snow is (fair) wrote in doorslogs, @ 2012-08-08 17:55:00 |
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Entry tags: | door: tales, ravenna, snow white |
WHO: Snow White and Ravenna
WHAT: An unexpected meeting of would be enemies
WHERE: On the road to the Beast’s Castle
WHEN: Sometime after Rose’s initial journal post
WARNINGS: None!
Snow didn’t pay her journal much mind after she told Rose she was coming. There were others talking but as curious and wary as she was, time was still of the essence. She had to find a way to the castle.
Everything in New York was almost as she remembered it. Her office was there, though she didn’t dwell too long on if Blue and Bufkin were there. She promised her sister some clothes and stopped by her apartment, grabbing some mundy clothes for Rose and some not for herself, leaving the building with a large satchel slung over her shoulder.
As much as the world seemed unchanged, she knew it had. She could feel it in the air, a pull that guided her, and she stopped once more for a rental car reserved under a fake name and headed upstate. Quickly she drove, letting the city pass her, fade away behind her, until she was driving down less traveled roads that were dotted with forest trees on either side of her. The pull was stronger than before and as the forest thickened, she knew that this was it.
She pulled over to the side, leaving the rental and quickly sifted through her bag. The residents of Fabletown had spent centuries dreaming of returning to the homelands and while Snow wasn’t as vocal about her longing, she had kept a few outfits in her closet if that day ever came. This was as apt a time as any.
She hadn’t seen anyone for miles but she wouldn’t have cared too much for modesty. If anyone was near they would’ve seen her hop into the back seat with office attire and hop back out dressed like she was going to a Ren Faire. A simple shirt, vest, a simple pair of breeches, and sturdy boots, awash in browns, she topped it off with an olive cloak and a hunting knife in her boot before pulling her bag over her shoulder again.
Locking the car and leaving there she trudged into the forest. As she walked she idly wondered what a picture she looked, and if she might stumbled upon a mundy or two what they might laugh about her. But her gut wasn’t often wrong, not about magic at least, and soon she realized that the forest was changing around her, leading her deeper into the woods, so like the ones from her childhood, and far away from New York.
She followed her instincts further as they lead her to a dirt road, carriage tracks days old. She hadn’t the clearest idea where she was going, only to a castle in a land that was dying, but a road was a good sign. It had been too long since she had lived this kind of life and it was a welcome change from the uneven forest floor. She kept to the side and to herself, for as much as she was wanting a kind soul and some direction she hadn’t forgotten the dangers the woods could bring.
Down the road, there was a faint, faraway rumble, the rhythmic rise and fall of hoofbeats. Soon, a shape came around the corner in the darkening forest, which grew darker and more decayed the further one walked down the path. The shape resolved into a black carriage. As it came nearer, it was clear that it was being pulled by black horses. Their bits and bridles were all in dark leather and iron, and so was the carriage, an ebony box that shone like a jewel, decorated on all sides with elegant scrollwork that seemed to move, and not simply from being drawn along, the carvings shifting a little as one watched.
A man sat atop, driving the horses on, and they moved impossibly fast. They seemed as fresh as if they had just started their journey, and galloped at full pace though there wasn't a place to change to new horses in miles. Stranger still, as they approached Snow by the side of the road, it became clear that the horses' eyes were covered over with leather strips, bound tightly to their bits with iron studs. They rode blind, but true, straight to the road without wavering.
The carriage began to slow as it neared Snow. It bumped over the last few ruts in the road, then stopped, black wheels rolling through the dirt just beside the traveller. The man atop the carriage hopped down, gave Snow a cursory look, and then opened the carriage door, flipping the steps down, offering his hand to the traveller inside.
She did not take it. A black boot met the step down from the carriage, and a long arm reached up to grasp the roof for stability Another step down, and there she was, hanging on to the carriage side, choosing not to muddy her boots on the road. She was dressed in royal blue highlighted with black lace, the color brighter than her usual mourning motif, so as not to frighten the girl who was her destination. She wore a crown, a smaller one than her usual, worked finely into sharp points in dark iron and set with sapphires, deep blue, iridescently black. Her golden hair was wrapped into a braid for travel, and looped into the crown itself, adorning it with brighter, truer beauty than any jewels could hope to match.
"My dear girl - where are you bound?" Ravenna asked, with her voice like honeyed wine, and a small, welcoming smile. The girl was a lovely thing, and there was no other creature in this place for miles. The queen did not believe in coincidence - only fate.
The approaching sound made Snow slow, moving to the side to watch the dark carriage draw near. It was an impressive sight turned imposing once she had a clearer view of it, the strange blind horses making her take a step back once they stopped. She entertained the idea of fleeing, surely the woods could give her proper cover, but already the door was opening and someone was stepping out.
