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Chapter 2: Troll Bridge
Being a spirit would have been so much easier if he knew everything. But, being omniscient did not appear to be an option for James. So, the only thing he could do right now was sit and watch as the carriage holding his brother and Abigail made its way through the forest. The dark-haired woman he saw from before was following the carriage, but James ignored that for the moment. He was more concerned with learning how David and Abigail were able to interact with one another.
"What do you think of the view, my dear?" David asked.
Abigail sighed, looking out the window. "I've seen better. This is taking forever. I told you the Troll Road would've been quicker. And far less bumpy." David was looking out the window, almost as if he was not listening to the woman. "Are you even listening to me?" she asked.
"Yes, of course I am," David nodded.
James doubted that he was really listening to Abigail. He didn't seem all that interested in what she had to say. A merger between Midas's kingdom and theirs was sure to lead to a loveless marriage.
"Whoa, whoa!" the driver of the carriage called out.
"Now what?" Abigail grumbled.
The carriage jerked to a stop and David quickly stepped out to investigate the situation. James followed his brother, wondering what could have happened to cause a delay in the journey. Upon stepping out there, James could see that there was a tree lying in the path the carriage was traveling. "Worry not – it's but a fallen tree. Fellas? Shall we?" he questioned, looking at a few of the guards.
David started examining the base of the tree. James looked as well, but he found that he could not tell what was going on. Not from where he stood. "My Lord? What is it?" one of the guards asked.
David pressed a hand to the base of the tree, running his fingers over where the tree's base now ended. "These markings. This tree didn't fall – it's been cut. It's an ambush," he realized.
Not long after those words were uttered, a scream could be heard from the carriage and David hurried back with the guards on his heels. "Sir!" the guards yelled. James could see someone running away from the carriage. Could it have been the woman who was standing in the trees?
"Guards! Stop, thief! Help me!" Abigail yelled.
Upon mounting one of the horses, David chased after the thief, intending on getting his things back. Apparently, there was a bag sitting in the carriage, one that was no longer there. It took some time, but David was able to catch up to the thief, tackling this person to the ground. "Show your face, you coward!" He was surprised to realize, of course, that he was looking at a young woman. "You're…a girl."
"Woman," she – the woman from the trees – corrected.
Honestly, David should have known better. But, there was a tone to his brother's voice that did not seem right. It seemed out of place. Ever since the carriage left Father's kingdom, James could tell that his brother was not in a very good place. David was living a life that he did not want. Why, it was a life that even James would not have wanted. It was David who had to go through this though. David who resigned himself to this fate; to never living his life the way that he wanted.
While David seemed lost in thought, the young woman grabbed a nearby rock and threw it at David. She mounted her horse and hurried away (heading deeper into the forest) as David recovered from the shot. "You can't hide from me! Wherever you are, I will find you!" David yelled.
Rather than heading back to the carriage, David headed deeper into the forest. It seemed as if his brother was intent on getting his stolen property back. James wasn't sure why as he watched David set the trap for his mysterious female bandit. The spirit accepted that he was never going to know his brother as well as he should have. But, this seemed to be more than that. Although, James was certain that it had nothing to do with Abigail. To the outside observer, it might; however, James saw through that charade. He saw how David interacted with Mother, not to mention what he said he wanted when it came to romance. No, this wasn't about Abigail. It couldn't be.
David lay in wait for the bandit. Not wanting to do the same, James floated over to watch the bandit; she started collecting several items and placed them in a bag. A necklace containing a small bottle was placed around her neck before slinging the bag over her shoulder and heading outside. The bandit did not walk too far before was caught up in David's net. His brother revealed himself, laughing harshly at her plight. Now that sounded nothing like his brother. What in the world was going on? "I told you I'd find you. No matter what you do, I will always find you."
"Is this the only way you can catch a woman? By entrapping her?" she asked.
"It's the only way to catch thieving scum," David countered.
"Aren't you a real prince charming?" she snarled.
"I have a name, you know," David said.
From her place in the net, the bandit shrugged. "Don't care. Charming suits you." This woman was interesting. Far more interesting than Abigail ever was. "Now cut me down, Charming."
David, however, had no intention of doing as the bandit asked of him. Not until he got what he wanted. "I'll release you, when you return the leather pouch you stole with my jewels," David insisted.
"Not the jewelry type," the bandit said.
"Indeed. I noticed," David retorted.
"What is that supposed to mean? Are you insulting me?" she demanded.
