Take Back the Kingdom
"Let's take back the kingdom"- with those five words, the new adventure begins. This is the story of how Snow and Charming along with a rag-tag group of dwarves, mermaids, wolves, humans, fairies, and soldiers come to defeat the Evil Queen. A sequel to "Mermaid's Tail".
Prologue: the werewolf
Red needed no encouragement to run. She was already pelting through the Enchanted Forest, as fast as her legs could carry her. The sounds of the militia behind her energized her efforts, making her feet fly. Water and mud splashed as her boots pounded on the forest floor, and liquid ran in rivulets down her legs. Her cloak was streaked and caked with the mud, but she did not dare stop to remove it. When she heard the horses behind her, she let out a growl of frustration and ran faster still.
Red had to get to the campsite, she needed to warn the others of the impending dangers. The sounds of the riders were distant, her wolf ears told her they were off towards the cliff, but she knew by the way they were angling to the right and forward it would only be a matter of time before they were on the camp. The woods were impenetrable for a whole army assemblage, but this smaller militia group would be just as effective, if not more. The new general of King George's army…the Leviathan, he knew how to lead and to lead well.
Red bent to the task, her form gliding gracefully forward over the forest floor as she ran.
When she crossed the threshold into the campground, beams of torchlight illuminated the dirt path as Red raced towards the command tent. Startled soldiers and dwarves leaped out of her way, some with wary looks in their eyes. Grumpy the dwarf called out to her, but she ignored him.
...
The princess, the mermaid, and the shepherd
In the darkness of the command tent, David laid out the map on the table beneath the torches. He placed his dagger on the edge to prevent the article from rolling up on its own then checked the layout of their armies, the set up of the base, and the general positions of the opposing forces.
"And just how can you be sure they have not divided their forces?" David asked, intently, dipping his head lower to read the finer map details.
Snow glanced up from signing an official request for more supplies from the neighboring kingdom of King Christopher. Even in times such as these, the paperwork and annoying policies of the position of princess demanded her attention. It was amazing really. Her palace was in the hands of a murdering Evil Queen, her kingdom was being torn apart by taxes enforced by the Queen's Black Army, their small guerilla force was in dire need of able hands and supplies, the whole Enchanted Forest was turned upside down, and yet, through it all, Snow White still had to go through the formal procedures of paperwork. Oh, the glamorous life of a princess.
Still, she did prefer to keep an eye on the documentations herself, it sometimes helped distract her from more personal matters. Matters of the heart, matters that would have to wait for the time being. She was a leader now and, as her mother had once said, the burdens were often heavier than it looked. At any rate, her sense of duty and responsibility prevented her from shirking the formal proceedings.
"After all," David added. "It could be that the scouts were mistaken."
Snow dropped her quill back into the ink bottle, then straightened up and came over to David. He had his forehead crinkled again, his eyes fixated onto the map with complete focus. Her fiancé always gave his complete attention to everything; be it a stable hand, a knight, or even a map. She loved that about him, along with many other things. Through his intensity, his eyes still had an ability to look into her own in a special way. A way of sharing all they had been through. Their true love.
Snow placed one knuckle on the desk and ran her gloved finger over a rendition of the Southern Woods. "No, we have both the word of Fusia and her escort." A head fairy was never wrong, or at least very few times was. "I don't understand it either, but apparently George has decided to keep his forces together for now. It is not good that the outer edges of the command troops are here instead of further west."
David shook his head. "I know. We can be glad that George has not split his army yet to crush us from all sides, but that is not good news. Maybe there's word from one of how the passes are holding up. I think it would be better if we are more aware of what we must face before moving. My guess…they'll move north."
Snow retrieved two goblets of Dwarf Ale from a nearby table and handed one to David; they continued to pour over the map on the table for several minutes, exchanging ideas and bouncing suggestions off each other. Outside of the command tent, the sounds of the camp also passed back and forth. Their headquarters was in the center of such hubbub, amidst smaller outcropping tent structures, corrals, portable kitchens, and even a dwarf shack. Occasionally, Snow and David heard the murmur of conversations, the clink of armor, and the rustlings of other tent flaps. The two of them continued to study the layout of the attacks.
"Well there we go then," Snow said as she reached for another message in the large communication basket. It was a report from one of their commanding officer, Rachel, and how their northern forces were holding down outside the village of Gladerun. "We cannot make a move until we have more information," she said as she started to scan the report. "So we wait."
