Snow's Lament (17 page)

I’d always loved lilies. It didn’t matter what kind or how differently they smelled. I loved them all. Even though it was Naomi’s favorite flower, I loved them too much to give one more thing up for my stepmother. I awoke to the smell of lilies surrounding me. I lay upon a bed—my bed.

I blinked a few times and looked around. I was in my castle. In the bedroom I’d grown up in. And, surprisingly enough, I was alive. I felt for my abdomen and felt nothing there but pure, smooth skin. I sat up abruptly and pushed away the shirt I was wearing to stare at the area.

Impossible.

I swung my legs out of the bed and stepped over to the large, open window. Sunlight streamed into the windows—the first sunlight I remembered in years.

“What in the world?” I murmured to myself.

I poked my head out and gasped. Lilies as far as the eye could see covered the land. White, yellow, pink bursts of glorious color dotted the grounds. They grew under the trees, in the shade, everywhere.

I stepped back from the window, shook my head, and looked again, just to make sure I wasn’t going crazy. The sweet, floral smell assaulted my senses.

Thoroughly confused, I made my way out of my bedroom to try to figure out what in the hell was going on. First, I needed to figure out why I was alive. Then, I needed to figure out why the castle grounds looked liked a garden show had exploded on it. I stepped into the hallway, grimacing at the feel of the cold stone on my bare feet. I’d need to remember to wear shoes. We weren’t on Earth anymore, folks.

I padded down the hall, stunned the overall destruction was minimal. I made my way downstairs to the throne room and braced myself for what I was about to see. I expected destruction. I never expected creation.

My mouth dropped as I walked inside. I expected it to be how I left it—in complete and total chaos. Instead, the floor, the posts—everything was repaired. In fact, it was in better shape than before. More lilies twined up the posts, so many I couldn’t tell where they were growing from. The ceiling had been repaired, and as I studied the new ceiling, I noticed a mural not in place before I claimed the kingdom. I frowned. A woman lay on the floor, grievously wounded, holding a large sapphire gem. Her hair, which looked surprisingly like my own, spread out from her head, but on her face was an expression of rapture.

“I didn’t think you looked like that when you were dying,” the dry as dust voice chimed in from behind me.

“Me neither. I look like I’m having fun. If memory serves me correctly, dying isn’t very fun at all.”

Maleficent stepped close to me. Gone were the battle robes and in their place was a long, bright skirt and a white t-shirt. I tilted my head in inquiry, but she brushed me off with a hand motion. “Don’t worry about me. Let’s talk about you.”

“Let’s,” I said. There were too many unanswered questions. “First, why am I still alive?”

Maleficent snorted. “Not because of me. The guards kept me from you for too long. You’d lost too much blood, and the only thing I could do was extend your life. Barely.” She folded her hands in front of her. “Did you know what you meant when you said you were ‘claiming’ your kingdom?”

I shook my head. “Max.” The mention of his name caused my heart to skip a beat. “Max said I was a kingmaker and I needed to claim my kingdom.” I turned imploring eyes to Maleficent. “Where is he?”

“Child, of all the things you could worry about. He is the same.” She swept her arms out. “Look at what you’ve done.”

I was wary. Unsure if she were angry, I hesitated. “I-I didn’t mean to,” I said in a soft voice.

She laughed softly. “It’s incredible. You’ve done something that hasn’t been done in thousands of years.” She turned and clasped me on the shoulder. “You’ve made your land sentient. It…responds to you. It’s
glorious
.”

Sentient land didn’t sound exactly glorious to me. It sounded downright frightening. “I don’t know what this means, Maleficent. I’m overwhelmed.” I scratched my head and stared at the lilies making themselves at home in my castle. “Why am I still alive?” I asked her again.

“The land kept you alive. You bear the magic of the Enchanted Forest in your veins now.” She gestured me forward. “Walk with me.”

I sighed, still completely freaked out over everything that had happened, but I followed her. Maleficent’s skirts dragged along the smooth stone floor as she walked slowly. My gaze drifted to the new draperies and tone of the room. It had gone from teenage goth to something similar to my style, but fit for a queen. Large, white, gauzy draperies hung from the windows, allowing sunshine to filter lightly through the room. A large white carpet filled the center of the room and stopped at the two thrones sitting in the middle.

