Snow White

  “Explain to me again where we are going?” Morpheus asked.

  “We are heading for a special gateway. You have seen the stone arches that dot the countryside?”

  “Like the one you tricked me through?”

  “Similar. Some are part of a network, typically restricted to that area unless the right pieces are in place for a longer trip. More common and easier to find. That one connects the realms, restored after the fall of the old king,” I explained. "This one is older yet bears more restrictions as there is someone always actively watching it. I know there are others, but I have only seen two such gateways before. Dina told me of them, in the case I ever needed such an escape.”

  “She trusts you with much, your mentor.”

  “That she does.”

  “It is not the typical kind of trust between a mentor and a Ranger, is it?” Wilhelm asked. Something in his tone told me he already knew the answer. Morpheus was watching me expectantly, though, so I answered.

  “Not typically, no, but then I can’t really speak for many of the others. Rapunzel and I have worked in conjunction with many other Rangers, as well as Guardians and the occasional Statesmen, but we don’t typically talk about our personal relationships with our mentors. I know most have great respect for their mentor since many came from unlikely backgrounds.”

  “Like recruiting curious orphans who are brave enough to investigate strange chicken houses in the middle of the woods in the middle of the night,” Morpheus offered.

  “Among other things, yes." I chuckled. "I was certainly younger than most when they are recruited, so Dina took a different approach to my training. I worked with her for a few years, sometimes being paired with other Rangers for odd jobs. So, I guess you could say we are closer than most.”

  “Was she training you from the start to be a Ranger, or did you go through the more traditional training?” Wilhelm asked.

  “I was given a bit of an unorthodox education. At first, I thought it was to help me catch up with everyone else, but now I think she was trying to make sure I could be anything I wanted to be.”

  “And what did you want to be?” Morpheus prodded.

  “I was just a kid at the time. I had no idea what I wanted to be. I was a nervous wreck in the days leading up to the ceremony. Then in my initiation ceremony, I was given a choice. I had my pick of the branches, and had a head start in each one.”

  “So, you chose to be a Ranger.”

  “No, I chose to let fate decide. In the center of all the emblems was a chalice." I could still clearly remember the feeling of the smooth, cool metal in my hands. "Now, not many are given the chalice. I didn’t even know what it was, but I could sense the magic coming from it. It called to me, promising mystery, and something greater than I could imagine. So, I drank it before I could talk myself out of it. Good thing, too, because I was leaning towards being a Statesman, and I would have been miserable there.”

  “What happened when you drank from the chalice?” There was an eager curiosity to Wilhelm’s question, yet I was not sure how I wanted to answer that.

  “I believe I spoke with one of the Mystics. I cannot say for sure. I only remember pieces of the conversation and most of those pertained to me becoming a Ranger and taking up a new name.”

  “So that is where you got the name Snow White,” Morpheus exclaimed. “I have been wondering about that…”

  “I had the idea for the name before that, something in the conversation just confirmed my decision to take it up permanently. Before then I was thinking of using it as a code name. A few people know my birth name, and Dina occasionally calls me by it.”

  “It is a nice name, don’t get me wrong, but I do prefer your old one,” Morpheus admitted. I did not bother to hide the smile creeping across my face, though I did fight against the flush.

  “You have known me longer than any other, Morpheus, and you have stayed by my side when others would have fled. You have long since earned the right to call me by it.”

  “I appreciate that, Alice.”

  As if a boat caught in the current, my thoughts danced along a stream of memories until they got to the night of my initiation. Try as I might to tear it away, I could not. Parts of that night would forever linger in the back of my mind, whether I wanted them to or not.

  “You say you believe you spoke to a Mystic. I thought they did not exist in this realm, or did I misunderstand that?” Morpheus asked, his voice breaking my thoughts from their spiral.

