I'm sorry for the long time, I've been completely blocked at this story for a long time, which is extremely frustrating! I have posted another story though, The Bourne Cross in the Bourne Series. Try it, maybe you can even give me some reviews, which is of course always appreciated!

Enjoy this chapter!

Love, Lily

X

It seems like the Healer recognises the Queen immediately. Of course, Snow is the Queen, but Eric knows from experience that news comes slow in this town.
"Life itself...!" the Healer mumbles, and her face lights up with hope. "Queen Snow is what we've been looking for for centuries!"

Eric creases his brows, but leaves her at her work. Muir waddled around the table, grinning widely. "Just like I suspected. This is the One who ended the reign of Queen Ravenna."

The Healer hisses between her teeth. This confuses Eric. It sounds like she is angry, but her face looks like she's happy. "Welcome in my world, My Queen. Do not worry, you are safe here, I will take care of you." Snow only groans. The Healer starts looking at Snow's face, hands and probing certain pressure points on her body; her feet, her hands, her neck, her forehead. "Fascinating."

"What?" Eric steps forward and stares at the Healer, trying to stare a bit of information out of her. "What is fascinating?"

"Well, whatever is happening to her," she starts explaining, rubbing her chin in wonder, "is pulling her out of this Realm. Or reality, whatever you like to call it. Her body remains here, but her mind is fading away. The Indians believe that a person has seven chakras, puddles of energy so to speak. The puddle of energy in her heart, called Anahata, the Heart Chakra, is being opacified and closed by some kind of power. Some kind of Magic, even."

Eric shakes his head. Chakras? What is she talking about? "Sahila, what are you talking about?"

"Eric, you know where I grew up. I've been brought up with the knowledge of other religions. Your God isn't their God. They believe in reincarnation, for one thing. But they believe, and it's what I believe, and it is what is happening to your Queen, that our puddles can be drained by some kind of magic. And in this case it is her heart chakra, followed by the rest of them. Her heart chakra is positioned at her heart, and the emotion that represents it, is Sorrow. The heart chakra stands for love, kindness and affection."

Muir and Eric chuckle at the same time. "That is her strongest side, most definitely."

Sahila smiles and nods. "And it is exactly why this magic is weakening her. It is her strongest side, but also her greatest weakness once someone gets in."

"How does one get in?" asks Muir, sitting down on a chair he has been offered by Sahila. Eric edges closer to the table where Snow is lying, and he takes her hand. She rolls her head from side to side, and she is moaning. It is like she is dreaming, but her eyes are wide open and tears are spilling over her cheeks. She is afraid, seriously afraid of her life.

"We have to hurry."
Sahila turns back and puts a hand over Snow's heart. "I will try to slow the progress, so that I can find a possible cure." She starts mumbling and after a few minutes, Snow starts trembling.

"What are you doing?!" shouts Eric. "Sahila!"

"Amor, Benignitas, Affectione, tres simul, tres aperto." She keeps repeating those last four words, and Eric has no idea what it means.
Snow starts thrashing around, moaning heavily. "Blood…no…no, don't take me. Imo ne me tibi!"

"What is she saying?"

Sahila doesn't answer, her nose is bleeding heavily, and her body is trembling as well. "Suscípiet eam, suscípiet eam!"

And then Snow quiets down, her eyes close and her breath calms to an almost normal level. Eric looks up to Sahila, whose face is covered in her own blood right now, and her eyes are fluttering. "Sahila?" he asks worried.

"I'm fine. Just…let me catch my breath." Sahila leans heavily on the table and she gaps. Muir stands up and puts a hand on her elbow, that's about as far as he can reach.

"Are you alright, Lady Sahila?"

Sahila snickers. "Lady? I've never been called a lady before. Thank you, Muir, that was very kind of you."

Muir bows his head and then puts a hand on Snow's forehead. "Anyone helping my Queen is a friend of mine."

