Twice Upon A Time (Unfinished Fairy Tales Book 2)

by Aya Ling

  Bianca instantly looks around, her face contorted in a nasty snarl. For that moment, she looks repulsive—nothing like the stunning beauty that everyone expected would be queen.

  A tall, lanky young man walks slowly down the aisle. It’s Liam.

  My jaw drops. Why did Mr. Davenport summon him? Did he suddenly think about it, or did Liam go to him voluntarily? I’ll have to ask him later.

  “Mr. Liam Charingford,” Mr. Davenport says. “Tell us what you overheard on November 11th, when you were still a teacher at Princess College.”

  “Certainly,” Liam says, staring straight ahead. “I was on my way to the headmistress’s office, when I heard Lady Pembroke speaking in angry tones toward Princess Katriona. She wanted to buy the school, and Princess Katriona refused. When Princess Katriona walked off, Lady Pembroke muttered that she would regret refusing her.”

  A murmur runs through the crowd. It is not enough to rouse them into a noisy crowd though. Bianca stares at Liam, her eyes as hard as stones. I’m stupefied—Liam, who always treated me with contempt and even hostility, is defending me.

  Bianca looks like she could kill Liam.

  “We only have Mr. Charingford’s word for it,” Mr. Jones speaks up.

  Liam’s lip curls slightly. “As a matter of fact, I was not the only one who heard the conversation between Lady Pembroke and Princess Katriona. Several schoolgirls were also nearby. If necessary, they can also be summoned.”

  “Is it true, Lady Pembroke?” Mr. Davenport asks. “Is it true that you have been harboring jealousy toward your sister ever since she married the prince?”

  “Objection, Your Honor!” Mr. Jones says. “This is hardly relevant to the issue at hand.”

  “On the contrary,” Mr. Davenport says. “It seems that Lady Pembroke, when she decided to take revenge on her own sister, found a woman who looked very similar to Katriona Bradshaw, and then accused the princess of identity theft.”

  This time, Bianca loses composure completely. “How dare you!” she screams. “How dare you excuse me of doing such a despicable thing!”

  The crowd starts to hiss and boo at her. Looks like Mr. Davenport has the upper hand. And I didn’t even have to claim that I am Katriona Bradshaw. Well done, Mr. Davenport. Even though it is a lie . . .

  I glance toward the real Katriona Bradshaw. She meets my eyes, and I’m struck by the hardness in her gaze. While she looks nothing like Bianca, she also has the ability to glare with the intensity of a knife.

  Yet, while I feel nothing but anger at Bianca, I can understand why Katriona hates me so. She didn’t ask to be transported to Moryn. Imagine how she must have tried to survive, and how she had to explain to the Moryn people when she arrived in the wedding dress. It took her several months before she succeeded in returning to Athelia.

  Mr. Jones is calling me. I stand up, and it seems that the whole crowd is waiting with bated breath as I walk up to the box. And . . . I don’t know what happens, maybe it’s because I have been sitting for such a long time, or maybe that there are too many people in the courtroom, but suddenly my vision goes black, the familiar dizzy feeling returns to my head, and I collapse.

  44

  I wake up in pain. My shoulder—the part where Krev left his mark—is burning. I sit up, toss the blanket off, and totter to the bathroom. The size of the room and the relatively spartan layout tell me that I was lying on Edward’s bed before I woke up.

  Grimacing, I try to remember what happened before I lost consciousness. I was in the courtroom, Bianca was furious, and I had a pretty good chance at convincing everyone else that she was out to get me. But somehow, I got dizzy again. Coldness surrounds me when I get out of bed, and I realize that I am wearing only my petticoats and a shift. I must have been carried from the court back to the palace and undressed.

  I groan. Something is wrong with me. My shoulder feels like it’s on fire. I rush to the bathroom and turn on the taps, grab a towel, and dab at my shoulder. In the mirror, I can see that the bright red mark has faded, and it looks more like pink instead of red.

  The cold dampness of the towel does nothing to ease my pain. I should see the doctor, but I’m afraid of what Dr. Jensen might say. It looks abnormal, sinister, like only a witch could bear such a thing. And considering my precarious situation, I can’t afford any more suspicion.

