Snow White Page 7

  “Corlan explained the spell on the way to the library.” Raven seemed upset as she fidgeted a bit.

  “What is wrong?” Terrance asked.

  The look she gave him would have soured milk. “Honestly?” she snapped. “You must inquire if something is wrong?”

  “I—uh…”

  She flipped her long braid over her shoulder. “My sister is alone in a forest, running for her life. My mother has become so darkened by a cursed mirror that she has eaten a pig’s heart, believing it to be Snow’s, and has turned herself into an old woman.”

  She threw her hands up and crossed to a tall window. Pointing outside, she continued, “My stepfather is battling for his life and may very well be the first person in this family to die, though the others do not fare much better.” Turning around, she looked at Corlan. “And my dear brother, the one who was left to protect me and Snow, has now been enchanted by the mirror as well and has to overcome every bit of personal battle training he has had not to hunt and kill my best friend!”

  She walked up to Terrance, her eyes snapping fire. “It is nearly four in the morning. I have not slept well and I awaken to hear we must remove all the mirrors in the castle immediately. And then I come in here to see you eager to become the true hero of the story.” She pushed against his chest. “And you have the gall to ask what is wrong. Honestly? Am I to lose everything tonight?”

  He quickly captured her hands before she pushed him again. “Raven, enough.”

  She tugged against his hold. “Let go of me!”

  “No. I will not. Not until you allow your thoughts to calm down.” He tugged on her wrists and brought her in close. “Come here.” He slowly wrapped an arm around her, his other hand still holding both of hers, and then whispered, “I beg your pardon. Forgive me.” When he felt her melt a bit in his arms, he gently released her hands and tucked her fully into his embrace.

  “I loathe you,” Raven mumbled into his chest.

  “No, you do not.”

  “Yes, I do.” She sniffled and then the sobs came. “I have never despised anyone more in my life.”

  “Shh…” He pressed a kiss upon the top of her head and felt her arms go around his middle.

  “I wish you had never come. Ever.” She sobbed harder.

  “Why is that?” he asked softly as he left a kiss on her brow.

  “Because then I would not be crying right now.”

  “Nay. You would still be crying.”

  “I would?”

  “Yes, you would. Especially with all the circumstances you are facing. But it is easier to blame me, is it not?”

  Her shoulders began to shake.

  “Raven,” he whispered, his hands trailing upon her back. “Hush. It is all well. You are welcome to shed tears upon any part of my shirt you wish.”

  “I want to detest you. Why can I not detest you? It would be so much easier for me if you would stop being wonderful, so halt this nonsense now.” She pulled back and dashed at her tears. Her gaze would not meet his. “Tell me the truth. Tell me how she has won your heart like all the other hearts she has claimed so I can go back to what I know is best. Tell me you are smitten with my sister. ” She stepped away from him. “I was up all night, dreading sleep, because I know that one of these days I will wake up and it will happen. So let us get ourselves over this misery now and allow me to wish you both my felicitations and exceeding hap—happiness.” Her shoulders began to shake again.

  “Oh, my word.” Corlan laughed. “And woman say men are the lesser sex. Have they not a brain in those heads of theirs?”

  Raven opened her mouth to say something, but Terrance interceded. “No. She has had enough wrestling with her fears at this time. You will not be goading her on.” He nodded toward the door. “Go start removing the mirrors—we will join you shortly.”

  Corlan stared at him a moment. “Are you ordering me about in the castle that very well could be mine one day?”

  “Just so. Now get, you!” He waved his hand and glanced at Raven. “I have some things I wish to say to your sister, and I do not need prying ears around.”

  Corlan took a deep breath. “Be quick about it. We simply cannot stop every time one of these women begins to act like—well, a woman.”

  “Again, one day you will truly understand that it is always about the women.”

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  ONCE CORLAN LEFT, RAVEN took a deep breath and glanced at Terrance.

