And all this time, Erica kept Ethan in a cell in the north tower. Erica, in the shadows, sits perfectly still. Though it's been years, she looks the same. The object of her gaze was Ethan, "Snow White", who has changed. He is now a man, lying in a darkened cell, asleep. Around the corner, Jesse secretly eyes his sister, who didn't notice him. Erica, just out the cell, doesn't blink, entranced by Ethan. Strange. Ethan opened his eyes and saw Erica. This was not the first time that this has happened. Their eyes locked for a moment. Ethan was the first to break the silence.
"Why?" he whispered, his throat hurting from the must and dampness inside the cell. Erica didn't answer, she just stood and walked away.
A chill wind whips through the woods. Lying sprawled on the ground was man, who looked like he was dead. An empty flagon of grog was by his side as he lied on the ground floor. He was drunk. His eyes flicker behind closed eyelids as a woman's scream cuts through the woods. He begins to dream of a flashback.
A woman by the name of Sarah, beautiful and in pain, stands in the woods. A path of blood blossoms on her dress. Her mouth is open, screaming, but no sound comes out. Soon, she is on the ground, her eyes open and mouth closed. Her body, lifeless.
The man, Benny's, eyes flicker and begin to open – then he hears it again. A woman's scream.
"Help!" Benny rises to his feet unsteadily, his head pounding from a hangover, then grabs two throwing hatchets and slides them into the harness on his back before running off. Benny runs past trees and ducks under branches, crashing into a few, still drunk. As he arrives at a clearing, he sees a beautiful girl fighting off a huge tattooed warrior. Benny pulls out one of his hatchets from the harness and glares at the man.
"Lay a hand on her and I'll take your head!" he yelled, causing the man to turn. The man saw him with his hatchet raised and smirked as he chuckled.
"Ale given you courage again, huntsman?" the man asked. Benny glared more, never lowering his hatchet.
"Won't take much courage to split your skull from here," he growled out as he stood his ground.
"Aye, but first you'd have to see straight." The man advanced towards Benny with a grin, drawing his own axe. Trying to clear his vision and steady his aim, Benny hurls his hatchet and misses, the blade sticking in the tree above the frightened girl's head. The man is on Benny in an instant, swinging his huge battle axe. Benny narrowly avoids the deadly blow, his natural skill and dexterity slowed down by all the ale he's drunk.
The girl, Della, looks on, terrified as the man drives Benny towards the trees. He corners him against an oak and swings his axe, only for Benny to duck at the last moment. The blade buries itself deep in the tree, stuck. Benny's face holds a dark smile as he knows that he had lured the man into a trap. He draws his second hatchet, but instead of using the blade, cracks the man over the head with the handle, knocking him out. Della looked in admiration as the huntsman went through the unconscious man's pockets.
"Thank you," she says softly before Benny turns to look at her. Della sees how handsome he is. Benny stares at her thoughtfully then approaches and gently lifts her chin, examining her pretty features. Della doesn't seem to mind, looking back with an inviting smile.
"I don't know how to repay you," she says. Benny stares at her a moment, then suddenly picks her up and tosses her over his shoulders.
"Don't worry, somebody else will."
Soon, they are in a village. A rickety prison wagon full of beautiful girls, just like Della, stare out furiously from behind bars. Benny and a slave merchant begin to haggle over Della who is bound and gagged, looking just as furious as the other women.
"Her nose is on the large side and her chin's a little weak," the merchant says and looks from Della to Benny. Benny snorts.
"Your eyes are dim," Benny says as he grips Della's arm tightly, leaving a red mark.
"I'll give you two gold pieces," the merchant says, trying to haggle with the man before him.
"After all the business we've done together?" Della curses behind her gag as Benny begins to pull her away from the slave merchant. The merchant begins to get anxious as he calls after the huntsman.
"Four gold pieces and that's my final offer!" He doesn't even bother turning around.
"I'll peddle my wares elsewhere, thank you," Benny calls back. The slave merchant sees his prize disappearing and he calls out again.
