The Dwarf and the Twins Page 5

  Unbelieving, Snow stared at the place where the fragile woman had been a heartbeat ago. Where had she gone? She looked around, but there was no one in sight. For the moment, it seemed, she could do nothing but wait. So she busied herself with tidying up. Not that there was much to do, but Snow hated to sit around idly. A certificate on the wall drew her attention. She walked over.

  'Certified Fairy Godmother,' she read. 'I hereby swear to adhere to the Godmothering Guidelines. I will attend the christenings of all royal children in the kingdoms around me. I will grant wishes appropriate to help my godchild to find everlasting love. I will …'

  Pop — the fairy returned.

  “The idiot demanded eagle vision for his human body.” She climbed back into bed and Snow hurried to help her. Beads of sweat pearled on the fairy's forehead, and the swirling shadows below her eyes had deepened. Snow felt sorry for her.

  “You look worse than before.”

  The fairy's face fell. She curled up on her side, closed her eyes, and mumbled into her cushions.

  “I'm dying,” the fairy said, tears welling in her eyes. “The king's wishes are killing me. And when I'm gone, the magic I left with Martin and the king will devastate this part of the world.”

  Snow put a soothing arm over her shaking body. The fairy cried herself to sleep while Snow pondered a solution, knowing she'd be able to find one if only she could talk things through with Rose and Martin.

  The minute Rose read Snow's note, she wanted to run after her sister, but Bear held her back, blocking the entrance. Worried, she peered past his belly and watched the forest.

  “How do you know she needs to do this alone? She's never been to the forest without me.” Rose pushed at Bear, but his heavy body didn't budge. Since he stood on his hind legs, she couldn't climb over him either. With a sigh, she began preparing breakfast. Her mother would be furious when she woke.

  POP!

  The strange sound came from outside.

  Bear dropped to all fours. He stared out, the pelt on his neck bristling. A deep, dangerous growl left his throat. It woke Adele. Rose put down the dishes and walked toward the door.

  “It's all fine,” Snow's voice rang out.

  Rose vaulted over Bear to hug her sister. She stopped in her tracks when she noticed the bed at the forest's edge beside Snow. A cloud of condensed breath hung over it.

  “Who … What is that?”

  “It's Martin's fairy godmother. Help me to move her in. She couldn't transport us through the roses' protection.” Snow pulled at the bed, but it didn't move. Rose and Bear ran to her. Together, they lugged the bed and its inhabitant toward their cave. Adele hurried out to help too. When they reached the roses, the fairy's eyes widened.

  “Incredible!” She sat up. “Can I stay right here?”

  “Why? It's much more comfortable inside. Also, you'd be in the way when we need to leave the house.” Rose put her hands on her hips.

  “Love.”

  “Yes, they're lovely, but — ”

  “Balderdash. Of course, they're lovely, but that's not what I meant. They are love personified or plantified, if you ask me.” The fairy's cheeks glowed and she sat up straighter.

  “I don't understand.” Rose frowned.

  The fairy's eyes sparkled, lighting up the shadows under her eyes.

  “These roses are filled with Martin's love for the newborn twins and with your mother's love for you. It soaked up the love between you girls, Snow's love for Martin, and Rose's love for Bear.”

  Snow blushed a fiery red while Rose protested, “I'm not in love with Bear.”

  Bear rubbed his head against her thigh, and she blushed too. The fairy lay back and smiled.

  “Inside will be fine. As long as I'm close to so much love, the king can't call on me, which means I might have a chance to recover.” She closed her eyes and fell asleep.

  “We can't leave her out here with winter coming.” Rose looked at the hoarfrost on the plants around them.

  Adele nodded. “Let's put her inside before she catches a cold.”

  Snow said, “And then we need to talk. There are many things we need to discuss.”

  While I am restricted to munching an apple, Adele, Bear, and the two girls haul a bed into the house and move it below the window. My heart thumps so fast when Snow walks over to me that I forget about the new bed. She sits beside me. Will I ever get enough of her presence?

