Shards Of The Glass Slipper: Queen Alice

by Roy A. Mauritsen

  “Nikko, Est beahr dunna, Gretel. Ef Ker durdai!” Goldenhair replied angrily in her mysterious language. She dropped her staff to the ground and reached behind her.

  Gretel expected her to pull out a knife at that point, but instead Goldenhair pulled a long slender object.

  It was a small crossbow quarrel. Gretel’s eyes widened as she recognized the bolt to be hers. The one she shot at Goldenhair the last time they had met.

  Gretel felt her stomach knot as she recalled Goldenhair, grieving over the death of her bear, and how she still managed to pluck the deadly bolt from the air at the last second. Gretel’s neck burned as she remembered Goldenhair’s icy stare. Goldenhair snapped the crossbow bolt in two with her hand and threw it at Gretel’s feet.

  “Oh that, I guess you would be a little angry about that,” Gretel replied. “So what? I’m not going to apologize, if that’s what you are looking for. But I will say I didn’t expect you to catch it. That surprised me. Okay? Truth-be-told, if I had to do it over… I’d do the same thing again…”

  Goldenhair balled her hand into a fist and leveled a blow across Gretel’s jaw so quickly and with such force, Gretel crumpled backwards to the muddy ground.

  “You are a coward, Gretel. No honor, no heart,” Goldenhair said, speaking to her in a thick broken accent. “You will deserve what you get. I feel sad for you. May we never meet again, for your sake.”

  Goldenhair turned, picked up her staff and walked away with her bear, leaving Gretel with a bloodied nose, rolling and dazed in the cold mud.

  Several minutes went by, but finally Gretel, covering her head with her wet, muddied hood, managed to stumble into the tree line. Emerging from behind the rocks and boulders, she left the gathered groups of frightened and grateful people trying to exit the region. Once within the tree line, it was only a short matter of time before she heard her brother call out to her from deeper in the woods.

  “There are a lot of animals in the woods today, like they are gathering for something,” Hansel remarked as he met up with Gretel.

  “I imagine it has something to do with Goldenhair,” Gretel grumbled.

  Gretel pulled back her hood and Hansel saw the bruised and bloodied face of his sister.

  “What happened? I think your nose is broken,” he asked, inhaling his breath at sight of the swelled bloodied nose and blackend eye. Hansel learned a long ago that Gretel could handle her self and did not need a brother to stand up for her. Hansel also knew that if she got beat up, it was probably because she deserved it.

  “Goldenhair,” Gretel explained. “I ran into her at the exit. She’s a lot stronger than she looks. It’ll heal,” she said then quickly changed the subject. “Looks like they are sending everyone south and west, so let’s head northeast, and see if we can find that diplomat; the rabbit that was in the dungeon.”

  “Gretel, I was thinking,” Hansel said somewhat sheepishly. “What if we just left? Headed away from the kingdom? Just make a clean start of it somewhere else? Let’s just leave, not even bother dealing with this other army.”

  “Hansel,” Gretel said. “We talked about poor decisions, and you still haven’t learned. We lost money on the werewolf, and our wagon. We need to recoup some of that. I’m sure this Wonderland army will pay a fair price for inside information. It’s a simple business negotiation,” Gretel said; again she was quick to chastise her brother. Then she saw a look of disappointment fall heavy on Hansel’s face and it gave her pause. “Look,” Gretel relented; perhaps Goldenhair’s words had struck a chord with her, “How about this? Let’s do this one last thing and then we’ll at least have some money to travel with. Then you and I can go and start someplace different. Maybe it would be good to pick up and plant roots somewhere fresh. How’s that, little brother?” she offered.

  Hansel gave a broad grin and his eyes widened with a sparkle and warmth.

  “Yeah, that would be okay with me, sis,” Hansel replied happily. “Thanks, Gretel,” he said softly and with heartfelt sincerity as they started their trek to find the Wonderland army.

  Gretel offered a smile, surprised at Hansel’s gratitude, she found herself at a loss for words. “Don’t mention it, little brother.”

  ***

  Elizabeth was paralyzed by the pain. Unable to move without eliciting blinding agony, she was lightheaded from the wound and the loss of blood. It was hard to breathe; the pain was too much for her to call out.

