Shadows on Snow: A Flipped Fairy Tale (Flipped Fairy Tales) Read online

  “It’s a rare thing to find another person who knows this,” he said. When I looked up, he regarded me with a thoughtful expression, and I again found myself sucked into his gaze. “I’d very much like if you’d continue to see to him personally. He didn’t take well to the new stablemaster.”

  I grimaced, but held my tongue. As often as I could, I took on extra duties to keep Master Grey from the animals. He had a rough hand and spooked the horses whenever he was near. Animals had a deeper sense of the true nature of people, and, from what I’d witnessed, they weren’t wrong in their judgments of him.

  “How would you like a promotion?”

  I stiffened. Promotions garnered attention, and that was the last thing I wanted. “I ask for nothing, Sire.”

  “True,” he said as he came up beside me. “But I value hard work and intelligence. I’m in need of a set of trustworthy hands now that I’m home.”

  My heart raced as he stopped no more than a step away. If he came any closer… “Can you be so sure I’m what you say? I—”

  “You’ve met with Remy’s approval,” he interrupted. “And I trust his opinion far more than most men I know. If you were not these things, I dare say you wouldn’t be able to get so close to him. Now, my question. Would you consider a position as my personal page?”

  Spirits be blessed, I wasn’t sure what to say. If this came to pass, there would be no more hiding in plain sight for me. Worse, the wrong people might learn my secret.

  Trembling slightly, I shook my head. “While it is His Highness’s right to choose my fate, I would ask to remain as I am. But if it is not my choice, I will do as you command.”

  His warm, strong hand rested on my shoulder, sending a spike of tingling heat through me once more, and it was all I could do not to run. “I wouldn’t force it on you, have no concern.” He lifted his hand and left me with a reassuring pat. “I’m disappointed, but I understand your hesitation to involve yourself any further in palace intrigues.”

  Following him out of the stall, I secured the latch behind us.

  “I hope you won’t mind if I tell Master Grey you’re the only one to handle my horse from now on, however?”

  Flushing, I nodded. “As you wish.”

  With a nod and a wink, and a last pat to Remy, he turned and made his way out of the stable. It took me several minutes before I composed myself enough to realize how completely, thoroughly exhausted I was. After a nuzzle from Remy to prompt me, I yawned and returned to my pallet, thoughts of the prince’s smile haunting me as I drifted off to sleep.

  Chapter 2

  “What’s going on?” I asked, rubbing the sleep from my eyes.

  “Hush, dearest one,” Adelaide said as she bent over me. “It’s time for us to be away.”

  “Away?” Sitting up in bed, I wrinkled my nose at her in confusion. “Where are we going?”

  She wrapped my coat around my shoulders and kissed my hair. “Somewhere safe,” she whispered. “Somewhere he can’t find us.”

  At nine years old, I couldn’t understand what she meant. “But aren’t we safe here? There are plenty of soldiers to—”

  She set a finger against my lips, but her sad smile deepened my worry. “The soldiers aren’t our friends now, Rae. Maybe they used to be, but they serve the king now. Remember what we talked about a few days ago?”

  I screwed my face up. “You said he didn’t want you to be queen. You said it was his fault Mama died.”

  She nodded, her dark hair brushing my arm. “That’s right. But now people are asking questions, and he doesn’t like it. He’s telling them it was our fault instead.”

  “Our fault?” My eyes widened, stunned. “Why would we want that?” Tears blurred my vision. “I loved Mama. We all did. Why would anyone think—”

  “Because of our magic, dearest one. It scares some people. That’s what happens when they don’t understand something.” She laid a hand against my cheek. “We know differently, but there’s nothing we can do about it at the moment.” Adelaide stood and pulled me to my feet. “Do you need help with your boots? We have to hurry.”

  I shook my head, fear of this sudden need to be away coupling with my own confusion and causing my hands to tremble. Despite me telling her I could do it myself, I shook so badly she took over the laces and hurried me towards the wall.

