As they rode, Ferdinand suggested, "Perhaps we should plan a strategy for how best to defeat Grimhilde."
Lefou suddenly piped up, surprising them all. "Ooh! Ooh! I have an idea!" he said excitedly. "Grimhilde's a Beast now, right? So...what if the Enchantress turns all of you into Beasts too? Then it would be three Beasts against one!" He beamed, thrilled that he had been able to contribute something.
Adam recoiled in horror at the suggestion. "But I don't want to be a Beast!" he protested.
"Neither do I!" said Gaston, equally horrified. "You seriously want me to change my gorgeous face to a hideous monster's? Are you insane?"
"Oh..sorry," mumbled Lefou, chastened. He should have thought of that.
Gloriana said kindly, "It was a good idea, Lefou. It actually might have been very effective. But unfortunately, I can't change any of you into anything right now."
"Why not?" Lefou asked.
"Because of the protection spell. Remember?" Gloriana said. "The spell makes you impervious to all magic for 12 hours. I did it to protect all of you from any spell Grimhilde might throw at you...but unfortunately, it means that I can't use any magic on you either. At least not until the protection spell wears off."
"Oh." Lefou thought about that, then had another idea. "Then maybe YOU could turn into a Beast instead and fight her!"
"Hmm, that's an idea..." mused the Enchantress. She didn't relish the thought of physically fighting her sister tooth and nail, but she had pledged to help the heroes in any way she could. It was worth a try. She reined in her horse, dismounted, closed her eyes, and concentrated.
Nothing happened.
"It didn't work?" asked Lefou, disappointed.
Gloriana was puzzled for a moment. Then realization hit her. "Oh, for heaven's sake!"
"What?" Gaston asked.
"The protection spell – it affected ME as well!" Gloriana exclaimed in exasperation. "The spell protected everyone in that room from all magic for 12 hours – but I was in the room with all of you. Which means I can't even perform magic on myself!"
Gaston rolled his eyes. "You didn't think all this through very well, did you?"
Adam shot him a look, thinking that he really needed to learn how to show respect to the powerful Enchantress.
But Gloriana was too troubled by her own oversight to take offense. "Normally I cast spells on only one person at a time, so I'm focused on that individual," she explained as she mounted her horse once more and they resumed their journey. "But there were so many people in the castle who needed to be protected, it seemed easier just to gather them all in one room and do an 'umbrella' protection spell over everyone there. It didn't even occur to me that I would be affected too!"
She sighed. "Truly, this whole situation is far outside my experience and training," she admitted. "I have been trained to observe humans from afar, identify the selfish and unkind ones who might be improved by a curse, test them to make certain they deserve it, and then curse them if they fail the test. After that, we enchanters take a 'hands-off' policy, allowing the curse to play out naturally.." She looked at them all apologetically. "I've never been so personally involved like this before. It's all new to me. I'm sorry."
"It's all right," Adam told her, thinking how strange this all was. He never had imagined that the powerful Enchantress would be apologizing for making mistakes. "We're all learning as we go along."
"Yes. Don't trouble yourself about it," Ferdinand agreed. "It will be all right. Even as humans, we're all strong fighters. I'm sure the three of us working together will manage to subdue Grimhilde."
"Subdue her?" Gaston interjected. He shook his head. "Wait just a minute here. Let's make no mistake about our goal. Every hunter knows that when you go after a vicious predator, you shoot to kill. A wounded animal is the most dangerous of all."
"Gaston!" Adam said reprovingly. "Grimhilde is the Enchantress' sister." He glanced at Gloriana, hoping she wasn't upset by the hunter's words. "Despite the form she has taken, she isn't an animal."
"No. She's worse!" Gaston insisted. "She has the body of a deadly monster with sharp fangs and claws, but the mind of a cunning, evil witch, full of lies and tricks. And she wants only one thing: to murder Snow White. She won't let anything stop her, and she'll kill anyone who gets in her way. I know what that's like." He turned to look Adam in the eye, more deadly serious than Adam had ever seen him. "I know how it feels to be so obsessed with getting what you want that nothing else matters. You'll do whatever it takes: lie, cheat, murder. When someone tries to stop you, you don't see even them as a person; they're just an obstacle to be eliminated. And you believe they deserve to be killed for daring to get between you and what you want. That's how Grimhilde thinks, and that's how she'll act. She won't stop until we're dead - or she is."
