Chapter 13 ; You never said goodbye
“What are you smiling about?” Snow asked as she noticed the smirk on Red’s face. It seemed like it was hard for her to hide. The three of them were sitting around Ella’s room, just talking before going to sleep.
“Oh, nothing”, Red said quickly.
“That does not look like nothing. It looks more like the expression I had on my face right after the night I met Thomas”, Ella smiled. “And the expression Snow had on her face, when-“
“Anyway”, Snow interrupted Ella for a reason. “What happened?”
“Uh… Well, I said goodnight to the Huntsman”, Red shook her shoulders.
“Is that really his name?” Ella asked.
“No. He just won’t tell us his name. A bit spooky, yes?” Snow muttered.
“I agree. Maybe he’s got something to hide”, Ella said.
“I don’t think so. He’s sweet.”
“Yes, as sweet as he was when he tried to kill me”, Snow said.
“I thought you’d let that go”, Red said, shocked.
“Red-“
“No, you don’t understand. I’m not that kind of person to have love come my way often, unlike you two. I’ve never met anyone who cared about me for me. And more important, I’ve never met anyone who I’d cared about this much”, Red said.
“Wow”, Ella nodded.
“What I mean is that once you find love, you shouldn’t let it slip away.”
Snow thought for a minute, completely ignoring what Ella and Red were saying, and then said: “Exactly.”
“What?” Ella and Red turned to her.
The Queen was watching them through her Mirror. She had the magic dagger in her hand, and an old medallion in her other than.
She watched as Snow got up from her seat.
“I will be right back”, she said and walked out of Ella’s room.
“Perfect timing”, the Queen muttered. She could no longer see Snow, but she was sure her sister was heading to Charming.
The Queen placed the medallion on one of her tables, and raised the dagger up high, ready to strike.
Snow was walking down the hall, indeed, to find Charming. She was just closed her fist around the medallion around her neck. One that resembled the Queen’s. One that was given to her by Becca.
The Queen waited no longer, but struck the dagger through the medallion, breaking it to pieces.
And at the same time, hundreds of miles away, Snow White collapsed on the floor of the castle. Her medallion had split in two. And her heart was no longer beating.
The Queen had at some point during the process closed her eyes, and as she now opened them, she eyes the pieces of the medallion, and to her own horror, she didn’t feel remorse.
“What was that?” Ella asked suddenly. She had heard the sound Snow had made while falling to the cold stone floor.
“I don’t know”, Red said, and then turned to the door. She had a bad feeling.
As she opened the door to the hallway, she saw a figure lying on the floor, a few feet away.
“Oh my God”, she muttered and ran out of the room, followed by Ella.
They reached Snow, and as they did, they immediately realized that she was dead. The spell had worked its magic quick. Snow was even paler than usual.
“Snow”, Ella tried to shake Snow. “Snow, come on.” She checked her pulse, and then gasped.
“Charming!” Red yelled as loud as she could, and it didn’t take long for the three men to emerge from a room down the hall, and run to them.
“What happened?” Charming asked in panic as he reached Snow. He held her in his arms, trying to make sense of the situation. “What happened?” he repeated.
Ella whispered something to Thomas, who nodded seriously. “Charming… She’s… dead.”
“No, she’s not”, Charming didn’t even turn to them. “Of course she’s not. Snow”, he tried shaking her as well, and he grabbed her hand. “Snow…”
Red buried her head in her hand, and let the Huntsman wrap his arms around her.
“Help me move her”, Charming said suddenly. The Huntsman helped Charming lift her up, and then Charming took over alone and carried Snow’s body to Ella’s bedroom, where he placed her on her bed.
“What are you going to do?” Thomas asked as the rest of them entered the room.
“Make her better”, Charming said.
“She’s gone”, the Huntsman said quietly.
“No, she’s not.”
“You remember when you almost died? And Snow took care of you? I bet if you would have died, she would have accepted it with honor. All you do is deny”, Red said firmly. “You have to let her go. If you love her, you’ll let her go.”
Everyone stayed quiet and waited for Charming’s reaction.
“I can’t save her, can I?” Charming asked quietly after a while. He sounded so broken.
“No, you can’t”, Red said as quietly, and her voice was almost as broken.
“Okay”, Charming said, nodded and got up from beside Snow and walked out of the room without looking back.
