Mirrors of the Snow Queen - Part Three

Lady Red and her fellow knights face the Snow Queen one last time...

Hi everyone,

The final part of this short story event is finally here. 😱

If you’ve missed the first two parts, you can find them here and here!

And now…

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Mirrors of the Snow Queen - Part Three

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Part Three: A Queen's End

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"How are you feeling, Lady Red?" Gerda asked me.

"Better," I said, as I sat down on the chair in the living room, "Thank you."

Caliburn, Gerda, Galatine, and I had travelled back to the village that had hosted us before we set off to find the Snow Queen.

After that disastrous skirmish with the Snow Queen and her snow monsters, we had retreated back here.

We had been resting for a few days now, while waiting for an answer to our request for reinforcements that Caliburn had sent to the capital.

Hopefully, we could get some help with dealing with the Snow Queen and rescuing the prince.

Instinctively, my hand reached for my abdomen, the place where I had been stabbed by one of the Snow Queen's icicles.

Thanks to the magic healing potion that Caliburn had given me, the injury had mostly been healed - though I still felt pain from it every now and then, and my body still felt exhausted from the events.

"Ah, Lady Red, you're up," Galatine said, as he came into the house with Caliburn.

I nodded, "Any news?"

Caliburn shook her head, "No, still no news from the capital."

After a moment, Galatine approached me, "I must apologize, Lady Red."

"I did not recognize you until Caliburn had explained to me who you were," he explained, "And now that I know..."

He crossed his hand over his heart and bowed his head with guilt, "I'm sorry for what we did to you that day."

"I...," my voice trailed off, before finally saying, "I appreciate your apology - thank you."

Galatine stood up, and nodded with sincerity.

"What did happen with the Band of Seven?" I asked, hoping to change the subject, "Where are the others?"

"Well," Galatine said, his voice tinged with sadness, "after our... failure to protect the princess, we separated. Only Caliburn stayed behind to protect the prince."

"The rest of us took on whatever missions needed us throughout the kingdom," he continued, "so I'm not certain where the others are at this moment."

"I see," I said, sadly, "I'm sorry."

"Me too," he said.

***

It was mid-afternoon now, and the four of us had gathered in the living room once more.

We had been having some afternoon tea, when a thought occurred to me.

"The Snow Queen," I said, "she looked like the queen, didn't she?"

Caliburn nodded, "That, she did."

"Why do you think that is?" I asked, sipping my tea, "Where did you find this mirror again? With the late queen's belongings?"

"Yes, that's where we found it," she replied, thinking, "Perhaps the queen had created this mirror with her magic? After all, that was the queen's innate magic, underneath all the other magic that she had learned."

"If that's the case," I said, "then perhaps it was imbued with, or had somehow absorbed, the queen's desires and magicks?"

"Right," Caliburn said, taking a sip of her tea, "And maybe that's why it has taken on the form of the late queen."

"But then why abduct the prince?" Galatine asked.

"When the queen was... dying," I said, remembering how I had killed the queen, "she had said to the prince that she wanted to make her son the next ruler, over the princess."

"So maybe," I said, "the Snow Queen is trying to fulfill that desire somehow?"

"Alright," Galatine said, "But then, what of all the snow and ice? If it's just a bunch of mirror shards, how is it able to do such things?"

"I had speculated on this," Caliburn said, "and my thought was that perhaps this mirror, just like how it had absorbed and reflected the queen's desires and magicks, was also able to absorb and reflect the cold elements that it had found itself in."

"So," Galatine said, incredulously, "You're saying that this magic mirror that the late queen created was able to obtain the magic to control snow and ice by... being around snow and ice?"

Caliburn shrugged, "That's just my speculation."

"I mean," she continued, "we are dealing with a swarm of mirror shards that have the prince under its control by embedding two of its shards in the prince's eye and heart. Who knows what powers this Snow Queen has or doesn't have?"

Galatine sighed, "Fair point."

"One thing that we do know," I said, "is that Gerda might be able to break the prince free from the Snow Queen's control."