  “They don’t, not really,” I said. "The Mystics are a unique bunch, to say the least. No one is sure how many there are, much less what they are. The one thing that is known is that they have been here since the beginning, and they are reclusive. They do not speak often, and even then, it is only to a select few." I honestly didn’t know how many others had spoken to the Mystics, but I knew it was not an easy thing to talk about afterwards. "My favorite theory is that they were the predecessors to the Seers because it seems to make the most sense. I am fully aware of the fact I could be completely wrong, and I will never know for sure, but it is not a thing I need to know.”

  “One of them spoke with you, though,” Morpheus said.

  “I believe so, yes.”

  “You do not yet remember the conversation, do you?” Wilhelm asked. I almost did a double-take until I realized that in seeking to better understand his gift, he would have come across writings on the Mystics themselves.

  “I do not.”

  “That sounds like it would have been quite a memorable encounter,” Morpheus commented. “But then again, memory can be a tricky thing when magic is involved.”

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  “I am sure it was, but it was also a gift given through the old ways. Such a thing comes with a price." I had long since become familiar with that weight, though it was not often that I noticed it. "That Mystic could have told me the secrets of the universe, or they could have told me everything I need to know about what is going on now. Yet the price is I will not remember any of it until the point arrives where it becomes inevitable. It’s enough to drive a person mad if they think about it too hard." I briefly wondered if that had happened to the Hatter. "The longer I go without remembering, the less likely I am to remember, as things could have changed since then that made it irrelevant. I may never know what they told me.”

  “Let’s discuss something less vexing,” Morpheus suggested. “How much farther until the gateway?”

  I had stopped paying attention to where we were going, guiding my horse by instinct instead of thought. There was a faint wisp of magic I had been following that grew increasingly stronger as we wound our way through the trees. The woods were familiar to me, but the exact location was less so.

  “We should be getting close,” I replied. “The pull of the magic is getting stronger, to the point I can almost see its trail. Some of these gateways are not tied to specific locations, instead they are bound to general areas. It is a safety precaution, so things can be moved in times of danger and strife." I adjusted my course slightly to stay on the trail. "Luckily it seems the gateway has deemed us friendly, or at least to not be a threat. Keep your eyes and senses open. We should be there soon.”

  “I think I may know where we are going. I haven’t been there myself, but I have met the person behind it. I might have a favor I can call if needed,” Morpheus muttered.

  “Sometimes I forget you are a prince back home. I don't think we will need that favor, but it's good to have, just in case.”

  The air rippled around us as if in response. We were getting close. I could feel my horse’s flanks twitching in mild agitation, so I slowed the pace until she settled. The others followed suit, though I was sure they did not know why. I knew from experience that it was best not to rush a creature when old magic is involved.

  “Is everything alright?” Morpheus asked, voice tinged with concern. There was a faint shuffling sound that said his horse was beginning to shy but looking back I could see he was still in control.

  “It's the magic from the gateway. It feels different, older, stronger. Things like that tend to spook most creatures." I stroked my horse’s neck, trying to soothe the beast. "Don’t push, just give them time to settle and they will settle.”

  “I think I see it.”

  I turned around to follow Wilhelm’s gaze, tracing along the trees to the unmistakable proof that Wilhelm was right.

  We had been traveling along the river for some time now, following its bends and curves. Something Dina told me had given me the idea, so I figured it would be a trail worth following.

  Now that hunch paid off.

  “I see it too, right where Dina said it might be. It seems fate is in our favor today. A nice change of pace, for sure." I gave my horse a final pat before urging her onward. "Now to go and make our request of the guardian.”

  The trees were beginning to thin, meaning the rest of the journey would be a smoother one. I nudged my horse onward, and she broke into a trot. Two snorts sounded behind me as Morpheus and Wilhelm did the same.

  Soon all that was before us was the waterfall, and behind the rippling water was the gateway. Had anyone else been looking at it, it would have been wholly unremarkable. But since we had gone there with the intention of finding it, and it had decided it wanted to be found, the stone arch stood out behind the water, clear as day.