“Is Snow really dead?” Eric asked as he entered the Queen’s chambers.
“You’re not gone”, the Queen said, but didn’t turn to look at him.
“Is she dead?”
“Yes, she is dead, Eric. Is that what you wanted to hear?” the Queen snapped.
“I can’t believe you killed your own sister”, Eric muttered.
“Get out of here”, the Queen hissed. “Leave me alone.”
“You feel regret.”
“No, I don’t. And that’s the worst part”, the Queen said quietly.
“You feel remorse about not feeling remorse?” Eric asked in disbelief.
“Did I not ask you to leave? I already let you go. Go.”
The Queen said nothing as Eric walked to her and placed his hand on her shoulder. “Are you sad?”
“No”, the Queen lied.
Eric sighed and said nothing else.
“There is one thing more powerful than the curse”, the Queen whispered.
“What is it?”
“Love.”
“What are you saying?” Eric asked.
“Charming can save her. If he’s smart enough to figure it out”, the Queen’s voice turned back to cold, and she pushed Eric’s hand away from her and walked out of the chambers.
The Huntsman found Red staring at Snow’s body in Ella’s room. He sat next to her on one of the chairs by the bed, but said nothing.
No one really wondered what had happened to Snow. They knew it must have been the work of the Evil Queen, but no one felt like avenging. They were all just sad.
“I can’t help her”, Red said. The Huntsman could tell she had been crying.
“What?”
“I can’t help her. She helped me. She became my best friend and she showed me how to live again. And now she’s dead and there’s nothing I can do”, Red broke again and started crying. The Huntsman wrapped his arms around her again and tried to comfort her.
“It’s gonna be okay.”
“It’s not going to be okay”, Ella shouted at Thomas. They were in a small chamber in the castle, arguing about what was going to happen next. No one knew where Charming had gone off to.
“Honey-“
“No. My oldest friend is dead. Dead. Lying dead in my bedroom. It’s not okay, Thomas!” Ella yelled.
“I’m not saying it’s gonna be okay right away. But we have to be rational!” Thomas insisted.
“What do you mean?”
“There is no reason to pick a fight with the Evil Queen now that Snow is dead.”
“What are you talking about?” Ella yelled again. “She was the one who killed Snow!”
“I know!”
“Then why aren’t you doing anything about it?” Ella snapped.
“Because next it could be you. Or Charming. Or any of us. We know what she’s capable of now. I don’t want to risk it. I don’t want anyone else to die, Ella”, Thomas said.
“Then let’s not make Snow die in vain. We need to avenge her death.”
“And we will. In time. But not we need to just think about Snow’s funeral and how to proceed from here. You saw Charming. He’s not even close to being ready to fight”, Thomas said.
Suddenly there was a knock on the door, and Charming walked in. “I’m going to kill the Queen”, he said calmly, and walked out, and Ella and Thomas rushed after him.
“Charming!” Thomas shouted after him. “What are you thinking?”
“I’m thinking that there’s nothing I want more in this world right now than to see that monster lying dead on the ground”, Charming said as he kept walking. Ella and Thomas kept following.
“You’re not thinking clearly”, Ella said. “Charming, dear. Think what Snow would have wanted. There’s no point in attacking alone. You’ll just get yourself killed.”
“Snow would have wanted me to fight. She wanted us to fight the Queen. I have no idea why you all have suddenly stopped. Nothing’s changed”, Charming said as he kept walking. “And if I die, I’ll die for a good cause.”
“Killing the Queen won’t give you Snow back”, Thomas said.
“I know”, Charming said. He had reached the front doors.
“We’re going to have a funeral tomorrow”, Ella said quickly. “It’s not right for you to not be there.”
“I can’t watch her get buried”, Charming said as he turned back to them. “I’m sorry, I can’t. I-“
He sighed and for a split second he looked like he was going to break down, but he just shook his head and said: “I just can’t”, and walked out of the castle.
“Looks like I don’t have to worry about Prince Charming coming to her rescue again”, the Queen said as she watched him leave the castle through her Mirror.
“Do you feel better now?” the Mirror asked. “Now that she’s dead?”
“Yes”, the Queen said. “I do.”
“And what about Charming, when he comes here?”
“I already killed my sister. I will have no problem with killing him as well.”