The woman was beautiful, that was obvious, a queen from the looks of it and a prosperous one. Not the frightful keeper of dying lands that held her sister, though it wasn’t as if she truly thought she’d meet him on the road. Her blue eyes had drifted to look on the crown, the way it shone catching her eyes, when she heard the woman speak. Snow at least had the good graces to blush, a splash of pink darkening her pale cheeks, and her gaze fell to the ground between them. She wished she had remembered to pull her hood down.
“The nearest town, your majesty,” she said, keeping her head bowed and humble, her ebony hair spilling over her shoulders. “I seek information on the surrounding lands but have not seen anyone for quite some time. I have heard of a kingdom where the land bears no fruit, but know not if my feet are taking me towards it or away.”
Ravenna’s hand canted to the side. “A strange thing. I am intent on the same destination. Your feet are pointed correctly. Ahead it lies, down the road.” No, no coincidence. There was something about the girl that was familiar, and she was quite the beauty. Not one to pass up, not when there was still a journey ahead. “Why do you seek information on that place? I travel there by necessity, not by choice.” True enough. Ravenna had moved on from the Beast’s kingdom only when she had ravaged it beyond repair, and yet she kept being drawn back by the monster in the castle. He would pay for forcing her to return so often. Then she smiled, small but warm, coming to an apparent decision. “You shall travel with me, and give me answer in my carriage. There is no sense in you walking.”
The servant reached forward to grab the girl, but Ravenna beat him to it, offering Snow her delicate white hand up into the carriage, her fingers adorned with rings adorned with opals, set in silver.
There was something about the woman, Snow decided. Like the pull that tugged her along through the forest there was something about the woman that called her. She couldn't quite pin down the sensation, one part drawing her near even as another warned her away. And yet there was the sense of deja vu there, of somehow knowing this woman though she was clearly a stranger. That subtle magic dulled Snow’s sense of danger and washed away some of the lessons she had learned when she lived in these lands.
Like the dangers of putting her trust in royals.
Snow White's hand slid effortlessly into the queen's offered grasp.
"You are most gracious, your majesty," she replied sweetly, sparing one quick look around the forest before sliding into the carriage. Though modestly dressed she sat prim and polite, all the bearings of a princess, her years growing up in a foreign castle as well as her time in her former husband's court not forgotten even after centuries. "I seek my family, your highness. My sister. It has been years since I have seen her but I heard she might be somewhere near."
“Well, I could hardly leave you in good conscience to wander the road on your own,” Ravenna said, with the same small smile. “These woods are a dangerous place for a woman to walk alone.”
The queen sat across from her guest, on the opposite side of the carriage, observing her. She had the bearing and the speech of someone brought up well. An interesting mystery. “A reunion? How sweet. And where does this sister currently reside?” Her eyes darted across her face as she had a thought. “With one of the nobles in this part of the kingdom, perhaps? You have the bearing of a lady, I see, and I imagine your sister must have the same.” And that would be the time to give her name, perhaps her lineage, if she actually had one.
Snow knew now was the time to speak of her own history but for a moment she was too caught up in the image her sister as what most would deem a Lady. Her fingers pressed to her red lips but even then they couldn’t stifle the quiet laugh she gave. “Forgive me, your highness. My sister and I are as different as night and day. I would wager she would not count herself a lady, though I am not quite one anymore myself.” Her moment of indulgence faded away as she thought back to the queen’s initial question, hastily trying to correct her impropriety with honesty.
“She is in a castle, I believe, though I do not know what noble, if any, is there. I fear she might be in danger. A prisoner to someone, something perhaps, but I am not certain. There is only one way to truly know.” She pressed her lips into a determined line before it faded, lifting her lips to cast a warm and polite smile to the other woman. “You mentioned you might be traveling to those desolate lands too, your majesty?” Surely there was some kind a story there, a wealthy queen such as herself going to the ruin of a kingdom nearby.
Ravenna’s eyes lit with interest, none of it feigned this time. “No longer a lady? Has some misfortune befallen you?” In the end, it wouldn’t matter, but if this girl was headed where she thought she might be, the more she knew, the better.
Ravenna listened to the story of the girl’s sister, and felt her suspicions confirmed, at least a little. A girl held prisoner in a castle, and in this particular kingdom? There was only one castle for leagues. “I am, myself, headed for the castle in these lands,” she said, as if it was a pleasant surprise to discover they might have the same destination. “I spoke with a girl only recently who was in a similar situation to your sister, imprisoned by a fearsome creature. I could not bear the thought of leaving her there without any hope of aid, so I intend to meet with her in person, if her jailer will allow her visitors.”
