Excerpt: Grimmland

(From Chapter 12: What Happens in the Tower Stays in the Tower)
Ella awoke to the sound of what struck her ears like the roar of a lawnmower, if lawnmowers existed yet. (An anachronism to be sure, Reader, yet I assure you, as the Official Relater of Relations for the Department of Faerie Tale Relations it my job to both know the past, remain up to date on the present, and anticipate, if not foresee, the future. And if that is not enough of an explanation for you, my cherished Reader, then you clearly have not spent enough time in the land of faerie … which, I suppose, is only a good thing for you, at least as far as our recent history is concerned.) Her eyes slowly opened, scanning the small but amply decorated room bit by bit as they struggled to focus in the bright light of the morning. She slowly began to make out the shapes of huge pillows of all colors-- deep reds, violets, and blues, bright greens, pinks, and yellows, covering the floor in fluff she would dread rising from. The walls were covered in draperies of silver and gold, and between them hung tapestries of elegant craftsmanship—most likely the craftsmanship of some "common folk," Ella told herself dryly—depicting scenes of what she supposed were meant to be regal exploits: a prince slaying a bear, a prince slaying a dragon, a prince slaying an ogre, and so forth. Soon her eyes found the source of the terrible noise she had heard upon waking. Across the room, Lysthen's mouth hung open and emitted the loudest snores she had ever heard in her young life. A thick line of drool descended from his mouth to the pillow on which his head reclined ... No, it wasn't a pillow. Ella sat up and snickered as she realized it was, in fact, Gnautso's stomach that Lysthen was steadily drooling on.
Ella looked around for Rapunzel and found her, much to the young maiden's disgust (or as much disgust as she could muster in the early morning), reclining, wedged in between the two princes. At least she was, to Ella's relief, still dressed, though she couldn't help noticing that the princes' hands were somewhat inappropriately placed. She was relieved to see that Vari was not with them-- it almost pained her to admit that had he been, it might have broken her heart. But not too much, she consoled herself, only enough to make her want to slice a teeny weeny bit of his arm off to satisfy her thirst for revenge ... No, not that much at all.
Get a grip, Cinds, she told herself, sweeping her hair back out of her face as she glanced down at her own body. She saw the lovely gown Rapunzel had offered her sometime during the night. She remembered, with mild chagrin, Rapunzel shaking her awake in the middle of the night, and telling her that she simply could not bear to see even the most common of girls in such dreadful rags for clothes. Ella only agreed to take the new dress to get rid of Rapunzel so she could get back to sleep. Now she looked at it and saw that, though it was going to be far from practical to go roaming around in and fighting off zombies in, it was actually a rather beautiful dress. The bodice was made of lacey material that clung to her perfectly, accentuating nicely-- perhaps a little too well, she thought-- the curves of her body. The skirts-- for the dress had as many layers as she had fingers, and, she felt quite certain, even more to spare-- were made of a number of materials, each as filmy and smooth to the touch and the next, and each in dazzling colors that shone in the rising sun and made her almost seem to shine and sparkle herself. She ran her hand over the dress, remembering slipping into it the night before and feeling it cover her skin like a sigh. She also remembered, and would have to remember to repay, the giggles she heard coming from the corner in which Gnautso and Lysthen slept that revealed they were perhaps not quite as deep in slumber as she had believed when she was changing. Still, she could not help but remind herself, as lovely as the dress was, it had nothing on the dresses her mother had given her for …
Ella let her eyes wander the room once more and caught sight of Vari sleeping in a corner not far from where she had slept, his head tucked gently between his arms. His chest rose and fell softly as he breathed--without, she noted, the disturbing amount of snoring his cousin was emitting-- and when he turned his head in his sleep, Ella could see that he was smiling softly. She felt her heart skip a beat. Annoyed, she slapped herself lightly. No, Reader, not the most rational of responses to the onset of what I'm sure you will agree was surely love, but the only kind Ella could bring herself to do.
Letting her eyes travel away from his handsome face, she searched for and quickly found the basket of food Rapunzel had left near her the night before. She grabbed a handful of grapes and ate them one at a time, savoring the sweet flavor of the first real food she had eaten in weeks. As the juices of the grapes filled her mouth slowly made their way down her throat, she found a mirror laying on the floor and gingerly picked it up.
