The Warrior
Dawn edged upon Duke Hammond's castle with a full, round sun and a cloudless sky. The cool temperature inspired fresh air for clean, crisp oxygen to breath. It was the first day of last for many, who awoke with the big battle ahead of their day. Among the first to waken from the bustling, long night, was Snow White who stretched her arms up with a deep yawn. She pulled a wooly coat over her icy arms, and slipped into a pair of boots. The garments were soft and light, she imagined feeling cocooned by the whisks of a cloud. Carefully, Snow White crept her way out of the room she was designated, and made way to the empty courtyard.
The air was livening against her sleepy face, as Snow White sauntered through the courtyard, bundling up in her fur coat. At the edge of the courtyard, opposite the large doors of the castle's entrance, stood two men guarding the gate. In their hands sparkled the smooth metal of swords, reflecting off of the rising sun. It was a clear dawn that Snow White wanted to spend alone. Apart from the others and apart from the anxiety of the battle ahead. She gave the two guards a slight smirk, as they moved their swords toward their bodies, permitting Snow White to move passed the gate. It opened a crack, just enough to get her slight body through the way out. Behind her, the gate quickly shut, startling her at its sudden thud. Ignoring it, she made her way down the hill where Ravenna had managed to kill her. Though now, she wasn't filled with a single worry. What had passed was past, and nothing could get in the way of the anticipating battle. Not now.
Snow White walked through the powdered snow that gusted around her feet with each step. Each breath entered her lungs, long and deep, aware of each inhale and exhale. It now felt like a gift, the chance to be able to fill one's lungs with air, and feel the soft thud of a heartbeat. A gift that she had always taken for granted.
Now, she relished every aspect of life, from the coat that kept her body warm to the people that brightened her life. She didn't know how much longer she had ahead of her, how much longer death was willing to wait. Inside of her pocket, she felt the glass vial that ensured the preservation of her life. A supernatural concoction that she couldn't even be sure worked. Her life now sat in the vial's hands, and she wasn't willing to let herself fill with hope that everything would work out. Not after all that she had been through. Life seemed to enjoy throwing every obstacle it had in her way, make every simple task that much harder. She could not anticipate what the outcome of her war with Ravenna would entail. She could no longer see herself surviving against Ravenna's magical aids, her unjust advantage. But it wouldn't be long until she would find out; they would be off to battle in only a matter of hours. Hours that Snow White wanted to enjoy in the meantime.
Her mind travelled to her friend, William, and the promise she made to his father. It was something she hoped would convince the Duke to agree with her proposal. Though not a promise she didn't intend to keep. She wanted to save William as much as Duke Hammond did, to be able to catch up on all of their lost years and to be able to see his living, friendly face. Greta's words to her the previous night only reinforced her desire to save him. If he was willing to face Ravenna and risk his life, she had no problem doing the same for him. She only hoped that it wasn't too late.
After some time of walking, Snow White's thoughts became penetrated with a life she saw after Ravenna. A life where she lived in a beautiful Kingdom, filled with her friends, and the people she cared about most. A life filled with the smallest of worries and where everyone was happy. She was hopeful, but she wasn't so naive to think that those wishes would actually come true. But she didn't mind having this ideal world exist in her head.
Snow White's feet suddenly found themselves at the edge of a frozen lake. It sparkled bright like millions of small diamonds. She didn't know how far from the castle grounds she ventured, nor which way she must go to head back, but at that moment she didn't care. Her body was washed over with tranquility. She could almost feel herself, a weightless object in the sky, floating in complete bliss. For once, her mind was entirely devoid of thoughts; an empty basket, free from heavy objects weighing it down. In that moment, everything felt still and right. And she wouldn't mind staying like that forever, if it weren't' for the startling huff to her side.
Quickly, Snow White turned her head, searching for the source of the noise. At first, she almost didn't see it, the white horse which camouflaged against the snow surrounding itself. Though, when she did, she walked up to it and cradled its neck in her arms, embracing it with gratitude. Snow White remembered the bulk of her childhood spent riding the horse before her eyes. Her first companion and her first beacon of hope. He had come to her when she was ready to give up – ready to die. When her parents had both been murdered, and she thought that there was nothing left to live for. And now, he came to bring her back to reality, and to support her through it, no less. She climbed up atop his smooth body, and the horse huffed, before riding across the snow like a fervent wave, rumbling and strong. And at that moment, Snow White knew. She was ready.
