Love at First Song

Love at First Song

Chapter Seven: The Bow

"Oh, Edward, I can't tell you how much it means that I'm back here with you again," Giselle sighed, looking into her prince's deep blue eyes. "But…"

"What is it, my love?" he asked, concerned, taking her small hands into his own.

"I feel out of place here," she said softly, her eyes quickly filling.

"Oh, oh no, please don't cry!" He nuzzled his face into her neck and kissed her. "You fit perfectly with me. See?"

She smiled a little. "What will all of the people at the ball think of me?"

"They're just peasants," Edward replied dismissively. "What does it matter?"

"It doesn't," Giselle murmured, unconvinced.

Edward disentangled himself from her and walked to the dresser, looking for something to wear to the ball that night. Most of the time, his mother put something out for him, but today, she had been rather distracted.

"Edward?"

He turned to look at his wife.

"What would you do if there was something that you knew, that you weren't supposed to?"

"I don't know what you mean," Edward said, his beautiful features shifting with confusion.

"Never mind," she replied. She joined him at the dresser. "Let's get ready for the ball, shall we?"

--

"Pssst!"

Giselle tapped insistently on the window beside her bed. There was a very large tree beside it, with many branches sprouting from its trunk. She knew that Pip was sulking atop one of them.

"Pip, I know you're hiding," she called out. "I need to talk to you."

Grudgingly, Pip climbed up a spiraling branch and put his face to the window. He looked impatient.

"Oh, thank goodness you're here," Giselle said. "Come in."

"I thought we wasn't allowed in here," Pip snapped, not budging.

"Well, no one else is here to tell you otherwise," Giselle invited, opening the window to let him in.

He finally entered and hopped onto the bed. "What is it?"

"I needed to talk to someone and no one else would understand."

"Oh, so I'm just the back-up now, is that it?"

"No, Pip, that's not it at all!" She sighed and sat down next to him, unintentionally launching him a little as she bounced the bed. "I just knew that you were a good listener."

"For me bein' so mad atcha, you're pretty good at manipulatin' me."

"Oh, Pip." She stroked his tiny head with her pinky. "I found something out about Narissa that I wasn't supposed to."

"Really?" Having a rather big mouth, Pip prided himself on knowing all the forest gossip. He was the unofficial leader of all the forest animals, being Giselle's right-hand chipmunk and all.

"She's a witch," Giselle whispered.

"Oh, wow. That's definitely a big secret right there," Pip agreed. He paused. "Am I really the only one you've told this to?"

Giselle nodded solemnly.

"Not even Edward?"

She shook her head. "Should I have?"

Pip narrowed his eyes. "No. Nope. Definitely not. What if he thinks you're lying?"

Giselle's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "You're right. That would be just terrible!"

"Aren't ya glad you chose to talk to me?"

"Oh, very much so, Pip," she said quickly, standing. "What should I do now?"

The little chipmunk stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Well, I guess you should probably go to the ball, as to avoid arousing suspicion."

"Of course," Giselle agreed. "What should I wear?"

Pip scampered to the closet and looked at all the dresses. He found a dress that she and all the forest animals had made together – one that was not very revealing at all, he noted with satisfaction – and suggested it. It was pink: a nice, demure color that was less than suggestive that she knew anything at all.

"How about this one?"

"I don't know," Giselle said. "It's kind of… well, I don't know. Not formal enough?"

"Fine." Pip looked again. "How about this one?"

This dress was orange, floor-length. Sure to please.

"Too flashy."

Pip sighed at length. "Why don't you pick one out that you like and then I'll tell you if I like it?"

"Okay," Giselle said brightly.

She flipped through the hangers until she found a sleek black dress that looked unlike anything Pip had ever seen before. He was dazzled and disgusted at the same time.

"And that isn't flashy?" He looked away. "Really, Giselle. I thought you had more taste."

Offended, Giselle replaced it.

"This isn't really working," she said, exasperated, seating herself on the edge of the bed, this time being careful not to displace Pip. "We just don't seem to agree on anything anymore." She picked at the hem of the bed's comforter. "Have I really changed so much since coming to live here, Pip?"

