Florian led the way through the abandoned garden of his wife's childhood home. The last time he had been here it was winter. The snow had made everything look cleaner and peaceful. Now everything looked messy, grey and dead. The horses crunched the dead leaves.
The tower looked like it had cracks in the bricks, there were abandoned spider webs all over the place. The pane windows were filthy. Snow White's face looked dismal as she looked at the place that had once been her home. It also represented a place of fear and misery since Grimhilde became her father's wife. The stairs that she remembered cleaning had been covered with dirt and muck from all the rain and snow over the years. Not waiting for Florian to help her, she dismounted her horse and gazed all around solemnly. This was not her home, it never felt like it anymore. The dwarves cottage felt more like home than this place.
"Hey Snow look!" King Florian had dismounted his own horse and walked to the old wishing well. "The place we first met! You were singing."
The thought warmed her heart a bit, Snow White smiled at the memory. "Yes, my sweetest memory of this place." She held his hand hoping to not show the sadness she felt.
"Where is Grimhilde's hidden lab?" Aurora asked calmly before Philip grew impatient.
Snow White couldn't remember, having wanting to forget all about it. Florian however knew where to go. He led them to a place through another court yard next to the kitchen door.
"There is a secret passage behind this pantry." He went to the back end of the kitchens.
"I didn't even know about this one." Snow White shook her head in disbelief. She worked in this kitchen night and day for years yet still didn't know all this castle's secrets.
Florian entered the pantry and opened the door behind the shelf. He frowned and looked worried. "I hear something, voices." He looked to Philip.
Philip put a hand to his sword and listened intently. "I hear voices too."
"Look at this door, looks like it has been tampered with." Aurora said holding her breath. "Like somebody damaged it trying to get it open."
"I had locked it." Florian kept his voice low. "Somebody is down there. Possible looters."
"Do you think somebody might be coming for the book?" Snow White couldn't disguise her fear.
"Snow stay here. Philip?" Florian looked to him again.
Philip nodded.
"Be careful Florian!" Snow said nervously as the two men took out their swords and walked through the dark passage.
Snow White's heart thudded in her chest, fearful for what awaited her husband. Aurora sucked in her breath "Oh that's it! Why do men think us women can't handle stuff? I'm not waiting around to find out whether my husband is dead or not! Come on Snow." Aurora gave Snow White a butcher knife, and she took a smaller one for herself."
"You know how to fight?"
"Well I may not be a trained knight but so what? At least I have something to defend myself with how hard can it be? Now lets go!"
Snow White stared at the knife unsure til there was a loud crash and noise coming from inside the passage. "Florian!!" She screamed and ran through the corridor only to trip down a flight of stairs. She kept falling til she reached the first landing.The knife thankfully flew out of her hand. It was out of harms way.
Aurora shouted after her and ran to her carefully so as not to fall herself. "Snow! Are you alright?" She examined Snow White who stood up shaking. Her legs wobbled as if sore. Her hands were scrapped but other than that she didn't seem seriously hurt. "I'm fine, that was a big fall!"
Another large noise sounded and Snow White heard Florian's voice shouting. "Florian!" She screamed.
Aurora helped her up quickly but led the way slowly so to make sure Snow wouldn't get hurt again. There were two more flights of stairs til they reached the noise.
"Get out of our way! We were here first!" Growled an unfamiliar voice.
"You have no right to be here!" Florian's voice snapped. There was a clang of swords being heard. Snow White could see Florian and Philip in the shadows battling two strange men.
"Back off!" Another unfamiliar voice shouted at Philip. "We will get what we came for!"
"This isn't your castle!" Philip shouted. "You have no permission to be here!"
"Oh and who gave you permission?" The man fighting Florian shouted angrily.
"I DID!" Snow White shouted as she and Aurora approached them. Snow White had the butcher knife clutched in her hand.
The four man stopped their fighting and gazed at her. Their mouths drop in disbelief at the sight of the small person waving the knife around.
"This is my father's castle! I am the Queen!"
The eyes of the strangers widened as they stared at her. One of the men had long brown hair that was a beastly mess, his blue eyes suspicious. The other man had dark black hair and dark eyes. Both of them didn't look like looters, in fact they were dressed in noble travel clothes.
"You are the queen?" The beastly man scoffed. "You mean Grimhilde, the evil witch who has been meddling with dark magic?"
"She was my stepmother." Snow White replied coolly. "King Leopold was my father so this is technically my castle!"
The strangers faces seemed to relax a little as they looked at her. Perhaps she didn't seem life threatening or maybe just by seeing her face they seemed to warm to it like most people seemed to do when they laid their eyes on Snow White.
Florian however wasn't so ready to disarm himself. "Well who the hell are you and what do you think you are doing in my wife's castle? This place is full of dark magic and abandoned. "
The dark haired man lowered his sword as if to truce, "We came in search of something-"
"The Dark Fire Book?" Philip growled, "You want to resurrect Maleficent?"
"Of course not!" The longed haired man snapped.
"What on earth is going on?" A sharp female voice echoed.
Everyone turned toward to the voice. From the darkness approached a small skinny female in a peasant dress. Snow White gaped at the girl. This woman had hair as bright red as an apple, eyes wide and blue. She almost looked unreal.
