Charming: Part I - 14. Chapter Fourteen

Lucky looked forward and continued to look at the palace as they drove closer to where it jutted from the center of the lake. As they got closer, he noticed the incredible details that were carved into the palace made completely of ice, and he wondered how such a creation could be made. He heard tales about ice palaces just like this one when he was a child, how they were supposedly created by a single snowflake that grew after touching a large body of water.

Like all snowflakes, the six arms that were formed expanded outward, not only in terms of space, but also in height by creating six towers that were just as intricately detailed, and the palaces were all unique from one another just like individual snowflakes. To see such a sight in person was more marvelous than any retelling his father made before he kissed Lucky on the forehead and he fell asleep. And he knew that was where the Snow Queen resided in, and he gripped the handle of his sword tightly as the anticipation of what was to come built inside him.

The car skidded a few times with Zev trying his best to maintain control with both hands on the steering wheel. However, the car began to slow down, and Lucky looked at the gas meter to see that the small, red hand going down. His best guess was that the car’s gas was literally freezing, caused by the cold temperature outside. Regardless of how that was possible, he knew that they were going to have to walk the rest of the way as the car finally came to a full stop and Zev cursed as he stepped his foot further onto the gas pedal with no effect. Lucky, knowing that Zev’s efforts were futile, closed the zipper of his thick coat and pulled the hood over his head.

Zev looked at him and said, “Seriously, Lucky? You really want to walk the rest of the way to the palace?”

Pulling his gloves on, Lucky replied, “If there’s no other way, then yeah. It’s not that far, and you all can just stay here.”

“No way I’m not letting you go to that palace by yourself. I’m coming too.” Zev zipped up his sweater and pulled a wool beanie on his head before turning around his seat and saying, “You two stay here while Lucky and I walk to the palace. As long as you both keep the heater on, you two should be fine. Got it?”

“Aye, aye!” Cecil said with a playful salute.

“I’m sorry, but I didn’t go on this long car drive just to stay inside where it’s warm and cozy, while you two go off and fight the Snow Queen. I want to come,” Violet insisted.

“That’s not happening, Violet,” Lucky said, turning to the woman who had her arms crossed in defiance. “Since the gas most likely froze, I don’t want you or Cecil to walk the remaining distance to the palace if conditions are that harsh. You did a major part in helping us find the Snow Queen’s palace, now just stay in this car while Zev and I do the dirty work. You can keep watch if anyone else is trying to go to the palace and call me. Okay?”

Violet looked at Lucky with narrowed eyes before sighing and pulling out her phone. “Fine. Go ahead. We’ll stay here where it’s safe, and the reception here is strong enough that I can call if anything goes or I see something.”

“Good,” Zev said as slid his own gloves on. “And if things actually go well, there won’t be any need for a fight.”

“And what do you have equipped if things get heated?” Lucky asked as he closed his door.

Zev chuckled. “I guess you never heard of ice-cold breath of a wolf that literally freeze anything its path if the temperature is cold enough.”

“Woah. I didn’t know wolves had that ability…but will it work on things that are already cold as ice?” Lucky asked as crossed the car and stepped in front of Zev.

“If not, I can most likely still blow those guards away like their ordinary snowmen,” Zev responded, cracking his knuckles and smirking at Lucky.

Smiling back, Lucky turned to look at the ice palace about half a mile away. “Well, let’s start walking then.”

The walk to the palace was difficult to say the least. Even though the frozen lake had a thick layer of snow that allowed them to walk easily without slipping, the strong winds caused Lucky to shiver heavily, and he wished he bought another jacket from that street vendor. He experienced winters with snow and even blizzards before, but this type of cold was causing him to shiver so much that he could have been mistaken for convulsing,

“Too cold?” Zev asked with concern.

Chuckling, Lucky said, “No, I’m fine. Nothing I can’t handle. The palace better not be this cold though.”

“Just stay close to me.” Zev wrapped his arm around Lucky’s shoulders and pulled him close to his body that was surprisingly warm. “That better?”

Lucky smiled and nodded. “Much better.”

“Yeah, wolves happen to have a higher body temperature and can retain heat far better than any normal human. So, cold temperatures like this is no problem for us.”

“I wish I had that ability right now,” Lucky said, feeling warmer, but still shivering.

“Don’t worry. We’re almost there.” Zev pointed at the palace where the front entrance was becoming more visible.

Concentrating, Lucky pushed through the cold, while keeping his body close to Zev who was surprisingly not showing any signs of being cold himself with his body acting like a human radiator, he was that warm and it very comforting. It allowed him stay focused on the walk and soon they were at the front entrance of the palace that consisted of tall, double doors that had very intricate designs of various snowflakes, all different shapes and sizes.

