by G. Bailey
"Weapons aren't my strong suit. I fight better with my wolf teeth," I say, flashing him a toothy grin to prove my point which makes him laugh as I step away, looking to the guard. "Vaeril, please show me the way."
"Yes, Princess," he replies, bowing low.
"You can call me Snow," I tell him as we walk away, and I briefly look back to see Aith smiling at me before he turns and walks off to get ready. "I need another favour of you, if you don't mind, Vaeril."
"Anything, Princess Snow," he is quick to reply. At least it’s better than just princess, I suppose.
"I am going to write a letter, and I need you to send it to my brother, the alpha of the Forest Pack," I explain, because if Aith is leaving guards outside, my brother could send help too. The elves are strong, but we need to use every strength we can if we need to make a quick escape from this castle.
"I can do that. I will warn that letters take a few days to successfully travel across dimensions. I would suggest taking it with us to the palace, but none of us could leave to deliver it," he explains to me. “I will talk with the dimension elf and see what he suggests as this is a matter of urgency.”
"I understand. A few days is better than nothing. Thank you," I reply to him.
"Just stay safe, that is all we wish for you and our prince," Vaeril explains to me, bowing his head in a respectful way before we stop outside a pair of white doors. Vaeril knocks twice before moving back to my side, and moments later, the door is flung open. Maya nervously smiles at me, holding several different coloured dresses on her arm.
"I will make you look fabulous, and you keep my son alive. Do we have a deal?" Maya asks, pushing the door open for me to walk in. I place my hand on her shoulder as I pass, needing to look her in the eyes as I speak.
"It's a promise."
The garnet red dress hugs my waist tightly, leaving my shoulders bare and my arms covered to the wrists with the lace material. From my waist below, the dress spreads out as it goes, looking longer at the ends. The material has lace woven into it with the design of dozens of flowers on a vine. My hair is curled, falling down my back, and my lips are painted to match the colour of the dress. For the first moment since I mated to Aith, I feel like a princess.
"Though you were going to be crowned tomorrow, you should be wearing a crown for this. This was mine when I was a princess before I took my mother's throne. I would very much like you to have it. My daughters have their own crowns and never were interested," Maya explains to me, and I turn to see the red crown in her hands. The crown is made of silver leaves that are dipped to look a dark red, but the tips of the crown have silver parts to them. It's stunning, and I don't move as Maya steps onto the stool next to me that the maids used to do my hair, before sliding it onto my head.
"Thank you very much, Maya. I do hope we can spend more time together in the future," I honestly tell her. I have a feeling we could become close friends.
"Oh I intend the very same thing, Snow. I see us being friends," she tells me and steps off the stool. "Everyone, leave the princess and me alone for a moment." The maids all bow before walking out of the room. Maya waits until the door is shut behind the last one before pulling out a sparkling jewel, a deep red that matches everything I'm wearing. Maya clicks the top, and a lid slides to the left before she clicks it shut once again.
"I'm confused. What is that, Maya?" I ask, and she steps up on the stool again. I stay still as she gently slides the red jewel into the front of my crown, where there is a perfect place for it.
"Come and sit with me. I wish to tell you a long story of importance," she says, offering no real explanation to the jewel that opens up on my crown. I know better than to question anyone again when they want to tell you something they find important. It is just rude to do so. Even if it is not important to you, it is to them, and that is all that matters. I slide into the seat opposite hers in front of the fireplace, seeing how she looks into the fire and not at me as she starts to speak.
"The crown and the jewel were made for my mother, a special request of hers. See, my mother and father were heirs to two parts of the elf kingdom. They were forced to marry when they came of age, and the elf kingdom became one. To everyone else, that meant peace and happiness, but to my mother, it meant life as a slave to a cruel man. My father was spoilt, cold, and empty-hearted, and he treated my mother accordingly. After another beating—this time while she was pregnant with me—my mother had enough.