"It's just a misunderstanding Ariel." The dark haired man said. "This woman claims that this is her castle and her friends seem to think we are trespassing."
Ariel stared at Snow White for a moment. "Are you Snow White by any chance?"
Snow White gasped, "How did you-wait who are you all?"
The girl named Ariel bit her lip "Er…It's a long story but I assume you came for the book that could bring Maleficent back to life?"
"How the heck do you know about Maleficent?" Philip asked suspiciously
"An old enemy of mine apparently has intended to bring her her back…along with some help." Ariel said. "This is Prince Adam his kingdom is in the woods of France." She pointed to the man with the long hair. "And this man is King Henry of the North East of France." She gestured to the other man.
"They came to my kingdom seeking help." Ariel explained, "My husband Eric is overseeing our kingdom, for I am one of the few that knows some things about immortal magic. I came searching for the third book that should be here."
"How would you know anything about it?" Aurora asked her. "Only fairies know of such things."
"Yes and so do my people, the mermaids." Ariel said. "My father is King Triton, and apparently the Sea Witch whom we thought to be dead never truly died. There is more to her dark magic than he thought possible."
"It seems we have loads to talk about." Aurora said.
"Yes," Ariel said in agreement. "But it seems to me we are all here for the same purpose and need to search for this book. I was searching the Evil Queen's study while these two were on the lookout. I still haven't seen it…which may confirm our fears. Unless there is another place to search for it?"
"I don't know where else she-" Snow White tried to speculate but Florian interjected
"The last time I laid my eyes on the book it was right there on the table of her study!" Florian turned toward the direction Ariel came from and rushed to the far corner of the Queen's hidden room.
Sure enough the book wasn't there, and it had been plain as day. Florian's face was pale when the rest appeared in the room.
"You mean to tell me you saw the book and just left it there?" Prince Adam hissed.
"Well how was I to know what it was! The Evil Queen had dozens of dark magic books all over the place! Ariel you sure you didn't move any thing off this table when searching?"
Ariel shook her head, "I know exactly what it looks like. All three books have the symbol of the serpent and a black flame, and I know it wasn't there."
"What do you know of these books?"
"I told you, my father. He retrieved one of the books he found in Ursula's lair sometime after her demise. Ursula was one of the three holders of the Dark Fire Books. Daddy had it secured in his vault, but there was a break in and it was Ursula herself! We don't know how she could possibly be alive for we saw her being stabbed to death by my husband and she fell to the sea. We believe somebody already had one of the books and used it to bring her back. Bits of her were scattered across the sea, and it was as if a very powerful sorcerer on land knew how to put Ursula back together."
"Hey hold on…um if you're a mermaid how?" Philip began to ask.
Ariel sighed and waved her hand "I was turned human so I could be with my human husband but that's another long story for later. The point is, whoever this powerful person is, seems to be determined to bring the great evil back to life. That is why Ursula was brought back. They need extremely powerful dark forces to bring back Maleficent. I'm sure Ursula was more than willing to have the opportunity to achieve whatever she wants. When she broke into the palace, she took the book and fled quickly. She'd never dare take on my father with his Trident. She is powerless now."
"But Maleficent will of course give her all the dark power she could ever desire." Snow White said softly.
"So it's possible that whoever brought back Ursula, has this book." Florian said looking disturbed.
"Great." Philip muttered.
"Wait though what about the third book?" Snow White said. "There is one more! You have any idea who has that one? We can't give up yet."
The other two men glanced at each other wearily. "The third one is already in possession of someone." Prince Henry gazed at his feet looking sad.
Snow White sensed his despair, something was wrong. She looked at Henry and Adam for the first time and saw the look of loss in their eyes. There was fear and hopelessness in these strong men.
"What has happened? You came to Ariel's kingdom for help?"
Henry looked at Snow White reluctantly, "My kingdom was burned and destroyed by an evil man that came from a far away land. My wife was than abducted by him. He seemed powerless but he used that very book to ruin everything. I don't even know if she is alive or-"
Adam put a hand on Henry, "My wife Belle and I were attacked by the same man as well, before they came to his kingdom. We had been traveling on the road visiting different places when a large group of his followers attacked us. This was over a week ago. I travelled to the nearest kingdom and Prince Eric and Princess Ariel took me in and offered to help me."
"Yes and not long after he showed up, so did Prince Henry with his tale." Ariel interjected. "He came from over seas, for his kingdom and Eric's have been great trade partners for centuries. It was the first place he could find safety. That is when I went to my father, for he had summoned me, he wanted to discuss something urgent. That is when he told me Ursula had shown up and taken the book. We then knew what the stakes were and Daddy told me of what may come when I described the man with the book he possessed."
"Do you think it's possible that both these women are still alive?" Philip asked.
"I know Belle is, I'm sure of it." Adam said firmly. "She is the strongest person I know. I think she was his primary target, for the sorcerer didn't come back for me."
"Nor did he follow me." Henry said thoughtfully, "When I set sail for Prince Eric's kingdom he never bothered. It's like he got what he wanted and never looked back."
"What could he possibly want with them?" Aurora wondered, "It's as if they were needed for something important."
"Who is this man? Where is he from?" Florian asked.
"He comes from the eastern dessert, another of possessor of Maleficent's books. His name is Jafar."