by Dana Piazzi
“Whatever am I going to do with you?” she asked the object in her hand. She thought for a second that the mirror’s image rippled, but she chalked it up to just being tired and too stressed out.
Hours went by with her only visitor being Zander. He had brought her a plate of fruit, bread, and some fresh water to drink.
Daylight was slowly slipping away, as the sky outside her cell’s barred window turned a beautiful array of pink, orange, and purple.
As she sat on the lumpy pile of the so-called bed, she thought of what she would say to the court. How could she argue her side of the story when all the evidence pointed to her? The bottle of monkshood mixture was found in her room, and several of the castle servants had overheard her talking to her lady-in-waiting about not wanting to be married because she didn’t love the man.
She was doomed, and all she had on her side was a mirror. Amara wished that the strange woman had at least told her what she was supposed to do with it. She couldn’t help but wonder where Desmond had gone. She hoped that he was okay. He had been her only companion since the death of her father.
She remembered it like it was yesterday …
She was alone in the courtyard three days after her father’s funeral, which left her emotionally numb, especially the part where they had burned his body. She was alone now. He had been her last surviving family member, after having lost her mother to an illness four years before that. As she sat there alone on the fountains rock wall, he approached from behind. He just trotted right up to her and nuzzled her gently with his nose.
“Where did you come from?” she asked the magnificent creature. Of course, she didn’t get a response.
She sat there for hours with him at her side, just talking to him. She knew that he didn’t understand a word that she was saying, but he still stood there, seeming to absorb her every word. She laughed about how ridiculous she felt talking to a unicorn, but the beast just stared back at her through his crystal-blue eyes.
“Well,” she had told him, “I guess it’s time for me to head back, but thank you for listening.” She started to laugh, knowing that what she was about to say was absurd, but she said it, anyway. “If you would like, meet me back here tomorrow and we’ll talk some more.”
The following eve, she went back to the fountain, feeling silly, but curiosity got the best of her. She sat down on the wall, drew her knees up, and let her fingers skim the top of the water. Through the water’s reflection, she saw that the unicorn had, indeed, returned to her. She quickly jerked around.
“You came back,” she said, shocked. “How? Why?”
Amara sat for a minute, not knowing what to say. “Let’s go for a walk, shall we?”
The two walked around in silence for hours in the woods that surrounded the town, until she finally grew tired and decided to go back home.
“Thank you for coming back to me. You need a name, friend. How about Desmond?” The unicorn nuzzled the side of her head, and then walked back into the woods.
Two days had gone by with no sign of Desmond. Amara was beginning to feel as if she had overestimated the intelligence of the creature, until he came to her at her favorite spot by the lake.
“You knew I would be here, didn’t you?” she asked him.
The creature nodded its head in response. From that day forward, the two were inseparable.
As she sat in the cell, brought back from her reverie, her lids became very heavy and she tried to fight off sleep, but quickly realized that the best thing for her to do would be to surrender. She crawled into a fetal position and let the slumber overtake her.
She dreamed all night of raging wars. The two great cities were at odds with one another and innocents were lying dead on the ground everywhere, covered in crimson blood from their leaking wounds, their frail bodies now decorated with blue and purple bruises.
Right before her dream ended, she saw the queen as clear as day. She stood right before her in a blood red dress, laughing, right before she pulled out a dagger and stuck it into Amara’s chest. She heard her bone’s splintering as the blade pushed through her chest, piercing her heart. She collapsed to her knees, tightly grasping her chest in hope that she could somehow stop the bleeding or reverse the damage. Neither happened and she died before the queen like a helpless child. She woke with a jerk, panting and sweating.
Was this her fate? The fate of the country? To die by the hands of her wicked stepmother. Not if she could help it. She had to be stopped, no matter the cost. If she had to sacrifice her life for the good of the country, then that is what she would do.
She needed a plan, and she needed one now. Sunrise was quickly approaching, and, no doubt, it would only be a matter of time before the guards came to collect her to meet with the court. She took out her mirror to try and do her best to freshen up her looks, but once again, she felt tears well up in her eyes.
“What am I going to do?” Amara asked herself. “I wish someone could help. I feel so alone.”
Suddenly, the object vibrated in her hand. She quickly dropped it, scared from the sudden movement. Luckily, it landed on the bed and didn’t shatter. The thing began to illuminate, casting rays of bright white light across the room, stinging her eyes. After a few seconds, the light went away and Amara leaned over to peer at the glass.
“What in the world?”
The mirror was casting an image of a man, and, oh heavens, he was gorgeous. Her heart instantly skipped a beat at the sight of him, and she was pretty sure that she just accidentally drooled. She wiped her mouth as she stared at the tall male before her. He had rippling muscles and was dressed all in brown leather. His face was pure masculinity at its finest, and his eyes seemed to look right through the glass at her.
She was stunned by the image before her, now more confused than ever. Was she supposed to find this man? How could she find anyone while she was locked in this cage? She wanted to yell and scream. She was overwhelmed. Too much was happening too quickly. Her world had been turned upside down in no time at all. She had seen things that she never thought possible, been stripped of her home, threatened with death, and had to let go of her companion. And now, this little piece of glass that she was told would help her, was only giving her goose bumps.