"M-Me?" Gerda asked.

"Yes, you," I said, "When you called out to the prince, he seemed to have regained himself momentarily."

"Indeed," Caliburn said, "and that was enough to get the Snow Queen to retreat."

"So then, perhaps," I said, "we need to get Gerda close enough to the prince to weaken - if not break - the spell that the Snow Queen has him under."

"And with the Snow Queen's attention and magic drawn to the prince," I continued, "we could use that chance to destroy her."

"It's not a bad idea," Caliburn said, "but..."

She turned to Gerda, "Can-"

"I'll help, however I can!" Gerda said, before Caliburn could even ask.

Galatine laughed, "You really do love him, don't you?"

Gerda blushed, "Y-Yes, I do!"

"When Caliburn told me about you two secret lovebirds," Galatine continued, still laughing, "Well... I never would have thought that Lady Caliburn would be playing chaperone to the prince and his lover!"

"Sir Galatine!" Caliburn exclaimed, "I only told you that to keep you informed about our current situation!"

"I am so sorry, Gerda," she said, turning to a Gerda who was blushing even more now, "I thought that it was pertinent information that he would need to help us with rescuing the prince! I didn't know that he would... he would..."

Caliburn's voice trailed off, and all that the embarrassed Gerda could softly say was, "I-It's alright, I understand..."

Galatine laughed, and even I couldn't help but chuckle.

However, a sudden series of rapid knocks at the door interrupted us.

"Lady Caliburn!" a voice from outside yelled, "Are you there?"

Caliburn quickly moved and opened the door.

It was the village leader.

"Lady Caliburn!" the village leader said, "Come, quick!"

"There are snow creatures approaching the village!"

***

I looked through my spyglass.

Across the snowy landscape, I could see the Snow Queen's army approaching us.

Focusing my spyglass on the sled in the air that was floating towards the village, I could see the Snow Queen and the prince as well.

As I stared at the sled, I realized... that none of our speculations could really explain the sled, except that it was probably some other bit of magic that the Snow Queen had picked up.

I shook my head - now wasn't the time to speculate.

"I can see the Snow Queen and the prince," I said, reporting back to my comrades as I put down my spyglass.

The four of us had made our way to the northern outskirts of the village to see what the situation was.

Caliburn nodded, "Looks like the Snow Queen's trying to expand her domain."

"It really does look like she's trying to give the prince a kingdom," I said, "albeit one made of ice and snow."

The snow fell from the skies, stronger than it had hours ago - almost as if the approaching Snow Queen was bringing the snow and ice with her.

Or, if we were right, then that was exactly what was happening - no 'almost as if' about it.

"The villagers have already started evacuating," Galatine said, "but I doubt that they will all be able to leave before the Snow Queen and her army gets here."

"What should we do then?" I asked, looking at my mentor.

"Well," she began, "we definitely shouldn't meet the Snow Queen's forces out there."

"Right," Galatine nodded, "we'd be too exposed, especially with only the four of us."

"So we can either evacuate with the villagers," Caliburn said, "and try to hold off the Snow Queen's forces while escaping..."

"Or," she continued, with a hint of hesitation in her voice, "we can ambush the Snow Queen's forces here, at the edge of the village, and try to buy time for the villagers that way."

"That's the riskier option, of course," she said, "but that would mean that we'd fight the Snow Queen at this end of the city, away from where the villagers are gathering for the evacuation."

"Right," Galatine said, "but making it harder for us to escape if things go wrong."

Caliburn nodded, "That's why it's the riskier option."

Galatine chuckled, "Then I think the answer is pretty obvious. Wouldn't you agree, Lady Red?"

I nodded, "Of course - we plan our ambush here."

Galatine laughed, "We're knights to the end!"

Caliburn smiled, "Thank you... Thank you both, Lady Red, Sir Galatine."

Then, turning to Gerda, she asked, "What about you?"

"You can escape with the rest of the villagers," she said to the brave page, "or you can stay here and help us."

