Glass Frost

by Liz Dejesus

  “What happened?” Prince Ferdinand asked.

  “Everywhere she went, people would wait until she spoke to see if any precious stones fell out of her mouth, and when she refused to speak, they would try to force her to talk. Then her own husband, the supposed kind prince she married, made her speak until her throat became raw and bloodied. Every time she spoke, the flowers and stones that went past her lips were covered with blood. She lost her voice, and since she could no longer speak, he beat Fanny until he could get the tiniest whimper out of her. That was when I decided to offer her sanctuary. Humans didn’t value the gifts I gave them through her, and since I couldn’t take Fanny’s gift away, I took her with me.”

  “Why couldn’t you take her gift away?” Bianca asked.

  “Too much time had passed. It became a deep part of her. Also, if I took her gift away now, it would certainly kill her. It’s the only thing that’s kept her alive all these years.”

  “Are you sure it’s what she wants? Don’t you think she’d rather be free from all of this?”

  Queen Titania disregarded Bianca’s comment and muttered, “People, mortals, such a greedy race. Hatred. Death. Greed. Envy. So many different names, yet all these things come from the same exact dark well.”

  “Trust me, you’re preaching to the choir. Things are way worse on our side of the world,” Ming said.

  “I know. That is why my kind created Everafter, as you mortals call it. We wanted to get away from you. The violence. The killing. The pollution. Yet, you always seem to find us, no matter where we hide.” Titania’s eyes softened as she gazed at Fanny. It made Bianca wonder how long she had been her caretaker. Did she feel responsible for Fanny’s fate? Part of her was tempted to ask Titania, but she decided against it.

  Fanny continued to dance and laugh. This time, she did so alone.

  So pretty.

  Bianca turned around, ready to leave the Fairy Realm, defeated and with no answers, when something hit her. What if Fanny could understand her questions, regardless of what the queen thought? What was the harm in asking? Bianca shrugged and turned back toward Fanny. Terrance put a hand on her shoulder and tried to stop her. His eyes widened. With a look, he asked her what she was doing. She patted his hand and walked away, convinced that what she was about to do was right.

  “What does she think she’s doing?” Titania asked.

  Bianca hesitated for a moment, worried about what the queen would do to her. But Titania remained still, almost as if she was as curious as everyone else to see how Fanny would react to Bianca.

  Fanny danced around Bianca as though she were invisible. She just twirled and giggled, as though someone had told a funny joke.

  Why won’t she see me? Am I invisible to her?

  “Hello,” Bianca cried. She touched Fanny on the elbow, hoping deep inside to make a connection. A flash of light blinded her momentarily, and she felt an electric current race through her body. The power from that knocked Bianca on the floor on her rear end.

  Fanny miraculously stopped. She remained silent at first. Then she turned her dark brown eyes at Bianca. They held so much sorrow and pain.

  “Fanny, can you hear me?” Bianca asked.

  “Yes,” she replied. Her eyes widened in surprise, as though she was amazed that she was still able to use her voice.

  Fanny then gagged. She got on all fours and heaved until a single white rose passed through her lips. The flower was covered with bile and saliva as it fell heavily on the ground.

  Bianca sat beside Fanny, her hand hovering over her shoulder precariously. She was scared of what else would happen should she touch Fanny once more.

  “I’m so sorry. I forgot that it would cause you pain to speak.”

  Fanny looked into Bianca’s eyes. She shrugged and gave Bianca a sad smile.

  “My name is Bianca. Those are my friends over there—Ming, Terrance, and Prince Ferdinand. We’re all here because we need your help.”

  Fanny nodded.

  “We’re looking for your sister, Elda. Please don’t talk, just nod, but can you tell me, do you know where she is?”

  Fanny hugged her knees and pressed them to her chest. She rocked herself back and forth as she fought back the tears. She gave Bianca a single nod.

  “Can you tell me where?”

  Fanny shook her head. She wiped her eyes and sobbed. Almost as if the non-verbal answer she had just given Bianca caused her physical pain.

