Fable (Unfortunate Fairy Tales)

by Chanda Hahn

  She nodded her head mutely.

  “Take a deep breath and hold on to me. If you need oxygen, just tug on my hand. And remember, we can’t show ourselves and come up for air until we are safely in the palace. Do you understand?”

  “Yes,” she whispered.

  Nix counted down. “Three—two—one.”

  And she took a deep breath, and they were under, Mina swimming hand in hand with Nix toward the bridge. He kept trying to pull her deeper toward the bottom of the lakebed so they wouldn’t be seen, but every instinct in her body wanted to avoid its murky depths at all costs.

  He motioned with his hands downward, and she finally kicked and followed him down just as a commotion of water flew past them. Mina turned and could see the white kelpie take off toward the reeds, where they had just come from. They were almost to the bridge, and she could look up through the water and barely see one set of green glowing eyes. Had the other troll followed the kelpie? She had hoped for both trolls to follow the horse, but she was still happy if only one did. That meant one fewer monster to try to kill her if they got caught.

  She was at her limit and quickly tugged on Nix’s arm. He immediately turned and wrapped his arms around her, and pressed his lips to hers.

  Sweet air rushed into her mouth, and she let him control the breathing and speed at which they exchanged carbon dioxide and oxygen. It seemed like the polite thing to do. He gently tapped the side of her neck three times, signaling for her to count and start swimming. She immediately understood and took one last breath, and they were off.

  He still swam slightly faster than she did, and she probably could have done better if she hadn’t started doubting herself all of a sudden. Her plan was stupid, she wasn’t strong enough, and even if she got inside, she didn’t know how to save her brother. She felt herself slowing down, and Nix continued to pull on her in desperation. He saw that she was freezing up and kept shaking his head at her.

  It was no use; the doubt continued to flood her mind like a creepy hypnotizing song. She looked at Nix and shook her head, and pointed up toward the surface. His eyes went wide in horror, and he shook his head.

  She couldn’t help it. There was no way she could win; she might as well let herself get caught by the trolls. Maybe they would take pity on her and just put her in jail. It was better than death. She was weak—she wasn’t brave. She was useless, a poor excuse for a Grimm. The words kept coming, and the song never stopped. If she just let go of Nix’s hand, he could escape, and only she would be caught. Yes, yes. That was what she must do.

  Mina felt herself let go of Nix’s hand, and she kicked toward the surface, toward the green glowing eyes of the troll that was waiting for her under the bridge.

  A voice blasted into her consciousness. DON’T LISTEN! It was Nix’s voice, she could tell, and she could see the struggle it was for him to speak to her. He grasped his head in pain, but then took off after her like a fish through water. He grabbed her bare foot and pulled her down into the water right before she almost broke the surface.

  She kicked and struggled against him, but he placed his hands over her ears, and she could see him concentrate.

  Don’t listen. It’s a trap, a siren. They’re like a sea witch, but worse. Look at me. I can get you through this. Trust me!” He reached forth and pressed his lips to hers, forcing more air into her lungs.

  It came as such a relief that she didn’t even know she needed air until that moment. The desolate song of fear, doubt, and hopelessness made her completely forget to breathe.

  Look there—do you see it?

  Mina tried to follow his direction and could see a statue buried deep in the water. It was the statue of a beautiful woman at the bottom of the river, her arms held up in the air as if she was waiting for an embrace from her lover.

  That’s the siren. Turned to stone by one of the trolls. She is the guardian of the deep water. As long as you can ignore her song, we will make it. He stopped talking into her mind, and she knew that his energy was waning. Nix pulled her, and she kept swimming. They swam right past the stone statue. Mina couldn’t tear her eyes away from it.

  She wouldn’t have made it if it weren’t for Nix. She wondered what terrible song the siren had tormented him with; he seemed in pain but otherwise fine. Soon they could no longer feel the siren’s touch. Overwhelming feelings continued to plague her, but not so much that she couldn’t deal with them.

