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The House on Thornrose Lane: A Grimm Tale
Alicia Blade
Chapter 14: Reunited
Rapunzel knew him and fell on his neck and wept. Two of her tears wetted
his eyes and they grew clear again, and he could see with them as before.
from Rapunzel
Zoicite's arrow skimmed Chloe's shoulder, leaving a tear in her dress and a bead of blood. She cackled.
"For your blind ignorance, I think I'll make blackbird pie out of you," she hissed and raised her hands. A cloud of black smoke formed around her fingers. Zoicite reached for another arrow, backing away. His foot collided with a stone and he stumbled back onto the dirt. The arrow fell from his grip as he struggled to climb back to his feet.
Chloe laughed again, gleefully.
"Not if we make pie out of you first!" yelled Hota from the chocolate doorway.
Chloe turned to the fairy in time to see a stream of orange light hurtling toward her. It collided with her chest and her momentary screech faded into the silence of the clearing. Her short, round body had become that of a short, round pumpkin.
Hota fluttered her violet wings proudly as the six birds in the yard began to glow and morph back to their human, or elfin, or dwarfish forms. Serena marched out of the house, avoiding the puddle of Zoe's blood that was beginning to sink into the earth, and picked up the pumpkin by its thick stem.
"I know just what to do with this," she stated, returning to the house where a little boy and girl stood holding open the oven door. Serena popped the pumpkin in, the door was shut, and they all grinned at a job well done.
In the yard, Jadeite shook his head, trying to rid himself of the leftover feelings of the enchantment. "I always thought it would be fun to be a bird, but I think I'm over it."
Zoicite, panting from exertion, heard someone calling his name. He sat upright, his head whipping from side to side. "Amy?"
Everyone in the clearing turned to see a beautiful girl with cropped, ragged blue hair running out of the forest toward the blinded prince.
"Yes, it's me!" she said, laughing, though her eyes were worried as she collapsed to her knees beside Zoicite.
"Amy! How… why… Is it really you? How did you get here?"
"I've been here. I've been following you. Or, more, you've been following me." She reached up her hands and lovingly soothed down Zoicite's long blonde hair. "Oh, my poor prince," she murmured, running a hand along the blindfold. "Look what that witch has done to you."
He reached up and grabbed her hands, grinning, his own injuries forgotten at the sound of her voice. "Amy, I don't understand. You're safe? You're all right?"
"I'm fine. The worst she did to me was turn me into a bird," she laughed lyrically, bringing Zoicite's hands to her lips and kissing his knuckles. "Not like what she did to you."
"You were the sparrow! You brought us here."
She nodded. "Yes, that was me. And you've killed that witch and broken my curse, even blinded. You're far braver than any story prince I've ever read about."
Zoicite lowered his head as a blush crept into his cheeks, but Amy quickly lifted it again with a finger beneath his chin. "May I see the harm she's done to you?" she whispered and began untying the blindfold without waiting for a response. Zoicite didn't argue, entranced by the feelings of her gentle fingers brushing against his skin and hair. A moment later she pulled away the makeshift scarf and unwrapped the bandages beneath, revealing the gashes and swollen scars across his lids. Though the caked blood and scabs and blackened bruises were horrifying to see, Amy didn't even flinch. She ran a finger lovingly across his closed eyes. "Oh, my prince," she murmured, leaning forward and brushing her lips against each one, before wrapping her arms around him and cradling his head against her neck.
Zoicite tied his arms tightly around her waist. "I'll be all right," he said, and his voice was filled with nothing but ecstasy. "I have my life. I've found you again. The only part that saddens me is that I will never again look into your beautiful blue eyes." Pulling slightly out of her embrace, he reached up and cupped her face in his hands, tilting her face toward him. "But no matter. I've already memorized their color."
Amy smiled as two tears slipped from her eyes and ran down her pale cheeks. They were part sorrow at seeing her beloved in pain, but mostly joy at being beside him again and looking into his face—which, though scarred, remained beautiful in her gaze.
The tears crept slowly down and dripped from her chin, splashing onto Zoicite face, one into each blinded eye. And where they landed, the bruises and dried blood disappeared, as if nothing more than dirt washed away. Amy gasped, watching the swelling subside and scarring fade away, the bruised complexion become once again fair and flawless. It spread seamlessly across his lids, his brow, his cheeks. Then Zoicite's eyes fluttered open, his lashes long and black and his green irises clear and shining as he looked up at her.
They stared at each other in awe and a charmed silence settled over the glen.
Finally, a long moment later, Zoicite smiled, brushed away the remaining trails of tears on Amy's face, and whispered, "Marry me."