Back at Duke Hammond's castle, the courtyard was filled with a buzzing of bustling bodies, preparing to depart for the battle by noon. Each man was adorned in clinking mail, thick pants, and a steel helmet, insulating and protecting as much of their bodies as possible. At the head of the crowd stood Duke Hammond, bare of any garments for battle, but rather in his ordinary attire. He had not yet resolved whether he, himself would attend the battle, or whether he would stay back and maintain the castle. The undertaking in itself was suicidal, he knew, but he wanted to see his son's lively face for at least one last time – if that prospect was even an option. Without another thought, Duke Hammond grabbed armour, and placed it over his body.
Eric had already woken, along with the seven dwarfs, and each were clothed, ready for battle. Since getting to the courtyard, Eric had not seen Snow White, where he was sure she would be. But before getting too distressed, he watched her arrive at the gates atop a beautiful, white horse. She gently plunged from the horse and landed in the snow beneath, before entering the courtyard and spotting Eric amidst the congested crowd.
"Good morning," Eric said when Snow White reached him. "Went off on a little hunt for a horse this morning?" He bantered.
"No," Snow White said, chuckling. "Actually, he found me. He was my horse as a child and carried me away from the Queen's Massacres." Eric raised his eyebrows in bafflement of the coincidence, but figured that something so mad could only happen to her.
"Well now that you have a transport, I have something else you will need," he said, reaching over to a wooden counter. In his hands, he revealed a gleaming piece of silver armour, just small enough to comfortably fit over Snow's body. Beneath it was a shirt of mail to protect her from the weapons of Ravenna's dark army, with each ring intricately interwoven into the other. "I have never seen armour so small," Eric said. "You may very well be the first young woman to go into battle," he chuckled.
Snow White speechlessly took the armour from his hands and removed her insulating jacket. First, she slipped over the mail shirt which felt heavy against her body. Then, she slipped on the armour which hugged her frame like another skin. It was even heavier than the mail, but felt right, like it was made specifically for her; like she was fated to wear it. Eric simply looked at her in awe, admiring the warrior she had become. A warrior who managed to elude Ravenna's constant attempts at killing her, who evaded the most impossible confinement that was death, but most of all, a warrior who exuded nothing but love and compassion. She was a fighter, and Eric could see it in her determined eyes.
"Just one more thing," Eric said, moving to the edge of the table where an object sat concealed in cloth. Snow White twisted her eyebrows in confusion as Eric approached the object. His body stood in the way of her view as he uncovered the cloth from the entity. She was impatient to find out what it could be, but when he turned around, and revealed it to her, she was filled with nothing but gratitude. Tears welled in Snow White's eyes as she admired the shield that Eric held in his hands.
The shield was trimmed with gold and had a grey face. Upon the face sat an image of a golden apple tree with numerous roots sprouting from the trunk. But most importantly, the shield had been her father's, marked with the strikes from swords he fought against in war. To her, they could have been the scars of his own body, trailing a map back to his soul. She recalled the first time seeing it in his hands as she eyed it in curiosity, wondering why he placed an apple tree upon the plate. And his explanation came back to her as a gift; she could hear his voice once again and his steady tone.
"The tree grows from the roots," he began, explaining to Snow White in delight. "And each of the roots stand for our descendants, who allowed your mother and I to flourish; to grow this beautiful, thriving apple tree." She smiled at her father with a big beam, but then noticed a lonely, red apple that popped out against the grey and gold of the shield. It hung from the branch of a tree, the only apple to have sprouted. She pointed to it and asked her father why it was there. He smiled a crooked smile and said, "the apple is you, Snow White, vivid and strong just as your heart is. You are the gift that grew from your mother and I, you are our heartbeat, and you always will be." His words suddenly turned to an echo in her mind, as the memory faded away.
Snow White stroked the protruding apple now years after her father's death, though she could still feel him with her. A warm tear ran down her cheek as she clasped the shield from Eric's hands and held it close to her body. It would protect her through the battle like her parents protected her, and in that moment she could feel their smiles on her face, as they looked down upon her. She could sense their strong blood running through her veins like the charge of a bolting horse, powerful and unstoppable. "You don't know how much this means to me," Snow White said, looking up at Eric with thanks.