“What are you smiling about?” Snow asked as she noticed the smirk on Red’s face. It seemed like it was hard for her to hide. The three of them were sitting around Ella’s room, just talking before going to sleep.
“Oh, nothing”, Red said quickly.
“That does not look like nothing. It looks more like the expression I had on my face right after the night I met Thomas”, Ella smiled. “And the expression Snow had on her face, when-“
“Anyway”, Snow interrupted Ella for a reason. “What happened?”
“Uh… Well, I said goodnight to the Huntsman”, Red shook her shoulders.
“Is that really his name?” Ella asked.
“No. He just won’t tell us his name. A bit spooky, yes?” Snow muttered.
“I agree. Maybe he’s got something to hide”, Ella said.
“I don’t think so. He’s sweet.”
“Yes, as sweet as he was when he tried to kill me”, Snow said.
“I thought you’d let that go”, Red said, shocked.
“Red-“
“No, you don’t understand. I’m not that kind of person to have love come my way often, unlike you two. I’ve never met anyone who cared about me for me. And more important, I’ve never met anyone who I’d cared about this much”, Red said.
“Wow”, Ella nodded.
“What I mean is that once you find love, you shouldn’t let it slip away.”
Snow thought for a minute, completely ignoring what Ella and Red were saying, and then said: “Exactly.”
“What?” Ella and Red turned to her.
The Queen was watching them through her Mirror. She had the magic dagger in her hand, and an old medallion in her other than.
She watched as Snow got up from her seat.
“I will be right back”, she said and walked out of Ella’s room.
“Perfect timing”, the Queen muttered. She could no longer see Snow, but she was sure her sister was heading to Charming.
The Queen placed the medallion on one of her tables, and raised the dagger up high, ready to strike.
Snow was walking down the hall, indeed, to find Charming. She was just closed her fist around the medallion around her neck. One that resembled the Queen’s. One that was given to her by Becca.
The Queen waited no longer, but struck the dagger through the medallion, breaking it to pieces.
And at the same time, hundreds of miles away, Snow White collapsed on the floor of the castle. Her medallion had split in two. And her heart was no longer beating.
The Queen had at some point during the process closed her eyes, and as she now opened them, she eyes the pieces of the medallion, and to her own horror, she didn’t feel remorse.
“What was that?” Ella asked suddenly. She had heard the sound Snow had made while falling to the cold stone floor.
“I don’t know”, Red said, and then turned to the door. She had a bad feeling.
As she opened the door to the hallway, she saw a figure lying on the floor, a few feet away.
“Oh my God”, she muttered and ran out of the room, followed by Ella.
They reached Snow, and as they did, they immediately realized that she was dead. The spell had worked its magic quick. Snow was even paler than usual.
“Snow”, Ella tried to shake Snow. “Snow, come on.” She checked her pulse, and then gasped.
“Charming!” Red yelled as loud as she could, and it didn’t take long for the three men to emerge from a room down the hall, and run to them.
“What happened?” Charming asked in panic as he reached Snow. He held her in his arms, trying to make sense of the situation. “What happened?” he repeated.
Ella whispered something to Thomas, who nodded seriously. “Charming… She’s… dead.”
“No, she’s not”, Charming didn’t even turn to them. “Of course she’s not. Snow”, he tried shaking her as well, and he grabbed her hand. “Snow…”
Red buried her head in her hand, and let the Huntsman wrap his arms around her.
“Help me move her”, Charming said suddenly. The Huntsman helped Charming lift her up, and then Charming took over alone and carried Snow’s body to Ella’s bedroom, where he placed her on her bed.
“What are you going to do?” Thomas asked as the rest of them entered the room.
“Make her better”, Charming said.
“She’s gone”, the Huntsman said quietly.
“No, she’s not.”
“You remember when you almost died? And Snow took care of you? I bet if you would have died, she would have accepted it with honor. All you do is deny”, Red said firmly. “You have to let her go. If you love her, you’ll let her go.”
Everyone stayed quiet and waited for Charming’s reaction.
“I can’t save her, can I?” Charming asked quietly after a while. He sounded so broken.
“No, you can’t”, Red said as quietly, and her voice was almost as broken.
“Okay”, Charming said, nodded and got up from beside Snow and walked out of the room without looking back.