Where the queen's face lit up, Snow's expression darkened. She looked down thoughtfully to her lap, her right hand aimlessly wringing the fingers of her left, twisting at her ring finger. "I simply put my trust on the wrong people." The reminders made various faces flicker through her mind. A prince. A queen. A sister. The quiet moment seemed to linger too long for her liking but thankfully they were moving on to other topics, and Snow stopped twisting her hands so.
"You spoke to... The girl, was she Rose?" The odds of two women being held prisoner in the same area were slim and Snow couldn't help the hope that bloomed in her chest. Perhaps it was fate that caused her to cross paths with this carriage, if they were both on the way to see her sister. "Is it truly a creature who stalks that castle? Would he allow me--us to see her? I was doubtful that he would be capable of such small mercies but thought to try my luck." And, if that wasn't going to happen, to get a better view of him and the castle, for when she would try to help her sister another time.
“She was,” the queen said. There, her guess verified. Now the only question was how she would deal with the situation. She could deal with this sister now, take her youth and push her out on the road for dead, but that was just too easy. There were always girls around for that sort of thing. This one might be better used as leverage against her sister and the Beast. The more who saw him, the more pain she could potentially cause him, after all. If the imprisoned sister truly was there against her will, as she must be, then she’d be better off staying where she was, making him even more miserable with her presence. If this girl in the carriage died or disappeared, it might prompt Rose to flee. “He is a creature, a horrible Beast, and a fearsome one at that. I have been told that the land itself was ravaged by his wicked presence.” And the land certainly was ravaged. Outside the carriage window, it only grew darker and more barren, the trees twisted and dark as iron shavings, the ground dust dry. “I cannot guarantee that he will allow her visitors, but I thought it my duty to try.”
“Sometimes trying is all one can do,” for now, at least, though Snow kept that thought to herself, her hand dropping to her knee, fingers tracing the edge of the boot concealing her knife. Her relationship with Rose was tumultuous at best but they were family, and she still refused to let her languish if she could help it. She doubted the queen be open for more drastic measures in saving her sister’s skin.
Though really, she knew so little about the queen to be sure what she was capable of.
The thought plagued Snow White as she stared out at the dying landscape before sliding her gaze back to the woman. “Forgive me, your majesty, but I am not familiar with you… your kingdom.” Her words had started to cool towards the end so she warmed her smile, glancing to the desolate landscape outside before turning back to the queen. “Is it a lovely place?”
Ravenna caught the moment of doubt. It was fine. If the girl didn’t realize what she was now, it would only be a matter of time, and it wasn’t as if she had anything to fear from a girl so ordinary, lovely or not. “Oh, yes,” she said, with a smile still warm, but hardening, like iron as it cooled. “Not all might say so, but it is to my tastes. I suppose you might call my tastes...particular.” The carriage rolled on, seemingly even faster than before, faster than any carriage should move. The landscape had grown very dark, now, and she glanced out the window. “I know the Beast that is keeping your sister prisoner,” she said. There was something in her words that seemed almost wistful, but that couldn’t be. “I rejected his advances toward me, once. He tried to kill me in return.” Ravenna looked back at her, eyes glittering, mouth set. “A loathsome thing he is indeed.”
A queen with particular tastes. She had experience with those before and the memories made her throat dry up, her heart giving an agitated lurch before she forced herself to calm down. Even if this was someone of that same vile persuasion, she was in no position to do something yet, even with her weapon. And there was always the chance she was jumping to the wrong conclusions.
Besides there was still the matter of the Beast. "How did manage to evade the Beast? When he tried to kill you?" She didn't look much the fighter. Then again, neither did Snow.
The queen sat up a little straighter, smoothing her hands over her dress. “I ran,” she said. “I ran as fast as my legs could carry me. It seemed he could only follow me so far. He is bound to that place, somehow, and even more the Beast the further he travels from it. He dares not tread too far from the castle, it seems. If anything, that might be what saves your sister from terrible retribution.”
“Bound,” Snow quietly mused to herself. Something about the word made brow furrow as she looked back out the window. “Magic, perhaps?” It would explain the land at least. She hadn’t seen such bleakness in so long and rarely did it ever occur naturally. Not in this place. "Rose did mention he was a prince once. Cursed, she said. So after reasoning, or finding a route of escape, if nothing else works then perhaps looking into the enchantment would provide me with more bargaining options."
“I would not be surprised to learn that it was,” Ravenna said, smooth as silk. This should be an easy feat indeed. They would go to the castle, and leave again, with the girl if she was making the Beast in any way happy, without her if she was deepening his self-loathing and punishment. Either way, the pretty thing across from her would be coming home in her carriage, whether she went willingly or no. “I imagine he was a tyrant as a man, then, to take such a hideous shape.” The queen lifted her head. “I know a touch of magic,” she said, offhand. “My mother taught me when I was a girl. And I have a large library of old tomes in my castle, bequeathed to me by my late husband - may he rest peacefully. If you need a place to learn more about the curse on this land, you ought to return with me to my castle once you’ve seen your sister. I would be more than glad to have a visitor.” A small smile, and a long gaze. “Our court is small, and it would please them to see such a fresh, beautiful face.”