“One night, she created a deadly poison, one that is fast-acting, and nothing in this world or any other can break it. The jewel hides the poison, and my mother slipped it into my father’s drink so he would die and no one could be blamed. After his death, I was born, and my mother said she knew what it was like to fall in love, or so she told me. My mother died five years ago after many years of peace in the realm, knowing her daughter married for love. She told me this story on her deathbed, but a deeper part of me always knew," Maya reveals.
I stay quiet for a moment, taking in all of her story that must be a big secret. There is no way the people know this, and they shouldn't. Her mother did what was best, no matter how hard a decision that must have been for her. I would have done the same to protect myself and my child.
"Your mother was very brave, and I wish I had the chance to meet her," I tell Maya, knowing it is enough to say that. She isn't telling me this story to get my judgement; I'm just not entirely sure why she is telling me this at all.
"She would have liked you, I am sure of it," she replies and slowly moves her gaze to the crown. "The same poison lies in the jewel on your head. It would be a fitting death for a mad shifter queen. My mother wasn’t cruel, so that poison is painless and quick."
"What makes you think I could get close enough to do that?" I ask.
"A mother always loves her son...and her son is your destined mate. If anyone can get close, it is you. Find out what she is up to with those stones, protect your family and mates, but end this. It's only you that can do it, Snow. I believe in you. The world does not need a war that hundreds, possibly thousands will die in." She stops when the door is knocked once and opened.
Aith walks in, looking very different from the casual clothes I'm used to. He looks like, well, a prince. A very handsome one at that. His suit is all black with touches of gold and red leaves stitched throughout the jacket and shirt. Aith has a crown on that is gold leaves swirling around each other like my own. On his back is a long gold sword with a big handle that shines under the light. Until Maya clears her throat, I don't notice how long we have just been staring at each other in amazement, and I'm almost embarrassed until Aith snaps out of it and comes to my side. The moment his hand touches my waist and he presses his side to mine, my nerves calm. We are going to be okay; there is no other option. We have to be okay. I can't lose him so quickly, it would be too painful.
"Are you ready, my pretty little wolf?" Aith asks through our bond, and it’s something to get used to. Erik and I had this once, we were so close and connected, but over time the bond has disappeared as much as he has from my life. At the very beginning, it really upset me, broke my heart, but I had to be strong for Arisa. She didn't deserve any of her father's behaviour, even if I understood where he was coming from. Losing our son was so incredibly painful. It is hard to even think back on. I never want to forget him, even though he never got to live in this world. In my memory, I still my baby, perfectly preserved there forever. "The dead are just sleeping, waiting for us to join them in their dreams. One day, we will be with your beautiful son, and he will never be forgotten until then."
"Where did you hear that? It's incredibly sweet," I reply, locking my eyes onto his as a single tear rolls down my cheek. Aith steps closer, wiping it away and kissing my forehead gently as he answers.
"An old elf-written book by one of our ancestors. He had a different look on death, and it helped me learn how to grieve. I will happily take you to the royal library to show you it when this is over." I smile up at him, nodd
ing in agreement. Maya opens the door in the room after it is knocked a few times, and I had almost forgotten she was here, as I was so lost in Aith. We turn as Vaeril comes in, bowing low and straightening up.
"Your Highnesses, the other guards have travelled through in advance, and we are ready for you both to travel to the castle. I will follow last to keep you both safe," he explains to us. Aith locks his fingers through mine before leading me out of the room. Maya places her hand on my arm for a moment as we pass, and I lock eyes with her for a brief second. It's all it takes to know she is counting on me to end this, to do just what her mother did. I need to kill a royal, a queen. I just hope the gods can forgive me…and Prince too.