"Well, my girl," she murmured to herself grimly, "it's about time you took another good look at yourself to see how bad off you are these days."
She raised the mirror to her face and let out a soft gasp. Apparently, sometime during the night while she was sleeping, either the dirt had rubbed off her face onto a pillow or Rapunzel had washed her face. She glanced at the pillows where she had been sleeping and saw that they were spotless. So, Rapunzel had done her yet another favor during the night. She examined her features and found that she could hardly deny she looked better than she had in weeks. She ran a hand over her cheek and felt the same soft flesh she had all but forgotten existed since the dawn of her zombie killing trials. She gazed at her hair and, though begrudgingly, admired what Rapunzel had done the night before. Her hair, once grimy, coated in a film of dirty, and tangled beyond what she thought was any hope, now fell lightly over her shoulders, the old curls almost completely restored. Rapunzel had braided sections of her hair as well, and the braids created a dazzling affect as they mingled with the ripples and bends of the rest of her tresses. She could not help but give herself a little smile.
"I hate to get them up," she said to herself, gazing once more at the pile of royals sleeping across from her and enjoying this moment of silence and solitude too much to let it end so quickly. She sat back and grabbed another handful of grapes, eating them still one at a time and enjoying the sweet flavors they created in her mouth. She glanced again over at Vari, who still slept peacefully so near her feet. Slowly and quietly, she crawled across the pillowed flower and leaned on her elbows to gaze at him. She watched his chest rise and fall as he breathed, felt his soft breath blow against her face as he moved his head once more ...
"No! No more flies!"
Ella stifled a scream as she flew backward on the floor, flinging herself away from the prince as he shot up into a perfect ninety degree angle on the floor and swung his arms around his face wildly. His eyes flew open, and his gaze quickly found her. His face flushed, and he covered his eyes with his hands.
"Nightmare," he murmured, rubbing his eyes and refusing to meet her gaze. She stared at him, wide eyed, and said nothing. After a moment of uncomfortable silence he sheepishly raised his eyes to her face.
"I ... I apologize if I frightened you," he said softly.
"Me, frightened?" Ella said, trying to sound nonchalant and realizing her voice was all too loud to pull it off. "Oh, never. Are you alright?"
"I-- I'm fine. I mean, nothing to worry about. Just a nightmare."
"You said that already."
"Said what?"
"That it was a nightmare."
"Ah," said Vari, rubbing his cheek with his hand. "Well, yes ... it was. A nightmare."
"Are you hungry?" Ella asked, groping for the bowl of food and offering it to the now stretching prince. Vari gave her a sleepy grin and accepted an apple, plucking it from the bowl and turning his back to her as he bit into it. Ella was glad to have him turn away. She could not keep herself from staring at him, wondering what his outburst could have meant. What in the world would make flies seem so terrible to him?
"I say, whatever is that racket?"
Ella sighed, disappointed to hear the haughty voice of Gnautso so soon. She turned to look at him as he raised himself, pulling his arms away from Rapunzel's body and flinging Lysthen's head off his stomach. The sudden movement made Lysthen start, his snores coming suddenly to an end as his eyes popped open and he glared at his cousin. Rapunzel let out a soft sigh, and Lysthen turned his eyes from the prince who had so rudely awakened him to fix his gaze upon the princess who laid beside him. With a devilish grin, he murmured, "Yes, well, far too early to rise yet ..." and, wrapping his arms around the princess, laid down once more.
"Oh no it's not," Ella said, jumping to her feet. 'Let's go, everybody up."
Rapunzel let out her own soft moan and sat up, dragging Lysthen and his gripping arms with her. "Oh, nay, 'tis far too early!"