  After two more stops for Nix to help her breathe, they finally made it to an underwater aqueduct. He waved her over and pointed to the small circular entrance that looked barely big enough for her to fit into. She couldn’t see inside. It was pitch black. Her hands shook, but she uncovered the jar with the phoenix feather and handed it to Nix. When it was obvious that she wasn’t going to enter first, he leaned forward for one more shared breath between them and turned to swim up the tunnel, using the light of the feather to guide him.

  Mina pulled a small green stone out of her pouch and followed suit, being careful to stay right on Nix’s heels. This tunnel was smaller than the caverns she had previously swum through, and she felt herself become extremely claustrophobic. Nix swam farther, and then turned and swam through a tunnel that went upward. Mina had just braced herself and pushed off after him when something grabbed her foot and pulled her back down.

  She fought against whatever was grabbing her and tried to hit it with her fist, but the thing wouldn’t let go. The flow from her green stone illuminated the deathly face and familiar black hate-filled eyes of the sea witch.

  The hag’s face smiled widely to reveal several sharp pointy fangs, and her hand swatted the stone from Mina’s grip. She dropped it, and the glow disappeared, leaving her in complete darkness with the monster.

  Chapter 24

  Panic overcame Mina as the darkness threatened to swallow her whole. Was this her grim end? She tried to swim away again but felt the witch’s hands grasp her legs. Pain laced through her where the crooked claws raked against her skin. But it was that painful slash which reminded her of her own weapon. She reached toward her thigh and pulled out her glass knife, and frantically tried to stab the witch, but she couldn’t see her and missed.

  A yellow glow filled the small space as Nix reappeared. He looked horrified and rushed in to help Mina. But now there were too many bodies and not enough room to maneuver. Someone or something kicked her hand, and she dropped the knife. She was also out of air and needed to find some…now. She tried to push off and kick up the tunnel again, but the witch grabbed her and pulled her down. Mina tried to push her off but then felt the witch stiffen and freeze. Her snarling face froze in a mask of horror and pain as something stabbed her in the back. The witch’s scream died on her lips, and her black cat-eyes clouded over, turning gold.

  The witch sank, freeing Mina, and she couldn’t help but stare at Nix’s horrified face as he held her Stiltskin-empowered knife. He had saved her, but had killed his own mother. He slowly sat down in the tunnel and buried his face in his hands. Mina tried to motion that she needed air, but he wasn’t paying attention. He was lost in his own misery. She grabbed his shoulder and shook, but he went limp and stared at the knife in his hands.

  Frustrated, she pushed off and swam as hard as she could toward the tunnel that Nix had gone up. This one had to lead out; it was her only chance. She kicked until she felt a sucking current that began to pull her up. She was no longer swimming but being carried forcefully along a pipeline. Her head broke the surface of the water, and she had just enough time to breathe and duck as she was swept into a tunnel and then down a long slope. Faster and faster she traveled until she could see an opening, and then a drop.

  Didn’t Nix mention something about an indoor waterfall that led to an inner bathing pool? He just didn’t say how big it was. Squelching any scream or sound, she tried to hold it together as she was thrown over the drop. This time she was prepared for the fall, and it wasn’t more than thirty feet before she plunged into the small pool. She was care
ful; she kept her head under the water and tried to look up and through the reflection for signs of life. There was a shadow, but then it moved away.

  Mina kicked along the bottom of the pool and found a statue of a mermaid on a pedestal pouring water out of a jar. Keeping her head low, she hid behind the water feature and peeked around. Since it was nighttime, there weren’t as many Fae around. She saw someone in a robe walk past, and she quietly slid back down into the water and made her plan. The hall was dark; torches lined the walls, casting eerie shadows along the marble floor. Luckily, there were tons of potted plants, statues, and décor for her to hide behind.