"Well, it was given to me by Duke Hammond to give to you. One of his men managed to save it from the night that your father died. There is no need to thank me," Eric said, as Snow White firmly held the shield. "Now you finally look ready, princess," he said, as he regarded Snow White's new appearance. "And not like a princess at all," he added. She laughed in response, and they went off to meet the dwarfs for breakfast, who complimented and whistled at Snow White's new attire. They all agreed that it suited her well.
Following a big breakfast and getting the army in order, all the people were primed to begin their journey to Ravenna's castle. Snow White sat on her horse right next to Eric, behind only a couple of people from the head of the army where Duke Hammond led. Behind them were the seven dwarfs, with Gort ready for a brawl, and even Nion and Duir adorned in armour which Snow White thought she would never see. They were lined accordingly outside of Duke Hammond's castle, propped along the snow and between icy evergreens. Before they began to make way, Eric made sure to ask Snow White if she had the vial – the elixir that would save her life. She nodded in response, clutching her hand over her pants where the vial sat, secure in a pocket. The slight bulge of it could be felt, jutting through her brown, suede pants.
"Are you ready?" Eric asked, glancing over to Snow White at his side.
"I don't know what to be ready for anymore," she replied, returning a glance to his side. At that moment, it no longer matter who was ready and who wasn't. The head of the army began to move forward, and Snow White began moving along not far behind. She clutched tightly onto her horse who she knew would escort her to the castle securely. A faint smell of rust and blood infused Snow White's nose as her horse began to charge alongside the others. The harsh wind hit her face as she rode, but she knew that it wouldn't be long before they passed the icy mountains, rode through the dark forest, and came to face Ravenna's castle, and whatever ploys she had planned for them to endure. She was among an army of a few hundred; a small army, but enough for them to succeed. For Snow White to reach Ravenna and finish her once and for all.
Ravenna stood at the edge of her balcony outlooking the shore of the ocean. The anticipation of Snow White's arrival made her heart pulse in erratic beats, hollow and rough. Everything was coming to an end, and the games were finally over. This was war, and only one person would come out victorious; there was no escaping, no running away or good fortune to rely on. And Ravenna was confident that the odds were in her favour. It was her dark army, assembled from the darkest of magic and most powerful of spells against what ever petty army Snow White had managed to muster. It was the cunning, quick cat against the weak, helpless mouse. But Ravenna couldn't care either way. When she was immortal, nothing would matter anymore – nothing could overcome her.
She felt the power of dozens of souls pulsing through her veins from the lives she consumed over the night. She felt the lasting pleasure of her dagger piercing William's skin and letting him suffer, as the blood began to pool around his body, extending further and further. The lifeless look he had in his eyes of complete despair and grief was etched into her mind like an elaborate painting. It was everything she lived for and everything that brought her delight.
Behind her, she could sense another body approaching, but she didn't turn around to see who it was. Finn appeared next to his sister and rested his hand on the edge of the balcony. Rays of sun streamed into his eyes with an uncomfortable heat, and a drop of sweat inched down his greasy forehead. The sky was clear and vast like the ocean that bordered the castle, allowing the sun to simmer the cool autumn air. He peered down into the courtyard beneath them and saw the lines of men after men, indistinguishable from one another with their exact same black armour that reflected the sun like glass. Hundreds upon hundreds stood waiting to vanquish Snow White's army behind the castle gates, while many men were positioned in the towers to release arrows down upon them. Finn knew Snow White didn't have a chance.
"It won't be much longer, brother," Ravenna said, soaking in the heat of the sun. "Soon all of this will be over. We will have everything together, all the power in the world, and everlasting strength. It's what we always wanted, what mother died vowing for us. I can already begin to feel the power coming closer." Finn merely nodded at her words. He tried to sympathize with his sister, but he felt nothing but a harrowing fear. A fear that began consuming him ever since Ravenna managed to track down Snow White. Her obsession was swelling like a pulsing bruise, purpling and growing with her wicked blood. The only thing keeping him from stopping her was the guarantee of his survival. As long as he followed each and every one of her commands, failing or not, she would not kill him. Deep down inside of her, he knew that she could still feel love. That maybe over time her hunger for power would fade.
