Mirrors of the Snow Queen - Part One

Welcome to the north...

Hi everyone,

It’s finally here! The new entry in The Red Riding Saga that will see Red facing off against the Snow Queen!

If you’re new to the saga, don’t worry - this story is a new adventure for Red, and relevant events from past stories are explained!

Though, of course, if you wanted to give the past stories a read, I wouldn’t mind. 😉

And now, the story begins…

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Mirrors of the Snow Queen - Part One

Cold Open

The prince stared at the mirror.

And what stared back at him... was a dark reflection of himself - he saw all his weaknesses and all the dark things that were in his heart.

In the mirror, another figure approached him, an ugly one - this figure was short and weak, an inelegant thing, and, worst of all, this person had allowed his sister to be-

"My prince!" Caliburn shook the prince by the shoulder, jolting him out of whatever hold he had been kept in.

The prince looked at his loyal bodyguard and knight.

Certainly, Caliburn was shorter than most humans, as was the nature of most dwarfs - but weak? Never!

And while Caliburn didn't have the elegance of the nobles that the prince had grown up around, she had her own elegance as a faithful knight who had served his family for many years.

As for what happened to his sister, Princess Snow White, the prince knew very well that Caliburn was not to blame.

So, why did he...?

"My prince," Caliburn said, again, "Are you alright?"

The prince shook his head, and he quickly pulled the cloth over the mirror to cover it once more.

Stepping away from the now-covered mirror, the prince found his way to one of the chairs.

Caliburn followed, helping the dazed prince into the seat.

"The mirror..." he started to say, "When I gazed into it... It was as if I could only see the darkest and ugliest sides of everything that it was reflecting, while anything good was snuffed out."

Caliburn looked at the covered mirror.

"How strange," she said, "In that case, I believe that it would be best to leave it covered up - until the scholars and mages can figure out its nature, at least."

The prince, still dazed, nodded, "Yes, of course."

He looked up and glanced around the room full of tomes, artifacts, and various arcane implements.

Sadly, the prince said, "Mother, what wicked objects had you been collecting?"

***

"Be careful," Caliburn said to the movers, "many of the late queen's items are of an unknown nature. They need to be carefully moved and stored, so that further study can be carried out."

The movers answered in acknowledgement and began to work.

The prince stood to the side, watching as the movers carried away his late mother's possessions - possessions that might have been used to curse his half-sister, the late queen's stepdaughter.

Suddenly, several of the movers started to panic.

The prince looked over.

The covered mirror that some of the movers were carrying had started shaking.

The prince started to walk over, "What's-"

Suddenly, as if the mirror was trying to leap out of the movers' grasp, the mirror tilted forward and crashed into the ground.

The sound of shattering mirror was deafening.

The room paused.

After a moment, life began to return to the room, and many began to gather around the shattered mirror.

The prince approached as well.

"What happened?" he asked.

"M-My prince!" one of the movers said, "Our deepest apologies!"

"The mirror started to shake by itself, and we lost our grip on it!" another mover said, "I-It was almost like it jumped out of our hands!"

Realizing what had been said, the mover added in a panic, "I-I know that sounds ridiculous, but it's true - I swear! I am so sorry, my prince!"

The prince looked down at the shards of mirror that had spilled out from underneath the cloth that had been covering it.

Was the mirror... alive?

The prince shook his head and pushed the ridiculous notion out from his mind.

"It's alright," the prince began to say, "Let's..."

The prince trailed off - he had noticed that the shards of mirror were beginning to rise up into the air.

As the shards continued to rise, everyone in the room stepped back.

"My prince!" Caliburn rushed to his side, "Please, leave-"

Suddenly, the shards flew towards the prince!

Swiftly, Caliburn stepped in front of the prince and drew her sword.

As best as she could, Caliburn used both her sword and her body to protect the prince.

"Ah!" the prince yelled out from behind Caliburn.

Caliburn held, steadfast - for she knew she could not turn around until this storm of shards had past.

The last of the mirror shards flew past her and she turned, readying herself for another assault.

But, it did not come - instead, Caliburn watched as the last of the shards flew out of the chambers.

Hoping that the danger had passed, Caliburn rushed to the prince, who had fallen onto his side on the ground.

"My prince!" Caliburn said as she turned the prince around, so that she could see his face, "Are you al-"

Caliburn gasped.

Two shards of the mirror had embedded themselves into the prince's body - one in his eye, and the other in his chest, where his heart would be.

"Get a doctor!" Caliburn ordered, "Now!"

One of the movers hurried out of the room.

Caliburn looked down again.

The shards had moved deeper into the prince's body!

