Chapter Forty-Seven

GRIMHILDE

The ride from the castle through the Dark Forest was much less challenging than what she had anticipated, but she did not complain, but she hated the quiet. The quiet caused her to get lost in her thoughts and every now and again she would rethink this whole thing. She could not help but wonder if even getting her magic back was a good enough reason to really put Snow White to sleep for all eternity. She hated the girl, she had everything she never had – A stable home, a loving father, a prince to come save her, and a heart filled to the brim with an unearthly kindness.

She looked down at her hands and wondered how much of this really was worth. Driving her out of the kingdom, driving her lover out of the kingdom, killing so many . . . What was it all for again? Her youth? Her beauty? Why did any of that matter? What was it all for?

She wasn't sure if it was her sudden old age that caused such philosophical ideas or if the suffocating years of regret were catching up to her. Once upon a time she would have had selfish reasons to have justified her actions, but now as they got closer and closer to the lake and the end of the ride, she felt as though a heavy veil had been removed from her and she was seeing things much clearer. The gondola stopped in the shallow waters and she hobbled out. Grünes assisted her on the uneven shore, but she swatted him away and continued on her own.

"I want you to stay here, Grünes." She croaked. "Once I am young again, we will need to get out of here quickly, so stay here until I return."

He snorted unhappily in a failed attempt of an argument, not that she would spare him the time to actually argue with her. She just began her long and tiresome walk through the woods. It wasn't until she was very deep in the woods that she remembered she needed Grünes as her guide to get to the blasted cottages. She groaned at her foolish mistake but kept moving forward and looking to the sky. It was very cold out this early in the morning and she kept looking to the sky for possible signs of smoke. Smoke meant cottages; cottages meant that Snow White was there.

She had no idea what to do with Adam should he still be there, but hopefully he would not be able to recognize her, and she could continue with her plan. She walked and walked and walked and cursed the mountain for being so high and long and had to rest on a rock because her old age made her weaker and weaker by the second. Ever since breaking the Magic Mirror and burning the Grimoire she felt lighter and a little stronger, but she walked as though a heavy chain were attached to her ankle. Every now and again she would look behind her to make sure no such chain existed. She knew that if one did show up it would be both very long and very heavy for her years of the Dark Arts.

Sitting on her rock, her green eyes looked to the skies again and could see the faintest sign of smoke along with the rising sun. A smirk came to her face and she had to resist the urge to cackle. Struggling to her feet, she hobbled off again and clutched her basket of apples tightly. The trees eventually became thinner and thinner as she came to the wide opening where two cottages sat. A small squat one on the left and a tall square one on the right. Both chimneys had smoke rising from them, and she could hear Snow White's singing in the distance. She lingered in the protection of the trees to wait and see if any of the others were there. She only heard Snow White's singing and never saw anyone else leaving or going into the house. She stood there for only a few more moments before deciding she needed to make her move. She hobbled over to the window and could see Snow White preparing a meal and basket.

"Such beautiful singing." She hated how crackly her voice was when she spoke. It has only gotten worse as the days have passed in her changing age.

"H-Hello?" Snow White called over her shoulder.

"Hello?" She couldn't resist a chuckle as she could see that Snow White was rather alarmed by her appearance. "My, my, aren't you a pretty little pet."

She gasped as she did a double take and tried to quickly hide it behind a smile. "Oh, h-hello." She wiped her hands on a tea towel. "W-What are you doing out here?"

"I'm just an old woman out on a stroll." She laughed. This was too rich! She was vulnerable and right in her clutches. "I won't have very many chances to exercise come winter, so I have to get out and walk when I can."

"You live around here?" She approached the window and Grimhilde could feel herself getting excited. She had to resist the urge of grabbing hold of her and stuffing the apple in her mouth and making sure she choked on it.

"Ah, yes." She nodded her head. "I live higher up the mountain next to a great knotted oak tree."

"My, that is quite far." Snow White blinked in surprise and was becoming relaxed. Yes, just what she wanted!

"I've never seen you before, my pet." The woman noted, trying to be as sweet and grandmotherly as possible. "I know the Dwarves live here, but I've never seen you before."

"Ah, my husband and I are living here with my uncles." She wasn't sure why she was telling this woman this.

"I didn't know the Dwarves had a niece!" She gasped. Husband? Were she and Adam truly wed? Or was she being smart and using that as a proper shield in case she thought of her as suspicious?

"You're too pretty to be related to them."

"Ah, I'm from out of town." She gulped and began to look nervous. So it was a shield to keep her safe. "You see, we're on our honeymoon, you see. . ."

"Ah, good times." The woman winked with a cackle. Oh, how easy it was to see that the poor girl was lying. No doubt she had feelings for the traitor since she was blushing from head to toe. "Might I come in and have a sip of water, my pet? My joints are hurting at the moment and I could use a break."

"O-Of course." Snow White smiled and went to the door. She had to cover her mouth with her hand to stifle her laughter.

"Ah, thank you, my pet." The woman smiled and patted her hand as Snow White assisted her to a chair. She had noticed that Snow White had put on a decent amount of weight, started to look healthier. Grimhilde could not help but think of it as a blessing since it meant this would more than likely give her even more magic back.

"Y-You're welcome." Snow White stammered as she took a step back. "Let me go get you that water."

She scurried to the kitchen and quickly grabbed a cup and went to the sink and pumped the water into the cup. The woman sat quietly, examining the Dwarves' cottage, it was very ornate and beautiful, she momentarily felt bad for not properly employing them before now. She heard the soft pitter patter of feet and smiled as Snow White came around the corner with a wooden cup of water.

"Ah, thank you." She took the water and took several gulps before leaning on her cane. In all honesty she was very happy to drink the water, she was much more parched than she had realized.

