“I’ve missed you so much,” she said.
“Momma crowned the Apple Blossom Maiden! Oh, Papa, she looked so beautiful with apple blossoms in her hair!”
“Was the maiden that beautiful then?” the King asked. Snow made a sour face as if her father should have known she was talking about her mother and not the Apple Blossom Maiden, “I meant Momma, she was the prettiest girl there! She should have been the Apple Blossom Maiden!”
“Oh, I’m sure she was the most beautiful. It sounds as if you had lovely days without me, my dears, I’m sorry I missed them.”
“That’s okay, Papa! But I have had a thought. If you should make friends with dragons, Papa, then, you would be able to fly home more quickly. Or maybe you could even learn to turn into a dragon, like the lady from Momma’s tale.”
The King and Queen laughed at their daughter’s sweet words, and then joined their guests who had already begun to celebrate.
Then, suddenly, an explosion rocked the castle. Screams of terror erupted from the banquet hall and attendants scurried to find safety in any corner of the hall that looked clear.
“Snow White!” the Queen called out, unable to find the child in the panicked crowd, or through the thick smoke that was filling the room. “Snow!”
Battle cries went up from the men who had so recently returned. And they were uncannily suited and armed quicker than any man could dress himself for an ordinary day. The Queen was confounded. What was happening?
At once, the great wooden door of the hall came crashing down. The Queen screamed out, terrified of what was happening.
“Snow White!” she screamed again, but the child did not answer.
Men on horseback, dressed in royal blue, stormed the hall, but the King’s men appeared to be holding them off, for now.
Then, the Queen felt a strong hand grab at her arm and pull her away. She gasped, then turned to see who had grasped her. The King! And he was holding a terrified Snow White in his arms.
“Come,” he said.
The Queen felt faint, but followed as best she could.
“Who are they?” she asked her husband as he led her down one of the castle halls, where men continued to suit up for battle.
“The opposing army from our most recent battle. They must have followed us back home. I am sorry to have put you and Snow White in danger this way.”
Snow continued to shake and kept her head buried in her father’s shoulder, looking up occasionally to see if the men were still attacking, if smoke was still filling the halls. Shouts and battle cries echoed through the castle. As the King unlatched a dungeon door, he grabbed a torch and quickly ushered the Queen and Snow down a spiral staircase. The dungeon was damp and cold, and in the darkness the Queen had difficulty finding her footing. The King felt around the floor of the dungeon and located a trapdoor.
“Take this torch,” he told the Queen. Descend these stairs, and at the bottom you will find a small rowboat that will carry you out of the castle and to safety.”
“You will be joining us!” the Queen said.
“I will protect you in the way I know best. Now take Snow and go!” the King responded, and then he ran out from the dungeon once more.
The Queen held the shaking child close, and she made her way to the boat that the King promised would be waiting. The Queen set the torch in a brace on the boat and boarded. Snow White clung to her, and the Queen found it difficult to row the boat and hold the child at the same time. But she had to! And she did.
Soon the boat was drifting out of the castle and down a small river into the marshland that surrounded the castle. A blast of cold air hit them and the Queen held Snow White close. The Queen rowed the boat into an area that was densely covered with swamp grass, and the two sat shivering among the plants as the sky lit up red and orange around them. Both the Queen and the child started each time a blast sounded.
“Momma, is Papa going to be okay?” Snow asked, through shivering teeth.
“He always is, is he not?”
But the Queen was not sure herself what would come of this night.
Soon the blasts subsided, and the land around the castle fell silent. The Queen wrapped her cape around herself and the child for warmth. Snow White drifted off to sleep, and the Queen stayed awake all night holding vigil. And then, she felt a hand on her shoulder.
The King.
“Come, my loves,” he said, and they waded through the frosty swampland, and made their way back to the castle.
The halls looked a wreck, but the castle had held up well. The King told the Queen that they had fought off the invaders.
“Will they be back?” she asked.
“No,” the King said confidently.
“Your Majesty!” a voice called from the far end of the hall.
“Verona!” the Queen replied, and the two women approached each other and embraced.
“I am so happy to see you well,” Verona said.
“And I, you,” the Queen replied.
“We suffered no casualties. None. Your husband is a fair king and warrior.”
The King dropped his gaze to the ground.
“Come now, to our chamber to rest,” the King said. “Verona, please take Snow White to her room and tend to her there.”
“Yes, Majesty,” Verona replied.
The Queen and King made their way to their chamber. The Queen could not stomach the smell of burning wood and sulfur that permeated the castle. But once she had returned to her room, the air blowing in from the grounds helped dampen the stench.
And then she noticed something far more terrible than anything that had happened the night before.
Sitting there on the mantel was the mirror she had broken, now fully repaired and intact. But how?
She was not able to pull her eyes away from it. She became disoriented with confusion and terror.
“Verona wrote to inform me of the broken mirror. I was deeply saddened, so I set the kingdom’s finest craftsmen to the task of repairing it. Of course even their powers pale in comparison to your father’s. I meant to surprise you with its origin on our wedding day, dear heart. I thought you would like something to remind you of your father. It is his handiwork; surely you have recognized it by now.”
The Queen struggled to find her voice, to make it pleasant and not full of the terror that seized her.
“Thank you, my darling. You are thoughtful,” She kissed her husband and tried to banish all fear from her heart. “I’m so happy you’re home, my love,” she said.
The King dropped his eyes.
“You’re leaving again, aren’t you?”
He nodded.
“You can’t! Not so soon!”
“You saw what happened last evening! The invading kingdoms might topple us at any moment if we don’t drive them back. I would rather meet them away from here, where they can’t harm you. I must keep you and Snow—all of us—safe.”
“Keep us safe here!” the Queen shouted.
“My men will do that,” replied the King.
“You have been gone so long I fear I may be losing my mind!”
His heart was clearly breaking.
“No, my love, you are simply tired and weary.”
The Queen wanted so much to share what she had seen in the mirror with her husband. But he would think her mad, or worse, possessed by evil spirits. Still, it seemed to be the only option if she were to convince him to remain at the castle.