Caliburn watched as the shards seemed to be... sinking themselves into the prince.

She reached out with her hands, trying to stop the shards.

But, she was too late - the shards had driven themselves completely into the prince's eye and heart!

"No!" Caliburn yelled out.

And yet, as Caliburn inspected the prince's eye and chest, she noticed something odd.

The shards had left no wounds on the prince.

Stunned, Caliburn could only say, "W-What?"

***

The shards of mirror flew far.

Many rumours sprung up about this mysterious, sparkling swarm that was spotted flying up in the sky.

All of them reported one thing in common - that this swarm was flying north.

At the end of the shards' journey, it reached a frozen land, where the snow fell and the winds roared.

And there, it rested.

The shards of mirror hovered just above the snowy ground as the blizzard raged on around it.

And as the shards reflected the snow, the ice, and the cold...

Frost began to cover the mirrors, and the shards began to grow cold as well.

~~~

Part One: The Queen's Legacy

I sat down next to the Glass Coffin.

Lowering my red hood, I looked at the sleeping figure inside - my beloved Princess Snow White.

"I promise you," I said, as I gazed at her, "I will find a cure."

Of course, the princess remained still and the coffin remained sealed.

I continued to gaze at her - sadly, mournfully, and lovingly.

How I wished I could be with her again...

But, I could not stay here forever.

I stood up, and I looked down at my beloved once more.

"Please," I said, "wait for me, my sleeping beauty."

I turned around and put up my hood.

And then, I left the tower.

***

I had travelled north.

The cloak of my red riding hood billowed behind me as I continued my trek through the snow.

It was a sunny day, but it was also a cold and windy day.

I had travelled here after hearing local stories about a 'Snow Queen' - a magical being that had been seen controlling blizzards and had snowy monsters at its beck and call.

I did not think that such a creature would have a cure for my beloved princess - but, as I was already close to the sightings, I couldn't just ignore a possible plight.

She wouldn't have wanted me to.

According to the locals, this 'queen' had established a domain further north and had since been expanding it - the domain's snowy boundaries creeping south towards the northern villages and towns day by day, bringing with it an unnatural cold.

Crops had already been affected, and the people were worried about what the Snow Queen was planning.

And so, I made my way northward, hoping to reason with this Snow Queen.

As I climbed the snowy hill in front of me, I began to hear noises - was that... fighting?

I crested the hill and looked down.

And before me, a small army of knights clashed with what looked to be creatures made of ice and snow.

"What?" I said, stunned at the scene before me.

I shook off my shock and drew my rapier. I rushed down the hill, hoping to help.

As I hurried down the hill, I surveyed the battlefield.

And my attention was drawn to a page who had fallen down onto the snowy ground.

They frantically tried to scurry backwards, while waving their dagger at one of the approaching icy creatures.

"S-Stay back!" the page yelled.

I hurried.

And before the icy creature could do any harm to the page, I thrust my rapier through the side of its head.

The icy creature stood still.

And then it turned its head towards me, cutting its own head on my blade as it turned.

My eyes widened in shock.

Quickly, I pulled my sword out and jumped back as it began to lumber towards me.

Focusing, I summoned my two wolves next to me and sent them at the creature.

My wolves pounced on the icy creature and shattered it - seemingly destroying it for good this time.

"Run!" I yelled to the page.

"Y-Yes!" the page managed to stand up. As they began to run, they shouted, "Thank you!"

My wolves and I joined the rest of the fray.

Though the icy creatures were slow, they were hardy and strong - and they outnumbered the knights by a fair amount.

As our courageous knights fell, brave squires and pages ran up, trying to get the injured away from the snowy monsters.

Suddenly, I noticed a familiar technique on the battlefield.

Out of the corner of my eye, I had spotted a familiar dwarfen knight.

She swung her sword and a thin wave of water shot out, slicing through two of the icy creatures before dissipating.

As the two icy creatures fell down in halves, the knight prepared and gathered water around her sword.

"Get clear!" she shouted.

Any knights who were in front of her retreated, and any knights who were rushing towards the monsters halted their advance.

Then, as soon as her allies had gotten clear, she thrust her sword forward.

Her sword unleashed a huge torrent of water, smashing into the army of icy creatures - shattering them into nothing more than pieces of ice and snow.

And with that, the tide of the battle had turned.

The knights and I defeated the rest of the monsters, and victory was ours.

As we rested after the battle, the dwarfen knight approached me.

I had unsummoned my wolves, and was aiding some of the injured. My red hood had been pulled up, as I hadn't wanted to confront her just yet.

