“Thank you, I’m looking forward to it,” she responded, offering the tiniest of polite smiles.
All that remained now was the head of the Cheshire Cat, floating in front of the Maldame, with a grin full of huge sharp teeth. “I hope this one lapse of intelligence on your part is only a solitary instance.”
“Lapse of intelligence? What do you mean?” The Maldame turned and leveled her gaze at the floating head of the Cheshire Cat.
“To think Hatter and I would not know those mementos would be used to make a wand for yourself,” Cheshire’s grin got even wider. Then he winked at her. “It’s okay, you can keep your wand if it makes you feel better, but give us a little more credit in the future, please.”
The Maldame’s neck burned with embarrassment, and anger boiled in her eyes for a second, and then disappeared, hidden behind a curt smile. “I shall take that into consideration,” the Maldame said. “But give me a little credit as well, cat. After all, I am consorting with the very group who overthrew the previous queen. I would be a fool not to take precautions before I sit upon the throne.”
“You are indeed wise,” the grin of the Cheshire Cat said as he faded fully from view.
CHAPTER 32
THE SEDUCTION OF RAPUNZEL
Marchenton, Present Day.
Her vision distorted by tears and her attention marred by her anger, Rapunzel sought to return to the outside to clear her head and her thoughts. Still distraught by her argument with Snow White, it was some time before Rapunzel realized she did not know where she had been walking; and by not paying attention had become quite lost. She found herself wandering through cold dark passages in the bowels of the castle’s underground. A Broken wall…wasn’t this the way back to the cavern? She thought to herself, but couldn’t recall.
Rapunzel stumbled over the pile of rubble near a broken-through wall, scraping her knee badly in the process and almost breaking the lantern on the stone floor. She cursed aloud at the pain of her scrape and at herself for getting lost. The pain replaced the anger and Rapunzel found herself crying. Not from the pain of the fall, but from everything else. Alone and by herself, Rapunzel allowed herself to cry.
Sometime afterwards, calmer and with her wits about her, Rapunzel noticed a thin coating of dust on the floor and thick layers of cobwebs about the corners and edges. Curiosity now filled in where her anger had receded and Rapunzel got back to her feet.
“This is new, or rather… old,” she said aloud. “I’m in a whole other section down here…. doesn’t look like anyone has been down this way in a long time.”
Rapunzel held the lantern up and started to walk down the corridor. The brick rubble was new, in cut unlike the weathered and rounded edges of the foundation walls compared to the much older stonework.
“Someone must have walled off this section,” she surmised.
The vacant hallway had only a single door along the left wall. As she neared, Rapunzel saw a large crack in the wall had shifted the door in its frame, pulling the lock out of kilter.
“This happened recently,” Rapunzel observed as she studied the crack in the foundation wall that broke the lock. She found herself quite interested in this room, and with a gentle push the door swung several inches, enough for her to look inside. Rapunzel held the lantern up in the dark room, full of old furniture, bulky shapes under bulky sheets of canvas. A tiny starburst of light reflected off the back wall for an instant, flashing back brightly into her eyes.
She heard a voice in the darkness. It startled her, yet Rapunzel found herself curious about the unexpected person in a room so remote and cut off.
“Thank you for saving me,” the voice was low, confident and enthralling. “Please, stay with me while I regain my strength.”
“Who are you?” she held the lantern looking around, now intrigued to see the mysterious man who had such a resonant voice.
“You should shut the door in case we are found,” the voice was deep, and seductive. “We wouldn’t want anyone to walk in on us.”
Rapunzel had shut the door before she even realized it, absently sliding the bolt to try and lock it, forgetting it was hopelessly broken. She was anxious to get back into the room’s center and continue her conversation with the stranger. Suddenly from the shadows of the room a man in royal attire appeared, stepping in close in front of her. He took her breath away.
“You are truly the most beautiful woman I have seen.”
“And how many woman have you seen?” Rapunzel asked playfully, despite the circumstances, she was tantalized by the stranger.
