The Vial
Morning came, the light of the day wiping away the terrors of the night. The obscured face that Snow White witnessed in her lost memories, haunted her dreams for the short amount of time that she had slept. Everyone had stayed up until the late hours of the night, just before dawn approached and the sun rose over the mountainous trees. A sudden fear had consumed the dwarfs and Eric, following Snow White's near death. But most frightening was the unexpected and uncontrollable nature of it all, as though it could happen to her again at any second. This power was beyond any of their control and they new that their time was quickly slipping. Ravenna would know that Finn had failed, and it wouldn't be long until she took her next step. They wanted to find her before she found them, not wanting to know what that step might be, and the deadly consequences that would derive from it.
All that anyone was sure of was that what had happened sprung from Ravenna's doing. Snow White revealed to the dwarfs that she knew of her outcome. That death impatiently waited her at the end of their short journey. She knew that her soul was bound to Ravenna's and she didn't learn what that had truly meant until the wounds appeared in her body, and the blood gushed out from inside of her. Only one question remained that Snow White wondered; for what reason had she almost killed her? Ravenna required Snow White's heart, and without it, she could not complete the spell. Killing her would only make her lose the one thing that she had been striving for for all those years. Looking for the sense in it all only turned Snow White's brain.
Everyone was fatigued as they found their way back onto the trail, and continued walking on it's cluttered path. Above them, the clouds began to murk the sky, creating whisks of white strands that resembled outstretched cotton. It painted a nice picture in the sky, for the pale blue was becoming tedious to the eyes of those who lived outside, without a home for shelter. Snow White clutched her dagger in her hands, as they walked, turning it side to side and accustoming to it's feel. It was firm and cool in her hands like an icicle in a sunny winter day where the air was chilly, but she sun warmed one's skin. She imagined Ravenna appearing in front of her and plunging the dagger into her body, the Kingdom finally released from her tyranny. If only it were so easy, she thought.
"Why had no one told me of my fate?" Snow White asked, as she stumbled along the path. "If you all knew, what was the point of hiding it from me?" The other dwarfs stared from one to another before Beith finally spoke.
"We thought it was for the best," he said, halting amidst his walk, making Gort stagger into him. "We didn't want to worry you, or lay that deep burden on you while you already had so much strain on yourself, Princess. I think we all see now that it would have been best to just tell you from the beginning, after we had heard of the news." Snow White let his words slip in. She could not be angry at them for trying to protect her, even though that meant secrets had been kept. Had she been in the same situation, she thought, she would have done the same, and held that burden from the others.
"What do you mean, you heard the news?" Snow White asked. Her face crinkled in confusion as she frowned her deep, green eyes.
"One night, Muir and I had went off to hunt for dinner. It was while you were detained by the Huntsman and taken to Ravenna's castle. While we searched for our prey that evening, we ran into a sorcerer amidst our path. He had warned us of the spell Ravenna had complete and of your fate to come following her demise. And then, when you reappeared at the door of our small cottage, Eric alongside you, it was hard for each of us to accept what was to come."
"A sorcerer?" Snow White asked, unfamiliar with the term.
"Yes, one who possesses powers, and many times sorcerers turn to dark magic as Ravenna has," Muir said, having been familiar with sorcerers first hand. Snow White thought back to the village that her and Eric had stumbled upon on their return back to the dwarfs. Particularly to the woman who had helped her and brought her into her home. After digging deep into her memories, she finally remembered her name to be Anna. Snow White recalled Anna telling her that her husband was a sorcerer and that it was rare for him to be around. She wanted more answers, but after the village had burned down that night, she couldn't be sure that they would be helpful. An idea ignited Snow White's mind, as she turned to the dwarfs.
"Could it be possible for the spell to be reversed?" Snow White exclaimed, with excitement running through her nerves. "What if we found a sorcerer and asked him to reverse it? I could survive and Ravenna could die on her own."
"Sorcerers aren't known to help strangers in need, and they aren't found just like that," Muir informed Snow White. "Even if we did find one and convinced him to help us, it would be rare for him to possess the dark magic that Ravenna does which fortifies her powers." Snow White was filled with the hope that she would attain her wish. Even if things did not work out, she would have at least tried, she thought.
"I know where we might be able to find one," Snow White said, as she began to inform the dwarfs of hers and Eric's encounter with the Village and with Anna. "It's worth a try," she added, leaving the dwarfs to contemplate in their spots. She was anxious to go, as their time was already slipping away.
In the end, Eric wasn't all excited to return to the village that had deceived a sea creature upon him, but the dwarfs had agreed that it was worth the try. And even Eric knew he would do anything if it meant that Snow White could survive.
As they began walking in the direction that they presumed was the village, the cloaked face penetrated her mind yet again, haunting her thoughts as she walked. "What does a sorcerer typically look like?" Snow White asked with a glimmer of curiosity.
