Almost in a trance, Snow felt her feet move toward the old woman. The apple did look so good. All at once, she was very hungry and she craved it. She extended her hand as she approached and felt the weight of the fruit fall into her palm. Before she was fully aware of what was happening, she brought her hand up and bit into the delicious apple, its sweet juice running down her chin.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
NO! CORLAN WHIMPERED AS he watched Snow drop the apple. She turned and clutched at her chest. The pretty yellow gown twisted in her hands as she gasped for air. How he wished he could move! How he wished he could run to her side. Melantha had frozen him as he watched on in horror. She was right. He had never known pain such as this.
Never.
Snow collapsed. Her shoulders and head pounded into the dirt and the ground crushed the roses in her hair. Still attempting to breathe, her eyes met his as she choked and lunged for air.
No! No!
I am so sorry, Snow! I am so sorry!
Melantha laughed as Snow took her final wheeze before her eyes closed and she became still. Instantly his mother transformed into the red-haired beauty she had been before.
“She is gone! Snow White is forever gone!” She snickered with glee and then grinned as she walked over to the stiff Corlan. “Well, my boy. Do you feel the pain now? Do you?” She kicked him in the ribs and he yelped. “I hope you learned your lesson!” she hissed. “I will leave you here with your dead princess to remember always.”
She snapped her fingers and he felt the transformation commence to bring him back to his true form. The night before, she had insisted the mirror give her power to do this. Now she had become as potent as a witch.
“Good-bye, son.”
Lying on the ground, he waited until she had left and then crawled over to Snow and gently picked her up. He placed her head within his lap. “Snow,” he called to her as he brushed aside the dirty hair from her face. She was so beautiful. It was not fair! How could he have lost her?
Pulling her in closer, he brought her head to his chest and rocked.
No. No. No.
This was not fair.
How could he have brought his mother here? Why did he not try harder to withstand the curse? His shoulders shook as his lips brushed her forehead. I am sorry, Snow. I am so, so sorry.
“I needed you,” he whispered into her brow. “I needed you. Your laughter, your sweetness, your smile. I have never known a girl as kind as you. I know you felt it was all an enchantment, but I promise you, my dear, I loved you before anyone saw you. I loved you all those years ago when we played together and laughed together. I knew then my heart would never be the same.” He cried. “Forgive me for never telling you, for pretending you did not matter as much as you did. You should have heard my admiration. You should have known it. I was a fool to believe you had heard it too much from the other men.”
So busy was he in proclaiming the words Snow never got to hear, he did not realize the fairy was upon him until he felt her hand clutch his shoulder.
Startled, he looked up to see the woman with bright turquoise hair and eyes. “You did not eat the apple?” he asked, positive Melantha had told Snow she had given her one.
“Yes, I did.” She smiled sadly, her eyes scanning Snow’s lifeless form in his arms. “But I am a fairy—we are exempt from dark magic. It can wound us for a time, but we cannot be defeated. I have called the others, and they should be here shortly. We will see what they can do.”
Could it be true? Dare he allow his heart to hope there was a cure for this? What if it did not work? “Can you help her, then? Can you bring her back?”
“I do not know. None of us have ever faced anything so dire as a Lythereon Mirror curse.”
She knelt down and ran a hand over Snow’s face. “She is remarkably stunning, even in death,” she whispered.
Corlan nodded and blinked back a few tears. “I cannot bear the thought of her being gone. Please, if you know of anything that may work—any legend, anything—I will attempt it. Even giving up my own soul so that she might be free.” He brightened. “Is it possible? Could you trade my life for hers?”
“No.” She shook her head. “The mirror has already exchanged her life for your mother’s beauty. The Lythereon Mirror is powerful, but cunning as well. It will never allow its masters to receive everything they desire or they would become more powerful than he.”
Just then several bright lights appeared and transformed themselves into enchanting human-sized women.
“Snow is gone!” the lavender-haired one exclaimed. “No! I felt something dreadful would happen, but not this! Look, sisters, her light has left. She is deceased.”
The women murmured.
“Who are you?” demanded the green-haired one, her face taking on a look of anger as she noticed Corlan. “Did you kill her?”
“No. I am Prince Corlan. Who are you?”
“Saturday Brave.” And then she gasped. “Why, it is you! You are the prince cursed by the mirror.”
“Yes.”
The yellow fairy suddenly smiled. “You are the one she spoke of so fondly.”
“She spoke of me?” he asked. Why were they all smiling?
The turquoise fairy reached over and grasped his hand. “My dear, did I overhear correctly? Are you in love with our Snow?”
She looked so eager and joyful. They all did. “Yes, of course I am. Why? Am I missing something?”
The red woman laughed and clapped her hands. “I am Wednesday Love,” she said. “And they are so excited because it means I can possibly bring her back!”
“What?” His heart began to pound. “What do you mean?”