"Ten gold pieces!" Benny stops and hesitates, but it's not from a guilty conscience, he's just considering the price. Then he smiled before turning to look at the merchant. They have a deal.
Back at the castle, in the cell inside the north tower, grown Ethan is sitting on the cold damp floor as he shaves wood more a fire. He's done this every day for years. A regimen. His hands work precisely as he stacks wood and blows on the kindling. The fire started to burn and Ethan warmed his hand on it. Soon, he heard approaching footsteps.
'That's unusual,' he thought to himself. He jumps up and gets in his bed before pretending to be asleep. A guard opens a cell opposite of Ethan. A few seconds later the door clangs shut. As soon as the guard is gone, Ethan rises from his bed, walks to his cell door and looks down the hall to the other cell.
"Hello?... What's your name?" Ethan asks as he looks at the other cell door. The girl, sitting in a dark corner, goes to her cell bars before looking out.
"My name is Jane," she said softly and quietly, but loud enough for Ethan to hear her. Ethan smiled – a friendly face.
Erica stands, attended by maids, in a black gown, open in the front. Appropriate in private, but not when she's in public. Erica's generals and Jesse stand across from her. The generals have averted their eyes, made uncomfortable by her near nakedness. The General uses a pointer to make his presentation while another holds a map.
"There are scattered rebel groups on the fringe of the dark forest, but they cause little harm," the general says as he keeps his eyes averted from her. Erica dips her fingers into a bowl of songbirds, plucks out a tiny heart, and eats it as she listens, not happy.
"And what of the Duke?" she asks as she turns to look at the general. He looks at her before turning away again.
"We have pushed his forces into the mountains, but his stronghold at Carmath holds firm. She scoffs quietly.
"Lay siege to it."
"The mountains and fortress provide impenetrable protection, my Queen," another general informs her as he looks at her. Erica scowls as she becomes angry.
"Then lure him out! Burn every village that supports him! Poison their wells! If they still resist, put their heads on pikes to decorate the roads!" she yells and her generals flinch. She is obviously not happy.
"My Queen," the first general begins, choosing his words carefully, "They have taken the fight to us. Rebels harry our supply lines and rob our pay wagons. The second general speaks.
"We have just captured two of the rebel leaders. They will be put to the sword," the second general says before Erica speaks.
"I wish to interrogate them myself," Erica says before turning to her bath. She drops her robe and walks up to the steps to her bath. She lowers herself into the thick, white liquid. Her face disappears beneath the viscous liquid, then she rises after a moment, like a porcelain statue.
A small songbird, its chest open, revealing a small heart lies on a small side table. Erica's claw plucks the tiny heart from the dead corpse and brings it to her mouth. She is dressed now as she stands at a window with Jesse at her side. Outside the window, a crowd of starving peasants at the foot of the castle, fight over the milk pouring from Erica's bath.
"I won't go back," she said to herself quietly. She is lost for a moment before turning to her brother.
"Jesse, do you remember when we were children, begging for scraps like those wretches?"
"Yes, my Queen," Jesse replies and nods as he walks up to her and places his hand on her shoulders.
"Am I not kinder?" she asks and looks down at the peasants again.
Meanwhile, in the north tower cells, Jane and Ethan converse in a deep conversation.
"All the girls in our village were taken. I was trying to reach safe haven at Duke Ross's castle when I was caught –" Jane had said before she was cut off by Ethan.
"The Duke?! He's alive?! He still fights in my father's name?!" Ethan exclaimed as he gripped the bars tightly in his hands. Jane stares at the feral boy now, finally realizing who he is.
"You're the king's son? Prince?... The night the evil one's reign began, we were told all in the castle were put to the sword. How were you spared?" The girl asked, but Ethan ignored her questions.
"Rory? What about Rory?! The Duke's son?! Is he alive?!" Ethan asks, his voice full of worry and a bit of hope. Jane sighed and looked at him.
