Grimilde froze: did she really know Edgar? He had helped her with everything during her first years of rule, always appearing available and loyal, as if he were a friend rather than an advisor to the old king.
Yet, could he harbor such dark feelings? Practicing forbidden arts, creating a plan to harm the princess and betray Arran with his subterfuge, betraying the queen herself... But what infuriated her most was the idea that the traitor had attempted to harm Snow White.
The princess observed firsthand the shift in the queen's emotions as they swam in her crystalline blue irises. She knew exactly what was going through her mind. She took the queen's hands and pressed them against her chest: "I'm fine, listen, it's still beating."
Grimilde stared at her intently, then narrowed her eyes, looking away. "Eternal sleep and a kiss... it's something out of a fairy tale. It makes no sense."
"It doesn't... but at the same time, I think it would be romantic to have someone I love in the story fight for me, defying anyone, just to save me, and then come to my bedside, kiss me sweetly, and..."
"And?" The queen hung on those red, seemingly soft lips. "And I would wake up looking at the face of the person I love—"
"Love? Do you have someone in mind?" Grimilde gave herself away, but to hide her embarrassment, she moved away from Snow White and arranged their things, even grabbing the baskets of apples they'd left on the table. Why on earth had they come to talk about that after all the talk about Edgar's betrayal, though not yet confirmed?
"There's actually someone who's been occupying my thoughts for a while now."
Grimilde paused, then, to avoid showing weakness, pretended nothing had happened and bottled up her jealousy and pain. "I see." She didn't want to continue the conversation, so she left the house with the baskets of apples and the bag containing the poisoned fruit: she would keep it with her to prevent Snow White from being tempted by it.
Snow White followed her. "We have to think about our priorities," Grimilde said almost irritated, her voice failing to hide it, "What do we do with Aron?"
Snow White, for some reason, raised the corners of her mouth and took the young man's knife she had seized earlier: she approached him and examined him carefully, before whispering something. Grimilde heard nothing, but she saw Aron nod and grit his teeth. Snow White had simply explained to the boy what was about to happen; she seemed to be trying to calm him. "I'll leave the knife in your hands, and when you wake up, remember not to come back here."
The princess called the queen and asked her to take care of him, then left the knife behind the tree trunk, near Aron's bound hands. Grimilde knocked the boy out one last time, then left the area with the princess. As they walked, the sky darkened and evening fell: the route back to the dwarves' dwelling had become longer due to their detour, but they hadn't gotten lost and had recognized the correct route back. Grimilde had remained silent throughout the journey, while Snow White hummed in her melodious voice and filled the time by trying to get the queen to talk.
At a certain point, just before they emerged from the thick vegetation and found themselves in front of the dwarves' house, Snow White stopped, and so did Grimilde when she no longer heard her footsteps. "Grimilde?" The queen turned slowly, breathless. Snow White had the colors of the sunset filtering through the leaves behind her; she looked both angelic and sensual. Her dark hair shimmered, her eyes gleamed, and her lips curled in a small smile. "When we return to the castle, could you grant me a small request? I'd like you to ask the mirror something for me."
Grimilde continued to admire the angelic image, holding her breath, almost as if she feared that a single breath would be enough to shatter that rare vision. "Tell me, what should I ask?"
"The name of the one who has captured my every thought. The one who makes my heart beat so rapidly and makes me long for eternity by their side."
~•~•~
Grimilde stroked her horse, smiling when she heard him snort: perhaps they shared the same emotional state. The steed had been a gift from the king when the queen became his bride. Grimilde had immediately grown fond of the little horse, and they had grown up together: he was strong, agile, and stamina-bound, and he had accompanied her hunting, when she met with other nobles. The queen knew well that one day he would probably follow her into war.
She stopped when she heard footsteps and glanced at Snow White, wrapped in a small shawl she must have borrowed from the dwarves. She looked at her calmly, without saying a word: what was she waiting for? The princess took a step and approached the horse, stroking its dark coat. Grimilde paused for a moment, paying attention to Snow White's movements: she had never felt so at peace as in that moment. The wind tickled her skin and the air wasn't too cold, the forest was silent, and it seemed as if only the three of them existed in the world.
At one point, the queen broke the silence: "Would you like one?" Snow White at first seemed not to grasp the meaning of her question, but seeing how Grimilde smiled as she stroked the horse, she understood what she was talking about. "I've never thought about it... but up close, it's so beautiful. What's it like to ride?"
"Have you ever been taken riding?"
