“Yes.” Aria watched Jack through the mirror. “I'll work for you.”
The vision vanished, and she grabbed onto the brass frame so hard, it turned to ice. “She’s going to use him as a weapon,” she whispered in disbelief. And how had Aria not noticed that Jack had powers?
“That was supposed to have been you,” the old man said from across the room, and Aria swung around with a sharp glare.
“It wasn't supposed to be either of us,” she spoke through gritted teeth. “How could you betray your own grandson?”
“I only did what had to be done––” A blast of ice hit his chest and threw him back. Before he could regain his balance, Aria had him pinned to the wall, ice traveling from her hands onto his body.
“If you kill me, it will alter Jack’s entire childhood,” he warned.
“A life without you in it?” She chuckled despite the anger boiling in her veins. “Now, that doesn’t sound so bad.”
“If I’m not there to raise him when his parents die, then he will be sent to a home away from the manor.” He locked his gray eyes with hers. “Away from the mirror. Which means he would never have come here.”
“You’re a cold-hearted monster,” she hissed.
He frowned. “Oh, you have no idea.”
She looked at him in confusion, then pressed a hand over his chest, sensing the temperature of his heart. Her eyes widened in surprise as she looked up at him again. “Your heart is frozen.”
He cocked his head. “What happened to my heart isn’t relevant right now. What matters now is Jack.”
Aria shook her head, her thoughts spinning. “That’s why you were so cold and distant to Jack growing up. Now it makes sense why he was raised without warmth and love.”
“The love is there,” he said firmly. “It’s just not clouded by emotions.”
Aria looked at his stone-cold expression. Even when he talked about love, he conveyed nothing. No emotion. She shook her head again then turned to look at the mirror for the thousandth time.
Though all she could see was her reflection, her mind was still stuck on the last image she’d seen of Jack. She had so much to apologize for. But most importantly, so much more to own up to.
She clenched her fists and glared at her own reflection. The girl staring back at her had been nothing but a coward. And now the kindest boy she’d ever known was taking her place under the claws of a monster.
“How does this work?” she asked, hating that she still needed the old man’s help. She’d never crossed through the mirror before, and she couldn’t afford to waste any more time. She needed to rescue Jack.
“Just think about where you want to go,” he said. “And hold your breath.”
Aria touched the mirror, and it began to glow as if reflecting a bright star. She sucked in a breath while images of Jack flooded her mind. The glass then turned into a thick, silver liquid, and she held her breath as she stepped inside.
* * *
Aria was deep underwater, and her injured shoulder stung as she swam to the surface.
Once she reached the top, she gasped for air. The Queen’s castle towered above her and she realized she was in the castle’s lake.
“Who’s there?” a guard called out from behind her. She whipped around, only to see her reflection on the icy wall. Her blonde hair glistened brightly in the sun, and there was no more hiding the princess.
Before the guard could say another word, she stretched out her hand and threw him back with a blast of ice. He dropped to the ground, unconscious. Her shoulder burned, and she bit back the pain caused by the surge of power that came out of her.
With her shoulder still injured, she swam to the edge with her good arm, then crawled out of the lake. She thought about hiding the guard by pushing him into the lake and let him drown, but then Jack’s disapproving look surfaced from the back of her mind and she rolled her eyes.
“Fine…” she grumbled to the Jack inside her head. “I'll try not to kill anyone.”
Ignoring the throbbing in her wound, she lifted the guard’s limp body and dragged him behind the nearest bush. After taking his sword and his helmet which covered her face, she stripped him out of his uniform and put it on herself. It was large on her petite frame, but it would have to do.
As soon as she stepped inside the castle, the scent of lavender washed over her, flooding her mind with childhood memories. Her heart tightened in her chest, and she leaned against the wall, biting back tears as memories of her and her sister playing in those halls rushed back to her mind.
Two guards appeared around the corner, and Aria stood up straight. They greeted her with a slight nod as they walked past, and Aria let out a long breath of relief when they disappeared from sight. But when she noticed more guards coming, she rushed into the kitchen.
The laughter of the women as they cleaned the dirty dishes lifted Aria’s heart a little, reminding her of the many times the maids would sneak her a piece of chocolate before supper.
As soon as one of the servants noticed Aria standing there, she cleared her throat to signal the rest to stop talking. The lively chatter died to a deafening silence, but it was the frightened expression on the women’s faces that filled Aria with concern.
Why were they so afraid?
“May we help you?” one of the women asked while keeping her head down to avoid eye contact.
Aria cleared her throat and deepened her voice since she was still disguised in a guard’s uniform. “I'm looking for The Queen’s new advisor, Jack.”
Before any of the women could answer, another guard stepped in from the back door with his helmet on and scanned around the room. “You.” He pointed to a young maid in the corner with glossy black braids. “You’re needed outside.” He stepped aside to allow the young maid to walk past him.
The girl kept her head down as she walked out the back door, but when the guard followed after her, it sent a chill down Aria’s spine. Something wasn’t right.
What were these guards doing to the women?
Aria stepped forward but was blocked by an older woman. Her face looked familiar. She had been the girls’ handmaid growing up. It had only been a year, but she had aged so much.
“I can take you to the new advisor,” the woman offered, and a warm feeling rose in Aria as she heard her handmaid’s voice after all this time. The dragon-slaying bedtime stories she used to read to Aria after her sister fell asleep surfaced in her mind. But Aria shook off the feeling and looked toward the back door again.