  “I found your fairy.” She points to the bed. “Why didn't you tell us you're a prince?”

  My jaw drops. How does she know? Has the fairy told her?

  “I figured it out when I read the fairy's certificate. It states that she has to attend every royal christening.” Snow smiles, and my heart melts.

  “But fairies bestow wishes upon non-royal children too,” Rose says.

  “Yes, but those are not christening wishes.” Snow doesn't take her gaze off me. I squirm. Now that she knows my secret, she'll surely regret the afternoons we've spent together. I lower my gaze, unable to look at her. With my every hope smashed, I might as well tell them the full truth.

  “I didn't want you to know that the current king is my brother. I've tried my best to help those he so carelessly uses as means to an end because I am his flesh and blood.”

  “But that makes you…” Bear grumbles.

  “Yes, I'm your uncle.” I'm glad he doesn't ask how I had the heart to turn him into a bear.

  “So, Bear is the prince who tried to catch you?” Rose Red's voice was less surprised than I expected. “I should have guessed.”

  I blink away my tears. It is time to face my old loneliness again. When I'm gone, they will forget about me. Soon, Rose will admit her love for Bear, turning him back into the handsome prince he once was, and everything will be fine. “I think I'd better leave now.”

  “No.” Snow put her hands on mine. Her warmth spreads through my body like a raging fire. I don't want to leave her. My whole being pines for her. My blood roars in my ears. I nearly miss her words.

  “You've been alone too much already. I want you stay with me, Martin. I love you.”

  I stare at her, unbelieving, not even daring to hope. My imagination must have played a trick on me. I can't breathe. She bends forward, her lips touch mine, and the world vanishes in a cloud of ecstasy. I'm not dreaming after all. Tentatively, I put my arms around her. I return the kiss, trying to assure her that I'd move mountains to keep her safe.

  “Well, it is very nice that you two are in love, but can we please concentrate on solving our problems?” Rose's unromantic comment is somewhat dampening the mood. Reluctantly, Snow and I part.

  “I know what we should do.” Snow faces her sister, mother, and Bear. It seems she has been making plans. “We will gather as many people as we can and talk to the king. People will surely come when they learn he's the king's older brother.”

  “I don't think so,” Bear says but aside from me, no one understands him. I agree with him.

  “People ignored me when I was still around. They will not accept me as their king fifty years later, especially since I haven't aged a day. Also, I'm good at hiding, not at leading.”

  “But they would follow me.” No one but me hears Bear words. I think it's time to give him back human tongue. And at the same time, I might as well lift the ban that seals him into the forest.

  Rose watched with great interest as Martin stroked his beard. Sparks gathered in his hands before floating over to Bear where they danced around his throat. Bear slapped at them, but they only sank into his fur and vanished. He growled and shook his head.

  “Stop that. They're tickling me.”

  Rose opened her mouth, but Snow was faster.

  “I can understand him.” She turned to Martin and kissed him again. “You're a marvel.”

  “I'm sure they'll follow the heir to the throne. Not as a bear of course, although I'm not … I mean … you know what I mean, don't you?” Bear gazed at Rose, and she nodded slowly. “Also, my father l
oves me. He will surely listen when I'm leading the delegation.”

  Rose frowned.

  “If you return to your human body, if we free the miners, if we fetch back those that have fled, and if the king's soldiers don't kill us first, we might be able to argue with the king. There are too many ifs in this equation for my taste.”

  Snow turned to Martin. “Can't you use magic?”

  “I don't know. It works less easily since Rose cut off part of my beard.” He shrugged. “At least I know why the fairy kept me from cutting it myself.”

  Bear cocked his head. “So our first step would be to rescue the miners.”

  The fairy's voice from the window interrupted their discussion.

  “Why don't you collapse the mines?”

  Like the others, I ponder the fairy's suggestion. It would force my brother to leave his castle. Without feeling threatened, he wouldn't take too many soldiers. Rose asks the most important question.

  “How do we get the miners out in time?”