“Okay, now what do we do?” Zev asked as he looked at the door, probably for some type of doorknob or handle.

Lucky looked around as well, but then the wind started to strengthen, and he turned around to see the snow lift and swirling around into a wide twister not too far away from them. Zev backed away as he pulled Lucky close to him; the twister of snow was becoming more compressed and he could see that objects were being formed. He also noticed that the snow looked larger than normal with a strange buzzing sound, like bees as the twister began to slow down and the objects became more distinct.

They were in the shape of humans, and he knew that these were the guards of the Snow Queen, constructed completely of snow bees that were filling in the final small holes of the guards that were in the shape of honeycombs of a bee hive. What was threatening was not just their size that was almost double the height of him and Zev, but their equally-sized spears with their pointed ends looking like icicles, so spiky-looking that it could possibly penetrate metal armor.

Six guards in total were standing in front of Lucky and Zev; all of them faceless like a mannequin, but they moved towards them with the fluidity of a human. With their spears angled towards them, Lucky was about to pull his key out and extend out his sword when the guards finally stopped. They formed a half circled around them, preventing them from escaping, while they were positioned against the front entrance.

“Why are you two trespassing on the Queen’s land?” one of the guards demanded with a voice that sounded like he was speaking through a helmet of some sort. “Answer now!”

Lucky took a step forward despite Zev trying to pull him back. “We’ve come here to talk to the Snow Queen.”

“Of what matter?” the guard asked, not moving.

“It’s about the Magic Mirror. I know the Snow Queen has her own version of this mirror, and I need her assistance with recreating it. We’re not here to harm her, just to ask for her help. After that, we’ll leave.”

The same guard approached Lucky with its spear still drawn, but he stood his ground and did not allow the guard to scare him away. The guard then stopped, its face looking down on Lucky before cocking its head, like he was wondering what to do with the prince who was trying his hardest not to shiver and show weakness.

The guard then straightened its posture and pointed its weapon upward, away from Lucky, and said in a suddenly feminine voice, “Are you Prince Charming?”

Lucky raised an eyebrow, but then nodded. “Yes, I am.”

The guard then turned its head towards the other guards, and they all changed into the same position before turning its face to Lucky and said, “Prince Charming, you and your associate may enter my palace and discuss your issue with me personally, but if either of you in any way threaten me and my palace, you both will be dealt with severely. Understood?”

“Yes. Yes, we do.” Lucky turned his head to Zev. “Right, Zev?”

Zev nodded. “We’ll be respectful.”

“Good. Step aside, so my guards can open the front entrance, and then you both will follow them to the throne where I’m stationed.”

Lucky and Zev did as they were ordered, and the guard that was communicating to them walked towards the door before placing its hand on it. The various snowflakes began turning around like gears of a machine, and the double doors opened slowly and smoothly, revealing the interior of the palace. The guards began walking through the entrance and Lucky and Zev looked at each other with wonderment before they followed the guards who were walking in unison like soldiers in a march. As soon as they entered inside, the doors closed behind them, and Lucky knew that their chances of escape was a zero if anything went wrong, so he prayed to the Godmother and whoever else above that this mission continued without any major incident.

Looking around, Lucky saw how extravagant this palace was both externally and internally. The same intricate carvings were found on the large columns and the high ceiling, all carved from clear ice that allowed natural light to pierce into the palace. The temperature, though still cold, was much more tolerable, and the overall environment was very enchanting.

They continued to follow the guards, their steps echoing throughout the palace. The guards, marching in two rows of three, then split further apart, and Lucky then saw a person sitting on a tall throne that was before concealed by the guards’ bodies. The two rows of guards moved to either side of what was most likely the throne room, and the two rows stopped and turned to face the other side, standing so still like statues.

Lucky and Zev stopped as well with the person, none other than the Snow Queen, sitting on her throne, while looking down on them. He looked up back at her, and despite being up so high, he noticed that she was pale white with what looked like scars on her face. She also wore a white dress that sparkled with ice crystals and a high collar that looked like an enlarged snowflake. Her face looked completely stoic, and he would have believed that she was completely frozen if she was not blinking and exhaling with what looked like snowflakes too.

Lucky, not knowing what else to do, cleared his throat and kneeled before the Snow Queen, knowing that any respect from her was needed. “Your Highness.”

“There’s no need for that gesture. Stand back up, please,” the Snow Queen said gruffly.

Lucky stood back up. “Sorry.”

“You may address me simply as my Queen. Nothing more, nothing less.”