Gerda looked at the three of us.

Then, after nervously taking in a deep breath, she replied, "O-Of course I'm staying!"

Caliburn smiled again, "Good - thank you, Gerda."

I looked through my spyglass again, "So, what's the plan, mentor?"

"Right," Caliburn said, "So, from our observations, it seems as if the snow creatures do not possess an intelligence of their own."

I put down my spyglass after seeing one of the aforementioned snow creatures lumbering towards the village, "That certainly seems to be the case."

"They seem to be just extensions of the Snow Queen's will," my mentor continued, "unlike your wolves, Red."

I nodded.

"If that's the case," Caliburn said, "then a lot of her focus and attention will be on maintaining them, controlling them, and directing them."

"Furthermore, the Snow Queen herself doesn't seem to be a fully intelligent being," she continued, "she seems to be more like... an animal following a directive, if a bit more complicated than that."

"So if we split up and ambush her forces at different places in this northern side of the village," she said, "then we should be able to grab her attention and hold her and her army here."

"And while her forces are held and her attention is divided," Caliburn said, finishing her plan, "we will strike at her directly with a surprise attack."

I smirked, "I knew you wouldn't have suggested this risky ambush if you didn't already have a plan in mind."

Galatine remarked with a chuckle, "Quite right!"

"So," I said, "who'll do what for this plan?"

"Firstly," Caliburn replied, "we must wait until the Snow Queen and her sled are in the village - that way, our surprise attackers will have enough cover to get close enough to her and the prince."

"When she and the prince are sufficiently inside the village, Galatine and I will attack the snow creatures - one of us from the east, and the other from the west."

Galatine nodded, "So you and I are to be the distractions?"

"Correct," Caliburn said, "Wait for my signal, and the both of us will fight our way through the snow creatures and towards the Snow Queen."

"Your signal?" Galatine asked.

"It'll most likely be a sprout of water shooting up into the sky," Caliburn replied.

Galatine nodded.

"You two will need to watch for my signal as well," Caliburn said, turning to me and Gerda.

"When you see it, make your way to the Snow Queen," she continued, "Red, when you see that she is distracted - strike."

I nodded.

"As for you, Gerda," Caliburn said, "when Red has engaged the Snow Queen, make your way to the prince and break him out from the Snow Queen's spell."

Gerda nodded nervously, "Y-Yes, Lady Caliburn."

My mentor turned to me, "I trust that between you and your two wolves, you'll be able to help get Gerda to the prince?"

I nodded, "I'll think of something."

My mentor smiled at me, "Good."

"Hopefully," she continued, "if everything goes according to plan and our speculations are correct, then this will give us the best chance to both let the villagers escape and free the prince - if not defeat the Snow Queen as well."

The three of us nodded.

"Any thoughts before we separate?" Caliburn asked.

Silence hung in the air for a few moments.

Then, Galatine drew his sword, and held it out, "For good luck, then?"

Caliburn smiled, and drew her sword as well, placing the tip of her blade over Galatine's.

I did the same with my rapier, and Gerda did the same with her page's dagger.

"Good fortune to us all," Caliburn said.

And then, we separated.

***

I surveyed the scene from the roof of the house as quietly as I could.

Gerda and I had made our way up here, so that we could spot Caliburn's signal when it came.

Keeping ourselves hidden behind the slant of the roof, we waited.

We watched as the snow creatures entered through the northern side of the village, spreading out to cover more ground.

We watched as the sled carrying the prince floated in, hovering above the buildings.

And we watched as the Snow Queen swarmed out of the sled and reformed in the air, now searching for any possible enemies.

Suddenly, the Snow Queen's attention shifted to the east.

Then, moments later, a sprout of water shot into the sky from that same direction.

"That's the signal!" I quietly said to Gerda.

We made our way off the roof as silently as we could.

Then, we began to sneak our way towards the Snow Queen.

***

"You ready?" I asked Gerda.

From atop my grey wolf, she nodded, "Y-Yes, Lady Red."

