Queen Of Snow: A Snow Queen Retelling (Fairytales Reimagined 01), page 10
“The closest island… there are people who dwell on it who will be able to help Aria.”
Lexa slowed the pace as they neared the shore, and Aria moaned again. Jack dragged the back of his hand over her clammy forehead and frowned. She was burning up.
“This is where I leave you. I have to go back,” Lexa said, gently pushing the door onto the sand. “And please, give this to Aria.” She handed Aria’s knife to Jack. “I used it to free myself from the net. Thank you for saving my life, Jack. I hope you find what you’re looking for.”
“Wait,” Jack turned to Lexa. “About the necklace. Will Aria lose her powers without it?”
“No,” Lexa replied. “The stone simply recharged her powers. She’ll just need to pace herself and save her energy.” And with that, Lexa backed away.
“Thank you,” Jack said with a nod. A small smile crossed her face and then she disappeared with a splash.
Jack scooped up Aria in his arms and staggered along the beach, looking for any sign of life. Tall trees towered over them, their lush green leaves providing shelter from the sunshine. But the sea air had a bite to it, Aria shivered in his arms and mumbled something incoherent.
“It’s all right, I’m getting you some help,” Jack said soothingly. Aria buried her face in his chest and his heart squeezed. Her body grew limp when she lost consciousness again as Jack stumbled away from the sea and deeper into the woods.
“Can somebody help me, please?” Jack set his jaw and ignored his aching muscles as they protested with every step. Sticks snapped beneath his feet and he left a trail of water leading all the way back to the shore.
A squirrel scarpered up a tree trunk and looked at him with curiosity. Somewhere in the distance a bird called. Jack followed a path that had light footprints. They were shallow but recent.
“Please, my friend is hurt. I need someone to help her.”
A snap of a twig to Jack’s left had him halt and on high alert. With Aria’s unconscious body in his arms and no weapon to hand, he was vulnerable. “Who’s there?”
A bush rustled and a fluffy white rabbit hopped out and scampered away. Jack sighed and turned, then he almost dropped Aria with a gasp.
Three tall women wearing white cloaks and with hair as golden as the setting sun stood in his path. Their eyes focused on Jack with such intensity, he couldn’t help get the feeling that they knew who he was. But that was impossible.
“Excuse me, I’m sorry to intrude on your land. But my friend is awfully wounded and requires assistance.” Jack tried to sound polite and gentlemanly. But his voice shook. One of the women raised her hands and lowered the hood of her cloak. The tips of her pointy ears peeked through her hair and her face radiated light as she smiled at him.
Pointy ears. Are they elves?
“All is well, Jack. We have been expecting you.” Her voice was light as a feather, but the words rang in his ears. “Is Ryke with you?”
Ryke? Is this where he wanted to take Jack?
“No, he’s not. And how do you know me?” he stuttered. Two of the women walked forward and reached out for Aria, but Jack stepped back. “Who are you people?”
“Come, let us take your friend.” The woman’s voice was heavenly. “The Healer can help.”
“The Healer? I’m not leaving Aria.” Jack stepped back, holding Aria closer to his chest as he stared at the elegant women walking closer.
One of them laughed softly. “Then let us take you to him.”
Jack followed them deeper into the woods. His mind raced with questions, but he got the impression that these elves would talk in riddles.
Birds sang from the treetops, and glimmers of sunshine peeped through the leaves like spotlights. The air on this island seemed to breathe. As if the land was also a living thing. With every inhale, Jack was flooded with a sense of peace and tranquility. The sensation of “all is well” impressed itself on his mind.
They reached a wooden hut nestled in the trees, and Jack stopped.
“He is waiting.” One of the women gestured for Jack to enter, but he hesitated. Walking into the unknown had him on edge. What if he was being lured into a trap?