"She is going to be alright for now. She won't wake, though. The spell I've put her under is a heavy one, and it can only work if the rest of her brain and heart is not busy keeping her awake and conscious. In the mean time, I can explain to you a bit more about the chakra's. Her main chakra, the heart chakra, is being blocked by something or someone." She starts pointing out certain areas of Snow's body. Her crown, her forehead, her throat, her heart, her navel, her sacrum and her lower back. "All of her chakra's are starting to go out of balance now, getting closed off, making her soul, her essence, fade out of this Realm. It has already begun. It started at her heart chakra, which made her grow ill. The rest is starting to close top to bottom, starting at the Sahasrara, her crown chakra and going all the way to the Muladhara, her root chakra. Four out of seven are already closed. If the other three close, too, it's over. We have to find a way to open those chakra's."

It all sounds very unbelievable to Eric. "Alright. Let's say, for the sake of argument, that I do believe – and understand – all of this. How does one get into the chakra's?" asks Eric, still a little confused on that part of the story.

"Spells. Black Magic. Can have multiple reasons. We have to find out what that is." Sahila sighs deeply and sits down on a stool next to the table with Snow on it. "I'm going to concentrate now, I do not want any interruptions. Any, Eric, do you understand?"

She knows him too well. Eric smirks and nods. "I do, Sahila. I'm sorry."

Muir rises and comes next to Eric. "How do you know Sahila?"

Eric sits himself down on the floor and starts telling, while staring intently at Snow and the Healer. "Sahila was my mother's sister. She was there for me when my mother wasn't, after my mother died. She took me in, took care of me. She knows everything about me. You could say she is my mother."

Muir stares into the distance, nodding his head understanding. "Your mother…was she…" He stops, then tries again. "What kind of a woman was she?"

This is a subject he really does not want to touch. He hates to think about his youth, just like he hates to think about the time before Sarah. He sighs, and keeps his eyes fixed on Snow, so that he does not have to look at Muir. "She was…absent, but she loved me unconditionally. My father left her before I was born, he was…like me, after Sara and before all this. A drunkard, a scoundrel. He seduced my mom into bed, then left when he found out she was pregnant. It…destroyed my mom. Nobody wanted to touch her, take care of her. I was born on the streets." It's like he can see everything play out in front of him, and being in this town does not help him. The memories he's buried for years come rushing to the surface, overwhelming him.

The boy born from Ashyla grew up in the streets of this little town, he lived from charity and kindness of the people. His mother wasn't there most of the time. She sold her body to men to get money and food to nurture her son. And then she died, when the boy was about six years old. One man got angry when she refused to let him take advantage of her for free, and killed her in that anger. So the boy was alone. Two months after that, the boy was huddled in a corner of an abandoned alley, trying to shelter from the heavy rain that was pouring down on his head. He was trying to hold his act together, but it wasn't really working. Suddenly, someone grabbed his arm. He looked up in fear, staring at the woman that was holding him so fiercely. He gasped when he was able to make out her face beneath her hood. It was like his mother was standing there. "Mother?" he murmured.

"No. Come, young Eric. I will take care of you from now on." The woman had a strange accent, foreign. She was not from this kingdom.

Eric didn't want to come with this woman. He didn't even know who she was. Why did she look so much like his mother? He struggled against her hold on his arm, but she was stronger. "Wait! No, let me go! Who are you?"

"I am Sahila, I am your mother's sister. When I heard she'd died, I knew I had to come for you. You don't remember me, but I have seen you once, right after your birth. You look a lot like your mother. Now, come with me." Eric was still afraid. "You need not be afraid, Eric. You are safe now." That was the thing that convinces him. He followed the aunt back to a little house, and she fed him, nurtured him, helped him grow up. He was happy again.

Muir whistles through his teeth after Eric has stopped telling about his troubled youth. "Well, Huntsman, I have to say you came out of that fairly well."

