by J. E. Taylor
My fingers brushed over a bump on the floor, and I stopped, digging my nails against the rock until a small pin pressed into my finger. I scooped it up and wiped it on the cleanest spot I could find on my shirt. I crossed and knelt down, undoing his ankle shackles before I released his hands.
The metal clanged on the floor as he pulled me into his arms, holding me as tight as I had held him a few moments before.
“I need to get out of this room,” I whispered, and he turned us toward the door. I broke his grip. “Wait.” I turned and crossed to the pool, then stepped into the layer of blood and gore coating the stairs. This time I did gag, but that beautiful steel blade had saved my life and I was not going to leave it behind.
With the sword clasped in my hand, and Henry’s arm wrapped around my waist, we became the first captives to ever walk out of the queen’s kill room.
Chapter 15
I took a seat on the palace steps. Henry sat next to me and took my hand. Even though we were both still covered in gore, just sitting outside made it easier to breathe.
Dust swirled on the air, blocking most of our view. Pounding footsteps echoed off the buildings. I stood, holding the sword at the ready in my right hand with Henry next to me on the left.
When the royal guard marched out of the dust, they stopped at the sight of us on the stairs. Hell, I would have too. We were downright ghoulish, covered almost entirely in blood and carrying a pristine sword.
I wasn’t in any condition to fight the entire royal guard, but if they attacked, I would find the strength.
They glanced up at the castle behind us, and then their gazes dropped back to us. Confusion clouded their faces. They exchanged glances with each other, and the weapons in their hands lowered.
The head guard took a step forward. “Where is the queen?”
“Queen Odette is dead,” I said. The snarl in my voice made the guard step back even though the wave of relief that flowed through the guards could be felt in the air.
A few of them smiled.
“And the army of the dead?” he asked, his voice lilting up with hope.
“Dust.” I waved at the smoke still dissipating all around them.
He glanced down at his feet. “And how do I know you aren’t deceiving me?”
I lowered my sword and waved towards the building behind me. “Feel free to search the castle, but I’m going to sit down while you do, if you don’t mind.” I handed Henry the sword and lowered myself to the stairs, trying not to wince.
Henry stood protectively over me. His stance screamed he would give anyone a fight if they approached us.
The head guard picked six of his men and commanded them to search the buildings and report back. A handful of guards climbed the stairs as far away from us as possible.
The head guard turned back towards us. “Who are you?” he barked.
“Maggie White,” I said, barely able to keep my eyes open. Exhaustion flowed through me, making my limbs heavy.
He blinked, like he didn’t quite believe what I had said. “Snow White?” he whispered with reverence.
Good lord, how I hated that name. When I was little, everyone called me by my middle name, so I wouldn’t be confused with my mother, and it had stuck. It wasn’t until I was tucked away in the woods with Henry and the dwarves that I insisted on using my real name. I nodded “Please call me Maggie.”
The soldiers came out. “Something exploded in the queen’s kill room,” one of them said.
“What happened to the queen?” the head guard asked.
“She turned into one of the army of the dead just as I uttered my last spell. The spell that made the dead crumble. She, like the rest of the army, became dust.”
“I think the queen exploded,” Henry said.
I looked up at him. With all the blood covering the walls and floor, it made sense. Only an explosion could have emptied that pool in such a vile and disgusting way.
The head of the guard shifted his weight. He glanced up at me and stilled. “All hail our new queen, Snow White!” He dropped to his knee and bowed his head.
I nearly laughed until the entire guard dropped to their knee.
“Please...” Henry’s hand clamped down on my shoulder, stopping me from telling them not to be ridiculous.
I hissed, and he jerked his hand away. His eyes were wide enough for me to see the apology clearly without him having to speak.
“Please rise,” I said, and climbed to my feet. “What’s your name?”
The head guard’s cheeks turned red. “John, my lady,” he said and avoided my gaze.
“John, I have no intention...”
He stared at me with such hope and gratitude that my words died in my throat. Beyond the royal guard, common folk started to gather with the same hope etched in their bright eyes. Hope as if the darkness over the kingdom had finally been lifted.
I cleared my throat. “I have no intention of meeting the rest of the kingdom while looking like this,” I said softly. “I would think my king would agree.” I glanced up at Henry. We would likely scare the bejesus out of the commoners.
He curved his lips into a smile and nodded. “My queen is right.” He helped me to my feet, and the guard escorted us back into the castle.
“You can clean up in the queen’s private quarters,” John said.
I shivered and shook my head. “I would prefer to wash up in the river next to our home in the enchanted forest.”
His expression dropped.
“Or anywhere else but the queen’s quarters,” I added. “But I would appreciate if someone would go to our cottage and fetch our things, so I have something suitable to wear.”
“The queen has...”
I put my hand up. “And please take everything of Queen Odette’s out to the common area and burn it.” I did not want anything that vile witch had left behind to remain and give her a chance to haunt the castle. “And please have someone clean this place from top to bottom. There will be no kill room in my castle.”
John actually smiled. He turned to his men. “You heard the lady!”