  He grinned ruefully and held out a hand. “Do you still despise me?”

  She looked at that hand and bit her lip, worrying it. Should she trust him? His gaze met hers and she saw such gentleness in his eyes, tugging at her from within their depths. Cautiously she stepped forward and placed her hand in his.

  He walked them to the settee near the largest of the bookshelves and sat down with her. “May I say something?” he asked as their fingers interlocked.

  Why did she dread this conversation so much? Why did she have such anticipation for it? It thrilled her, yet terrified her at the same time. “Yes.”

  “I have spoken to Snow about you. We were very frank with each other, and she was more than eager to step aside to allow you and me time to decide if we could possibly get along with each other.” He brought her knuckles up and kissed them. “Since then, I have observed the way she watches Corlan and the manner in which he cannot help but gaze at her. They are very much in love.”

  “Oh.” Raven met his eyes. “So, now you are turning toward me?”

  He chuckled. “It is simply baffling the way your treacherous mind creates these situations within it.” Leaning near her, he said, “Raven, I was turned toward you before I met Snow. And though I feel a pull for her, it is not nearly as much as the interest I feel in you.”

  Her heart seemed to stop altogether. “What exactly are you saying?”

  “I am saying, my dear, that I would like very much to continue as we are. I would like you not to worry about my intentions toward anyone other than you, for I have none for any woman but you.”

  “Truly?” She could not believe her ears. Was there not another princess who had captured him?

  “Yes. I would ask that you learned to trust me. I will not harm you.” His eyes trailed over her features. “I know it has been a hard road for you until now, so it shall take some time to see that I am really all that I profess to be. I apprehend this. And that is fine—I need time as well.”

  Time was probably a very good thing. “I can understand that.”

  “I would like to get to know you more—what I have already found has enticed me greatly. But I want to guarantee that this could work for both of us. I am not here to select a wife—I came to Olivian to find a partner, someone equally willing to love me as well. I do not believe in these old-fashioned practices where men come and bargain for the women they fancy. Nay, the girl I marry will come to me freely because she wishes it as greatly as I do. Because we are equal partners first—in love, in station, in life.”

  “Thank you,” Raven whispered. She had never felt her heart so warmed before.

  “I see you are amazed at what I have said.” He tugged her hand. “I will wait until you trust these words, until we are both willing to go further.”

  Not sure what else to do, but completely overwhelmed by his goodness and patience, Raven leaned forward and surprised herself by kissing him in reply.

  ***

  WHEN SNOW AWOKE THE next day, it was nearly mid-afternoon. She felt the faint warm breeze caress her cheek as her eyes fluttered open to the brightness. Slowly she was brought back to reality as she observed the foliage around her. The birds chirped merrily above her head as the leaves rustled with the breeze, making it sound as if she were near a river. Snow turned upon her back, looking up at those tall branches above her and then squinting as the sun peeked through them while they swayed.

  This was not such a bad place. It seemed peaceful and completely the opposite from the horrors it appeared to be in the dark
. She stretched and felt her taut muscles protest. She had never run so fast and so far in all her life, and her body most certainly felt the brunt of her escapades from the night before.

  Goodness, she was so stiff.

  Her stomach growled. Apparently her limbs were not the only thing protesting—she was famished. But to lie here a moment longer would feel so wonderful. She stretched again.

  She contemplated rising and finding some summer berries to eat when suddenly a bright spark popped before her eyes. She blinked and then sat up when it darted away.

  What was that?

  Scanning the area, she found the spark of light again, this time about ten feet from her in a bush. It quickly dashed away and then reappeared right in front of her. Startled, she fell back on her elbows and watched, fascinated, as the little twinkling light came toward her. It flitted around her face for a few moments before zooming upwards, where it flickered high on a branch above her.

  “Hello?” Snow called up to it. “What are you?”

  Just then another spark of light caught her attention in a shrubbery about five feet in front of her. She sat up and had brought her knees in to stand up when that light began to sparkle and bounce toward her.