"All alone, my pet?" She asked carefully. Though it would appear that she was alone, there was always a chance that someone had stayed behind.

"Why yes I am." She admitted, a hand going to her chest.

"No men to take care of the pretty girl?" The woman blinked her eyes in surprise.

"No, they're not." She shook her head. "T-They're out working right now. But they'll be back for lunch soon."

She sniffed the air, she could smell black forest ham in the air, then chuckled. "Making lunch for them now, are we?"

"Why yes." She nodded her head with a furrowed brow. "M-My husband and uncles will be coming back soon."

She needed to act quick. They would be here sooner than Grimhilde would prefer.

"I imagine your food must taste really good." Grimhilde pointed a long boney finger at her. "Would you like something to add to your special lunch?"

"W-What's that?" She swallowed and smiled politely.

"Apples." Grimhilde showed her basket of apples.

"Apples." Snow White loved apples, and Grimhilde was truly betting on Snow White wanting one; a very specific one.

"I grew them myself." This moment was too grand, and she was full of pride that she was able to come this far by her own hands.

Snow White drew a little closer. "M-My, they do look delicious."

"Yes." She picked up the red one on top and held it out to Snow White. "But wait 'til you taste it! It'll be the best thing you ever tasted!"

She let out a chuckle and could see how tempted Snow White was. Her eyes were focused in on the apple and for a split second her mouth watered. Yes, it was all going according to plan! "Would you like to try one?" She crooned, practically holding the apple out for her to take.

"Oh, but I m-mustn't." She shook her head and smiled politely. "I would hate to ruin my appetite for lunch!"

"Oh, go on." She would tempt her into eating this apple or so help her she would shove it down her throat. "Just have a bite, just one bite and you'll see how delicious it tastes."

She practically shoved the apple into Snow White's hands and quickly folded her hands around her cup so Snow White could not give it back to her. "T-Thank you." Snow White's smile looked strained, however her eyes glittered in anticipation. "I'll share it with my husband later."

"No!" Grimhilde stood up suddenly. That could ruin everything! Only Snow White, the fairest of them all, was supposed to eat the apple. "No, you must eat it now!"

"W-Why?" Snow White retreated a step.

"You see," She had to think quickly. "My apples are magical." She prayed that Snow White was gullible enough to accept this idea and not think too much about it.

"Magical?" She blinked. "You're a witch?"

"A good witch, mind you, my pet." She chuckled, in fact she so easily accepted the idea and patted her cheek. "This apple is a wishing apple."

"A w-wishing apple?" Snow White questioned as she carefully moved her face away from the hand.

"Yes." Grimhilde nodded her head. "Just one bite will grant your deepest wish and make it come true!"

"Really?" Snow White looked down at the red apple.

"Yes, my pet." She soothed encouragingly. "My red apples work the best. All you have to do is make a wish then take a bite."

Snow White merely continued to look at the apple, as if debating on the truth of this situation as well as the story Grimhilde had just told her. There was no telling what was going on through her mind and Grimhilde's heart started to pound as her nerves were catching up with her age.

"Come on, sweetheart." The woman tutted and tried to distract her from her thoughts. "Surely there must be something your heart desires." She knew exactly who Snow White's heart desired. . . "Perhaps it is for someone you love if it is a wish that is not for yourself."

"I m-mean I do. . ." She stammered. "And I want this wish to come true. I very very much want this wish to come true. . . but can this apple really make it happen?"

"But of course!" Grimhilde couldn't hide her excitement. "Now take the apple, my pet, and make a wish and make sure you take a big bite."

She took a step back from Snow White and watched in waiting to see what Snow White would do. Her tiny hands gripped the apple, her fingernails slightly digging into the skin as if she needed to gather the courage to bite into the apple.

Come on, just one bite. . .

That's all it will take is just one bite. . .

Her heart pounded in her chest as she watched Snow White bring the red apple closer to her lips. She had a wish to make, Grimhilde could see it plain as day on her face as her mind still argued with her on whether or not to eat it. Her hands shook as the apple inched closer to her mouth. "I-I. . ."

"Go on, pet." Grimhilde took another step back so as not to force the apple into the girl's mouth.

"I wish. . ." She pursed her lips. "I wish that Adam's curse of poison would be removed from his body, so that we can finally be together."

Taking a deep breath, she watched Snow White open her mouth and took the biggest bite she could. The loud crunch that echoed in the air was music to her ears, and almost immediately she could feel something she had lost return to her.

"Good girl." The woman chuckled at her victory. She had to be careful or she would get too giddy. "Now, when you wake up, everything will be set right and will just as it should have been."

"When I . . ." She blinked out of focus and swayed a little where she stood. "When I wake up?" The apple fell from her hands and Snow White's legs began to buckle under her. She had to hold onto the wall with one hand and her head in the other. Grimhilde had to put a hand over her mouth to keep from cackling.

"If you ever wake up, you foolish girl!" The excitement in her just bubbled up along with a slow returning youth as she looked at the girl slipping into a deep sleep. She tried to hold herself up by the wall, but her knees just couldn't seem to hold her up.

"Adam. . ." She called as her knees hit the floor. "Adam."

"He won't be saving you now, brat." Her voice went from cackling crackle to smooth honey. "I've already made sure of that."

In a matter of seconds she slipped into a deep sleep and Grimhilde couldn't withhold her laughter anymore. "Finally!" She ran her hands through her hair as the white tips began to grow out and she could see the rich black returning and her hands lost their warts and wrinkles and became supple and smooth. "I've finally done it!"

Her hands went to her shoulders and she hugged herself as she continued to slowly regain her youth. Finally getting some control of herself she looked down at Snow White. Even in sleep she was still very beautiful. Her nose turned up as she frowned and she could not help but glare at the girl. If she wasn't the reason so much of her youth was coming back, she would just slit her throat as she lay there on the floor.

