Chapter Two
Ella was polishing the surface of a copper pot when she noticed James sneaking up on her. She put down the pot and rolled her eyes and braced herself. In a few seconds hands covered her eyes.
"Guess who?" Came the unmistakable voice of the young man whom she loved most in the world.
"Could it be Eric?" She teased
"Who is Eric?" James asked with concern in his voice.
She turned around and hugged him fiercely.
"I have missed you," she told him. "How was did the opening of the orphanage go?"
"It was wonderful to see all of the smiles on the faces of those children," He smiled brightly and the entire room lit up. "Ella, I wish you could have been there by my side."
"You know why I had to stay near the castle and near the village." She whispered.
He nodded, "Prince Thomas was there today. I wish that you would let me introduce you to him."
"For what purpose, I've already found my prince. There is only room in my life for you." She smiled wistfully.
He sighed, "Oh Ella."
King George was a very powerful man and like many before him that power came at a price. He had done dastardly deeds in order to become the leader of one of the most powerful kingdoms on earth. He had many secrets and one man knew where most of the bodies were buried, so to speak. That man was William who had become the Captain of the Palace Guard upon the death of his father, Graham. It was an awesome burden for the young man, one he would have done nearly anything to escape.
Now, he stood before the tyrannical ruler and wished that he could be anywhere else. He especially wished that he was with his new wife, Emma who was hidden away in a far off kingdom. William too had his secrets, things that he had to keep hidden even from his best friend, Snow White.
It was the alabaster skinned princess that was now the topic of conversation between him and the King.
"You understand the situation," The King demanded. "Every summer I am forced to turn away more and more suitors for my daughter's hand. I can not have just any man entering my private sanctum. The man she marries must have my fullest trust and there must be no doubt of his allegiance. You are the only man I would trust with the position. At the midsummer festival, your engagement to my daughter will be announced. Before we leave the Summer Palace in the autumn she will be your wife."
"I understand, your majesty," He reluctantly submitted.
"Another thing, Regina is unhappy with me again and is threatening to not come for the summer festival. Find something that will stun her and have it sent around."
He nodded his understanding, but had to fight back the bile rising in his throat.
William left his audience with George feeling sick to his stomach. Of all the wretched secrets he had to keep, the worst was the knowledge of the ongoing affair between King George and the wife of King Leopold. It was especially painful because he had known for 12 years that Regina killed Snow's mother. Fortunately, the Princess seemed to have blocked out that memory. He hoped she never remembered. But if Regina ever tried to hurt Snow, loyalty to the King would not prevent him from killing Regina.
He sighed at the thought of Snow. Even if she were not hopelessly in love with Prince James, how could he possibly marry her when he already had a wife? The only solution was to get Prince James and Snow White together by any means necessary.
"By any means necessary," William repeated to himself as he wrote out a personal invitation to Prince James asking, no more like tastefully begging him to attend the summer festival. He signed Snow's name to the bottom of the document. He found a page in the hall.
"Boy, I will give you a piece of gold if you will take this to King Leopold's castle across the river and personally make sure that it reaches the hand of Prince James."
He handed the gold piece and the letter to the page.
"Yes, sir!" The Page ran off in the direction of the river.
After all, in the game of love, what was a little deception between friends?
Snow White stood at the window of her bedroom looking out over the enchanted lake. She aimlessly fingered the ring which hung on a chain around her neck. She turned when she heard a footstep singling someone was entering her chamber. She smiled when she saw it was William, but her smile faded when she saw the forbidding expression on his face.
"What is it?" She asked with concern in her voice.
"I just left your father." He said with a serious tone in his voice.
"What does the Almighty King George want now?" There was serious sarcasm in her voice.
"He offered me your hand in marriage," He stated simple. "Rather, he demanded that I marry you, or else…" His voice trailed off.
"Or else what?" She demanded to know.
"The usual, banishment, being tossed in a dark cell to rot, a thousand deaths each one more painful than the next" He sighed as he ran his hand through his hair.
"William, you are my best friend in the world and I love you. I would gladly marry you if only…"
He finished her thought, "If only Prince James had never been born?"
She smiled wistfully as she continued to stroke the ring, "Is it that obvious?"
"It is probably only obvious to me. You have worn that ring for 12 years. I have never seen you without it since the day that James gave it to me to give you."
"It's my protection. You told me so yourself that day."
"Snow, you are the bravest person I know. I have seen you shot a target with an arrow, blindfolded. You are a better shot than most men I have under my command. I have known you to go into the forest, by yourself for as much as a month at a time and survive on your wits alone. You don't need a ring for protection. We both know why you wear that ring."
