First Frost

by Liz Delesus

“Yeah…but are we in the right century? Do you see what he’s wearing?” Ming whispered.

  “Yes, I can see that. Let me…just give me a minute,” Bianca replied.

  She then turned her attention back to the prince. “I’m Bianca Frost, and this is my friend Ming Lee.” Bianca did a mix between a bow and a curtsy since she wasn’t certain which was acceptable. Ming settled on a curtsy and stifled a giggle.

  “Your Highness, the beast has been slain,” a young man said as he emerged from the woods and stepped into the clearing. It was the man she had seen on the black horse. He had the huge buck tied to the stallion by its antlers and dragged the animal’s corpse through the woods.

  “Oh, and this is my servant, Terrance,” Prince Ferdinand said nonchalantly.

  Bianca was shocked to see that Terrance’s hands and arms were covered in blood. He had rolled up the sleeves of what had once been a white shirt. It was now stained with dirt and blood. Oddly enough…he didn’t seem to mind. He wore a suit similar to Ferdinand’s except that the pants and vest he wore over his shirt were black. His matching jacket was draped over the midnight colored horse that followed closely behind him. She quickly realized that the prince didn’t kill anything, it was Terrance that had done all of the dirty work.

  “You’re both welcome to join us. There’s plenty of food for everyone,” Prince Ferdinand offered graciously.

  Bianca turned to Ming. No words were necessary; the question she wanted to ask was plain to see in her eyes. Ming nodded. They didn’t need to speak to know that neither one of them wanted to spend the night alone in the woods in a world they knew nothing about.

  “Thank you. We would like that very much,” Bianca replied to the prince.

  “We will eat well tonight,” Terrance said with a wicked smile.

  It didn’t take Bianca much guessing that he had enjoyed killing the buck. There was a slight glimmer in his dark brown eyes. Bianca couldn’t explain it, but there was something both primal and civilized about him, almost as if there were something more to this servant than met the eye.

  Terrance seemed to feel her stare and met her gaze. Bianca didn’t look away. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw his bright white teeth as he grinned. He had long brown hair that she wanted to curl around her fingers. She didn’t know what it was about Terrance. She couldn’t quite put her finger on it, but she was determined to find out.

  Yeah…there’s something more to him.

  Bianca shook herself out of his unfaltering gaze and took a deep breath. She was relieved that they weren’t running anymore. She looked toward the mountains and watched the sun slowly sink into the horizon. She had never seen a more glorious sunset. The sky was tinged pink, peach, and red. The sky changed from the deep blush to a cool blue, and slowly the stars began to peep through.

  Bianca saw something glowing in the trees. She squinted but that didn’t help. She reluctantly reached into her backpack and put her glasses on. She gasped in surprise when she saw a small group of fairies shimmering high in the trees.

  Bianca tapped Ming on the shoulder and pointed to the trees.

  “Hey! You put your glasses on. Good for you, B,” Ming said.

  “Shh. Look up there,” Bianca whispered.

  “What am I looking at?”

  “Fairies.”

  “No way.”

  The fairies squeaked and danced from branch to branch. Bianca didn’t dare get any closer for fear of scaring the fairies away. Some of them had wings that looked like the ones on a butterfly while others had wings that made Bianca think of dragonflies.

  “So many colors,” Ming marveled.

  She was right. The fairies glowed in soft sapphire blue, emerald green, light pink, and some were ruby red.

  “Ah, yes. Fairies.” Prince Ferdinand stood beside them and gave the fairies a tightlipped grin.

  “They’re beautiful,” Bianca said.

  “They’re dangerous. Stay away from them,” he warned.

  “Why? They’re so tiny,” Ming said.

  “They are one of the most powerful beings known to mankind. Tiny doesn’t mean weak,” the prince explained.

  “Point taken. Ming, stay away from the fairies,” Bianca said.

  “Aw.” Ming pouted.

  “Come on, let’s see if we can help Terrance with something.”

  They found Terrance behind a tree, skinning the buck. Ming gagged and turned away from the awful scene. The buck’s skin was halfway down its torso.

