Page 45

A movement sounded beside him. He looked to see a tall red headed stranger looking down at him.

He was dressed in clothes too expensive to be those of a commoner, and his features spoke of a regal breeding.

A purple cloak with stars embroidered on it hung from his shoulders.

The man was looking at him with a mixture of pity and gratitude.

“You broke my curse,” he said solemnly.

“Fox?”

“My name is Dorian. Prince Dorian of the Western Isles. I owe you a great debt, friend.”

Grim looked on ahead, his head resting on the wall behind him.

“You owe me nothing,” he said numbly. “I want nothing more from life, not when she lies in my arms like this.”

Dorian looked at him and walked toward where the queen kneeled on the floor. He picked up the sword Grim had thrown and pointed it at her neck.

“It’s over, witch. You have no power now.”

She let out a broken laugh in return. “I care not, young prince. Without my power I am nothing, I cannot protect my angel anymore, and all my work was for nothing. Run me through then, end it now. ”

“Not quite,” replied the prince coldly. “Not until you undo the damage you have wrought.”

Both of them then looked at the young princess still sleeping. The queen’s shoulders drooped further, as her eyes filled with pain and rage and longing. “All I wanted was to keep her safe.”

This time, it was Grim who answered in a tired voice that was too heartbroken to feel true rage anymore.

“No, you did not, you sought to control her, like a doll with no feelings. Maybe you started out with love, but it scared you, and you let the mirror twist you into doing far worse than just protecting her. The last time you saw your daughter, she was terrified of you.”

She flinched, stretched out a hand toward her child, and then faltered.

“Tell him how to break the curse,” ordered Dorian, the sword still pointed at her.

It looked like she would refuse at first, throwing a mutinous glance at the red-headed man, and then the fight left her.

Getting up slowly, she made her way to a cabinet and took out a small vial of green liquid.

He tensed as she approached, holding his precious burden a little closer.

She noticed the movement but made no comment.

Handing him the vial, she directed him to pour it in Serena’s mouth.

He looked at her in distrust, not ready to take her word just yet.

She smiled bitterly. “I gain nothing from letting her sleep, young warrior. I can no longer protect her like that, not when you have destroyed the mirror that held my power. Pour this in her mouth and she will awaken.”

He took the vial from her and opened it.

It smelled of lavender. He tried to pry Serena’s mouth open, gently at first, but her lips would not move.

So he poured it in his mouth and kissed her, forcing the liquid down her throat.

Pulling back, he watched her closely, heart hammering in anticipation.

When she did not move, his chest tightened with grief, his hand itching for his sword so he could cut out the infernal organ that caused him pain.

And then, she moved.

Her body was overtaken by violent coughing, seizing, and writhing as if in pain. Worried, he turned her over, thumping her back as she continued to make the awful sounds. He looked toward the queen in outrage.

“I knew I should not have trusted you,” he raged.

She rolled her eyes and pointed at something on the ground. It was a small red piece of fruit, lying on the ground.

The apple.

Serena’s eyes flew open, and she gasped for air, her hands clutching at his shirt. Immense relief overcame him, and he crushed her to his chest, his hands in her hair, and then her shoulders, her waist, feeling every bit of her.

“Knew you would save me,” she croaked.

“You absolute… idiot.” He choked out, and then they were kissing, their hands and lips a wild tangle.

She tasted of strawberries and cream and everything good in this world.

Whispering his name, she pressed herself against him, causing a jolt through his body, and a cough sounded.

They broke apart to see Dorian looking away studiously while the queen stared at them in open disgust.

“If I had not lost my power, I would have flayed you alive,” she said to Grim.

“Good thing you don’t have even a drop of it anymore,” he replied.

Before they could say anything else, a slow clapping noise sounded, and to his consternation, he saw Lore in his human form enter the chamber, his eyes blazing with anger .

“What a touching scene,” he sneered. “An absolute picture of familial devotion. I confess, I am quite tired of both of you ruining all my tales. For once, the curse agrees with me as well. I’m afraid fairytales don’t like it when a core character behaves in a way that their role does not dictate.”

He looked at the queen then, the smile dropped from his face.

“The evil queen character is such a straightforward one. And you couldn’t even do that.”

Purple smoke surrounded her, and she looked down in surprise.

“What are you doing, you fiend?” she snarled at Lore.

“I’m afraid, Your Majesty, the curse has no use for characters who cannot play their parts.”

Her skin was glowing from within now, cracks appearing in her porcelain skin. She looked shaken, but not afraid, her gaze seeking out only Serena. Their eyes met, and she smiled.

“My snow-white angel,” she whispered, “forgive me, Serena, for even if I was not the best of mothers, I always loved you.”

Tears were running down Serena’s cheeks now, and she reached out a hand to the disappearing woman. “Mother!”

The queen’s eyes lit up, and she smiled brightly one last time, before she disappeared into blinding light.

“Oh, there’s no need for the theatrics,” snapped Lore. “That is not your real mother.”

“You’re a monster,” she whispered as Grim tightened his arm around her protectively.

“Good catch,” he said sullenly. “I was worried you two were not taking me seriously enough. Congratulations, you finished another tale. However, this tale must also end with a kiss. So hop to it, Princess Serena.”

Grim frowned. “We already did that. ”

Lore grinned. “Not you, peasant . The princess must kiss the prince to end the fairytale.” He looked meaningfully between Serena and Dorian, the latter looking at Lore with curious mistrust.

“Like hell,” said Grim, the same time as Serena cried, “What?”

Lore shrugged, not elaborating. And then he disappeared.

Serena sighed beside him. “I should have figured he’d pull one last nasty trick.”

“Surely you’re not actually considering it,” Grim said incredulously.

“Well, we don’t have a choice, do we?”

“I don’t like it.”

“Neither do I,” she assured him. “Trust me, I will hate every minute of it.”

“I’m still here you know,” said Dorian, sounding slightly miffed.

Grim turned to him slowly. “Don’t think I didn’t notice that part about you being in her bedroom angling for a kiss. You’re lucky I’m not throttling you right now.”

He wisely shut up then.

Serena approached him warily and stood in front of him awkwardly twirling her fingers.

“Just a small peck, all right?” she warned him, and Grim immediately wanted to kill him right there and then.

“You make one wrong move,” he warned the prince, “and I will forget that you ever helped me. I will run you through with my sword right there and then. Oh, and keep your hands to yourself.”

Paling considerably, the prince nodded. He leaned forward then, and Grim looked at the wall to stop himself from launching himself at the man.

A beat later, he heard the door appear in a clap of thunder.

He looked back to see Serena almost jump back from Dorian, her eyes filled with relief.

The prince had also stepped away, and both of them looked vaguely nauseated at the experience.

Good. He might have had to actually kill the prince otherwise, and he was not sure if Serena would approve. Pushing his bloodthirsty thoughts aside for the minute, he approached her and gently put his arm around her again.

“You all right?” he murmured, noticing how her eyes were still red.

She nodded tightly, and they both turned to look at Dorian, who bowed deeply and handed Grim back his sword.

“Farewell, and safe journey home, my friends,” he said. “Perhaps one day our paths might cross again under better circumstances.”