“Is Snow really dead?” Eric asked as he entered the Queen’s chambers.
“You’re not gone”, the Queen said, but didn’t turn to look at him.
“Is she dead?”
“Yes, she is dead, Eric. Is that what you wanted to hear?” the Queen snapped.
“I can’t believe you killed your own sister”, Eric muttered.
“Get out of here”, the Queen hissed. “Leave me alone.”
“You feel regret.”
“No, I don’t. And that’s the worst part”, the Queen said quietly.
“You feel remorse about not feeling remorse?” Eric asked in disbelief.
“Did I not ask you to leave? I already let you go. Go.”
The Queen said nothing as Eric walked to her and placed his hand on her shoulder. “Are you sad?”
“No”, the Queen lied.
Eric sighed and said nothing else.
“There is one thing more powerful than the curse”, the Queen whispered.
“What is it?”
“Love.”
“What are you saying?” Eric asked.
“Charming can save her. If he’s smart enough to figure it out”, the Queen’s voice turned back to cold, and she pushed Eric’s hand away from her and walked out of the chambers.
The Huntsman found Red staring at Snow’s body in Ella’s room. He sat next to her on one of the chairs by the bed, but said nothing.
No one really wondered what had happened to Snow. They knew it must have been the work of the Evil Queen, but no one felt like avenging. They were all just sad.
“I can’t help her”, Red said. The Huntsman could tell she had been crying.
“What?”
“I can’t help her. She helped me. She became my best friend and she showed me how to live again. And now she’s dead and there’s nothing I can do”, Red broke again and started crying. The Huntsman wrapped his arms around her again and tried to comfort her.
“It’s gonna be okay.”
“It’s not going to be okay”, Ella shouted at Thomas. They were in a small chamber in the castle, arguing about what was going to happen next. No one knew where Charming had gone off to.
“Honey-“
“No. My oldest friend is dead. Dead. Lying dead in my bedroom. It’s not okay, Thomas!” Ella yelled.
“I’m not saying it’s gonna be okay right away. But we have to be rational!” Thomas insisted.
“What do you mean?”
“There is no reason to pick a fight with the Evil Queen now that Snow is dead.”
“What are you talking about?” Ella yelled again. “She was the one who killed Snow!”
“I know!”
“Then why aren’t you doing anything about it?” Ella snapped.
“Because next it could be you. Or Charming. Or any of us. We know what she’s capable of now. I don’t want to risk it. I don’t want anyone else to die, Ella”, Thomas said.
“Then let’s not make Snow die in vain. We need to avenge her death.”
“And we will. In time. But not we need to just think about Snow’s funeral and how to proceed from here. You saw Charming. He’s not even close to being ready to fight”, Thomas said.
Suddenly there was a knock on the door, and Charming walked in. “I’m going to kill the Queen”, he said calmly, and walked out, and Ella and Thomas rushed after him.
“Charming!” Thomas shouted after him. “What are you thinking?”
“I’m thinking that there’s nothing I want more in this world right now than to see that monster lying dead on the ground”, Charming said as he kept walking. Ella and Thomas kept following.
“You’re not thinking clearly”, Ella said. “Charming, dear. Think what Snow would have wanted. There’s no point in attacking alone. You’ll just get yourself killed.”
“Snow would have wanted me to fight. She wanted us to fight the Queen. I have no idea why you all have suddenly stopped. Nothing’s changed”, Charming said as he kept walking. “And if I die, I’ll die for a good cause.”
“Killing the Queen won’t give you Snow back”, Thomas said.
“I know”, Charming said. He had reached the front doors.
“We’re going to have a funeral tomorrow”, Ella said quickly. “It’s not right for you to not be there.”
“I can’t watch her get buried”, Charming said as he turned back to them. “I’m sorry, I can’t. I-“
He sighed and for a split second he looked like he was going to break down, but he just shook his head and said: “I just can’t”, and walked out of the castle.
“Looks like I don’t have to worry about Prince Charming coming to her rescue again”, the Queen said as she watched him leave the castle through her Mirror.
“Do you feel better now?” the Mirror asked. “Now that she’s dead?”
“Yes”, the Queen said. “I do.”
“And what about Charming, when he comes here?”
“I already killed my sister. I will have no problem with killing him as well.”