  “Umm, hi…Terrance,” Bianca stammered.

  “Hello,” he said as he continued to work on the task at hand.

  “We were wondering—” Bianca forced herself to look away and regain her composure “—if you needed any help with dinner.”

  He wiped the sweat off his forehead. Without realizing it, he had smeared blood on his skin. He gave Bianca a puzzling look and then replied, “You could gather some wood.”

  “Okeydokey. We’ll go do that.”

  “That was so gross,” Ming whined.

  “How do you think we get meat?”

  “I swear to God, I’m going to become a vegetarian when we get back home,” Ming vowed.

  “Whatever you say,” Bianca said dismissively. She knew that Ming wouldn’t stick to being a vegetarian. The moment she smelled a cheeseburger back home that would be the end of it. “Come on, help me gather wood.”

  Ming was surprised to see that Terrance was able to build a fire using rocks and dry leaves because she whispered to Bianca, “No matches? How is he doing that?”

  She could tell her friend was impressed by Terrance’s skills.

  “Excuse me, I have a question,” Ming said.

  “Yes?” Prince Ferdinand asked.

  “Where are we exactly?”

  “You don’t know where you are?” the prince asked.

  “I know we’re in Everafter. But where exactly?” Bianca replied.

  “We are in the Enchanted Forest not far from my summer cottage,” Prince Ferdinand said.

  “Forgive my boldness, but I couldn’t help but notice that your choice of dress is very strange,” Terrance said as he studied Bianca and Ming’s clothing. He reached out and touched Bianca’s black T-shirt. “And you do not behave as maidens should. You are not from our land…are you?”

  Bianca noticed that Terrance seemed amazed over the softness of her shirt. She gazed at his long fingers. She could see the dirt and caked blood underneath his nails. But she didn’t pull away from him. In fact, she was surprised by how little it bothered her.

  “You’re right. We’re not from here,” Bianca replied.

  Terrance realized what he was doing and quickly pulled away. Bianca tried to look away when she saw a bit of color on his cheeks. So he can blush. She put her hands over her mouth and covered her smile. She didn’t want to embarrass him.

  “We had heard rumors for many years that there was a way to travel to another world, but I didn’t think they were true,” Terrance said.

  “Yeah…we’re definitely not in Kansas anymore,” Bianca said.

  “What is Kansas?” the prince asked.

  “Nothing, nowhere, never mind,” Bianca replied quickly. She didn’t want to tell them too much about where they came from in case it changed the way of life in Everafter. She didn’t want to be responsible for the fall of civilization.

  Definitely don’t need to add that to my already-guilty conscience.

  “What brings you to our world?” Prince Ferdinand asked.

  “I’m looking for my mother.” Bianca found herself unsure how much she should tell them. She decided to remain silent until she figured it out.

  “Don’t fret. All will be well.” Terrance gave her a kind smile. He then pulled out his knife and cut a huge slab of deer meat and placed it on a plate. He handed the first serving to Prince Ferdinand, the second to Bianca, the third to Ming and saved the last piece for himself.

  “It smells delicious,” Bianca said.

  Ming sat b
eside Bianca, leaned over and whispered, “We’re not really eating this, are we?”

  “Better than using up our food supply. We have to make it last as long as possible. We don’t know how long we’re going to be here,” Bianca explained.

  “True, but hopefully not more than a week, otherwise my mom will freak out.”

  “Don’t worry, I’ll get you back home,” she promised.

  Bianca turned her attention back to their rescuers. “I’m curious, why are you out here in the middle of the woods?”

  Terrance chuckled. “Prince Ferdinand is looking for a princess.”

  “Really?” Bianca couldn’t help but smile. She never thought she’d be trapped in her very own fairy tale…except for the fact that she wasn’t a princess.

  “Or a damsel in distress. Either one will do…so long as the damsel in distress is a princess trapped in a tower by an evil witch,” the prince said.

  “I guess we weren’t what you had in mind,” Ming said after she swallowed a bite of her venison.