"Because 12 years ago James gave me his Mother's ring and I have loved him ever since. Am I a fool?" She asked with pain in her voice.
"Love is never foolish," He answered her truthfully.
"It has been 12 years and he has not come back for me. He has been opening orphanages and helping widows and slaying dragons," she snorted sarcastically. "In short, he has been acting the part of Prince Charming towards everyone in the world except me!"
"His philanthropy is known far and wide." William shrugged.
"Every time I hear about one of his good deeds, I also hear about the golden haired woman who is there on his arm," She said angrily. "Part of me wants to take this ring and shove it in his pretty boy face."
"You haven't seen him in 12 years, how do you know he has a pretty face?" William asked with a smirk.
"The stories of his face are legendary!" She replied. "I should marry you, that would show him."
"You can't do that!" He protested.
"Why because true love has to triumph?" She rolled her eyes.
"No, because I am already married!" He shouted. He had not meant to tell her or maybe he had secretly wanted to, but it should not have come out like that.
Shock crossed her face.
"Oh William."
Ella smiled at her shocked friend.
"Relax James, you have been my best friend for as long as I can remember. You have been carrying torch for Snow White at least that long. I know that any feelings we share can not compete with that eternal flame."
She rolled her eyes
"Am I that obvious?" He asked.
"Probably only to me." His best friend answered.
"Ella, I saw her today. Every year she grows more and more beautiful. Her carriage passed by me as she traveled to the Summer Palace. I could almost have reached out and touched her," He sighed wistfully.
"Yet you did not reach out and touch her or call out to her did you?"
"No."
"James you are the bravest man I know, you are the slayer of over a dozen dragons, you have captured countless trolls and I have even seen you defeat a giant. Why is it that you lack the courage to let the woman that you love know your true feelings."
"To this day, I am not sure that I am good enough for her."
"Well, you better decide quickly. Your father received an invitation from King George to attend his annual summer festival and it was strongly hinted that the King intends to announce his daughter's engagement.
The color drained from his face.
"To whom is Snow engaged?" He whispered urgently.
"No one seems to know, but unless you have been up to something that I am unaware of, she is clearly on the cusp of marrying another man. Unless you go to the Summer Palace and declare your intentions, you have a good chance of losing her forever.
"I have no idea of she returns my feelings. What would I say to her?"
"I suggest that you write down your feelings in a letter."
"Will you take the letter to her?" He pleaded.
"If that is the only way, of course I will help you. I really think that you need to go to her though. 12 years is a long time to wait for love, but she might surprise you and return your feelings."
"Has my father accepted the invitation to attend the festival?"
"Of course, you know King Leopold loves a good party."
"Is my stepmother attending?"
"I think she has decided to skip the festivities this year for some reason."
"Good," he said under his breath.
"Is something worrying you?" His friend asked.
"I do not trust my stepmother. Have you ever noticed that any girl who has showed any kind of interest in me in the past has had something horrible fate befall her?" There was a hint of fear in his voice.
"Surely you are imagining things?" Ella laughed.
"Rapunzel got herself locked in a tower. The Gosse Girl disappeared and let us not forget what happened to Aurora!" He shuddered.
"James, you were not really interested in any of those women," She gave him a dismissive look.
"Regina did not know that!" He said with serious resignation in his voice.
"Regina spends more time over at King George's palace than she spends here and she has never threatened Snow."
"She does not know that I love George's daughter. Yet, you want me to declare my intentions and make my feelings known to the whole world? I have to think of the dangerous position in which I may be placing the woman I love." He sighed wearily.
"James, you have to try," Ella pleaded. She had grown weary of arguing with her all too stubborn friend. A change of subject was in order.
"Would you like something to eat? You must be hungry after your journey."
Ella started to prepare him cold meat and bread.
"Pack it for me. I am going to the forest to hunt. I just came back to the palace to change clothes before going out to the woods."
Ella rolled her eyes.
"Why do you bother? You always release whatever you catch."
"I like the hunt. It keeps me sharp."
He grabbed the packet of food she had prepared.
"Thanks Ella, you are the best!" He called over his shoulder as he left the kitchen
Ella watched him go and for the first time she realized that everything he did, from slaying dragons to hunting trolls, to trapping and releasing the animals of the forest, was all preparation. He had spent 12 years honing his skills to fight an enemy. She wondered if that enemy could really be living under their very roof. She shivered at the thought.
