Okay, so this part is a bit late getting out; it couldn't be helped! I got this strange case of writer’s block where I could start writing a million different stories, but never manage to work on something I'd already started... It's so annoying and now I have at least ten unfinished stories on my hard drive and most of them will probably remain unfinished. *sigh* Anyway, I don't own Sailor Moon, blah, blah, blah... Please don't sue! All you'll get out of me is pocket lint. _____________________________________________________________________ White As Snow by Mira Moon _____________________________________________________________________ + CHAPTER THREE + A sense of foreboding weighed heavily upon her shoulders, making her feel as though she were slowly, but surly, being crushed by a steadily increasing mountain of bricks (also known as suspicion). Foolishly, Raye disregarded this premonition of doom and attributed it to her occasionally overactive imagination and the uncanny silence which had fallen between herself and her riding companion. She was sure that, once she and Demos found some common ground, her apprehension would ebb and fade; the trouble was, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't seem to find any common ground -- and he wasn't helping. She had tried to engage him in a conversation several times already, bringing up just about every topic from his adventures abroad to the latest political developments between their kingdom and Avitres (which they hadn't been on good terms with since long before either of them had been born); nothing seemed capable of holding his interest for long. He would simply answer her questions with as few words as possible -- not to mention very little, if any, eye contact -- and stare off into the distance with a face less expressive than granite. It was true that he'd never really been a very talkative and outgoing person, but this excessive lack of response was ridiculous, even for him. She'd had more invigorating conversations with Zephrie -- and he hadn't even said his first word yet! Suffice to say, Raye was growing more and more irritated with her comrade's odd behavior. 'Why would he suddenly decide to spend time with me, after all these years, if he isn't interested in talking with me and possibly regaining our long lost friendship?' This thought gave the princess the patience to try starting a conversation one last time; perhaps he simply needed to know for a fact that she did, indeed, want their friendship back... If he didn't show more interest in this next effort towards conversation than he had since they'd vacated the palace stables, she swore she would turn around and go right back the way they came, with or without him. Either that, or give him a piece of her mind for wasting her time. "Demos?" she murmured. "Do you remember the day of my tenth birthday?" she asked, glancing at him out of the corner of her eyes. If the faint smirk on his face was any indication, then it was safe to say that he obviously did... FLASHBACK ----------------------------------------------------------- "You're aware, or course, that we're as good as dead if we go through with this little scheme of yours..." Demos murmured, nervously eyeing the two lumpy, croaking sacks perched just behind them on the wooden ledge hanging just over the long banquet table. "What do you mean 'if'?" Raye inquired accusingly. "You're not chickening out, are you?" "I'm not a coward!" Demos exclaimed, voice just soft enough not to be heard by the many guests milling around below them. "I simply don't have a death wish." "Oh, don't be silly!" Raye scoffed. "It's just a prank -- no one in history has ever been executed for a mere prank, so stop worrying. And besides, I'm the crowned princess AND the birthday girl. What's the worst that could happen?" "Do you really have to ask..." "Come on, Demos! We're not breaking any laws and it's not as if we know more than five people down there, so who cares if they'll be angry with us afterwards?" "Oh, all right!" Demos conceded, throwing his arms up in defeat. "You win, but if you're wrong about no one being executed for pranks, I'm going to hold you personally responsible." "Deal!" Raye agreed with a laugh as she scanned the crowd for her 'evil' stepmother. "Look! She's coming! Grab your sack and get ready to let our little green friends loose." Demos quickly complied and just as Queen Melinda, in all her bejeweled glory, reached out to grab a small piece of birthday cake, two sacks of living, slimy, swamp-frogs were emptied over her head. Chaos ensued. In a screaming flurry of skirts and petticoats all the ladies on the field were either fleeing towards the palace in a crazed panic or climbing on top of tables and chairs (which was pointless, since these frogs were expert jumpers) and throwing hysterics; the Queen was one of the latter. The lords of the court, however, had much experience with frogs from their childhood years and therefore found themselves laughing merrily and trying to catch the pesky creatures (who were wondering what happened to their beautiful swamp). All in all, Raye and Demos were having a marvelous time watching the spectacle from