  “Help me, somebody,” she pleaded weakly. But Gretel had pulled her to the back of the alcove very much out of sight from the main flow of people. Hidden back in recess of rock where no one would notice; and the crowd was too focused on exiting the tunnel. Draped in her red cloak, Elizabeth fought through the biting wound, trying unsuccessfully to reach behind and try to pull the deadly metal from her wound.

  “Hamelin,” she whispered, her body growing numb as she could no longer feel the fiery pain of her wound, the silver blade that stung her flesh. “Hamelin,” she said again softly, looking out towards the entrance of the cavern. Then Elizabeth saw him. Unmistakable in his red and yellow pied patchwork coat, he broke from the crowd to get a better vantage point. Hamelin stood on a rock and scanned the crowd, looking.

  “Hamlin!” She try to shout, wincing she fought through the pain. She struggled to move. It took all of her effort but seeing Hamelin gave her renewed motivation.

  “Hamelin, over here!” She called out weakly. She could see that he had heard something and was looking about in earnest for the sound. “Please don’t leave,” she whispered.

  Hamelin turned and looked about the rock wall behind him. He caught a flash of red cloak in the shadowy alcove.

  “Elizabeth?” he answered back.

  “Hamelin!” She cried out. “I’m here, hurry,” the dizzying pain brought her focus back and the sight of Hamelin coming to her helped warded of the weakness for a moment.

  “They are going to close the tunnel soon,” Hamelin started to say with a smile. “What are you doing hiding…“

  Then Hamelin saw Elizabeth’s hands covered in blood. “What happened?” He rushed to her, kneeling quickly and removed his coat to cover her and keep her warm.

  “You came for me,” Elizabeth smiled.

  Hamelin brushed her brown hair from her eyes. “We have to get you out of here. Who did this to you?” he asked with his face awash in desperate concern.

  “Gretel,” Elizabeth replied. “Had a score to settle, I guess. It doesn’t matter, she’s gone now. The blade is stuck in the wound. The blade is silver and it’s poisoning me, silver is deadly to werewolves, I can’t touch it,” said Elizabeth, as she stared into Hamelin’s eyes. “I’m just happy that you came for me, happy to see you again.”

  “Of course I’d come for you. But we have to move you,” Hamelin went to shift Elizabeth and pick her up, but the pain was too intense. Elizabeth called him off.

  “You’ve already rescued me once,” Elizabeth started to say.

  “Oh don’t start that wishy-washy sentimental stuff,” Hamelin said. “I won’t let you die on me.” Hamelin shifted her again. In the dim light he could see the wound, and a flash of bloodied silver metal lodged inside the cut. Hamelin regarded the situation, thinking hard as he rubbed his hand quickly on the back of his head.

  He looked about the cavern, the crowd had thinned, there were dwarves gathered farther down in the cavern by the escape tunnel entrance.

  “I’m going to get one of the dwarves to help. Maybe General White will know what to do,” Hamelin suggested.

  “No! Hamelin, please don’t leave,” Elizabeth begged as tears of pain and frustration rolled down her cheeks.

  “You need help,” he said. Hamelin looked around, and then he saw someone he recognized, much closer than the dwarves. With a short bob of tussled hair, Hamelin had spotted Rapunzel.

  “I’m just going over there for second. I saw Rapunzel, maybe she can help us,” he pointed toward a gathering of people making their way towards the tu
nnel. “ I’ll be right back.”

  “Rapunzel!” Hamelin shouted as he hurried through the crowd toward her. “Rapunzel! We need your help, Elizabeth is badly injured and—”

  “And what?” Rapunzel asked as she turned to Hamelin. Rapunzel gripped a staff holding it out in front of her and angled down towards the ground. Her eyes were covered with a wide strip of thin leather that wrapped about her head.

  Two large men, still in the dress of former castle staff, defensively stepped in front of Rapunzel as Hamelin came to a quick stop.

  Rapunzel put her hand out. “It’s okay,” she said to the men, “I know him.” The men withdrew, stepping back behind Rapunzel and allowed Hamelin to step closer.

  “Elizabeth has been stabbed,” Hamelin began to explain quickly. “She’s bleeding terribly. Can General White…“

  ‘I no longer answer to Snow White, Hamelin,” Rapunzel cut him off harshly, but then she quickly regain a more stoic composure. “I have a greater calling now.”

  The two men stepped toward Hamelin again. “If this man is bothering you, Seer, we’ll remove him from your path of visions.”