They were similar to my parents’ throne, but they weren’t the same. Despite the fact that I didn’t have a king, and it was possible I would never have one, one throne was larger than the other. The one I would sit upon was silver and cast in molten metal with an ivy motif scrolled along the chair legs and through the bottom. White brocade covered the chair and ended at the high, winged back. I stared dubiously at it and thought I might never use it, especially since the odds were high my feet would dangle off the edge.

“How long have I been out?” I asked her.

Maleficent made a hand gesture and the doors opened wide for us. I followed her outside and gasped. Hundreds of people stood at the gates, silent and still as tombs, but as soon as they saw me, a huge roar went up.

I wanted to run back inside and dive underneath my covers, but figured it probably wasn’t an option. Maleficent grabbed me by the arm, leaned in, and whispered, “Two months.”

“Two—two
what
?” I gaped at her.

She closed my mouth with a thin finger pushing up on my chin. “Your adoring public wants to chat. Oblige them.” She stepped behind me, leaving me to face the crowd.

I stepped closer to them, racking my brain for an appropriate response besides,
“Ding dong, the witch is dead!”

I blew out a breath and shook my hands. Curious gazes on silent faces watched me. “People of the Enchanted Forest, Naomi is banished to another realm. Our lands our free.” Short. Simple. Just like I liked it.

An all too familiar voice piped up. “And what about that thing in the sky?”

I looked up and wanted to groan. The portal was still there, swirling ominously above the castle—but at least the sun was finally out. I searched the crowd for Grumpy, always the voice of opposition.

“Grumpy, glad to see you back and in a wonderful mood as always.” Chuckles rang out through the crowd. “As soon as I am up to speed on the last couple months, I can promise a solution will be offered to the portal.”

Grumpy stepped forward. “Portals, Snow. As in, more than one. As in, you guys cocked up something that should have been simple.”

I bristled at his insinuation. “Simple? Why, I should go over there and kick—”

The sound of loud throat clearing shut me up. Robin stepped up beside me. “What she means to say, chap,” he cast a sideways glance at me, “is a solution is coming forthwith and posthaste.”

I blinked and bit my lip to keep from laughing. “Yes,” I said, “forthwith and posthaste. Stat, in fact. Will that be all, Grumpy?”

Dwarves had a way with glares. If I were a lesser woman, I would have melted under the heat of his look. “Do you even know where all the open portals are?”

I peeked at Robin from the corner of my eye. He nodded vigorously. “Aye, that we do. On behalf of the Rightful Queen of the Enchanted Forest, we thank you for coming to see her and for the chance to answer your questions. Belle here will take over for now while we pull the queen into a meeting. Thank you.”

He spun me around and ushered me out of the way. Belle passed by me, grinned at my startled look, and stepped into the waiting throng. She looked quite official in her pressed black slacks, button down shirt, high ponytail, and uber nerd glasses.

Maleficent quickly shut the doors behind us.

“What in the hell is going on?” I asked.

“Relax, lass,” Robin began, which made me want to do anything but relax.

I eyed him warily. “This sounds like the relationship equivalent of calm down, and we all know how that ends.”

Robin started to speak, but Maleficent held a hand up to stop him. “I can take it from here. You’ve been comatose for two months. The magic from breaking the stone has opened portals all over the Enchanted Forest.”

She paused and a sense of dread filled my veins. “Portals to where?” I asked.

“Neverland, Wonderland, Avalon, Oz…” her voice trailed off.

“And?” I knew this was about to get a lot worse.

Robin decided his shoes were super interesting in that moment. I punched him in the arm. Maleficent chewed on her bottom lip.

“And?” I demanded again.

Robin cursed under his breath. “Earth.”

The breath whooshed out of me in a rush. “Earth?” I screeched. “There’s an open portal to Earth somewhere on this land?”

“Errmm, yes?” Robin said.

“Who knows about it?” I crossed my arms and stared them down.

Maleficent spoke first. “Grumpy. Us. No one else yet.”

I exhaled in relief. “Okay. That’s good. How do we close it?”

“I’ve tried to close them. I do not have the power. There’s only two others I know of who can help.”

I squeezed my eyes shut. All of this happened and I hadn’t even once thought about Cyndi. What kind of friend was I? “Rumple.”

“Yes. Or Merlin.”