  All Bianca wanted to do was hug Fanny and tell her that everything was going to be all right. She wanted to make her a thousand promises, none of which she would ever be able to keep. Fanny coughed and put a protective hand over her throat. She sobbed and wiped her tears away before they reached her cheeks.

  “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” Bianca had a pained expression on her face. She was trying to keep herself from crying.

  “We have reason to believe that she stole Cinderella’s glass slipper,” Terrance said. He took a step toward them and joined the conversation.

  Fanny looked at him and giggled. She grinned and shook her head once more.

  “Then why does Queen Felicia suspect her?” Bianca whispered. She turned her attention back to Fanny and said, “I’m so sorry to have bothered you. We’ll leave you alone now.”

  Fanny reached out and held Bianca’s hand. She pulled Bianca toward her and whispered, “She’ll never stop. No matter what you do.” Eight rubies fell out of her mouth. Fanny picked up the blood-red rubies off the ground and wiped them clean with the edge of her skirt. She offered the precious stones to Bianca.

  She wasn’t sure if it was okay to accept them, since they were in the Fairy Realm. She remembered Terrance’s warning. She turned to him. No words were needed. He seemed to know what she was asking him. He gave her a single nod and looked away. Bianca extended both hands and let Fanny place the rubies into her open hands.

  “Thank you so much,” Bianca whispered.

  Fanny gave her a tiny smile and then got up to dance when music started once more. Bianca studied the stones for a moment and realized that each one was the shape of a heart. Eight rubies. Eight hearts.

  What does it mean?

  Prince Ferdinand, Terrance, Ming, and Bianca walked away from Fanny and left her alone. She had nothing else to say.

  Queen Titania grabbed Bianca’s arm and hissed, “How did you do that?”

  “Do what?” Bianca asked innocently.

  Queen Titania looked at her as though she were speaking to an idiot and said, “Get her to speak.”

  “I-I don’t know,” Bianca stammered. “I just felt a connection to her pain.”

  “In the two hundred years that Fanny has been here, she has never uttered a single syllable, and you are here for less than thirty minutes and she speaks!” she cried.

  Bianca winced and whispered, “Sorry?”

  “I will be watching your progress very, very closely, young girl. Very, very closely,” she said and then narrowed her eyes.

  “Ooookay.” It’s official. The natives have gone cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs.

  “I think it’s time we were on our way,” Prince Ferdinand said and flashed his best smile.

  “Yes, I think that’s for the best,” Terrance agreed.

  “Thank you, Queen Titania, for your gracious hospitality and your help,” Prince Ferdinand said.

  Titania nodded, but her eyes never left Bianca’s.

  “We shall see each other…very soon,” the queen said.

  Bianca took a deep breath and walked away from Queen Titania’s icy glare. She wanted to tremble, cry, and run all at once, but she pushed the fear away. This was not the time or the place to show her true emotions.

  “Farewell, Your Majesty,” Bianca said. Ming echoed the same sentiment in barely a whisper.

  “Farewell,” Queen Titania said with a curt nod.

  Once they stepped out of the fairy ring, Bianca gasped at the whoosh of air. Everything looked just as it had before. Except that there were no
fairies, pixies, gnomes, or elves staring, pointing, or laughing at her. None that she could see with her own eyes, anyway.

  “Come on. Let’s get out of here,” Bianca said as she walked to her horse.

  When she saw Apollo’s mane, she rolled her eyes, partly annoyed, partly amused at what the fairies had done to stay entertained. Some of the fairies had taken it upon themselves to braid Apollo’s hair and put little blue violets and baby’s breath between each lock of hair.

  “Sorry, Apollo,” she whispered and patted him gently on the forehead. “If it’s any consolation, it looks pretty.”

  Apollo neighed in response, but remained calm. Bianca looked at everyone else’s horse, and they all had their manes braided. Innocent prank. Nothing that would hurt anyone.