  Hamelin was utterly confused. “Seer? Rapunzel, what is going on?”

  “I had an accident,” Rapunzel explained. “But in tragedy comes wisdom. I have come to terms with what has happened. In fact, it has made me realize my true calling.”

  She pulled off her leather wrappings, and the two men beside her bowed their heads. Her eyes were metallic, with pupils that of shining silver instead of black. As she gazed past Hamelin, Rapunzel’s eyes were full of tears that continually trickled down her face.

  “Mirrorshine, it’s called. I’ve been blinded, but though I cannot see the world, I can see visions of things. I know now that Snow White lacked the true vision to see my potential. So I am leaving to start a new journey.”

  “We serve the Seer Rapunzel, she who healed my broken arm with the tears on her cheek,” said one of the men. “The seer that cries at the sorrow of her own loss; unable to heal herself yet her tears heal the wounds of others.” said the man.

  “Her visions can see into the souls of men and her tears can heal their wounds.” The first man said, never raising his bowed head as he spoke.

  “Your tears can heal wounds?” Hamelin restated in disbelief.

  “I have stared into the face of magic, in the past, witches were driven mad to do so, but I, the adopted daughter of a witch, survived. It has left me with scars but also a gift of healing. The kindness you shared when we danced to honor of my mother, I shall never forget, Hamelin. Snow White would not be able help you with this. But with my gift I can,” Rapunzel offered, “lead me to Elizabeth.”

  Hamelin led the way as the two other men helped Rapunzel along. He bent down; making sure that Elizabeth was still alive. She was listless, but moaned as Hamelin called her name. She opened her eyes weakly.

  “Rapunzel is here, she can save you,” Hamelin explained softly.

  “I don’t know, Hamelin, It might be too late…” Elizabeth replied barely above a whisper. Her eyes barely opened in tiny slits.

  “Elizabeth, friend of Hamelin,” One of the men began to announce. “Rapunzel, the seer whose visions can see into the soul and her tears can heal your wounds is here to help you.”

  “We already know each other,” Rapunzel explained. “You don’t have to announce me every time.”

  “My apologies, Seer,” the man said.

  Rapunzel put her hands out as she neared Elizabeth. The two men guided Rapunzel down as she knelt to the floor.

  Elizabeth licked her lips to speak. “Silver blade still in the wound,” she whispered. Hamelin guided Rapunzel’s hand to the location of the wound. Rapunzel’s fingers brushed the metal jutting from the wound and Elizabeth instantly winced.

  “Hamelin, that will need to be removed before I can heal her,” said Rapunzel.

  Hamelin nodded and looked at Elizabeth. “I’m going to pull it out. And it’s going to hurt,” he said.

  “No, Hamelin, please…” Elizabeth winced.

  Hamelin ignored her, he reached down to the wound, his hand bumped the hard metal and Elizabeth shouted out, squeezing his arm.

  “It hurts too much, “she sobbed.

  “Here we go,” Hamelin secured his thumb and forefinger on the slippery metal and pulled quickly, the metal coming free in a gush of blood. Elizabeth buried her face in his jacket and yelled a muffled scream.

  A crowd of curious onlookers had gathered, now intrigued by the shouts from Elizabeth and what the mysterious blind woman was doing.

  “Quickly roll her to her side!” Rapunzel ordered. The two large men and Hamelin shifted Elizabeth on to her side.

  Then Rapunzel did something remarkable when she leaned over Elizabeth’s wounds. Several silvery tears from Rapunzel’s mirroshined eyes rolled down her cheek and fell upon Elizabeth’s bloody wound.

  For a moment, nothing had changed, and then a few seconds passed. Miraculously, the wound began to close, sealing itself from the inside outwards until no cut remained, not even a scar across Elizabeth’s white flesh.

  “They are truly tears of healing!” shouted one of Rapunzel’s men.

  “The Seer Rapunzel has saved another life!” the other man shouted.

  The gathered crowd let out an audible gasp and clapped as Elizabeth was helped to her feet. She hugged Rapunzel.

  “The wound doesn’t hurt at all. I feel… fine! That was amazing! Oh, thank you, Rapunzel!” she cried, this time they were tears of joy.

  Hamelin stood by, amazed at what he had seen.

  “Hail to the Seer Rapunzel and her Tears of Healing!” Her men shouted to the crowd.