“Who was that young woman?” Aria asked, her voice deep.
“My niece, sir.”
No wonder her voice was shaky. As much as Aria needed to get to Jack, she felt a strong pull to save her maid’s niece from the clutches of that guard.
Aria walked around the woman and hurried out the back door. She looked to the right and spotted the guard leading the young woman into a plant tunnel near the garden.
Oh, no you’re not.
Aria rushed after them, and by the time she rounded the corner, he already had the young woman pinned against the flowery arch.
“Step away from the girl,” Aria demanded, drawing her sword. When the guard didn’t move, Aria took another step toward them. “I said… back away from the girl.”
The guard turned around, drawing his sword and swinging at Aria. The young maid screamed as Aria blocked his blade with a loud clang. She jumped back, giving herself more room to move. Her shoulder ached, but adrenaline coursed through her veins.
“Get out of here!” Aria said to the girl as the guard came at her again. She blocked his blows a second and third time. He was agile and skilled, but even with one good arm, she was still a better fighter. She grazed his hand, and when he dropped his sword, she kicked him in the stomach. As soon as he fell back, his helmet flew off and she towered over him, pushing her blade to his neck.
But then he looked up and their eyes met. “George?”
He kicked her leg, and she fell, her back slamming against the grass. She grimaced at the impact on her shoulder. The pain was so excruciating, it made her stomach churn.
“George, please don’t,” the young maid pleaded. Why hasn’t she run away?
“I have to kill him,” George said. “Otherwise, he could tell my mother you’re alive.”
Aria opened her eyes only to find George raising his sword over her.
“Wait…” Aria winced as she lifted her hand. The sword turned to ice and he jumped back, startled. The wave of shock that washed through him gave Aria just enough time to pull her helmet off and look up at him.
“Aria?” he whispered in disbelief, and Aria flashed him a pained smile.
“Aria?” The young maid stepped out of the shadow, and when the orange light of the sunset illuminated her face, Aria gasped.
“Snow?”
“Aria!”
Her younger sister ran to her, then dropped to her knees and wrapped her arms around Aria’s neck. Her shoulder ached, but she didn’t care. Her sister was alive.
“How did you…?” Aria’s voice shook as she pushed back the tears. “I thought you were dead.”
“A dwarf hid me,” Snow explained, her voice muffled from having her face buried in Aria’s neck. Aria only knew of one dwarf in the castle, the gardener. “He saved me from the fire then kept me hidden here, in the castle.”
“What about our parents?” Aria asked, running her fingers through her sister’s soft braid. “Are they…?”
Snow pulled back, crying, and shook her head. Aria wiped the tears from her sister’s porcelain cheeks. “Why didn’t you leave this place?”
“I’m not like you, Aria,” she said, tears still sliding down her face. “I wouldn’t know how to survive out there. I thought about going to the dwarf village, but…” Snow’s expression fell, and Aria wiped her sister’s tears. Just as she used to when they were young. Though at sixteen, she still needed her big sister to comfort her.
“The Queen burned it down. I know.”
“I’ve been okay here,” Snow assured her. “The maids have all been looking out for me. They bring me food.” She smiled. “They even dyed my hair black so I fit in with them. And ever since George woke up… he’s been looking after me, too.”
George came to crouch next to Snow and Aria flashed him a smile. “It’s so good to see you. But how did you…?”
“My mother thawed me after she’d conquered the kingdom,” he said with a frown. “But I haven’t said anything to her about Snow. Your sister has been safe here with me.” When he glanced at Snow and her porcelain cheeks turned red, Aria suddenly realized that was the same reaction she’d always had around George.
Aria touched her sister’s flushed cheeks. “Why didn't you tell me you were in love with him? You know I would’ve never gone through with the wedding if I knew.”
“I know.” She looked at George and held his gaze for a long moment. “But we agreed that it was best for the kingdom.”
“You agreed?” Aria punched George in the chest, and he stumbled backward. “And here I thought I was making the sacrifice.”
“There she is!” a guard yelled from the end of the plant tunnel, followed by more guards. “Get the princess!”
Aria jumped to her feet and kicked up her sword.
“This way!” George called out, but as they followed him, more guards appeared on the other end, trapping them in the tunnel.
“I know another way!” Snow called out, cutting through the arch with George’s sword and running across the garden.
As they reached the willow tree, she kicked away the snow covering an iron door on the ground. George reached for the latch and pulled it open.
Aria helped her sister down a ladder then followed after her. Snow grabbed a torch from the wall with the fire still burning and waited for George to close and lock the latch.
“What is this place?” George asked once his feet found the ground. Snow pointed the torch toward the dark hall.
“It’s an underground tunnel that leads to different areas of the castle,” Snow explained, starting down the dark hallway. “This way will take us right to the woods outside the walls.”
“I remember this tunnel,” Aria said, her heart squeezing at the memory. “Father took me this way that night. Then he told me to run and never look back.”
When they turned the last corner, the tunnel came to an end, leading into the woods. The blue sky had darkened to an indigo color and Aria turned to George.
“Walk that trail to the end,” she said, pointing into the woods. “Then follow the signs to Sherwood Forest. Find Robin Hood. He will help you.”
“Wait, you’re not coming?” Snow asked.
Aria pulled her sister into a hug. “I’ll be right behind you,” she promised as more snowflakes fell from the sky. “But I need to go back for Jack.”