  “We can do it very early in the morning,” Bear says. “When they change shifts, most miners are very close to the exit anyway.”

  “That doesn't guarantee we'll get them all out.” It's the first time Adele adds something to the discussion. “If we allow one of them to get hurt, we won't be much better than the king.”

  I know the solution to the problem. It's easy enough.

  “A mushroom variety grows in the tunnels. The miners use them for food and to see if the air is clean. If it contains toxic fumes, the mushrooms swell and explode and the miners run. I could make them explode.” I look at their faces. Snow radiates happiness. I can't believe my luck. What have I done to deserve a love like that?

  As the others discuss my idea, I get up to fetch more firewood from outside. The logs are rather big, so I take the axe to split them. The moment I swing it down, I know I've made a mistake. The blade catches my beard and jams it into the log. I pull the handle and the blade comes free. The metal rings out as it hits the ground, but my beard is stuck. No matter how much I tug and pull, I can't free it. I try to pry the cut open again, using the axe as a lever, but I can’t get it back in. I groan.

  Rose comes out of the house with a water bucket in her hand. She doubles over laughing when she sees me.

  “You'd better help me get out of this.” I frown at her. Still chuckling, she comes to my rescue. Together, we pull. My skin feels as if we're trying to rip the beard out. I try not to cry out, but water fills my eyes. After several attempts, Rose has an idea.

  “I'll chop the wood around your beard away. Maybe we can widen the crack then.” She grabs the axe, and swings it down. Her aim is only a fraction off, so the blade cuts through my beard.

  This time, I'm less confused, but the pain is much stronger. I'm in three places at once: in my brother's treasury with my hands buried in gold, in the fairy's bed, and beside the firewood with Rose's arm supporting me. I feel as if someone had cut me in three parts. Every fiber of my body is burning with pain. The king's hate and the fairy's agony fuel the burning. Sharing the king's mind, I understand that he will never talk to us. We are thrashing around with pain as we share our minds. When I realize the king knows where we are, I fight to break contact, to no avail. A soothing voice cools the flames and frees me. Pain sears through my body as if I've been ground by a rock. Snow holds me in her arms and sings to me. I force the pain aside and open my eyes.

  “We've got to leave right now. He knows where we are.” Is my voice really that hoarse? I do my best to sit up.

  “But the roses will protect us,” Snow says.

  I try to make her understand.

  “Their protection won't help us if we're surrounded by soldiers. We'd be prisoners. Sooner or later, our provisions will be gone.”

  Bear ambles over and nudges me.

  “You can ride on me.”

  I climb him as best I can. The muscles in my arms and legs spasm, but I cling to him. My life depends on it. Snow and Rose grab their most important belongings and urge their mother to do the same. Adele shakes her head.

  “The fairy is unconscious and cannot be moved. I'll stay with her until she recovers.”

  I will not abandon my friend without trying to change her mind.

  “We will get away from my brother's hate and find a safer place to live.”

  Adele smiles. “He's not after me at the moment, but the fairy needs me. Go and find a safe place to stay.” She hugs me. “Take good care of my children. I'll follow you as soon as I can.”

  Her daughters and I try our best to make her come, but she doesn't yield. In the end, we give up. With a bleeding heart, I sink into Bear's soft fur and allow him to trot off. The sorrow in Rose's and Snow's postures tears at my heart. Silently we travel through the forest. The sunlight dancing on the ground contrasts harshly with our mood. I'm drifting in and out of sleep, glad that Bear does my walking for me.

  After some time, Rose asks, “Where shall we go?”

  Bear answers. “I know a cave near the mines. Father is least likely to look for us there.”

  I try to focus enough on his words to understand him, but darkness hovers on the periphery of my vision. I know the king is coming. And I know that this is the time I have seen in my vision back when Snow and Rose arrived in my forest, unborn and glowing. I force my eyes open and look at them walking wordlessly behind us. Both still emanate the same bright light they had as children. Despite the harshness of their lives, their innocence and love haven't dimmed. I have been right about them from the start; they are special.