"You should be glad you still get to live." She spoke quietly to Snow White. "At least you get to dream, and despite how much I despise you, Snow White, I hope they are sweet and happy for you so long as I continue to get young."

Suddenly, a gasp hiccupped from behind her, and Grimhilde turned to see a bald headed Dwarf staring wide-eyed at the sleeping Snow White. His blue eyes slowly turned to her and he began to move his hands, either to communicate to her or to cast a spell; not that she bothered to figure out if it were either. With a grimace she flung herself to the door and ran as fast as her legs would carry her. With each step she just seemed to get younger and younger, a smile came to her face and she couldn't help but enjoy the thrill of it. Even as the Dwarf began to scream unintelligible sounds, she just pushed her new young and less creaky body as fast as it could go to get away.

With her black cloak around her she blended in greatly with the Dark Forest and she, for once, enjoyed the way the mucky earth felt underneath her feet. She laughed gleefully until it felt as though a dagger had pierced her stomach. With a gasp her feet stopped, and she fell to the earth clutching her stomach. Gritting teeth and trying to keep from screaming as the worst burning feeling of her stomach swelling and wanting to explode coursed through her.

Gasping like a fish for air her green eyes turned to the sky as she held her stomach. Her stomach twisted and she could hardly move to sit up and turn to vomit black and purple and liquids from her body. The goop seemed to move, almost trying to return to her but also trying to find a new host to be a part of.

"What the-?" She continued to expel the goopy and thick purple and black liquid until the pain receded from her stomach and now her body felt as though it were on fire.

"What. . . is happening. . . to me?" Her heart pounded in her chest and her nails raked over her skin as she let out a terrible scream. She would rather be burned to death or even just be killed than feel what she was feeling. Like a terrible fever she burned, then she froze, then she burned again just to freeze again.

Her breathing was ragged and shallow and she just writhed between stretching out and balling up as the burning cold scorched her and caused her to convulse. Just as suddenly as it came, it left and all the air that had escaped her lungs came flooding back to her to the point the vomited up more black goop, which she wanted to be the last of it. Hands on the earth holding herself up, she panted and tried to regain her breath. She scooted away from the moving black goop and rested against a tree.

"What . . . the hell . . ." She panted as she watched the goop be absorbed into the earth. It riled and squirmed and almost seemed to scream as it was absorbed into the earth. "Was that?"

Wiping her mouth and forcing herself to spit to clean out her mouth, she pulled out her compact and looked at her reflection. Much of her youth had been returned to her, but now her mouth looked terribly bruised from the black and purple vomit. She furiously tried to wipe her mouth clean of the terrible substance that tasted faintly of poison and apples.

"Mirror." She called as she continued to try to clean her mouth. "Magic Mirror, I summon thee to me!"

However, there was silence. Not even a glint or glimmer that her summon had been acknowledged.

"Mirror." She called a little more firm. "I, Queen Grimhilde summon thee!" Still no response. As her temperature finally regulated itself, her heart slowed and she felt unnervingly cold as she stared at the mirror in her hands.

"Mirror?" She asked nicer. "Mirror, are you there?" Her eyes burned and her nose began to sniffle at the silence. "I demand that you show yourself!" She pounded her fist on the ground and continued to glare at the mirror in her hands. However, there was still no response. Her hands gripped the reflective glass in her hands as hot angry tears fell from her eyes.

"So, you betrayed me too, in the end?" The cold metal of the compact seemed to make her numb. Her hand fell into her lap and her head fell back against the tree. She definitely felt younger, but it was almost as if she had completely stopped gaining whatever she had lost and she was stuck with whatever she had left.

Her skin was smooth and supple again, but she still felt as though she was missing something. As she stared at her hands and her body, making sure everything was as it was supposed to be, the rushing of shuffling of leaves and snapping of twigs caught her attention. She sat up and with the compact in her hand as the only means of a weapon, she readied it to throw it. Climbing the hill was a familiar head of brown hair and lovely bottle green eyes that looked desperate in search of something. He stood there panting as those bottle green eyes locked with her pale green eyes. Covered in some sort of black substance, Frederick stood on the slope of a hill looking up at her. Her heart practically sang at seeing him again, but she couldn't stop herself from shaking her head.

"No . . ." She whispered in mortification and pressed herself against the tree.

"Hilde." He was ready to run towards her, but she couldn't allow herself to think that happily. She shut her eyes tight.

"Go away!" She threw the mirror and tried to hide herself in her cloak. She desperately tried to think of a teleportation spell, or anything that could make her disappear. "You're not supposed to be in Apfel!"

"I'm not." He said simply. His voice was so calm and steady and it made her heart all aflutter.

"I banished you." She pulled her cloak over her head and covered her head with her hand. "You betrayed me!"

"Never once." He sounded as though he had gotten closer.

"You aren't supposed to be here. . ." She could feel her resistance growing weaker.

He was too close. "Yes I am."

She shook her head. "No."

"Hilde." His voice was too gentle. "Hilde, please let me see you. . ."

"No." She could feel terribly selfish and joyous tears leaking from her eyes. "I . . .I don't deserve to see you. . ."

He placed a hand on her head and she could feel his thumb hooking under her hood. "Well, I deserve to see you."

"No!" She tried to hold onto her hood, but Frederick was much stronger than her and pulled it from her head just as gentle as his voice. Those green eyes were staring into her eyes, her mind, her heart, her soul; she loved it; she hated it. She tried to push him away, but he merely grabbed her wrists in one hand and his other hand traced her face.

He had the sweetest smile that made her go stiff and melt under her touch, "Hilde."

"S-Stop." She shook her head, but she couldn't look away from him.

