Kingdom of Mirrors and Roses

by A. W. Cross

  His throat contracted, his limbs tensed, and he forced the words out of his mouth. His voice trembled, and his eyes stung. “Claire… What have you done?”

  “If you don’t love me. I won’t stand in your way to keep searching for true love.” Tears fell down her eyes. “I—” her eyes closed when she swallowed.

  William’s hands grabbed her waist. “No! I wasn’t prepared.” He kissed her again. “I love you.” He kissed her one time. Two times.

  Her eyes didn’t open again.

  His right hand moved up and cupped her left cheek. “Look at me. Does it hurt?”

  “I feel cold,” Claire whispered. Her legs gave away. He grabbed her and sat with her on the marble floor. “So cold, William.”

  William searched for the sparkling lights of his godmothers. “Ming, what’s happening?”

  Tears rolled down her cheeks and turned into ice. William grabbed a small orb with his fingers.

  Ming, Kara, and Tasha hovered above Claire’s chest.

  Kara spoke first. “She’s not turning into diamond.”

  Ming looked at William. “Her body temperature suddenly dropped.”

  Tasha flew behind William’s head, and her tiny hand smashed against his skull. “Kiss her again. You didn’t do it properly the first time.”

  “I kissed her twice,” William protested, rubbing the back of his head.

  “You can’t let her die. Who will play with us and help us with the parties?” Kara asked, twirling to face him.

  “And convince you to let us invite our friends?” Ming added.

  The fairies’ protests weren’t helping William controlling his feelings and anxiety. “Do you think I want to lose her? I didn’t want to kiss, so this didn’t happen.” He lowered his head and hid his face against her neck. “Claire.” Her skin felt cold. “Talk to me.” His tears dropped from his eyes and into her skin.

  “Her hair is turning white,” Ming alerted.

  William leaned back and looked at Claire. Her skin was pale, her lips were becoming blue, and the gold in her hair was losing its color.

  “Oh no!” Tasha shrieked.

  William looked back and saw her hands covering her mouth. “What’s wrong?”

  Tasha pointed in the direction of the dragon queen’s statue. “She’s coming back to life. Her feet are turning into flesh, and the diamond is disappearing.”

  “Does that mean that Claire broke your curse?” Ming said, flying close to his face.

  “This can’t happen!” Kara protested, flying to the statue and throwing blue dust at it. “Freeze again. Don’t wake up, evil witch.”

  William looked breathless at the statue and at Claire’s body.

  Ming’s hand touched his shoulder. “Try to shift into a dragon and turn that witch into ice. We won’t have another chance. I know you’re hurting—”

  “Take care of Claire.” William rose to his feet, wiped the tears from his face, and aimed his hands covered in mist at Edana’s statue. Ice covered the body, but a red light began to shine on her legs.

  “She’s trying to release herself,” Ming said, next to him. “Shift. It’s our only chance.”

  The prince fisted his hands. “Move Claire into safety. If I shift, I might step on her.”

  Ming flew away, and William saw her and her sisters surrounding Claire’s body with magic and carrying her into a safe distance.

  Only then the focused all his will into turning to the being he was born to be. If he was successful, it meant that Claire had managed to break his curse.

  The prince willed his body to shift into the huge dragon beast. His body spasmed, and his bones broke. Growling, he welcomed the pain and focused his dragon vision on Edana’s statue that was coming back to life.

  Raising his paw, he sliced the statue into five pieces as if it was butter. Edana was gone, and he was finally free from the curse. Everybody he had turned into diamond would return to normal. Only he remained alone. Claire had lost consciousness once they kissed.

  He turned his head to look to where the fairies were. They were using their powers around Claire.

  His voice came out guttural. “What are you doing?”

  “Warming her up. Her breathing is shallow, and she’s not responding, but she’s alive,” Ming replied.

  “She looks more and more like an ice dragon human form,” Kara commented. “Do you think the rumors are true?”