"Just as all men do," Muir said. "But they're often obscured by black cloaks, and they tend to keep away from others." Snow White replayed the memory in her mind of when she escaped from the Queen's Massacres and ventured on her own into the dark forest. She remembered being scared and feeling weak from the emotional pain that had trounced her small body. And then, after only miles of walking, the black shadow appeared in front of her. Against the fog and already eerie nature of the Dark Forest, the dread around the black silhouette seemed to amplify, seeping through his pores. She remembered trying to see the man's face, but all that she was able to make out was darkness. Behind the veil of the shadows, she sensed two soulless eyes staring back at her. The thought sent a shudder through her body, as she looked behind her, feeling those same two eyes staring at her right then.
The homeless life was quickly becoming weary for Snow White and her companions. Everyone was beginning to feel displaced like fish out of water. The constant travelling did not help anyone, it only gave rise to sore feet and aching muscles. Snow White missed the bed that she could count on after a long day, or the roof that sheltered them from the miseries of weather. They had been lucky as of yet, that rain did not splurge upon them and drench them in their already filthy attires. A good bath was in desperate need by all, along with a satisfying meal to fill each of their vacant stomachs. Though when Snow White thought of home, she slowly began to dissociate it from her cottage that had kept her warm for half of her life, and began to identify it with the home that she knew growing up as a child. The elegantly designed castle that was now occupied by Ravenna, and turned from the warm place she once knew as a small girl, into a dark, bleak structure devoid of any soul and beauty. It had been turned into a pit for Ravenna's murders, consumed by the smell of death and rot, and grimed in filth and blood.
By the time that Snow White, Eric, and the seven dwarfs had come face to face with the dark forest once again, she wasn't able to tell how many days had passed in travel. Her mind was muddled in disorientation, and she felt herself growing weaker by the second. Though even in the days of distress, she could look forward to the nights that she got to fall asleep entwined in Eric's arms that blanketed her body. She felt her feelings for him grow stronger by the day, which had made her fate become that much harder to accept. Hope was the only thing driving her body to waken from her slumbers each morning, and inspire each tired step she took along her travels. She was filled with the faith that her ending would be a good one, though it took great swaying to convince herself that. It felt as though lately, the entire world had turned against her as she crept through the ghostly woods once again.
If it was possible, the Dark Forest seemed even more unpleasant than the last time she had faced it. It's soulless nature managed to bring anyone who travelled through it down to their lowest point. Snow White followed the others around the mushrooms that expelled their hallucinatory powers and made one feel completely mad. It was a terrible experience the first time, and Snow White didn't dare risk going through it again.
"How much longer would you say, until we reach the village?" Snow White asked Eric, her voice trembling.
"I would say that we will get there by sundown," He replied, somehow relieving Snow White's aching body. "It will be nice to rest for some time, even if it will be just for a short while." Snow White chuckled in agreement to Eric's words understanding completely what he meant. "I want you to keep in mind," he began again, "that they may not be able to help us. Last time, Anna's husband was not even there, and if he is, the chances of him agreeing to help are slim," he let the final word out slowly, feeling the practically guaranteed disappointment gloom over them. "I just don't want you to get your hopes up too high, and then become dispirited when the news returns with disappointment." Snow White nodded her head in understanding of Eric's words, though she felt as though the hope inside of her had already inched deep into her skin.
"I know," Snow said, releasing a faint smile.
By the time that they had reached the lake where the small village sat upon, only a few hours had passed. Though at first, they didn't even realize that they had made it so far. The fog around them was so thick and airless that it made it hard for them to breath. It felt as though they were drowning outside of the water, the air becoming thin and hot. "It's even worse than it was before," Eric pointed out, as he squinted his eyes in search of what was ahead of him. He was worried that things wouldn't move as smoothly as they had before, something in the air felt especially wrong. "Take my hand," he advised to Snow White, as they inched closer to the lake. Eric recalled the sea beast that had nearly killed him the first time he visited the lake. It was not something he was looking to experience again in his life time.
"They shouldn't do anything, right?" Snow White said. "Last time they approached us in peace, because they could sense I was there.
"Something tells me that after the last time, they might be taking extra precautions," Eric said, quickly fearing the possibility that they may encounter something far worse than the sea beast from before. After the close encounter of everyone nearly burning to death along with their village, Eric presumed that the security would be much tighter. The dwarfs around them impatiently badgered to keep moving forward, but Eric warned them of the lake's supernatural properties. In the midst of the pestering, a large canoe appeared in the distance, just close enough to make out the shape through the thick fog. The size was just big enough to hold all of them and it contained four sizeable paddles to get them across the lake. To Eric, it all seemed too perfect.