Aria stirred in his arms and he cradled her close. Her face was pale and soaked in sweat and her lips were turning blue. There was no other choice. Aria needed the Healer––whoever he was. So despite the fact he may well be an enemy, Jack knew he had to save Aria, whatever the cost. He took a deep breath, inhaling the calming air and allowed it to flood his senses. Then he walked inside.
The hut was much larger on the inside than it looked from outside. A wooden table sat in the center of the room, and stacks of shelves with glass bottles and leather-bound books lined the walls. Parchment papers littered the desk. All manner of interesting trinkets filled the hut. But none of it mattered. Jack just stared at the man cloaked in white, standing beside a bed. His face was engraved with fine wrinkles, and his wiry blonde hair had a little gray to it. But Jack could never mistake those clear, penetrating eyes.
“Grandfather?” he whispered.
“Hello, Jack,” he said fondly. His face broke into the warmest smile Jack had ever seen. This was surely not the cold, standoffish grandfather who had raised him. Though he was older than Jack, he was still younger than when Jack last saw him, but with a caring demeanor that threw Jack off balance.
“You’re the Healer?” he whispered. The older man smiled for a brief moment, then his gaze settled on Aria and his face turned to a frown.
“Bring her to the bed.”
Jack did as he was instructed and laid Aria on the small bed, wet clothes and all. Jack’s grandfather picked up a wooden bowl of water and dipped a rag into it.
“Bring me the brown bottle from that shelf,” he instructed as he moved to Aria’s side. Jack stood, biting back his tongue against the million questions racing through his mind. His grandfather was dead. How was he here? Had Jack died when he fell onto the mirror? Was this place a sort of afterlife? Suddenly, it all made sense. The fairy-tale characters, the magical powers, and being reunited with his grandfather.
“You’re not dead,” Grandfather said firmly, as if he were able to read Jack’s mind. Jack returned with the bottle and held it out with a shaking hand.
“But you are,” he whispered back, eyes wide. Without responding, the man ripped the linen to expose Aria’s shoulder. Then he took the bottle from Jack, unstoppered it, and poured a golden liquid over her wound. “What is that?” Jack asked, edging closer.
“Elderflower,” Grandfather mumbled. Then he glanced at Jack and shrugged. “Not the same flower you know back home. Here, it has strong healing properties.”
“The women who found us… are they––”
“Elves? Yes.”
A silence followed as Grandfather mopped Aria’s forehead with the damp rag and tutted. “We need to keep her body temperature down, otherwise the tonic won’t do its job.” He handed Jack the dripping rag.
“How is this possible?” He watched his grandfather intently. “I didn’t bury an empty coffin.”
“I know.”
“Then how can you be here, and yet…”
“I haven’t returned to England yet,” Grandfather explained. “But when I do…” He turned to look at Jack. “You will still be a baby.”
Jack looked at his grandfather in puzzlement. “I don’t understand.”
“When I left to come here, you had just been born. So, when I return...it will be as if only moments passed.”
“Wait…” The thought suddenly came to Jack. “You’re The Intruder? The one who rumpled everyone’s stories?” Jack asked as he dabbed Aria’s face.
Grandfather sat in the chair behind his desk and sighed. “That was a mistake. I was only meant to come here for a day. But alas, I could not go back.” He poured a drink and looked at the rows of books as if hoping for inspiration. “When I recognized the fairy tale characters, I thought I could help them avoid some of the suffering as written in the books. But just one small change can have a ripple effect. The elves have taught me that.”
“The mirror. It’s elven, right?” Jack asked. Grandfather looked at him, startled, and a glimmer of pride crossed his face as he gave him a nod.
“The elves are a peaceful folk. They are wise and have means to see into the future. But they have a saying that I have learned to live by.”
Jack leaned forward, clinging to his grandfather’s every word. “What is that?”
Grandfather took a swig of his drink. “All things must be.”
Aria stirred. Jack dipped the rag into the water again, then squeezed out the excess liquid before patting her neck.
“So, they don’t interfere, at all?” Jack asked. “Then why did they help me?”