  As she reached for the latch to open the secret passage, I cast a look back over my shoulder. I’d spent nearly every night I could remember in that room, and I loved it dearly. The rich red tapestries and gold-tasseled curtains all held warmth and comfort for me. I knew each stitch of cloth, each little knick in the wood, as well as I knew my own skin. My sisters and I played at tea parties and tried on all my new dresses in that room. My tears had soaked the pillows on more nights than I cared to remember, and laughter had rung off of the stone walls, echoing and multiplying the joy of far more days. That was where I plotted against Erata’s tricks, and cooed over Belinda’s newest furry friend. It was where Adelaide helped me grow posies in the window sill, and where Clarice taught me to braid my own hair. Farah had even warded a little hiding place for my most prized treasures, and Delphine assured me that, even though I was the youngest, I should never worry about being less wanted when I was left out of events my elder sisters attended.

  My entire existence was contained in that bedroom. Nearly every memory of my mother, and the vague whispers of the father I barely knew lived there.

  And, in a single moment, it was being taken from me.

  Adelaide’s warm hand slipped into mine. “There are some things he will never be able to take from us, dearest one,” she whispered.

  I sniffled and wiped at my cheek. With a nod, I turned away from my bedroom. “I won’t let him take you, too.”

  She gathered me in a tight embrace, so close I heard the tiny sob she choked back. “And that’s why he’ll never win, Raelynn. So long as we have each other, there’s nothing we can’t survive.”

  Sitting up with a start, I sucked in a deep breath. Cool wetness on my face marked the tracks of my tears through the grime of endless days in the stables. I’d not had dreams of that night in so long, as it had been replaced by far more terrifying ones, that it shocked me with its vivid realism. Unlike the last time I’d experienced the memory, however, this time I was filled with an overwhelming sense of love, rather than the fear I’d felt that fateful night. That my sisters still lived, that we cared for each other through every imaginable hardship, that was what stayed with me. No matter what else life had thrown at me, at us, we never wavered in our commitment to each other.

  I would do anything to keep them safe.

  Collapsing on my pallet, I cursed at the support beams of the stable. My entire body ached from a day of grueling work in the castle, preparing for the grand masked ball to celebrate the prince’s return. It was to be the first of many such events, all leading up to his Ascension Day.

  But, as exhausted as I was, I still needed to report in. Reaching up to the hook beside me, I grabbed the metal bucket and lit a small fire in the kindling. Within seconds, smoke wafted into the air, and her face appeared before me.

  “Sorry it’s so late,” I said with a yawn. “It’s been a very long day. There’s a masked ball tomorrow and there’s no shortage of people ordering me to do everything from deliver parchments to messengers, to hauling baggage for arriving guests. It’s been wretched.”

  “A ball?” the voice said from the incorporeal face. “This may be the distraction you need.”

  “You can’t be serious. There will be people everywhere.”

  “If you disguise yourself properly, you shouldn’t have a problem.”

  I gulped, knowing full well what she meant by “properly.” My palms were already sweating at the thought of it.

  “You can’t avoid it forever, dearest one,” she said softly. “You must fight through it. One can be beautiful and strong at the same time.”

  My jaw clenched. “I have a hard time believing
that anyone can be strong in a ridiculous gown with a hideous amount of fabric restricting every possible movement.”

  “Beauty can mask strength. It throws off suspicion.”

  “It also invites others to take advantage of perceived weakness,” I snapped. Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath. “I apologize. I shouldn’t be short with you.”

  “I understand your heartache, but you must consider it.”

  I waved it off, disturbing the smoke. “Even if I thought to do so, I cannot conjure the kind of attire I’d need for the event, and I’ve no way to acquire such things. It’s a moot point.”

  The face drifted, thoughtful. “Perhaps not. Let me confer with the others. There may be something we can do.”

  “I wish you wouldn’t.”

  She laughed a little. “It’s been ages since any of them have had a reason for a fancy dress. You think I could dissuade them?”

