Tomorrow, she was to go to the castle to wed. Tomorrow, Snow would eat the apple. Tomorrow, everything would change.
***
‘What?’ Snow screeched.
‘I will be marrying Lori,’ the king said with a sparkle in his blue eyes.
Snow looked at him tight-lipped and curtseyed. ‘As you wish,’ she said bitterly. ‘When will the wedding happen?’
‘Tomorrow.’
‘So soon?’
He smiled dreamily. ‘Yes.’
‘Fine.’
‘You will marry this year,’ the king said simply, ‘to the duke.’
Snow opened her mouth but closed it again. What could she say? She fiddled with her bracelet. ‘What if my heart is with another?’
‘Then,’ the king said angrily, ‘I suggest you keep your virtue and remember your duties.’
Snow nodded stiffly and walked out. He had been spelled, she was sure; still, she couldn’t argue against the king's wishes.
James headed down the corridor. ‘I came to say goodbye …’
Snow grabbed his hand. ‘Wait.’
His lips curved into a smile. ‘Always.’
Her heart skipped a beat. ‘I have to marry the duke.’ Tears brimmed in her eyes and one escaped, trickling down her cheek to her chin. James wiped it away with his thumb and brought his lips to her ear.
‘Then I will just have to enjoy you from afar.’
Her breath hitched, and he turned and brushed her lips against his.
Her sweet smell flooded his senses. He ran his hand through her hair and held his breath, pressing his lips against hers urgently. Warmth spread through him as her lips moved with his, not sweetly, but demanding. He wrapped his arm around her back and pulled her closer to him. Her body pressed against his, making him flush. He ran his hand down her side and let the dizziness go to his head, drunk from her kiss.
The sounds of guards marching up the hall distracted them both, and with great resistance, James pulled away regretfully, to keep from spoiling Snow’s name. She was panting, her chest heaving. ‘We must never mention this again.’
He gulped and took in a deep breath. ‘Of course.’
A LONG SLUMBER
Lori walked down the aisle wearing a beautiful, long, white lace dress. It dragged along behind her, and so did Snow, who looked grave as she begrudgingly made her way to the arch decorated with red and white roses. Everyone in the kingdom was there, waving flags, cheering for their new queen.
Snow caught James’s eye, and he gave her a sympathetic look. The vows seemed insincere, and Snow swore she saw Lori gag a little as her grandfather kissed her. Finally, when the ceremony was over, Snow walked over to the food table.
‘Tasted already for you,’ said one of the servants who had been spelled. ‘Apple pie.’
‘Thank you,’ Snow said, taking the bowl. James walked over and hugged her tightly.
‘What was that for?’ Snow asked.
‘You needed it,’ he said. ‘Plus, I like hugging you,’ he admitted. Snow realised he no longer looked confident. If anything, he looked a little shy.
‘I like hugging you too,’ she admitted and took a bite of the apple pie.
He wrapped his arm around her stomach. He went rigid, not knowing how to react. He pulled her closer to him. She pressed against him and dropped the bowl of apple pie. She felt dizzy yet excited. She could smell his scent. This was a hug, nothing more, she tried to think. But the way he looked at her said a thousand words. Things were no longer sarcastic or cute, it was physical. He brought his lips close to hers. She felt tingly. His beautiful scent consumed her as his lips almost brushed against hers.
This morning, he had acted as if their kiss had never happened, so she presumed it was just a silly moment easily forgotten, but his urgency told her that it was something more; much more.
Her head flopped back. At first, she thought she was going to faint, but then the garden and everyone in it started spinning around her until she was limp
‘Someone help!’ James shouted, holding her up.
Lori came running over. ‘Oh my, what happened?’ Lori asked, scooping up the rest of the pie. ‘I will get this checked.’
James felt devastated as he watched Snow being taken away. Later that day, he was informed that she was not dead. Yet she would not wake.
He crept into her chambers and felt his powers surge inside him.
Clicked footsteps followed him. ‘You need to use your powers to wake her. Only you can. I have tried,’ Lori stated from behind him.
‘Did you do this to her?’ he shouted.