  Prince Ferdinand grinned. “Not exactly princesses, or in distress, but you are certainly maidens who were running away from something. It was my duty to step in and rescue you.”

  “So…where’s your castle?” Ming asked.

  “Several days’ walk from here,” Ferdinand replied.

  Ming turned her attention to Bianca. “Why can’t we go to his castle, get an army, and then go to the witch’s castle?”

  “There’s no time, Ming. My mom could be dead by then. I can’t risk it. Besides I already have what she wants.”

  “Yeah, but…”

  “Don’t even finish that sentence,” Bianca warned.

  She knew exactly what Ming was thinking. What if we die getting there? What if your mother is already dead? What if it’s all a trap? Too many what-ifs. If Bianca let herself go down that train of thought, she wouldn’t be able to take another step forward. It was like having to go down the dark, foggy, and creepy path even though you just wanted to turn around and go home.

  “I have to go, Ming, with or without you. I have to do this,” Bianca said.

  “Don’t say that. I’ll go with you as far as I can. I’m not going to pretend to be a hero. I’m not. You of all people know that I cry if I break a nail. But for you…I’ll go as far as I can.”

  “I know, Ming. Thanks.”

  “No problem.”

  “Where will you be staying?” Terrance asked.

  “Out here…I guess,” Bianca said as she patted the soft earth by her feet.

  She had the third little pig’s brick in her backpack, so she knew that they would be safe in the middle of the forest. She would be able to rest easy knowing that nothing would get through the indestructible brick house. Still…she wasn’t sure how much of her treasures she wanted to share with their new friends. Until she got to know them better, she decided to keep mum on the items she had in her possession. They were going to be the aces up her sleeve.

  Terrance shook his head. “No, absolutely not. That simply won’t do. Your Highness?”

  “Yes?”

  “What say you? I think we should allow them to stay in the cottage.”

  Prince Ferdinand opened his mouth. It looked to Bianca as though he was going to say no. Before the prince could respond, Bianca interrupted him by saying, “We’re on a quest.”

  “Really?” Prince Ferdinand’s ears perked up once he heard the word quest. It was exactly why he was out in the woods.

  “Yes. We’re searching for my mother, Rose Frost, and seek to…” Bianca struggled to find the right words. Whatever was necessary to get them to help her.

  “Defeat the evil witch, Lenore,” Ming added dramatically, trying to be helpful.

  “Defeat a witch! Oh! This is a mighty quest indeed!” Ferdinand exclaimed.

  “We can really use your help with this,” Bianca admitted.

  “Is there a princess involved?” the prince asked.

  She thought about lying just to get him and Terrance to come along with her, but she decided against it at the very last moment. “Not really…but we could find one along the way…you never know.”

  He stood up and drew his sword out of its scabbard as he spoke. “Terrance, I feel as though it is our duty…nay…our destiny…to make certain that they succeed in their quest.”

  Bianca was certain that if he had been able to, he would’ve had the sun shining all around him with angels singing hymns to add to the drama.

  “I agree, Your Highness,” Terrance said. He winked at Bianca, who in turn blushed. She knew that he would’ve convinced him to help her had he decided differently.

  “Are you sure about this?” Ming whispered to Bianca while the prince pretended to fight the shadow of a tree with his sword.

  “Better to have them both with us and know where we’re going than wandering all alone without a clue in the middle of the woods by ourselves,” Bianca said.

  Ming reluctantly nodded in agreement and turned her attention to Prince Ferdinand. “I’m not too sure about having him tag along. But if you trust him and his friend, then I guess I can too.”

  Chapter Eleven

  After an early dinner, they decided to go to Prince Ferdinand’s cottage in the forest. Bianca got on the black horse with Terrance, and Ming rode on the prince’s white horse. Bianca wrapped her arms around Terrance’s waist and held on as though her life depended on it.

  “The horse can tell you’re nervous,” Terrance whispered. “Calm down. I won’t let you fall.”

  She took several deep breaths and did her best to relax.

  “How long have you been with the prince?” she asked, hoping that it would keep her mind off of falling.

  “My whole life. We were playmates as children.”