A commotion had broken outside the tent. One of their guards was delivering a fierce lecture to someone right outside the flap. Snow frowned, sometimes the men could all be so incorrigible. Whoever it was, the voice was snapping right back at the big man, not a single note of intimidation heard.
A spit-fire, red-headed, skinny teenager swept into the tent. To all eyes, the girl appeared to be in her late teens, frail as a kitten, with a certain naïve-look about her and no sense of lethality whatsoever. But Snow White knew better than to judge the Little Mermaid as anything but a strong ally and a highly capable young person.
"There you are!" Ariel said, excitement elevating her voice.
It was then, as Snow looked up from the blasted paperwork, that she noticed how the teenager was dressed. Or rather, not dressed. She tried to stop her chortle, but she could not help her amusement. Ariel was not wearing the long robe and leggings Snow had commissioned especially for her. In fact, she was hardly wearing anything. When David looked up from the map and saw Ariel, he pointedly looked away. Snow understood it was not out of rudeness, the teenager had on only an over-sized man's shirt that was buttoned once. The shirt line plunged downward, barely concealing the girl's soft twin peaks of exposed flesh, and her entire navel section was revealed.
A smile curled Snow's lips even higher. "Hello Ariel. Glad you are back." Snow went to the young girl and helped button up the rest of the shirt, reassuring that David would not pass out from embarrassment. This certainly was better than the last time Ariel had returned from her river expeditions; striding into camp wearing nothing but her soft leather knee-high boots! The mermaid often complained about how clothes fatigued her in the water, dragging her every movement and billowing over her face. At any rate, Ariel had explained, she could not wear pants because every time she transformed, they would be ruined. Snow was amazed that the girl had barely even managed to cover her breasts, what with the way her chest kept heaving up and down with excited breath.
"Oh no. You too Snow?" Ariel asked.
"Me? What's wrong?" Snow was puzzled.
"You too are bothered by my chest? Why in the seas is this body so fascinating?"
Snow blushed scarlet and covered her mouth with her hand, trying to disguise a small laugh with a cough. "Ariel, I explained this to you…even though everyone knows what you are, you can't go strolling into an army camp looking like that. Not around all of these soldiers."
The mermaid stuck out her bottom lip, a hint of a small pout. "But I am not here to breed. Surely, they understand that?"
Snow shook her head to respond. She remembered, then, that a year ago, the mermaid had seemed little more than a child at the time. A child with such burdens, and yet it had not nearly been enough to break her. Now, the year had added a few extra curves and tinges of maturation to the girl's flesh that any mortal man would be blind not to notice. Not a child anymore, still not yet a woman, and still so very unaware of the ways of the human world.
At times, Snow wondered if it was right was she was doing, bringing her friends into this fight between her and Regina. Ariel was still so young, the dwarves had the responsibilities of the mines, Red was only a village girl…and yet, they all wanted in on the fight. Besides, she reasoned, they were fighting for the welfare of an entire kingdom, the very notions of justice dictated that this fight was necessary. Her friends and so many others took that concept to heart. And as a ruler, it was her responsibility to be a benevolent and just and at times, that required fighting.
David glanced back up again and when he saw that Ariel's shirt had been buttoned up, he visibly relaxed a bit. With a quick glance at her face, he asked. "What have you to report?"
Ariel folded her skinny arms on top of her nearly-bare chest. "You were right James. They moved."
"George has been sending his scouts looking for a way across the bordering rivers," Snow said, her concern rising high. "Are you saying that you saw them come through?"
"No. I'm saying that they moved. They've gone north."
David frowned. "What are you talking about? The only way you could have seen that is if you followed the entire base the whole way up the Myscus River. You were ordered not to engage in any unnecessary risks."
Ariel smiled, the kind of self-satisfied smile teenagers were famous for. "I know that. But I knew also that we needed to know what we were up against. So I followed them from the shallows." Before David could berate her further, she spoke up again. "No one saw me! I am like an eel."
Outside, Snow continued to hear the sounds of the camp. The low rumble of conversations, hammers ringing on steel as men and dwarves worked the hot metals of the forge, fairies flying past, and horses frisking about in a corral. The canvas of the tent flapped when a night breeze touched it and the wooden columns glowed with warmth from the braziers and torches. The smell of cooking fires, forge fires, and even torches wafted into the tent.
"What did you find out Ariel?" Snow asked in a deliberately quieter voice. "How did you avoid being seen?"
Ariel's smile widened, and became as sly as a cat's.