"No, quite right," David nodded. He scoffed. "My apologies. How dare I cast aspersions at the person who robbed me? Where are my jewels?" There was that tone again. What was going on?
"I sold them," she answered.
"What?" David exclaimed.
She sold them. That didn't mean much to James. It wasn't as if there wasn't more treasure back home. Or that he would even need it. "What do you care?" the young woman demanded. "Don't you have a palace full of treasures somewhere?" Precisely. There was no reason for David to become this angry when all of it could easily be replaced. This made no sense.
"These were special," David informed her harshly. "Among them was a ring that belonged to my mother. A ring I was about to give —" David didn't need to finish his sentence. James suddenly began to understand why David would go after this bandit. He was trying to get the ring back. It was the only reminder he had of his mother, now that Father was forcing David to marry Abigail.
"The nag with the bad attitude? That's what this is about?" she asked.
"She's my fiancée," David defended.
The bandit scoffed upon hearing that bit of news. "Good luck with that. You must be getting something impressive to have agreed to that union," she countered, glaring down at David.
"Excuse me?" David demanded.
"I know how this works," the bandit said. "True love? It doesn't exist. It's all arranged marriages and business transactions. There's no such thing as love at first sight or first kiss. Let me guess – her kingdom wants to take over yours and this is, what, a last ditch effort to avoid war?"
"This is not a takeover," David argued. That was true. There was no way that it could be a takeover. "It's a merger, and quite frankly, it's none of your business. Now, this is what's going to happen."
"Mmhmm?" the bandit asked.
He was making a deal with the bandit. What caused that? James surely would have left her there. But, David was not his brother. He was more kind-hearted than James. "I'm going to cut you down and you will take me to whoever has my jewels and then, you're going to get my ring back."
"Mm-mm. Why would I do that?" she asked.
"Because you don't want me to tell anyone who you really are," David said. He pulled something out of his pocket, something that James had not seen his brother pick up. Wondering what was going on, James looked at the paper. It was a wanted poster for the young woman that was currently trapped in the net. "Snow White." So that was her name. "Help me get my ring back, or I turn you over to the Queen's forces. And I have a feeling the Queen's not as charming as I am."
"Well, I wouldn't want to stand in the way of your getting true love," she grumbled. Sow White was the second person to call Abigail David's true love. But, was that true? Or, was it someone else?
David ignored her and cut Snow White down.
James followed his brother and Snow White. They were traveling in another part of the forest – away from where the carriage had been stopped. The trip was mostly made in silence, though David tried to make conversation. "I thought you weren't the jewelry type. What's that around your neck?" David asked.
"Don't worry about it," Snow White huffed.
David took the necklace off of Snow White and attempted to get a better look at it. The bottle James saw from before. That's what it was. But, why was that so significant to the young woman. What was she trying to do? The name Snow White; James vaguely recalled it. Mostly because of the stories that reached him and Father. He didn't remember what a lot of them were, only that there was a lot of death. Snow's mother, Queen Eva, died when she was a girl. Her father, King Leopold, died when she was nearly an adult and the princess disappeared when Queen Regina took over.
"Careful! It's a weapon," Snow White warned.
"Dust? What kind of weapon is dust?" David asked.
"Fairy dust," she answered.
"I thought that was a good thing?" David argued.
"When it comes from a good fairy," Snow White nodded. She pointed to the bottle. "This stuff? Is deadly. It transforms the most fearsome of adversaries into a form that's easily squashed."
"Then why didn't you use it on me?" David asked.
Snow White snatched the bottle away from David and put it back around her neck. "Cause you're not worth it. It's very hard to come by. I'm saving it for a special someone," she said.
"Ah, the Queen. You got a lot of anger there, don't you, Snow?" he asked.
"The charges on her posters are lies," Snow White grumbled, not bothering to look at David as they walked down the path. "It didn't stop her from sending her huntsman to rip out my heart."
"What happened?" David asked.
"Well, not everyone is a soulless royal," Snow White answered. Her tone seemed to change. "He took pity on me and let me go. I've been hiding in the forest ever since. Trying to amass enough fortune to leave this place. Escape to another realm. Somewhere isolated. Where I can never be hurt."
"Sounds lonely," David observed.
"No lonelier than an arranged marriage," she countered.
"At least I don't prey on the innocent," David accused.
Snow White sighed, looking at him. "Up until now, I've only ever stolen from the Queen," the young woman explained. "I thought your carriage was one of hers. No one else ever uses that road."
"I took the scenic route," David shrugged.