  Slumping against the wall, I shut my eyes and tried to ignore the memories forcing themselves into my head. “There must be another way.”

  Warmth caressed my cheek as the smoke curled past my face. “Time is short, and you may not get a better opportunity. I know the difficulty this presents for you, but if we’re to succeed…”

  I grimaced. “I remember. We can’t allow our fate to be the fate of others if it’s within our means to stop it.”

  “Can you do this?”

  Could I? I didn’t know. Even the thought of wearing a dress again churned my stomach.

  She rephrased her question. “Will you?”

  After taking a deep breath, I relented despite my own discomfort. “I will.”

  Her face vanished for a moment, but returned within a few heartbeats. “You’ll have a visitor. Go to the clearing tomorrow evening, and you’ll be met there.”

  “A visitor? What visitor?”

  “You’ll see,” she said, trailing off in a giggle as her face dispersed.

  “Oh honestly,” I mumbled to myself as I put out the fire. “As though my life isn’t uncertain enough. I don’t need more surprises.”

  “What’s the matter, girl,” he said, his breath hot in my ear as his hands strayed to my hips. “You’re no better than those others in there. You think you can thumb your nose at me?”

  “Let me go,” I said, attempting to sound braver than I felt.

  The snick of his knife as it cut through my bodice made my blood run cold with pure fear. The stench of ale surrounded me as his lips sloppily slid across my neck, and I gagged on rising bile.

  “You want to keep your job, best shut your mouth, lass.”

  I tried to scream, to tell him what he could do with his horrid job at that wretched tavern, but his grip on my throat silenced my protests. My arms flailed, bashing against him, and he spun me against the wall, knocking my head against the brick until stars danced in my vision.

  And then, the sound of ripping, of fabric tearing away…

  I awoke with a shout, immediately covering my mouth as tears spilled from my eyes. Choking on the memory of his smell, his sweat, his body invading mine, I shook uncontrollably as I struggled to remind myself that it was over, that he wasn’t here, that he couldn’t hurt me anymore. I pressed the heels of my hands into my eyes, blotting out the image of him burned into my retinas.

  A year gone, and still that night tormented me.

  Turning over on my side, I took deep breaths, counting backwards from one hundred to turn my mind to other things.

  At forty-five, Master Grey’s boot in my side blasted me from one nightmare into another.

  “Get up, boy!” he hollered. “More guests are arriving and you haven’t the time to loaf about.”

  “Yes, Master Grey, sir,” I said as I scrambled to my feet, coughing through the pain of the bruise forming on my ribs. If for no other reason in the world, I would finish my mission simply to see the brutal oaf sent packing. At least this was one man I could keep from hurting others.

  He wasn’t wrong about the guests, as it were. No sooner had I fed the horses already stabled then more arrived to be cared for. Grumbling lords and ladies, put off by traveling the entire night, tossed their reins at me, and tired carriage drivers glared as they set off for the stables. My breakfast consisted of half a stale roll crammed into my mouth as I ran from one task to the next, and lunch was a wrinkled apple I stole from the kitchens on my way to answer a general summons for all castle staff. The meeting was really nothing more than a warning from the master of the house that anyone who slipped up would find themselves without a job, an utter waste of my time given the work I had yet to do.

  The sudden influx of late-arriving guests essentially decided my dinner plans for me, and it was well after dark before I was able to sneak away into the woods.

  My steps slowed as I approached the clearing, unsure of what I’d find waiting for me. The last time I was there, a bear surprised me with a bow and quiver of arrows, which I promptly hid in a hollow log not far from the stables. It came in handy more than once on nights I was either forgotten or denied food for some small infraction.

  I kept behind a tree while I scanned the clearing. When nothing presented itself, I eased away, cautiously approaching the iced-over creek that cut through the center. Not so much as a dried leaf stirred.

  “You are very late,” a familiar voice said behind me, causing me to jump.