"Good," I said, as I got onto my white wolf, "Good luck, and stay alive."

"You as well, Lady Red."

We had snuck in as close as we could, and had made preparations under the cover of a small alley.

I had summoned my wolves at a much larger size than they usually were - I didn't like doing this, since my wolves weren't comfortable at this size and it drained my mana much faster.

However, we needed to be able to ride them, so that they could get us to the Snow Queen and the prince that were hovering in the air above us.

With my mana draining, I had quickly helped Gerda onto my grey wolf, before getting onto my white wolf.

And now, it was time to strike.

I drew my rapier.

And through our connection, I commanded my white wolf, 'Go!'

My white wolf leapt into the air.

Using the sides of the buildings as bounding steps, my wolf carried us up onto a roof.

The Snow Queen turned towards us, expressionless.

'Strike!' I commanded.

My white wolf jumped off the roof, pouncing towards the Snow Queen.

I thrust my rapier ahead.

And Wolfsfang struck true.

Mirror after mirror shattered as my rapier struck them, falling out of the swarm that made up the Snow Queen.

But, before my wolf could hit her as well, the Snow Queen dodged out of the way - the shards of mirror separating and reforming not too far away.

My wolf landed on another roof, and I took a quick look at where the fallen mirror bits had landed.

Nothing seemed to be moving from that partially snow-covered ground.

Good - the mirrors stopped working if shattered into small enough pieces.

Or, at least, that's what I was hoping for.

"My beautiful queen, my beautiful creatures of snow and ice," the prince said, standing up in his sled, "Destroy these ugly people and destroy this ugly place - so that we may rebuild it!"

The prince sat back down on the sled, as if sitting down on a throne.

Just how far under the Snow Queen's spell was he?

The Snow Queen's expressionless face turned back to me.

And as she raised her hand towards me, I knew that I had her attention.

Quickly, I commanded my grey wolf through our silent connection, 'Get Gerda to the prince!'

The Snow Queen blasted her freezing ray at us.

Without even needing my command, my white wolf dodged to the side - saving us from getting frozen.

And that's when the Snow Queen raised her other hand.

I sighed in frustration, "Oh, of course."

My white wolf ran - bounding from roof to ground to roof to roof and to roof again as the two freezing rays chased us.

Suddenly, I sensed my grey wolf telling me something, and I looked up at the sled.

"My prince!" Gerda yelled as she jumped off my wolf.

She crashed into the side of the sled.

And for a horrifying moment, it looked as though she would fall.

However, even though she was wincing in pain, she managed to grab on and clamber into the sled.

I let out a breath of relief.

Noticing this, the Snow Queen's attention turned towards the prince and Gerda.

And that's when we pounced.

My white wolf leapt off the roof again, lunging towards the Snow Queen.

As this happened, I unsummoned my grey wolf, and quickly resummoned it above her.

Seeing this, the Snow Queen tried to separate her swarm.

But, it was too late.

We crashed into the Snow Queen, tearing her into two before slamming into the ground below.

Mirrors shattered as we landed.

I breathed heavily...

Was it over?

I looked around at the shattered mirrors...

And shards of mirror began to move.

Slowly, as if struggling, the Snow Queen reformed.

Though her form was now noticeably smaller, she was there, nonetheless.

My eyes widened, and I prepared to attack again.

"Gerda?" I heard the prince say from above.

The Snow Queen's attention turned towards the sled.

The mirrors of her head began to vibrate quickly...

Suddenly, she emitted a high-pitched scream!

"Augh!" the prince yelled in pain, clutching his eye and his chest.

And before I could react, the Snow Queen shot up into the air.

"Damn it!" I yelled.

But before I could command my wolves, the last of my mana was drained, and my wolves disappeared.

"No!" I yelled, as I fell onto the ground, exhausted.

However, out of the corner of my eye, I could see a dwarfen knight with a flaming sword leaping off a roof.

It was Galatine!

And in mid-air, he thrust his fiery sword forward - firing a firebolt from it at the Snow Queen.