  She untied the knot on the tree and double checked her bags to make sure nothing had been tampered with. It took her a few tries, but she managed to get on the horse without any help. Terrance maneuvered his stallion until they were riding side by side. He watched all around until he was certain that they weren’t being followed. He kept one hand on the reins and the other on the hilt of his sword. Bianca sensed that he was doing his best to protect her and keep her safe.

  Once they were miles away from the Fairy Realm and away from prying eyes and ears, Bianca let out a sigh of relief.

  “Is it me or did things get a little serious in there?”

  “I almost threw up when I saw all that stuff coming out of Fanny’s mouth. That is gross. Why would anyone give her a gift like that? Why not just give her money?” Ming said.

  “Craziness,” Bianca muttered.

  “You and I have very different ideas of what a vacation is, B. You like running around in this warped version of Disney World, while I prefer sipping on a virgin strawberry daiquiri on the beach. You owe me a vacation.”

  “Duly noted,” Bianca sighed.

  “This is not good. Not good at all,” Ferdinand muttered. He grabbed a fistful of his blond hair and shook his head.

  “What? Why?” Bianca asked.

  “Titania has interest in you,” Terrance said. His tone was serious, which frightened her even more.

  “Yeah, so?”

  “You don’t understand. The best thing for you is to be invisible to her. Now she knows about you and the magic you possess. She will try to use you to her advantage.”

  “She can’t use me,” she argued.

  Prince Ferdinand shook his head once more and gave her a grave look. “She can and she will.”

  Eight

  “So…I’m confused. Is Elda dead?” Ming blurted. “And if she is, then who took the glass slipper?”

  “I don’t know, but we have to figure it out soon before the other slipper is taken,” Terrance said.

  “That won’t happen. The other slipper is in the museum guarded by my mother’s magic and God knows what else,” Bianca said. She had absolute trust and faith in her mother. No one and nothing could get inside the museum without Rose’s knowledge. Of that, Bianca was certain. “Who around here knows secrets of Everafter? I mean obscure things no one else would know? There’s always someone who knows all of the dirty little secrets.”

  “Hmmm.” Prince Ferdinand thought it over for a moment. His face then lit up and he shouted, “The dwarves!”

  “Are we talking about the same dwarves I’m thinking about?” Bianca asked.

  “I believe so,” he replied.

  “Seven dwarves, right? As in Snow White and the Seven Dwarves?” Ming asked.

  “Correct,” Ferdinand said.

  “Except that four of the original seven have passed away. There are only three left,” Terrance said.

  “Aww, that sucks,” Bianca whispered.

  “They’re really old and have become quite reclusive throughout the years, but I have a feeling they will speak to you,” Terrance said.

  “What makes you say that?” she asked.

  Terrance arched an eyebrow.

  “Hello? Have you looked in the mirror lately?” Ming replied.

  “Oh, right.” She drew an imaginary circle around her face with her index finger. “I look like her.”

  She had jet black hair and pale skin just like her ancestor. There were other similarities as well; they had the same heart-shaped face and naturally full lips that seemed to form a cupid’s bow.

  Though there were differences, like the ice-blue eyes she inherited from her father and Rose’s pale-pink lips—Snow had electric-blue eyes and red lips—Bianca was sure that, from a distance, they looked identical.

  “How far is their cottage?” she asked.

  “They live deep within the forest,” Terrance replied. “It’s a wonder Snow White survived as long as she did. It’s in a secluded area that no one visits anymore, and that’s how the dwarves like it.”

  Bianca nodded, understanding. “So any idea where their cottage is?” she asked.

  Both Terrance and Prince Ferdinand shook their heads.

  “I’m sorry, Bianca. No one has seen or heard from the dwarves in over two hundred years. Anyone who might have known the path is long gone,” Prince Ferdinand said.

  Bianca groaned. “You’re gonna make me wear it, aren’t you?”

  Terrance smirked and replied, “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

  “Wear what? What are you talking about?” Ming asked.

  Bianca arched her right eyebrow. Ming then covered her lips and tried—and failed—not to giggle.