“Hundreds,” he replied.
He was tall and muscular, with thick, dark hair, chiseled features and deep, blue eyes that Rapunzel could feel herself fall into. His scent enveloped her. Their gazes locked together and from the light she held she could see her own reflection in his eyes. Standing in front of her he seemed to take up her entire world. Rapunzel did not want to stop looking at him; not wanting to even risk blinking for fear he would be out of sight for so long.
“Hundreds?” she replied slowly, her voice whispering seductively. “Should I call you Hundreds or do you have a name?” Rapunzel asked. She wanted to hear him speak again. “You think I’m beautiful?”
“A name is but a reflection that hardly does justice to for the soul inside,” the stranger spoke. “Once you are with me, we would no longer need something trivial as names. We would know each other,” his voice was deep and commanding and it made Rapunzel shudder. “Tragically, I was captured by the witches and imprisoned here in this dark room. But you have saved me…Rapunzel.”
Rapunzel’s heart fluttered when she heard him say her name with his warm, thick accent. She did not recall telling him her name, but she did not care. He reached up and brushed her cheek, his hand was smooth and cool, yet electrifying, and Rapunzel let slip a gasp as she closed her eyes and leaned her head to his touch.
“But I sense your sadness. No one as beautiful as you should experience such a thing. What troubles you? Is it your friend…Snow White? Stay and tell me, please- while I recover my strength.”
The lantern’s light reflected in the mirror behind them as Rapunzel stepped closer, pressing her head against the cool skin of his chest, rubbing her hand slowly up and down every inch of his thick, muscular arms. She felt as if she could tell him anything. She breathed him in again.
“It’s just she always says I’m her second in command,” Rapunzel sighed. “But anytime it comes to a chance to prove myself in that role, she dismisses me, relegating me to some menial tasks,”
“She is protecting you because she loves you,” he answered, softly running his fingers sensually along her neck sending tingling shudders through her body.
“She loves me?” she repeated dreamily.
“Yes, and you love her, but it frustrates you that you cannot tell her and you are angry and sad. Such a beautiful woman as you does not deserve to be sad. Ever. Stay with me and I will love you. I wish to see your full beauty, Rapunzel. Do not hide yourself. Do not be scared, it is only you and I here. Together.”
As he spoke, Rapunzel placed the lantern on the floor, its light reflected off the mirror near the back wall. She began to undress, her eyes locked to his eyes, her heart pounded in her chest as short hot breaths escaped her moist lips.
“Please...” she begged, her body aching with desire. The last of her clothing fell away and she stood before the mysterious stranger in the dim light of the lantern.
“Please,” Rapunzel whispered desperately. “Please kiss me.”
Enthralled, Rapunzel fell into a passionate kiss, her eyes closed as he drew near. Their kiss was deep and passionate and seemed to go on forever; it was dizzying and wonderful. Then, for a moment, Rapunzel opened her eyes to look at him; suddenly surprised that it was not the stranger she was kissing. Rapunzel found she was wrapped in long, silky, jet-black hair, her hands caressing soft milky skin as she kissed the red lips of Snow White.
Rapunzel pulled away
for a moment. When she did, it was the stranger standing in front of her. Rapunzel’s emotions were a whirlwind and she could not focus. She looked toward the wall. It was nearer now. The room seemed smaller, and for a second she saw her reflection in the mirror. But then she heard the mysterious stranger speak to her.
“You are so beautiful, Rapunzel. Please, join with me,” His voice was strongly compelling and snapped her away from her confusion. Rapunzel reached out with her hand, grabbed his shirt and pulled him close.
“Tell me I am beautiful again,” she said.