"My Hilde. . ." He had such a boyish look on his face as he pulled her head towards him and wrapped her up in the biggest hug. She froze entirely and just allowed him to hug her, pressing her as closely to him as humanly possible, enjoying his natural warmth as he did so.

She wanted to enjoy it more, but she knew she couldn't. She had pushed and pushed him out of her life, failing every time albeit, but he didn't deserve to have her in his life. She caused too much trouble, she had caused him too much trouble, and she didn't want to cause him so much trouble. She couldn't melt, she had to be cold, hard even. She finally found her voice, "What are you doing?"

"Hugging you." He seemed to lock his arms around her, as if sensing she was trying to push him away again.

"Why?" She asked simply.

"Because I've missed you." He kept his hand on her head and wouldn't allow her to move.

"It's only been a few months." She disagreed.

"No." He pulled back and held her head in his hands. "No, Hilde, it's been years since I've seen My Hilde."

"W-What. . ." She gently shook her head and tried to look anywhere but at him but found she simply couldn't.

"Ever since we came to Apfel – no, ever since you found that terrible Grimoire." His voice was deep as he spoke. "You have never been the same. You were hidden in these terrible layers of just pure. . . darkness. You became the Evil Queen."

She half-heartedly glared at him. "I had to."

"No, you never had to." He shook his head at her. "You chose to do that."

"There was no one that could help me." She tried to pry his hands away from her head, but he only held her firmer, still gently, but wouldn't allow her to move.

"No, you just wouldn't let me help you." His voice cracked and she could see a few tears in his eyes.

"There's no point if I can do it myself." She frowned, and he only smiled softly at her. She just couldn't handle the kindness he was showing her. She closed her eyes and tilted her head down, not wanting to see his sweet face anymore.

He should be livid with her for everything she put him through. He should hate her for banishing him. He should be trying to kill her for everything she had him do for her. Yet he sat with her, bestowing upon him the gentlest and most loving touch she has truly experienced in months. "You. . ." She felt a knot in her throat. "You should go."

"Why?"

"Grünes will be here any minute." She tried to come up with something that would potentially change his mind and make him leave.

He shook his head with a knowing look and a sad smile, "No, he won't."

"You don't know that!" She tried to push herself away from him again.

"But . . . I do." He grimaced almost as his hands slid down to her shoulders. "Adam has more than likely finished him off by now. I know because of the black bile that you've vomited and. . . and because the Mirror told me. . ."

"That's impossible. . ." She shook her head with exasperated breaths. "No, I couldn't conjure him up, that meant you couldn't – "

"Have you forgotten about our blood oath and bond already?" He asked sadly. She only stared at him with wide green eyes.

"I broke it!"

"You cut a few strings in my heart, yes." He snorted at her. "But you alone did not break the blood oath, Hilde. That would have killed you if it had."

"You spoke to the Mirror?" It was such a struggle for her to comprehend this situation. She was so sure she had broken the oath. . . It had nearly broken her heart to banish him!

"Yes, Hilde, I spoke with the Mirror." He nodded with a sigh. His hands slid down to her elbows. She could only sit and wait for him to tell her whatever it was that he wished to tell her. "Ever since we came to Apfel, Hilde, all those years ago, the Mirror and I have been trying to get you to break ties with the Grimoire and the Dark Arts."

"No. . ." She shook her head in disbelief. "No, you couldn't have. The Mirror was mine –"

"Yours since you created his Mirror, but since you and I shared an oath I could converse with him freely." She clenched her jaw as she listened. "Even the Mirror you did not truly have the heart to bear the evils of the Dark Arts, nor the true strength to do so."

"Lies!" Her eyes burned with tears of such deep and long-lost emotions that it frightened her.

"No, Hilde." His hands cupped her face and soothed the fears that were rising within her. "I became your sword to try to take some of the burden from you, and in turn the Mirror played his cards of sucking you deeper into Darkness."

Her brow furrowed, "Then how were you working together?"

"On one of those journeys you forced me to go on, to force me to leave, I assume." He explained. "I came across a man who the Mirror claimed to be acquaintances with. Called himself Mr. V and in a roundabout way told me that the Mirror had told him my troubles and woes and that I wanted my Hilde back. So he and I struck a deal."

"You what?"

"For finding a way of breaking you from the Darkness you tried to bind yourself with, he offered me what he called an interference piece for our story." His own brow furrowed as he explained. "So he sent Adam –"

"Adam?" She could feel how deeply wrinkled her brow was.

"Yes." Frederick nodded his head. "He sent Adam here for his own tests of sorts, and he was the interference piece to prevent you from killing Snow White."

"But I did." She shook her head in argument. "She bit my poisoned apple!"

"Which only put her in a deep sleep." Frederick pointed out and so much realization was hitting her at once. "And her sleep can be broken by a true love's first kiss."

"But Adam can't kiss her!"

Frederick smirked and angry tears fell from her face, "You don't know that."

"So, then I'll lose my youth?" She sniffled, her hands covering her nose.

"Is that what you're really worried about?" He frowned at her.

"No. . ." She shook her head. "But you would see me as an old woman –"

"In time yes, but not any time soon, Hilde." His thumbs wiped away her tears from her eyes. "I do hope to grow old together with you."

The sentiment was sweet, and in time she would acknowledge that sweet piece of good news, but where her heart was happy and free, her mind was a terrible mess trying to sort all of this out. Nothing was making sense! "But I used all of my magic to create the apple. . . " She was trying to reason all of this. "A-A-And the Mirror said that I would get my powers back!"

"That was a ruse to get you to finish using up the darkness." Frederick's green eyes stared deeply into Hilde's to show that he was being completely serious. "You used the rest of your Dark Magic to create the apple, yes, but it was part of the way to convince you to burn the Grimoire and destroy the Mirror."

Her shoulders fell and she felt as though so much had been taken from her. "Why?"