There was a silence as the chilling words hung in the air.
Then Adam said, "All right. She's dangerous. We already know that. But I don't believe killing her is the answer. After all, Gaston, should I have killed you when I had you dangling from the tower? Was I wrong to spare your life?"
He meant the question rhetorically, but Gaston answered . "No. Not 'wrong.' Just stupid."
Adam bristled and opened his mouth to retort, but Gaston said intently, "Think, Adam! What happened after you spared my life?" Adam hesitated, then closed his mouth. Gaston went on, "Yes, in the end you lived – but only because Belle conveniently decided that she loved you in time and broke your spell, AND breaking the spell somehow magically kept you from dying, AND I fell off the tower anyway! If any of those things hadn't happened, you would be dead right now. Especially the last one. If I hadn't fallen, I would have just kept coming at you. I would have made certain you were dead. Nothing would have stopped me."
Adam nodded. "I understand. But there's something important you're forgetting, Gaston: because I made that choice not to kill you, you had the opportunity to learn and to change. Although it certainly took long enough for it to get through that thick head of yours!" he added, rolling his eyes. "But eventually, you did learn that you were wrong, and you chose to become a better man. Just as I did." He looked at the Enchantress, then back at Gaston. "I was given an opportunity to learn from my mistakes. I couldn't deny that same opportunity to you, or to anyone else." Adam shook his head. "No. I don't regret sparing your life, even though it meant risking my own."
"All right," Gaston said. "Obviously, I'm glad that you didn't kill me. And I understand that you're willing to risk your own life to do the right thing. But the question is, are you willing to risk Belle's life? Because I sure as hell am NOT willing to risk Snow's!'" Unconsciously, he clenched his fists. "Grimhilde is determined to kill Snow, by any means necessary, and she'll never stop trying until she succeeds. I am not going to let her do that!" He looked at Gloriana. "I'm sorry, Enchantress. But if I get the chance to kill Grimhilde, I'm going to do it. I can't let her hurt Snow ever again." He took a deep breath. "If you need to curse me for it afterward...so be it. I'll live with that. Just as long as Snow is safe."
Gloriana looked at the two men somberly for a long time. Finally she spoke. "Prince Adam, I deeply admire everything you have said. My entire mission as an enchantress is to identify humans who have taken the wrong path, and to try to use my powers to guide them in the right direction. The possibility of redemption underlies everything I do. In addition, Grimhilde is my sister, and in spite of everything she has done, I don't want her to die. So in my heart, I agree with you."
Then she looked at Gaston. "Yet as much as it pains me to say it...my head agrees with you. Grimhilde simply cannot be allowed to kill innocent people – you are right about that. Saving Snow White and Belle is our top priority." She sighed unhappily. "I know that I am supposed to be all-wise and all-seeing and have all the answers. But in this case...I don't." She looked at them helplessly, seeming somehow younger and more vulnerable than the intimidating sorceress who had once cursed Adam. "It's difficult to be objective when I'm so personally involved."
Ferdinand spoke up. "If I may make a suggestion...Although Grimhilde is currently in the form of a fearsome creature, we must also bear in mind that she derives her power from the amulet. Without it, she is helpless. So I propose a compromise: when we fight her, IF we have an opportunity to smash the amulet or take it from her, we should do so. That will render her powerless without killing her, which I believe would be the ideal outcome. On the other hand, if at any point during the battle she is about to kill someone, and the only way to prevent it is to kill her first...then, regrettably, we will have no choice but to kill her." He looked at the others. "Is that acceptable?"
Gloriana looked relieved. "Yes, Prince Ferdinand. That sounds like the best plan."
"I agree," said Adam.
Only Gaston was reluctant. Even without the amulet, Grimhilde would still have her cunning, her ruthless and scheming mind, and her thirst for revenge. As long as she was alive, she would never stop plotting to kill Snow White, and eventually she would find a way to succeed, no matter how many years it took. Gaston felt adamant that killing her was the only way to ensure Snow White's safety.
But he nodded in response to Ferdinand's suggestion, knowing he wouldn't be able to convince the others to kill first and ask questions later. As least they had come to admit that killing her MIGHT be necessary – that was something. They would all just have to play it by ear and see how events unfolded.