  The familiar popping noise occurs. The next second, Krev hovers above my head in the mirror’s reflection, arms crossed and wings flapping.

  “Finally.” I would have wrung his neck if my shoulder wasn’t in pain. “I’ve been waiting for you all this time. What did you do to my shoulder? It hurts like hell.”

  Krev makes something like a blue fire appear on his palm, and he presses on my shoulder. Instantly, a cool, soothing power like water seeps through my skin.

  “Ah, that’s much better.” I pull my shift back over my shoulder. “Krev, I know what you said last time, but I’m not going back to my own world. I’m staying here.”

  “Not going back!” The goblin splutters. “Girlie, you have no choice. You must leave. Weren’t you desperate to be home?”

  “This is my home.” I turn around so I’m facing him, rather than looking at his reflection. “I’m sorry that I didn’t listen to you, but considering the circumstances, it can’t be helped. I love Edward, so much that it hurts if I’m not with him. I’ll go back, but only temporarily. Edward wants to meet my family. I’ll say farewell, and then we’ll come back. Please tell me you have enough magic to do that.”

  Krev shakes his head slowly.

  “Are you saying there isn’t enough magic to transport both of us? Then is there enough magic to just get me back?” Then, seeing that his expression doesn’t change, I say, “Are you telling me that you can’t even get me back?”

  Krev lets out a noisy sigh. “You’re getting this all wrong, girlie. It is not a question of taking you back to your own world. The problem is that you cannot stay in Athelia. Didn’t I tell you last time?”

  “You disappeared before I could ask you for an explanation. Why? Why not? Is it because of Katriona Bradshaw? I promise you that I’m not going to regret it. I’m absolutely sure that I want to be with Edward.”

  “Even if it costs you your life?”

  I stare at him, dumbfounded. I have never seen Krev look so serious before. It almost seems that he has become a completely different person—goblin, I mean. “What are you talking about?” Then an alarming thought strikes me. “Does it have something to do with the mark you gave me? What does it have to do with my life?”

  Krev pauses. “I suppose I can’t blame you for being ignorant, as there wasn’t enough time to explain it to you. Now listen carefully. The thing is, girlie, your human body cannot survive in Athelia. The air that exists here is of a different composition. It’s very different from the stuff you call oxygen in your world. You are only able to stay alive because of a spell.”

  I think my jaw must have dropped on the floor. It takes a moment before I’m able to speak. “But when I was in Athelia the first time, you never told me anything about the oxygen not being the same. You didn’t seem to care if I was trapped in the book forever.”

  “Because the first time you ripped up the book and were transported into Athelia, it was your soul taking possession of Katriona Bradshaw’s body. But the second time around, since he couldn’t force you to rip the book again, Borg used an illegal spell to snatch you while you were in your own body. He banished Katriona Bradshaw to Moryn by force.”

  “Who’s Borg?”

  “The king’s no-good brother who always wanted the throne. He made a deal with Barthelius’s daughter, who’s sympathetic to you and Edward, and promised he’d send you back to Athelia if she would steal Barthelius’s ring for him. The ring contained enough magic that would allow him to challenge the king. But there was a loophole in the deal—he never promised how long you could stay in Athelia. So, he put a spell on you that would allow your body to have a limited supply of
oxygen. Once it is used up, you will die.”

  My hand goes to the mark on my shoulder. “Is this the spell? Are you telling me that the last time you came, you were giving me a supply of oxygen so I could survive longer in Athelia?”

  “Correct. Doing this spell requires us to travel to your world to gather the oxygen, compress it, and use an enchanted container to preserve it for you. But the elements used to produce the container have been destroyed by the war, so we can no longer perform the spell for you. Besides, it’s also extremely risky. You’ve been lucky so far, but if there was a tiny flaw in the spell, you could lose all the oxygen and die. Anyway, considering the amount I gave you last time…” He ticks off his fingers. “I would say you have only a few days to live.”

  “No way.” My feet slip on the floor, and I grab onto the sink to prevent myself from falling. “This can’t be true. Tell me it’s a big joke and I’ll even forgive you.”