  William turned back into a human and rushed to Claire’s side. He knelt and held her cold hand on his. “What are you talking about?”

  “Molecular mutation,” Ming replied.

  William frowned. “What type of mutation?”

  “I hope that it’s an insertion,” Kara answered as she hovered Claire’s head and tried to open one of her eyes. “Her pupils are responding.”

  “She probably just needs sleep,” Ming said. She smiled when she gazed at William. “Our human is becoming a little bit more like us. She might not be able to shift into a dragon, but she’s showing signs of sharing your molecular structure. You must have infected her when you kissed.”

  “I’m not understanding.”

  “Your dragon marked her as his companion,” Kara explained.

  William cuddled Claire’s hand. “All I need to know is if she’s going to be fine.”

  “I believe she’ll awake once the transformation is over.”

  “We should take her to the Diamond Palace. If her body temperature is adjusting to endure cold conditions, staying here will slow down the process,” Ming advised.

  William didn’t wait for them to say anything else. He grabbed her in his arms and rushed out of that cursed and overheated palace.

  Edana was dead. He was free of his curse.

  “We have a little problem,” Ming said when she flew past William and stopped at the entrance of the palace. She turned around to look at the prince. “Edana’s soldiers are guarding the exit.”

  William halted. “I’m stronger now that I can shift, but I might have to turn into a dragon if there are many to deal.”

  The prince didn’t wait for the fairies to come up with a solution. His hands shone with a white aura, mist surrounded Claire’s body, and she floated away from him and into the fairies’ direction.

  He glimpsed back. “Take care of her.”

  William marched to the exit with his hands glowing with luminescent and floating ice.

  The front guard in a brown uniform with a lance in one hand and a shield in the other spoke. “Stop! You’re not allowed to leave this palace.”

  “Step aside. I don’t want to hurt you, but I will if you don’t let me leave with my wife to be.”

  “Where the queen?” a few voices asked from behind the guard that seemed to be leading the group of armed men.

  The guard glanced back. “She will have our heads and kill our families if we let them escape.”

  “The queen is dead,” William announced. “You’ll be joining her if you don’t let me pass.”

  The guard sneered. “Nonsense. Many have tried and failed.”

  “He’s telling the truth,” a male voice said from above in the ceiling.

  William and the guards looked up and saw an animal with the body of a lion and a head and wings of an eagle. He was hovering close to the dome.

  “Captain,” the guards shouted in unison, bowing their heads and kneeling on one knee.

  The griffin landed and resumed his human form—a tall, short, and dark-haired man with a stern expression, and ice-steel eyes.

  Placing his close hand against his chest, he bowed to William. “My king.” He looked at his guards. “Bow to your new master, the White Dragon.”

  William frowned as the other guards quickly dropped their spears to the ground and knelt in ovation.

  “I’m not your king,” William said. “I have no wish to rule over this kingdom.”

  The captain lowered his face. “You killed the evil queen. You must claim her crown to maintain peace and stop the other w
arlords from fighting each other.”

  “I just came here to save my future wife,” William claimed.

  “My lord—”

  William raised one hand. “I’m the rightful heir of the Diamond Kingdom. I have no wish to extend my rulership to another kingdom. Not one as hot as this one. I’m an ice dragon. My kind doesn’t handle heat well.”

  “We’re doomed,” a guard whispered.

  William looked back to check on Claire. She was still sleeping in the floating cloud.

  A fairy flew in front of him, pink dust fell around her and twirled around her until Ming’s human-sized body appeared before William’s eyes. Ming had decided to take the form that made the humans respect her more. It also didn’t hurt that his godmother was stunning in her purple dress.

  The guards lowered their eyes with a bow, and the captain fixated his gaze on Ming’s figure.

  “I’ll stay behind to deal with this,” Ming announced. “You need to take Claire away from here. Kara will stay with me. Tasha will go with you.”

  “What will you do?” the prince asked.