She couldn’t stop staring at the man within. She felt a strong attraction to him, but could not understand why. Before she realized what she was doing, she reached down and touched the image. It flickered then faded away, the glass becoming nothing more than a mirror once more.
She picked up the mirror and shook it in her hands, trying to get it to give her back the image from before. She yearned to see that man just one more time. Her heart ached like she had lost her lover.
Just then, she heard the sound of heavy footsteps coming down the hall. It was time. A guard approached the cell door and disengaged the lock.
“Where is Zander?” Amara asked. “I thought that he would be the one to take me to court.”
“Sorry, my lady, but he didn’t show up at his post this morning,” the man said with a smirk.
A chill went down her spine. Something had happened to him and she knew it. He would never have skipped out on her, or so she thought. The queen probably had something to do with it.
Chapter 3
Amara was all but pushed into the castle’s throne room. The guard that had escorted her was completely uncaring and was nothing more than a bully toward her. The room was too humid, causing her chest to tighten, and was packed to the brim with the city’s higher standing citizens.
Upon her entrance, the room went silent and all eyes were on her. She slowly walked to the front of the room past all of the staring people. It was supposed to be demeaning to her, but once again, she tried. Just like her father would have expected, she put her best foot forward as she approached the queen, who was perched way too smugly in the fallen King’s chair at the head of the room.
“Stop right there, Princess Amara,” the queen bellowed out. “You stand before us no
w, on this your day of judgment, for the death of Prince Terrin. Do you have anything to say before your sentence is handed down?”
“As a matter of fact, I do,” Amara began. “If it pleases your majesty, I would like to take a moment to address the people of the court.”
“Well, go on then, dear,” the queen replied. “There is plenty of daylight left. It will be off with your head soon enough.”
Amara glared at the queen, and then faced the mass of people congregated together. She then saw Zander standing toward the back of the crowd. It made her feel better, knowing that he was safe, and she gathered up her courage to speak.
“You all have known me for the last nineteen years of my life,” Amara began. “You have watched me grow from a babe into the lady that you see before you today. I have worked with you, laughed with you, and have given you everything I could but my beating heart. You have watched me with your own children, and you all know deep down that I could not commit murder. I was framed.”
“By whom?” the queen asked. “Who are you trying to blame for this heinous crime? The poison was found in your room, and everyone knows that you had no feelings for the man that you were to marry.”
“You should know,” Amara said, turning to stare down the queen as gasps filled the room. “You never wanted me to rule. You are too selfish and unwilling to realize that your reign as queen is over. You don’t care what is best for the people, and you never have. You will bring nothing upon them but death and destruction.”
“How dare you speak to your queen like that? You ungrateful brat!” She rose to her feet and stared back at Amara with hate in her eyes. “Who cared for you after the death of your mother and father?”
“I cared for myself and you know it! You had nothing to do with me! The only reason you married my father was so that you could become queen! You never loved him and I don’t think that he ever loved you! He just wanted me to have a mother, but some mother you turned out to be!”
“Guards, seize her!” the queen bellowed. “Take her to the square where she will be publicly executed! Let her be an example to everyone who may think of disrespecting me in the future! Princess Amara, I sentence you to death by beheading for the murder of Prince Terrin!”
Amara wanted to fall to the floor. It was over. She had come here in hope of taking her life back into her own hands, but now she was going to die. The strange woman had told her that she had to come here, and she foolishly listened.
The guards were now approaching her and she began to shake. No, wait it wasn’t her. The mirror that she had stowed away in her corset was vibrating once more.
One of the men latched onto her arm, trying to pull her away, until he stopped to swat a butterfly that was fluttering in his face. Amara used that little bit of time to pull out the mirror. Brilliant light escaped from the glass and then an image was projected into the air above it for everyone to see.
It was Prince Terrin sitting at a desk in the room that he had been given to stay in at the castle. He turned and looked at someone walking into the room. It was a man, but he was still too far away in the image to be seen. As he approached, she saw that it was Zander, and that he carried two goblets. Then, he handed one to the prince and drank from the other. It appeared as if they were laughing, no doubt talking about the next day’s events. Prince Terrin drank from his cup, and after a few seconds, it fell from his hand and hit the floor. He slumped forward, grasping his stomach. He then looked up at Zander as his mouth slowly moved, forming the word “why” before his body fell to the floor and began to convulse.
The image faded away, but was replaced by another. This one showed Zander walking toward the queen’s chambers, carrying the bottle of monkshood. He opened the door, and on the bed draped in red silk sat the queen, smiling. She raised her hand and beckoned him to join her. Then, the image faded away.
No one spoke for what seemed like hours, but had only been mere seconds. Amara was too stunned to move. Her friend, Zander, had done this to her. He had put her life in his hands and squeezed until there was almost nothing left. She watched as Zander tried to bolt through the doors, only to be taken down by the two men guarding the exit.
Before she knew what had happened, the queen had come up behind her, grabbed her hair, and jerked her back toward her then put a knife to her throat. “You are a clever little witch, aren’t you?” she whispered into her ear, pressing the tip of the blade harder into her skin, causing her tissue to slowly tear open.