The moment Aith and I step through the large shimmering silver portal, we fall out the other side onto the cold, grey, pebbled stone pathway in front of the large metal gates that lead up to the castle in the distance. I crawl to my feet with Aith’s help, though he landed far more gracefully than I did. I turn my head to look up at the place that has haunted me for a long time. The castle is lit up with hundreds of lights in the window while the cold salty sea air blows against us and the trees that line the driveway at the sides. On each side of the driveway, the elf guards stand in lines of five, so still you would think they were statues. Their green armour reflects the moonlight onto the trees that they stand under. Despite feeling scared and worried about what we will find in the castle, I still admire the beauty of the situation.
"Are you ready for this?" Aith asks me as Vaeril comes through the portal after us, and it closes shut, disappearing into nothing.
"I don't think anyone is ever ready to rescue their mates from a mad queen and tell them at the same time that they’re mated to someone else," I whisper to him. Gods, this is all crazy.
"I guess when you put it like that..." he drifts off, and I chuckle because it is better than having a nervous breakdown. My wolf huffs in my mind, making it clear she would take over far before I got to that point.
"Don't worry, they won't kill you. Erik might not react well, but Prince never cared about sharing me. He just loves me as you do," I honestly say. I know I have much bigger things to worry about when it comes to Prince. I just hope he knows his mother is out of control and he will let me do it. Aith looks down at me, and he knows everything about the poison and my plan. I get the feeling he is supporting me but hoping there is another way to finish this. No one wants death, especially not like this.
"Jealousy is easy to push away for love," he replies and pulls out the scroll from his pocket. We both look at each other for a moment, and we can't hide our emotions from each other. We both fear this place and the simple fact we could die in there. I will fight with every bit of my soul to make sure that doesn't happen, but sometimes that isn't enough. Sometimes the enemy is smarter.
We walk straight up to the gate, where you can see the shimmer of the magical barrier that surrounds the castle and its lands. It glimmers as I push my hand into it, remembering the dozens of times I came here and shouted to get in. I spent ages banging my hands against the barrier, hoping and wishing it would open. Aith presses the scroll into the barrier, and it suddenly burns away into blue flames. The blue flames spread, opening up a gap in the barrier as the big metal gates swing open, making a loud creaking noise as they go.
Aith steps in first, tugging me with his hand as my natural instincts suggest I run in the other direction. My wolf pushes against my mind, wanting to get out and protect me as I step to the other side. The hole in the barrier burns itself away until we are trapped. The gates start to shut of their own accord as we walk up the driveway, keeping our senses stretched to check for anything odd. So far, everything just looks normal, almost fairy tale like. The driveway is lit up with lanterns, and the moon hangs high in the sky, casting light on everything. The castle looms as I get closer, reminding me of something Prince once said to me.
"We shouldn't be sneaking around like this, Snow," Prince gently tells me, tugging me on top of his naked body. I look down at him, smiling widely at his suggestion. Rain pours down on the cabin, the place we always meet up at away from anyone's eyes. I know Erik needs to know about us, but I'm not sure how to tell him. He is always off hunting with Gold anyway. If he cared at all about me, he would have noticed me and Prince. Prince is my destined mate, but we haven't actually mated yet. It's driving him crazy, but these moments we sneak off and have together are enough for now. At least I thought they were.
"You can tell Erik then. I'm sure after a few years, he will stop attempting to kill you," I joke, and Prince only laughs before letting out a long sigh as he slides his hands up my back. The simple movement makes me shiver, wanting more of what we just finished. I roll my hips, and Prince's hands tighten ever so slightly, just as I feel him growing harder underneath me.
"I'm good at hiding though, so Erik would have trouble finding me. I mastered that trick as a kid," he tells me.
"Why?" I ask, distracted for a second from anything else. Prince doesn't talk about his parents or his life in the castle very often. I get the impression it isn't a good memory for him.
"My mum was overprotective and would follow me everywhere as a child. It was lesson after lesson on being a prince and what that meant. I just wanted to climb trees, shift into my wolf and run around, but my mother didn't want that for me. Eventually, I realized the only way to be free was to hide and escape her," he explains. “She wasn’t a loving mother, to be honest. I never got hugs or told I was loved by my mother.”
