Beyond the Tower

"Any moment now," Richard murmurs. The two of us are crouched behind a large tomb within sight of the royal mausoleum. Aysela and Richard were right about being less security today; there are only two guards at the entrance. I chew on my lip nervously; I'm certain that if I'm caught it will be a death sentence, at the least. Worst case scenario, the queen decides to go ahead and start that war with Krwenia.

We cannot get caught.

Just as I finish thinking that, I hear the most loud, painful, ear splitting scream ever pierce through the air. A wordless cry just as terrible as her singing is beautiful. Yet still beautiful too. It may be true she's lost her singing, but the power of Aysela's voice is still far from gone. And one look at Richard's clenched fists tells me that it's all he can do not to go tearing across the graveyard to Aysela. I place my hand on his back and he relaxes instantly. I guess she still has some magic that draws men towards her, and I still have the power to resist.

The guards, on the other hand, are not receiving my resistance to magic. And within moments, both of them have abandoned their posts in favor of Aysela. I just hope she can keep this up for a while.

"Come on," says Richard, standing up and rushing towards the mausoleum, with me close on his heels. "Just like we planned," he says, once we're there. "I'll stand guard, and if there's anyone coming, I'll yell 'diamond slippers.' Hopefully it won't come to that and you just need to get in and get out as quickly as possible."

"Got it," I say, nodding once before rushing towards the entrance and pulling the door open. I'm surprised at how easily it comes. It's enormous and clearly made from some sort of sturdy stone, but I suppose my resistance to enchantments must be helping me. I don't stop to consider it and merely dash inside.

It's dark, with the only light coming from the open door and a couple skylights above. There's nothing in the room though, but three passages, one on each wall. Nervously, I run into the one closest to me, taking a moment to worry that at this distance, I won't be able to hear Richard.

The room is filled with exquisite coffins. They're painted gold and silver, and inlaid with gems. There are huge portraits adorning the walls, of monarchs long passed. There are also some piles of gold and gems in the room, and I would be enticed but I'm too nervous to worry.

Instead, I realize that the portraits probably depict the occupants of the coffins and back slowly out of the room, praying that I'm right. If not, there's no way I'll be able to go through all of these.

The next room is similar, if slightly less ornate. Slightly nervous, I rush into the third room and realize immediately that it's different.

There are only three coffins. The first one is grand, with a huge portrait of who I assume was the queen, Snow's birth mother. The next two are plain, and there are no more gems or portraits in the room. I immediately understand that this must be the queen's work. Snow's late father clearly loved his wife, and made sure that she was buried in style, but the queen has no such concerns for Snow and her father. After all, she was their murderer.

I creep towards the plain brown coffin, the one that's closest to me, and push the lid back.

Just as I'd suspected, it's Snow. Looking at her shocks me though. She's still, very still, and pale, very pale, but not any more than usual. I mean, she wasn't named Snow White for nothing. It's all very normal, that's what shocks me. She doesn't look dead, lifeless like I'd expected her to. Instead, I can see her cheeks are still full, her hair still glossy black, her lips still blood red. And if I look closely enough, I can detect a small bit of pink in her pale cheeks.

No, she doesn't look dead at all, and I can't believe I'd ever thought that she was. She merely looks asleep, at peace.

I would just stand there admiring the beautiful princess forever, but suddenly remember that I have a job to do, that I can't just stand here. A little nervously, I lean down and press a kiss to her warm forehead. I pull away and look at my best friend expectantly.