  “So…you were born in the castle?”

  “Yes. My mother, Lady Claire, is Queen Felicia’s lady-in-waiting and closest confidante.”

  “Life in the castle must be interesting.”

  “I don’t know if interesting is the word I would use. I suppose it’s normal for me since I’ve been there my whole life.”

  There was a lull in the conversation after a few minutes. Terrance finally asked, “What about you? Can you tell me about where you live?”

  “I live in my grandmother’s old house with my mom. My dad used to live there with us too, but he’s been missing for the past ten years.”

  “Missing?”

  “Yeah…the witch who kidnapped my mother turned my father into a bear and then vanished.” Bianca sighed and rested her cheek on Terrance’s wide shoulders.

  “That’s awful.”

  “Yes. Yes, it is,” she replied in a soft voice.

  They finally came to a clearing in the woods and Bianca watched in wonderment as a quaint little cottage came into view.

  Bianca gasped.

  “We’re here,” Terrance said.

  “Wow.” It’s like something in a fairy tale.

  “Um…are you sure this is a cottage? This is more like a really, really big house or a tiny mansion. I thought cottages were supposed to be small and quaint,” Ming said loudly from the prince’s horse.

  “At least we know there’s room for us somewhere,” Bianca replied.

  “True.”

  Terrance gracefully dismounted his horse. He held out his arms to Bianca and helped her climb off the horse.

  “Wait here while I take the horses to the stable and feed them,” he said and then walked away.

  Prince Ferdinand didn’t wait. He walked into his “cottage” and left Bianca and Ming alone outside.

  “So…what did you and Terrance talk about?” Ming asked, half serious and half teasing.

  Bianca rolled her eyes. “Nothing. Just chatting a little. No harm in getting to know someone while we’re here. What about you? Change your mind about Prince Ferdinand yet?”

  “Prince I-Love-Myself-More-Than-Anyone? Blah, blah, blah, I’m a prince. Blah, blah, blah, I have a castle. Yeah,
right. I’d rather deal with the Neanderthals in school than the prince…even if he is royalty.”

  Bianca couldn’t help but laugh. “You are going to marry him so hard,” she said with a mischievous grin.

  “I am not,” Ming argued.

  “Whatever you say…Mrs. Charming.” She giggled.

  Ming gave her a dirty look and pinched her arm.

  “Ow! That hurt.” Bianca rubbed the sore spot on her right arm.

  “Good. Hopefully that’ll get you to shut up about who I’m NOT going to marry.”

  “Who’s getting married?” Terrance asked as he walked up to them.

  “No one. I’m just teasing Ming,” Bianca said.

  “Sorry to have interrupted. Where is the prince?” he asked.

  “He went inside.”

  “Well…no use standing out here. Come on I’ll show you to your room,” he said.

  They stepped inside, and Bianca had to suppress the urge to gasp. The cottage was breathtakingly beautiful. There were white lace curtains on the windows, glossy wood floors, and a deer head above the fireplace. She could imagine her mother drooling over the antique furniture and wanting to get back home to redecorate their house.

  “Wow,” Bianca whispered as she took in her surroundings. She didn’t know if Prince Ferdinand had been resourceful or cold enough to build the fire himself, but there was a cozy blaze burning in the fireplace. All Bianca wanted was a hot cup of cocoa and to sit by the fire, but she knew there was no point in relaxing at this moment. There was still so much that needed to get done.

  “You may use the two rooms downstairs. Prince Ferdinand and I will be in the rooms upstairs. Please let me know if there is anything I can do to help,” Terrance said as he guided them to the rooms.

  “Thank you so much,” Bianca said.

  “You’re very welcome,” he replied.

  Bianca and Ming went to their assigned bedrooms as soon as Terrance retired upstairs to join the prince.

  “This is really nice,” Bianca said.

  “Yeah,” Ming replied.

  “Do you wanna share the room, or do you want this one to yourself?”

  “I think we should stick together. There’s plenty of room for both us in here.”

  “Cool.” Bianca sighed as she put her backpack on the floor.