  She froze.

  Its luminosity increased into a much larger spark than the other one. Entranced, Snow smiled as the light came all the way up to her, growing in size until it was about a foot tall and then resting upon her knee.

  “Hello?” she asked again as she noticed yet another bright spark pop to life a few feet on her right. And then another and another.

  Slowly, the one before her dimmed and Snow caught her breath when a tiny ethereal woman in a flowing pink gown stood before her. She had beautiful lavender slanted eyes with long lashes, a thin nose, and a small pink mouth. Her lavender ponytail caught the breeze and flowed around her shoulders briefly before settling behind her back again.

  Snow was amazed that she could not even feel the weight of the woman’s dainty feet upon her knee, and then she understood why. The lovely being unfolded the most alluring gossamer wings upon either side of her shoulders. They fluttered and glittered in the sunlight, their iridescent colors changing from yellow to pink and then back again.

  “You are a fairy!”

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  THE FAIRY GRINNED AND bowed her head. “Yes, I am. And you are the fairest Snow White.”

  “How do you know who I am?” Snow asked, not taking her eyes off the pretty creature. Never before had she dreamed of meeting one up close.

  “We have always known who you are, which is why we have been searching all night for you.”

  “We?”

  “Yes, my sisters and I.”

  Snow watched each flash of light transform into a beautiful fairy as they fluttered toward her. There were four! She was actually seeing four fairies. Smiling, she felt like a little girl all over again.

  The one upon her knee flew up and took her place with the others in a small semicircle above her. “How grateful we are to see you well and alive,” she said.

  “Did you know I was in trouble?”

  “Yes.” She smiled. “We know more about you than you realize.”

  Snow quickly got to her feet to see the fairies better. Each one had hair the same color as their eyes. One had beautiful turquoise-colored hair, one blue, and the other green. Their shimmering wings matched their different-colored gowns as well. Snow had so many questions, but first things first. “What are your names?”

  The lavender-haired fairy said, “I am Sunday Grace, but you are welcome to call me anything you would like.”

  “Hello, Grace.” Snow curtsied before her, charmed by her name.

  “This is Tuesday Hope,” said the fairy as she pointed to the turquoise-haired girl. “The blue one is Thursday Peace, and green is Saturday Brave.” The mystical women bowed their heads and smiled.

  “There are three days missing. Does that mean there are more fairies?”

  Grace laughed, her voice sounding like tinkling bells. “Of course. But I will introduce you to them when we bring you to our home.”

  “Your home?”

  “Well, my dear, we could not leave you here to be eaten by wolves, now could we? No, we promised Queen Lilith years ago that we would care for you and guarantee that nothing harmed you.”

  “You knew my mother?” All at once Snow felt like she was going to cry. Here was a connection she had been wishing to find, someone who had known her mother well and could possibly share more about her than her father ever did.

  “Yes, we have assured your protection all this time. Queen Lilith saved me from a woodman’s trap, and in return, as a thank you, we have seen to your success and safety.”

  Snow’s jaw dropped. “I have been under an enchantment! You placed one upon me, did you not? To make sure everyone I meet loves me.”

  The fairies glanced at each other. “Yes, it was us. That was one way we could guarantee your security. We knew if you were enchanted, no one would harm you.”

  Peace pushed a lock of her blue hair off her shoulder. “But we felt the energy in your spell waver yesterday, and we knew someone had been able to break through our magic charm and complete their own dark curse to destroy you. We have been searching high and low ever since.”

  “I do not think you will ever understand how happy we are to have finally found you.” Hope fluttered faster.

  “Yes,” said Brave. “There was a time last night when the tension was so strong we feared you would be gone before we could find you.”

  “I nearly was. But Prince Corlan was able to withstand the curse long enough for me to escape.”

  “The prince! He has been the one to break our enchantment?” Brave placed her hands on her hips. “If that man is seeking to destroy you, we shall kill him first!”