"All right," David said, his tone a little harder. He folded his arms across his chest and frowned. "I want to know what is going on. What did you do?"
"I was down near Myscus Stream, swimming and checking things out, and I found a Royal Patrol."
David nodded and let out a frustrated sigh. "They've been expanding that way for some time now." He looked away, his eyes distant. "But there is not a thing we can do about it for now."
Snow also was troubled, but not just from the news of the Patrol. Ariel was not supposed to be beyond the Southern Woods. The mermaid had been so intent on joining the fight to take back the kingdom, she had full-heartedly agreed to Snow's terms: to remain within safe boundaries when she went out, scouting the rivers and the lakes as a mermaid. The girl, though, completely disregarded those orders and ventured further and further into enemy territory. Like any other normal teenager, Snow mused, when she decided that a command was unimportant, she did as she pleased.
"They were going on about how they needed to break camp soon," Ariel continued, "And then one of them came towards the river to take a drink."
Snow lifted her eyebrows as she listened. She had a funny feeling she knew what was coming.
Ariel's satisfied-teenage smile was back. "I leaned up and grabbed him, pulled him into the water. The others were so distracted, they paid no attention that their pod member being gone."
"I swam a ways away, brought him to the surface, and then an idea struck me. I sang to him; the slow song of desire and lust. He was so weak-willed; it took only one lyric for him to fall completely in love with me! Sure enough, once I knew he was completely under, he answered my questions easily on what the main army is up to."
David lifted an eyebrow to her. "You tricked the information out of him?"
Ariel gave him a look that suggested she thought he was not listening very well. "Of course I did! He told me that the King's Army was on the move, who was in it, when and where, and then I let him go. He won't ever remember our conversation."
David scrutinized her, a little disapproving. "Be that as it may, you are not supposed to go that far out alone. Let alone use your magic on someone. You might have been seen." He held the folded arms over his chest. "You should know better."
The mermaid, looking slightly bewildered, looked intently right back at up him. Young defiance.
Snow broke the moment by giving Ariel a warm clap on her shoulder, showing her that she was proud of what the young one had accomplished. "Thank you Ariel. We'd better spread the word that George has moved. We need to make sure our troops are ready when his forces finally get her."
"They will be here soon," David said quietly, still not looking at them. He went around the table and headed towards the tent flap. "You two chart out what she saw at Myscus River. I'll be back."
The King's Army had to come across the whole Enchanted Forest and several river systems if they were to conquer their rebel forces. They were few who knew the ways of the forest, and Snow and David had worked hard to keep it as difficult as possible for the main force to get through. Dwarves had brought rocks down, fairies had created tunnels, and Rain had even enlisted the help of some forest creatures to warn of any impending crosses. In other places, their rebel forces were extra fortifications against any attacks by the King's Army. Even their camp was little more than a collection of ramshackle tents and shelters built in among the trees of the forest, almost as well-blended as the forest foliage themselves. Impossible to find, so when the troops finally did arrive, stealth would be their greatest advantage.
Snow sat down hard and put her head on top of one of her hands. It was a hard battle to fight, against the all-powerful army of King George. But what choice did they have? The man was bent on making Charming's life suffer and if he had to command a thousand men to march into death for the sake of his vengeance, he would not hesitate to do so. Nor would Snow's stepmother for that matter. Snow shuddered as the thought about what an alliance between those two forces would mean for her kingdom; the end of the fight for good. No matter how many forces she gathered.
"Snow, why doesn't James like me?"
The question came so suddenly, Snow was only able to lift her head up and give the mermaid a blank look. "What?"
"James," Ariel repeated, using what she thought was the right name. "Why doesn't he like me?"
"Oh no…Ariel," Snow came over and gripped the mermaid's arm. "How could you think he doesn't like you?"
"He puts his lips tightly together when he sees me. He has a hard time looking into my eyes, and when he does he flinches slightly. And that last statement…does he not think I am capable?" Dark as it was in the tent, Snow could see that Ariel was miserable. "I thought humans did those things with their eyes and their mouth when they are upset."
Snow smiled and ran her hand down the back of Ariel's head, stopping it on her thin shoulders. "Ariel it's not you. James he…he once told me that a siren almost killed him. She deceived his eyes in a similar way you can deceive with your voice." She gave the shoulders a compassionate squeeze. "I think he might just be a little uncomfortable around you. But I do know that he cares about you and would not want to see you get hurt because you're taking unnecessary risks."