"I don't know, my prince," she replied as she shook her head, still gazing at Ethan, then hears the distant cries of other female prisoners, "What will they do to me?" Jane's voice was full of fear and sadness. Ethan sighed and shook his head.
"I don't know, Jane. I don't know."
Erica sweeps into the great hall. The Generals and Jesse snap to attention. She stops and stares at the two men, the captured insurgents. Thomas, a grizzled old rebel, looks badly bruised and beaten, while his handsome son, Iain, is unmarked. They both stared at her defiantly. Erica faced the two rebels as a soldier steps forward.
"My Queen, these two were captured leading an ambush of our supply caravan," the soldier stated. Erica began to seem intrigued, stepping forward, eyeing the rebels.
"You left your home, your family, the bosom of my protection, to aid my enemies? Why?" she asked and Thomas was the first to speak.
"Because under your rule, we have lost everything. We will not stop until this kingdom is free," he said and Erica raised an eyebrow.
"Lost everything?" she asked before regarding Iain, "Your son?" Thomas nodded. She moved to Iain, moving right up to his face.
"Very handsome," she said as she continued to look at the man's son, directing her next statement to Thomas, "Obviously a debt owed to your wife." She reaches out and touches Iain's strong jaw. He begins to struggle against the guards that hold him back.
"There was a time I would have lost my heart to a face like yours – and you would have no doubt broken mine," she says darkly and lowly. In a flash, Iain grabs a guard's dagger and rams it into Erica's chest. She makes a pained face, looks down at the dagger then up Iain.
"You would kill your Queen?" she gasps out as she grips the dagger. She pulls it out – there is no wound, no blood – drops it on the ground. Iain and Thomas look at her with shocked faces. She turns to Iain again.
"You have beauty," she says, admiring him, "And courage. But how strong is your heart?" She smiles, almost regrettably, then places her hand on his chest. His heart starts to hammer against his chest, louder and louder. He grimaces in pain as she squeezes – the hammering filling his ears – until his heart finally bursts and he drops dead. Thomas falls to his knees in horror, trying to revive his son. Jesse draws his sword to behead the man when Erica raises her hand.
"No," she begins, her voice soft as she pants slightly, "Let him return to the Duke and speak of the generosity of his Queen." With that she sweeps out, followed by Jesse. It's only now that lines begin to show on her face. Jesse takes her by the arm as she falters.
"Are you alright?" he asks, obviously worried about her. Erica pulls her arm away furiously. The general and the others stare, alarmed. Erica turns to them all and balls her hands up into fists.
"OUT!" she yells loudly. They quickly exit, all save Jesse, who watches, concerned, as Erica leans against the wall for support. She pulls herself together before looking at Jesse.
"Magic comes at a lofty price, sister," he says and Erica nods.
"And the expense grows," she says as she places a hand on her face, feeling the lines and wrinkles that had appeared. Jesse approaches her slowly.
"You look…" he begins before being cut off.
"Old?" Erica finishes, but he shakes his head.
"Tired," he corrects as he places his hands on her shoulders, rubbing them with his thumbs softly.
"My powers….fade," she says softly and a frown crosses her tired looking face. This is about as much as Erica can confess. Jesse takes his hands off her shoulders as he watches her while she walks up the stairs to the mirror chamber. Then he turns and claps his hands twice. A guard appears and Jesse nods.
Erica walks into the room. Eyes the mirror, afraid to look at herself. Everything was quiet until she heard footsteps in the room.
"I have something for what ails you," the voice says. She turns to find Jesse with a girl beside him, Jane. Erica almost smiles. Jane holds her gaze defiantly. Erica walks over, admires her face, smiles, then takes her by the throat and lifts her off her feet. Jane opens her mouth to scream, but instead of sound, energy pours out. Erica opens her mouth, devouring Jane's youth and beauty. Like a flower blooming, her lines vanish. Like a flower wilting, Jane ages until she's as old as the scullery maids. Erica lets her go, watching the older Jane fall to the floor in pain as she pants and smiles evilly.