"C'mon already," Gort hounded, moving through the crowd of people and to the edge of the lake. But before he could dip his feet into the waters below, and attain the canoe for everyone to travel in, Eric gravely warned him of the hazard he was putting himself in. "I'm not scared of any water," Gort advised Eric, brushing aside his warning and stooping his first foot into the waters. Nion and Duir frightfully hid behind the gathering of people, their faces drooped to horror by what they were witnessing happen in front of their ill-prepared eyes.
What Gort had been horribly wrong about was the presumption that the lake had been filled with water. Instead, what his body came to contact with was a quickly eroding acid the burned the shoe off of his foot and the first layers of skin beneath. Around his step, blood clouded the water and he let out a shrieking scream, one that Snow White thought she would never hear from the valiant dwarf. Before anyone could pull Gort from the liquid below, he stumbled into the acid, unprepared for the grave pain that came to him. The cloud of blood grew larger around him, before Eric jumped to the edge of the lake and pulled Gort out by the collar of his shirt. He frenetically trembled on the ground, the pain intolerable. The yearn for a dagger through his heart pervaded his mind, as to take the infernal pain away from his suffering body. Whimpering cries continued to escape his mouth.
"Gort," Snow White shouted, thrusting her body to the quaking dwarf. "What happened?" She asked Gort, but he could barely speak.
"Acid," he trembled from his lips, "burning, everywhere." The others stared down at him in confusion, as the words fell from his mouth. The sight in front of them did not equate with what Gort had said. What they saw was a perfectly fine dwarf with a body still intact, a dwarf without any burns or marks to demonstrate what he was saying had been in fact true. He looked as he had any other day, yet he, himself was entirely convinced that his body was eroding from an acid as he continued to tremble and cry. "Kill me," he suddenly pleaded. "Please, I can't take the pain any longer." The tears on his face left streams of clear skin that were surrounded by filth.
"You're fine," Eric said to Gort. He had quickly come to realize what had happened when the dwarf frantically squirmed in the waters, while nothing appeared to be happening to him. It had been Anna's words the he recalled in his mind: Illusions are great deceivers, she had said. And in that instant he knew, and chuckled to himself at the brilliance of it all. No one would dare try to even come close to their village while they thought their body was eroding away in a deadly acid. They were protecting themselves and their community and, in reality, they weren't hurting a soul. Suddenly, a sick realization sparkled within Eric, as he looked ahead at the canoe among the suffocating fog. Someone would have to go through the tormenting waters to attain the boat and bring it back to others. And he was convinced that that someone would have to be him.
"It's an illusion," Eric notified the others, many who thought Gort had turned mad. "The people of the village do this to protect themselves from outside threats." As Gort let the knowledge of Eric's words sink in, the pain and hallucinations he was witnessing began to decrease significantly, until finally, he felt like himself again. The worst that his occurrence would do, would be to leave an emotional scar and decrease his arrogance. "Someone will have to walk out to the canoe and bring it back for the others," Eric said, eyeing the other dwarfs, already knowing what their response would be.
"None of us can go," Nion blurted out. "Our bodies are so small we will submerge under the water completely by the time we manage to get to the canoe. We'll go through so much pain that we will give up and just drown in the waters." Eric grunted.
"Figures," he said, as he began to walk to the edge of the lake. Snow White shouted at him to stop, to which he replied, "would you rather travel another day to get around the lake?" His words shut her up. Eric braced himself before taking his first steps into the water. It's all in my head, he reminded himself, as he dropped his first foot into the lake.
It was even worse than he had anticipated. The pain was searing, but unlike a fire, it seared right to his bone shooting pain through the entirety of his massive body. As he dipped in his second foot, he caught glimpse of the gruesome sight below him of blood muddling water and bare muscle and tendons. He felt his mouth open wide as to release a curdling cry, but covered it tightly with his hands and continued walking. It's all in my head, he reminded himself again. He began wishing for the sea monster to come at him, and take him away from his misery. That had been child's play compared to what he was experiencing now. In front of him, the boat seemed to appear even further then it was from the edge of the lake. All he could do from then on out was move as fast as he could, even though the pain grew greater the deeper his body sunk.
When Eric's hands met with the edge of the canoe, a feeling of relief over came him unlike any he had ever felt before. The idea of travelling around the lake, no longer sounded like such a terrible idea to him. He lurched his body inside the boat and took a moment to let the pain relieve itself. It was like jumping into a cool stream after having your body covered completely by flames. And when the pain was gone, he rowed the boat back to the others and they propped themselves into the canoe alongside him. In the end, he only hoped that all the pain wasn't for nothing.
The village appeared within mere hours, seeming to be almost completely rebuilt to the form it had been before. Inhabitants of the homes were quick to withdraw from their shelters, prepared with weapons in their hands. Among them, Anna could be distinguished with her daughter, Lily, pressed tight to her side. Once she recognized Snow White was among the occupants of the canoe, she ordered the others to set down their weapons and they greeted Snow White and her companions with peace and regard. It was a nice change from what they were used to.