Ariel smiled sadly and nodded.
"Will he like me eventually?" she finally asked. "I want him to, because he is so special to you."
Snow smiled to herself, at how much the little mermaid meant to her, like the little sister that she never had. "He will. I promise."
For a time they stood their together, silently listening to the hustle and bustle of the camp outside. Snow kept an eye on Ariel as she went to the table and started jotting down on the map where she had seen the Royal Patrol. She looked happy for the company as Snow stood next to her, putting a comforting arm around her shoulders again. Snow returned her smile before remembering something that was bound to cheer the little mermaid up.
"Besides," she said suddenly, "there is someone here whose opinion you might care a great deal more about than James.'"
Ariel looked up, her dark ocean-blue eyes clouded with confusion for a second, then her young face split into the happiest of grins. "He's here?"
Snow smirked and nodded, glad to see she had brought happiness back to the mermaid. "He arrived yesterday. You'll find him by the blacksmithing tent, practicing."
Ariel squealed like an ecstatic little girl and flung her spindly arms around Snow's neck in a big hug. Snow did not say any words, they were not needed. She felt the girl's bubbly happiness.
"Thank you!" The mermaid dashed out of the tent flap.
Snow giggled heartily as she watched the young one go. Ariel was very much head-over-heels in love with Eric, and she was never embarrassed to show it. Snow thought it was wonderful, it showed their troops that other creatures were capable of showing love and affection. Sometimes, people thought that love was strictly a human aspect, that other beings were not capable of such things. Some even had a hard time tolerating Snow's acceptance of such beings in their troops. But in the end, they fought for the same thing. They were fighting for the chance to live, to grow with dignity, and to love and cherish their loved ones. To have just lives, to be left in peace, and to achieve their own happiness free from oppression. Some might call that happily ever after.
The light from the sun had faded away by the time David returned, two commanding officers in tow. Back in the spring, when David and Snow had first made it known that they were fighting to rid their people of the suppressive rule of King George and Queen Regina, it seemed to galvanize many men and woman into joining their cause. After only a little time, their force was joined by many more. They had all decided that the ruling of the two monarchs was unjust and needed to be overthrown, even if they were all branded rebels and traitors for it.
Snow noticed that David was drawn to the map layout that Ariel had drawn. Gallen and the other man, Benjamin, also crowded around the table. They were here to listen to the new report from David and Snow. Once they were informed, they would be dispatched to their respective troops to act accordingly.
"We've received an updated word," David began at once. Snow slid next to him as he placed his knuckles on the table, and drew the map closer towards them. "King George's men are here—" he pointed to where Ariel had marked a patrol "—on this ridge."
Just then, Red, Snow's dearest and best of friends, burst into the tent. She saw the four of them gathered at the table and immediately charged towards them. "We have to move camp. They're coming for us."
"No!" David pounded his gloved fist into the table. "We will not run!" He swung his head around, looking intently at all of them. "We said we were going to take the kingdom back, and we can't do that with our tails between our legs."
Red tilted her head, acknowledging the expression David had used with accusing eyes.
He immediately noticed. "No offense."
"But matters have worsened…" Red continued.
She explained, as well as she could, all that she had heard of this Leviathon and what it might mean for their troops. Snow was worried. She was well-aware of what a formidable commanding officer was capable of. David was a little more cocky, but then again, he did not have her experiences. As a princess, she had been exposed to many diplomatic sessions and political exchanges; she was very conscious what capable leaders can do. And if what Ariel said was true, they had to contend with the main army moving in as well. All of this was very concerning, but when the arrow slammed through the tent and onto the table…it suddenly was put into a very different perspective.
"I'd say pretty close," David quipped.
"Snow!" Red locked eyes with her. She saw the same fear she felt.
With David right behind her, Snow slipped out of the tent and into a battle ground. When one of the enemy soldiers on horseback saw the pair of them emerge, a command was roared out. The shouts and commotion as some soldiers began fighting woke the rest of the encampment. Men and women rushed out of tents, lean-tos, and sleeping bags, pulling their weapons out as they went. All were ready.
…
Ariel trotted merrily across the camp grounds, her shirt flapping most annoyingly around her wet body. She hated how it felt, but she had promised Snow no more nudity and was not about to break that promise now. The human males did tend to stare at her a lot. She saw the blacksmithing tent, its extra-wide berth ideal for the working of metals and mail, and then she saw Eric. He was standing in the front open, among a group of two men and a dwarf, going through a series of sparing rounds using a short sword with a leather-wound grip. At the moment, he did not notice her.