  A screech splits the air, and dark talons dig into my shoulder. I scream in agony, barely noticing that Bear throws his front paws around my hip. The eagle screams again. My mind feels as if it will explode any minute. An arrow grazes the eagle's neck. Shrieking, he rips me from Bear's clutches and rises into the sky. I smell the metal tang of my blood as he drags me along. With what's left of my strength, I manage to free my shoulder from the claws, but my beard is tangled. The ground is falling away below me, and panic seizes my throat.

  A knife whirls past me. For a split second I marvel at Rose's skill. The blade cuts through my beard and lodges in the eagle's belly. Strangely enough, the pain this time isn't worse than what I'm feeling already. I fall away from my brother. His eagle form plummets beside me. Blood colors his feathers. I hope I'll survive when we hit the ground.

  The air rushing past me is robbing me of breath. Then I see it. The magic connects us like ribbons of light. My brother's hate glows red and connects him to the fairy and me. It's a strong connection. Darker tendrils —nearly black — bind him to his gold in his castle's treasury. The bans I put on the mines glow strongly, but brighter, and my ties to the plants and animals of the forest shimmer with soothing white. Bear is a pinprick of yellow below me. The girls' home shines white.

  Understanding comes to me. I begin to pull all the magic into me. I start with the dark ribbons that tie my brother to his wealth. It's hard work, but I feel them snap when I tug hard enough. I funnel the energy to the fairy and feel her relax. Next, I sever my ties to the trees, shrubs and animals of the forest. I'm sad to see them go, but the magic flows effortlessly back to the fairy.

  The eagle slams into the ground first. His body cushions my impact. Some of my bones snap. The pain threatens to overwhelm me, but I cling to consciousness and keep funneling magic. I send a tiny ounce of magic to the mushrooms in the mines. They swell and pop. The miners are running. When I'm sure no one's left in the tunnels, I funnel the binding magic back toward the fairy. With it, some of my pain leaves. When the last of my spells is gone, the earth trembles. The mines collapse, and boulders the size of houses dislodge and bounce down the mountain.

  I spare some magic to keep Rose, Snow and Bear safe. Then, I dissolve the connection between my brother and me. I feel the fairy rejoice when the boulders reach the place where my brother and I lie broken and breathless.

  “Martin!” Snow's call is frantic. I op
en my eyes, but cannot see. I cannot move, either, since I don't feel my body any longer. Someone whimpers, and it takes me a while to realize it's me.

  Stone crashes against stone. A tendril of light finds its way to me. Someone is pulling rocks away with inhuman strength. Bear's face appears.

  “Found him.”

  “Martin!” Snow's voice is so much closer now. I'm a lucky man to have been loved by her. There's just one more thing to do before I can let go. I wait for Bear to clear away the biggest boulders, and glance at my brother. He has returned to his human form. His naked body is a single, big bruise. Blood flows from the wound where Rose's knife had hit. I close my eyes and feel around for magic. Luckily, a little bit is still left. I send a tiny amount into my brother, healing his internal injuries. But I cannot allow him to misuse the fairy any longer, so I sever his vocal cords. The rest will heal on its own. Maybe the pain will teach him a lesson.

  I open my eyes to Snow's smile. It's hard to take my gaze off her, but I look for Bear. He's standing on his hind legs with a paw around Rose's shoulders. I release the last of my magic and send it back to the fairy, dragging the spell along that held him in a bear's body. The joy in Rose's eyes when she notices the man at her side makes up for a lifetime of loneliness. I only regret leaving Snow. My gaze returns to her and I try to smile.

  “I love you.” I would have liked to say more, but my strength is fading fast. With a smile on my lips, blackness claims me.

  Martin's breathing slowed and his skin grew waxen. The remains of his beard contrasted strongly with his pale skin. Snow felt her own life ebb away with his.

  “It seems I'm just in time.” Setting Adele down beside Rose, the fairy hovered over to Martin and the fallen king. She radiated beauty and health. “Cut off what's left of his beard.”