"Mother would be proud of you," Finn said. It was the only thing that he could say. The only honest reply. By the time their mother had passed, Ravenna was too blinded to see the evil in their mothers eyes; the same hunger that devoured Ravenna. Beauty is power, she would say, after submerging her body into the white substance that she claimed brought youth.
Finn remembered the exact moment that their mother had gone mad. He had come home with Ravenna one evening to find blood splattered on the walls like crimson paint, smeared with one's hands. And if it wasn't for the rotting smell that depleted their noses, he was sure that it could have been. In the kitchen he saw his mother with her blood-covered hands standing over top of their father, the life gone from him completely, never to be found again. "I had to do it," she said between her shrieks and cries, her eyes in a wide stare, possessed by evil. "He was going to kill me. I had to." Her voice was desperate, and while Finn stood frozen in fear, Ravenna approached her, wrapping her arms tightly around her mother and sobbed into her bloody garments.
The killings didn't stop there. But Ravenna was too naive too see, too innocent to accept what their mother was truly doing. With each murder, she grew stronger, a power increasing within her along with a marked evil. And each time she was caught she would feed the same empty lie, "All men are evil, just as your father was. They use you and manipulate you, they think that they have power over you, but you have to show them, my love. Show everyone that you are not weak."
Before death approached and rid the world of their mother for good, she managed to do one last spell. Once her heart finally stopped beating, all of the power that she had gained from the murders, left her body and entered Ravenna's. But it didn't come without the evil that controlled her, and ever since, Finn could see the same madness in his sister's eyes that he saw in his mother's. And she set out to do what her mother had always wanted, to show the world that she was not weak.
Finn massaged the stub of his hand, as his sister stood tall in pride. He felt the blade of Eric's axe strike his arm like it was the first time, blood sprouting from his wrist, and pain paralyzing his mind. At least he would be able to kill him permanently, or watch him die in the savagery of war. And everything would come to an end soon, as he saw the first signs of Snow White's army charging across the shore, and toward Ravenna's castle. It looked miniscule; pathetic compared to what Ravenna had planned, and without another thought the guards cast out the first cluster of arrows into the sky. They headed towards the shore of the ocean. Towards Snow White's army.
Hundreds of horses galloped along the shore, kicking back the sand behind their tenacious legs. A thundering roar echoed beneath their feet, as they stampeded towards the castle gates which remained closed tight. Suddenly, a large shadow overcast the land before them, bringing darkness before their eyes. Above them, hundreds of arrows soared through the sky, blocking the sunlight, and diminishing any final warmth from the air. When the arrows made their first strike, the lucky were protected by their armour, while others fell, scraping their bodies against the rough sand. Everyone charged through an open domain, on display for Ravenna to strike any which way that she desired. No one could anticipate where the arrows would strike, and no one could ensure their survival.
Snow White felt her heart pounding with an escalating pulse. The second cluster of arrows were fired, and she hovered her body as close to her horse as possible. Eric turned to Snow White with worry on his face, as the arrows fell all around them like a shower of rain. He knew only that he had to protect her through this, get her to the Queen, and let her end the war once and for all. But he wasn't the only one at Snow White's aid. Her white horse began moving even faster than she thought possible. They had been travelling for hours, yet he showed no signs of weariness or inability. He was lightening, striking towards Ravenna's castle with an inextinguishable fire. For a horse who had lived many years already, she was surprised, but not in the least sorry. He was her strength to proceed, and she knew she could count on him to get her to the castle gates safely. Opening them, however, was another story.
Snow White turned back to see dozens of fallen men, some alive, who squirmed in the bloody sand with agony. Limbs were torn from their bodies and some were taken away by death's grip. Others weren't so lucky. She couldn't bring herself to look any longer, turning her head back, and witnessing yet another fateful destruction heading their way. Two fiery projectiles flew through the sky, and landed all around them, trembling the earth like an earthquake. One soldier was unfortunate enough to be in the direct target of one deadly fire, falling dead to the ground with his horse. Two more projectiles were fired from the hidden trebuchet, but they looked far scarier than they did harm. At their arrival, the earth shook, but no one stumbled; the attack didn't fluster a single soldier. They were determined to make their destination, and they wouldn't allow Ravenna's cheap endeavours stop them.