Snow White seemed to accept this. James, however, did not. He still didn't understand why his brother would willing choose to spend more time with Abigail. Not when he did not love her. "Well, lucky for me. All I'm doing, Charming, is what it takes to survive. She wants me dead."
"So, what did you do to incur that much wrath?" David asked.
"She blames me for ruining her life," Snow White said.
"Did you?" he asked her.
"Yes," the young woman nodded.
Their trek through the forest continued for some time, at least until the pair arrived at a river. Snow White looked at it appraisingly. "I'm thirsty. May I?" she asked, gesturing towards the bank.
"Sure. Make it quick," David shrugged.
Each of them took a drink from the river. However, as soon as David turned his back, Snow White hit him and pushed the prince into the water. She started digging through the bag, grabbing the empty pouch before running off. "What does she think she's doing?" James grumbled. The last thing that Snow White should be doing was running off like that. Not considering her fugitive status.
"Damn it!" David grumbled. "What does she think she's doing?"
Upon realizing that Snow White was nowhere to be found, David meandered through the forest in search of the woman. It took some time, but she was finally found near the edge of the road, two guards cornering her up against a tree. "Hold her still," one guard ordered of the other guard.
A dagger could be seen raised above Snow White's chest. However, before the attack could be launched, David came to her rescue. He threw a knife into the guard's back. As the guard collapsed, David drew his sword and emerged from behind a tree to fight with the other guard.
Suspecting that his brother would not have much trouble dispatching the guard – it was nothing compared to what he did to the dragon – James kept an eye on Snow White. She was running towards the fallen guard's horse, which held a weapon she could use. Before it could be grabbed, however; another guard on horseback and grabbed hold of her. That was when David finished his battle and saw what was happening to Snow White. All it took was an arrow to the guard and Snow White was no longer in any danger from the Queen's guards. Well, James certainly hoped so.
"Are you alright?" David asked.
"You… You saved me," Snow White realized.
James was not surprised by this development. David was the type of person who would stop to help a damsel-in-distress, no matter what the situation. Even when there was nothing in it for him. When the young woman had only recently attacked him. It was very different from what James would have done. Yet another difference between the two brothers. "Seemed like the honorable thing to do," David replied. He looked at the young woman cautiously. "Are you ready?"
"For what?" Snow White asked.
"My jewels," David answered.
The young woman looked at him in surprise. Like she had been shocked by his words. "Right, you've got a wedding to get to," she remembered, attempting to shake things off. Well, that was certainly…odd. "The trolls I sold them to are just beyond the next ridge. We need to be careful."
"What? Of trolls?" David prompted.
"You've clearly never met one," she murmured.
"Aren't they just little people?" David asked.
There was the part of his brother that thought like a shepherd. If David was the one to grow up as a prince, he surely would have known the difference between the two. "You're thinking of dwarves. Show a little respect. They'll cut your hand off sooner than they'll shake it."
"Well, then let's get this over with," David said.
"Yes, we've both got places to be," Snow White agreed. "So, let's go."
"You have your lonely little corner of solitude to find," David realized.
"And you have a ringless fiancée to appease," Snow White nodded.
As David and Snow White went to commandeer the guards' horses, James could only worry about what his brother was going to run into. Trolls were not as big of threats as dragons; however, it was hardly something that David should be dealing with. He should have been allowed to live his own life. Doesn't sound like that is ever going to happen, James realized. As much as James wanted his brother to be safe, there was always going to be danger. And, David would be right in the thick of it.
The pair continued riding until they came to a bridge. That was when Snow White gave a rather curious order. "Off the horse," she told David while dismounting herself. At David's curious look, the young woman explained. "Trolls don't like horses. We walk from here. Follow me and keep quiet."
"Where are they?" David asked.
"Oh, they're here," she assured him. The dark-haired woman left a pile of gold coins on the edge of the bridge. David seemed startled at the sight of several trolls climbing up the side of the bridge in order to confront them. Before David could attack, Snow White held him back. "It's fine. I know them."
"Why're you here? I thought we were done," the troll growled.
"I want to make another trade," Snow White answered.
"I'm not talking in front of him," the troll said, pointing at David. James's eyes narrowed. That was the last thing David needed. Especially when it came to getting that ring back. "Who is this guy?"
"No, he's with me," Snow White insisted.
"Oh, that's good. With you. That makes it all fine," the troll said.
As far as James was concerned, it was a small price for his brother to pay; to be accused of being a couple by a troll simply in order to get the ring back. It was his mother's ring. Of course David would attempt to get it back. He didn't care what it took. James might not be inside his brother's head, but he knew that David would do anything to retrieve his mother's ring. That much was clear.