He was silent.

"I'm afraid so," she said, her face falling. "I'm very sorry, Pip. I didn't think things were going to change this much."

"Well, they have," he said flatly.

"You'll still help me, won't you?" She stroked his back. "I need you, Pip. You're my very best friend. You always will be."

"You mean it?"

She nodded, her red curls bouncing with seemingly contagious enthusiasm.

"I'm sorry things are different, Pip," she said again. "Maybe we can make a compromise. You want a dress that's a nice, simple one, but I want something that's nice enough for Narissa's taste."

"Don't wear anything black," Pip interrupted. "That's her department, remember?"

"Because she's a witch?" Giselle whispered, with a giggle. "You're terrible."

She pulled out a baby blue dress with a mostly flattering shape that went to her ankles and also fit Pip's taste. When they had agreed on it, she put it on and invited him to hide out in the bow on the back, so he could be at the party and not get in trouble. He was a little apprehensive about being trapped there but decided he would make the best of it if Giselle really wanted him to go along. So, he allowed himself to be strapped in.

"There. That's not so bad, now is it?"

"Mmph-mm."

"What?"

Giselle stood in front of the mirror and looked behind her. She laughed. Some fabric was caught in Pip's front teeth.

"Sorry," she quickly apologized, readjusting the bow. "What was that?"

"I was just trying to tell you that I couldn't breathe," he panted sarcastically. "But I'm okay. Really."

"I'm ready if you are," she said.

"Aye-aye, cap'n."

Giselle put on a pair of shoes and with Pip quite close by, strode off to the courtyard for the ball.

--

"My lady, may I have a word?"

The queen was still in her proper grieving attire but she was busily drawing up plans to make Edward forget all about his old princess. Soon, he'd be happy as a lark, wandering through the forest chasing down all of the trolls she had created, and everything would be back to normal without any more interruptions from that little pretender to her throne.

"What is it, Nathaniel? I'm rather busy at the moment."

Nathaniel cringed. Her Highness would not be very happy. Not that she ever really was.

Briefly, he eyed the orb. It was empty. She didn't know yet. All day, while Edward had been out celebrating and gallivanting with his bride and the whole rest of the kingdom, their queen had been locked up here, unknowing.

"Actually, my queen, I have some bad news."

Narissa looked up from her spell book abruptly. "What?"

He cleared his throat. "Erm, well, ah… that princess, girl… She's not dead. Exactly."

The queen's already tight skin seemed to stretch taut to breaking. "She's WHAT?!"

Nathaniel bowed his head. "She's alive, my queen."

He began backing up then, knowing what was to come. He quietly opened the door, exited, and closed it behind him. He closed his eyes, counting in his head: one, two, three, four, five…

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

A burst of flame flushed through the dark stone room, charring the walls. Many of the glass potions lining the walls shattered at the pitch of the scream, and then a deep rumbling filled the earth.

"Oh, this is not good. Not good at all."

Suddenly, a deep voice boomed from within the other room.

"Stop right there, Nathaniel."

"Oh, my queen," he gasped, falling to the ground. He shielded the back of his head with his arms, just in case something else was to explode.

"Get up and come here."

He immediately obeyed. There was nothing in the room, except for some horrific swirling mass of deep purple cloud gathered in the corner. It was frightening and awful. He cowered in the opposite corner of the room, one hand on the doorknob just in case.

"Y-y-yes?"

"I want you to take this bow and kill the girl. Do it right this time." The voice paused before booming again. "For me, darling."

The cloud somehow produced a bow and arrow that fell precisely at his feet. He looked at it in horror.

Billowing, the cloud engulfed the room, and then dissipated, leaving a flash of bright light that caused Nathaniel to once again fall to the ground. For a long time, he lay there, whimpering. And then he stumbled to his feet. He had to kill the girl. If he did, Narissa would love him. If he didn't, she would kill him.

"I'll be watching you."