"Because the only way to rid you of the Dark Arts was to have you, who started in it, finish it." He bit his lip in frustration. "That was what Mr. v had explained to me, and though the Mirror and I tried countless times before to convince you, you just allowed whatever Darkness within you to prevent yourself from listening to either of us; especially me. You turned cold to me, Hilde –"

Suddenly another cry echoed throughout the forest and Frederick grimaced. His hands went to hers and he stood and helped pull herself to her feet. "We've spent too much time here." He sighed. "Come on, Hilde, we've gotta get going. I can explain on the way."

"Go?" She blinked away her tears. "Go where?"

"A lot has happened these past few months." He smirked at her and squeezed her hands. "I've become a blacksmith and have my marks for the trade and I've already set plans for the next city over. I can't give you the life of a Queen that you once had, but I can give you a life of happiness that you've nearly forgotten."

She could only stare up at him in awe. What truly possessed this man to love her? A horrible and intolerable woman that truly deserved nothing more than misery and death. She numbly allowed him to lead her by the hand and could not help but wonder how he could even want to help her let alone plan a future with her?

Frederick knew his way around the area very well and had them at the base of a mountain at a pass where a horse was tied to a tree branch waiting patiently. It was loaded down with a small covered wagon that looked like a pleasantly small living space for two. As soon as they were at the horse, he in a single motion he picked her up by her waist and set her the seat. He untied the reins and slid into the seat beside her and gave a gentle flick to the reins.

"Why are you doing this?" She finally whispered as her green eyes stared at the side of his face.

"Because I'm saving you." He kept his gaze straight ahead. "I'm very late in doing so, but I'm saving you now."

"How?" Her voice wobbled, her hands bunched into fists in her lap, and tears brimmed in her eyes. "I was terrible to you! You should be sending me off to Adam now so he can plunge his sword into me."

"I know you were terrible to me." He acknowledged and still didn't look at her. "I am far from blind to that. I know of the sins you've committed, and the ones I committed for you. And though you and I will both be suffering the consequences of our actions one day, I'd prefer it not to be today." Those bottle green eyes finally glanced down at her. "Besides, whatever you think, I'm still your knight, and I intend to protect my queen. If I were to let Adam kill you now, I would never forgive myself and would live in a world of hate. . . And despite what you may or may not believe, I've already forgiven you."

"How?" She demanded with a terrible crying face. "What I've done has been unforgivable!"

"I know." He nodded his head in agreement. "Call me a fool if you want, but my love for you is strong enough to carry us both through the harsh storms we're bound to suffer from. I can forgive you because I know that you'll never forgive yourself."

"You're a fool . . ."

Her hand covered her mouth to try to stifle the terrible sniffling as tears would not stop flowing from her eyes. His arm slid around her shoulders and pulled her close and for once, Hilde did not reject him.


FREDERICK

For the last few months, through burning fires, painful flecks of metal, and grinding of muscles as his body learned the burdening tasks of being a blacksmith. It wasn't the worst thing he had ever learned how to do, however, the heat was miserable and the work could be grueling. His shoulders had broadened, his muscles had only swollen from all the heavy lifting of the hammer and the constant tension his body had to have as he pounded away at the metals. As he climbed the mountain, guiding his horse through the crooked paths, for the umpteenth time, his body was more than ready for the trek. His mind whirled as he climbed.

There were so many people in the kingdom of Apfel that were out of work that many were turning to the farms and other trades and the city was much more populated than he had realized. Between his branch as well as the original blacksmith's branch there were enough apprentices to start branches in all of the corners of the kingdom. Frederick had already planned on moving off to the next country to start his own branch, and the surplus of people looking for work only further encouraged him to do so. However, there were a few things, a few people, that were still holding him here in Apfel.

Although he was still banished from Apfel, Frederick did his usual rounds in securing the kingdom on top of his blacksmith duties, just to see what the Queen was up to. The fact that the castle has been quiet for so long has been driving him crazy. He's snuck into the castle several times and it reminded him of what his old country used to look like after the plague hit. For whatever foolish reason, despite the conversations he's had with both the Mirror and Adam he simply could not bring himself to leave Hilde to the pack of wolves that were waiting to devour her. Perhaps it was the blood oath, or perhaps he was just the ridiculous fool in love; he would leave it up to fate as of this point. But if he was going to have it his way, he would still save the only woman he has even truly loved.

Even during these months apart, no, these years apart, he had tried to see a few women, but there was no shine to them, nothing truly eye-catching to him. They were definitely attractive women, but no matter how many times he tried to put it off in his head he just couldn't forget about Hilde, his Hilde. Her name was Grimhilde, and how she's been the past few years she had definitely been a grim woman, but he somehow had managed to see past the darkness she had allowed to cover her and see her for her. She was definitely blinded by the power she had possessed, and her conscience had drastically changed, but he still somehow saw the beautiful girl he knew as a young lad and there was nothing he could to change that image of her. He had hoped and prayed he would move on and find another, but no matter who he saw, what he tried, nothing changed for him. His silly little heart belonged to Hilde.

The Mirror had tried to tempt him more than once with images of women throughout the village, but his heart simply would not fall for another. Even this morning when the Mirror woke him up telling him today would be the day to escape, he kept telling him to just leave and not go to the mountain.

"You're terribly stubborn, you know?" The Mirror complained in the breast pocket of his leather vest.

"I like to think of it as loyal." Frederick snorted as he pulled the compact mirror from its pocket.

"No, you're incredibly and stupidly stubborn." The Mirror rolled his eye sockets. "Holding out for this woman will only have devastation for you to make up for the years of darkness she lived in."

"I'm aware." Frederick only smiled in response. "I'm much more prepared than you think."

"No, you just don't know how unaware of it you are." The mirror argued. "Not that it matters, I know you're going to go to her as soon as it happens."