Chapter 13 ; You never said goodbye
“What are you smiling about?” Snow asked as she noticed the smirk on Red’s face. It seemed like it was hard for her to hide. The three of them were sitting around Ella’s room, just talking before going to sleep.
“Oh, nothing”, Red said quickly.
“That does not look like nothing. It looks more like the expression I had on my face right after the night I met Thomas”, Ella smiled. “And the expression Snow had on her face, when-“
“Anyway”, Snow interrupted Ella for a reason. “What happened?”
“Uh… Well, I said goodnight to the Huntsman”, Red shook her shoulders.
“Is that really his name?” Ella asked.
“No. He just won’t tell us his name. A bit spooky, yes?” Snow muttered.
“I agree. Maybe he’s got something to hide”, Ella said.
“I don’t think so. He’s sweet.”
“Yes, as sweet as he was when he tried to kill me”, Snow said.
“I thought you’d let that go”, Red said, shocked.
“Red-“
“No, you don’t understand. I’m not that kind of person to have love come my way often, unlike you two. I’ve never met anyone who cared about me for me. And more important, I’ve never met anyone who I’d cared about this much”, Red said.
“Wow”, Ella nodded.
“What I mean is that once you find love, you shouldn’t let it slip away.”
Snow thought for a minute, completely ignoring what Ella and Red were saying, and then said: “Exactly.”
“What?” Ella and Red turned to her.
The Queen was watching them through her Mirror. She had the magic dagger in her hand, and an old medallion in her other than.
She watched as Snow got up from her seat.
“I will be right back”, she said and walked out of Ella’s room.
“Perfect timing”, the Queen muttered. She could no longer see Snow, but she was sure her sister was heading to Charming.
The Queen placed the medallion on one of her tables, and raised the dagger up high, ready to strike.
Snow was walking down the hall, indeed, to find Charming. She was just closed her fist around the medallion around her neck. One that resembled the Queen’s. One that was given to her by Becca.
The Queen waited no longer, but struck the dagger through the medallion, breaking it to pieces.
And at the same time, hundreds of miles away, Snow White collapsed on the floor of the castle. Her medallion had split in two. And her heart was no longer beating.
The Queen had at some point during the process closed her eyes, and as she now opened them, she eyes the pieces of the medallion, and to her own horror, she didn’t feel remorse.
“What was that?” Ella asked suddenly. She had heard the sound Snow had made while falling to the cold stone floor.
“I don’t know”, Red said, and then turned to the door. She had a bad feeling.
As she opened the door to the hallway, she saw a figure lying on the floor, a few feet away.
“Oh my God”, she muttered and ran out of the room, followed by Ella.
They reached Snow, and as they did, they immediately realized that she was dead. The spell had worked its magic quick. Snow was even paler than usual.
“Snow”, Ella tried to shake Snow. “Snow, come on.” She checked her pulse, and then gasped.
“Charming!” Red yelled as loud as she could, and it didn’t take long for the three men to emerge from a room down the hall, and run to them.
“What happened?” Charming asked in panic as he reached Snow. He held her in his arms, trying to make sense of the situation. “What happened?” he repeated.
Ella whispered something to Thomas, who nodded seriously. “Charming… She’s… dead.”
“No, she’s not”, Charming didn’t even turn to them. “Of course she’s not. Snow”, he tried shaking her as well, and he grabbed her hand. “Snow…”
Red buried her head in her hand, and let the Huntsman wrap his arms around her.
“Help me move her”, Charming said suddenly. The Huntsman helped Charming lift her up, and then Charming took over alone and carried Snow’s body to Ella’s bedroom, where he placed her on her bed.
“What are you going to do?” Thomas asked as the rest of them entered the room.
“Make her better”, Charming said.
“She’s gone”, the Huntsman said quietly.
“No, she’s not.”
“You remember when you almost died? And Snow took care of you? I bet if you would have died, she would have accepted it with honor. All you do is deny”, Red said firmly. “You have to let her go. If you love her, you’ll let her go.”
Everyone stayed quiet and waited for Charming’s reaction.
“I can’t save her, can I?” Charming asked quietly after a while. He sounded so broken.
“No, you can’t”, Red said as quietly, and her voice was almost as broken.
“Okay”, Charming said, nodded and got up from beside Snow and walked out of the room without looking back.