“They were helping her. Because it was foretold that they would,” Grandfather said, nodding to Aria. Jack frowned.
“They’ve seen Aria’s future? Does she have a book as well?”
“You aren’t asking the right questions, Jack.”
Jack was taken aback by yet another lesson. “Fine. Then why did you keep the mirror a secret from me? And when raising me, why did you have to be so cold and distant all my life?”
Grandfather looked at Jack in surprise. “Raising you?”
“Yes, you raised me after my parents died.”
Grandfather pinched the bridge of his nose. “Jack, I have not yet lived through that. When I left, your parents were well.”
“But––”
“But nothing. You cannot tell me any more about my future. All things must be,” Grandfather repeated as he pointed at Jack.
They stared at each other in silence for a moment, and Jack frowned. Was he not even sorry for everything he put him through? The lonely days, surrounded by dusty old books. Forbidding him from making friends or going to school. Only sending him on trips to camp in the outdoors, hike up mountains and sleep in a tent during a rainstorm. But Aria’s heavy breathing pulled Jack back out of his mind.
He looked at her face and swept her dark hair away from her temples, and his heart warmed. All of his thoughts and worries melted away and Grandfather seemed to know it. He chuckled and gave Jack a knowing look.
“You have many questions. And I will endeavor to answer all of them. But right now, you need to rest. You two have been through quite an ordeal, I gather.” He walked over and placed a hand on Jack’s shoulder. The warmth of his touch sent a rush of emotions flooding his whole body, and it took every ounce of his control not to weep.
“I can’t believe you’re here,” Jack said in a strangled voice.
Grandfather took the rag from Jack’s hand and sighed. “I know. Ah, the fire is almost out. There’s a woodshed outside––would you?” He gestured to the door and Jack nodded, rising to his feet.
“Of course, I’ll be right back,” he said. He strode to the doorway and glanced back at Aria as she slept, his grandfather gently dabbing her face. His heart squeezed so tightly, he worried it would burst out of his chest. Aria was going to be okay, and his grandfather was not dead. All was well.
He couldn’t stop the grin from overtaking his face as he marched outside and headed for the small woodshed sitting to the side. Perhaps, this was my happy ending? he thought. Then, as he opened the doors, something hard struck him on the back of his head, and he fell to the ground.
A pair of black boots from The Queen’s men appeared inches from his face. “Aria,” he croaked as he passed out.
Aria
Aria jolted awake, a damp cloth falling from her forehead. She blinked several times, trying to recognize where she was.
“Oh, good. You’re awake.” An elven woman in a white cloak smiled as she brought a tray with hot soup.
Aria stretched out her hand and the woman’s body froze on the spot, though not her face. The tray fell from her hands, dropping to the floor with a loud clang.
“I’m sorry to have startled you,” the woman said, though still not able to move her body. “I just thought you would be hungry when you woke up.”
Aria thought about replying, but she was too busy looking at her own hands. Her powers were back, and stronger than ever. But then she winced as her wound stung.
She touched her shoulder. It was bandaged. Who had done this? She looked at the woman again. “Where’s Jack?” she asked.
“He went to get some more wood for the fire,” a man’s voice came from the door, and Aria swung around in a defensive position.
A gray-haired man raised his hands in surrender. “There’s no need for that.”
“Who are you?” she asked, keeping only her good arm in front of her. “And where is Jack?”
“My grandson is fine,” he said with a smile.
“Grandson?” Aria echoed, giving the man a skeptical look. “His grandfather died.”
“Yes, I’m aware of that now,” he replied, motioning to the frozen woman. “Would you mind letting her go? I asked her to come and help me treat you. She changed your clothes and made you some food.”
Aria finally noticed the different clothes: a pair of light gray pants and a white shirt, then she glanced at the food that had fallen on the floor. Her stomach growled and she wished she hadn’t been so hasty.