She laughed and suddenly her tears were falling too fast for Zoicite to brush away. Neither cared. She wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face in his hair. "All right," she breathed. "All right."
Slowly, the rest of the group began to turn away, feeling that as the magic of the moment faded, they were stuck watching something that should be very private. The two dwarfs, Gralogwid and Qualakig, looked more embarrassed than any of them and they frowned deeply to hide the blushes that were forming behind their beards. Looking back toward the house, Gralogwid noticed Serena standing there holding the hands of a little boy and a little girl.
"Oy, looks like you've picked up a couple o' stragglers there, Miss Rena."
Grateful for the diversion, the group quickly turned to the two children who, though looking strong and proud a moment ago, immediately shrank back behind Serena under the stares of so many unknown faces.
But Serena only smiled, her heart light and giddy from watching Zoicite and Amy's reunion. "Meet Hansel and Gretel," she said, coaxing them out from behind her legs.
The children were spitting images of each other, both with large green eyes, soot-covered faces, and shaggy blonde hair, only Gretel's was worn up in a handkerchief while Hansel's fell messily around his ears. They were both plump and healthy-looking, but dressed in the ragged clothes of beggar children.
"Can't leave 'em here, can we?" asked Qualakig gruffly, but as Gretel's large doe eyes met his, he frowned uncomfortably and shuffled his feet. "A'right, we can bring 'em to Whitey."
"She does 'ave a thing for lit'le people," added Gralogwid with a toothy grin and the dwarfs chuckled to themselves. Hansel and Gretel exchanged small, quiet smiles and wrapped their arms around Serena's legs.
"Good," she said. "That's settled. Now let's get this show on the road before this gingerbread starts growing mold!"
"We're turning into a regular caravan, aren't we?" Endymion joked as he lifted Hansel onto his horse before climbing up behind the boy.
Serena, now sharing a horse with Andrew, laughed amusedly and glanced behind her, watching as Jadeite assisted Gretel into his saddle and Amy and Zoicite got comfortable on their own mount. "We should have brought more horses."
"Ah, the wonder of having wings," Hota teased, patiently waiting on a tree limb while the group sorted out riding arrangements.
"More like the wonder of being six inches tall," said Andrew. "You know you're going to end up on my shoulder anyway."
She shrugged noncommittally.
"Everyone set?" Endymion interrupted, surveying the group and noticing for the first time the camaraderie that was evident in how they talked and acted toward each other. In less than a day it seemed as though this small (but ever-growing) group had gained more trust in each other than any hunting party he'd ever been with. He glanced at Serena, who was leaning toward his own horse, finger-combing Gretel's hair out of her face, and he had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep from smiling at her.
Sure, the expedition had been for Zoicite and Amy, but he knew it was all because of Serena. Though he still thought she'd been crazy—that they'd all been crazy—to undergo such a quest, it had turned out all right in the end. He almost felt guilty for doubting her.
Shaking his head, he gave his horse's reigns a shake and spurred him off down the trail. The dwarfs quickly took the lead, meandering through the forest without looking at all lost. Endymion was surprised most at the trust he'd developed for the two miniature companions. Normally in these situations he wanted to be in complete control, but now he was comfortable letting himself be led toward their new destination. He didn't feel tired—if anything the adventure with the witches had invigorated him—but he did feel content as the forest leaves crackled beneath the horse's hooves and the birds sang merrily in the canopy above.
They traveled through the evening without incident, stopping only once to devour the leftovers from their picnic. Though enough rations had been packed to keep the original company satisfied for two days, the food was dwindling fast with the newcomers. Hansel and Gretel, wanting anything but sweets, were especially delighted with plain old white bread and fresh peaches.
Endymion was about to suggest they look for a place to set up camp when a distant sound caught his ear. The rest of the party heard it shortly afterwards and they paused their horses long enough to make it out. All except the two dwarfs, who spurred theirs on faster at the sound.
A moment later, Endymion heard Serena murmur beside him, "Is that whistling?"
And it was, the whistling of five different tunes with different notes and tempos, that somehow all combined into a strange and whimsical song when strung together. The noise boggled Endymion, and yet, all in all, he found it pleasant, as did the rest of the companions.
Then, the whistling was joined by two more songs, these coming from their very own dwarfish companions, and instantly Serena knew where, or who, the whistling was coming from.
She grinned and brought her horse to a steady trot. "It's the dwarfs!" she said to herself, laughing. "It's the seven dwarfs!" The group followed Serena without question and it wasn't long before the trail opened up into a larger dirt path and just around the bend came marching five short, bearded men carrying mining tools and whistling merrily as the setting sun turned the forest orange and gold.
