Ok - so I really dreaded writing this one, but it was planned this way from the beginning, so it had to come out... Just to give you the all-clear: NO character death, but very close...
A Guide in the Darkness - Chapter 13
They raced through endless dark tunnels and passageways. Whilst alternately being dragged along or tumbling, Sarah tried to take in as much of her surroundings as she could, deliberately prohibiting herself from thinking about where they were going to take her and what they were going to do to her.
Since it was too dark to clearly perceive the scenery, Sarah concentrated on memorizing the way they went, the turns they took. She realized that the prison up in the North Tower must be the most far off and abandoned place in the whole castle, for it took them about ten minutes of hurried walking to get to an area where she at least heard the sounds of other people.
Suddenly, the devil's voice was right at her ear, making her nearly jump out of her skin. „I will have her, you see." he hissed with a tone of triumph. His sound of utter conviction brought a cold shiver down her spine.
„But she won't have you, you devil!" Sarah spit back.
At this he actually smiled. „It's not like she's going to have a choice", he snickered in unambiguous anticipation.
Before Sarah could find a retort to that, they suddenly emerged out of the tower's narrow dark walkways to a vast and brightly lit hallway. Squeezing her eyes shut against the sudden brightness was all Sarah could do to not get blinded by it. Still, they dragged her along mercilessly, upstairs on a long flight of circular stairs, the light somewhat dimmed now.
„Ah! Here we are!" Finn exclaimed minutes later. When Sarah looked up she saw another flight of massive broad steps ascending in front of her. The grunting guards began do carry her upwards – and she took in the details of the room they were dragging her towards: a huge round fireplace sat in the center of the place, circular shaped stone mosaics protruding from it, the walls where hung with long black cloths, interrupted only by alcoves shaped like windows which housed huge candleholders. For windows – there were none at all in the eerily lit dome-shaped room. The most striking feature of the place was a huge golden plate that hung at the wall exactly opposite the entrance of the room.
But Sarah didn't really get to take everything in fully, since her attention suddenly focused on one thing only: the tall figure standing in front of the golden plate. Her breathing quickened and she worked hard to suppress a frightened moan – because standing there with her back to them and smiling into the golden disc was the the most gruesome ruler Tabor had ever known: Queen Ravenna.
„Sister!" Finn stepped forward, „I have finally brought you the gift I promised." He seemed really satisfied with himself.
Wordlessly, the Queen turned around and faced them. When her eyes came to rest on Sarah, she couldn't help but squirm under the scrutinizing look. Whereas her brother had watery blue dead irises, Ravenna's eyes were dark and emiting a fierce fire – like an always present threat that she could destroy everyone and everything in the blink of an eye.
„Let me see her!" Ravennas voice was commanding, though she didn't even speak up. But in the undertone of the command resonated a raw need that Sarah didn't understand.
The guards hastened to obey and dragged Sarah over. Coming to stand right before the Queen, Sarah recognized that they were of about the same height. And she was surprised by how old Ravenna looked from up close. Since her beauty and youth were known as her defining features throughout the kingdom – besides her cruelty of course – Sarah was really taken aback by the clear signs of ageing at the still strikingly handsome face.
Ravenna seemed to catch up on her thoughts as she raised a brow and said with an arrogant smile that didn't reach her eyes: „Oh, you will help me with that, dear!" - Her hand shot out and before Sarah could recoil, she had her by the chin in a vice-like grip. „So, you are special, he says. Let's find out if he's right." She almost purred, while Sarah's apprehension grew immeasurably.
The Queen laid her other hand against her prisoner's chest, and Sarah felt a peculiar pressure inside – originating exactly where her heart sat. Suddenly the pressure grew, became painful, while Ravenna's probing look bored into her eyes. Sarah heard a ringing in her ears and could literally feel her heartbeat accelerating. What's happening? She thought frantically – Oh my God! She's crushing me from the inside out!