-o -o -o -o -o -o -o -o -o -o -o -o -o -o -o -o -o -o -o -o -o -o -o -o -o -o -o -o -o -o -o -o -o -o
Meanwhile, in the valley, Grimhilde had told Belle and Snow White to dismount from her back. They complied. "Now, wait right here and don't move!" Grimhilde ordered. "I have some..." She paused, as if to think of the right word. "...business to conduct."
Up until now, the spells she had cast had been standard ones found in the Grimoire: disguising herself as an old hag, enchanting an apple with the Sleeping Death. The transformation spell to turn her into a Beast was the most complex one she had performed, and it was in the most advanced section of the book.
But the new sinister idea she had come up with was much more intricate and complex than anything in the book, and making it happen would require a level of magic and skill that was far beyond her own abilities, even when drawing on the amulet's power. She would need outside assistance to make her plan a reality.
She moved across the empty valley some distance away from the girls, so they wouldn't hear what she was saying. Then she scratched a pentagram into the earth with one claw, grasped the amulet in her paw, closed her eyes, and recited an ancient incantation. "Evocatio, Astaroth! Agite Tenebrae Abyssi. Pareo pactum quod servo mihi!"
A funnel of noxious purple smoke rose from the ground and swirled around within the pentagram. Within the smoke, Grimhilde could just about make out the form of a fearsome demon. "Why hast thou summoned me?" the demon demanded
"I want to destroy my enemies," Grimhilde said.
The demon looked her up and down. "In thy present form, that should pose no problem."
"True. Individually, they are no match for me," Grimhilde agreed. "But if they team up against me, I may not prevail. I have a plan – but it will require far more power and magical expertise than I can access on my own. I need your help to bring my plan to fruition." She explained what she needed the demon to do.
The demon considered the request. "Thou art aware of the price for my assistance?"
Grimhilde waved her hand dismissively. "Yes, yes, you get my soul after I'm dead. I agree to those terms."
"Very well. It shall be as thou ask." The demon produced a contract written in calligraphy on a parchment scroll. Grimhilde pricked her finger with one sharp claw and smeared a drop of blood on the contract.
She wasn't concerned about the payment. For one thing, after a lifetime of evil deeds, her soul wasn't exactly pure as the driven snow. If there was a Heaven, she wasn't going there anyway, so she might as well get something in exchange for her tarnished soul. Besides, Grimhilde wasn't planning on dying for a long, long time, if ever. Once her enemies were eliminated, she would use every protection spell, anti-aging charm, rejuvenation spell, and healing brew at her disposal to extend her life indefinitely. With any luck, the demon would never get his payment.
"Excellent," said the demon. "I will begin the task at once. In the meantime..." He smirked. "Thy prisoners are escaping."
"What?" Grimhilde whirled around to see the figures of Belle and Snow White in the distance, already halfway up the side of the valley. With a snarl of irritation, the Beast raced in that direction at full speed. Within moments, she had caught up to them. Grabbing them by the back of the neck, she shook them angrily, then threw them to the ground in the direction they'd come from. The two frightened young women tumbled head over heels down to the bottom of the valley, where they lay bruised and aching.
Grimhilde leaped down and stood over them, growling. "Listen well, for this is your final warning. If one of you dares to try to escape again, I'll kill the other one," she threatened, knowing that neither girl would risk the other one's life. "If you both try it, I'll kill one of you, and I won't tell you which it will be in advance. Remember, I only need one of you alive as bait!"
Defeated, Belle and Snow White sat under the watchful eye of their captor and waited to see what would occur.
-o -o -o -o -o -o -o -o -o -o -o -o -o -o -o -o -o -o -o -o-o -o -o - -o -o -o -o -o -o – o-o -o -o -o
As they got closer to the valley, Adam, Gaston, and Ferdinand gripped their weapons tighter, preparing to do battle. Reaching the crest, they looked down and surveyed the scene.
One one side of the valley was a large, windowless, one-story gray building in an unusual shape, with odd outcroppings in different places. "That's strange. That building has never been there before," Gaston said in confusion.
"She must have used magic to create it," Gloriana said. "But to what end?"
On the other side of the valley was a tall tree. Near the tree was the Beast herself, looking up at them with a triumphant grin. Adam involuntarily winced at the sight of the familiar creature, although Grimhilde's version had red eyes and a cold, malevolent air about her, utterly lacking Adam's underlying humanity.