The firebolt slammed into her...

And the swarm of mirrors began to fall from the sky once more.

But so did the sled.

Helpless, I could only watch as the Snow Queen and the sled with Gerda and the prince fell, plummeting towards the ground.

Suddenly, the Snow Queen managed to reform again.

And with a gesture of her hand, the sled's descent slowed.

The swarm of mirrors crashed into the ground, while the sled gently landed afterwards.

Galatine and I both breathed out a sigh of relief.

"Good job," he said to me, as he approached, "I do not know exactly what the two of you did, but the snow creatures are falling apart."

I gave him a slight smile and nodded, too exhausted to say anything or to even stand up.

The prince stumbled out of the sled, followed by Gerda.

"My prince!" Gerda yelled, "Are you alright?"

The prince, still clutching his eye and his chest, turned to Gerda, "I-Is that you, Gerda?"

"Yes, my prince," Gerda said, as she took the prince into her arms, "it's me!"

"I-I'm so sorry," the prince said, breathing heavily.

He looked into Gerda's eyes, "I've missed you, my dear Gerda."

Returning his gaze with tears in her eyes, Gerda said, "I've missed you too - my dear, sweet Kai."

And they kissed.

It was a sweet moment between the lovers...

Until the prince stumbled back, again clutching his eye and his chest in pain.

"M-My prince!" Gerda yelled.

The prince screamed in pain...

As a shard of mirror began to emerge from his eye, while another one emerged from his heart!

Then, as quickly as they had emerged, the two shards of mirrors fell onto the ground, shattering into lifeless pieces of mirror.

My eyes widened at what I had just witnessed.

"A true love's kiss?" I said to myself.

The prince's breathing began to steady - as if his pain was starting to subside.

Suddenly, a high-pitched scream pierced the air!

I quickly turned to where the scream was coming from, struggling to get my exhausted body off the ground.

The Snow Queen had reformed again, though merely a head and a swarm of mirrors this time.

Gerda quickly stepped in front of the prince, "My prince, stay back!"

The swarm of mirrors charged at the pair...

And a torrent of water slammed into the swarm!

Gerda quickly grabbed the prince, shielding him from the stray shards that had managed to shoot through the blast of water.

"Gerda!" I yelled, as shards of mirror cut into the brave page.

Galatine ran towards the two, leaving me behind as I struggled to stand.

"I-I'm okay," Gerda said, even though I could see blood seeping out from the various cuts on her now-tattered coat.

"Gerda, your shoulder!" the prince exclaimed.

Gerda looked, and on the back of her shoulder was a large piece of mirror - it was wriggling.

"S-Stay back, Kai," Gerda said, "I won't let her control you again!"

Gerda grabbed the mirror as she stumbled back.

Then, with a yell of pain, she pulled the shard out.

Quickly, she threw it at the ground, smashing the mirror into pieces.

Galatine caught her before she fell.

"Well done, brave page," he said.

"T-Thank you, Sir Galatine," Gerda said, with a weak smile.

Another high-pitched sound interrupted us again - but this time, it was much softer and much weaker.

We turned to see the Snow Queen.

This time, she was barely a head with a torso and an arm on the ground.

The shards of mirror struggled - both to stay together and to crawl towards the prince.

"Enough!" Caliburn yelled, finally reaching us.

She walked up to the struggling swarm of mirrors.

"If you are indeed the last vestiges of the queen," she said, "then stop this!"

"Is this really what the queen wanted?" she asked, angrily, "To leave her son the ruler of a kingdom of bitter ice and snow? To take him away from the one that he loves?"

The Snow Queen's hand reached out.

Caliburn and Galatine readied their swords.

But, nothing happened.

The Snow Queen's hand struggled towards the prince, as if a mother trying to reach her son one last time.

And then she fell apart, the swarm of mirrors shattering into pieces as they hit the ground.

***

Lady Caliburn, Sir Galatine, brave Gerda, and I stood in front of the throne.

It had been several days since the Snow Queen had melted into lifeless pieces of mirror.