"No..." she blushed. Grimilde bit her lip and then continued speaking: "When we return to the castle, you will ride with me, and when peace returns, you too will find your faithful steed." It didn't occur to the queen that, in the tradition of the kingdom of Arran, giving a horse to the court also took on another meaning: it was a wedding gift. Snow White knew this well, she also knew that the horse had been given to Grimilde by her father. When it had happened, she had heard the servants talking for a whole week, as if it were something exceptional. The princess recognized that the queen hadn't grasped the double meaning of her gesture; she saw it with her own eyes. She couldn't be so neutral after such important words, right? But then what did she believe? That the queen had that kind of interest in her? She had certainly sensed that she wasn't completely indifferent to her, but to what extent she didn't know. She was aware, however, that there had been moments between them too intimate to ignore. She still remembered the feeling of their bodies pressed together and the queen's warmth, as well as her intense gaze, always so full of emotion, questions, affection, courage...
"Snow White?"
"Yes?" The young woman awoke from her thoughts. Grimilde had grabbed her hand and was leading her toward the small, warm dwelling: "Come on, let's meet around the fire. I think it's time to confess the truth about ourselves to the others."
Snow White nodded: she trusted the queen and her intuition completely, so she wouldn't protest her decision. As they walked toward the front door, she remained focused on their hands, smiling at the image of their intertwined fingers. She felt like a young girl, but at that moment, she didn't care. She wanted to stay with Grimilde, away from everyone and everything, for a little while longer, before returning to the bonds of nobility and the restrictions of court. How she longed to run away with her and her horse, far away, to a wonderful place where they could live together and support each other. She imagined life in a small village, wrapped in the warmth of their little house and their bed... but this was just a dream, a fairy tale, something impossible.
Snow White looked at the apples on the table, then at the dwarves, and felt inside herself that she was searching for something else.
"We should talk to you about something," Grimilde said after dinner, waiting for the dwarves' chatter to calm down. "I ask your forgiveness, for I have hidden my real identity from you..."
"Oh, but there's no reason to ask forgiveness. After all, travelers are never inclined to reveal information about their origins. We understand this, and we have our ways of verifying who deserves our trust." Doc always tried to lighten the conversation when it got heavy, but he probably wanted to put Grimilde at ease, relieving her of the burden of her omission.
"Just as I have them, and I think it's right to tell you who I am."
Grimilde looked at all the dwarves before announcing that she was the queen of Arran, and when she did, they were all speechless. Doc recovered more quickly than the others: "Your Majesty, we are enormously grateful for your presence in our humble abode!"
"A queen? She is indeed beautiful, we should have known that." One of them muttered, looking at the expressions of his companions. Bashful had gone all red, Sleepy was... well, dozing. Grumpy still seemed sulky, while Doc, Happy, and Dopey were the most elated.
"I ask you to continue treating me as a simple traveler; I'm not here as the queen."
"And Snow White? Snow White is..." Bashful asked timidly, leaving the rest of his sentence hanging. The young girl smiled joyfully: "I am the princess."
"Grimilde can't be your mother unless she's eternally young!" Grumpy commented, only to be met with a "Grumpy!" from all the dwarves.
"What? Did I say something wrong?" She frowned, and Doc raised his right index finger. "First of all, it's rude to talk about people like this. Plus, you're in the presence of the Queen and Princess of Arran, and you'll have to address them appropriately!"
"But she said to treat her like a traveler!"
"She's not my mother... Grimilde is only a little older than me. She married my father, the King of Arran."
Snow White broke off the discussion, returning her attention to herself and the queen. Grimilde looked at her carefully, noticing a hint of sadness in her gaze.
"I apologize if our presence causes you to argue and feel uncomfortable... we'll leave as soon as possible, but we'd like to be able to thank you properly.
Furthermore, I would like to speak to you about an urgent matter..." The princess busied herself explaining the details of the situation, assuring her hosts that she would do everything she could to prevent them from suffering the repercussions of their choice to save her from an unknown threat. The dwarves listened attentively, and when Snow White finished speaking, they reassured her, stating that they did not regret saving her and that they were not afraid to fight.
Grimilde was satisfied with how the discussion went, and soon everyone retired to their rooms to sleep. Since the two women had occupied the first floor, the dwarves had prepared temporary beds in the main hall, using cloths, pillows, and blankets to ensure comfort.
Grimilde was unable to relax that night, and when she did fall asleep, she was awakened several times by nightmares. Unfortunately, she would not have noticed Snow White's absence from the room, and thus would not have prevented the curse from taking its course.