"Look, the sun is risen," Ella said, pointing through the window. Rapunzel blinked her eyes and squinted toward the brightly shining light of the sun, covering her rosy face with the shadow of an outstretched arm. She stood and, half stumbling, walked to the opening in the tower wall. Ella watched, and could not help but let her jaw drop slightly as the princess grasped a wall hanging, pulled it across the light that streamed through the window, and made her way in the sudden shade back to her spot beside Lysthen. Wrapping his arms back around her, she muttered, "There, that's better," and fell back almost instantly to sleep. While she sat staring in disbelief at the newly reformed pile of sleeping royalty, Ella heard Vari let out a soft snort beside her. Looking toward him, she saw him giving her a charming grin—no pun intended—as he shrugged his shoulders and tossed aside his now spent apple core.
“Did you really expect them to get up?” he asked, reaching for a handful of grapes. Ella grinned.
“I suppose not,” she admitted. “Anyway, at least it gives me a little more time with—”
She stopped herself, horrified at what she had almost let slip from her mouth. “A little more time with you,” Ella? a voice screamed at her from within her head, could you really be so careless as to say such a thing out loud? She cleared her throat, glad to see that Vari was much too preoccupied with examining the great purple grapes he was eating to have noticed anything.
“A little more time with my thoughts,” she said, turning her face toward the now covered window.
“Yes, it is rather nice,” Vari replied, munching on a grape as he spoke. “Just two rational people and their thoughts. Two normal people, no secrets, no … er, well. Yes. Alone with our thoughts, anyway.”
Ella smiled at him, not fully understanding him but appreciating his understanding. She slid toward him, carefully avoiding getting herself tangled in the innumerable skirts of her gown, and pulled another handful of grapes from the bowl.
“And what does a prince think about when he’s being a rational, normal person?” she asked, squeezing one of the grapes between her forefinger and thumb and watching the juice roll down her fingers.
“You mean when he’s not being the stuffy façade of a royal?” Vari said with a smile. “Oh, I suppose … wondering what will happen when this whole terrible thing is over and life goes back to normal.”
Ella laughed. “Normal? You think things will go back to normal?”
“Well, I certainly hope they will,” said the prince, rolling an orange between his palms. “You don’t want to be chased by zombies forever, do you?”
“Well, of course not, but … that’s not saying I’d want things to go back to normal.”
“What’s so bad about normal?” asked Vari, tossing the orange at her. Ella caught it with a frown.
“Normal for me was a loathsome step-mother and two dreadful step-sisters,” she said darkly. “A life of servitude in my own home. That’s not the kind of normalcy I hope for.”
“Oh,’ said Vari, lowering his eyes. “I … I suppose, now that I think of it … normal might not be the best word for it.”
“Well, for you, I suppose normal would be a very good thing,” Ella said, not unkindly. She was surprised to see a dark shadow pass over Vari’s face.
“No,” he said, his voice low and cold. “No, normal is not the right word at all.”
“Oh, come now,” said Ella, tossing the orange back at him so it hit him lightly on the shoulder. “A royal palace, balls and parties whenever you wanted, servants, coattails, valets and coaches at your command …”
“Well, when you said it like that, it almost sounds like a good thing,” Vari replied with a grin. Ella could not help but notice, however, that his voice still bore a hint of ice as he spoke. She let her eyes wander back to Rapunzel, smooshed in between the two princes like a prized teddy bear.
“You know,” she said after a moment, “for as much as she reminds me a bit more of a female version of your cousins than I would care to admit … Rapunzel is not half bad.”
“Whaccha mean?” asked Vari, his mouth full of a bite of a second apple. Ella smiled at him.
“Well she gave me this dress, for one,” she said, gesturing at the gown. “And she did my hair … she washed my face …”
Vari coughed, a bit of apple flying from his mouth as his face turned almost the shade of its skin. He gave her a pitiful little smile and said in an almost inaudible voice, “Iwemee.”
“What?”
“It … er, I did … I mean …” He coughed again, wiping away the tiny chunks of apple that he had sent flying down his chin. “I mean, uh … it was me.”
“You …” Ella felt her own face redden. “You washed my face?”
“Well, I imagined it wouldn’t have been very pleasant, sleeping in your own dirt …”
“But … you washed my face?”
“I tried to do it gently, so I wouldn’t wake you, and you were sleeping so soundly …”
“But—”
“… and you’ve done so much for me and my cousins, really it’s the least—”
“But you—”
“—and, anyway, coming from Rapunzel it was nice,” Vari said speedily. “So you can’t really be mad at me for doing it.”