  Great heavens! “No! It was his mother, Queen Melantha, and her wedding gift, the Lythereon Mirror, who have broken the spell.”

  The fairies gasped, but Snow rushed on. “Corlan is their pawn. My stepmother placed a curse upon him to murder me. He withstood as long as possible, even stabbing himself in the leg to allow me escape. Please do not harm him. Please, I cannot lose him.”

  “My dearie!” Hope exclaimed as she flitted toward her. “We promise not to damage him. But this cannot be a good thing at all, using the Lythereon Mirror against you.”

  “We must get her inside immediately. Who knows what the looking glass has seen already!” Peace rushed forward and pulled on Snow’s tattered cape. “Quickly, let us get her out of this forest. There are too many eyes and ears around to be fully comfortable.”

  “’Tis true,” said Grace. “You cannot be certain you are alone while in the forest. Goodness! You should have said earlier it was the mirror after you.” She held on to another portion of Snow’s cape. “Hope and Brave, come and hold her front and back so we may be able to get her home as quickly as possible.”

  The two fairies fluttered over. One pulled upon the front of her skirts and the other tugged upon the back of her cape. Now she had fairies on all four sides of her, tugging on her clothing. How would this help? They looked as though they would have Snow walk in different directions.

  “Now!” Brave said just before Snow saw the forest disappear.

  When she felt her stomach drop as though she was falling, she flinched and closed her eyes. A moment later, she opened them and she was in a cozy cottage with the aroma of apple pie and homemade bread wafting through the rooms. “It smells delicious!”

  Hope giggled. “I would say the little one is hungry.”

  “She must be, or the first thing that would have popped out of her mouth after traveling fairyflight would have been, ‘Unbelievable! Can we do it again?’” Grace said.

  Snow walked into the red-and-white kitchen. “Forgive me. Yes, it was astonishing to fly like that, and very convenient.” She found the pies sitting in the window. Not wanting to appear rude, she said, “But do not worry yourselves over
my hunger. I am perfectly fine.” She turned around and was startled to see that the fairies were now as tall as she, their wings tucked away. “Oh!”

  They all chuckled and pressed forward.

  “Come sit down,” said Hope. “By the way your gaze was devouring the pies, you are clearly famished.” She pointed to a clean table with a floral tablecloth.

  “You are full-size now.” Snow sat upon the polished wooden chair. “Is this how you always look?”

  Grace turned to Brave, ignoring the question. “Will you use the horn so the others will know we have found Snow White and they may return home?”

  “Yes.”

  Snow watched Brave leave out the side door. A few seconds later, she returned.

  “Thank you,” said Grace. Then seeing Snow’s confusion, she added, “It is not a sound humans can hear.” She placed a loaf of bread upon the table. A small wisp of steam floated from it.

  It smelled wonderful.

  “And as for our size, this is not the easiest way for us to appear, but we felt it would be best for you if we did so. The whole cottage has grown significantly to accommodate you.”

  “Oh.” Snow blinked and tried to imagine it much smaller.

  When Hope placed a bubbling pot of stew upon the table, Snow’s mouth began to water and her stomach rumbled. “How did you make this so quickly?” she asked. “Did someone stay behind to cook?”

  Peace reached over and placed a crock of butter upon the table. “We are magic, dear. Our food always stays perfectly warm until we are ready to eat it.”

  Just then, three more fairies poofed into the home. The already busy place bustled to life right before her eyes.

  “Snow!” they cried, all of them wanting hugs and asking about her adventure and the like. However, Grace put a halt to their queries.

  “Enough! She has not eaten, and she is hungry. We will have her answer all our questions once she is full and can divert us properly in the parlor. For now, please sit down and allow the poor girl to eat.”

  Snow grinned as she looked around the active room. This cottage was so full of energy and colors and happiness. Thank goodness the fairies had found her.