  “Hail! Hail!” The crowd of onlookers started to shout back, a murmuring fervor rose about the crowd at the magic they had witnessed.

  “Enough with the grandstanding please,” Rapunzel asked her men quietly. “It is not necessary. Word will spread, to be sure.”

  Then the loud booming voice of the dwarves announced. “Last call! We are sealing the tunnel! Anyone that wants to leave, do so now.”

  “You should stay,” Hamelin told Rapunzel. “You could help the wounded here at the castle when the battle starts.”

  “Rather than entrust me as her second-in-command should be, Snow White chose to relieve me of duty. I have no more loyalty to her. I have already arranged for a letter of resignation to be sent. And,” she continued, “I have paid my price. This is my path now. At least now I will garner some respect,” Rapunzel said. “I must make myself difficult to find, for after today I will be besieged with pleas for healing.” Then she added softly, “Goodbye, Hamelin.”

  She reached out her hand and touched the rough stubbly side of Hamelin’s face. Then, she leaned in and kissed him lightly on the cheek. “You are a good friend.”

  With that, Rapunzel wrapped the leather strapping across her eyes. She held out her hand and one of her men gently placed her wooden staff in her hand. Then they left; Rapunzel, led by her two men, disappeared through the crowd. Everyone in the crowd reached out to touch her as she passed, whispering her name— Rapunzel, the seer with Tears of Healing.

  Hamelin and Elizabeth were one of the last ones out of the tunnel. When they arrived at the tunnel exit they hoped to spot Rapunzel one last time to thank her again, but they never saw her.

  Once out of the tunnel, Hamelin stopped to get his bearings and readjust the packs. Elizabeth spotted Goldenhair running with her bears in the distance, heading deeper into the woods. She gave her mentor a wave and smiled when Goldenhair saw her and stopped to wave back. Then Goldenhair give out a loud, near perfect wolf howl. Elizabeth intuitively knew the howl was for her, recognizing its distinctiveness as a wolf call of proudness.

  Elizabeth was about to respond with her own call when suddenly there came hundreds of other wolves howls rising up all around her. Enough that even the dwarves stopped and gave pause. The wolf howls seem to surround them and in a greater number than e
ven Elizabeth could recognize.

  The wolf howls ended and Elizabeth smiled. “A call of proudness,” she said aloud. Then she took a deep breath and howled back on her own, giving a perfect call of response, and to say to Goldenhair, “Thank you.”

  Then Goldenhair turned away disappearing into the darkening forest.

  “Was that you stirring up all of that howling? That was a lot of wolves,” Hamelin asked. “It’s a little uncanny.”

  “It was Goldenhair’s way of saying good bye to me,” Elizabeth said as her eyes shined with tears. “Though you are right, there are usually not that many wolves in the area.”

  “The dwarves were directing everyone east and south away from the castle,” Hamelin said. “Are you sure you are okay with the wound? Did you need to rest?”

  “Yep,” Elizabeth replied. “Never better! Don’t worry, I am fine. Still a werewolf, but otherwise... I’m okay as long as I’m with you,” she said reaching out and gently squeezed Hamelin’s hand.

  “There you go getting all wishy-washy with the sentimental stuff,” he teased; his warm smile gave a sparkle in his eyes. Then Hamelin spoke with more seriousness. “So this is it,” he said looking at Elizabeth’s brown eyes. “You and I are about to start a wonderful adventure, just the two of us.”

  “Next! Let’s be quick about it!” the dwarf motioned for them. “Where ya’ need to go?”

  Elizabeth could not repress the genuine grin of happiness as she excitedly asked the dwarf, “Which way to a ship that can take us to Bremensport?

  CHAPTER 40

  TOMORROW WE DIE

  A heavy feeling of dread hung over the castle staff gathered in the square as they worked hard into the evening. The tunnel had been closed by the dwarves at sunset and now nervousness showed plainly on everyone’s faces. They hurried about, quietly trying to get ready for the impending siege; preparing for the worst. A maid awkwardly carrying quivers of newly crafted arrows, her arms full, bustled by as Snow White, Philip and General Dendroba walked with the Dwarven King. The maid, in a hurried rush and fumbling with the large pile of weapons in her arms, accidentally clipped Dendroba in the shoulder and the whole pile fell from her arms and scattered on the muddy stones.