“We believe Snow is in love with you as well,” said the silver fairy. “I am Monday Truth, and I would bargain wings on the truth that she is in love with you.”
“Me?” Warmth fissured through his frame. “Are you certain? She never claimed to have loved anyone.”
“No,” said the turquoise woman, “but we have hope.”
He looked down at Snow, his eyes caressing her features. “What do I do? What do you need from me?”
Love knelt beside him and ran a hand from Snow’s hair to her toes as the other women leaned around them in a circle to watch. Corlan glanced up at Love as she spoke.
“Hold her right wrist with your right hand. Just like so,” she said as she clasped Snow’s left wrist. “Now hold my other hand.”
“Very well.”
She muttered a few words and he felt an energy surge through his arms and chest, going round and round. He knew it was circling through all three of them. Once he felt the energy pulse begin to quicken, she said, “Now, kiss her, for only true love can break darkness such as this.”
He leaned down, his eyes going to her soft red lips. Did she truly love him? Could it be possible? Would this really work? He felt the pulse quicken even more as he lowered his mouth to hers.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
SUDDENLY A BRIGHT LIGHT exploded and Corlan’s lips molded more firmly to Snow’s. Once the light dissipated, his lips released their hold and he pulled back.
“Please work,” he softly said to her. “Please come back to me.”
Just then her chest rocked forward and she gasped.
“It worked!” he exclaimed as he watched her eyes flutter open and her breathing become normal.
She blinked and then slowly grinned. “Hello.”
“Well, hello yourself,” he said.
“You are here.”
“You are back.”
Snow tugged free of his and Hope’s hands to reach up and place her arms around Corlan’s shoulders. “Did you just kiss me awake, like in the fairy stories?”
“Aye, I did.” He chuckled. “When you are with fairies and they tell you to do something, you’d better do it.”
She looked around and smiled at the group above them before looking back at him. “How long have I been asleep?”
He shook his head. “It was
worse than that. Melantha poisoned you.”
“The apple?”
“Yes.”
Her lively eyes sparkled at him. “But you are not cursed anymore? You are not trying to kill me?”
How grateful it was to see her and feel her again. “No. I have been released.”
“Then what are you waiting for?” she whispered, her eyes searching his.
“What do you mean?”
“Well, are you not going to kiss me again? Now that we are both back to normal?”
“Minx.” He laughed. “You would not mind? Are you sure it is me you are in love with and not all those other handsome men?”
She rolled her eyes and tugged him toward her.
“Wait.” He placed a hand over her mouth and glanced up at the delighted women. “Do you mind giving us a just a bit of privacy?”
They playfully groaned and snickered amongst themselves before turning around and walking away. Even Love stood up. “We will be in the cottage, where Hope will fill us in on all that happened here. You two enjoy yourselves.”
“Thank you!” Corlan said.
She winked in reply and then went in the home with the others.
“Now, where were we?” he asked.
“You were about to kiss me senseless.”
Corlan’s eyebrows rose. “I was? Are you sure?”
Snow giggled. “Yes. Perfectly sure.”
And so he did just that, kissing her like he had imagined doing for ages now. They would more than likely still be kissing today, so enjoyable they found it, if they were not interrupted by Raven and Terrance bursting out from the rose garden.
“Snow!” Raven called. “Snow, where are you?”
Corlan heard Terrance answer, “There she is. See? In Corlan’s arms.”
“You are not a dog!” Raven ran up to him.
“I think we have been found.” Corlan grinned down at Snow.
She good-humoredly sighed. “Yes. It would seem that way.”
He quickly kissed her one more time before helping the beautiful girl to her feet. He brushed at a few stray pieces of debris from her hair as Raven chattered.
“I am so happy to see you both here, and alive! We thought for sure when we lost sight of my mother that you would both be dead.”
“I was, apparently,” Snow said. “Corlan brought me back, though.”
“Thankfully Melantha removed the curse or no one would have known it was me.”
“Where is she now?” Terrance asked.
Corlan shook his head. “After she poisoned Snow and transformed back into her former self, she left. I do not know if she walked or simply disappeared and went back to the castle. I was too worried about Snow to care where my mother had gone.”
“Have you heard from King Herbert?” Terrance asked.
“No. The letter I wrote never made it to him—she took it. Hence the reason she transformed me into a dog—to make me prove my loyalty to her.”
“I need to find a horse and get to him immediately. Someone needs to let him know what is happening,” Terrance said.
Snow spoke up. “I believe they are discussing the matter in full detail at the moment. The fairies who have been watching over me are not a group to be messed with. I think they expect to battle the mirror.”
“Wait. Fairies?” Raven asked. “You have been living here, in this gorgeous cottage, with fairies?”
Snow nodded. “Oh, goodness, I have so much to show you! Let us go inside and see what their plan of attack may be. You will be amazed at how magical they are.”
“Do you believe we could get Mother back?” Raven asked as they began to walk toward the house.
