28. Nelle Giving Up Her Hero
Nelle: Giving Up Her Hero
For one terrible moment, Nelle’s heart stopped, certain that the spell would not work.
But then, without warning, the gargoyle twitched.
Nelle’s eyes widened as the gargoyle stretched and hopped down from its perch before turning to her and Kit and giving a formal bow.
“Good evening, young ones. How may I serve you?”
Nelle couldn’t help but clap her hands. “It worked!”
“It did,” Kit said, pulling her close in a hug before turning to the gargoyle. “What’s your name, good sir?”
“Zunig, my liege,” the gargoyle replied with another stiff bow. “At your service. And yours, young princess.”
Nelle’s body went hot. “Oh, I’m not?—”
“You are the only child of Queen Snow White, the heir to the throne of Coleur. By rights and by birth, you are a princess, your highness,” Zunig said with a craggy smile. “And it is my honor to serve you. To serve you both.” He nodded to Kit. “I did not mean to leave you out, my liege.”
“I know, Zunig,” Kit assured him. He turned to Nelle. “Well, snowdrop? You’re in charge of the defenses. Where do you want him to be?”
Nelle’s stomach fluttered. “Really? You trust me with that?”
“There’s no one I’d trust more to plan the castle’s defenses,” Kit assured her.
“And you’re my creator, princess. Your word is my law,” Zunig said. “Command me as you will, and I will obey.”
Nelle’s brow furrowed. “I don’t…I don’t want your blind obedience. You’ve stood guard over the castle far longer than I have. You should be able to have a say.”
Zunig’s stony eyes shone with admiration. “Very well, princess. I will have a say tomorrow. But for tonight, you need a watchman. So, where would you like me to keep watch?”
Nelle glanced at Kit. “What do you think?”
He pondered the question for a moment. “The Sherwood Company’s camp is in the west, so that’s where we can expect an attack from. So, Zunig, can you please keep watch on the western wall? If anyone approaches the castle, wake me and the princess.”
“As you wish, your highness,” Zunig said, before taking flight.
Nelle watched him go, her eyes wide in awe. “He’s perfect.”
“He is,” Kit agreed. “And he’ll be an excellent protector when you and the little ones are home without me.”
Nelle’s heart, which had been light as air, felt like it was now a 50 pound weight.
The more Kit spoke about leaving them, the worse she felt.
Somehow, she was certain if Kit went alone on his search for Kai and Robin, he would meet the same fate.
It was different when he was hunting for Robin, when he did not know where to start.
Now, he had a starting place, and he was a keen hunter.
He’d told her stories about how he’d tracked the elusive white stag to his home, and how he and Robin had learned to hunt in the land of the Fey.
He would find them…and whoever was guarding them.
Kit must have seen the anguish on her face, because he tipped her chin up towards him. “I will always come back to you, snowdrop. As much as it is in my power, I will return. You don’t need to be afraid.”
Nelle nodded wordlessly. She knew he believed that, but she wasn’t sure she did.
Perhaps he saw her doubt in her eyes, because he opened his mouth to say something else, but before he could, a cry from inside the nursery interrupted him. Regretfully, Nelle stepped away from him. “I should…I should go check on them.”
“Okay,” Kit said, watching her slip in the door with something she couldn’t quite interpret in his eyes.
The castle was silent by the time Nelle got both children back to sleep.
She stood for a moment outside their door, not sure what to do.
What she should do, she knew, was go to her room and go to bed.
It was late, and, as Kit kept reminding her, the next day was going to be busy.
But as she took a step towards her room, a note of music caught her attention.
It was the same tune that had played the first day she’d been back in the castle. It called to her, drawing her away from her room and back to the room of the Cracked Mirror.
She paused at the door, fighting the urge to go inside. She was free of the mirror’s influence, and that of her mother. That meant she didn’t need to keep coming back here. She didn’t need?—
Almost of its own volition, her hand reached out and turned the knob. Without thinking, she stepped inside and shut the door.
A sickening laugh filled the room. “Welcome, Lolienna. It’s good to see you again.”
“Speak for yourself,” Nelle mumbled, keeping her eyes on the ground. Somehow, she knew that if she met the Cracked Mirror’s eyes, she would completely be in its power. She struggled to keep her voice steady as she said, “Why have you called me here?”
The Cracked Mirror’s laughter stopped abruptly. “So that’s how it’s going to be, is it? Very well. I’ll lay out your mother’s terms, and then you can be on your way.”
Nelle nodded, still keeping her focus on the ground. “My mother’s terms? Not yours?”
“No.” The Cracked Mirror sniffed. “If it were up to me, I think we could make do with just her, but, for some reason, she thinks we need you in our power to achieve our goals. So she asked me to give you her terms, as if I’m some common errand boy.”
Nelle almost smiled at that. Trust the Snow Queen to turn an omniscient being into a messenger. But somehow she kept a straight face as she said, “Okay. What are her terms?”
“Simple: turn yourself over to her men within the Sherwood Company tonight,” the Cracked Mirror said.