She forced herself to try and calm down, to breathe slowly – but to no awail: She felt the rhythm of her beating heart falter, her vision grew darker from the edges – the pain nearly unbearable now. Through gritted teeth she couldn't help but let out a tortured groan. - When, suddenly, the pressure stopped, the pain subsided, and her heartbeat went back to normal.
Astonished, she blinked as her vision cleared – and found the Queen's face just inches from her own. „He was right." Ravenna stated with disconcertingly pleasant surprise in her voice. Then she turned her head, still holding Sarah by the chin."She is worth at least two or three of the others – the strength she possesses! No one has been able to withstand my power like this before. - Which is all the more astonishing, since -", turning back to Sarah „she is older than most of the girls you bring to me."
Throwing her an inquisitive look, she asked: „What's your age?" - When Sarah failed to reply immediately, the pressure in her chest rose again. „I'm 25", she gasped. - „Good girl!" the Queen purred, „your youthful beauty is still strong enough … although … There seems to be some DAMAGE TO IT!"
Whilst shouting out those last words Ravenna had turned around, glaring at Finn and the guards. The next moment she had let go of Sarah and was lashing out with her right hand toward the guard closest to her. Sarah only saw the flashing of something metallic – probably the strange spikes Ravenna wore on her fingers – and heard a gurgling sound as the man fell down, his throat slashed wide open, blood pulsing from the severed artery.
Sarah stood amidst all the blood, trying to comprehend what just happened, when suddenly the Queen grabbed her by the throat and lifted her high up like she was almost weightless. She screamed in surprise and protest – but felt she couldn't close her mouth after the involuntary cry.
Terrified, she looked at Ravenna who had her own mouth opened wide – wider in fact than should be humanly possible. Sarah felt a strange pull and realized that the Queen was sucking something out of her. The pure horror of understanding all the young women's fate crept over her in that moment – and resulted in a fierce urge to resist that same fate. Without consciously thinking about it, Sarah all of a sudden managed to clamp her mouth shut, thus disrupting the flow of whatever life force the Queen was taking away from her.
The effect was remarkable: Ravenna stumbled backwards, horror evident on her face, still holding Sarah's throat but setting her down to the floor again. When Sarah ripped her gaze away from Ravenna and threw a look around, the reaction was the same in everyone: mouths agape, Finn and the remaining guard just stood rooted to their spots, obviously unable to believe what they had just witnessed.
The next moment the pressure around her throat rose, Sarah struggled but couldn't get in any air. „You cannot defy me!" the Queen croaked at her, but despite her words she seemed utterly shaken. „I need your strength, your youth! And I will get it, rip it out of you if I must!" she spit.
„Let's do this again!" Ravenna sneered. But just when she was about to lift Sarah, who at this point would have given anything for being able to take one single breath, up again, a commotion outside the room caught everyone's attention. „What is it now?" the Queen demanded with barely concealed rage, loosening her grip on Sarah's throat a little.
One of the Queen's knights stumbled into the room. „Forgive me, your Highness", he breathed, „It's this guy again. And this time he managed to get onto the premises." He coughed like he'd been running up all those stairs in a hurry.
Voices could be heard from downstairs, arguing loudly. Suddenly, Sarah's heart seemed to stop. She recognized one of those voices!
„Let me up! I want to talk to the Queen myself! I don't believe any of you horseshit soldier boys!" it thundered, this voice she would know everywhere!
„Eric!" she croaked. Finally, he had come for her! - She felt jubilant!
The look the Queen gave her was one of pure malice. „Kill him already! I've had enough of his sniffing around." she ordered, and the knight turned around.
„NO!" Sarah's wail made him stop. "Don't kill him, he's here for me!" Sarah managed to squeeze out.
„That I can see!" Ravenna retorted with a voice as sweet as honey. „But I can't let him have you, sweetling. Not while I need you – and certainly not after you've found out about our most closely guarded secret! - So: Kill him!" her voice was back to ice-cold authority.
Sarah cringed. She couldn't let them kill him! She struggled with the thought – although she was already aware what had to be done. „Stop!" she cried. She had made a decision.