  Spinning around, I froze as her presence registered, and my mouth hung open. It had been years since I’d seen her, and I was not at all prepared for her fully unfolded wings, glimmering silver in the light of the waning moon. Her hair was as long and lustrous as I remembered it, each strand the same glittering gray as the veins of her wings. Only her dress was of a different shade, taking the blue of her power’s color.

  “Godmother?” I finally managed through my awe. Typically, she was more reserved on her visits, choosing a more human appearance to set me at ease. To say I was unprepared to meet a fairy in full regalia was a ridiculous understatement.

  She waved her hands about, the clearing instantly bathed in the pale blue glow of fairy orbs. “Stop gaping, child.” She chuckled. “As I understand it, you’re short on time this eve.”

  Overcome at seeing a familiar, friendly face in the flesh, I flung my arms around her neck and embraced her tightly. “I have missed you, Godmother.”

  She laughed, a sound more like music than speech, hugged me quickly, then eased me away. “I’ve missed you as well, my dearest one, but, if I might be frank, you’re rather in desperate need of a bath.”

  I made a face. “I think I’ve grown numb to the smell, but I wouldn’t argue with you.”

  My godmother produced her thin silver wand from the inside of her sleeve. “First things first, then.” With a small wave, the ice of the creek shattered, the water running freely once more.

  I jumped away. “You’re not serious! I’ll catch my death if you—”

  My protests were instantly interrupted by my own splutters and coughing as the slightly warmed water drenched me from head to toe. My clothes had disappeared, leaving me completely naked in the dead of winter. Teeth chattering already, I stared at her with wide eyes, silently begging for warmth of any kind.

  “The glamour,” she said, hands on her hips. “Drop it.”

  “But I—”

  “No buts,” she said. “Drop the spell, or stand there and freeze. Your choice.”

  It wasn’t really my choice, but nice of her to let me think so.

  Taking as deep a breath as I could manage, I searched for the heart of the magic within me. For six months I’d worn that face, and it felt more familiar to me than the one I was born in. It took a while, but I finally located the memory buried inside my head.

  The boy stumbled through the marketplace, struggling to keep up with his annoyed master. In his arms, he juggled two bottles of wine, a horse’s whip, three long loaves of bread, and four scrolls of parchment. His eyes were dull, but determined. The boy was a hard worker, but not all that bri
ght. It was why I chose his face as my new one.

  At the culmination of the memory, the spell slipped off of me as a snake sheds its skin. I gasped, sucking in the cold night air, my first as my true self in half a year.

  “Oh, so much better,” my godmother said with a happy sigh, and a bubble of warmth surrounded us, instantly soothing the unbearable chill settling into my bones.

  “You’ve grown up much since last we met,” she said as she circled me.

  I closed my eyes and prepared to summon another memory for the mimicry of the evening. “Who shall I be tonight, Godmother? There was a lovely woman in the village a few weeks past that—”

  Her wand struck me across my nose, and I winced.

  “You’ll do no such thing, silly girl,” she said. “It’s a masked ball, and you’re far more beautiful than you think.”

  My knees wobbled at the idea. “But I can’t go as my true self, Godmother. If the king sees me—”

  “It’s been ten years, child. He wouldn’t know you now.”

  Grimacing, I tried to come up with another argument, but the threat of her wand across my nose again stayed my tongue.

  “Now then,” she said, rolling her shoulders. “What will it be tonight? The other ladies, did you see any of their gowns before you left?”

  I considered it. “A few. Plenty of wintery colors there. Silvers and golds, of course, and light blue is very fashionable at the moment. None so bold as to wear red, but I imagine there will be come Yule, as it won’t be seen as an affront to the ruling house of Sericea to wear their colors then.”

  She paused in her pacing and scrutinized every inch of my figure. She’d done so before, but I was considerably more well-endowed than last she saw me at thirteen years. Fairies give no consideration to humanity’s discomfort with nudity, however, and so I stood there for several minutes, naked as the day I was born while she assessed my appearance.