“If you refuse, her retribution will be swift. At dawn, she will attack, and, make no mistake, take your prince and the children. She will enslave them and she will never let them go. And as for you…you will still be completely under her power. You will never escape.”
Nelle’s heart stopped, and she couldn’t breathe. She struggled to find her voice as she whispered, “And if I turn myself over to her?”
The Cracked Mirror’s next words were flippant. “You’ll still be completely under her power, but she’ll stop the attack on this place. In addition, as a sign of goodwill, she will release Prince Robert and your woodsman friend. Kay or Kai, or whatever his name is.”
“So my choice is to turn myself over or to sentence Ki—my friends to the same fate?” Nelle whispered.
“Yes,” the Cracked Mirror said. Though she still couldn’t bring herself to look at it, she could almost feel the mirth that would surely be in its eyes. “So what are you going to do, Lolienna? Are you going to abandon your friends or are you sentence them to a lifetime of slavery?”
Nelle took a deep, shuddering breath and slipped her hand into the pockets of her simple gown. Her right hand brushed over the stone Kit had given her, and she ran her thumb over it, using it to strengthen her as she mumbled, “Fine. You win. I’m turning myself over.”
Satisfaction filled the Cracked Mirror’s voice as it said, “Good choice, little Loli. And not to worry. I’ll keep a watchful eye on your precious prince.”
Now Nelle’s head shot up, her green eyes almost turning yellow with rage. “You leave him alone.”
“You can’t stop me, Lolienna. You are completely powerless when it comes to me,” the Cracked Mirror sneered. Nelle’s hands clenched into fists as it continued, “Even if you could overcome me magically, what could you possibly?—”
“Enough!” The strength in Nelle’s voice surprised her, so much so that she almost stopped talking. But she forced herself to forge on. “You can do whatever you want to me. I don’t care. But don’t you dare touch him or the children.”
“Giving me orders? You’ve gotten bolder,” the Cracked Mirror mocked. “No matter. A few days back with your mother, and you’ll be as subservient as ever. And any thoughts of your precious Kit will be nothing but a distant?—”
“I said, enough!” Without thinking, Nelle whipped the stone out of her pocket and threw it as hard as she could at the mirror’s glass surface.
The Cracked Mirror didn’t have time to do anything more than a startled shout as the stone found its target.
Instantly, the darkness in the room lifted and the oppressive air lifted, as shards of razor sharp glass sprayed about the room.
Nelle lifted her hand to cover her face, but, to her surprise, none of the shards hit her. They all landed in a semi-circle around her, as if there were some type of shield around her.
“What in Afeyra—” Nelle stopped herself from questioning the circumstance. She didn’t have time. If she wanted to get to the Sherwood Company’s camp in time to turn herself over and stop the attack, she needed to leave. Immediately.
With one last look over her shoulder, Nelle slipped out of the room, breathing hard.
She ran to her bedroom and collected the gown and shoes Kit had somehow found for her in the last few weeks, stuffing them in a battered knapsack.
Her eyes wandered over the room, wondering if there was anything else she’d forgotten, but nothing jumped out at her.
She felt sick as she turned away and closed the door, praying that neither of the children would need her that night.
Nelle tried to walk directly out the door, but she couldn’t make herself take that first step. She needed to say goodbye, even if no one was awake to hear her.
Her first stop was the nursery door. She paused outside the door, wondering if she dared to open the door, but then she remembered Kemma was sleeping with them that night.
The tressym was a notoriously light sleeper.
If she tried to say goodbye to the children, Kemma would wake and demand to know where she was going. Or worse, she’d try to stop her.
With tears in her eyes, Nelle could only press her hand to the door and whisper, “Goodbye. I’ll never forget you.”
The only other person in the castle was Kit.
Nelle couldn’t imagine leaving without saying goodbye to him.
She slipped into his bedroom, her footsteps light as flower petals.
The fear in her eyes softened as she beheld his sleeping form.
His back was toward her, hiding his face, but his body was relaxed, free of the worries and cares she’d seen in him just a few hours before.
He was shirtless, as he had appeared the first day she’d seen him, his form as beautiful as an artist’s sculpture.
She reached out to stroke his muscular back, only pulling her hand back at the last moment.
Tears slid steadily down her cheek now, and she almost gave into the temptation to wake him up.
Maybe there was another way. Maybe they could go some place far away, like Camelot or Feldgrau, to escape her clutches.
But no. She’d already told the Cracked Mirror she would turn herself over to the queen’s men. It was too late to turn back now.
Kit shifted and rolled over, turning toward her and mumbling her name in his sleep.
Nelle froze, fearing that he was waking up, but he merely let out another snore.
She didn’t know it was possible, but another piece of her heart shattered as he said her name again.
He was going to be devastated when he woke up, and there was nothing she could do to comfort him.
Impulsively, she whispered, “I will love you until the day I die. Goodbye, sweet prince,” before leaning forward and kissing him lightly on the forehead.
Then, before she could lose her courage, she closed her eyes and turned away from him, pulling the door closed firmly behind her.
Then, tears blinding her, she turned and fled the castle.