The entire guard scurried out, leaving Henry and me alone with John.
“I used to play hopscotch with you in the courtyard when you were little,” John said as he turned back to me.
The memory of a guardsman playing with me while my parents were off attending to their duty came flooding back.
His amused gaze took me in and then shifted to Henry. He offered a bow. “You’ve taken very good care of her, Sir Henry.”
Henry bowed in return. “Not quite as good as I had hoped.”
I glanced between the two men, missing a link on how they knew each other.
Henry straightened and wiped a stray hair from my face. “John made your escape possible,” he said. “Without his help, we wouldn’t have gotten you out, and all of our lives would be drastically different.”
“Well, thank you for your help,” I said. “And now if you would point us to where we can wash up...”
“This way, my lady,” John said and led me to a room that had a large tub full of steamy water.
I headed straight for it.
“I will send some handmaidens to help you,” John said.
I turned. “Henry will help me, but you can tell the handmaidens to bring us towels and bathrobes, please.”
He stared at me openmouthed with brows forming perfect arches.
“He is my betrothed.”
John’s shocked expression went back to neutral. “As you wish,” he said and bowed before hurrying out of the room.
Henry’s silly smirk didn’t fit with the bloody smears covering him.
“What?” I started to peel the soiled clothing off, looking forward to getting into the hot bath.
He shook his head, took off his pants, and joined me next to the steaming water. He offered his hand, and I took it, allowing him to help me into the water before he climbed in behind me.
His legs straddled my hips, and the w
ater went almost to my shoulders. I held my breath, dunked under the surface, and shook my head before coming up for air. Henry did the same, and then pulled me against his chest, wrapping his arms around me.
We sat in silence as the blood sloughed off our skin, turning the water pink. Despite being warm and safe in his grasp, the shakes started. He kissed my temple as he reached for the scented soap on the table next to the tub and began to wash my skin with such tender care that the tears that I’d barricaded inside me tumbled out in a torrent.
His way of consoling me was to make sure every last speck of blood and gore was gone from my skin. And it was the only thing he could have done to make me feel better about my choices. I let him do the same to himself, and it was only when he pulled me out of the water that he wrapped his arms around me, holding me as the last of the tears purged.
He grabbed a towel that had been delivered while we bathed and wrapped me in it, then draped a second over my wet hair before he dried off.
“They all died,” I whispered.
His gaze was locked on my shoulder. “You’re still bleeding. You need medical attention.” He grabbed the last towel and balled it up, pressing it to my skin. “Handmaiden!” he yelled.
A girl appeared at the door as if she had been standing in the shadows. “Yes, my lord?”
“Can you find me a doctor? Maggie needs someone to look at her shoulder,” he said and brought me over to a bench.
I leaned against the wall. Between the trauma of the last few days and the warmth of the water, all my energy had sapped to nothing. I closed my eyes just for a moment.
The world tilted, and I slipped into darkness.
Chapter 16
A bright streak of sunlight lit up the room, making me squint. I tried to roll away from it, but Henry’s grip around me tightened, keeping me in place.
“Light...” I whispered with a voice so hoarse I thought my throat would rupture.
His lips touched my temple, and he slid his arm from under me. He crossed to the window and pulled the curtain enough so the sun wasn’t in my eyes. His gaze met mine as he returned, and the softness in his face felt like a warm blanket.
He sat on the edge of the bed, poured a glass of water, and handed it to me. “How are you feeling?” he asked after I took a sip.
My entire body throbbed, but the water satiated my thirst enough that the dryness in my mouth wouldn’t scrape my throat whenever I swallowed. “Like I’ve battled every last soldier in the kingdom.”
He smiled and rubbed my cheek with his knuckles. “You were in pretty tough shape for a while.”
I cocked my head. As far as I remembered, we had just taken a bath and I had needed to close my eyes just for a couple minutes.
“You’ve been unconscious for days.”
I sat up quickly and nearly threw up the water I had drunk. I took a deep breath and grabbed Henry’s arm for stability as the room slowly spun. I blinked and glanced around the room. “Where am I?”
“Your old room. They wanted to bring you to the queen’s suite, but I said no. So, we settled on this one. It’s in a wing of the castle that has been closed for years, so it’s not in the best shape, but it was also untouched by Queen Odette.” He turned towards the door. “Anne,” he called.
A fair-haired handmaiden stepped in the room. Her creased brow smoothed at the sight of me sitting up and she smiled. “I will go get some food for the queen,” she said before Henry could even open his mouth.
She scurried away.
He planted a kiss on my forehead. “I have another surprise for you,” he said and left the room.
I studied the faded fabric on the bed and the tattered curtains. The shelves had been dusted recently, but the neglect was clear. This room felt as downtrodden as I did. It was suiting considering what I had allowed to happen. The dwarves were dead because of me. If we hadn’t visited the trolls, their kingdom wouldn’t have been crushed. Even though I’d beat the queen at her own game, the victory was hollow.
The door creaked, and Henry stepped to the side.