  Krev sighs heavily and sits cross-legged on one of the taps. “Since you came to Athelia, have you not experienced bouts of dizziness? Especially when you engage in strenuous exercise or when there is a crowd in an enclosed space?”

  Realization sinks in. True, I was easily out of breath when I practiced dancing, even though I was perfectly healthy and fit. I fainted at the ball held for the Moryn emperor, and also at the courtroom. “Why would I experience dizziness under those circumstances?”

  “Because when you are exercising or when there are too many people in the same room, your body requires more oxygen than usual, and the spell couldn’t keep up a steady supply. Hence, you felt dizzy or even fainted because the spell failed to deliver enough oxygen in time. When your body no longer required that much, you would return to consciousness.”

  I wish I were in a dream. A nightmare. I wish I could pretend that Krev didn’t show up, didn’t tell me this. Because as much as I don’t want to believe it, there is no reason for Krev to lie to me. And his explanation has offered a good reason why I could easily faint or run out of breath, despite being perfectly healthy.

  “Did you say I only have a few days to live?”

  “If I don’t take you back in three days, you will use up all the oxygen in the spell. Without the oxygen, you won’t survive.”

  “So my only options are either I die in Athelia or you send me back to Portland?”

  Krev sighs again. “Frankly speaking, after all this time, I don’t want to see you dead. I would rather send you back to your own world. I’m sorry about Eddie, but you know he was prepared to let you go the first time.”

  “But he didn’t deserve this!” I can no longer control my emotions. My voice rises into a shriek, and I don’t bother to wipe away the tears running down my face. “He already had to suffer the first time, and now that we’re finally together, he has to deal with this as well?” I can’t believe that I have to leave Edward again—all because my body can’t adapt to Athelia. No matter what choice I make, we will only have a few days together. It’s too cruel.

  Krev flies a bit closer and lays a tiny hand on my cheek. There’s nothing but sympathy on his squashed face. “Make a choice, girlie. I will be back at midnight in three days.”

  Then he vanishes in a puff of smoke.

  * * *

  I am not sure how long I’ve been in the bathroom, slumped against the wall, sitting with my arms draped limply on my sides. Add a bottle of pills, and you could take me for a person contemplating suicide. I’ve never felt this depressed. My life wasn’t completely smooth-sailing, especially when Dad deserted us, but whatever difficulties I experienced were nothing compared to this.

  I have to leave Edward. Again.

  I didn’t even hear Edward coming in until his voice, filled with concern, reaches me. “Kat! Why are you sitting on the floor?”

  I look at him, but I can’t move. There are so many things I want to say, but all the words seem stuck in my throat. I don’t know how I’m going to tell him. But somehow, even though I can’t lift a limb, tears flow down my cheeks again.

  “You’ve been crying.” Gently, he wipes away my tears with his thumb. “Kat, are you devastated by what happened today at court? Bianca won’t succeed. She might be planning to bring more witnesses and try to prove that you are not her sister, but Mr. Davenport will find a way to block her efforts. Don’t you worry, love. It’s not the end of the world.”

  “What if I say it is?” I don’t sound like myself. My voice is cracking.

  “What are you talking about?” Edward hooks his arms under my body and sweeps me up from the floor. “I brought some food with me. I thought you would need it after fainting away at court. It must have been an awful trial for you. Also, we really must cure your tendency to faint. Come and work in the garden with me. Your constitution needs to be strengthened.”

  He sets me on the edge of his bed. The aroma of hot, savory chicken soup reaches my nostrils. Edward presses a spoon into my hand. “Get some nourishment inside your body,” he urges. “Then lie down, and you’ll feel better. Don’t think about the trial. We can discuss it tomorrow morning.”

  I don’t feel like eating anything, but if I am to break the news to him, I might as well get more strength. I do my best to choke down some of the soup, wondering how I am going to explain my eventual doom.

  “That’s enough. I’m better now.” I put the spoon back on the tray. I really don’t want to disclose the inevitable, but what’s the use of putting it off? As princess, I can’t stay silent and disappear three days later. I must tell Edward the truth, and discuss whatever necessary arrangements that have to be made. “Edward, I need to talk to you.”