“Is Snow really dead?” Eric asked as he entered the Queen’s chambers.
“You’re not gone”, the Queen said, but didn’t turn to look at him.
“Is she dead?”
“Yes, she is dead, Eric. Is that what you wanted to hear?” the Queen snapped.
“I can’t believe you killed your own sister”, Eric muttered.
“Get out of here”, the Queen hissed. “Leave me alone.”
“You feel regret.”
“No, I don’t. And that’s the worst part”, the Queen said quietly.
“You feel remorse about not feeling remorse?” Eric asked in disbelief.
“Did I not ask you to leave? I already let you go. Go.”
The Queen said nothing as Eric walked to her and placed his hand on her shoulder. “Are you sad?”
“No”, the Queen lied.
Eric sighed and said nothing else.
“There is one thing more powerful than the curse”, the Queen whispered.
“What is it?”
“Love.”
“What are you saying?” Eric asked.
“Charming can save her. If he’s smart enough to figure it out”, the Queen’s voice turned back to cold, and she pushed Eric’s hand away from her and walked out of the chambers.
The Huntsman found Red staring at Snow’s body in Ella’s room. He sat next to her on one of the chairs by the bed, but said nothing.
No one really wondered what had happened to Snow. They knew it must have been the work of the Evil Queen, but no one felt like avenging. They were all just sad.
“I can’t help her”, Red said. The Huntsman could tell she had been crying.
“What?”
“I can’t help her. She helped me. She became my best friend and she showed me how to live again. And now she’s dead and there’s nothing I can do”, Red broke again and started crying. The Huntsman wrapped his arms around her again and tried to comfort her.
“It’s gonna be okay.”
“It’s not going to be okay”, Ella shouted at Thomas. They were in a small chamber in the castle, arguing about what was going to happen next. No one knew where Charming had gone off to.
“Honey-“
“No. My oldest friend is dead. Dead. Lying dead in my bedroom. It’s not okay, Thomas!” Ella yelled.
“I’m not saying it’s gonna be okay right away. But we have to be rational!” Thomas insisted.
“What do you mean?”
“There is no reason to pick a fight with the Evil Queen now that Snow is dead.”
“What are you talking about?” Ella yelled again. “She was the one who killed Snow!”
“I know!”
“Then why aren’t you doing anything about it?” Ella snapped.
“Because next it could be you. Or Charming. Or any of us. We know what she’s capable of now. I don’t want to risk it. I don’t want anyone else to die, Ella”, Thomas said.
“Then let’s not make Snow die in vain. We need to avenge her death.”
“And we will. In time. But not we need to just think about Snow’s funeral and how to proceed from here. You saw Charming. He’s not even close to being ready to fight”, Thomas said.
Suddenly there was a knock on the door, and Charming walked in. “I’m going to kill the Queen”, he said calmly, and walked out, and Ella and Thomas rushed after him.
“Charming!” Thomas shouted after him. “What are you thinking?”
“I’m thinking that there’s nothing I want more in this world right now than to see that monster lying dead on the ground”, Charming said as he kept walking. Ella and Thomas kept following.
“You’re not thinking clearly”, Ella said. “Charming, dear. Think what Snow would have wanted. There’s no point in attacking alone. You’ll just get yourself killed.”
“Snow would have wanted me to fight. She wanted us to fight the Queen. I have no idea why you all have suddenly stopped. Nothing’s changed”, Charming said as he kept walking. “And if I die, I’ll die for a good cause.”
“Killing the Queen won’t give you Snow back”, Thomas said.
“I know”, Charming said. He had reached the front doors.
“We’re going to have a funeral tomorrow”, Ella said quickly. “It’s not right for you to not be there.”
“I can’t watch her get buried”, Charming said as he turned back to them. “I’m sorry, I can’t. I-“
He sighed and for a split second he looked like he was going to break down, but he just shook his head and said: “I just can’t”, and walked out of the castle.
“Looks like I don’t have to worry about Prince Charming coming to her rescue again”, the Queen said as she watched him leave the castle through her Mirror.
“Do you feel better now?” the Mirror asked. “Now that she’s dead?”
“Yes”, the Queen said. “I do.”
“And what about Charming, when he comes here?”
“I already killed my sister. I will have no problem with killing him as well.”
