I was supposed to update Of Shadow and Ice buuuuuut I've been dying to write the chapter that comes after this one since I came up with this story. I hope you enjoy! Maris starts to get some of her spine back in this one, Snow is back and maaaaaaaybe even Beck XD
The chill in the air didn't bother me the next morning. It did penetrate the stone walls and glass windows, seeping into the carpeted floors, there was no doubt. But, for once, I didn't mind it. I walked barefoot across the bedroom without noticing, because the cold was the last thing on my mind.
Perhaps it was my sudden absence of fear that kept the chill at bay? Either that or foolishness. Foolish, reckless hope drove me from my warm bed. Not that I had actually slept the night before. My mind was alive with a constant war between being scared enough to curl into a fetal position, and the cool calamity that came with knowing exactly what steps to take next. And so, a plan unfolded like a blossoming rose. A dangerous plan that excited me and angered me all at once. It excited me because a dark reign of terror would finally be ended.
But it angered me that I wouldn't be the one to do the ending.
"I'll just have to settle with instigating it." I murmured under my breath, twisting the bracelets at my wrist.
"Your Grace?" Alice asked, pausing from her work adorning my hair.
"Nothing, Alice." I said.
The petite lady's maid just nodded, stepping back and putting the assorted pins and brushes back on the vanity's ivory top. "Anything special planned today, Your Grace?" She asked.
"A few things." I admitted, standing up and admiring myself in the mirror. I wasn't going to lie and say I didn't adore clothes and the feel of silk and velvet on my skin. A good dress creates an attitude and makes the wearer feel confident. A great one can transform a simple girl into a queen. Each dress gives a different feel, a different mask to wear. I needed something strong, like a thinly veiled threat. And the black number Alice had chosen fit perfectly. It was elegant, yet rugged in a way that couldn't be explained. A mix of sheer and opaque black fabric would only give glimpses of my pale skin underneath. Nothing covered my arms, but the cold seemed unable to touch me. Paired with the simple gold adornments in my hair, which had been left to fall to my shoulders, I looked like a queen out of a fairy tale story.
With a smile, I dismissed Alice and left my room, head held high. The usually quiet hallways were practically buzzing with the visitors from Snow's ball, all of them with permanent scowls on their faces and their clothes from the night before rumpled. Most were arguing among themselves, or with the many guards that lined the palace halls. I couldn't help the small smile that tugged the corners of my lips up as I passed the Captain of the Gaurd, looking thoroughly annoyed as a young woman with midnight black skin badgered him.
"Don't let them get you down, Zepher." I told him.
The captain merely sighed, the look of pure boredom never fading from his hazel eyes. "I'll do my best, Your Grace."
I stifled a laugh and continued on my way. Zepher was a good man, and very upright. A Krithanian through and through. While his people skills were very lacking, he was good at his job and I trusted him. Did I trust him not to snap and loose his temper at one of the guests?
No, no I did not.
But Zepher's thinning restraint was the least of my worries. Many duchesses and counts and even a few princes tried their best to stop me and interrogate me for answers to their questions. It was all the same; 'When would they be allowed to leave?' and 'Has the attacker been caught?' and 'How was Princess Snow White?'. I was polite, as all queens had to be, but every time they asked after Snow, i bristled a bit. Perhaps it was the weight of what I was about to do that made me jump at her name so, because I was sure I knew who the monster was.
Now that Thayer had given me more puzzles pieces, I fit the picture together perfectly. I had no doubt that Snow was the monster that Thayer had described. Maybe not the original one, but a descendent, and just as dangerous. It explained a lot. Why everyone was so drawn to her, why she could convince someone to change their minds so easily with just a pretty smile. But the one thing I couldn't understand was Frewin. If Thayer was right in saying that both Frewin and Tristan had been bitten by the same thing, then that left me with one question:
Why? It obviously wasn't for feeding purposes, so why would Snow want to kill her father?
Questions for another time, I chided myself as I finally made it to the quiet and empty throne room, letting myself breath. The room was large, but not obnoxiously so. It's vaulted ceiling soared into the air, supported by elegant white columns which were carved to look like towering ivory trees. The 'branches' intertwined at the roof, leafless and bare. Sitting at the far end of the room, similarly carved, was the throne. Not comfortable by any means, but a place of power that made me feel protected, rather than exposed. As I took my seat there and smoothed out my skirts, I waited.