“Yes… my Queen,” Lucky addressed and looked back at the Snow Queen.

“Now, what has brought the famous Prince Charming into my land? It must be very important since the location of my palace is a secret to the rest of the world.”

“It is my Queen. I’m here because I need to reconstruct a magical object called the Magic Mirror, and I’ve been told that you have a version of it in your possession. That mirror is necessary to helping me with that mission. So…if you can somehow give me a piece of the mirror or tell me your method on how you created it, that will be very helpful. That is all I ask of you, my Queen.”

“The Magic Mirror…the mirror from the story Snow White?” the Snow Queen asked with her chin propped on her hand.

Lucky nodded. “That’s the mirror.”

“Recreating the original Magic Mirror…that’s a major feat…most likely an impossible feat to accomplish as well.” The Snow Queen crossed her legs and continued by saying, “You’re correct on your assumption that I possess a version of this mirror…but I fail to see a reason why I should simply hand you this very enchanted object that was part of my family for generations. What do you plan on doing with the Magic Mirror if you happen to recreate it?”

Lucky bit his lower lip, wondering if he should further explain his motivation. He was very skeptical about whether the Snow Queen was willing to help him if he explained his very valid reason, or if she was just another evil witch. He was leaning towards the latter since she did blind an entire town to only see the ugliness in the world. However, he could not just walk away since she was possibly the only option to recreating the Magic Mirror, and he did not give up so easily.

Taking a deep breath, Lucky said, “I need the Magic Mirror to help me defeat a very dangerous person, a person who ruined my life when she killed someone very close to me, and a vampire who most likely has more evil motivations that she plans on executing if she’s not stopped. Her name is Lilith…otherwise known as Snow White.”

The Snow Queen’s eyes widened, the first facial expression that moved her face other than blinking. But only a couple of seconds passed before her face turned back into its stoic expression. She then stood up from her throne and began walking down by materializing large snowflakes below her feet and using them like the steps of a staircase. Lucky watched as she stepped onto the icy floor, and she took a few more steps toward him before stopping. Zev moved to Lucky’s side as the Snow Queen looked at him, whether she any emotion like anger or sadness, he did not know. He did get a closer look at her face that was indeed lined with scars, scars that were surprisingly symmetrical on either side of her face. It was like she underwent a botched plastic surgery, and the scars were what disfigured her.

“You must be wondering what happened to my face...why I have these scars,” the Snow Queen said calmly.

“Oh, no! I wasn’t thinking that…my Quenn”

The Snow Queen chuckled lightly. “Don’t worry. I’m not offended… I am what I am today because of her.”

His eyes widening, Lucky asked, “You mean Lilith?”

The Snow Queen nodded. “Yes. My association with that woman happened several centuries ago, before she turned to what she is today. She was transformed into the first vampire after biting into an apple, an apple that granted her the ability to stay young and beautiful forever…however the apple did not come from nowhere. Me, my friend and another powerful witch were the ones who created the apple. I used my magic associated with snow to help grow the apple, a fruit that only grows during the winter season. My friend then cooked the apple under a fire that was burning ebony wood, and the other witch used blood to give it color. Our plan was to help Lilith, who back then was just an innocent elf maiden being enslaved by seven dwarfs. However, the dwarfs were just a metaphor for humans who possessed all the seven deadly sins and used the poor woman as a slave, forcing her to mine metals and smith them into weapons. We only wanted to help her, help her seek vengeance on those people who took away her freedom by granting her extraordinary beauty that could win the heart of a prince.

“So, the witch who colored the apple gave Lilith the fruit and with one bite she went into a deep sleep, and when a prince appeared, he kissed her and brought her back to life… However, that wasn’t the happy ending that everyone knows of today…after she was revived, she immediately killed the prince, draining him of all his blood. She then proceeded to kill everyone who were involved with her enslavement, leaving a blood massacre behind. It turns out my friend who gave her the apple had ulterior motives. She was actually the stepmother of Lilith, and she was the reason why Lilith escaped from her elven kingdom before being enslaved by humans. She was jealous of her beauty and tried to kill her after she escaped, going so far as to send a huntsman who was actually a wolf to hunt her and rip out her heart. Later that wolf would befriend Lilith and become the first wolf to align himself with the vampires. She intended the apple to kill Lilith, but instead it turned her into the first vampire, and when Lilith found her, she was killed, and the Magic Mirror was taken from her corpse. We both thought it was over…but we were very wrong.