The castle gates were approaching up ahead, and Snow White knew that she would make it through this hell with Eric by her side. Only the question of opening the gates remained, as they came closer, and another set of arrows were fired. As Snow White rode her horse, she tasted the cool, salty air that she breathed in with a heavy inhale, and then before even comprehending what happened, she tasted the crunchy sand which entered her mouth upon her falling. Her entire body hit the earth with a sharp thud and throbbing pain shot up her now twisted arm. What she didn't feel was an arrow pierce her body, and she was unsure of why her body had plummeted. Until she turned her head to the side and saw him. Her horse lying alongside her through her watery, sand-filled eyes.
Her white horse was now covered in a blanket of red blood, two arrows sticking out from it's body; an aching sight to perceive. Before she could control it, her chin began to tremble. The pain from her fall morphed into a very different pain as she realized what had happened. She rubbed her tearing eyes and moved to her white horse, holding it in her arms with comfort. His eyes still remained open, and a light whimper escaped his mouth, like he was disappointed for letting her down. Like he was trying to tell her that he was sorry.
"No," she whispered in a sorrow cry, as she caressed the horse's bloody neck. A blurry body approached her side, and when he spoke, Snow White realized that it was Eric.
"Come on," Eric said, pulling Snow White up by her arm like a ragged doll. "We have to get through this. Now isn't the time for grief." Snow White tried to whisper the words, "I'm sorry," back to her dead horse, but couldn't find her voice buried deep within her suffering. She knew now that she could do nothing but move forward as they approached the fastened gates where the rest of her army waited. They still had the worst ahead of them.
Ravenna laughed at the chaos of fallen bodies that scattered the shore. Of the blood and the limbs that painted a beautiful picture against the sand. The sight from her balcony brought her nothing but utter joy and a sense of accomplishment. It amused her to watch her enemies die before her eyes – for thinking that they ever had the chance to begin with. She had brought armies down to their knees, and she wasn't afraid to do it again. Snow White's army wouldn't even manage to get passed the gates, leaving them right where she wanted them. Ravenna turned around to make her way down to the courtyard until her body froze in sudden shock.
An unearthly screech instantly pierced Ravenna's ears from down below. Without another second wasted, she viciously turned her body and eyed the shore beneath. It wasn't hard to miss the two enormous trolls that began to charge towards the castle gates. Her mouth gaped open as the first troll who passed Snow White's army burst through the secured gates, shattering the massive planks of wood into small splinters. Opening the path for Snow White's army.
No one could believe their eyes. When the first troll began to charge, Snow White's army anticipated to meet death much sooner than they had hoped for. But through the clenching teeth and tightly shut eyes, the troll merely passed and thrashed the gate with his entire body. A wide hole was left in his path. The second troll followed closely behind, coming into contact with Ravenna's dark army. Snow White thought back to the troll that she and Eric had encountered. The troll that had let them survive. She wondered if it was him that had come to their aid, but before long, she left her thoughts behind and began to charge alongside her army.
The trolls had already caused an innumerable amount of damage, shattering large masses of soldiers with one blow, decreasing the size of Ravenna's army substantially. They were the unforeseen saviours that relieved them from an inequitable battle.
It was like two powerful walls crashing into each other when Snow White's army converged with the dark army. The sound of clanging swords and fatal cries invaded Snow White's ears. Mass destruction spread across the courtyard, entailing millions of black, shattered shards and grisly, dead bodies. It was a disarray of confusion, where Snow White found herself to be completely alone. Eric, who had just been by her side was nowhere in sight, likely taken in by the crashing wave of people, while she hadn't seen any of the dwarfs since before arriving to the beach. Now, It was just her and war.
A glimmer of silver came into Snow White's sight as a sword jerked towards her. It was an abrupt attack with no sign of arrival. This wasn't training with Beith any longer, this was every man for himself. She just managed to lift up her sword in defence, but her opponents strength was too powerful. Their swords met in the air, the force causing Snow White to fall onto the ground with a painful thud. Unfortunately, there was no time for mending in war, as the faceless soldier began to strike Snow White once again. She rolled her entire body to the side as the soldier's sword planted deep into the dirt. After quickly retrieving her feet firmly onto the ground, she swung her sword against the pure black soldier and he shattered, dead before her eyes. A breath of accomplishment escaped her mouth.
