Hans wrapped his arms around the girls' shoulders and pulled them in an embrace when he noticed their shiny eyes hinting at ready-to-be-spilled tears. As one, they finally turned away from the shore and looked towards the endless sea, heaving and rolling in front of them, as far as they could see.
"We will be back soon with Blue. Don't worry, you two," he said encouragingly, observing the ten swans flying close around them, hoping that his words would not become an empty promise.
Rosalind sighed deeply, dabbing at the corners of her eyes with her sleeve. "Thank you, Hans. And you, Louise. I don't know what I would do without y..."
"How far is the opposite shore?" Hans, deciding that it was better to change the subject before the fairy would start crying, asked the swan who was carrying them.
He had to raise his voice and repeat the question as the bird's neck was so long that it did not hear him over the loud, whistling wind the first time.
"It usually takes us two days to fly across these waters if the weather is favourable, young man. We will spend the night on a small island in the middle of the sea, then set off again as soon as it is bright enough to fly," the swan replied, turning its head towards them shortly so they could hear its words while it spoke, then away again before any of them could ask anything else.
Realising that it would be a very long day, the three adventurers settled more comfortably on the swan's wide back and passed it by eating, as their magical pouches were full of food thanks to Roza, talking about unimportant things and carefully avoiding any more serious subjects, eating some more and sleeping, cocooned in the bird's soft and warm feathers.
Island wasn't a name Hans would have given to the small, bare rock jutting out of the agitated waters of the sea, where the swans landed when it got dark. There was barely enough space for the eleven huge birds and their small passengers, and neither of the three managed to sleep that night. Every time they closed their eyes, as they lay down close to each other on a nest of blankets in the middle of the protective circle of swans sleeping around them, they were stirred back to wakefulness by the rough, angry waves crashing against the rock and splashing over them and the sleeping white birds, who did not seem to mind at all.
They were happy when the following night they reached the opposite shore, and the swans led them into their refuge-- a large cave hidden in the side of a snow-covered cliff. Once inside, Rosalind conjured up a lively fire, making it a much more comfortable place to rest than the island.
"Will you stay here and wait for us?" Rosalind asked the birds over dinner.
"We cannot, Princess. We are to leave the three of you here and fly back," the largest swan said.
"Even though we prefer flying on the nights of full moon, we are not allowed to wait this time," the one sitting next to it added.
"Somehow, you must find your way home on your own..." another one mused, shaking its head sadly, its serious, velvety voice barely audible over the crackling of the fire, "it won't be easy..."
"In the morning, we will see if we can find anyone to take back to the butterflies this time, then we will leave. Berenice promised to send someone to lead you to her castle as soon as the three of you are alone," the largest bird spoke again as it shook out the long feathers of its wing, reflecting the orange glow of the firelight, before it folded its long neck and hid its head underneath it.
As on cue, the other ten birds followed its example and a few moments after the only sounds that could be heard in the cave were the hiss and whisper of the burning fire and the faint echo of the waves rushing against the rocky shore.
Rosalind sighed and shook her head as she looked at her friends. "I don't know," she replied to Hans and Louise's confused, panicked thoughts. "I guess we will find out how to return when the moment comes."
They both nodded and, trying not to think, settled down to sleep.
After breakfast, the swans carried them on top of the cliffs, at the edge of a wide bare plain completely covered with snow. There were trees growing in the distance on both sides, but in front of them, there was only a flat expanse of pure, white snow and ice, spanning as far as they could see.
Suddenly, one of the birds whistled loudly, its voice carrying far on the wind blowing from the sea, and immediately, a Snow Goblin appeared at the edge of the remote forest.
"We did not expect you to be back so soon," it said, looking surprised as it landed in front of them after a while. "There aren't many this time... Wait, please," he said, flying back towards the trees, his translucent, bat-like wings glittering like pieces of mirror in the weak sunshine.
"Do the Snow Goblins help you?" Rosalind asked the swans.
"A few of them, yes. They left the Snow Queen, and now they help us find the creatures injured by her magic."
Rosalind nodded thoughtfully as they watched a small group of Snow Goblins carrying towards them a brown, sleeping sparrow, and a smaller, orange butterfly, whose brightly coloured wings, rippling in the wind, looked like flames against the cold, still whiteness of the snow.