Eric shakes his head. He does not agree with that. If it hadn't been for his father and the murderer…everything would have been fine. "No, it made me who I was before Sarah and Snow. I hated that me. I still do. If everything had gone differently…"

"…you may not have met Sarah. Or Snow. You don't know what your life would have been if your mother still lived. But you probably would not have had what you have right here, right now. You have what every man in this Kingdom would kill for. The love of the Queen."

Eric leans his head back against the wall, considering the blind dwarf's words. He is right, without a doubt. Snow loves Eric, he knows that. And it was also true that many men would kill for that. Hell, he would kill for Snow. He knows he would. "I know that." he whispers.

"She does love you, Eric. I need you to know that."

"I know that, too." says Eric, nodding his head. Snow turns on her table, while Sahila is leaning over her, murmuring something incomprehensible. "She loves William, too." It sounds like a statement, and it's exactly what it is. It's the truth, she loves William, too. "And it makes me vulnerable. I don't like to be vulnerable."

"Love means being vulnerable. It has been since the dawn of time. There is no way around it."

"I wish there was."

Muir chuckles and claps Eric's shoulder. "You'll be fine. I promise."

Eric stands up, wanting to get away from his past, the memories, the pain. "How is she, Sahila?"

Sahila slumps back in her chair and groans. "This spell is very hard to battle, it is amazing the Queen has lasted this long." She closes her eyes and pinches the bridge of her nose, looking utterly tired. "This is taking its toll in me already, and I have only been at it for a few hours. Queen Snow White has a lot of strength. You are quite lucky."

There she confuses him. "Lucky with what?"

"She loves you very much. You are not with her?"

"I wish I was."

Sahila frowns, looking down at Snow in confusion. "But…I do not understand. Her thoughts are filled with you. You inhabit every corner of her conscious and subconscious mind."

His heart leaps. If that is true…it will mean the world to him. But he knows there is someone else in her mind as well. "No, Sahila. William must be there too."

Sahila leans forward and puts a hand on Snow's forehead, then closes her eyes. "This William you are talking about, he is there indeed. Every time she thinks of you, massive guilt washes through her as well. The man that causes this, is called William. Duke William. I remember him. Wonderful archer, handsome face, brown hair. I have seen him when he was younger. I have attended to his court when needed." She releases the young woman and leans back in her seat. "William is on her mind. But you are more prevalent. She loves you, Eric. Take it from the woman who raised you."

Eric chews on his lower lip and looks at his Queen thoughtfully. "You honestly think so?"

"Stop it, Eric. I know so. Do not pretend that you do not know of my abilities."

"They scare me sometimes, Sahila."

Sahila nods. "I know." She looks thoughtfully at the young woman on the table. "It is extraordinary. This spell she is under. It is remarkably resilient and persistent. I am desperately trying to open her chakras, but it is being stubborn, to say the least." She stretches her arms and neck and groans softly. "I will get it, Eric, do not worry." she says when she sees his worried face. "It is just going to take time. I understand that you have more faithful followers outside? Why do you not tell them to come in?"

"Are you sure?"

Sahila smiles. "As long as they do not disturb me…I cannot very well let them stand out in the cold."

Eric nods, astonished by the relenting behaviour of his aunt. She never let people in. Why does she do so now? He opens the door and William is the first who is standing in front of him. "How is she?"

Eric takes an annoyed step back. He doesn't like the Duke so up close. "No change so far. You can all come in."

William frowns. "I thought you said…"

"I did. But she does not want to leave you standing in the cold. Be grateful and come inside." He turns his back on the irritated Duke and walks back to the table with the beautiful Queen. He stands over her and thinks back to the time he thought she was dead. Suddenly anger fills him. "Do not do this to me again, Snow White. Do you hear me? Do not die on me again, I wouldn't be able to live through that. Come back right now, do you understand? I will not cry over you again, I refuse. Do not make me cry over you." He feels a lump forming in his throat, and he turns away from her. If he isn't going to cry over, he must stop now. He feels William brushing past him and stop next to Snow. He doesn't want to listen, but he does.