"What about your dad?" I ask.
"My father does everything my mother wants without question. They are an odd pair, but he made it clear he never wanted anything to do with me early on," he tells me. I can feel the deep sadness from him, even without a bond.
"I'm sorry you had to grow up like that," I honestly reply.
"Tell me about your parents and your upbringing," he asks. “Tell me you had it better than I did and make me smile.”
"I don't remember much of my parents; they died when I was young due to our pack being attacked. My brother brought me up and taught me everything about being a wolf. He is a good man, and I was lucky to have him," I explain.
"I admire that about Nikoli," he tells me. "Now why don't we stop talking about our families and make the most of our time alone." I bite my lip at his suggestion before rolling my hips back and slowly sliding down on his hard cock. Oh yes, this is a much better use of our time.
"As much as I'm okay with sharing, that memory makes me hard, and now isn't the time," Aith whispers to me, and I blush as I look at him.
"Sorry," I reply, trying not to laugh. Laughing has got to be better than freaking out, at least I think so. We both quickly forget anything but fear as we get to the doors of the castle. We stop outside, and a few seconds later, the stone doors are very slowly pulled open to reveal a wolf shifter in a butler outfit. He bows his head, keeping his hands behind his back before straightening up.
"We have been expecting you, Prince Aithlin Shadoward. Who is your companion?" the butler asks in an accent I can't place.
"This is Princess Snowleigh Shadoward, my mate," Aith is quick to reply, keeping his tone curt and cold.
"Then you shall both be welcome. Please follow me." The butler spins around, waiting like a statue as we walk up the steps. Welcome to the castle of horrors.
My shoes click against the smooth stone floors as we walk down the silent corridor. The silence is almost as eery as the place itself is. There are large paintings littering the walls, with smaller paintings filling the gaps, so you can just barely see the old wallpaper behind them. The place smells like dust and death, which isn't a good mix. My wolf is bursting at the edges to escape my mind, take over and run us the hell out of here. I just have to tell myself a million times over that we are here for Prince and Erik. Then we can get the hell out of here.
"I feel sorry for Prince growing up here alone," Aith whispers quietly into my mind. I totally agree, this place is not suitabl
e for a child. Thinking of children just makes me think of Arisa and how much I want to cuddle her. I look up as Aith squeezes my hip with his hand and, without words, he is telling me to be strong. That I'm not alone in this.
We come to the end of the corridor, where large glass double doors are guarded by five wolves. Though they are wolves, they don't smell right. I can't explain it, but they almost smell like death, and it makes me want to look at them more. Their faces are hidden behind their helmets made from gold, matching the gold armour they are wearing over their clothes. Each one of them holds no weapon, but they don't need it. Wolves don't fight with blades if they want to win; they fight with their teeth and claws. The guards stare endlessly at us, and I try to look through the tainted red glass doors, but it's such a dark red that I can't see in the room.
Like someone clicked an imaginary button, the guards all move at the same time to the side, and the doors are pulled open from the other side. The doors open to reveal the throne room, with none other than the queen sitting on her throne at the end of the room. The butler stands to the side, making it clear we are to go in alone without him. Aith tugs me along when I feel like my feet are glued to the floor in fear. We walk across the red stone floors that sparkle from the light flooding in from the windows in the room. They are high up on the grey stone walls, catching the light and casting it onto the floor.
Knowing I can't put this off any longer, I lift my gaze to the queen. She sits on her throne, with her silver crown on and a longer, silky, silver dress that does little to hide anything. As we get closer, I see the necklace she has on and know that something is up with the glowing stones attached to the silver chain. I reckon they are the shifter stones, the ones Gold had to give her. There are three though, not just two that she was given, so she must have had one already. I look around for the king, but I don’t see him anywhere. Usually they are together.