ Snow repeated for the seventh time that day.
Gallisa said what she did every other time. ‘She will not find you here. I’ll protect you. I see your heart. You’re courageous, kind, fearless, and something is almost magical about your aura. You’re a truly unique person.’
Snow raised an eyebrow. ‘What do you want from me? In exchange for your help?’
Gallisa looked at her in confusion. ‘What do I want? Nothing. I simply want to help you.’
Snow furrowed her brows. ‘Come on, everyone in this world wants something. Each time they do something for someone, there’s always a catch.’
Gallisa smiled. ‘No catch. It sounds like you haven’t met many genuine people.’
Snow shook her head. ‘No, well, just the one, but he’s history.’
Gallisa didn’t ask who on seeing Snow’s expression. ‘We will say no more. But really, I do just want to help.’
Gallisa’s eyes showed such honesty and kindness that Snow, for the first time since being found almost frozen, relaxed. ‘I believe you.’
‘Good,’ Gallisa replied and walked out of the room.
Gallisa walked back into the oversized room and handed Snow the sword.
The hilt was glowing white; each little gem shone brightly. The blade was not silver as expected, but the colour of the sky on a summer’s afternoon.
Snow grinned. ‘Thank you. I need to start hunting down the evils.’
Gallisa grabbed the chest. ‘Remember to keep this with you. Only you can use the sword and chest.’
Snow nodded. ‘I know.’ She didn’t tell Gallisa her rea
l plan; that, yes, she would hunt and trap the evils of the world, but one day, she would have to set them free too.
Snow took the small mahogany box covered in silver glitter.
Snow put on a scabbard and placed the sword in it. ‘You have been so kind. Fairies, protectors of the innocent and good. You live up to your reputation. I will forever be in your debt.’
Galissa held her hand. ‘Come visit again sometime. It’s been nice to have some company.’
‘I will,’ Snow promised.
MIRROR ON THE WALL
Lori paced in front of the gold and silver mirror. The mirror warped into a cold, skeletal face with hollow eyes. ‘Mirror, mirror on the wall, who’s the fairest of them all?’ Lori asked.
‘My Queen, Snow is still the fairest of them all.’
The face morphed back into the mirror, leaving Lori staring at her own, tired complexion.
Lori threw a vase, smashing it against her wall. How is that little brat still alive? She should have frozen by now, Lori thought.
She heard footsteps behind her. Someone had gotten into her chamber uninvited. ‘Lori,’ Henry said, his voice breaking. ‘May I talk to—’
‘No,’ she barked, ‘you may not! Now, leave. You should not be in here!’
Tears brimmed in his eyes. ‘Please, my Queen, it’s Snow, she’s still missing. I fear for her life.’
‘Since when did you care again?’ Lori asked. ‘The last thing I remember, after the execution, was you walking away from Snow as she was attacked by Belle before Belle was dragged away.’
The truth was Belle losing it was the perfect excuse Lori needed to lock her away. Sure, she would have found a way regardless, but it was much quicker than she had anticipated. She didn’t need Belle seeking revenge after Edward’s death, nor did she want her around anyway.
Unfortunately, Kathryn, Edward’s mother and the Queen of Dolorom, and James broke Belle out of the dungeons.
She had prepared for the anticipated attack from Dolorom, but nothing happened.
She called off her own attack on Dolorom after Milborn sent a huge army there.
Henry grabbed a picture of him and Snow with Lori from the side. ‘I walked away because Snow made it apparent that she didn’t want me in her life anymore after she found out that I had made a deal with you! I knew she’d be okay. The guards protected her.’
Lori rolled her eyes. ‘You’re so gallant.’
Henry sniffed back a sob. ‘I brought her up. I love and care for her more than anything.’
Lori turned and looked down at the little dwarf whose face had become annoyingly familiar over the years. ‘I do not know where she is,’ she lied and gave a dismissive wave of her hand. He walked out, slamming the door behind him.
She waited for the footsteps to fade and paced in front of the mirror again. ‘Mirror, mirror on the wall, where is Snow White? And how is she still alive?’
The mirror warped back into a grey, solemn face and replied, ‘Snow is on the mountain where you placed her. She has befriended the Snow Queen and has found shelter there.’
Lori knocked the picture of she, Snow, and Henry over. ‘She can’t just die, can she?’
The face disappeared. Lori examined her wrinkled face and traced her fingers through her straight black hair. If her plan would work, then she would stay eternally young. The apples were running out, and she couldn’t make anymore. She knew that day would come but had hoped she’d find some other way by then.
‘Guard,’ Lori screeched.
A guard entered her chamber, ‘Majesty,’ he said with a low bow.
‘Find me a wolf,’ she ordered. ‘A particular one called Red. She lives in the Dead Woods. Bring her to me!’
***
Belle looked at her son. James looked empty and depressed. She tried to cheer him up, but nothing had worked so far.
Since Snow had gone, the happiness in him went away with her.
Belle warmed her hands by the fire. She was angry with Snow for what she did to Edward, but she did understand why she did what she did. Edward had killed her mother. She found herself in a constant turmoil of grieving the man she loved and hating him on learning of all the terrible things he had done.