Normal human girls might have waited until the lesson was over, at least thought about her appearance, or maybe even called out from across the grounds. Not mermaids. Instead, Ariel rushed right into Eric's last parry and flung her arms and legs around him, hugging him hard. He was just as startled as the rest of the men, but it was a wonderful kind of startled. The kind that his life had been full of since he had met Ariel, a year ago now.
Her greeting spent, Ariel leaned her head back and stared into Eric's eyes, hugging him harder. "Eric! I missed you."
Eric straightened and smiled even wider, a smile that filled Ariel with happiness at the sheer pleasures in life. "I did too Ariel." And then, right in front of his comrades, he kissed her. When they were done, Eric turned and suddenly remembered his company. "If you guys will excuse me for a moment?"
Beaming, the diverse trio slipped away behind the tent, nudging each other knowingly as they went. Pretty much all were aware of the oddities of this young couple. The mermaid was famous for displaying her emotions like a leveed cascade of passions just waiting to be unleashed, one time she had even knocked Eric down when she'd jumped onto him for a hug! But in this small rebel troop, such things were not the least bit the oddest of its characteristics. Snow White had made it clear that anyone, be them human or not, male or female, magical or non, was welcome in her troops. Even a teenage mermaid was not the weirdest of the company. The dwarf with a serious attitude problem, the crossbow-wielding grandma, the know-it-all fairy who bossed everyone around, the young woman in the red hood, the kleptomaniac hobgoblin, and the girl who turned into a white wolf…all were a part of their forces. And, Snow White had declared, if anyone had the slightest problem with that, they could just take their sorry carcasses and scurry away, providing they did not betray their position to the Evil Queen or King George. And if they did… well, let's just say Snow White was not above protecting her forces at all costs.
Ariel gestured vaguely back to the tent with her chin. "Can we go inside please? I'm a little cold."
Eric grinned. "Come on in. I'll get you something to eat."
The tent was warm and roomy, oddly deserted at this time of night. Unknown to the teenagers, Smitty the dwarf had been forewarned of their coming and decided to fetch more water for his forge, coincidently enough, right at that moment. For at least a few moments, they had precious privacy. Eric tore off a strip of dried venison and offered the piece to Ariel. She chewed on it and watched while he also raided Smitty's collection of bread, cheese, muffins, and peaches. The dwarf adamantly insisted that one could not do smiting on an empty stomach and always kept a well-stocked cupboard to prove him point. Ariel was always famished when she returned from her scouting trips; raw fish could only fill her stomach so much. After she finished her meal, she glanced around her shoulders, into the darkness of the tent flap. Was that a herd of horses she heard? But then she was distracted by Eric offering her a mug of warmed Dwarf Ale.
Eric smiled down at her. "Must have been quite a journey you took today." He took the glass she had drained, and re-filled it with water, knowing that she needed to rehydrate herself. Mermaids needed water.
"It was," Ariel answered as she accepted the cup back. "I went all the way to Myscus River. But what about you? How are the lessons?" She tilted her head back, guzzling down the water.
Eric shifted his weight to the other foot as he gazed at her face. "It's going well." He tugged at the sleeveless fencing jerkin he wore when practicing sparing, the tough leather shone in the light of the forge fire. "I am learning more offensive-strike patterns so Owen must think I am progressing," he said, referring to his fencing master. "But I still need to be better at balancing my parries with my stealth."
Ariel looked around at the assembly of weapons and chain mail, waiting to be hammered into workable pieces by the smithies and soldiers. Everything from double-bladed dwarf axes, to spiked sparing gloves, to throwing knives, as thin as a leaf but sharp as a needle. "Considering everything that is going to happen, it is a good thing that you know how to use these," she said. Eric had been raised a fisherman's son, never having to pick up a sword until he joined Snow and David' fight to take back the kingdom. But he was a hard worker, practicing and learning all he could.
Ariel, her red hair shining even brighter from the fires of the forge, squinted at the arsenal assemblage in the heated light. "Well," she said with a sigh. "I'm glad I don't have to learn of such things. It looks awfully hard."
Eric smiled at her. "A lot of things that are hard are worth it."
Ariel smiled too and put her arms around his waist, clasping her hands behind his back while looking back up at him and taking in all of his wonderful features that she knew and loved. He had let his hair grow out a little and kept stubble of hair on his upper lip and chin. Though it tickled at times, but she liked it. "I know," she answered.