  “Find this kingdom a new ruler,” Ming said.

  Nodding; William waved his hand and called to him the cloud carrying Claire. He didn’t wait to listen to what Ming had to say to the captain. Time was running out. Claire needed to return to his palace.

  Epilogue

  “William,” Claire called, reaching up her hand to hold his. “Don’t go.” Tears rolled down her cheeks. She felt them on her skin. “I love you.”

  Her words were useless. William kept floating away from her. A burst of wicked laughter echoed from somewhere unknown. Yet she recognized it as being from the awful creature that had taken her from the arms of her beloved prince.

  They had been dancing. The fairies were twirling around them in the air, leaving colorful dust to create magical rainbows. The prince was smiling. His lush and pink lips leaned close to hers. Their hands were touching, skin with skin. She wanted him to kiss her. Her lips longed for his. Then, he was pulled away from her. The butler stabbed him. Blood dripped on the pristine floor, creating a pool from where a dragon’s face contorted and snarled at her. She tried to reach for her prince. Her feet glued to the ground. Dark hands grabbed her ankles and stopped her from reaching William.

  Why? Why was he floating away from her and the wicked witch kept laughing? Why was she only human and unable to save the one she loved?

  Her eyes snapped open, and she saw the drapes covering the canopy bed where she was laid down. Her throat felt dry, and her head heavy.

  It was only a dream. Her body quivered, and she breathed deeply to control her emotions. Only a—

  Sitting up, she looked around the unfamiliar bedroom with white furniture and tall ceilings. The light came from the balcony door on her left. She could only see the clouds and the blue sky.

  Her hands touched her arms, her chest, and face. She moved her feet under the silk sheet covering her. There was fog floating above the marble floor. Was she dead? Her people believe that the souls of the dead would go to heaven. If they had been good. Maybe that wasn’t fog but clouds. Was everything white and silver in heaven like in the Diamond Palace?

  Glimpsing the pale blonde hair falling down her shoulders, she realized that her skin was also pale, and she was wearing a white dress with a silver sheer overlay and sequin detailing that she had never seen before.

  Her fingers flew to her lips as memories rushed to her head. She had kissed William. He had come to save her from Edana. What happened after that?

  A door opened and William came inside with his eyes on the ground and a defeated expression.

  “William!” Claire didn’t wait for him to look up because she got up from the bed and rushed into his arms. “William.”

  The prince stood still when her body crashed against his and her arms clasped around his chest.

  Clearing his throat, he asked, “Claire? Are you okay? How are you feeling?”

  She looked up and rested her chin on his chest. “Lonely and scared. Where am I?”

  “In our bedroom,” he replied.

  “Where?”

  “Our palace.”

  “I don’t have a palace. Are we in the Diamond Palace?”

  He nodded and his hand moved up and placed a few strands of hair behind her ear. “Do you remember what happened?”

  “Not after I kissed you.”

  His lips curled up.

  “How long have I been sleeping? You look—different, somehow. Why am I here? Where is here exactly? I don’t remember this room.”

  “This is where I sleep. My bedroom. Ours now.” His fingers brushed her cheek. “I can’t believe you woke up.”

  “Why? What happened?”

  His breath caressed her lips. “It’s been twenty days since…I killed Edana and you kissed me.”

  She stepped back and let him go. Her toes curled on the marble floor, but it didn’t feel cold to her. In fact, she was aware that the temperature wasn’t high, but it didn’t bother her. What bothered her was the number of days that she had lost. The fact that she had remained enchanted after kissing him. Her kiss had failed.

  “Who broke your curse? I became a statue for only twenty days … Then who broke your curse?” Her heart hurt in her chest with the notion that she wasn’t the one William had chosen to be his wife. “It needed to be a true love kiss. We kissed and…”

  William narrowed the distance between them and placed two fingers over her lips. “You broke my curse. Don’t you remember? You kissed me.”