"Thank you again," the largest swan told the short, bluish creatures as soon as its two new passengers were safe on its back, and they were ready to fly away. "Do not linger, Princess Rosalind and her friends are to be left alone. Orders of Berenice the sorceress."
The Snow Goblins bowed deeply to Rosalind then took flight, vanishing quickly in the deep shadows under the trees.
"Princess, you must walk on. Berenice knows that you are here, she knows everything. She will seek you when she deems right. We hope to see you again soon," the swan added, bowing its head, then spreading its enormous wings and disappearing over the tall precipice, followed by the other ten birds.
Without looking back to the swans soaring high above the sea, growing smaller and smaller the farther they got, the three friends began to walk silently across the large plain.
They must have walked for hours, judging by how cold and hungry they felt when Louise, too tired to take another step, collapsed into the nearest heap of snow.
"Finally! What took you so long?" the pile of snow hooted, ruffling its feathers and opening its great yellow eyes, startling the girl.
Louise jumped back up and bumped into Hans, who stumbled over Rosalind standing close behind him, and they all slipped and fell on the frozen snow.
"Are you Berenice?" Rosalind asked as the three of them scrambled to their feet again.
"Nooo no no. But I will take you to her," the white owl, as big as Roslav's crow, informed them.
"Hurry!" It urged them as they brushed the snow off their clothes before it would melt, then sat on its back. "Hooold tight. And nooo questions," it hooted deeply, and the three friends, exchanging wary, puzzled looks were in the air once more.
They flew for a good while before the white bird started circling above a broken tree at the edge of a forest.
"Hooold tight!" it hooted again before it folded its wings slightly and let itself drop at high speed into the tree trunk, which was hollow inside, making the girls and even Hans squeal with fear.
The owl only spread its wings properly again once they fell through the wooden, empty well of the trunk into a dark, earthen corridor under its dead roots, mere moments before they would hit the ground.
Soon after they were in a spacious, warm cave illuminated by the ethereal glow emanating from its floor, lying in a heap at the scaly, clawed, yellow feet of the biggest owl they had ever seen.
Berenice the witch, Hans thought.
"Welcome, Princess Rosalind. Hooow are you, and you, little humans?" the enormous owl asked them politely as Hans helped the girls to their feet.
It wasn't easy at all, as the strangely smooth and cool floor where they landed seemed to be one huge, slippery mirror, glowing faintly in the semi-darkness. Once they were all steady on their feet again, he took his glasses off and wiped the lenses misted completely by the sudden warmth of the cavern, on the sleeve of his coat.
"Excuse Oliver, he has no manners... But he's so much fun." The large owl giggled, looking at the other, much smaller bird, who had brought them in-- it was now perched in one of numerous dark holes dug into the cave's wall behind Berenice, like many other silent, glowering, white, grey and even brown owls of all shapes and sizes.
"We noticed that, Lady Berenice," Rosalind replied, trying to suppress her anger at Oliver's behaviour. "Here we are, as you wanted," the fairy added, curtsying. "Please, help us find my..."
"Not so fast, child. Warm up, eat and rest first, then we will talk," Berenice ordered, waving one of her wings around the way Rosalind would wave her wand, and suddenly their damp clothes were dry and a small fire and some food appeared in the far corner of the cave, at the edge of the mirror floor.
"But Blue..." Rosalind muttered again. They made it this far. They were so close to the end of their long journey, and now the Rose Fairy did not want to waste anymore time.
"I said, rest!" the owl exclaimed, her voice reverberating off the walls of the cave as her round, motionless, yellow eyes flashed with anger.
Hans laced his arm through Rosalind's and made both her and Louise walk across the mirror towards the fire. The mighty sorceress was apparently used to obedience, and as they needed her help...
Making her angry would be a wrong move, Rosalind, he thought as they sat down on flat, moss covered rocks scattered around the mirror and started to eat, purposely avoiding to look at the fairy. He was afraid that the Snow Owl would be able to read their thoughts, but when nothing happened, apart from Rosalind nodding infinitesimally to him as he passed her a small leaf laid with food, he concluded that their minds were a safe place to talk. Let's do this her way, and hear her out first, I'm sure she'll help us then, Hans went on thinking.
The fairy sighed but did not speak anymore until Berenice, who had disappeared from the room while they were eating, returned and spoke to them first.