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I took a seat on the palace steps. Henry sat next to me and took my hand. Even though we were both still covered in gore, just sitting outside made it easier to breathe.
Dust swirled on the air, blocking most of our view. Pounding footsteps echoed off the buildings. I stood, holding the sword at the ready in my right hand with Henry next to me on the left.
When the royal guard marched out of the dust, they stopped at the sight of us on the stairs. Hell, I would have too. We were downright ghoulish, covered almost entirely in blood and carrying a pristine sword.
I wasn’t in any condition to fight the entire royal guard, but if they attacked, I would find the strength.
They glanced up at the castle behind us, and then their gazes dropped back to us. Confusion clouded their faces. They exchanged glances with each other, and the weapons in their hands lowered.
The head guard took a step forward. “Where is the queen?”
“Queen Odette is dead,” I said. The snarl in my voice made the guard step back even though the wave of relief that flowed through the guards could be felt in the air.
A few of them smiled.
“And the army of the dead?” he asked, his voice lilting up with hope.
“Dust.” I waved at the smoke still dissipating all around them.
He glanced down at his feet. “And how do I know you aren’t deceiving me?”
I lowered my sword and waved towards the building behind me. “Feel free to search the castle, but I’m going to sit down while you do, if you don’t mind.” I handed Henry the sword and lowered myself to the stairs, trying not to wince.
Henry stood protectively over me. His stance screamed he would give anyone a fight if they approached us.
The head guard picked six of his men and commanded them to search the buildings and report back. A handful of guards climbed the stairs as far away from us as possible.
The head guard turned back towards us. “Who are you?” he barked.
“Maggie White,” I said, barely able to keep my eyes open. Exhaustion flowed through me, making my limbs heavy.
He blinked, like he didn’t quite believe what I had said. “Snow White?” he whispered with reverence.
Good lord, how I hated that name. When I was little, everyone called me by my middle name, so I wouldn’t be confused with my mother, and it had stuck. It wasn’t until I was tucked away in the woods with Henry and the dwarves that I insisted on using my real name. I nodded “Please call me Maggie.”
The soldiers came out. “Something exploded in the queen’s kill room,” one of them said.
“What happened to the queen?” the head guard asked.
“She turned into one of the army of the dead just as I uttered my last spell. The spell that made the dead crumble. She, like the rest of the army, became dust.”
“I think the queen exploded,” Henry said.
I looked up at him. With all the blood covering the walls and floor, it made sense. Only an explosion could have emptied that pool in such a vile and disgusting way.
The head of the guard shifted his weight. He glanced up at me and stilled. “All hail our new queen, Snow White!” He dropped to his knee and bowed his head.
I nearly laughed until the entire guard dropped to their knee.
“Please...” Henry’s hand clamped down on my shoulder, stopping me from telling them not to be ridiculous.
I hissed, and he jerked his hand away. His eyes were wide enough for me to see the apology clearly without him having to speak.
“Please rise,” I said, and climbed to my feet. “What’s your name?”
The head guard’s cheeks turned red. “John, my lady,” he said and avoided my gaze.
“John, I have no intention...”
He stared at me with such hope and gratitude that my words died in my throat. Beyond the royal guard, common folk started to gather with the same hope etched in their bright eyes. Hope as if the darkness over the kingdom had finally been lifted.
I cleared my throat. “I have no intention of meeting the rest of the kingdom while looking like this,” I said softly. “I would think my king would agree.” I glanced up at Henry. We would likely scare the bejesus out of the commoners.
He curved his lips into a smile and nodded. “My queen is right.” He helped me to my feet, and the guard escorted us back into the castle.
“You can clean up in the queen’s private quarters,” John said.
I shivered and shook my head. “I would prefer to wash up in the river next to our home in the enchanted forest.”
His expression dropped.
“Or anywhere else but the queen’s quarters,” I added. “But I would appreciate if someone would go to our cottage and fetch our things, so I have something suitable to wear.”
“The queen has...”
I put my hand up. “And please take everything of Queen Odette’s out to the common area and burn it.” I did not want anything that vile witch had left behind to remain and give her a chance to haunt the castle. “And please have someone clean this place from top to bottom. There will be no kill room in my castle.”
John actually smiled. He turned to his men. “You heard the lady!”
The entire guard scurried out, leaving Henry and me alone with John.
“I used to play hopscotch with you in the courtyard when you were little,” John said as he turned back to me.
The memory of a guardsman playing with me while my parents were off attending to their duty came flooding back.
His amused gaze took me in and then shifted to Henry. He offered a bow. “You’ve taken very good care of her, Sir Henry.”
Henry bowed in return. “Not quite as good as I had hoped.”
I glanced between the two men, missing a link on how they knew each other.
Henry straightened and wiped a stray hair from my face. “John made your escape possible,” he said. “Without his help, we wouldn’t have gotten you out, and all of our lives would be drastically different.”
“Well, thank you for your help,” I said. “And now if you would point us to where we can wash up...”
“This way, my lady,” John said and led me to a room that had a large tub full of steamy water.
I headed straight for it.
“I will send some handmaidens to help you,” John said.
I turned. “Henry will help me, but you can tell the handmaidens to bring us towels and bathrobes, please.”
He stared at me openmouthed with brows forming perfect arches.
“He is my betrothed.”
John’s shocked expression went back to neutral. “As you wish,” he said and bowed before hurrying out of the room.
Henry’s silly smirk didn’t fit with the bloody smears covering him.
“What?” I started to peel the soiled clothing off, looking forward to getting into the hot bath.
He shook his head, took off his pants, and joined me next to the steaming water. He offered his hand, and I took it, allowing him to help me into the water before he climbed in behind me.
His legs straddled my hips, and the water went almost to my shoulders. I held my breath, dunked under the surface, and shook my head before coming up for air. Henry did the same, and then pulled me against his chest, wrapping his arms around me.
We sat in silence as the blood sloughed off our skin, turning the water pink. Despite being warm and safe in his grasp, the shakes started. He kissed my temple as he reached for the scented soap on the table next to the tub and began to wash my skin with such tender care that the tears that I’d barricaded inside me tumbled out in a torrent.
His way of consoling me was to make sure every last speck of blood and gore was gone from my skin. And it was the only thing he could have done to make me feel better about my choices. I let him do the same to himself, and it was only when he pulled me out of the water that he wrapped his arms around me, holding me as the last of the tears purged.
He grabbed a towel that had been delivered while we bathed and wrapped me in it, then draped a second over my wet hair before he dried off.
“They all died,” I whispered.
His gaze was locked on my shoulder. “You’re still bleeding. You need medical attention.” He grabbed the last towel and balled it up, pressing it to my skin. “Handmaiden!” he yelled.
A girl appeared at the door as if she had been standing in the shadows. “Yes, my lord?”
“Can you find me a doctor? Maggie needs someone to look at her shoulder,” he said and brought me over to a bench.
I leaned against the wall. Between the trauma of the last few days and the warmth of the water, all my energy had sapped to nothing. I closed my eyes just for a moment.
The world tilted, and I slipped into darkness.