their place above the now ruined food. Alas, their fun was soon cut short by a certain enraged king who informed the two naughty children that they would first be catching all the frogs and returning them to their swamp, then they would be in charge of cleaning up the entire field and returning all of Raye's birthday gifts in order to make up for any insult that had been taken. Their lives remained in tact, however, so Demos was happy. "Do you regret going along with my scheme?" Raye asked as they chased after frogs who didn't seem to want to be caught. "Nope!" Demos replied with a twinkle in his eye. "I've never laughed so hard in my life! What are we doing next year?" "Why wait 'til next year, when you birthday is only three months away?" Raye asked sweetly. "Good point," Demos murmured. "Best friends forever?" Raye asked suddenly, surprising Demos. "You don't even have to ask," he replied softly. "You don't even have to ask." END FLASHBACK ------------------------------------------------------- "I can still remember the look of pure terror on Melinda's face when she saw the frogs falling out of the sky!" Demos exclaimed, laughing for the first time that day. "So can I! That was classic!" Raye giggled. "She refused to even look at me for weeks afterwards." Silence fell over the two once more. "What changed?" Raye finally asked. Demos sighed. "A lot of things," he said. "Melinda is an evil woman, Raye. And I fell in her trap, and don't know how to get out." Raye stared at him, shocked. "What are you taking about?" "This may come as quite a shock," he murmured, refusing to look in her eyes, "but you were right all along: Melinda really is a witch. I found that out around the time my mother was dying, and stupidly went to her for help." He finally looked her in the eyes. "Melinda agreed to heal my mother if I pledged her my loyalty. So long as I do as she says, my mother remains alive..." "You're not joking, are you?" Raye breathed, searching his face and finding only honesty, pain, and regret. "I'm afraid not," he said. "I've been her henchman for the past several years, doing all her dirty work and carrying out her wishes. Unfortunately, I've finally been charged with a mission I can't complete: your murder." "My murder!?" Raye exclaimed, horrified. "I know she doesn't like me, but that's no reason to end my life!" "She's jealous of you're beauty, princess," he said gravely. "Her vanity is something that you don't want to mess with. I recommend you run away and don't come back until the witch is dead." "Run where?" Raye asked, on the verge of hysteria. Her wicked stepmother wanted her dead! "Deep into the forest, where no one will find you. Stay as far off the paths as possible and don't stop until you can't possibly run any farther. Perhaps you will run into someone loyal to your family who will house you until it is safe for you to return..." "You will cover for me, right?" "For as long as I can. Leave your horse with me and I'll make it look like you've been unhorsed during our ride. Then get out of here and for heaven's sake, be careful!" "I will, I promise," she said, climbing down off of Phoenix and handing Demos the reigns. And then she ran off into the forest, too terrified to look back. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 'You can do this. You can do this...' Demos chanted repeatedly to himself, trying his best to calm his steadily fraying nerves. But how do you maintain a firm grasp on serenity when you were about to go into the lions den and play a potentially lethal game of cat and mouse? He hoped the queen had not yet returned from tea with Lady Triphia. Then he would have more time to practice lying through his teeth. 'Gods, I hope Melinda's witchy powers don't include sensing lies...' He glanced warily at the small, wooden box he held before him in a white-knuckled death grip and forced his muscles to loosen. Raye's heart was supposed to be in that box. Would Melinda be able to tell the difference between a human heart and a pig's heart? He could only pray that she would be fooled long enough for him to smuggle his mother out of the city... She was his only remaining family and he couldn't bear it if he lost her; not after everything he'd gone through to keep her alive. He stopped in front of the door and forced himself to knock. "Enter." It was now or never. He drew a shaky breath and pushed the door open, entered, and closed it behind him. "Our plan proceeded as anticipated?" Melinda asked from her place in front of the vanity. Looking at her, Demos was repulsed by the very same beauty that had the rest of the palace hypnotized. How could anyone possibly mistake her for anything other than the cruel, deceitful creature that she was? "Yes, my queen," he said, forcing himself to sound obedient and admiring. "The princess never saw it coming." "Good. And you have her heart?" He handed her the box and found himself fighting back the urge to vamit, so repulsed was he by the look of pure elation on her face when she peeked inside. "My queen, I would like permission to take leave of you for the time being. When the late princess's disappearance is taken note of, it is a given that a few servants