‘No, of course not! Why would I?’ Lori asked. He bit his tongue and walked over to Snow.
‘How can I wake her?’ he asked.
Lori smiled sweetly. ‘You must use your powers to draw out whatever evil, spell, curse, or poison that is inside her.’
‘You sure seem to know a lot about this,’ James said suspiciously. Lori didn’t answer, just nodded. James concentrated until his powers showed. Lori clapped with delight as she saw it. Yet no matter how hard he tried, he could not wake Snow.
In Snow’s slumber, she was in a world of perpetual darkness and called out for James, but no one came. The more she feared she was in purgatory, the more the sky changed. It was a dark night, yet stars shone against the canvas.
‘You will be here one day,’ a voice said from behind her.
She turned and saw an odd looking man. ‘Am I in Hell?’
The man laughed and shook his head. ‘No.’ He looked around. ‘I am the future.’
‘Future?’ Snow arched an eyebrow.
‘Yes.’ He ran his hand through his slick back hair and looked at her with orb black eyes. ‘Everything that is to come is for a reason. I am here to warn you.’
‘About what?’ she asked. ‘How am I here?’
‘You are in a deep sleep.’ He sat on a rock and gestured for her to sit on a rock opposite him. ‘Your path is already laid out for you, no matter what you do. However, your destination can be changed depending on the decisions you make.’
Snow nodded. ‘What do I need to do?’
‘When the time comes, you will have to betray the people you love the most and side with those you hate. There will come a time when you have no heart, when you will own something more valuable than you can imagine, and one where you will be the key to everyone’s happy endings, including yours.’
‘And James’s?’
The man smiled creepily. ‘Yes …’ he breathed. ‘I cannot tell you everything, but I will say that no one will understand why you will do the things you will do—they will all hate you—but in the end, they will realise you were their saviour.’
Snow took in a deep breath. ‘If I don’t?’
‘Their happily ever afters will be lost forever …’
***
James felt his powers grow stronger every day that Snow was in her slumber. He often sat by her side, feeling totally helpless. Even if he was the key to waking her up, he didn’t know how. His powers had just surfaced, and if he used them wrong, he was worried he could do damage to her.
‘You can wake her up with a kiss,’ a man said, who appeared in the dimly lit room. ‘True love’s kiss.’
James pulled out his sword and stood up slowly. ‘Who are you?’
The man stroked his beard, which James noticed was tied in segments and sported a lot of purple beads. ‘I’m Merlin.’
‘The Merlin?’
‘So you’ve heard of me,’ Merlin stated.
James looked at him questioningly. ‘Of course. Who hasn’t?’
Merlin sat down next to the bed. He crossed his legs under his long purple robe. ‘Thank you.’
James put his sword back into the scabbard and sat down by the lit fire. ‘Lori told me about you. You’re a legend.’
Merlin laughed throatily. ‘Was. I had that pointed out to me recently. Anyway, I am here on business.’
‘What do you want?’
/> Merlin sighed. ‘Some are making waves in the world of magic! Waves that have and will continue to destroy lives. I would like to put an end to powers outside of my domain.’ He looked down at his gold pocket watch. ‘I cannot control what I do not have access to.’
‘Stilt, Edward, and Lori?’ James asked, knowingly.
Merlin nodded. ‘I need you to learn to control your powers.’
James scoffed. ‘I can’t use my powers to wake Snow up, let alone to help anyone else.’
Merlin shook his head. ‘I want you to come with me. Let me help you with your powers then take Stilt down with me. Along with Edward, and eventually, Lori. Although, she will be the hardest to break.’
‘What will I get in return?’ James asked, arching an eyebrow. ‘Aside from you helping me to control my powers, I have much to do here and battles to fight alongside Lori. I promised Snow.’
‘Well, I have told you how to wake Snow up. True love’s kiss,’ he pointed out.
‘I don’t—’ James started but stopped on seeing Merlin’s knowing look. He bent over and brushed his lips against Snow’s. They were plumper than he thought they’d be. He stepped back, and her eyes flung open.
‘What happened?’ a breathless Snow asked, clutching her chest. James rushed to her aid and helped her sit up.