‘Maybe we can find her,’ Belle suggested.
James looked up at her and forced a small smile, which quickly disappeared.
‘I appreciate it, Mum, but I was horrible to her after Edward was killed. She won’t want to see me.’ He lowered his head. ‘Anyway, she’s disappeared. No one knows where she went.’
Belle grinned. ‘Since when were you one to give up? Come on, where’s my adventurous boy?’
‘I grew up,’ James said bitterly. ‘I’m going to kill Lori, though. That, I do promise.’
‘No more killing,’ Belle said, shaking her head. James wasn’t listening.
He walked out and went to practice sword fighting at the castle.
Since Edward’s death, his mother, Queen Kathryn, had offered for James to move there. They broke Belle out of the prison where Lori had kept her after Edward’s execution.
Belle told Kathryn what happened to Edward.
Kathryn wanted to attack Northmanni, but her husband, the king, would not allow it. He didn’t seem to care about Edward’s death at all.
On the walk to the castle, James stopped at a bench, gathering his thoughts.
James thought about the last words Snow had said to him. That was all he had ever wanted to hear from her. Those three words, I love you.
He missed her teasing, her soft side, and her slightly psychotic side. He secretly adored the crazy.
‘Mum’s right. I can’t give up!’ he said aloud and ran back to the cottage to pack a bag. He ran over the hills toward the quaint little cottage. The sun was setting, leaving the meadows and hills soaked in an orange glow.
He barged through the door. Belle was putting away the dishes and dropped one on hearing the loud bang. She raced into their small living room. ‘What’s wrong?’
He smiled. ‘Nothing’s wrong, except for my actions so far. I’m going to find Snow!’
‘Not alone,’ Belle said. ‘We will go together. I’m part of the reason she would have left.’
He nodded and grabbed some food from the larder, placing it into a bag. ‘We need to leave now. We will ride to Northmanni.’
THROWN TO THE WOLVES
Lori watched as anger, fear, and then finally, acceptance washed over Snow’s expression. The wolves waited patiently under Lori’s command.
Snow gripped the tree as Lori used her magic to push her back into the woods. Snow was losing her grip; one by one, her fingers slipped from the tree trunk. Her nails scraped into the bark until they bled.
Lori showed no compassion as she pushed Snow to her death.
They were hungry, saliva dripped from their canines. Red was one of them, but she no longer knew who she was. She had been a wolf for so long that she had nothing but second-dimensional consciousness. No self-awareness, just instinct. To eat, survive, and follow the alpha of the pack. And thanks to a spell, Lori was now their alpha.
The winter-strangled woods were to be Snow’s graveyard. Grasping at the sword, she tried to swing it to cut the magic, but Lori’s wind spell had grown stronger.
Snow gasped as she finally succumbed to the mighty wind.
The cold pierced through Snow’s ripped tights as she was pushed across the ground, creating a trail in the frost.
‘Kill her.’ Lori gave the wolves their final command then turned away. She vanished with a click of her fingers and reappeared back at her palace.
She was lucky to turn up at the mountain when she did, ready to have to fight the Snow Queen when she saw Snow walking alone into the woods by the base of the mountain.
She looked out the window at her beautiful kingdom. Today was a good day.
Since killing the king, Snow’s grandfather, Lori had full control of the kingdom. Snow, being the only heir, was Lori’s only threat
She called a guard to fetch Stilt from the dungeon. She hadn’t killed him. She needed him; she was desperate, but she couldn’t show him that.
‘Stilt,’ she addressed him as he was dragged in by a guard. He walked over to her, his chains dragging on the floor.
‘What now?’ he spat. He made sure to rub as much dirt into her carpet with his feet as he could. Anything he could do to annoy her was a small victory.
‘I need you to do something for me.’
He laughed. ‘I don’t think so! I’m not doing anything for you. Please, have me executed. My wife and child are dead, as is my friend. I have nothing to live for, and you are out of your mind if you think I’d spend the rest of my miserable existence cozied up and serving an old hag!’
She gritted her teeth and raised her hand. A goblet appeared filled with clear water.
Stilt laughed again, peering into the goblet. ‘You think a drink will get me to use my powers to help you? You are out of your mind!’
‘That,’ she said, drinking the contents, ‘is all that was left from the water fetched from the fountain of youth many, many years ago. Of course, no one knows the whereabouts of it anymore. It was moved.’
‘Shame, back to apples then?’ he asked.
‘No,’ she said, smirking. ‘I am taking a little trip to the fountain to take all of its gloriousness, all of its powers.’
Stilt’s eyebrows shot up his forehead. ‘It’s impossible. Many have tried, but you cannot take its powers. Also, like you said, you don’t know where it is.’
Lori smiled sardonically. ‘Nothing is impossible. I am the most cunning in all the lands. I can take its powers, and with you, I can bring people back from the dead with its powers. You know the powers of the fountain better than anyone.’
Stilt looked at Lori gravely. ‘Yes, after my daughter was, well, you know what I did.’
Lori nodded sympathetically. ‘You tried to bring her back, as any father would. But like many others, you failed to find it. With my help, we can get everything we want.’
Journey to Neverland (Haunting Fairytales Series Book 2) Page 3