"What brings you back?" Anna asked, as Snow White exited the canoe with the help of one of the villagers. She took notice of the unfamiliar dwarfs who travelled along with Snow White and Eric, but supposed that they came to no harm.
"Firstly," Snow White began, "I just wanted to apologize, on behalf of Eric and I. We put everyone in grave danger, and just left you all with this great mess-"
"There is no need for an apology," Anna said, interrupting Snow's words. "You did not cause that fire, nor did Eric. It is useless to hold any guilt." Snow White smiled in response to Anna's compassion. She suddenly felt guilty for returning, only to ask her for her service. "Now, come on, everyone," she said gesturing to the dwarfs and Eric who followed Snow White. "I'm sure you're all dying for a good meal." Everyone excitedly nodded their heads in retort, following Anna to her newly built hut.
Their meals were satisfying to say the least. Anna had supplied them with an abundance of food, more than any of them could have asked for. And after breathlessly devouring their dinner, they told Anna and Lily of the misfortunes they found themselves in over the previous weeks and of the white Hart who supplied Snow White with her lost memories. All the while, Snow White managed to neglect asking Anna for the great favour, but noticed that her husband was still absent from her home. It was looking as though the stars were not aligning in her direction, and she would really be filled with the disappointment that Eric warned her about.
By nightfall, the dwarfs managed to stuff themselves into a small room for a good night's rest while Snow White remained in the kitchen with Eric and Anna, sipping on a cup of tea. The steaming cup which Snow White drank from was said to be made from special herbs that prompted relaxation and serenity. She could feel it's full effects take over her within seconds, her muscles loosening from the knots that they managed to tie themselves in and her mind eradicating any thoughts of worry or stress. Snow White looked forward to the good sleep she had ahead of her, but before that, she knew that she had to confront Anna about her desire to reverse the spell. She could not postpone asking her for forever, and she did not intend to intrude her home for any longer than a night's stay. Already, Anna had helped her so much.
"I'm sorry to have to ask this," Snow White said, looking down at the warm mug that was wrapped in her hands. "But we have come in hopes of attaining something, not an object in particular, but a sort of-" Eric nudged Snow White, signalling her to stop being so vague. She pressed her lips together before continuing. "I have come with the news that once Ravenna perishes, I am to die as well. She has managed to summon a spell, binding our souls together, and I had just hoped, because you said that you're husband was a sorcerer, that he could somehow reverse the spell and unbind my soul from Ravenna's." Snow White tilted her head up to examine Anna's contemplating face. She was restless to have to wait any longer for the answer, but Anna remained positioned in silence. The faint plop of a water drop could be heard in the complete silence that tensed them, until finally Anna broke the silence with the news that Snow White was dreading.
"My husband isn't back, and I cannot imagine that he will be for a while," Anna said, feeling the hurt fill Snow White with her words. "He's been occupied in other matters for some time now. Even I, myself, only get to see him in the rare chance." Anna thought for another second before resolving what had been quarrelling her mind. "However, I do possess something that may come of great aid to you," she said, mustering the curiosity within Snow White. Even Eric sat, beginning to tap his foot, anxious to know what she was getting at. Anna excused herself from her seat and walked over to a cabinet in her kitchen. From the bottom drawer, she seized a small object which was concealed in her hands. She returned back to her seat and unravelled her fingers to reveal a small, glass vial filled with a silvery liquid that glistened in the candlelight.
"This may just do the trick," Anna said, turning the vial over in her hands. "Before you are to kill Ravenna, consume this, and it will prevent your death, leaving you just as you are." Snow White's eyes gazed over the small vial in awe of it's power. It was the answer that she had been looking for, and for once, she felt optimistic about her future. Anna handed the vial over to Snow White and she took it in her hand with great caution. It felt fragile and slim, like it could break at any second.
"Where did you get this from?" Snow White asked, in wonderment of the elixir's abilities.
"My husband had formulated it in the chance that Lily or I would ever need it," Anna said, her words causing Snow White to immediately hand back the force that was in her hands.
"I cannot take this," Snow White quickly pronounced. "If you or Lily were to ever need it, and it was wasted by me, I couldn't live with myself."
"Trust me," Anna said. "We are vigourously protected now, and once you are finished what you have set out to do, it will come of even less urgency to us. You need it far more than any one else does." Before Snow could say another word, Anna motioned her to stop. "I will not take no for an answer," she added, remaining firm in her voice. "However, you must know that this does not bring one back from the dead. If you were to put it into a corpse's mouth, the remedy would go to waste and one would remain dead." Snow White nodded in understanding and then looked to Eric with a grin on her face, he wore the same beaming look on his own face.
The two simply stared at the vial that Snow White held in her hands as new hope pulsed through their veins.