They nodded at Serena and her companions as they passed by, never pausing in their song, and Gralogwid and Qualakig immediately dismounted their horses and fell into line behind them, looking as though they'd never been separated in the first place.
"Do you think they know each other?" Jadeite joked, gracefully climbing off of his horse and taking it by the reigns. The rest of the party followed suit and soon found themselves whistling their own versions of the irresistible tune (all except for an irritated-looking Seiya).
The trek through the woods was lost in the song and it seemed as though Serena had barely blinked before a blanket of stars had taken over the twilight sky and a small cottage sat before them with a candle in each window guiding them home. Serena's breath caught and she stopped whistling. The little house exuded an aura of comfort and warmth. The small candlelight flickering across the yard and flowerboxes seemed to whisper, "Welcome home."
The others noticed, too, and their music slowly faded away. Just as the last note from the dwarf at the front of the line faded away into the forest, the cottage door swung open and out came a girl.
She was bathed from the light of the house as she stepped barefoot onto the cobblestone path and looked at the group with her hands on her hips. Her long hair was blacker than ebony, her skin was white as snow, and her lips were red as blood. She looked like a forest nymph, dressed in a simple muslin dress that cinched at the waist with a red ribbon. Her large eyes were almost as dark as her hair, but Serena thought that they glittered with as much light as the candles lighting the windows.
Expressionless, her gaze met that of each of the strangers, before turning with a teasing glance to each of the seven dwarfs in turn. "Well, boys," she said, her tone mocking, "it's one thing to bring home a poor, blinded prince, but it's quite another to bring home all of Aysel Kingdom!"
The dwarf at the front of the line grinned, showing a gap where one tooth was missing, and jerked a thumb over his shoulder. "Can't 'elp it. They followed us 'ome!"
The next dwarf hooked his thumbs behind his suspenders. "Can we keep 'em?"
Then the girl laughed and stepped aside. "Well they're here now, aren't they? Go get cleaned up, you're all a wreck. I'll see if I can scrounge up some more place settings. It's nice to have you home, Gralogwid, Qualakig, we've missed you. And Prince Zoicite—" She paused, her eyes sweeping over the smiling prince, seeing his fingers intertwined with those of a petite blue-haired girl, and his green eyes glittering back at her. "My, my, you look a world better than you did two days ago. Come in and make yourself comfortable, then you can introduce me to your friends."
With military precision, the dwarfs marched into the house and straight to the washroom while Snow White set about searching for more dishes to use for supper. After she'd had little luck, Serena informed her that they'd eaten on the road and weren't very hungry, in which case Snow White looked much relieved and dished up food only for the five dwarfs who had been in the mountains all day, and Hansel and Gretel, whose appetites were typical for growing children.
"Well, then! While they eat, why don't we go and sit in the den. This house wasn't built for so much company, but I hope you'll find it to be quite cozy," she said, ushering them into the next room where a fire was burning on the hearth.
They soon found places to sit, most of the companions collapsing tiredly on the bearskin rug in the center of the room, as seven of the eight chairs were too small to be comfortable anyway, and then Zoicite introduced each of his companions to Snow White, smiling fondly when he came to Amy and proudly announcing, "And this is Amy, my fiancé."
Amy smiled at him, her cheeks turning pink in the glow from the fire.
"And everyone, I'm pleased to introduce you to Snow White. She took me in and bandaged my eyes when I was lost and helpless."
Snow White was grinning from ear to ear. "Please, call me Raye. 'Snow White' is a name I've tried to leave behind in another life, with little success it seems." She tilted her head curiously at Zoicite, before adding, "And bandages I can do easily enough, but this," she said with a wave of her hand, "I could never. What's happened since I last saw you? I thought for sure you'd never see again!"
Zoicite related the whole story, from the time that he and his two dwarfish companions had set out for Aysel Castle, to discovering that the magic tower had disappeared, to the small bird who led them to the house of gingerbread, through the battle with the two witches, to how he had conquered Zoe and broken the curse, turning Amy and the others back into humans, and finally how Amy's tears had healed his eyesight.
"Magic tears," breathed Raye when he'd finished, smiling at Zoicite's shy fiancé, "how miraculous!"
Amy shook her head. "I'm afraid I don't know how or what I did, and I'm sure I'll never be able to do it again."
"Ah, but of course," Andrew said. "It was not magic tears that healed Master Zoicite, but rather the magic of her love for him. Such things are hardly unheard of in this land of ours."
"Very true," Hota agreed from Seiya's shoulder. "Magic works its way into all sorts of unbelievable situations. If you ask me, the whole sequence of events was rather predictable."