And waited.
As the minutes slipped past like sand in an hourglass, my fingers inched at my sides. When an hour passed, doubt grew like a poisonous vine through my rib cage. There was one variable that I hadn't thought much about; the Huntsmen were notorious for being hard to find. And despite the fact that one had helped us the night before, he could've disappeared into the mountains. And what would happen if he couldn't be found? Did I simply give up? Or did I finish the job myself like I promised Frewin?
My heart squeezed tightly at the thought of him, my hand instantly going to the Heartstone in the pocket of my dress. The stone warmed my fingers, soothing the vice on my heart. Nevertheless, Frewin's memory had done its damage and hot tears pricked my eyes. I blinked them away quickly, trying to reign my emotions back in. There's only so much time a wife can grieve for her husband, and a queen had even less than that. But I wanted nothing more to have him at my side, with his gentle smile and kind eyes. If his absence wasn't reason reason enough to end Snow, I didn't know what was.
After another few minutes of trying to put Frewin out of my mind, I decided that if I was going to wait I wasn't going to be miserable while doing it. Food cured everything, and if there was one thing I preferred over my home, it was Krithane's food. But, I settled for a simple apple instead, lounging back in the throne as I took the simple little knife the servant had provided with the fruit and cutting off chunks at a time. The blade sliced through the juicy flesh of the apple with ease, only pausing at the crisp skin before breaking it with a clean snap.
"Stepmother! I thought I might find you here."
I suppressed the shiver that ran down the length of my spine, looking up to watch as Snow walked quickly, but gracefully, down the length of the throne room. She was as stunning as ever, clad in a simple pale blue dress. She, like me, had opted to let her hair down, the midnight locks shining in the sunlight. Filtered sunlight, I noted. The clouds never failed to cover the sun.
"Do you need something, Snow?" I asked, setting the apple and knife on my lap.
She paused in front of the steps that lead up to the throne, my throne. She had to look up to me, but there was no submission in her cold gaze.
"I was simply wondering how Tristan was faring."
I quieted the storm that raged in me when she used his name. He was nothing to her but a toy, why would she care?
Because I was a toy as well.
"Thayer remains optimistic." I replied cooly.
"Well, Tristan is in very capable hands, I'm sure." Snow said with a smile. "But I suppose it would be a sweeter victory if we had the attacker."
"Yes," My nails pierced the skin of the apple, its sticky juices dripping onto my hand. "We'll have them soon."
"How are you so sure?" She raised an eyebrow. "Surely they are very skilled, if they managed to slip in and out without being detected."
"Every predator, no matter how strong, eventually meets their end." I watched her, meeting her icy eyes without flinching. The fear was still there, sending my heart quivering behind my spine. But I refused to back down and let her win, even if this battle was small compared to others.
But before either one of us could break eye contact, the doors to the throne room opened yet again, the groan of heavy oak startling us both. I almost melted in relief at the sight of the Huntsman striding towards us, Zepher and another guard flanking either side of him. I always thought Zepher was strong and capable, but next to the Huntsman, he looked like a boy clad in his father's armor.
"A suspect?" Snow asked.
"No, a guest." I stood, keeping my chin held high. "I need to speak to him alone, please."
Snow frowned, her dark brows furrowing. "Alone?"
"Yes. If I need you, I will call you." It was harsh on my part, but I couldn't stand another minute with her. The Huntsman's presence made it bearable, but she still set my nerves on edge.
Snow hesitated, opening her mouth as if to argue before closing it sharply, and curtsying. "Yes, stepmother." She turned around, almost colliding with the Huntsman. He smiled down at her, and while she seemed tiny and frail next to him, there was a fire in her eyes.
But almost as soon as I saw it, it disappeared and she gathered her skirts, moving past the Hunstman. He watched her leave, as I did, a twinkle of curiosity in his warm blue eyes. As the doors groaned shut behind her, he turned to face me.
"You called?"
Okay, I cut this chapter in half. I've had to that with this story a lot! The next chapter will be put up Friday so stay tuned!
Also, Red as Blood has made it as Runner-Up in the FCRAs!!! I'm super excited for next year's competition, in which I'll enter this story again!