"At least you know that."

"I've told you the practical and wise decision for months now, but you simply refuse to listen to logic and choose the path of love." He practically gagged at the word love. "I shall never understand you humans."

"Probably a good thing." Frederick noted. "You'd go insane trying to understand us."

"I'm aware." He droned. "You'll want to stop in this area."

On either side of him there was nothing but rocks and trees reaching for the sky and they were relatively protected from any thieves that could possibly be lurking in the forest. "Nothing will happen to the wagon while you're here." The Mirror explained.

Frederick took the reins of the horse and tied them carefully on sturdy low hanging branches. "That way the beast can rest while you go get her." The Mirror sighed. "She'll more than likely be young again and will be an emotional baggage burden for you."

His brow furrowed, "Young again?"

"Right, you haven't seen the old hag she's been this summer." The Mirror chuckled. "I should have shown you that, that definitely would have turned your love away from her."

"Mirror."

"Right." He sounded disappointed. "Well, I'll explain this once because as soon as I finish explaining things to you, I will disappear from this Realm, so listen carefully."

There was a tiny cracking sound Frederick could hear. He turned to the horse to see if it had moved, but it stood still. "What?" Frederick blinked. It should be music to his ears, and though their relationship of retaining information was odd and useful, he was somewhat downtrodden that the Mirror would just disappear.

"As soon as Adam has killed her failure of perfection and Snow White has taken a bite of the cursed apple, terrible things are going to happen to her." The Mirror explained without missing a beat. "Once Snow White has taken a bite of the apple and has fallen asleep, The Queen will start to regain her youth and shed away her hideous appearance."

Frederick noticed that the cracking sound was getting louder and that obvious cracks were appearing on the face of the compact mirror.

"She will regain the smallest fraction of magic power to continue to reverse her age." The Mirror didn't acknowledge it and just continued to speak. "However, as soon as her abominable creature has been destroyed, the creature will take half of the years of punishment she is supposed to suffer and whatever lifespan she was supposed to have will be returned to her. The coast of her life is the loss of her magic ability. The only magic that will last will be your blood oath the two of you shared so many years ago because that resides in you."

"In me?" He blinked.

"Yes." The Mirror didn't blink as his face was becoming distorted through all the breaks in the glass. "Once her magic has been sapped away from her and the creature returns to the earth she will wallow in immense pain and could be disoriented. She'll be weak and if you want to take her while she's quiet it would be the most opportune moment because knowing her, she'll try to push you away again."

"She won't have a choice." Frederick confirmed.

"Good, stay strong." The Mirror nodded approvingly. "As soon as you get her, do not waste time and get her as far away from here as possible. Depending on Adam's condition, especially if he was successful in the transfer spell –"

"Transfer spell?"

"To rid his body of the poisons." The Mirror summarized irritably. "Do not concern yourself with the boy. Your mission will be to get Grimhilde out of the country because if Adam is in a fury, he will seek her out to destroy her. If you do not take her away from here as soon as you see her, I have no idea what future will hold for you."

Frederick nodded his head in understanding and the Mirror's face was slowly dissipating from the screen. "She'll probably be furious that I won't be showing up." The Mirror chuckled. "I'm proud she was able to overcome this, even if we did have to trick her. Take care of her, Frederick. Though I don't like you nor understand you, I do hope you find happiness and I think I can say that I'm glad that I befriended you."

For the one and only time in the entire existence of the Mirror, Frederick saw him genuinely and sincerely smile at him as the glass continued to crack. "Now, go, save your queen."

With that as his final words, the mirror shattered and a nasty black smoke came from it the now empty sockets. Closing the compact mirror, Frederick slipped it back into its pocket and held it there. For a few moments Frederick wondered if they were friends in the ends.

A gargled scream echoed in the distance and Frederick held back a curse as he forced himself to run. He knew, even from here, where the Dwarves' cottages were, but he had no idea which direction Hilde would run to. The chill in the air bit at his lungs and his sweat clung to his body and kept him warm as he ran and ran and ran blindly through the forest. He stopped for only a moment to listen to any noises in the forest when the terrible sound of someone vomiting followed by a woman's screech went out in the air.

His entire being threw itself in the direction of the terrible noises, up, up, up the steep hill until he saw a beautiful head of black hair and bewitching green eyes. She was propped up against a tree, wiping her mouth furiously to remove it, but left a blackish purple blue residue that looked as though her mouth were terribly bruised. She looked just as beautiful as the day she banished him. He stood at the bottom of the steep hill and could see her, but she couldn't see him.

"Mirror." He heard her call. "Magic Mirror, I summon thee to me!"

However, there was silence and Frederick held his breath. The Mirror had said this would happen, but he still had the smallest doubt that she would have succeeded to summon him. As she grew more and more frustrated though, he knew that her magic was gone. The only remnant of magic that remained with them was the blood bond, simply because that resided in him.

"So, you betrayed me too, in the end?" Her voice had gone weak, and he could almost hear fear in her voice and the tears brimming in her eyes. Not wasting a moment longer, Frederick climbed the hill, slow and steady so as not to alarm her and just like the day he had first met her when they were children, he stood entranced by her beauty. Though she sat with the compact in her hand as the only means of a weapon, ready to throw it if necessary, completely swallowed in a black cloak, he could see a feral look in those green eyes and he could only stare at her.

Though still cloaked in a black cloak, it was his Hilde that sat there staring at him. Her eyes were wide, almost fearing to blink in case he should disappear. There was such a hope, such a life in her eyes, but it was soon clouded by something deep within her.

"No . . ." Her voice was a mere whisper of mortification as she pressed herself against the tree, as if trying to run from him.

"Hilde." He was ready to run towards her, but he resisted so she wouldn't run from him. She closed her eyes tight and he took the chance to carefully approach.