“But,” Ella gasped, her hand rising to her cheek. “You … you washed my face?”
“I… I’m sorry,” Vari stammered, his eyes wide as though he thought she might grab her sword and run him through. Ella laughed.
“Oh, no,” she cried, her hand moving to dab the corner of her eye. “It’s just … that’s the nicest thing any living person has ever done for me.”
“Oh,” said Vari, his face becoming so red Ella thought it might burst. “Are you … are you crying?”
“What? Of course not,” she said indignantly, but turned her face away so he could not see her wipe away the involuntary tear that formed and threatened to run down her cheek. She turned back to him and saw him grinning at her once more. “So, tell me about that nightmare.”
The smile instantly fell from his face and he shook his head.
“I’d rather not,” he said, this time turning his face from her. “It’s … it’s rather embarrassing.”
“You know I won’t laugh,” Ella said gently. He gave her a weak smile.
“I know you won’t but …” He sighed. “Oh, well, why not. You might as well know.”
The prince cleared his throat, and gazed intently over at his cousins; it was clear they were asleep, a fact verified by an all too loud snore from Lysthen. Vari turned his gaze back to Ella, leaned toward her until his head, she noted with no small amount of pleasure, was almost lying on her arm, and whispered, “Have you heard the story of the Frog Prince?”
Ella laughed. “Well, of course! A prince, bewitched by a wicked witch, was turned into a frog, and made a pact with a princess that if he fetched her golden ball from the bottom of the well into which it had fallen she would be his companion. She, of course, being like most princesses, got her ball back and ran away. The frog follows her, makes her do all manners of things for him, until he convinces her to give him a kiss—”
“Er, no,” said Vari, his face red. “There was no kiss.”
“I’ve heard this story a million times, and—”
“And it’s told with a kiss,” said Vari, “for m—for the sake of the prince.”
“Oh, be serious,” said Ella laughing. “If it wasn’t a kiss what happened?”
“The princess threw the frog across the room, because she was angry with him,” said Vari quietly. “And when he finished his humiliating slide down the wall, he transformed back into a prince. And just when he thought they would have a happily ever after, the sort that had always been promised to him …” He swallowed hard and gazed intently into Ella’s waiting eyes. “Her father ran into the room, covered in blood, and bit his own daughter. They became zombies. The prince’s happily ever after was dead … undead. And he ran for his life, and never looked back, and believed he would never find love again.”
Ella snorted. “Really, Vari, you … that’s quite a retelling.”
“It’s not a retelling. It’s what happened.”
“Well, how could you know unless you were there?” asked Ella, still laughing until she looked at Vari’s face. “Why, Vari, I daresay you look a bit … er, green in the face.”
At these words, Vari groaned and ducked his head down into his waiting hands, shaking his head back and forth. Ella’s brow furled in on itself, and she could not understand why he was so upset.
“Vari, I—I’m sorry,” she said, reaching out her hand to touch the top of his head. Her fingers tangled in his hair, and she felt a small jolt of electricity run the course of her arm as they ran their course along his scalp to the base of his neck. “Did you … did you know this prince, then?”
Vari shook his head, and finally looked up at her.
“No,” he said, his voice emerging as nothing but a croak from his throat. “No, my dear lady.”
He reached back and took her hand in his, pulling it around to his chest and leaning so close Ella feared he would hear her heart beating wildly within her chest.
“No, Ella,” he repeated, clutching her hand so tightly that had she not felt she was floating in midair it would have hurt terribly. “I did not know this prince. I was that prince. I am that prince.”
“I, er … I don’t … think I understand,” said Ella, her heart pounding so fast she thought she would faint. He gave her a weak smile.
“I am the Frog Prince, Ella,” said Vari in a breathy whisper into her ear. “My cousins must never know my secret. That I … that I was a frog …
“Or,” he continued, his lips now pressed almost against her ear, “that this frog prince has fallen in love … with a cinder-girl.”
And with that Ella, who had never been one to fall into the stereotypical category of the swooning damsel, fainted into her Frog Prince’s waiting, if not somewhat flabbergasted, arms.