Corlan nudged Terrance before he began following them inside. “I have begun to see what you mean.”
“What?” Terrance asked.
“About women.” He waggled his eyebrows and glanced at Snow as she walked into the cottage on Raven’s arm, her long black ringlets tempting him with every bounce. “I am quite smitten.”
“And would you do anything for her?”
“Anything.”
Terrance grinned and nodded as he began to follow them. “Aye. It is always about the women.”
“Yes, it is,” Corlan said as they stepped into the cottage. “And thank goodness, or life would be excessively boring.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
THE FAIRIES WELCOMED SNOW and the rest in with bounteous food and laughter around the enlarged table. The group introduced themselves properly and they discussed at length what what would be the best plan of attack against Melantha and her powerful mirror. Everyone was unanimous in agreeing that she must be stopped at all costs. Too many lives were at stake, and already she had complete control over King Herbert’s castle. Soon, it would be all of Olivian.
“I think it is wise for Terrance to head to King Herbert as soon as possible,” Grace said. “Let the king know the threat that is within his home.”
Brave and Peace both agreed.
“I will guarantee you arrive quickly and safely,” Peace said.
Brave added, “And you will be protected. I see him fighting a great battle at the moment, though I believe it has been brought on by the mirror. If we can destroy that mirror, I feel the threat of war will cease.”
“So do I,” Peace said. “It is why we need you to get to Herbert and let him know all.”
Terrance nodded. “I will leave at once.”
“Truth will create a swift horse for you. One that will get you there extremely fast so you will be able to meet us at the castle by nightfall,” Grace said.
“So it is to be tonight?” asked Snow. Already the butterflies in her stomach were beating wildly, but she found herself more eager to face the queen than to hide. It was time she did her part to save Olivian from their new queen.
“Yes.” Corlan folded his arms. “The quicker my mother is stopped, the fewer people will be harmed. It must be tonight.”
“We will travel by fairyflight.” Grace looked at Terrance. “As soon as Herbert is on his way, we will arrange it so we arrive just a bit before him to create the surprise needed to catch Melantha off guard.”
“Would it be easier if I traveled with the prince and then sounded the horn when we were about a quarter of an hour away?” Brave asked.
“Perfect!” Joy exclaimed.
“Yes, go,” Grace said. “It will ensure that nothing goes wrong.”
Terrance and Brave stood from the table and waited for Truth to come around from the other end. The prince leaned down and left a quick, surprising kiss on Raven’s lips. “Be safe,” he said to her.
“Me? But you are the one going to the battlefront.”
“Yes, you. Be safe.” He grinned. “I want to taste those lips again when I return tonight.”
“Ha! We will see if you deserve another kiss.”
“If you did not grin I would believe your protests, but since I can tell you are as eager as I am, I guarantee you will get your wish.”
Raven flushed and the group laughed as he walked outside with the fairies.
“What will you need me to do?” Snow asked, eager to help in any way she could.
Grace turned to Corlan. “What do you feel would be best for her?”
Corlan glanced over Snow and then said, “My mother thinks Snow is dead. We can use that to our advantage. What can you fairies do to help us stop Melantha? Right now, the magic of the mirror halts me, completely freezes my limbs so I must do what it requires of me. I am overpowered. Is there a way to somehow trap her before she can overpower us?”
“Yes!” Peace exclaimed. “There is. If we are all together, we should be able to trap her in her own magic, which would mean locking her within the mirror. But all of us must be together to do so.”
“How does it work?” Snow asked.
Grace spoke up. “When we were created, we were intended to be a force—an opposition against evil. And therefore, each of our gifts, our names, are interlinked. You cannot oppos
e evil without our characteristics. Once you have all seven within you, all seven days of the week, you can withstand anything the opposition throws your way. Each of our days are significant as well, but I will not go into all of that. Suffice it to say, with the Grace of the Almighty, the Truth you can withstand all, the Hope life will get better, Love over everything, Peace which dwells within, Joy at life and all her ups and downs, and Brave—the ability to face it all without fear. Once you have us all together, there is nothing the opponent can do to you. It is simply trapped. But if you allow one of these gifts to fade, you welcome the enemy in.”
“Just think,” Joy said. “Think of what she is saying. What if you did not have Truth or Hope, but you had the others? You could not fully trap your enemy. You must have Joy and Peace as well. You must have it all. And once you have mastered that, anyone can defeat anything.”
“It would seem the mirror is based on the opposite qualities,” Corlan said. “He is all about greed, envy, strife, murder, fear, lies …”
“Yes, and now do you see why it was imperative that we watched over Snow like we did?”
“I am so very grateful you promised my mother you would,” she said. “Who knew how much I would actually need you now?”
Hope smiled. “Life has an interesting way of coming full circle. Indeed, you never know who will turn out to be the exact person you need in your life. When you first meet them, you cannot imagine what role they may end up playing. It is something I find quite fascinating.”