‘You went into a slumber,’ James informed her. ‘Like a coma. We don’t know how, but we will find out!’ he promised.
Snow looked around, puzzled. ‘So I just randomly woke up?’
‘Uh, yes,’ James lied. She jumped off the bed and looked around, noticing Merlin for the first time.
‘Who are you?’
‘Merlin,’ he replied.
‘Why are you here, and what do you want?’ she asked, cutting straight to the point.
‘James,’ he admitted. ‘I need his help to take down two men.’
‘Stilt, Edward, and Lori,’ James told Snow.
Snow grinned. ‘We already have a plan for that. And one to take down Lori!’
Merlin smiled. ‘Care to tell me this plan of yours, Snow?’
Snow looked at James. He nodded. ‘Fine, sit down.’
SLAIN
Grumpy pushed his food around his plate. ‘Where the bloody hell is she?’
‘Calm down, I’m sure she’s on her way,’ Happy said. ‘Cheer up. You’re always so grumpy.’
‘Well, yeah, look at me!’
‘Everyone calm down,’ Sleepy said and yawned.
‘Yes, everyone please calm down,’ Lori said, who appeared by the door. ‘Snow’s taking a nap. She won’t be coming.’
‘How do you know—’ Grumpy started, but Lori raised her hand and all the dwarfs rose off the ground.
‘I know everything. Snow confided in Henry, and he told me everything in exchange for Snow’s protection. He knew your plan would fail, and he was right. Did you really think you could all take me down?’ she cackled.
‘You ruined our lives,’ Sneezy shouted.
Lori rolled her eyes. ‘No, you ruined your lives. If you didn’t plot against me, then this wouldn’t have happened. You only have yourselves to blame.’
‘Wh-what are you going t-to do?’ Happy stammered.
‘This,’ Lori said and flicked her wrists. Their necks twisted. The sound of cracking filled the dungeon. They clutched at their throats, gasping for air. Lori swiftly moved her hand, and broke their necks. The dungeon was filled with floating dead dwarfs. She took a deep breath. Slowly, each of them simultaneously dropped into piles of dust.
She wiped her hands together then exited the dungeon. ‘Now, for the real work to begin.’ She saw the wand on the table and picked it up. ‘Oh. Thank you.’
***
James jumped on his horse—a beautiful stallion gifted to him by Snow—and rode to the gates. Snow was in the garden, as per usual, picking apples off a tree. She was wearing a white cloak, embroidered with black patterns down the side. And, as always, she wore a corset-style top with a skirt, black tights, and boots.
‘Hey there,’ James called out. A stable boy took the horse to the stables.
‘James,’ she said, smiling. She ran over to him, basket swinging from her arm, and hugged him. He hugged her back. She rested her head on his chest for a little longer than she should.
‘I missed you,’ he admitted.
‘It’s been twenty-four hours.’ She laughed but couldn’t help but smile.
‘Still …’ He started.
‘I missed you too,’ she admitted. He stood back and grinned. That was one of the few times when she showed him any affection at all.
‘Good,’ he said and grinned. He reached out and brushed off the snow that had landed on her jet-black hair. She looked longingly into his eyes; those honey brown eyes melted her. She breathed in his scent and felt a little lightheaded.
‘So my mother has left to meet Merlin,’ he said, ‘which means we have Lori alone. I’m worried she may try to hurt your grandfather.’
‘She wouldn’t dare,’ Snow said, pulling out her dagger.
James groaned. ‘Calm down! Stop grabbing your dagger every time her bloody name is mentioned. We are meant to be lying low. Where are the dwarfs?’
‘They left,’ Snow said angrily.
‘What?’
‘I don’t know,’ she admitted. ’They just disappeared. I have sent out people to find them,’ she admitted and sat on a bench. They looked out at the winter wonderland in front of them.
‘Looks like it’s just us then,’ James said.
‘And Merlin,’ Snow pointed out. ‘Your mother has gone to meet him. Why didn’t you just tell her …’
‘She’s too close to Lori!’ He ground his front teeth. ‘She would tell her; she trusts her. Then Lori would know that Merlin wants my help.’