„Stop! - Let him go … and I … I will … I won't try to stop you from..." she couldn't bring herself to say it. Ravenna lifted one hand, stopping the knight right at the door. „So, you will succumb to me, when I let this Eric guy go?" she coaxed.
„Yes" Sarah suddenly felt extremely exhausted.
„So be it! - Throw him out! - But let him live." she ordered and the knight finally took his leave.
Concentrating on the voices below, Sarah merely recognized when she was being lifted up again. She could hear him call her name! Tears began to stream down her face. He was so close – and yet so impossibly far! She withdrew into her mind, clinging to that voice, forbidding herself to consciously adress the way her life was flowing out of her, the way she felt her body weaken by the second...
Eventually, when she felt that death would come at any moment, engulfing her and carrying her away from this cruel place, her last thought was for Snow: I am so sorry, I let you down in the end, princess! - she was calling out wordlessly, right before the darkness closed in on her...
… and she felt herself being tossed unceremoniously to the hard floor.
… Felt herself! …
Which meant she couldn't be dead! ... Although she certainly felt like it, being drained of every ounce of strength her body possessed, her heartbeat hardly there at all, her limbs numb. But, still, she was alive – even more: she was still lucid!
Tentatively, she opened her eyes, and found that she was indeed lying on the floor, several feet from Ravenna and the rest of them.
But Ravenna! - She had changed dramatically! Sarah nearly gasped out loud, reigning herself in at the last moment as to not give away her state of consciousness. The effect was stunning: the Queen looked radiant, decades younger than only minutes before!
Understanding dawned at Sarah: This is why she needs all those girls, this is what she takes from us! … With a bitter conclusion: This is why she's never going to stop!
Upon this realization desparation settled in and Sarah didn't find it in her to fight against it. What can you do against such reckless evil?
Then the Queen spoke: „This was indeed a great treat, my dear brother" she said, and Finn looked flattered. „But -" she continued, „it could have been even better!"
Finn seemed confused now. „It was you who damaged her, right?" the Queen took one graceful step closer to him, forcing him to look up to her.
„So I see I was right to stop you back then, brother. And to forbid you to go back – you surely would have cheated me out of this treat by being unable to refrain from killing her, am I right." It was a statement, not a question. Finn looked down guiltily at the point of his feet.
„AM I RIGHT?" the sudden high pitched ferocious scream startled everyone in the room, especially when looking at the source of it: the Queen's beautiful face was contorted to a bizarre mask of fury, obviously born out of a strong feeling of betrayal.
Realizing that this rage could lash out at everyone around in a matter of seconds, leaving chaos and destruction in its wake, Finn hastened to choke out a reply: „Yes, sister!" He swallowed hard and stood silent, still not daring to look up.
Ravenna sighed, but – to everyone's relief – seemed to compose herself. „This is a shame" she seemed really shaken. „Because now I can't trust you anymore in handling our most valuable prisoners." She was looking down on him with fiery eyes: „And of course you cannot be around HER anymore!" she stated.
After a moment of confusion Finn seemed to grasp her full meaning: „What? - No! … I promise, I will not … Sister, please! … My... my Queen! - I'm begging you!"
„No, Finn!" Ravenna's voice boomed through the dome. „Look at me!" she commanded with an authority that forbade any resistance, and Finn lifted his eyes up. Sarah recognized the anguish in them.
„I will not risk you damaging this most precious of my goods. So you will never go in there, Finn. However consuming your desire or however offensive her behaviour: You will never open that door. Even," she snickered with an afterthought, „even if she attempts to intone those damned songs again with this cursed angelic voice of hers. Even then you will restrain yourself from going into this cell." Her menacing look bored into her brother's watery eyes.
They both knew that this was no demand, it wasn't even an order – it was an imperative, as powerful as a curse and as much a given once it had been spoken as the fact that the sun rises in the east and sets in the west.
From this moment on Finn would only be able to enter Snow White's cell when the Queen explicitly said so.
Despite her own lamentable condition, Sarah felt joyous!