“Lilith sought vengeance on us as well for turning her in what she saw as a monster. She used the Magic Mirror to curse our own mirrors. For mine, every time I look at my reflection, I only saw ugliness, and it soon transferred to my very vision and all I can see now is the ugly, dark side of everything. I don’t know what became of my friend, only that her mirror caused her to go insane and commit horrific acts in the deep depths of the woods. I decided to isolate myself from the rest of the world, using my power of snow to such an extent that I was able to freeze time itself. This prevented anybody from discovering my palace, regardless of the location I decided to move to… Until now, of course.”

The Snow Queen took a few steps towards them before stopping again. “Also because of my curse, all my guards who are created my snow bees are faceless, so that I don’t have to endure looking at anything ugly.” She looked at both Lucky and Zev with just with the movement of eyes, the only thing moving on her face. “I can rarely see a thing or person without this curse frosting over my vision…however, you two are different.”

“How so?” Lucky asked.

“Well, first your friend standing next to you is covered by some type of aura. My best guess is that he’s a wolf based on the race’s ability of disguise. However…” The Snow Queen looked back at Lucky and cocked her head. “You truly are Prince Charming, aren’t you? I can only see a handsome man, which puzzles me greatly. The only other magical race who can bypass my curse are ogres, but you’re most definitely not one of those creatures since you don’t have the accent that an ogre has. Maybe it’s your lineage that is the reason, I don’t know… So, you want my help to recreate the Magic Mirror in order to seek vengeance of your own on Lilith?”

“Yes. If there’s any way that you can help…”

“I can allow you to borrow my mirror; however, like I just said, it has been cursed, and I don’t know how to break it since it’s a very powerful one. The only way to break it is beyond my power,” the Snow Queen explained, her back facing them.

“Maybe we can help,” Lucky offered.

“The only way you can help me and break this curse is to make me feel again. My magic has allowed me to freeze time and live for centuries…but it also isolated me, making me even colder to any emotions that I once took for granted.” Turning around to face them again, the Snow Queen’s eyes looked troubled. “I don’t want to be alone anymore; I want to feel something, anything, so I can relish and rejoice on what I lost instead of feeling indifference like always.”

“Just tell us what you need.”

“Answer this question first… How exactly did you manage to find my palace?”

Lucky looked at Zev who simply nodded before saying, “A woman, a princess actually, helped us find your palace’s location.”

“And how exactly did she do that?”

“She…She used a tool called the Mirror of Reason, my Queen.”

The Snow Queen quickly looked at both Lucky and Zev, and then she stepped back before saying, “I see… He’s your lover, isn’t he, Prince Charming? I can tell from the just the way he’s standing so close to you, like he’s worried for your safety…and he should be.”

Lucky was confused by what the Snow Queen just said, but when he heard one the guards marching towards him and Zev, he knew that she was not going to cooperate any further. The guard was moving quickly, but Zev acted faster, pushing Lucky out of the way before being swiped by the pole part of the guard’s spear. He was thrown to the other side of the throne room, and before Lucky could act himself, he saw long icicles fall from the ceiling and pierce the floor between them. The icicles created a tall fence that separated them; all six guards were at Zev’s side of the fence, and Lucky knew that he was in terrible danger.

“What are you doing?” Lucky shouted at the Snow Queen.

“If you witnessing your lover’s death doesn’t trigger a single emotion in me, then nothing will.” The Snow Queen walked back up to her throne, and sitting down, she said, “I’m sorry. Just see this as compensation for having my property stolen and used against me.”

Lucky turned back to see Zev through the fence, backing away from the guards who were cornering him against the wall. Lucky immediately ran to the fence, grabbing the icicles before retracting his hands. The fence was so cold that it felt he just touched heated metal, but he knew he had to do something before Zev was killed. He then pulled out his key, remembering the ash he received from Cindi to polish his sword and the effect it possibly gave his weapon. He did not have to think whether it was going to work or not; he just extended his key into its complete form and moved his sword against the fence with one swing.

Lucky stepped back, and he watched as several of the icicles fell apart magically. He quickly went through the opening that was created, and with his eyes set one of the guards, he swung his sword again. The same guard turned around, and it raised its spear ready to attack him as well when the upper half of its body collapsed onto the floor. And as the fallen guard dematerialized back into snow, another guard attempted to strike Zev with the pointed end of its spear. He quickly dodged the attack with a dodge roll, and he over the pile of snow that was once a guard and escaped the other guards.

“You’re a lifesaver!” Zev said as he stood by Lucky’s side.

“We’re not done yet,” Lucky replied as the five remaining guards began marching towards them.

Lucky and Zev backed away through the opening of the fence, and holding his sword with both hands, Lucky was ready. Then suddenly his phone began buzzing in his pocket, and he could only hope that was not Violet calling as the guards neared them.