Behind her was something that reflected the sunlight – something shiny made of glass – but it was hard to see what it was, since the massive Beast was blocking their view.
There was no sign of Belle or Snow White, at least from their vantage point.
Grimhilde called to them, "Finally! You're here! Come down. Snow White and Belle are just dying to see you."
Gaston said to the others in a low voice, "Are you sure you don't want me to take her out right now? I have my rifle right here, and it's a clear shot. We can end all of this right now!" His fingers were itching to pull the trigger.
"Wait," Ferdinand said firmly. "We don't know yet what she's done with Snow White and Belle. If you kill Grimhilde now, we may never be able to find them!"
Reluctantly, Gaston eased off the trigger. "All right. But let's all keep our weapons at the ready. We already know we're walking into a trap – we just have to find out what kind of trap."
Cautiously, the group dismounted and descended down the valley. As they got closer to Grimhilde, she suddenly stepped aside, revealing what was behind her: a rectangular glass box, the size of a coffin. Within it lay Snow White, looking frightened. The lid was slightly opened, but as they approached, Grimhilde firmly shut it, and they heard the click of a lock.
"Snow!" Gaston yelled, rushing forward. He pulled on the lid, but it was indeed locked. Thinking quickly he told Snow White, "Turn away and cover your face!" She immediately did so. Gaston raised his rifle and slammed it down hard on the glass, intending to break it, but the rifle bounced off harmlessly.
"It's magic glass – you can't break it," Grimhilde said in amusement.
"Get her out of there NOW!" Gaston snapped.
"Calm down! I was about to tell you exactly how to do that," Grimhilde said smoothly. She pointed at a keyhole on the lid. "All you need is the key to unlock the box, and she's all yours. Simple!"
"And where is the key?" Gaston demanded.
"Right there." Grimhilde pointed above his head. Gaston looked up. On a high branch of the tree that stuck out parallel to the ground, 20 or 30 feet up, the key dangled from a loop of string. "See?" Grimhilde said. "Just get that key and you can get her out easily!" She paused. "Oh, just one more thing: that box is airtight, and there's only a limited amount of oxygen in it. So if you don't free her by the time her air runs out, she'll suffocate."
"How much time until the air runs out?" Ferdinand asked.
Grimhilde shrugged. "I don't know exactly." She smirked. "When she drops dead, you'll know it's run out."
Furious, Gaston aimed his rifle at her at point-blank range. "You hateful, vicious-!"
"Stop!" Adam said quickly, knocking the barrel of the rifle aside. "She hasn't told us where Belle is yet!"
"Very true," Grimhilde chuckled. "Besides, hunter, every moment you waste on me brings your precious Snow White closer to death."
Gaston grimaced, realizing she was right. He dropped the rifle and looked up at the key, trying to calculate how to get it down in time.
Adam turned on Grimhilde and demanded, "What have you done with Belle?"
"Follow me and I'll show you." The Beast loped away across the valley. Adam ran after her. Ferdinand hesitated, uncertain whether to stay or go, then decided to follow Adam to see what had happened to Belle. Then he could best determine where he would be most helpful.
-o -o -o -o -o -o -o -o -o -o -o -o -o -o -o -o -o -o -o -o -o -o -o -o -o -o -o -o -o -o -o -o -o -o
Snow White looked pleadingly at Gaston through the side of the glass coffin. She was lying down because there wasn't enough room to sit up. She pressed her hand against the inside of the glass, as though trying to reach out to him, and Gaston put his hand on the outside in the same place, as though touching hers through the glass, like a promise. "Don't worry, Snow! I'll get you out of there!" he vowed.
He didn't know if she could hear him, but she tried to smile. Despite her efforts to be brave, he could see how frightened she was and how much she depended on him. He couldn't let her down.
"Perhaps I can help," the Enchantress suggested. She stared at the keyhole on the glass box and concentrated, willing it to open, but nothing happened. Then she looked up at the dangling key and focused all her energy on moving it off the branch, but it didn't move.
She shook her head in defeat. "There are all artifacts made of magic, impervious to my power. My magic works only on mortals and mundane objects." She had another thought. "While you try to get the key down, I'll look through the Grimoire to see if it has any information on reversing Grimhilde's evil spells." She headed to her horse and took the book and mirror out of the saddlebag.
As she did so, the mirror-spirit asked, "What has Grimhilde done this day? May I help you in any way?"