Oh, goodie. The source of all the crap that had just happened—or…happened two months ago. That was going to take some getting used to.

“Do we know where Rumple and Cyndi were dumped?” I remembered the curse and I remembered Rumple crafting it to take someone to their own personal hell. But I didn’t know whose hell it was. Cyndi’s? Rumple’s? Naomi’s? Was she even with them?

“I’m afraid not.” Her mouth twisted in sympathy. “I’ve been trying to divine their location, but I haven’t been successful. It could mean a number of things: Rumple is cloaking them for safety or they are no longer in this realm, which is a distinct possibility.”

“So, we need Merlin.” It wasn’t a question.

The doors came open again and Belle came clicking through in her heels. She stopped next to us and smiled at our expressions. “Talking about Daddy, were you?”

My mouth gaped.

“Oh, I know all about it now. Thanks to Maleficent. Once you’ve gotten over your time lapse, we’ll have a chat. Until then, we have a world to save. Again.”

My mouth clicked shut. I nodded once. She was right.

She loosened her ponytail and shook loose a ton of chestnut hair. Maleficent and I both pretended to ignore Robin’s avid stare. She took off her glasses and tucked them into the front of her shirt. After consulting the list on the clipboard she carried, she spoke again. “The village people are appeased for now. Crops will need to be planted again once the weather has warmed a little more. Now that the sun is out, the growing cycles can begin again. There are some rumblings about the portals, especially the one directly above the castle. Some citizens are concerned about it swallowing the castle whole and taking Snow from them again.” She grinned, showcasing broad, white teeth. “I told them she was like a cockroach. Not much could kill her.”

“Thanks,” I said.

“No problem. It’s true.” She tucked her pen into the clip and shoved her glasses back onto her face. “I’ll have the kitchen staff prepare lunch. We all need to clean up and then we can reconvene later. Two o’clock okay?”

I nodded, completely nonplussed.

She clicked away, efficient and non-stressed.

I spoke first. “Is she…medicated?”

Maleficent shook her head. “She built a sparring room upstairs. She wakes me up every morning screaming bloody murder at straw dummies. I quietly repair them with magic every two or three days and she doesn’t kill us in our sleep.”

“She’s never been hotter,” Robin quipped.

“Eww,” I said. I watched as Robin stared longingly at her retreating back.

I punched him in the chest. “There’s something I need to do first and then I’m going to clean up. We’ll meet in the serving hall later and try to figure this out.”

Robin left us there. I wanted to go see Max, but I wanted to do it alone. Maleficent fidgeted, which was unlike her. She opened her mouth and shut it.

“Maleficent?” I nudged.

She exhaled a breath. “I know where you’re going. Max is in stasis. I’m not sure of everything that’s happened, but I know something has changed between you two.”

“He was in love with Naomi.”

Her eyes widened. “No.”

I shrugged. “He never said it out loud, but he didn’t deny it.”

She reached out to touch my hand, but pulled back with hesitation. “He loves you.”

“Maybe,” I said, “but can I love someone who can love a person like Naomi? Will he go after her once he figures out what happened?” I started to walk and Maleficent followed me, her skirts making a swishing noise down the hall.

“Love is complicated,” she said in a tone eerily reminiscent of Max’s.

I snorted. “I know what you’re trying to say. I really do, but I think if you truly love someone, there isn’t enough room in your heart for someone else.”

“Oh, Snow,” she said in a tired, ancient tone, “you have so much to learn.”

“Maleficent,” I said with barely veiled patience, “I will deal with this in my own way, but I believe in fairytale love.” I choked out a laugh. “And it’s super ironic that none of you do!”

She dropped the subject and stepped ahead of me to direct me to where Max lay in stasis. We walked in silence. I gaped at areas of the castle I hadn’t seen in years, but when she stopped in front of an ornate silver door, I experienced a moment of doubt.

“Where are we?” I’d lived in the castle growing up and didn’t remember a room like this.

“After you smashed the gem, a magic wave hit the castle. Any concealment magic fell. This is not the only surprise you’ll find once you take the time to explore a bit.”

She muttered a word and the doors slid open with a
whoosh
. I stepped inside the large room, but stopped when I saw the chamber in the middle. It looked exactly like it had in Merlin’s vision. I moved closer, the ache in my solar plexus growing as I watched his lifeless body floating in the liquid inside.