"Go away!" She threw the mirror and tried to hide herself in her cloak. He paused for only a moment to pick up the compact mirror and slide it into the same breast pocket as the other.

"You're not supposed to be in Apfel!" She called from beneath her cloak.

He nodded as he approached her still. "I'm not."

"I banished you." She pulled her cloak tightly over her head. "You betrayed me!"

"Never once." He stood before her, his own heart pounding in his chest as he looked down at her.

"You aren't supposed to be here. . ." He could hear her resistance growing weaker.

"Yes I am." He squatted down beside her, entrapping her to her place in the tree.

She shook her head. "No."

"Hilde." His voice felt dry as he pleaded to see her. "Hilde, please let me see you. . ."

"No." She choked. "I . . .I don't deserve to see you. . ."

"Well, I deserve to see you." He gently placed a hand on her head and hooked his thumb under her hood.

"No!" She tried to hold onto her hood, but he pulled it free and could clearly see her face. Those green eyes were staring into his eyes, all of her emotions exposed. Joy, fear, love, hate, guilt, shame, but most of all a sad sort of relief. Her hands reached up roughly and tried to push him away, but he merely grabbed her wrists in one hand and his other hand traced her face. Her cheek fit perfectly in his hand again.

"Hilde." He could cry from happiness.

"S-Stop." She shook her head, tears threatening to form.

"My Hilde. . ." He pulled her head towards him and wrapped her up in the biggest hug. She froze entirely and just allowed him to hug her, pressing her as closely to him as humanly possible, enjoying the feel of having her in his arms again. He knew she was terrified and more than likely wanted nothing more than to run away from him, but he wouldn't let her run away ever again.

"What are you doing?" She asked ever so quietly as if scared he would actually hear her.

"Hugging you." He locked his arms around her so she wouldn't try to run away from him or push him away again.

"Why?" She asked simply.

"Because I've missed you." He kept his hand on her head and wouldn't allow her to move. He was almost scared that if he blinked she would change again.

"It's only been a few months." She tried to pick a fight and he couldn't resist the smile that formed on his face.

"No." He pulled back and held her head in his hands. "No, Hilde, it's been years since I've seen My Hilde."

"W-What. . ." She gently shook her head and those beautiful green eyes brimmed with tears.

"Ever since we came to Apfel – no, ever since you found that terrible Grimoire." He hoped that his words reached her somehow. "You have never been the same. You were hidden in these terrible layers of just pure. . . darkness. You became the Evil Queen."

"I had to." She tried to glare at him.

"No, you never had to." He shook his head at her, tucking a stray hair behind her ear. "You chose to do that." Despite my arguments to you . . .

"There was no one that could help me." She tried to pry his hands away from her head, but he only held her firmer, still gently, but wouldn't allow her to move.

"No, you just wouldn't let me help you." His voice cracked and his eyes burned.

"There's no point if I can do it myself." She frowned weakly at him. "You. . .You should go."

"Why?" Not that he was going to now or ever in the future.

"Grünes will be here any minute."

"No, he won't." He shook his head.

"You don't know that!" She tried to push herself away from him again.

"But . . . I do." His hands slid down to her shoulders. "Adam has more than likely finished him off by now. I know because of the black bile that you've vomited and. . . and because the Mirror told me. . ."

"That's impossible. . ." She shook her head in disbelief. "No, I couldn't conjure him up, that meant you couldn't – "

"Have you forgotten about our blood oath and bond already?" He asked sadly.

"I broke it!" She stared at him with wide green eyes.

"You cut a few strings in my heart, yes." He admitted with a snort. "But you alone did not break the blood oath, Hilde. That would have killed you if it had."

"You spoke to the Mirror?" She repeated in disbelief.

"Yes, Hilde, I spoke with the Mirror." He nodded with a sigh and his hands slid down to her elbows. "Ever since we came to Apfel, Hilde, all those years ago, the Mirror and I have been trying to get you to break ties with the Grimoire and the Dark Arts."

"No. . ." She shook her head, eyes reflecting hurt and disbelief. "No, you couldn't have. The Mirror was mine –"

"Yours since you created his Mirror, but since you and I shared an oath I could converse with him freely." He watched her clench her jaw. "Even the Mirror you did not truly have the heart to bear the evils of the Dark Arts, nor the true strength to do so."

"Lies!"

"No, Hilde." His hands cupped her face. "I became your sword to try to take some of the burden from you, and in turn the Mirror played his cards of sucking you deeper into Darkness."

Her brow furrowed, "Then how were you working together?"

"On one of those journeys you forced me to go on, to force me to leave, I assume." He explained hating to remember these thoughts. "I came across a man who the Mirror claimed to be acquaintances with. Called himself Mr. V and in a roundabout way told me that the Mirror had told him my troubles and woes and that I wanted my Hilde back. So he and I struck a deal." Funny thing was that he never saw Mr. V since.

"You what?"

"For finding a way of breaking you from the Darkness you tried to bind yourself with, he offered me what he called an interference piece for our story." His own brow furrowed as he explained. "So, he sent Adam –"

"Adam?"

"Yes." Frederick nodded his head. "He sent Adam here for his own tests of sorts, and he was the interference piece to prevent you from killing Snow White."

"But I did." She shook her head in argument. "She bit my poisoned apple!"

"Which only put her in a deep sleep." Frederick pointed out. "And her sleep can be broken by a true love's first kiss."

"But Adam can't kiss her!" She argued.

"You don't know that." Frederick smirked knowing that Adam would be successful and watched the angry tears fell from her face.

"So, then I'll lose my youth?" She sniffled and her hands went to her face to cover her nose.

"Is that what you're really worried about?" He frowned at her. He expected so much more from her than that.