Amara began to cry, but not out of fear for dying. She was actually relieved. Her name was now clear and the people would revolt against the queen and her reign would be over.
“Go ahead,” Amara said, “kill me, but your time is over and you know it. I won! You, the evil queen, was defeated by her useless stepdaughter.”
She felt the knife sinking farther into her skin, until it came to a stop. She heard a loud thump as she turned around to see the queen lying on the floor, with a pool of blood forming around her lifeless body. Behind her stood the male from the mirror, holding a long sword, as a trail of crimson blood dripped down the blade toward the hilt.
Amara became dizzy and swayed on her feet, but the man quickly sheathed his weapon, moved in, and swept her up in his arms. Then, he placed a white cloth over her neck wound, which, luckily, was not too deep.
“Are you okay, love?” he asked.
“Who are you?” she asked, looking up at his face.
“Don’t you recognize me?”
She looked deep into his blue eyes and it all fell into place. “Desmond.”
He nodded in agreement.
“But how?” she asked, brushing his white hair out of his face gently with her fingertips.
“I had been cursed many years ago because my heart wasn’t in the right place, and was told that the spell would not be lifted until someone saw me for who I really am. That someone was you, Amara. I fell in love with you the moment I first saw you. That’s why, after the second day, I didn’t come back to you right away all those years ago. I knew that, to you, I was nothing more than a unicorn. I thought that because of my curse, we could never be together. I was afraid that I couldn’t live with the pain of never holding you in my arms, and never telling you how I felt. But I couldn’t stay away. I was already too far gone and out of my mind in love with you. I knew that you were mine, and I couldn’t bring myself to stay away. I thought that the least I could do was to stick around and make sure that you would always be safe.”
“Oh, Desmond!” Amara replied. “You are my hero! Thank you for saving me. I don’t know how I will ever be able to repay you.”
Three days passed with Amara and Desmond never leaving each other’s side, except at night, just like always. She had quickly fallen deeply in love with him, and couldn’t imagine a life without him in it.
Amara still got goose bumps when she was near him, and the butterfly effect in her stomach was almost funny to her. The two went to the area where they had met the strange woman and sat on a tree that had fallen. Desmond held her in his arms, and she knew then that he would always keep her safe. He was, undoubtedly, her Prince Charming.
“What now?” she asked, turning her head to look at his face. She could never get enough of him. The man was too gorgeous for words.
He slid his hand behind her head and cradled her neck. “Now, I say that we work on that happily ever after of yours.” He pulled her against his body as he placed gentle kisses on her lips.
Shivers crept up Amara’s body as their lips continued to mesh together. His kisses were gentle, but oh so sweet. He seemed to know just what she needed.
He pulled back and looked into her eyes as he slid down the tree that they had been perched on and went down on one knee.
“Marry me, Amara,” he said. “I want nothing more out of this life than to be your husband, your guardian, and your lover. Please, my love, let me be yours.”
Amara got down on the cool damp earth beside him. “Of course, Desmond.
Nothing would make me happier.” She squealed in delight as she jumped on top of him, knocking him flat on his back.
A burst of laughter escaped him, overcome with joy.
She rubbed her hands up and down his muscled arms, and then knelt down to claim his lips once more. They stayed that way for a long time before they realized that, once again, woodland animals surrounded them. They both laughed, finally feeling free.
They were married two days later in the courtyard where they first met. The city’s people were pleased with the pairing, and under Amara and Desmond’s rule, the country was once again united. So, indeed, everyone lived happily ever after.
The End
Frost Bite, By: Stephanie Parke
Elena Snow smiled in satisfaction as she walked down the hallway, as her Manolo Blanc heels tapped on the new hardwood floor. She sniffed a little in irritation as she looked around at the winter wonderland she’d created, noticing the stains on the snow. The room, the whole house, in fact, was covered in ice and snow, but her guests had dirtied it.
Her mother had been a witch and her father a human, but her mother’s power ran strong through her veins, giving her the power to control the snow. Elena had thought witchcraft was only real in the movies. Unfortunately, when her powers started to manifest at puberty, she’d learned that they were all too real. She’d been alone by then, both her parents dead, and the powers inside her had ultimately driven her mad. Elena had no problem with madness. She shrugged her shoulder and smiled at the thought. In fact, it was this madness that helped her to ignore the world. What she had a problem with was the way that she had to hide what she had learned to do. This fear of discovery had made her not only mad, but angry.
Elena sighed and frosted over the bloodied snow with a fresh coat of ice until the blood was only a faint tinge to the frosted beauty of the snow. Her pets had tried to escape again; she didn’t know why they kept trying. Too bad she’d lost one in the scuffle. Now, she would have to collect another sooner than planned. She walked to the door at the far side of the room and pulled it open. Cool, arctic air drifted out. She smiled again as she breathed the cold into her lungs and felt better. She pulled her leather gloves off and ran her hands over the glass cases and smiled brighter as she walked slowly, admiring them all…her boys. She slid her hand over the cool glass and tapped each lightly, waiting for the answering flicker of the eyes.