Without another word, she waved her good hand toward the elven woman and the ice melted.
“Thank you.” The woman flashed Aria a grateful smile, though she was shivering. “Would you like me to make you another plate?”
Aria gave the woman a quizzical look. Why was she being so nice? It creeped Aria out. “Nah, that’s okay.”
The woman bowed then headed out the door. “Everything is ready, sir,” she whispered before leaving, and the older man gave her a thankful nod.
Aria scanned the room again. Where was she? But the more pressing question was another. “Who are you, really?”
“I’m Jack’s grandfather,” he answered, coming to sit on a chair next to the bed.
Aria crawled away from him.
“I came through the mirror many years ago.”
“Then how could you have raised him?”
“Though I have not yet returned to my land, I will,” he explained, “And when I do, I will continue my life where I left off.”
Aria shook her head, confused. “What do you mean where you left off?” she asked.
“When I left, my daughter was a young mother and Jack was still a baby. So, when I go back… I will return to that time.”
Aria wondered if he knew of his daughter’s passing, but decided it wasn’t her place. If Jack wanted him to know, he would surely share it. “Why are you telling me this?”
“Because I need your help.”
Aria wanted to laugh. “What could I possibly help you with?”
“We can’t let Jack go back to England.”
“What?” Aria felt a sting of betrayal. How could she ask Jack to stay? Not that she hadn’t thought about it, but she was leaving too. “Why would I do that?”
“Because he belongs here.”
“What do you mean he belongs here?”
“His grandmother came to my world… through the mirror,” he explained. “She stayed with me and we got married. But when she fell ill, she asked that her ashes be scattered on her parents’ grave. That’s why I came here.”
“So, she was from the Chanted Kingdom?” Aria muttered, and the old man nodded. She narrowed her eyes, battling with the nagging feeling that there was more he wasn’t letting on. “Then why did you keep all this from him?”
“Because I can’t interfere with his story,” he said.
Aria’s eyes widened. “He has a story?” Then something in her brain clicked. “You’re The Intruder.”
The old man nodded. “And I have learned the hard way that even the most honorable of intentions can have catastrophic consequences.”
“Why did you rumple everyone’s lives?” Aria asked, shocked.
“I never meant to,” he confessed. “I was simply trying to help. But all it took was changing one thing, and the ripple effect was pure disaster.”
“So… is that why you need Jack to stay?” she asked. “To restore the happy endings to their original fate?”
The man shook his head. “Jack won’t be the one to fix it,” he said. “You will.” He reached into her bag on top of the nightstand and pulled out the shard. Aria wanted to lunge at him and snatch her bag from his hands, then demand that he explain what he meant by her fixing the happy endings. But she was too curious to know what he knew about the mirror.
“This is truly one of the most extraordinary inventions of the elves,” he muttered, staring at the shard as if it were a picture of an old friend. “I tried collecting all the shards once.”
Aria lowered her guarded hand and edged forward. “Did you get to?”
“No.” He looked up to meet her eyes. “I even tried asking the elves to make another, but they vowed to never recreate such a powerful object. In fact, they were planning on taking it high up in the sky and shattering it, but…” The man chuckled as if he was the only one in on the joke. “That would’ve been a bad idea.”
“So, you want my mirror?” Aria asked, glancing at the shard he was still holding. “Is that how you get back home?”
“Yes.” He nodded. “But I won’t leave without first making sure my grandson will be cared for.”
“I thought you couldn’t interfere.”
“I can’t. That is why I’m making sure to do everything just as it’s supposed to be. As hard as it may seem.”
“And what is that, exactly?” she asked.
“You will find out soon enough. Now…” He stood, and Aria perked up. He was still holding her shard, and she would not allow it out of her sight. “Shall we?”
Before Aria could reply, he turned around and walked across the room. Aria stood and followed slowly after him. He reached for a curtain and pushed it aside, revealing the Mirror of Reason with only one shard left to be completed.
