Chapter 51 #2
Wilhelm abandons his story to help, but the force is too strong. Desperate, I fight against the gale, trying to reach Jacob one step in front of the other, but the wind funnels around Marianne and me in a wall, a barrier that even the Grimm brothers can’t get through.
“You can’t have him, sister,” Marianne says darkly. “He’s my prince and I will be queen.”
Leaves fly off the trees and shoot across the lawn, joining in the whirlwind funneling around us.
Marianne flicks her wrist. Leaves slice across my neck and hands.
I cry out as pain sears me. Marianne means to cut me so fiercely that I’ll bleed to death.
She waves her hand and another force of wind barrels through, knocking me to the ground.
I try to crawl toward Jacob, but her powers are too strong.
“I won’t move until I’ve watched your blood run like a river,” she says.
Every fiber in me screams to morph into my bird form and fly away. It’s what my body has done every time there’s been trouble. But something warns me that it’s exactly what she wants. A bird is so much easier to dispose of than a human.
Gritting my teeth, I force my battered body upright, every muscle screaming.
My knees wobble, but I plant my feet firmly on the earth and spread my arms wide as if to embrace the very sky.
Closing my eyes, I push past the pain, past the fear, reaching deep inside myself for that invisible thread I grasped last night at the castle.
Help, I whisper in my mind, hoping they can hear me even in my human form. Please help.
At first, there’s only the wind and the thundering of my heartbeat.
Then a rush of wings. The air shivers and the sky darkens with their arrival.
Sparrows, crows, doves, ravens, and of course, Aunt Fiona.
They descend in a flurry of wings, feathers brushing my skin as if to tell me that they’re here to protect me.
They swirl around Marianne and me, a whirlwind of flashing talons and piercing beaks. They squawk and shriek in a battle cry.
“Stop this instant, you vile creatures!” Marianne’s shrill voice cuts through the wingbeats. She flails wildly, abandoning her leaf funnel. The spell falters. The wind dies with a groan, and the funnel collapses. Leaves scatter lifelessly to the ground.
Jacob rushes to my side, holding out his sword in protection.
But there’s no reason for him to attack since the birds are diving at Marianne. Sharp beaks graze her arms. Talons rake her hair. Marianne screams in fury.
“Bertha!” she shrieks. “Help!”
Bertha swings a branch at them, but it’s useless. The flock surges as one, an unstoppable tide, and attacks Bertha as well.
“My skin!” Marianne screams at me. “My hair! You don’t understand the sacrifices I’ve made for them. You’ve destroyed me. You will pay for this.”
“You’ll have to come through me first,” Jacob says.
“She’s to be my wife,” Prince William says, picking himself off the ground. “Any person who hurts her will be executed.”
But there isn’t any need because the birds are incessant. Holding their arms over their heads, my stepmother and stepsisters race away, screaming.
“Is it bad that watching them being chased by a flock of birds makes me happy?” I ask Jacob.
He glares at their retreating forms. The guards pursue them, finally catching and binding them up.
When his gaze shifts to me, it softens. “A little exercise might do them some good.” He pulls out a handkerchief and gently, slowly, wipes away the blood like he’s memorizing the shape of my face.
Like it’s the last time he will ever look at me.
“You were magnificent, standing up to that witch.”
The air punches from my chest. I’m afraid to speak, because my words might ruin everything. I’m not sure I’m strong enough for what I’m about to do.
Prince William comes over to us. “Are you ready, my love, to join me in the carriage?” he asks.
A spark flares in Jacob’s eyes, and his mouth tightens at the edges. He takes my hand and kisses it, hot lips against my cold skin. But it’s not enough. I want more.
No, I want him.
“You’ll always be my fairy tale,” he whispers.
Then he steps backward, still holding my hand until our fingers slip apart. Prince William is talking to me, but my whole focus is on Jacob walking away, talking to Wilhelm, and then swinging onto his horse. My heart shatters as he gallops down the road, dust billowing in his wake.
Desperately, I want to race after him, but I made a vow in exchange for a life. It’s a promise I will keep because I love him.
“I assure you I won’t turn into a frog for the entire ride,” I realize Prince William is saying.
“Oh, Fritz,” I say, using his fake name. I turn to him and squeeze his hands. “I’ve grown quite fond of you, and for a moment, I believed I could find a way to make our fairy tale work. But I don’t love you, and because of that, I’ll never make you happy.”
“I see.” He swallows hard, clearly devastated. “It has to do with Jacob Grimm, doesn’t it?”
I offer him a kind expression. “Can I ask a favor?”
“You saved my kingdom and my life from Dr. Wissen,” he says. “And then from the hands of a witch. Your every wish is at my command.”
“I ask that my father’s name be taken off the land title and given to me and my faithful servants: Jesse, Cook, Herman, Kurt, and Peter. Also, that my stepmother and stepsisters are put on trial for their crimes.”
“Consider it done.” He turns to his guards.
“Arrest the stepmother and stepsisters at once for the attempt to murder and overthrow the crown. From this moment on, ownership of the Maier manor will be held by Lady Ella von Maier and her servants. Furthermore, a monetary reward will be sent to your ladyship as a thank you for the great service you have given your king and prince.”
I bow deeply. “Thank you, Your Royal Highness. You have brought me the fairy tale I could only hope for.”
“If you change your mind, you know where to find me.” Fritz kisses my hand and, of course, winks.
As the guards deal with my stepmother and stepsisters, I join Wilhelm, who’s waiting patiently for me.
“And here we are,” I say. Sadness warps its tentacles around my chest. “Will you walk with me to my mother’s grave before you complete the task?”
“Of course,” Wilhelm says solemnly.
The spring air smells of wild roses and honeysuckle. The birds twitter from their boughs, and all seven ravens perch in Mother’s tree, preening their feathers, quite pleased with their handiwork.
“Are you sure this is how you want your story to end?” Wilhelm asks as he pulls out his book and quill. “You still can marry the prince. Spending the rest of your life at your manor could get lonely.”
“It won’t be,” I say brightly. “I’ll find new friends. Make sure you write in birds to keep me company. I’ll take long walks through the forest—”
At that, I fall silent. The memories of Jacob’s and my time together are still too raw.
“He’s quite upset,” Wilhelm says as if reading my mind. “Unfortunate, the whole business.”
“Yes.” Tears threaten to fall. I force the lump down in my throat. “I wish you the best in your life and pursuit of stories. I know writing these stories upsets you.”
He nods, studying his quill. “Every day I pray for the madness to end.”
“That’s not a way to live.” I touch his arm. “The work you’re doing isn’t only about keeping the world safe. These stories show the world in a new light and remind us not just who we are but who we can become. Don’t ever forget that.”
He looks up at me, pain in his eyes. “I’ll try.”
“Perhaps someday you’ll find love and happiness like I have. And what a lucky girl she will be. After all, to love a Grimm was more beautiful and magical than I ever dreamed possible. You’ll take care of him for me, won’t you?”
“Always.”
I suck in a deep breath, preparing myself. “I suppose it’s time.”
I turn my back to Wilhelm and his dangerous book and quill. I close my eyes and stretch out my arms. The prickling sensation isn’t as painful this time, or maybe it’s because my heart is breaking, and that is greater than any physical pain could ever be.
My wings flutter, and with a beat, and then another, I’m flying. Saying goodbye to my tree and my mother’s grave.
Goodbye to love.