Reinforcements and aid had made it to the village quickly after our victory and rescue of the prince.

The four of us, along with the prince, were taken back to the capital, while aid stayed behind to help the village and its villagers recover.

Upon reaching the capital, the prince was reunited with his father, the king, and we reported the events of what had transpired.

Gerda's grandmother was then called to the castle so that the two could be reunited as well, and we were all given a night's celebrations and rest.

And now, in the king's court, the four of us were to be awarded for defeating the Snow Queen and rescuing the prince.

We had changed into more formal attire, though I had kept my red riding hood on.

However, that was not the gossip being whispered around us.

"Oh!" I overheard one of the busybody nobles say, "there's that page who came in with the tattered coat!"

"I saw her walking next to the prince like that," another one said, "how embarrassed the prince must have been!"

"What did we decide to call her again?" a third chimed in, "Oh, yes! Tattercoats!"

The nobles giggled and amused themselves with their so-called 'cleverness'.

I scoffed.

"Ignore them," I said to Gerda, "They're just empty-headed nobles."

Gerda, who looked beautiful in her mother's dress, smiled and said, "I know - what we went through is nothing to be ashamed of!"

Caliburn placed a hand on Gerda's shoulder. Smiling, she said, "You'll make a fine princess."

Gerda blushed, "I-I hope so. Thank you."

Galatine and I chuckled.

***

"And for your bravery and invaluable assistance to our three knights," the king said, "I award you with this Medallion of Exemplary Courage!"

Gerda walked up onto the dais and approached the throne.

A courtier put the fourth medal of the ceremony around her neck, and she went to shake the king's hand, "T-Thank you, my king."

The king whispered something to Gerda, and she blushed and smiled.

As she walked back down though, some of the nobles could be heard whispering.

Although I couldn't hear clearly what was being said due to the applause, I could definitely hear the insults 'Cinderella' and 'Tattercoats' being thrown about.

And though I was displeased, I resigned to not mentioning it - lest it ruin Gerda's moment.

However, unexpectedly, a voice yelled out, "Enough!"

It was the prince.

He stepped forward, and addressed the nobles and the court, "I won't hear your snide jabs at her anymore!"

"Gerda is the bravest, kindest, and sweetest person that I know," he said, "And I love her!"

The room fell silent.

Suddenly realizing what he had done, the prince stammered, "S-Sorry, Gerda. I know we said that we would keep it a secret for now, but I-"

Gerda walked up onto the dais again, and she approached the prince.

"Gerda?" the prince said, unsure of what to do.

"My prince," Gerda said, her hand reaching up to touch the prince's cheek, "My dear, sweet Kai."

They gazed into each other's eyes for a moment.

And then they kissed.

The court watched in shock - some of the nobles even gasped.

Then, the king began to clap.

And the rest of the court followed suit.

I scoffed - even the nobles who had been whispering insults amongst themselves had joined in as well, afraid of being seen as going against the majority of their peers.

But, it was a happy moment for Gerda and the prince, so I joined in the applause as well.

And so, the happy couple smiled at the acceptance of their love, as the king walked over to join them - even inviting Gerda's grandmother to join them on the dais as well.

***

I sat down next to the Glass Coffin.

"Could it be that simple?" I said to myself.

Through the glass, I looked at my beloved Princess Snow White.

"Can I cure you," I asked, with hope and hesitation, "with a kiss?"

I waited...

And nothing happened - the Glass Coffin remained sealed.

Was... Was my love not true? Was my love not real?

I shook my head.

No, I loved the princess - that much I knew.

It just... simply wasn't the cure.

I sighed.

"I will be back with a cure," I said to the princess, "I promise."

I walked out of the Tower of the Glass Coffin.

Caliburn was waiting for me outside.

I shook my head, "It didn't work."

My mentor sighed. Then, she placed a comforting hand on my shoulder, "I'm sorry, Red."

I touched her hand, "Me too."

I walked over, and got up onto my horse.

"You won't stay for the wedding?" asked Caliburn.