Snow White diverted her eyes to the entrance of the castle across the courtyard of clashing bodies. Getting there would be a struggle in itself, she knew, especially without Eric by her aid. Instantaneously, the blade of a sword flew through the air, aiming for Snow White's stomach. She didn't have time to retaliate, leading to a fellow soldier diving in front of the sword's direction, and the sword lunging deep into his chest. Snow White shrieked, springing backwards, as the soldier fell to his knees. In the midst of coughing up blood, he yelled, "Run!" to Snow White, and she began to sprint, telling herself to focus. Battle wasn't a place for thinking, it was a place for action, and her ignorance of that knowledge ended the soldier's life. She wasn't prepared for this, but she knew that no one could ever be. War was a ruthless undertaking that provoked one to use their natural instincts. No amount of training could ensure one's survival.
Along the courtyard, Snow White gathered a bow and arrow, detached from one of Ravenna's soldiers. She sprinted through clashing swords, peering through the mayhem in search of her friends. When a sword swung in attempt to strike her, she wasn't alone in counterattack. Many of her fellow soldiers helped her fight back, protecting her as much as they could, so that she could get to the castle in one piece. It was their duty, just as her duty was to face and kill the Queen. Something that everyone agreed would be the worse endeavour. Her shield would guard her from the attacks that her fellow soldiers couldn't, adding her own scars to her father's. She felt him move with her every step.
In the distance, Snow White could make out Eric fighting with a pitch-black soldier. And to her dismay, she saw blood drizzling down his arm, proclaiming it useless. His wounded body was weak against the power of Ravenna's army, and she could see him floundering with each of the soldier's strikes against him. Snow White bit her lip. She didn't have enough time to make it to him, as the soldier tossed Eric's sword from his hand with his own, and he was left defenceless. In the next second, Snow White took her advice and didn't stop to think. Instead, she positioned an arrow against her bow, and shot. Just as the soldier began to plummet his sword towards Eric's feeble body, the arrow powered through the soldier, leaving him in his own dust.
Eric turned his head to Snow White in gratitude as she ran toward him, jumping over the lifeless bodies that splattered the ground. Before she could gather his sword and retrieve it to him, a soldier tackled her body, without any sign, and her head hit the rocky ground. She was dizzy but she was thankful to be conscious. Wet blood drizzled on her forehead mixed with dirt and pebbles. Her hand found the ground and attempted to push her body back up to it's feet, but failed as the soldier savagely kicked Snow White's stomach with his powerful foot of pure metal and force. Her body flew back, uncontrollably twisting in the air like a weightless entity. That's all she really was against the force of the soldier who exuded nothing but fortitude. An ache shot up from her stomach to her head which forced her to grit her teeth and clutch her abdomen. Her ears rung, momentarily deafening the world around her, and giving her a break of relief. Through her blurry vision, obscured by tears, she saw the soldier's footsteps moving towards her. Once he reached Snow White, he tossed her body outwards with the point of his foot, so that she laid flat on her back. He positioned the sword above her body, and as he did so, Eric crashed his sword through the soldier's waist. The black, shattered glass of his figure submerged Snow White on the earth.
Snow White felt Eric's fingers entwine with her own before he pulled her body up, uncovering it from the residue of the soldier's remains. Her entire body ached as she stood up to her legs and gave Eric a wearisome look. He observed her bloody forehead that was blended with dirt and rock and her hand which clutched her stomach in pain. The sight was one he couldn't bear to stand, as he turned his head and moved forward to the castle doors, with Snow White in his grip.
No one could get away from the smell of ash and blood that infused the courtyard. No one could relieve themselves from the sound of agonizing cries, of limbless bodies, and of clashing weapons. But even with so much destruction and death, the courtyard appeared as full as ever, with an endless amount of fighting and tumult. Suddenly the screech of a wounded troll echoed within the walls of the courtyard, and only one remained to aid Snow White's army. She looked all around her – at the wretches of war – before she reached the castle gates alongside Eric.
They left behind the battle and proceeded to something far worse as they entered Ravenna's castle.