"No. . ." She shook her head. "But you would see me as an old woman –"

"In time yes, but not any time soon, Hilde." His thumbs wiped away her tears from her eyes. "I do hope to grow old together with you."

Those green eyes blinked and her low lip quivered as tears began to fall down her porcelain skin.

"But I used all of my magic to create the apple. . . " She was trying to reason all of this. "A-A-And the Mirror said that I would get my powers back!"

"That was a ruse to get you to finish using up the darkness." Frederick explained. "You used the rest of your Dark Magic to create the apple, yes, but it was part of the way to convince you to burn the Grimoire and destroy the Mirror."

"Why?" Her shoulders fell.

"Because the only way to rid you of the Dark Arts was to have you, who started in it, finish it." He bit his lip in frustration. He would have done anything to have fixed this all sooner, to prevent so many terrible years of damage to them and everyone else around them.

"That was what Mr. V had explained to me, and though the Mirror and I tried countless times before to convince you, you just allowed whatever Darkness within you to prevent yourself from listening to either of us; especially me. You turned cold to me, Hilde –"

Suddenly another cry echoed throughout the forest and Frederick grimaced. It was men screaming. Adam had finally made it back to the cottages and he would be ready for his hunt far too soon. Frederick grabbed her hand and helped pull herself to her feet.

"We've spent too much time here." He sighed, silently praying to escape the Dark Forest. "Come on, Hilde, we've gotta get going. I can explain on the way - "

"Go?" She blinked away her tears. "Go where?"

"A lot has happened these past few months." He smirked at her and squeezed her hands and gently eased her into walking. "I've become a blacksmith and have my marks for the trade and I've already set plans for the next city over. I can't give you the life of a Queen that you once had, but I can give you a life of happiness that you've nearly forgotten."

Doing his best to remember the chaotic path he took to find Hilde, Frederick carefully guided Hilde down to the base of a mountain at a pass where a horse was tied to a tree branch waiting patiently. Frederick was glad that this horse had remained here and that nothing had happened in his absence. There was no telling what things would happen once the absence of Queen Grimhilde would arise.

As soon as they were at the horse, he picked her up by her waist and set her the seat; he was surprised that she didn't fight him and limply allowed him to do as he pleased. He untied the reins and slid into the seat beside her and gave a gentle flick to the reins.

"Why are you doing this?" She whispered as the horse started to walk.

"Because I'm saving you." He kept his gaze straight ahead. "I'm very late in doing so, but I'm saving you now."

"How?" Her voice wobbled. "I was terrible to you! You should be sending me off to Adam now so he can plunge his sword into me."

"I know you were terrible to me." He acknowledged but still didn't look at her. "I am far from blind to that. I know of the sins you've committed, and the ones I committed for you. And though you and I will both be suffering the consequences of our actions one day; I'd prefer it not to be today."

There was so much pain and anguish that they had sewn, and they would reap them in time. He felt terribly guilty to both Snow White and Adam. He hoped and prayed that the two of them would have a happy ending, they actually deserved one unlike the two escapees. Whatever nightmare awaited them they would have deserved, but all that mattered now was that he had his Hilde back and if they were to suffer, they would suffer together.

"Besides, whatever you think, I'm still your knight, and I intend to protect my queen." He looked down at her. "If I were to let Adam kill you now, I would never forgive myself and would live in a world of hate. . . And despite what you may or may not believe, I've already forgiven you."

"How?" She demanded with a terrible crying face. "What I've done has been unforgivable!"

"I know." He nodded his head in agreement. "Call me a fool if you want, but my love for you is strong enough to carry us both through the harsh storms we're bound to suffer from. I can forgive you because I know that you'll never forgive yourself."

He hated that wording, but he knew that as she regained her conscience and realized just how badly she would burn for her terrible crimes, she would never forgive herself. He had enabled her far too many times and didn't stop her when he should have so he could forgive her because he could not forgive himself for allowing her to become the Evil Queen.

"You're a fool . . ." Those words just made him smile.

Her hand covered her mouth to try to stifle the terrible sniffling as tears would not stop flowing from her eyes. His arm slid around her shoulders and pulled her close and for once, Hilde did not reject him. He pressed his lips to her forehead, and she rested her head on his shoulder. His heart fluttered at the gesture and though he knew that the world ahead of them would be difficult, he wanted to savor this moment of small happiness of getting his Hilde back again.

He only hoped that Adam would forgive him, because no matter where he went or where he searched, he would never be able to find them. But if he had succeeded in truly ridding himself of the cursed poisons in his body, he would have no need to find them.


Author's Note:

Thank you so much for reading, I hope you've been enjoying the story!

So, I acknowledge and realize that this was a really long chapter. I also am aware that this is roughly the same bits just in different point of views, but no matter how many different ways I wrote this, the story demanded it. It just wanted Frederick and Hilde to see each other in their different perspectives.

This was also a rather conflicting chapter for me to write, simply because I wanted to find some sort of way of making Grimhilde suffer. And before you all really get mad or upset that they are getting a happy ending after everything that happened, I want to just say that the happy ending was for Frederick, not Hilde.

Hilde had done terrible things and she will in time, alongside Frederick, will suffer from it. The only way I could truly make her suffer, though, was to take away her magic as well as allow Frederick to forgive her. I had originally written this where Frederick finds her, tells her how much he loved her, and leaves her to suffer and bear the world alone; but that wasn't Frederick's personality at all. T^T

He's simply too good, and despite what many of you think, there are genuinely good people like this out in the world. They are anomalies, yes, but they do exist and truly deserve so much better than what they get. However, Frederick was able to regain the woman he truly loved, so any other ending just wouldn't have been happy for him.

Now that I have left a long note, please leave a review and tell me what you think.

Thanks so much for coming along the journey with me, stay tuned for more!

Ko-fi/SarahtheWriter.