But, I suppose that it had to happen sooner or later.

"Judging by your cloak," she said, walking towards me, "you must be our fellow knight, Lady Red Riding Hood."

"I heard that you came and helped us," she continued, "Thank you."

I stood up.

Pulling down my red hood, I turned to face her.

She had held out her hand - but, upon recognizing me, her hand retracted in shock.

"It's been a long time," I said, "Mentor Caliburn."

***

Caliburn, a page, and I had managed to reach a village before nightfall.

Too many knights had been injured, so the rest of the party had been sent home while the three of us pressed on.

At what was probably the northernmost village of the kingdom, we had been greeted by the village leader and a couple of other villagers.

The villagers greeted us warmly, even amidst the cold weather. However, their situation was dire.

They told us about how winter had come unnaturally early this year, after the Snow Queen had been spotted making her way up north.

They told us about how they had been lucky that they had already been storing food for the winter this time of the year, but the early winter killed off many of their still growing crops and that they were going to be in for a hard winter.

And they told us about how the snowy landscape had seem to be unnaturally spreading south, also as if the land of ice and snow was expanding.

Caliburn reassured the villagers that we would head north to investigate this 'Snow Queen', and that she would write a letter to send back to the capital asking for aid to be provided to the village.

Grateful, the villagers provided us with camping equipment and warmer clothing for the freezing north, and they had graciously allowed us to use a small house for the night.

Finally, when we were alone that night, sitting by the fireplace, I turned to Caliburn and gestured to the page.

"Why is she with us?"

Caliburn looked at me for a moment, before saying, "She's a page, so I thought that it would be helpful to bring her along."

I eyed my mentor with suspicion, "I know that it's been a long time since we last saw each other, mentor, but I have never known you to bring a page with you on your journeys, especially into dangerous territory."

"Even if," I said, turning my eyes to the page, "she had been brave enough to help with getting the injured to safety during our last battle."

The page's eyes met mine.

Nervously, her eyes darted away.

"Who are you?" I said to the page.

Caliburn tried to direct my attention back to her, "Look, -"

Angrily, I stopped her from saying my name, "It's Red Riding Hood now."

The room became silent, and I seethed in my lingering anger at my mentor.

Finally, Caliburn tried again, "I'm... sorry, Lady Red Riding Hood."

"I'm sorry for not believing you, all those years ago," she said, "And I'm sorry for-"

I cut her off, "Just Red is fine."

Taken aback, my mentor could only say, "Y-Yes, Red it is."

I turned my eyes back to the page.

Before I could repeat my question, however, the page blurted out, "M-My name is Gerda!"

"A-And," she continued, "I love the prince!"

Puzzled, I repeated, "You love the prince?"

Gerda nodded, while Caliburn rested her face into her palm in disbelief.

"That's no reason to bring a page," I said, "Unless..."

"You and the prince...," my eyes widened with the realization, "You two are lovers?!"

Gerda nodded nervously, while Caliburn sighed and said, "I thought that we were going to keep this a secret for now."

"I-I'm sorry," Gerda said, looking at me nervously, "Lady Red is... very intense."

The room paused.

And then I snorted before chuckling a little, while Caliburn burst into laughter.

"Yes," my mentor said, mid-laugh, "that, she can be!"

Gerda smiled and let out a laugh as well, joining us in relieving some of the tension in the room.

However, I still needed more information.

"But," I asked, "even if you two are lovers, what does that have to do with the Snow Queen?"

Caliburn and Gerda gave each other a look.

Sighing again, Caliburn said, "We might as well tell you - the prince has been kidnapped by the Snow Queen."

Again, my eyes widened.

Sensing that I would have further questions to ask, Caliburn continued, "Let me tell you what happened."

"The prince and I had rode out into town," she said, "disguised as a minor noble and his bodyguard."

"We had arrived at Gerda's house, which she lived in with her grandmother."

"And my parents," Gerda said, "though they are often away for work."

Caliburn nodded, and continued, "Gerda met the prince outside, and the two had begun to converse... when the Snow Queen arrived - flying down from the sky with her sled."

"A sled?" I said, incredulously.

"Yes," Caliburn replied, "And despite my best efforts, the Snow Queen had managed to take the prince aboard her sled, before escaping back into the skies."

"I was too ill-prepared for her ice magic," Caliburn said, her fist clenching in anger and guilt.

"You shouldn't blame yourself, Lady Caliburn," Gerda said, "the Snow Queen had surprised all of us, and..."

"And what?" I asked.

"It was strange," Gerda replied, "but it had almost seemed like the prince... wanted to go with her."

I looked at her, puzzled.

"I'm sorry," she said, "I'm in disbelief as well."