Magic and a royal crown. Combinations like that hadn’t favored Snow in the past. That sense of familiarity no longer simply intrigued her now and it was wariness that flickered across her face before she could hide it. Silently she cursed herself and circumstance for keeping her from the Homelands for so long, forgetting how easily traps like this could be laid out. “You are very kind, but that is not necessary. It might be years since I have lived off the land but I have not forgotten how.” She glanced back out the window, sparing a quick moment to check the doors. “The castle, is it much further?” Would she need to make an escape before then? Could she? Pearly white teeth pressed to blood red lips before she could stifle such agitation.
The rejection of Ravenna’s hospitality was not unprecedented, but it was a little surprising. The girl might be catching on quicker than expected. Nevermind - it would hardly injure her endgame much. She sat back a little. “Of course,” she said, cool but gracious toward the refusal of a royal offer. It was, in fact, strangely kind, considering that turning down such an opportunity was social suicide in a normal kingdom. Ravenna’s court, of course, was thinner than advertised - just her and Finn, and Finn had been nowhere to be found of late.
The carriage was rumbling a little smoother now, and looking down from the window, cobbles rolled past under the wheels. Real roads. Soon, they broke free of the forest, and rolled through what had once been a village, now desolate, the houses picked clean even of anything that would attract carrion vermin and flies. Bricks blackened and crumbling as if by fire, straw long since disintegrated, only the shells of homes remained, only simple artifacts indicating what had been where. There, in the empty square of a fallen foundation, an anvil, still gleaming at the edges, denoted a blacksmiths. A scattering of small silver glints in one corner of a half-collapsed shop evidence of a tailor, once upon a time. “What a blight came here,” said the queen, looking out distantly on the landscape. “What a horror.”
The relief that Snow felt when the issue wasn’t pressed was obvious, a simple roll of her shoulders and a smile on her face. Court and all that entailed was enjoyable, sometimes, but not now. Not when there were strange things afoot and her sister’s well being at stake. The light moment quickly melted away as they rolled through town. “Tragic,” Snow agreed, sympathy weighing down the word and tugging her lips into a frown. “What must have happened to these poor people… Do you know? Whatever caused this, the Beast, the curse, or who—whatever unleashed that terrible magic on the land and these people, it is truly a monstrosity.”
“Indeed,” said the queen, dreamlike, looking out the window. She was thinking, looking out across the twisted landscape, so like others she had seen before. She did not leave all kingdoms in this state, of course. Drab, stripped of their resources and hale young men and pretty young girls, yes. But utterly destroyed? Barren, the rivers running with poison? No, she’d saved that privilege for the man she hated most.
The carriage rumbled on, and in the distance, darkened spires began to rise. “There, on the horizon,” said the queen. Over the tops of the twisted trees beyond, the castle grew larger as they approached. It dominated the surrounding landscape. Likely, it had once been beautiful. But now it was twisted, old, nightmarish.
The queen turned to the girl. “I will send you on ahead,” she said, and hit the side of the carriage with the palm of her hand. It rolled to an abrupt stop, and she slid toward the door. “My man will take you to the castle, and await you outside. You go in and speak to the Beast about your sister. I will search the castle grounds, and see if she can’t be found.” Of course, it was strange for a queen to do such things on her own, without a host of men. But while she could summon one at any time she liked, the queen had no need of men to do her work for her. Not today. She put her hand on the handle. “If he does not agree to free her, you will meet me in the carriage, and we will find a way to free her. Have no fear,” she said, with a short, warm smile, and a brush of fingers over the delicate skin of the girl’s cheek. So pretty. She’d have it for her own. “We will free her, one way, or another.” And with that, she slipped out of the carriage, hit the side again for the man to drive on, and stood to the side of the road.
There had been a quick moment where Snow wondered on the tone of the queen, not enough horror, not enough sorrow, but it was fleeting as they approached the castle. She focused on it instead, how it looked, where she could be, where Rose could be, everything she could notice she catalogued before the door of the carriage swung open.
“You’re very kind,” Snow smiled at the offer. Unusual, yes, for the queen to be doing such legwork on her own but she wasn’t about to turn aside this small boon. Her grin faltered ever so slightly at the touch on her face, so reminiscent of someone else and making a cold shiver roll down her spine. But that queen was far away. Gone, even, and her heart still beating, albeit nervously now, in her chest.
“We will free her,” she agreed, a quiet murmur after the woman slipped away from her, leaving Snow in the carriage as they continued onto the castle.