  “I remember kissing you, but … then nothing.” She swallowed and grabbed his hand. They were touching skin to skin. No gloves. No fabric preventing him from turning her into diamond.

  “My beautiful queen,” William whispered, his eyes fixated on her face as if he had become enthralled. “Do you have any idea how hurtful it was to wait for you to wake up? As much as I knew that I had to be patient, not being able to talk to you and see you smile…” He swallowed dry and placed his forehead against hers. “Now that you are awake, I have a lot to tell you. There are many people who are waiting to see you.”

  “The fairies, Mom, Dad, and Myka?” I questioned.

  “Yes. Everybody has been impatiently waiting for you to wake up.”

  “Why did I fell asleep? What happened after we kissed?”

  Cupping her chin, William leaned down and kissed her lips. Their kiss left her breathless and light-headed. Her hands secured to his arms, and she moaned in protest when he stopped the kissing.

  “I love you so much, Claire.”

  She opened her eyes to look at his face. “I love you too, William.”

  “Now that you’re awake, we can finally marry, and you’ll be my queen.”

  “I don’t want to be your queen, I want to be your wife,” she protested. “Even if I’m human and won’t live as much as you.”

  “I believe I need to show your image in a mirror so you can see your transformation. Like I said, we have a lot to talk about, my love.”

  Claire blinked and muffled a shriek when he took her in his arms and walked to the corner of his room. She saw a tall mirror and gasped at the sight of William and her. Mostly because of how she looked. Her skin color, her hair, her eyes. She was still her, but there were differences that made her look more like William than like a human.

  The prince explained, “You mutated. That was why you were sleeping for so long. Your body was adjusting to the transformations. You can’t shift into a dragon because you weren’t born one, but you are more like me than human now. You probably have magical powers too. My dragon marked you. You’re no longer mortal. We’ll be together for a long time, my sweetheart.”

  Claire was at lost for words. When he placed her on the floor, she twirled around. Her appearance was incredible. Her dress was gorgeous, and she would blush head to toe if she was wearing that in front of any other male. William’s smile caught her attention. She turned to look at him and placed he
r hands on his chest.

  “You’re no longer cursed. We are in our bedroom. Our palace. I’m going to be your wife.”

  He nodded. “Do you agree with those conditions or not?”

  “I reserve the right to be the only one allowed to fly with you.”

  He frowned. “Is that your only condition to spend a lifetime with me?”

  Claire nodded. “Are you happy, my prince?”

  William chuckled and spoke close to her lips. “From now on, your happiness is my happiness. Are you happy, my love?”

  “I could float and twirl around of how happy I’m feeling.”

  “That can be arranged,” he teased.

  “Is it bad that I don’t want to see the ones that are missing me right now?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I know my family is eager to know that I’m fine. I’m sure that Myka and the fairies are worried too. But—” she raised her hand and the door closed as a gush of glacial wind smashed against it. “Hum… my powers work.”

  “What were you about to say?” William asked, without looking away from her.

  “But I just want to spend my time with you until I stop the ache of missing you. Not just that. Losing you in my dreams. Seeing you bleed. I want you, my love. In my arms. Against my body. Your lips on mine.”

  He grinned, holding her chin between his fingers as if he was preventing her from reaching his lips. “Will that make you happy, my queen?”

  She nodded with a smile that couldn’t contain her excitement. “Nothing makes me happier than you, my king.”

  William’s lips touched hers, and her body gave up to the passion consuming their bodies and souls.

  THE END

  About the Author

  Anna Santos is a Paranormal and Fantasy author. She likes to write about werewolves, vampires, angels, fae, and occasional humans.

  She’s known for leaving the house from time to time and having her family throwing a party because they haven’t seen her for days. Then they ask her how many books she wrote while gone, assuming that writing must be super easy. Anna guaranties that it’s not, but she never wanted to be anything else. Unless there’s a possibility of being a powerful supernatural being in an awesome world where unicorns and fairies are real. Then, she would probably go there and never come back.