I nodded, and asked, "This Snow Queen - what was she? A mage of some sort?"

"No," Gerda shook her head, "she didn't appear to be human, or even a living creature."

Once more, I looked at her with a puzzled expression.

"She seemed to be..." Gerda paused as she tried to describe what she had seen, "It was as if she was a living swarm of ice or... crystals or..."

"Or mirrors," Caliburn said, suddenly, "She was made out of mirrors."

I looked at my mentor - her expression was one of shock and realization.

"I can't believe that I hadn't made the connection until now," she said.

"A few months ago," she explained, "the prince and I were..."

And she explained about how she and the prince had been supervising the moving of some of the late queen's items, including a mirror.

A mirror which had seemingly jumped out of the grasp of the movers and had crashed onto the floor, shattering into pieces.

And how those shards of mirror had then risen up and escaped, but not before seemingly embedding a shard into the prince's eye and another shard into the prince's heart.

"But there were no wounds," Caliburn said, "Or if there had been, the wounds disappeared."

"We had doctors and other experts inspect the prince's body for any signs of injuries or any other ills," she said, "but nothing was found."

"But if this Snow Queen is indeed that swarm of mirrors that had escaped..."

"Then that would explain why the prince was willing to go with her," Gerda said, picking up from where Caliburn had trailed off, "And maybe also why... he had been growing colder and more distant..."

"How so?" I asked, puzzled - cold and distant were not words that I ever thought I would hear used to describe the prince that I remembered.

"We had been friends since we were children," Gerda said, smiling at the memories, "And the prince had always been warm and charming."

"But over the last few months...," Gerda said, looking at Caliburn, "maybe it started after those two shards of mirror had embedded themselves into him..."

Caliburn slowly nodded, "I had noticed it as well - the prince grew more and more irritable."

"He started to talk about how ugly everything was," Gerda said, "almost as if he could only see and feel the worst in everything."

"Even in the roses that we had planted together in the garden box just outside of my house," Gerda said, with tears welling up in her eyes, "He began to find them so ugly and disgusting that he kicked over the box, and left me while I tried to save the roses..."

"That day when he was taken by the Snow Queen..." Gerda continued, "He had come, and it seemed as though he was struggling to apologize... when the Snow Queen came."

And at that, Gerda burst into tears.

Caliburn reached out, and placed her hand on Gerda's shoulder, hoping to offer some comfort.

I felt sorry for Gerda, but I had to move on.

"So, you suspect that the prince might be under the Snow Queen's spell?" I asked Caliburn.

She nodded, "If she is indeed that swarm of mirrors, then I believe so."

"Before the mirror broke," Caliburn said, "the prince had gazed into it, and it seemed as though he was captivated by the mirror."

"Afterwards, he said that the mirror seemed to only reflect the darkest and ugliest sides of things, while snuffing out the good," she continued, "If the shards embedded in his eye and heart are still alive and part of the Snow Queen..."

I nodded, "Then perhaps he can only see and feel the worst about everything else, while being captivated by the Snow Queen herself."

Caliburn nodded, "Right."

I gestured at Gerda, who seemed to be recomposing herself, "But, still, none of that explains why she's here - she could have stayed home and waited for the prince to be rescued."

Caliburn hesitated before answering, "Gerda is here because she begged me to take her with us."

"Even after I had warned her about how dangerous it would be, and how she could die before ever even reaching the prince, she insisted on coming with us," Caliburn said, "I couldn't say no."

I smirked, "You always did have trouble saying no to kids who were begging you for something."

Caliburn chuckled, "How do you think I ended up teaching you?"

I turned to Gerda, who had recomposed herself, "Are you sure you still want to come, Gerda? You were in that battle with us - you now know firsthand how dangerous it will be."

Gerda sniffled, but nodded, "I'm sure."

I wanted to protest, but then I thought about my own journey.

And so, I acquiesced, "Right... Brave, you are."

Gerda smiled a little, "Thanks."

We turned in for the night soon after, exhausted from our day.

***

The next morning, after Caliburn had handed off her letter requesting aid for the village to a messenger, we set off into the north once more.

As the snow fell, I lifted my red hood over my head.

And so, the three of us continued into the snow and ice, hoping to stop the Snow Queen and rescue the prince.

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Photo by Erol Ahmed on Unsplash

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Thank you for reading!

This time, I’ll save my usual commentary for Part Three.

If you enjoyed this first part, please subscribe so that you don’t miss the next two parts!

And with that, see you next time for…

Part Two: The Snow Queen's Reign