"Snow, wake up. I won't allow you to die. You are going to get through this. You will wake again, do you understand me? Listen to me, wake up!" Eric turns to see William shaking Snow hard.

"William, that will not help."

William ignores him, which is very annoying. "Wake up!"

"Young man, you will stop that right now! You are hurting her and slowing the process of her healing!" yells Sahila, pulling William off the Queen with a fierce look on her face. "Step away, now. Or I will put you back on the street, without a thought."

To Eric's relieve, William steps away from Snow's table, and, to Eric's horror, starts pacing up and down the room. Can he not stand still for one moment?

"What is happening to her?"

"Ask Eric, I will not explain again."

Eric snorts. He will not explain to William what is happening. Partially – alright mainly – because he does not understand. The other part is because he does not want to. "William, I cannot tell you, because I honestly do not know."

William roars in anger. "Why can't anybody tell me what is going on?"

Luckily for everyone, Muir steps forward and takes William aside. "I will explain, Duke William."

Sahila turns her attention to Eric again, her dark eyes gleaming with some kind of excitement. "I am going to try a new approach. If you do not like to see her in pain, I suggest you do not watch."

Eric winces. He hates to see her in pain. But he will stay with her, no matter what. He sits down next to the table, across from Sahila and takes Snow's hand. But before he is fully settled, Sahila snatches Snow's hand from his again and folds the young Queen's hands in a certain manner in front of her belly. Her fingers are crossed on the inside of her hands and her thumbs are touching at the tops, slightly above the crossed fingers. "What are you doing?"

Sahila presses both her hands on Snow's throat, as if to strangle her and Eric's heart starts beating louder. This does not feel right. "I am attempting to open her chakra's in a more direct approach. It is going to look like she is choking. Please, trust me that she will not be choking. At least not to death."
Eric rises quickly. "I cannot allow you to do that."

"Eric, do you not trust me?"

"I do. I just do not trust your methods, and you know I never have."

Sahila sighs and removes her hands. This makes Eric slightly more comfortable. "Eric, this is necessary. You have to trust me, alright? You will be right here, if my intentions are bad, you can take me out with one of those impressive axes you got from that nice Huntsman, remember?"

"I am not six anymore, Sahila!" bellows Eric, hating how she talks him down like that.

"I know that!" she yells back. "I am just trying to make you see reason! I have raised you! I have earned your trust, even though it took a very long time!"

Eric slams his hand on the table, his heart boiling with fury. "I had good reason not to trust you! You were odd, different! Everyone mistrusted you! I had no reason to trust you! My mother had been murdered by a man she trusted to be more than just a client, and he turned that on her! I promised myself that I would never trust anyone again! It was remarkable that I trusted you eventually!"

Sahila sighs, and pinches the bridge of her nose to calm herself. "Look, this is not about the trust issues you had with me in the past. This is about the present. And in the present, Queen Snow White needs my help. You know you can trust me."

Eric takes a step back from the table and inhales sharply. It's difficult for him to trust Sahila. It's been a long time since Sahila and him talked, and now it reminds him of how unconventional she actually is. He has to get used to her again. "Alright. Do whatever you have to, but if anything happens to her that is connected to you…you are going to regret it."

"I am sure I will. Now, go. Join your friends. I will call you when I am ready to open her chakras."

With great reluctance, Eric goes back to the dwarves and William. "What is the verdict?" asks Muir, a concerned look on his face.

"I do not know. We have to wait until Sahila is finished."

Muir sighs and nods his head, as if he understands exactly. So they wait. There is nothing else to do, Eric knows that very well. But looking at the woman who raised him doing unknown things to the woman he loves…that is just really hard for him. He bites his lip to get through it, until his aunt tells him to get over there and take Snow's hand. Eric takes her cold hand, closes his eyes and waits.

And then she screams.

Mwuhahaha!

Sorry, suddenly this cliffhanger came to me. Curious? Keep reviewing, and keep readin'!