"He's no one," she insisted. "Look, I want to buy back the jewels I sold you."
"Who is he?" the troll demanded to know.
Understandably so, it was not a question Snow White wished to answer. "I said don't worry about it. Look, I'll give you back all your money. Just give me the ring. You can keep everything else."
A second troll took the pouch and handed it over to David. He took it gratefully from the troll. "Thank you," David said, tucking the pouch away so it couldn't be stolen again. "We appreciate the help."
"He's too eager. This is a setup," the troll stated.
"It's not!" Snow White insisted.
"He's a royal!" the troll exclaimed.
Not wanting to give away the treasure, one of the trolls grabbed hold of Snow White. David unsheathed his sword and pointed the blade at the pair of ugly beasts. "Let her go!" he ordered
"No!" Snow White yelled. "You can trust me. Look, you can trust me. If I wanted to set you up, I would have done it the first time." That sounded true enough. But, would they be willing to listen?
"The time for dealing is done," the troll said. "Seize him!"
The trolls started checking David's bag for anything of value. They took the necklace of fairy dust and threw it aside, not finding it to be anything important. That could be a grave mistake on their part. What they did find, of course, was the wanted poster for Snow White. As soon as the trolls realized what was going on, the trolls began making plans. "Snow White. Quite a reward. Take her."
Before the trolls could do anything, David pulled his sword off the ground and started attacking the trolls. Snow White was able to get away and David called out to her. "Go! I'm right behind you."
Snow White ran, but not before grabbing the fairy dust on the way. She was running off in the distance as David fought the trolls off. He even managed to kick one of them off the bridge. That was when David was tripped and dragged back, ready to kill him. Not that James could do much to help his brother. All he could do was as they attempted to get rid of David for good.
"Royal blood is the sweetest of all," the troll declared.
That was the last thing that ever came out of the troll's mouth. All the trolls were turned into bugs. Snow White used the fairy dust in order to save him. David turned to look at her. "You… You saved me."
"It's the honorable thing to do," Snow White returned.
"What about your special someone?" David asked.
"I'll think of something else," she replied.
"Thank you," he said.
"Anyway, how could I let Prince Charming die?" she grinned.
"I told you – I have a name. It's James," David said.
James winced. Even Snow White had to be given the false identity. She was not permitted to know that it was really David who came to save her. That was incredibly unfortunate. Mostly because of one thing, something that James was unsure would have any impact on either Snow White or David. Speaking of Snow White, the dark-haired young woman reacted to the name: "It's nice to meet you, James. We should go. There may be more of them coming."
As the pair headed back towards the carriage – back towards Abigail and the guards – David handed Snow White the pouch containing the gold. "So… Well, you probably want this," David said.
"Right, the gold. Thank you," she said. "And, um, you can't get married without this." She handed him the pouch containing the jewels and his mother's ring. David took the ring out to look at it.
"Ah. I know – not your style," David recalled.
"Well, there's only one way to find out," she decided, taking the ring. For a moment, the young woman tried the ring on. "Yeah, not me at all. I'm sure your fiancée will love it." She handed it back.
"Yeah," David nodded. He looked at Snow White with sad eyes. "Yeah, if you need more, you can have the rest. The ring is all I require." And that was only because it belonged to his mother.
"Oh, no. I'm good, thanks. We both got what we wanted," she said.
David nodded. He seemed almost saddened to be going back to the carriage – back to Abigail. "Well, wherever you're going, be careful. If… If you need anything —" the young man started.
James could see something between the pair. During the brief time in which spent together, recovering the ring that Snow White initially sold to the trolls, there appeared to be something between them. He wasn't sure why it existed at all, but there was something there, something that did not exist between David and Abigail. It couldn't, not that Father or Midas could see that.
"You'll find me," Snow White nodded.
"Always," David confirmed.
"I almost believe that," Snow White said.
"Well, goodbye, Snow White," David replied.
"Goodbye, Prince Charming," Snow White grinned.
"I told you – it's James," David admonished.
"Nah, still like Charming better," she countered.
That was when they went their separate ways.
Author's Note: This chapter wasn't meant to be what it is, but I didn't see writing it any other way. The next chapter is going to be less dialogue-heavy; offering snippets of what happens in the Enchanted Forest after the events of Snow Falls up through when the curse is enacted. Then we'll finally get to Emma and how her childhood will be altered by James's presence.