A lot had happened to both of them, making their relationship complicated, messy, hard-work, and at times, even frustrating. But through it all, the two teenagers kept at it. Resolving to be with each other, to fight for one another, and to be worthy of the sacrifices and struggles and triumphs that had been a part of it all. Ariel had violated every rule of mermaid code to be here, living amongst humans, because she wanted to. She was a banished fish, forbidden on pain of death to return to her pod, her former family. Eric had also lost much. In joining the rebels, he had branded himself a traitor and an outlaw, one who had betrayed the role of peasant neutrality. In doing so he had violated his father's rule, among others, but most grievous of all, he had chosen to stay with Ariel. Because of this, he had to endure being covered with the mantle of "race traitor". Some could simply not understand how two separate species could be together like they were.
Fortunately, within the company of Snow and David' army, the two teenagers were not on the receiving end of contemptuous comments or disapproving glances. In the end, they loved each other and that was what was important.
Eric kissed Ariel again and ran his hand down her beautiful red hair. "I wish your scouting expeditions weren't so long."
Ariel swatted at him with the back of her hand. "I do too, but Snow and James need the information. And besides, it's not like we…"
At her voice, loud crashes and shouts came from outside the tent. Ariel and Eric rushed to the opening and a dwarf suddenly poked his head in.
"There is trouble," he said, answering Eric's unspoken question.
In the distance, Ariel could hear shouts of "Attack!"
"Ariel," Eric called. He quickly reached towards the table and retrieved his short sword. He steadied his grip, like Owen had taught him, and cupped the mermaid into his other arm. "Let's go."
Outside of the tent, pandemonium had broken out. Knights on horseback were overrunning their forces and orders were being shouted. Men were running in all directions, and in the distance the clash of steel against steel rang out. The elite guard of King George, the militia group Red had spotted, all had their weapons out and were racing into camp towards the tents. Men on foot ran to oppose the invaders.
Instead of waiting for a command, Eric angled up his short sword and headed into the melee, Ariel right at his side. She heard shouts, crashes, and a man's voice shouting. "Go! Go!"
Two dozen armed men on horseback rode into the center of the encampment. The light of their torches reflected off of shining armor and honed blades. They charged forward, and Ariel also saw the white mantles and emblems of the armies of King George.
Eric caught Ariel's wrist and whispered urgently. "It's no good. There are too many of them." He started to stride away, pulling Ariel along with him towards a more defensible position.
The growl of a wolf startled them both when a massive black form darted its way past them into the fight. Red was on the move. Ariel was about to call to her friend when she realized that the nearest of George's men were less than 5 meters behind them. Eric turned and slashed up at the rider with his sword, driving the man's own weapon downward and onto the ground. The man leaned forward as if to make a grab for Ariel: a big mistake. She fetched him a hard crack against the side of his helmet with her own fist that sent him sliding off his horse, unconscious.
"Run Ariel! Run!" Eric called to her as he started fighting yet another one.
Even though she was weaponless, Ariel could not bring herself to leave Eric. She was sure he would be killed.
Another enemy drew his sword, leapt past Eric's swinging weapon, and made his way towards the blacksmithing tent. He managed to grab Ariel by the arm. She hissed and tore herself free, lost her balance on wobbly knees, and fell head first into the dirt. The man's sword rose over her head, he swung it downward to chop onto her unprotected back.
Just as the mermaid managed to roll over, a figure darted over her, leapt like a dancer onto the soldier, and entwined her own limbs into that of the man's. He gave a shout of fury and immediately forgot about hacking up Ariel on the ground. The new girl coiled herself upward, hooked her right leg over the thick neck of the man, and then arched herself downward, taking his weight along with her. The man staggered as gravity took over his bulk, and he crashed into the ground next to Ariel. Rain uncoiled herself, driving upward like a snake before grabbing the soldier's head and wrenching it sideways with a quick crack! Only when her prey was down, did Rain glance up (or rather down) at Ariel, still huddled on the ground.
"Stop looking so young and innocent all the time mermaid," Rain said, her golden eyes twinkling merrily. "It makes them think you are easy to kill."