CHAPTER 33
WE WILL STAY
It was midday before everyone could assemble in the main courtyard. The entire castle’s staff, from the maids to the craftsmen, butlers and cooks, stood about abuzz with rumors that the tunnel was complete and Snow White and her dwarven army were coming to rescue them. Dendroba stood on the battlements waiting as the crowd gathered. He gazed out toward the empty fields, a vast open landscape of soft rolling hills distantly flanked by forest on each side. Perhaps this would be the last time he would see the fields empty. The field was barely visible past the mangled pile of Bloodthorns that surrounded the castle. It was time to try and defend the castle and it was as Dendroba recalled, the first time he had to seriously consider the castle’s defenses since the first day he had stepped into the castle eight years ago.
***
Cinderella’s stepmother stood, flanked by the two younger witches Jovette and Gael. Behind them towered a large broad-chested figure in a dark grey cloak, his face concealed in the dark shadows of his heavy hood.
The figure took little notice of the formalities; instead he walked with an odd limp over to the table, looking over it briskly as one of the older advisors watched with concern.
“Excuse me,” the advisor began to protest but the stranger ignored him. With a heavy gloved hand, the stranger reached out and began to shuffle some of the royal army pieces on the map.
“They’ll be dead in a week, at this rate,” the stranger growled directing his blunt observation towards the Maldame.
The advisor stepped close and grabbed the gloved hand. “This is important business! You can’t just barge in here and touch things!”
The stranger expertly broke the advisor’s grip with an easy strength that startled the old man.
“You have no military experience,” the stranger growled deeply, “you are probably nothing more than a well-dressed, self-proclaimed expert in coin counting. You’ve no business…”
“Enough!” Cinderella said sternly. “Remove your hood, so we can see who we are talking to.”
“I will leave my hood where it is,” the stranger answered back defiantly.
“How dare you! I am queen—” Cinderella began.
The Maldame interrupted. “That’s quite enough!” she yelled with a sharp authority about her voice that silenced the room. “Like siblings so quick to test each other!” she commented in a much softer tone and a laugh. Although amused, and with a wicked grin on her face, the stepmother approached the throne. “Cinderella, my queen,” she said in a sweet tone that could almost be construed as a sneer. “If I may, our associate here is correct. You have only the leftovers of council members and advisors that have no background with any military leadership. Anyone with such experience was conscripted and presumed lost when the beanstalk fell. And this is an especially delicate time when such experience is going to be required. Until the army returns, we’re left with a staff that has no formal experience in defense. What if the army does not come back? What if another beanstalk appears? What if another kingdom decides to strike while we are weak?” The Maldame looked about the room with a hawkish glare. “What if more giants come?”
There were hushed murmurs of concern from the advisors gathered in the room.
“I’m trying to do the best I can, Stepmother,” Cinderella replied. “I am well aware of what I have to work with,” she added. “You are right that the people here may not be the most qualified. But they do the best they can as well,” Cinderella acknowledged the room. “And not just for me, but for those around me I must carry the burden of belief that king’s army will return somehow... someday.”
“Of course, we all hope for that...” The Maldame graciously agreed. “But we must plan for the worst. We need to quickly regain control of the kingdom before panic and hysteria turn against the throne. I am here to help you,” the Maldame gestured to the hooded stranger. “This is Phyllo Dendroba, someone with considerable skill in training armies, strategy and tactics. He would make a fine and effective general… a considerable advantage since you have no army and no one to lead them.”
With some hesitance, the stranger finally pulled back his hood revealing, to horrified gasps in the room, including Cinderella herself, the bald and grotesque visage of the Prince of Frogs. From the colors and markings of his textured skin to the gross physical deformities of his eye, nose and mouth, Dendroba’s appearance was all too reminiscent of something rather frog-like. His affliction affected the right side of his face, down his neck and right shoulder to a deformed, smaller right arm that ended in rather large glove. He walked with an odd limp that suggested his deformity continued through all of the right side of his body.
“If there’s to be an invasion of giants looking to pick a fight in retaliation for the king and the prince,” Dendroba said. “This castle would not stand the day,” he circled the map covered table, studying it.