Serena wanted both to scowl and laugh. Predictable or not, it certainly hadn't been easy. But at that moment, she was feeling quite successful as Aysel's Chosen One.
"Well, I'm glad everything has worked out for you, and I wish you many long years of a happy marriage," Raye said, standing up to stoke the fire. "When will the wedding take place?"
"As soon as possible. We'll start out at dawn tomorrow and should reach the castle by early afternoon. I'm sure preparations can be made in order for us to have the wedding the following day."
"The following day!" exclaimed Raye. "That's a bit fast, isn't it?"
"We see no point in waiting. We discussed it on the way here. Of course, we'll have to obtain the necessary blessings and send out invitations, but the wonderful thing about Aysel is that people are always ready for a party. They'll take any reason to celebrate."
"Sounds like a lovely place to live," Raye said, but her little smile secretly confessed that she was perfectly content in her small, secluded cottage with her seven close companions.
"Raye," said Amy in her quiet voice, standing up with her fingers clasped as Raye leaned the fire stoker against the wall. "There was something else Zoicite and I talked about during our journey. We would like to offer you and all of your friends an informal invitation to the wedding. If the dwarfs hadn't found Zoicite and if you hadn't welcomed and healed him, he may have perished in the wilderness and this time for celebration would have instead been a time for mourning. We would be honored if you would join us."
Raye's surprised look slowly turned to an apologetic smile, but continued, "And while I know that everything is sudden and that we don't know each other well at all, I'd also like to ask you to be a bridesmaid."
"A bridesmaid?" Raye asked with an astonished laughed.
"It may sound strange, but the faces in this house are the only faces I've ever known in my entire life. I feel a bond with you all and hope that we may become close friends as the years go by. This is my way of offering you my gratitude and friendship." She turned to Serena, who was watching her with wide, excited eyes. "And Serena, I was hoping you would be my second maid. Your bravery and wisdom have also played an important part in this happy ending."
Serena could see Endymion rolling his eyes beside her, but she ignored him and beamed at Amy "Of course! I'd be delighted!"
Amy turned back to Raye, who was pursing her lips as if thinking it over, but her glowing eyes admitted that her decision had already been reached. Finally, she laughed and shrugged. "Oh, what can be the harm? I will only be gone a few days. The dwarfs can get along without me for such a short time."
"Aw, don't be goin' thinkin' like that, Paper White," Gralogwid snorted, picking a pipe up from one of the tables and filling it with dried leaves. "We've gotten too attached to you now, and I don' think we could survive a single day without ya."
"Now, don't say—"
"So, as I can see your mind is made up, we'll just have to come along, too."
"The mountains aren't goin' anywhere, are they?" Qualakig added. "An' didn't ya hear Bluebell over there? She's offered you and all your friends an informal invitation."
"An' it's not every day we get to go to a royal weddin'."
Amy clapped her hands joyfully. "It's settled then!"
Endymion cleared his throat. "We do have a small dilemma concerning transportation, though. We only have seven horses, and that would make...eighteen of us."
"Not sure Butterfly counts, over there," Qualakig said, poking a fat finger at Hota's belly.
She squirmed with irritation and flew away to sit peacefully on Seiya's shoulder, who was watching the conversation with eminent boredom.
"Fine, seventeen. Our odds are hardly better."
"Ah, don' worry about that," said Gralogwid with a wave of his pipe. "We'll walk. Us dwarfs prefer to 'ave our feet firmly on the ground anyway."
"Here, here," came a chorus of gruff voices as the other five dwarfs appeared in the doorway, along with the children who were watching excitedly. Obviously the dwarfs had kept them entertained throughout the meal. They all shuffled in and made themselves comfortable.
"Ah, how polite of you to join us," Raye said sarcastically. "I'd like to introduce Gralogwid and Qualakig's brothers: Fiebrob, Wilopin, Boreetok, Vlonterp, and Kepple. Don't worry, no one expects you to remember any of those names."
After the rest of the group had been introduced to the dwarfs (who seemed to remember everyone's names with surprising accuracy), Zoicite returned the conversation to their previous dilemma by offering to share his horse with Amy again on the trek back to the castle.
"And I don't mind riding with Gretel," said Jadeite as the small girl climbed up into his lap. Raye looked at him, a little surprised—it was the first time he'd spoken all evening and she'd hardly noticed him in the swarm of all the new names and faces, but as he wrapped his arms around the little girl and smiled warmly, Raye couldn't help but grin back.
"And would Master Hansel like to ride with me?" she asked impulsively, smiling at Hansel as he sat down between two of his new dwarfish friends. But when he looked up at her, his goofy grin was ear to ear.
"Sure would, Miss."
"There, that's settled then. But first, warm baths all around!"
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