What Rain the wolf lacked in bulk and physical intimidation, she more than made up for with her graceful, twisting moves, her ingenious methods of taking much-larger prey down, and her good humor. She was another friend of Ariel's, their shared history of mermaids was impressive, but Rain was not one to idly chat whilst there was a good brawl going on. "It's good to see you back Ariel," she said, as casually as if the two were chatting over afternoon tea. "You'll let me know how the scouting trip went later?" With a satisfied one-sided smile, the kind only she did, Rain scampered off towards the affray. She twisted away from a swinging sword and rapier, then slide in closer to connect her knuckles with her attacker's jaw.
Ariel watched her wolf friend, making a mental note to thank her later, then scrambled to her feet. She tried to make sense of the chaos that was erupting around her, but it was no use. Eric was nowhere to be found. She was on her own for now.
…
After he sent Snow away, with the heartfelt promise of meeting her in two days at his mother's home, David started out into the fighting. The rest of the small group that had been in the tent followed after him.
"Do you think they are foolish enough to engage their whole troops at once?" Gallen asked.
"There's only one way to find out."
By the time they reached the center of the encampment, David was out of breath. He was also furious at himself for not posting more sentries around; with their extra eyes they might have been more forewarned. Gallen and Benjamin wished him luck and then took off to engage in battle, following the forest trails that twisted around the trees. David saw Red in her wolf form moving like a shade between the mounted men, knocking them down with her wolf paws, and then moving to the next.
As he made his way through the melee, a group of soldiers on horseback spotted him and suddenly refocused their charge. They raised their weapons, yelling battle cries and charged straight at their prize.
David drew his own sword, the metal sang as it cleared his scabbard. His strikes were strong and his lunges parried the best attacks back, but he soon tired. As he spun backwards to bring his sword to a soldier coming from behind, he noticed that even more were coming. David wound his right arm in, and smashed his elbow into the nose of another soldier coming at him from the side. He stepped back and suddenly came face-to-face with another soldier, aiming a crossbow at his heart. But before the man could even cock his fingers, a loud grunt resounding from behind his shoulders, and then a pickax came swinging down onto his unprotected back. The man's head snapped upward as he fell to his knees, dead.
Grumpy the dwarf retrieved his spent axe from the fallen soldier's back, then gave David a dubious expression. "You almost had it there bud."
David was about to retort when he saw something that made his mouth freeze. An entire troop, charging onward on horseback from the outskirts of the camp, directly at them.
No time to fight them all. "Come on!" he urged Grumpy.
The two of them raced through a clearing and into the light of the open sky. The path took them up towards the north face of Breck Mountain, where it would eventually end at a sheer cliff face. At near the midheight, David pulled Grumpy to a stop. "Careful. Don't go further or you'll end up at the edge of the cliff there."
The dwarf gave him a look that made it clear he did not think David was paying attention. "I know that bud! You think I am blind in these woods?"
David had checked behind them, reassuring himself that all was clear. But as he turned back to answer the dwarf, Grumpy froze in mid-stride, his pickax clutched tightly in his hands. David turned, fearing the worse. Three men on horseback coming their way. Their weapons gleamed in the moonlight and their chain mail showed off their muscular bulk. David's mind raced, trying to figure a way out of this one. They were trapped at the edge of the hummock; the only way to back up was towards a cliff.
He could hear Grumpy breathing hard, he was not sure if it was anger or fear. Knowing the dwarf as he did, most likely anger. David leaned closer to his friend, keeping his voice low. "I'll take the right."
Grumpy gave a slight nod as he lifted his axe, wielding it as effectively as a hardened soldier might wield his sword.
For a split second, no one moved. Then the three men gave howling battle cries and charged right at them. They moved faster than David thought was possible. The one in front swung his sword at David's head, he ducked just in time, then brought his own sword up. He could hear another make a grab for Grumpy as the other man pushed his horse into him. David was forced to step back further as the hundreds-of-pounds of horseflesh slammed into his side, shoving him back. The sudden impact made his joints rattle and he lost his balance.
"David!"
No. It couldn't be. He had sent her away, told her specifically to save herself. While he was distracted, the man shoving his horse at him raised his short sword, intent on cutting into David. And then, just before the man reached him, an arrow slammed into his right hand. The man felt the pain and his attention was immediately diverted from David to the woman standing at the edge of the clearing. Snow White and her bow. She had shot him from 100 meters away, right on target. His pain and rage seemed to overwhelm the knight's reason. Seemingly out of nowhere, the man, his hand and forearm covered in blood, smashed into David again with his horse. The collision was so strong that it carried them both closer to the side of the cliff. All the way down, the raging river sounded its warning that they were getting too close.