  First off, she needed to get out of her wet clothes and tend to her leg wound from the sea witch. Second, well, second, she needed to think of a better plan than getting dry clothes. She swam to the edge of the bathing pool, which was barely deep enough for her to stand up in, and crawled over the ledge by the side closest to the waterfall and ducked behind a large potted fern. She was right. Water puddled down her feet and ran across the floor. It was a good thing she wasn’t wearing shoes, or she might have been making squeaky noises as she walked. Mina did the best she could to wring out her wet shirt into the fern. It started to move and sway at her watery offering.

  “Psst, no,” she shushed the plant. But its fronds tried to reach for her as if giving her a hug. “Gah, no! You don’t have to say thank you.” She stepped away, and the fern wilted a little, as if she’d hurt its feelings. “Are you going to be nice and stay still this time?” The plant wiggled in anticipation, but it looked like it said yes. “Then be good.” Mina finished wringing out her shirt and hair, and did the best she could with her pants. There was still a puddle forming whenever she walked, but at least it was a small one.

  Someone was coming from down the hall, and Mina ducked behind the fern once more. This time the plant wrapped its large fronds around her, not to hug her but to help hide her.

  It was a guard, in full white leather armor, unlike the giants and the trolls outside. This one was covered in head-to-toe steel with emblems of the sun and moon etched across his breastplate. He was running toward the end of the hall, where two huge double doors opened before he even got there. Her heart leapt for joy when she saw Jared step out and confront the soldier. No, wait, she had to remember that they only looked similar. It wasn’t Jared—it was his brother Teague, dressed all in black.

  “What is it, Captain Plaith?” Teague demanded angrily.

  “Something has agitated the trolls and giants, my prince. Even the siren went off.”

  Teague froze at the words of his captain and glared at him. “And…”

  “And kelpies, sire. They were seen causing a ruckus near the palace.” The guard fidgeted but was careful to stare at a spot to the left of the prince.”

  “Kelpies? That’s it? Those stupid water horses are always causing a ruckus. Anything else?”

  “No, sire. Just that there were two kelpies seen outside in the lake.”

  Teague sighed and rubbed his forehead. “There are always kelpies in the lake. Tell your men to get back to your stations.” Teague shooed off his captain and headed down a long hall, but then he stopped and turned around, and called back his captain.

  “Plaith?”

  “Yes, my prince.” The tall man shuffled forward once more.

  “Did you say that there were only two kelpies?”

  “Yes, two. One on land and one in the water.”

  Teague stared toward the waterfall and then the fountain in thought. His dark eyes missed nothing as he scanned the room, and spent an awful lot of time staring directly at the planter she was hiding behind. Her legs started to shake from fear. Even the fern began to quiver.

  “There are never just two kelpies. They travel in herds,” Teague said thoughtfully. “Where’s the rest of the herd? You also said the underwater siren went off?”

  The soldier nodded.

  Teague looked pleased with himself. “Double the giants and the trolls at the gates, and bring more guards to each of the walls just in case. I believe we have company.”

  “But sire, if there is something in the castle that is a threat to the Fates, shouldn’t we notify—”

  Teague’s blue eyes blazed with fury. His hand lifted to strike the soldier, but Plaith flinched and Teague restrained himself. “Don’t question my authority again. The Fates are at the Twilight Festival and won’t be back till later. There is nothing here that could possibly be a threat to the Fates. Now go!” He pointed, and Plaith fled. But Teague didn’t leave; he stood, frozen, looking back at the potted fern.

  “There’s nothing or no one here that could possibly hurt the Fates—right, Mina?”

  Chapter 25

  She froze and let his voice echo in the empty hall. Maybe if she held her breath and closed her eyes, he would disappear like a bad dream. He didn’t. The plant began to shake even more, as if it was afraid of the prince, and she put a hand on its fronds to calm it down. This was ridiculous. She shouldn’t be afraid of Teague—she wasn’t before. This time she had nothing—no Grimoire, no phoenix feather, and no shard of magic glass—to defend herself with. Only her wits.

  “Come, Mina, you must be freezing. Let’s get you warmed up, and then we will talk.” Teague gestured down the hall, and she still stood rooted to the spot. His eyes turned dark, and his voice dripped with venom. “I said, come here.”