  Bianca grabbed her backpack and dug around blindly. She didn’t need her eyes to know what she was looking for. The soft velvet was a texture she knew anywhere. There was nothing else in the world like it. Bianca pulled out the blood-red riding cape and slipped it over her head. Once upon a time, Little Red Riding Hood ventured into the dark woods and encountered the Big Bad Wolf. The girl’s grandmother perished, but Red survived, thanks in part to her red riding cape. Bianca felt the veil of magic drape itself over her. She closed her eyes and concentrated on what she wanted to find.

  The cottage. The cottage where the seven dwarves lived with Snow White.

  With that thought running steadily in her mind, tiny blue footprints appeared on the ground. They showed her the way they needed to follow, almost as if each little footstep was warning her to stay on the path. Bianca had read the story. She knew what would happen should she stray.

  Nine

  It took them a couple of long days of traveling over open valleys and through a pass between rocky mountains, but they safely arrived at the cottage of the seven dwarves. Bianca stared ahead in confusion. Was it a cottage that had a roof made up of leaves? Or was it a bunch of trees that had come together to look like a cottage?

  “Uhh, what am I seeing here?” Bianca whispered.

  “I’m not sure,” Terrance said.

  “They carved a house out of the tree?” Ming asked.

  “Not all the dwarves were miners,” Prince Ferdinand explained as they got closer to the cottage. “Each dwarf had a different set of talents and skills. One was a carpenter, the others—an artisan, fisherman, gardener, miner, hunter, and an herbalist. They all helped in the construction of their home. Some of the books I’ve been forced to read bore me to tears, but I quite enjoy learning about the different races that live here in Everafter.” He pursed his lips and then muttered, “It’s math and politics that I can’t stand.”

  Bianca whispered, “That’s incredible.” She was in awe of the intricate details she noticed as they got closer and closer to the cottage.

  There were carvings of roses, fairies, apple blossoms, gems, and dwarves. She also noticed other whimsical designs that the artist included, like swirls, curls, and waves. As Bianca followed the carvings on the wall, she noticed they subtly told the story of Snow White. She saw one carving that showed the seven dwarves rushing toward a snowflake with a jeweled comb resting beside it. In another, they held scissors as they ran toward a snowflake surrounded by black ribbons. In the final carving, the seven
little men surrounded a snowflake that lay flat on the ground with a black apple next to it.

  “It’s the story of Snow White,” Bianca said.

  “How do you know?” Ming asked.

  “Look. Just imagine Snow White as each of those snowflakes.” She pointed to each series of designs and explained the meaning behind each one.

  “Wow,” Ming whispered.

  “Intriguing,” Terrance whispered.

  Bianca ran her fingers along each carving. Here she was, standing in front of the house of the seven little men that gave their lives to protect her ancestor. She walked around to the backyard, eager to see more, and was startled by what she saw there. It was the glass casket, except that there was an apple tree growing in the middle of it. She thought of the apple in the museum, safely kept away from everyone in its Plexiglas case. Then she remembered that Snow White did take a bite from the apple; perhaps a seed or two had fallen out of the apple core when she dropped it on the ground.

  “Is that what I think it is?” Ming asked.

  “Yep,” Bianca replied.

  “This is twenty different kinds of creepy, B.”

  “Definitely don’t eat those apples,” Bianca said.

  She was sure they could all agree on that.

  “So, we should…maybe…knock on their door,” Bianca mumbled. She nibbled nervously on her thumb. She wasn’t crazy about the idea of talking to the dwarves, at least the ones that were still alive. She couldn’t get over what Terrance had implied; the dwarves would definitely speak to her, but only because she looked like her great-great-great-grandmother, Snow White.

  “I suppose you’ll want to do it,” Prince Ferdinand said.

  “No, definitely not something I wanna do right now.” She shook her head.

  “Why not?” Ming asked.

  “I want to know if they’ll help us because we’re, you know, us. Not because I look like her. Does that make sense?” Bianca said.

  “You’re weird,” Ming said.