To David's shock, he saw one of the other two men spin on his steed and deliberately charge towards him. He hammered the heel of his spurred boot into the center of David's chest. The force knocked the wind out of him and flung him backwards, right into midair.
David plummeted into the darkness, all the way down to the river.
"Noooooooo!" Snow sprinted forward. "David!"
She had to save him. She dashed forward making her way around the edge of the battle, staying away from the worst of it, past the soldiers who saw her and thought she was not worth their concerns because she was a woman. Off across the open area Snow sprinted, then made her way to dive off the cliff herself.
With astonishing speed, Grumpy charged forward too, smacking himself deliberately into Snow and knocking her down before she could leap over the side of the cliff herself. She landed in a painful heap on the ground.
Throwing her head back up, she screamed. "Grumpy!"
"Snow!" he shouted right back down at her, "You never would have made it."
Snow's fury gathered itself in her chest as she scrambled back to her feet, intent on making it to the drop off, but Grumpy would not have it. He wrapped his stocky arms around her, preventing her from bounding over the sides of the cliff to save David. She screamed, clawed at his hands, and cursed him with everything she had, ordering him to release her. The dwarf was relentless.
"Snow! Listen to me!" Grumpy yelled. "He's GONE!"
Around them, the battle was dying down. More of their men had poured out from the camp and into the open. The sight would have been comforting, if only David was next to her. To the other side, men from the Royal Patrol were still falling onto their forces, but their numbers had been so thinned they could not mount a very effective attack. Their charges continued to fall apart at the weapons of Snow's troops.
Snow heard a shout coming from behind. It sounded somehow familiar. She turned just in time to see a flash of red and white hurling through the air towards them. The figure shot past them, dashing with focused, honed intensity, before leaping into the air. Ariel the Little Mermaid arched upward, did a graceful swan dive, and then descended into the darkness off the cliff side. It all happened in less than five seconds.
Snow and Grumpy were so shocked they simply stood their gawking, the sounds of the fading battle around them completely unheard. Finally, Grumpy let her go. Snow immediately went to the cliff edge, stopped just short of the fall, and knelt down to peer into the abyss. She saw nothing but the raging river, far below with its white-capped rapids, it jutting rocks, and its whooshing sprays of water. Snow whimpered at the sight but then recalled Ariel's swimming abilities, specifically, how she had once saved Snow's life by pulling her across a vast lake in one mad dash towards freedom. Ariel had to have found David, as treacherous as that river down there looked; she had to have faith in the little mermaid.
Still, the last time Snow had felt this helpless, felt this sense of loss, she'd been in the dungeons of King George on a rescue mission. She'd had no idea, at the time, that David was not there. The situation had been dire then and it certainly was now. But at least she knew that David was still alive and she would find him. She wouldn't give up. Somehow, she had to get down to him and find him.
Snow sprang to her feet, intent on finding a path down to the river's edge. She called to Grumpy as she started away, "I'm going down there. Watch over things while I'm…" She never got the chance to finish because suddenly an armored limb reached out and slammed into her face, knocking her to her feet.
Snow was stunned, not completely knocked out, but furious at being interrupted on her rescue mission to save David. She angled herself upward on her elbows and got a good look at her attacker. His broad shoulders nearly blocked out the entire night sky. The well-made armor, its fitted braces and gleaming chest plate, indicated a man of high position, a man that others would follow on a single command. The most intimidating feature was the mask of chainmail concealing the man's face, folding from his helmet like an extra protection. Although, with Snow on the ground as she was, he likely would not need it.
Still, she needn't show fear. Only her contempt. "What kind of general hides his face behind a mask?" she spat out. "Just who are you Leviathan?"
"Leviathan?" Even his voice was impressive. Deep, mellow, and yet, just a hint of wry humor. "Is that what they're calling me?"
He removed his helm. He was perhaps a couple of years younger than David with a handsome face and smoldering dark eyes. "Name's Lancelot."
The name stirred a memory in Snow and made her forget for a moment about David and Ariel plunging off of a cliff. Temporarily. "Lancelot?" she asked. "Of the Round Table?" She had heard stories of this man and his great deeds in her father's court. How he and his fellow knights had rid their land of a great evil, fought by codes of honor, and governed their kingdom with justice and truth. So why now was he towering over her?
His voice was as full of contempt as hers had been previously. "Not anymore."
Then he leaned forward, connected his fist with the side of her head, and shoved a sack over her head. The world went dark.