“What are you smiling about?” Snow asked as she noticed the smirk on Red’s face. It seemed like it was hard for her to hide. The three of them were sitting around Ella’s room, just talking before going to sleep.
“Oh, nothing”, Red said quickly.
“That does not look like nothing. It looks more like the expression I had on my face right after the night I met Thomas”, Ella smiled. “And the expression Snow had on her face, when-“
“Anyway”, Snow interrupted Ella for a reason. “What happened?”
“Uh… Well, I said goodnight to the Huntsman”, Red shook her shoulders.
“Is that really his name?” Ella asked.
“No. He just won’t tell us his name. A bit spooky, yes?” Snow muttered.
“I agree. Maybe he’s got something to hide”, Ella said.
“I don’t think so. He’s sweet.”
“Yes, as sweet as he was when he tried to kill me”, Snow said.
“I thought you’d let that go”, Red said, shocked.
“Red-“
“No, you don’t understand. I’m not that kind of person to have love come my way often, unlike you two. I’ve never met anyone who cared about me for me. And more important, I’ve never met anyone who I’d cared about this much”, Red said.
“Wow”, Ella nodded.
“What I mean is that once you find love, you shouldn’t let it slip away.”
Snow thought for a minute, completely ignoring what Ella and Red were saying, and then said: “Exactly.”
“What?” Ella and Red turned to her.
The Queen was watching them through her Mirror. She had the magic dagger in her hand, and an old medallion in her other than.
She watched as Snow got up from her seat.
“I will be right back”, she said and walked out of Ella’s room.
“Perfect timing”, the Queen muttered. She could no longer see Snow, but she was sure her sister was heading to Charming.
The Queen placed the medallion on one of her tables, and raised the dagger up high, ready to strike.
Snow was walking down the hall, indeed, to find Charming. She was just closed her fist around the medallion around her neck. One that resembled the Queen’s. One that was given to her by Becca.
The Queen waited no longer, but struck the dagger through the medallion, breaking it to pieces.
And at the same time, hundreds of miles away, Snow White collapsed on the floor of the castle. Her medallion had split in two. And her heart was no longer beating.
The Queen had at some point during the process closed her eyes, and as she now opened them, she eyes the pieces of the medallion, and to her own horror, she didn’t feel remorse.
“What was that?” Ella asked suddenly. She had heard the sound Snow had made while falling to the cold stone floor.
“I don’t know”, Red said, and then turned to the door. She had a bad feeling.
As she opened the door to the hallway, she saw a figure lying on the floor, a few feet away.
“Oh my God”, she muttered and ran out of the room, followed by Ella.
They reached Snow, and as they did, they immediately realized that she was dead. The spell had worked its magic quick. Snow was even paler than usual.
“Snow”, Ella tried to shake Snow. “Snow, come on.” She checked her pulse, and then gasped.
“Charming!” Red yelled as loud as she could, and it didn’t take long for the three men to emerge from a room down the hall, and run to them.
“What happened?” Charming asked in panic as he reached Snow. He held her in his arms, trying to make sense of the situation. “What happened?” he repeated.
Ella whispered something to Thomas, who nodded seriously. “Charming… She’s… dead.”
“No, she’s not”, Charming didn’t even turn to them. “Of course she’s not. Snow”, he tried shaking her as well, and he grabbed her hand. “Snow…”
Red buried her head in her hand, and let the Huntsman wrap his arms around her.
“Help me move her”, Charming said suddenly. The Huntsman helped Charming lift her up, and then Charming took over alone and carried Snow’s body to Ella’s bedroom, where he placed her on her bed.
“What are you going to do?” Thomas asked as the rest of them entered the room.
“Make her better”, Charming said.
“She’s gone”, the Huntsman said quietly.
“No, she’s not.”
“You remember when you almost died? And Snow took care of you? I bet if you would have died, she would have accepted it with honor. All you do is deny”, Red said firmly. “You have to let her go. If you love her, you’ll let her go.”
Everyone stayed quiet and waited for Charming’s reaction.
“I can’t save her, can I?” Charming asked quietly after a while. He sounded so broken.
“No, you can’t”, Red said as quietly, and her voice was almost as broken.
“Okay”, Charming said, nodded and got up from beside Snow and walked out of the room without looking back.