Blackie hobbled in on a makeshift crutch. His right foot was missing, and he looked as banged up as I felt. He crossed the room and squeezed me in a tight hug.
“I thought...” Tears choked the rest of my words.
“Aye, same here.” He pulled away and briskly wiped his eyes. “But the queen underestimated my survival skills. As she obviously did with you as well.”
“Did any of the trolls survive?” I asked, dreading the answer.
Blackie sighed and glanced at Henry. When he returned his gaze to me, I knew the answer, and my chest squeezed tight.
“No. I don’t think anything could survive the magnitude of that avalanche. The only reason I am alive is because the king tricked me. He locked me in a cell made of iron as payment for his debt. I didn’t understand why being chained in an iron cell was repayment. Even after the caves crumbled and my twisted iron cage sat on top of the rubble, I didn’t understand. It was only after I saw the army of the dead carting my brethren away that I understood. We had been double crossed.”
I bit my lower lip.
“I didn’t know if they had you two. I only saw my brothers being marched along in shackles similar to the one that held me to the iron floor. At least the king only put a single shackle on me, or otherwise...” He shivered and shook his head. “Gruesome process, but I didn’t die from it. Visions of vengeance gave me the strength to make it to the castle, but by then, you were already victorious.” He smiled and patted my hand.
“Victorious?” I laughed. “I may have killed the queen, but it cost far too much to call this a victory.”
“We all knew what victory would cost. We knew we were not destined to see what became of the kingdom after the queen’s reign ended,” Blackie said, giving me a hard stare. “And we all signed up for the job knowing this.” His eyes watered, and he looked up at the ceiling. “We knew, so please do not take the burden of their deaths as yours.”
Henry sat on the edge of the bed and took my hands in his. “I wasn’t there to fight them off, either. So, you are not alone in feeling responsible.”
“They slaughtered the trolls outside the gates. Had you remained, you would have died on the battlefield. Going after Maggie saved your life just as being thrown in that iron cell saved mine,” Blackie said. “Survivor’s guilt can ruin you if you let it.” Blackie’s gaze pierced through me as if he could read the grief in my soul.
“I could have given her my magic sooner and spared their lives,” I said, voicing the anguish locked inside.
“From what I understand from Henry, you slayed her when the full moon rose into view in her kill room. That is what the prophecy demanded. That was the only time you could destroy Queen Odette.” He sighed. “Besides, if you thought for a second that giving the queen what she wanted earlier than you did would have spared us, you are sorely mistaken. We would have died just for keeping you from her for so long, and it wouldn’t have been an honorable death.”
I knew he was right, but it still didn’t stop the pain. My physical discomfort was tolerable, but now that I was awake and aware, every time I closed my eyes, I saw their blood spill. Their screams still rang in my ears.
“Their deaths were not honorable.” Tears filled my eyes and spilled hot paths down my cheeks.
Anne chose this moment to come back into the room with a tray full of food. All my old favorites, from apple fritters to apple cider.
“I told her apples were your weakness,” Henry said.
“She used an apple to poison me,” I whispered and stared at the tray. Any appetite I may have had vanished, replaced by a cold chill. I glanced at Anne. “Is there any way you could find me something else to eat that doesn’t have apples as part of the ingredients?”
Her bright smile faded, and she dropped her gaze to the food. She blinked a few times and then curtseyed. “Yes, my queen.” She started out of the room.
“I’m sure both Blackie and
Henry would like some of those pastries,” I said before she got halfway to the door.
She turned. “Would you like me to leave the tray for them?”
I nodded, and her smile returned. As soon as she left, I met Henry’s shocked stare. “She ruined apples for me.” Heat filled my cheeks. “But you two are more than welcome to have some.”
Blackie didn’t need to be told twice. He was across the room in record time given his injury, and he nearly polished off the tray while we waited for Anne to bring me something else.
“What now?” I asked Henry.
He squeezed my hand, leaned forward, and planted the softest kiss on my lips. “You rest, and when you are feeling up to it, we can take a walk through the castle proper. They brought back everything from the cottage, so I’ve been doing some redecorating. I hope you like it.”
Walking through the queen’s castle didn’t appeal to me. However, the idea of Henry decorating scratched at my curiosity. I wondered if every room had swords as decorations. I swung my legs to the side of the bed.
“You need to get better before we explore,” he said and plumped up the pillows behind me. He pushed me backwards into the soft pile he had created. “And then once the doctor says you are well enough, we’ll have your formal coronation,” he added. “And then perhaps a royal wedding.”
The way he cocked his eyebrow warmed my soul just as much as his words and that cocky little smirk playing on his lips.
“Perhaps,” I agreed with a smile.
Chapter 17
After another week in bed, the doctor finally declared me healthy enough for my coronation. The handmaidens made such a big deal out of dressing me to the hilt for the ceremony, that I didn’t have the heart to burst their excitement. I pulled Henry aside as they rushed about.
“Before we let anyone into the castle, I want to see what you have done with it,” I said.
He nodded, and as soon as they finished my hair and getting me into the fine silk dress, Henry cleared his throat.