‘Good point,’ Snow said and brushed her hair out of her face. The wind had crept over Northmanni and the snow fell lightly. Soon enough, a blizzard started, forcing Snow and James inside the castle. They ran up to her chambers, and James sat in front of the fire.
‘Lovely room,’ he lied. Snow was just as bad as Lori was with the gothic interior.
‘I know it’s a bit dark, but I like it that way,’ Snow said. She took her cloak off and threw it onto her four-post bed.
‘A bit?’ He looked around. ‘Everything is either black or red.’
She laughed. ‘They’re the colours of my soul,’ she joked. He rolled his eyes, and she joined him on the sofa in front of the crackling fire.
‘That kiss …’ James started.
Snow placed her finger over his lips. ‘Thought we were never to talk about it again. Plus, it didn’t mean anything, right?’
He pulled away. ‘It didn’t?’
‘I meant for you,’ Snow said, blushing.
His eyes narrowed. ‘Did it to you?’
Snow lowered her gaze. ‘I …’
James leaned in and gazed into her eyes, sliding his hand down her hair then her neck, his gaze tracing over her as if he would never see her again and needed to take in every detail. ‘I will never let anything bad happen to you.’
Snow blushed. ‘I …’
‘Snow speechless?’ He laughed. ‘Well, there’s a first for everything,’ he said with a playful smile. He slid his fingers down to her wrists and noticed the scratches. ‘You hurt yourself?’
Snow pulled her sleeve down. ‘It’s not what you think.’
James sighed. ‘Snow, if you ever feel in pain, come to me. Promise?’
She leaned in. ‘If I do, do you promise to always make it better?’
He nodded. ‘Always.’ He lifted her wrist to his lips and kissed it softly. ‘Always, my Snow.’
Her heart skipped a beat. ‘Will you stay with me tonight?’
His eyes widened. ‘I – Yes. I would love that.’
She smiled coyly. ‘I’ve never felt so vulnerable,’ she admitted.
‘It’s not a bad thing.’
‘I could get hurt.’
He shook his head. ‘I could never hurt you.’
She took his hand and led him to her bed. ‘If I must marry someone I do not love, then I’d rather spend just one night with a man who …’
‘Yes?’
‘Nothing,’ she breathed. Slowly, she slipped off her dress. His face reddened as she bared herself, laying on the silk sheets, illuminated only by the candlelight. She looked down at his breeches and smiled.
He climbed on top of her and kissed her, his lips demanding. ‘Always my Snow,’ he whispered.
KING’S DOWNFALL
Belle looked at Lori with disgust. ‘You’re not wearing that, are you?’
Lori looked down at her dress and shrugged. ‘What’s wrong with it?’
‘You look like you’re attending a funeral. Let’s add some colour,’ Belle said brightly and walked over to Lori with one of her own yellow dresses. Lori backed away.
‘No, no, no …’ Lori repeated as Belle got closer. ‘I’m not wearing that. Look, black is my colour.’
‘At least try it!’ Belle begged.
Lori’s face twisted into one of disgust. ‘No, it’s just so … colourful.’
Belle laughed. ‘That is the point.’
James popped his head around the door. ‘What’s going on?’
Lori turned and sat at her dressing table, brushing her long dark locks. ‘Your mother is trying to make me hideous!’
James looked at his mother questioningly.
‘I’m trying to make her look less morbid,’ Belle said.
James laughed. ‘Yeah, right.’
‘Enough,’ Lori huffed. ‘Have you managed to use your powers properly yet?’
James sighed and sat on the footstool. ‘Only managed to turn an apple into a worm. Considering that is all I have to practice with here!’
‘You managed to transfigure an item into a living creature? James, that is incredible!’ Belle praised.
‘Yes, yes. Incredible,’ Lori said dismissively. ‘With more practice, you will be able to do things you couldn’t have imagined in your wildest dreams.’ Her eyes were greedy, locked onto James. He was the key to ending Edward’s miserable existence for good.
The Enchanted Kingdoms (Haunting Fairytales Series Book 1) Page 16