“Is Snow really dead?” Eric asked as he entered the Queen’s chambers.
“You’re not gone”, the Queen said, but didn’t turn to look at him.
“Is she dead?”
“Yes, she is dead, Eric. Is that what you wanted to hear?” the Queen snapped.
“I can’t believe you killed your own sister”, Eric muttered.
“Get out of here”, the Queen hissed. “Leave me alone.”
“You feel regret.”
“No, I don’t. And that’s the worst part”, the Queen said quietly.
“You feel remorse about not feeling remorse?” Eric asked in disbelief.
“Did I not ask you to leave? I already let you go. Go.”
The Queen said nothing as Eric walked to her and placed his hand on her shoulder. “Are you sad?”
“No”, the Queen lied.
Eric sighed and said nothing else.
“There is one thing more powerful than the curse”, the Queen whispered.
“What is it?”
“Love.”
“What are you saying?” Eric asked.
“Charming can save her. If he’s smart enough to figure it out”, the Queen’s voice turned back to cold, and she pushed Eric’s hand away from her and walked out of the chambers.
The Huntsman found Red staring at Snow’s body in Ella’s room. He sat next to her on one of the chairs by the bed, but said nothing.
No one really wondered what had happened to Snow. They knew it must have been the work of the Evil Queen, but no one felt like avenging. They were all just sad.
“I can’t help her”, Red said. The Huntsman could tell she had been crying.
“What?”
“I can’t help her. She helped me. She became my best friend and she showed me how to live again. And now she’s dead and there’s nothing I can do”, Red broke again and started crying. The Huntsman wrapped his arms around her again and tried to comfort her.
“It’s gonna be okay.”
“It’s not going to be okay”, Ella shouted at Thomas. They were in a small chamber in the castle, arguing about what was going to happen next. No one knew where Charming had gone off to.
“Honey-“
“No. My oldest friend is dead. Dead. Lying dead in my bedroom. It’s not okay, Thomas!” Ella yelled.
“I’m not saying it’s gonna be okay right away. But we have to be rational!” Thomas insisted.
“What do you mean?”
“There is no reason to pick a fight with the Evil Queen now that Snow is dead.”
“What are you talking about?” Ella yelled again. “She was the one who killed Snow!”
“I know!”
“Then why aren’t you doing anything about it?” Ella snapped.
“Because next it could be you. Or Charming. Or any of us. We know what she’s capable of now. I don’t want to risk it. I don’t want anyone else to die, Ella”, Thomas said.
“Then let’s not make Snow die in vain. We need to avenge her death.”
“And we will. In time. But not we need to just think about Snow’s funeral and how to proceed from here. You saw Charming. He’s not even close to being ready to fight”, Thomas said.
Suddenly there was a knock on the door, and Charming walked in. “I’m going to kill the Queen”, he said calmly, and walked out, and Ella and Thomas rushed after him.
“Charming!” Thomas shouted after him. “What are you thinking?”
“I’m thinking that there’s nothing I want more in this world right now than to see that monster lying dead on the ground”, Charming said as he kept walking. Ella and Thomas kept following.
“You’re not thinking clearly”, Ella said. “Charming, dear. Think what Snow would have wanted. There’s no point in attacking alone. You’ll just get yourself killed.”
“Snow would have wanted me to fight. She wanted us to fight the Queen. I have no idea why you all have suddenly stopped. Nothing’s changed”, Charming said as he kept walking. “And if I die, I’ll die for a good cause.”
“Killing the Queen won’t give you Snow back”, Thomas said.
“I know”, Charming said. He had reached the front doors.
“We’re going to have a funeral tomorrow”, Ella said quickly. “It’s not right for you to not be there.”
“I can’t watch her get buried”, Charming said as he turned back to them. “I’m sorry, I can’t. I-“
He sighed and for a split second he looked like he was going to break down, but he just shook his head and said: “I just can’t”, and walked out of the castle.
“Looks like I don’t have to worry about Prince Charming coming to her rescue again”, the Queen said as she watched him leave the castle through her Mirror.
“Do you feel better now?” the Mirror asked. “Now that she’s dead?”
“Yes”, the Queen said. “I do.”
“And what about Charming, when he comes here?”
“I already killed my sister. I will have no problem with killing him as well.”