  Puzzled, he takes my hands and kisses my forehead. “What are you worried about? Honestly, even if Bianca convinces and proves to everyone that you are not her sister, I am willing to face it. I will file for divorce, no matter what it does to my reputation, and I will marry you again. Everything will be properly done, so no one can question the legality of our marriage. I’ll abdicate if necessary. I’ll . . .”

  I put a finger on his lips. “Edward,” I say in a small voice. “Krev finally showed up.”

  He goes still. His hands fall on my waist, holding me in place, as though I might suddenly levitate and disappear. “He came to take you back and you refused him?”

  “Yes, but it’s much worse than that.” In a broken voice, my shoulders shaking, I tell him what Krev had told me. I struggle to stay calm, but in the end I can’t help it any longer. I start crying again, and I fling my arms around him, sobbing into his chest.

  Edward seems to have turned into a marble statue. When I finish, he pushes back slightly and looks into my face. “Nonsense,” he says flatly.

  “I want to believe it’s nonsense too. But what has Krev to gain from lying to me?” I tug down the sleeve of my petticoat, baring my shoulder. The mark is pink, and unless my eyes are deceiving me, it’s a shade lighter now. “This is the reason I was able to stay alive. This is the reason I keep getting dizzy whenever there is a crowd or when I’m out of breath. It’s because I’m not from your world and I cannot survive.”

  His fingers press into my skin as he grips my waist so hard that I’m sure he leaves marks on my skin. Not that it matters now. “There must be a way out of this,” he says fiercely. “You simply cannot leave me again.”

  “The only way for me to stay is for me to become an Athelian,” I say. “And that’s not going to happen unless the goblin can make me enter another person’s body. But I can’t, Edward. You know it’s impossible. Even if the goblins can do it, I can’t take another person’s body.”

  “Summon the goblin,” he suddenly says. “We’ll talk to him—discuss with him—anything. We’ve got to figure out an alternative to save you.”

  “In three days? Then perhaps we can start digging my grave, because if I don’t leave with Krev, then I will die in Athelia.”

  “No.” He crushes me to him. “I thought that when the other girl showed up, I had prepared myself for anythin
g, but this…this is beyond what I could imagine.”

  “The trial doesn’t mean anything anymore,” I whisper. “It’s pointless, even if I prove that I am Katriona Bradshaw, because I’m going to die.”

  His embrace is so tight that my vision goes black again. A moment later, water splashes onto my face and I open my eyes. If we need any proof of my eventual demise, then perhaps this is it. If I can faint just because he was holding me too tightly, then what Krev says is likely true.

  Edward brushes the hair from my face, using a handkerchief to dab away the wetness from my face. I’m pained to see the redness in his eyes—he must have been crying as well. “I’m sorry, Kat.”

  It’s the goblins who should apologize. After everything that we have been through, we still can’t be together. But what’s the use of blaming them? If it weren’t for Barthelius’s spell, I would have never met Edward twice. Would I prefer it that way—living a normal life and settling down with Jason, and never knowing Athelia existed?

  No. Never.

  Three days. I’ve got to make the remaining three days the longest ever. Fortunately, we have had the experience of preparing for a permanent farewell.

  45

  It takes a tremendous amount of effort not to break down and weep as I stack the letters in neat piles on my writing desk. Usually I face my daily letter-writing with the mindset of a cubicle worker—it’s a job that has to be done, whether I like it or not. However, today it’s with a heavy heart that I survey my desk. I don’t plan on composing any letter today—save for the one I’m going to write for Edward. It’s one of the last things I can do — pour all the love I have toward my husband on paper.

  When I look back at our rocky relationship, it’s incredible that he never gave up on me, no matter how determined I was to leave Athelia or that he had plenty of chances to marry another girl. He could have suffered far less if he chose someone else, but he didn’t. The best I can do, on the verge of leaving, is to let him know how much I treasure his affection, and that this time I won’t have my memories be erased. I want to remember him forever. It will be painful, of course, but I’d rather have the pain than ignorance.