James changed his clothes and decided that maybe he should take Ella's advice and write down his feeling. He sat down at his desk, pulled out a sheet of paper and began to write.
My dearest Snow,
12 years ago I gave you my mother's ring and hope it has brought you the protection and happiness I wished for you that day and every day since. You may not know this, but 12 years ago I also gave you my heart. I fell deeply in love with you that day and not a moment has passed since then that I have not thought of you and yearned to have you by my side. I have spent every waking hour since that day working to become a man that you can love and respect. Every dragon that I have killed, and there have been many, I have done so in order to make the world a safer place for you, my love. I do not know if you are free to return my feelings or if you have any desire to do so. But know this to be true, wherever I am and for as long as I draw breath, my heart will ache to be with you, my soul will yearn to be united with you, my body will burn for your touch. If you feel the same, come to me at my father's castle and we will be together.
Yours always and forever,
Prince James
He looked at the letter that he had just written and suddenly feared that she might laugh at his declaration or worse yet think he was vain or boasting about all the dragons he had killed.
He took the piece of paper and waded it into a ball and was about to throw it into the fire and then he changed his mind and unfolded it. He sighed and placed the letter in a locked drawer. Maybe Ella was right and he was asking to much to expect that Snow White had any feelings for him after so many years. How could he place his heart on the line without seeing her first and assessing the situation? Maybe she had found someone else to love. After all there was no way she could know that he had been spending every waking moment of the last 12 years living his life for her.
He needed to get out of the castle and work off some of the tension that had been building since he had seen her earlier in that day. He needed to go to the one place where he always felt at ease. He needed to get to the forest. He was about to leave when he heard a knock on his door. He opened it and found a page standing in the door way holding an envelope.
"What do you have there, young man?" James asked
"I was asked to deliver this message from King George's court, sir."
Without looking at the page, he handed the boy a coin and quickly tore open the envelope.
His heart rate increased and he found it hard to breath. Snow White wanted to see him, after 12 years. She was personally asking him to come to her during the summer festival. Maybe she did have feelings for him after all. Maybe she was not planning on marrying another man. With a personal request in hand, how could he refuse her summons? With his heart filled with joy at the knowledge that the woman he loved might possibly return his feelings, he sat out for the forest.
Snow gave William a shove and a shocked expression crossed his face.
"How could you get married and not tell me?" She angrily demanded.
"I am sorry. I wanted to tell you, but the situation is complicated," He hung his head in shame.
"We are best friends; we should be able to share everything. Were you afraid that I would be jealous?"
"No of course not," He paused to study her for a moment. "Are you jealous?"
"Of course not," She answered truthfully. "I want you to be happy. I just wish that you would have allowed me to share in that happiness. I don't understand why you felt the need to keep this a secret from me of all people." She sighed.
"Emma, that is the name of my wife, is the heir to her kingdom. However, she has to wait another year before she can ascend to the throne. During that time, the threat of someone swooping in and stealing the crown is high. She cannot do anything that could cast a doubt over her ability to properly rule the kingdom."
He was pacing.
"How could being married possibly reflect negatively on her character?" Snow gave him a puzzled look.
"I am a commoner, the son of a huntsman turned palace guard."
"William, you are one of the most honorable men I know."
Snow gave him a serious look.
"We just do not want to give her detractors any ammunition to steal the crown. At least now you know why my marriage must remain a secret for the time being."
There was a pleading tone in his voice.
"I understand, to a certain extent, however if you could keep something this important from me, I cannot help but wonder about other secrets you may be keeping." She walked past him with purpose and vigor.
"Snow, where are you going?" He asked urgently.
"I need to think, I am going to the forest."
"At least take a weapon. There are reports that the trolls are roaming closer to the castle than ever before.
He called out to her fearfully and when she did not answer he walked to the balcony. He could see a large part of the forest from the overhang and would be able to see if there was any trouble. He also knew most of paths that Snow took.
He saw movement in the woods and could hardly believe his eyes. Then he could hardly believe his luck. Unless he was terribly mistaken, that was Prince James in the forest and headed in Snow's general direction. I plan began to form in William's head. It might be a little awkward James had already received the forged invitation. Hopefully, they would both be so overjoyed to see each other that they would fail to mention the invitation. He needed some gold. Fortunately King George allowed him unlimited access to the coffers so that he could buy gifts for the King's concubine. He went off to put in motion his plan, "Operation get Snow and James together and make them realize they were desperately in love and belonged together." He decided he really needed to think of a better name for his operation.