  We came to a stop just at the water’s edge.

  “Gentlemen, welcome to the queen’s gateway.”

  I gestured for them to stay back as I dismounted, stepping into the water, approaching the gateway. The stones remained stoic. Impassive.

  I pulled a token from my pocket and presented it, holding it so it could easily be seen by whoever was watching through the gateway. The thought of being observed by some unseen entity was not an entirely comfortable one, but I kept my face impassive and my voice calm as I spoke.

  “My lady Laurel, I approach you with the utmost respect for your station and your people. It is with humility that I request passage through this gateway that is under your protection and under your guard. We wish to reach the Veil to deliver a young Seer for safe keeping. There are forces at work here and throughout the realm that could pose a threat to his life. We come here under the guidance of Dina to request safe passage to our destination. Do you find our entreaty acceptable?”

  The icy water splashed around my feet, parting around my legs and soaking my cloak up to my knees. It was certainly not the most pleasant sensation when combined with my waiting to see if perhaps I had misspoken. For, as the minutes passed, there was no detectable change in the gateway.

  It was when I started to turn to address the others that I caught it. The faintest shift in the energy surrounding the gateway. So subtle it was almost imperceptible, leaving me wondering if there had indeed been a change.

  On a hunch I flipped the token towards the gateway. It passed straight through, disappearing into nothingness.

  “Does that mean it worked?” Morpheus asked.

  “It does,” Wilhelm answered, dismounting. “What should we do with the horses?”

  “I say remove all their tack but leave a halter on with enough of a lead line that they can graze and reach the water. I don’t want them wandering off, but I also don’t know how long it will be before we return.”

  “Hopefully not too long.” Morpheus walked his horse over to a tree and carefully tied it to one of the branches.

  I turned my attention back to the gateway briefly.

  “I thank you, my lady Laurel. If you would please give us a moment to tend to our horses, then we will be ready to enter.” It occurred to me rather belatedly that we should have done this before requesting passage, but I had been focused on finding our way through first.

  It was the strangest sensation, as if a wave of mild amusement and agreement swept over me. The queen's way of communicating through the gateway, perhaps.

  Between the three of us, it did not take long to get the horses appropriately situated, and the tack stored in one of my bags, which Morpheus offered to carry.

  “Did Dina teach you how to do that? How to activate the gateway?” he asked.

  “I am actually surprised it worked,” I admitted. “I have never needed to use a gateway before, and I’m afraid if Dina taught me how to activate one, I was not paying attention at the time. I just went with my gut, based on what I knew. I had a feeling if someone was watching the gateway, asking politely might do the trick. Or at the very least they might take pity on us and give us a clue as to the proper way. Thankfully, it would appear that the queen is in a generous mood today.”

  “She is certainly a reserved one,” Morpheus said. " Hard to read in my experience, which is limited.”

  “I have only seen her once or twice, including a brief introduction, so I cannot claim to know her well personally." I readjusted my grip on my pack. "I know of her, though, and she is a wise and kind, if sometimes reclusive person. I can understand the desire for privacy at times, especially for someone ruling a kingdom and working to keep the passage between realms safe.”

  “I cannot begin to imagine what kind of logistical headache that would be." Morpheus shook his head. “I will see if we can have something special set aside for her next time she comes to one of our feasts. In the meantime, we should probably get through the gate before Wilhelm wanders through on his own.”

  I turned to see Wilhelm standing before the gateway, bag slung over his shoulder, eyes locked on something beyond. Morpheus and I exchanged a look before I gestured that we should follow. The horses had plenty of room to graze and drink, and the ties were loose enough they could escape in the case of danger. There was no point in procrastinating.

  “I’ll go through first, so if we run into anyone on the other side I can make the proper introductions. Then Wilhelm, then Morpheus.”

  “That sounds like a reasonable plan,” Wilhelm said with a smile. "Let's go.”