will recall seeing her head out into the forest with me. I'd like to avoid a questioning, if possible..." "Understood," Melinda murmured. "You have served me well and deserve a vacation, starting immediately. I'll send for you when it's safe to return." "Thank you." * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Her feet HURT. It had been hours since Demos and her had parted ways and the sun would be setting presently, leaving her lost, alone, and walking blindly through the forest that would be her sanctuary for however long it took to deal with the Melinda crisis. In other words, she'd be living the life of a hermit for the next twenty years of her life -- maybe more! After all, who would believe Demos if he were to announce to the entire court that Melinda was a scheming witch rather than the sweet, angelic creature she pretended to be? No one. 'Well, I never cared much for court life, anyway. Perhaps this whole situation is actually a blessing in disguise.' Her poor, aching feet thought otherwise. Or they would have, if feet could think. Then a thought struck her: what would Jadite do when he returned to find her missing and presumed dead? 'He'll probably just go right ahead and engage himself to another reluctant princess, first chance he gets!' she thought sullenly. But even as the words went through her mind, she knew they weren't true. As annoying as he was, she knew he was noble through and through and would likely tear the entire kingdom apart searching for her... But did she want to be found? It was a simple question, with no simple answer. If Jadite somehow managed to find her, she knew he wouldn't be so shallow as to discredit her claims against her stepmother, but what good would that due? Her life would still be in danger. 'He could take me back to Keldron with him; surely Melinda couldn't harm me there.' And then she remembered Heliodor. 'She couldn't have...could she?' But it was an awfully strange coincidence that her over-protective fiance* should suddenly be summoned home due to his brothers untimely death. If she remembered correctly, Heliodor had lost control of his horse while riding, and didn't Jadite mention, at some point, something about his brother being the finest rider in Keldron? 'My mother died because her horse bolted, too.' The revelation made her sick to her stomach, and she suddenly had to sit down. 'I'm not safe from Melinda anywhere, am I? If she can make horses bolt and kill their riders, what else can she do?' "Are you lost, child?" a voice said from behind her. Raye's eyes widen with fright as she jerked around and came face to face with an elderly woman with a kindly face. "I'm terribly sorry! I didn't mean to startle you!" "That's all right," Raye replied, quickly recovering her composure. Where did the woman come from? "I was just thinking and yes, I am lost. At least I think so." "You don't know whether you're lost or not?" the woman seemed amused. "Well, you see, I've sort of run away..." she explained. Something was telling her that she could trust this woman... "Why would you want to do something like that?!" "It's a long story, but to some it up, my stepmother has grown jealous of me and wants me dead." The old woman seemed shocked, to say the least. "That's terrible..." she whispered. "You poor child! You simply must come home with me and tell my sisters and I all about it... By the way, my name is Cassi." "I'm Raye." "The princess!" the old woman exclaimed. Raye nodded slowly, unsure of the woman's reaction. "How did you guess?" "Well, not many young ladies go by the name of Raye, and I thought you seemed familiar..." the woman explained, babbling slightly. "Oh, my! Where are my manners? I'm honored by your presence, Your Highness." Cassi bobbed a curtsy. "Please, that's not necessary..." Raye said, uncomfortable. "Oh, but it is! Now, lets get a roof over your head -- it's getting late..." Cassi grabbed Raye's arm and started leading her away and Raye, having no better ideas, followed the woman whom she believed was a little eccentric. "Why don't you seem surprised that the queen wants to kill me?" Raye asked suddenly. "Oh, she's from around these parts and everyone around here knows that she's as vain as peacock and has been dabbling in the forbidden arts for years in order to remain the most beautiful woman in the kingdom..." "WHAT?!" * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Melinda stared malevolently up at her magic mirror, eyes glowing happily. The brat was gone, and so too was her competition. "Looking glass upon the wall, who is the fairest in the land?" "Queen, thou art of beauty rare, but Snow White is a thousand times more fair." "No..." she gasped, stricken. "That's not possible... I have her heart in the box on my vanity." "You have been tricked, Queen. That is the heart of a pig." "Demos..." Melinda growled, realization dawning on her. "How dare he deceive me!? I'LL HAVE HIS HEAD ON A STAKE FOR THIS!" _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ Please send any comments to miramoon@sailormoon.com and be sure to check out my website at http://www.angelfire.com/comics/moon! Special thanks to my editor Crescent Moon! (Fin. 08/26/01)