“This was a dwarven built structure? Was it not?” Dendroba looked about the room, getting only shrugs and blank stares from the advisors. “Yes, it was,” he answered for them. “Dwarves are probably spinning in their mines with your pointless, decorative façades, needless additions and resurfaced stonework.” The grotesque general glowered at the roomful of advisors.
“Queen Cinderella,” one of the advisors started to plead, “I must protest, this is highly inappro—”
“A giant would easily tear this place apart!” Phyllo Dendroba slammed his gloved fist hard on the table. “An army at the gates would be running through the courtyards in a day!”
“What would have us do then?” Cinderella asked in a calm voice. “Dig a moat? It was filled in decades ago. Marchen Castle has stood in peace for many years. We’ve never had the need for a war in my lifetime, or King Marchen’s lifetime. We don’t even know when the giants would attack, or if they will at all?”
“That’s a fool’s chance to take. And you’re risking what’s left of the kingdom on it?” Dendroba answered back, scornful of the young, inexperienced queen. “If giants arrived and attacked this castle, a moat would hardly slow them down. You need a secondary defensive wall to keep them at distance; a perimeter of thorny brush or something to slow their advance. Something entangling and painful, like thorny briar or even worse… Bloodthorns, while you bombard them from a distance. How many trebuchets do you have?”
“We have one, but it’s been dismantled for some time,” one of the braver advisors offered.
***
“You look thoughtful, Dendroba,” remarked Snow White as she approached him. “Did you come up with a last minute plan to save us?”
“No,” he replied, rather grimly. He was staring at his right hand, still not used to seeing it as a normal looking hand, evenly colored and with five normal fingers.
With a heavy sigh, Dendroba looked at Snow White. “Something doesn’t seem quite right. The coven had been looking to open a way to Wonderland, and my…Cendrillon’s army had finally dug out a long lost temple. We had a theory that it had a portal to Wonderland. But we still did not know if the temple had really contained one until I went in there, only to find it was already up and running,” Dendroba paused. “But it was all from Wonderland’s side, so to speak.”
Snow White nodded as she began to realize what Dendroba was saying.
“Isn’t it a little odd that they had an army mobilized so quickly to come through to invade our land? It’s like they were ready to go befo
re we had even discovered the temple on this side. I can’t put my finger on it yet but …”
“I’m sure there is much more we don’t know about this Wonderland,” answered Snow. “I just hope we can fix Cendrillon’s mistakes.”
“That’s just it,” Dendroba replied. “She hadn’t really done anything to Wonderland yet, certainly not anything to warrant such a swift military response like this.”
Dendroba paused, about to speak further he suddenly closed his mouth, ever slightly, but it did not go unnoticed by Snow White.
“Is there more you know, Dendroba?” She pressed.
“A different problem has me concerned,” Dendroba quietly confided. “I had ruled an army with fear. I used my strength and my appearance to an advantage, to rule an army that only responded to fear. Now that’s changed, I’ve lost that advantage. I gave an order to a soldier last night that could have saved his life from that beast. But he didn’t listen to me because I didn’t look like the General Dendroba. The beast killed him.”
Embarrassed, Dendroba looked away from Snow White. “I don’t know how effective a general I will be we should go into battle,” he finally admitted.
“It’s easy to rule with fear, but that’s not leading an army, Phyllo,” Snow said. “To lead you need respect. And that’s harder to achieve… but much more effective than fear when you’ve accomplished it.”
“Believe me, General White, ruling Cendrillon’s army was not easy, fear or otherwise,” Dendroba replied.
“Try being a woman, earning the respect of dwarves,” Snow White shot back, half jokingly. “I’m a pretty good judge of character and despite everything, you are not the monster you used to be,” she teased. “It’s a change; but I’ve a feeling you’ve got a good head on your shoulders, and I think ultimately a good heart. If you were the monster general that ruled by fear, you would not be concerned with the loss of a soldier’s life. You’ll be fine.”
Shards Of The Glass Slipper: Queen Alice Page 8