  He whipped his finger in her direction, and the large potted fern she was hiding behind was flung across the room and smashed into pieces on the stone wall. She cried out when the plant struggled once and then quit moving. Whatever magic was within it quickly died, and the plant just became a plant. In that one moment she understood a little bit more about the Fae magic and how it worked.

  “It’s not like you to hide.”

  “It’s not like you to steal and lie, no, wait—it is.” She smirked, filling her voice with false bravado.

  Teague shook his head and let his dark hair settle over his forehead. He was handsome—not as handsome as Jared, because she could see it now, more so since she was on the Fae plane. He was able to hide it whenever he visited the physical plane, but here, Teague couldn’t hide the darkness that was attached to his soul, put there by the splitting of the books. One brother good, the other evil. Granted, there were a few times that she thought Jared could be the evil one, but standing here, face to face, with no cloaking, glamour or magic, she could see the true Story. And it scared her to her very core.

  “I want what is mine,” she demanded. “I want my brother.”

  “Oh, Mina, you can’t have him. You haven’t completed your quest. You know the rules as well as I. You must complete the Story. Only then can you have what you so desire.” He walked away from her, down the darkened hall.

  How dare he walk away from her! She took off running after him, but stopped when she came to the broken plant. It was silly of her, and she knew it, but she couldn’t help but want to touch it and thank it for trying to help her. Her hands stroked its large fronds, and she whispered, “I’m sorry. It’s not fair! But thank you for giving your life for me.” She stood to leave, and didn’t notice that after she walked away, the plant began to grow again. It slowly reached one frond after her, and then she was gone.

  Teague walked out of the bathing room and into a large sitting room that looked to be connected to another larger suite of rooms. He pulled the leaf of a small blue bell, and a chiming sound could be heard in the distance. A few moments later a small Fae scurried in wearing a pale blue dress and a silver moon on a sash.

  “Bring the girl some clothes and bandages,” Teague ordered, and then walked to a small table and poured himself a drink and offered Mina some.

  She shook her head and he smiled, but the smile didn’t reach his lips. “Someone has taught you well.”

  Mina couldn’t help but raise her chin and smile.

  “But obviously it wasn’t enough, because I don’t see Jared.” Teague sighed. “He is such a cow
ard.”

  “He’s not a coward. You’re the coward. Kidnapping young innocent boys, burning my home down because you’re scared of me. You’re scared of what I’m going to do to you.”

  “He’s not an innocent,” Teague said stiffly.

  “He’s a child, a nine-year-old boy.”

  “He’s a Grimm.” Teague gave her a look, daring her to argue that point with her.

  “I’m a Grimm! If you have a problem, come after me, not my brother.”

  “Oh, Mina, you are so fun to play with. I tried to get you to play, but you ignored the quests, and you know that’s not how we play nice. So I need to get you interested in the game again.”

  She was about to say something when the servant appeared with clothes for her to change into. There was a dress of deep red, and what looked like stockings and slippers. Mina picked up the dress and unconsciously made a face in disgust at the color choice.

  Teague laughed hard at her expression. “Oh, that was a good one. I remember turning all of your clothes red for the Riding Hood Tale. To this day you still don’t wear the color red, do you?” He continued to laugh so hard that he wiped a tear away from the corner of his eye. “Oh, yes, that has been my favorite quest to date.”

  She stared daggers at Teague, and finally he calmed down and walked over to the dress. “All right, what would you like it to be?” He snapped his fingers. “Blue, emerald, white.” With each color he named, the dress turned the matching color. “Or how about your newest favorite—gold.” He left off on that color and watched Mina closely to see her reaction.

  She flinched but refused to make a sound. Teague left the dress a pale shimmering gold, and pointed to a delicate screen for her to change behind. This was stupid, she thought. Even though she was freezing and dripping wet, the outfit she had on was much more suited to escaping than a dress.

  “Thank you, but no.” She stepped away from him and dropped the dress on a chair.