"No," I said, "With how many months it will take just for the preparations to be completed, I'm afraid not."

"But, who knows?" I said, "With any luck, I might just be able to get the princess to her brother's wedding."

The two of us chuckled, though neither of us believed that it would happen.

Caliburn stepped back from the horse.

"Good luck, my student," she said, giving me a sad smile, "Farewell."

I returned her smile with my own, and said, "You as well, my mentor. Farewell."

And so, I put up my red hood, and began to ride.

​

~~~

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Warm Regards

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The sun shone in the sky.

And on this warm day, a couple planted some roses in a garden box together.

From the side, Lady Caliburn smiled as she watched the pair in the castle's garden.

The couple held hands as they admired the flowers that they had just planted together, their faces full of joy.

"Aren't they beautiful, my prince?" Gerda asked.

"They are, my princess," Kai replied.

And on this warm day, Gerda and her dear, sweet Kai were in bliss.

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Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash

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Commentary

Finally done!

This was my first Red Riding Hood Saga story after I had a minor surgery that put me out of commission for a few months.

So, even though it had been planned to come out during the winter, it came out in the summer instead...

The process of writing this three-parter was kind of interesting.

When I first came up with the idea for The Further Adventures of Red Riding Hood, I knew that I wanted to do a story where Red reunited with her mentor, Caliburn, after the events at The Tower of the Glass Coffin.

As I was doing research on fairy tales, I came upon the story of the Snow Queen, and the idea of Red and Caliburn facing down an enemy of snow and ice intrigued me.

After I had read the fairy tale (which is a Hans Christian Andersen original), I knew that I had to include Gerda somehow.

At this point, it was still looking like it'd be a fairly short-and-standard adventure where Red and Caliburn fought off the Snow Queen.

However, after I remembered the mirror in the prologue of the Snow Queen, I made the connection with how the Queen in The Red Riding Hood Saga had use mirror magic.

And so, I tied the Snow Queen together with the late Queen, and it went from a fairly short story to a three-parter.

I'm pretty happy with the results!

Oh, yes - I should talk about the inspirations for this story, as I usually do.

Aside from continuing with the Little Red Riding Hood, Snow White, and Sleeping Beauty inspirations, we also had:

• The Snow Queen - of course; the mirror's shattering and embedding into Kai's eye and heart (which had nothing to do with the Snow Queen in the original story), Kai's abduction by the Snow Queen, Gerda being involved with rescuing her friend, the Snow Queen herself, and the overall story were inspired by this fairy tale

• Cinderella and Tattercoats - two very similar fairy tales, though with different resolutions; both resolutions (the slipper and the prince's declaration of his love in front of a court) were used in the end, to sort of show Gerda and the prince's relationship progressing

• Arthurian Legends - Caliburn was inspired by how the Lady of the Lake was the one who forged Excalibur (for which Caliburn is another name for); Galatine was inspired by how Gawain (whose sword is named Galatine in the legends) is said to have gotten stronger and stronger as the day went on, hitting his strongest at noon when the sun was highest (though that will come into play more in a later story that I have planned - for this one, I just took inspiration from the sun thing to give him and his sword fire magic); and of course, I'd be lying if I said that the Fate franchise's takes on King Arthur and Gawain didn't influence me at all

The original Snow Queen story had Gerda visiting several different lands as well, before managing to make her way to the Snow Queen to rescue Kai (who was not a prince in the original).

However, since I had already dragged the prince into the story, I decided to give more focus on Gerda and Kai's relationship instead - which worked out well, since I had already wanted to include a version of Cinderella/Tattercoats in The Red Riding Hood Saga.

And on one last note, just to show off my own 'clever wordplay' - I really like the Cold Open and Warm Regards bookends that I came up with for this story.

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Thank you so much for reading!

If you haven’t yet, please be sure to check out the rest of The Red Riding Hood Saga, where you’ll find Red on more of her adventures!

And if you enjoyed my ‘clever wordplay’ as well, let me know in the comments! 😆