"Perhaps," Grimhilde said. She showed the mirror Snow White's glass coffin and explained what Grimhilde had said. "Do you have any idea how we can open this box?"
The spirit suggested, "Place me on top, and I may tell something useful about this spell."
Gloriana put the mirror on top of the box. The spirit was silent a moment, as though listening hard with all his senses. Finally he said, "I don't know how to get the key, or how else you might set her free. But I can sense the diminishing air, and know how much time is left to spare. If you wish, as the time grows less, I can count it down, so you won't have to guess."
"That would be helpful," Gloriana agreed.
The spirit closed his eyes and said, "In the glass coffin, the maiden lies. She must be saved before she dies. Thirty minutes remain of air – that is all the time to spare."
"Thirty minutes," Gaston repeated. He was staring up at the key hanging from the branch, trying to figure out the fastest way to reach it.
Suddenly he had an inspiration. Reaching over his shoulder, he pulled an arrow out of his quiver and lifted his bow. Notching the arrow, he looked up at the key so far above him, gauging the distance and the angle, and aimed carefully. Then he let the arrow fly.
The arrow flew to the key, but missed by a hair's breadth, leaving it untouched.
Gaston swore under his breath, notched another arrow, and tried again. This time, the arrow hit the key solidly. Gaston grinned in triumph – but the key simply swung around the branch on its string from the force of the hit, without getting any closer to falling off the branch. Gaston tried again and again, with the same result – a wildly swinging key that remained high and out of reach. Gaston swore again, this time loudly. This strategy wasn't getting him anywhere!
"Twenty-five minutes remain of air – that is all the time to spare," the mirror intoned.
"Hurry, Gaston!" Lefou said anxiously. "Think of something, or she'll die!"
-o -o -o -o -o -o -o -o -o -o -o -o -o -o -o -o -o -o -o – o-o -o -o -o -o -o – o-o -o -o
Meanwhile, Adam and Ferdinand had followed Grimhilde to the gray building on the other side of the valley. Grimhilde entered and gestured for Adam to come inside.
When he followed her in, he was suddenly faced with infinite reflections of the Beast, looking at him from multiple mirrored surfaces. The reflections seemed to be mocking him, as though saying You'll never escape the Beast. It's part of you forever!
Then Grimhilde moved aside, and Adam saw his own human reflections next to all of hers. "If you want to save your loved one, listen carefully," Grimhilde said. "This building is a maze, and as you can see, there are multiple mirrors on all the walls and ceilings. Belle is at the center of the maze. So all you have to do is solve the maze and get to the center, and you'll find her. Piece of cake." She smiled. "But I'd advise you to hurry. She's in a tank of water with sides too high for her to climb out, and it isn't wide enough for her to swim, so she's been treading water. If she gets too tired, she'll drown." She patted Adam's shoulder in false sympathy. "Good luck, hero!"
With that, she loped back out of the entrance before Adam could react, calling behind her, "Prince Ferdinand! You come with me."
Ferdinand hesitated. "Should I go, or stay and help you?"
"You go," Adam said. "This is just a maze – I'm sure I can figure it out." He hoped that was the truth.
Ferdinand followed the Beast out into the sunlight. "We will not be pawns in your evil games, Grimhilde!" he warned.
Grimhilde laughed. "Silly boy, you already are! All of your companions are busy with distracting tasks, just as I planned it. That will keep them out of my hair for awhile. More importantly, it means that there's no one left to help you."
Without warning, she leaped at Ferdinand, taking him by surprise. But his reflexes were sharp, and he automatically dodged almost before he'd even mentally registered her attack. He avoided the killing blow, but not entirely: her long claws scratched his left shoulder, drawing blood. Grimly, Ferdinand drew his sword.
The fight was on.
-o -o -o -o -o -o -o -o -o -o -o -o -o -o -o -o -o -o -o -o -o -o -o -o -o -o -o -o -o -o -o -o -o -o
Author's Note: A big shout-out and "Thank you!" to Gadfly, who came up with the idea of the mirror maze and the glass box! I wanted Grimhilde to create separate, life-threatening traps for Belle and Snow White, and I wanted something intricate that Gaston and Adam would have to figure out, like a puzzle. Gadfly suggested a mirror maze for Belle and a suffocating glass box with an out-of-reach key for Snow. i loved those ideas and they really inspired me! So thank you, Gadfly!