Chapters 111 through 120

The couple arrived at Ophelia’s heaven-like cavern at dusk. As Snow stepped inside the cool and sparkling-walled cave, her cares from that day seemed to drift away like the fall breezes now entering the Willows village. Mike pulled her close and kissed her atop her head, “You can relax now sweetheart…everything’s going to be alright.”
While Mike set out a blanket and their sack dinners, Snow went to the healing pool and began to undress to bathe. Mike’s thoughts were troubled thinking back to the day’s earlier attack as he set out their food, “We have to be rid of this witch once and for all! This is just ridiculous being helpless to her schemes! There must be something we can do? I would say I wished we could send her back to where she came, but then I would never wish that kind of torment on your mother…or sister,” quickly brushing away memories of he and Lily’s ‘ accidental escapade’. "So I have been thinking about this and I think I’ve come up with a solution. I’m going to go to Mai for help.”
From the distance of the pool, his wife’s voice bore a hint of skeptical confusion, “Mai? Why Mai?”
Mike then stood and approached the pool where his Princess was shoulder deep in the water. To Mike’s slight dismay, it was just enough water depth to hide her body from his sight, “I want Mai’s assistance in approaching that peculiar and mysterious ‘mistress’ type person she talks about. She says this ‘being’ has some kind of power in the Willows…some kind of protector if you will. So if she’s such a protector, she needs to protect this village from that horrible witch. By the way, how are the waters? Are they helping your wounds?”
“So far…I feel a little better. I’ll have to dunk my face in a minute to really tell. But Mike, Mai has said how she and Mistress aren’t quite on the best of terms…and besides what makes you think the Mistress will want to help us? If it were really a concern of hers, wouldn’t she have already intervened?”
Mike sat by the pool’s edge and shook his head, “I don’t know…but I have to try.”
Snow then remembered Mai’s actions with Dinger at the hut that evening and tutted, “Well good luck dealing with her right now. She’s been acting a little…odd…lately.”
Distracted by the glistening of the sparkles in the cave’s walls, Mike nodded at Snow’s words.
Snow grinned and cocked her head to one side as she watched her husband, whose attentions seemed ages away, “You know, I think this water’s healing power needs a little help…maybe a massage here in the water would do the trick?”
Snow’s playful tone snapped Mike’s thoughts to the here and now. At her words…and her meaning…he grinned, “Well, then I guess this doctor here needs to make a house call, eh?”

Snow and Mike had barely returned to the village from the cavern the next morning when Ophelia practically ran, or skipped rather, up to Snow and whispered loudly, “You won’t believe what has happened!”
Mike grinned and then kissed his wife on the cheek, “I’m going to go and get breakfast started at the hut…I’ll leave you two to talk.”
Snow smiled then looked back to her friend, “What’s going on?”
Ophelia about ripped Snow’s arm out of the socket as she dragged her to the gazebo where no one could hear them, “Mai spent the night at Dinger’s last night!”
Snow was speechless, a shocked looked appeared on her face.
“That’s not all!” Ophelia continued, smiling cheekily with sheer delight in her voice, “She had the GALL to then go out on the porch to light a cigarette in one of Dinger’s T-shirts …and not much else if ya get my drift!”
Snow shook her head, but finally found words, “Are you sure?”
“I saw it with my own eyes! OH! And get this…” she leaned closer to Snow with such excitement in her voice, Snow thought she might explode right in front of her, “I was on my way to the hut and I overheard them talking…and oh my God! You wouldn’t believe the things they said!”
“You eavesdropped?” Snow asked incredibly.
“Well, yeah! It’s no big deal…Yvonne does it all the time you know. Anyway…Dinger had just come out of the bathroom, right…so then, Mai said something about making him ‘feel better’ if ya know what I mean…even making mention to lending a hand or something…to which she then strips the T-shirt off while still standing OUTSIDE! Then she slams the door. Luckily, the window was open, because suddenly the cow drops out of sight…ya know on her ‘hands and knees’…” Ophelia then nudges Snow. “Then Dinger tells her she has a ‘healing touch’ and proceeds to let her off the hook for thanking him for the compliment because it was rude to speak with her MOUTH FULL! Can you believe it!”
Snow shook her head still confused, “Well, if her mouth was full, then they were probably still having breakfast or something.”
Ophelia looked at the girl incredulously. She knew Snow was naïve, but she didn’t know she was THAT naïve. She was married after all, right? Shaking it off, Ophelia tried to explain, “No…you don’t get it! See, then Mai laughed and said she’d ‘change his religion’ if he kept making her laugh…see? Do you get it now?”
Clueless, Snow still shook her head, “Well, no…what does religion have to do with eating breakfast?”
Ophelia hit her forehead wither hand, “No! Religion! You know…circumsize…as in JEWISH!”
Snow scratched her head, “OK…so what…for breakfast they were having…bagels?”

Snow in WW: Chapter 211 – “A Lonely Quest (part 1)”

Snow’s tears flowed as she ran home to her dear hubby after her words with Mai.
“Darling, what’s wrong?” Snow hadn’t even shut the door before Mike saw the noticeable tear streams and red luster on her face.
“We’re going to have to do this on our own, Mike. We can’t ask for Mai’s help now.”
“Honey, what is it?” The quest before them was the least of his concerns now as he took his beloved wife into his arms.
“Mai and I just had a huge row. She told me to stay away from her.”
Mike touched her cheek, absorbing the one remaining tear lingering there, “What happened?”
Snow shook her head, “I’d rather not talk about it…but I know that we have to do this without her…we have to! She won’t have anything to do with me now. I’ve really messed things up.”
“Shhh…” Mike soothed as he pulled Snow into his chest. “I’m sure things aren’t that bad.”
“Worse…” she sniffed.
“I’ll talk to her.”
“No!” Snow pulled back to make sure her point was made, “No, you can’t! We have to do this without her…don’t you see? She would never allow us to go and see the Mistress! Never! And especially now…why should she help us? She hates Ophelia…and I don’t think she thinks too highly of me right now either.”
Mike took her hands in his, “But we need her to tell us where the Mistress is.”
Snow paused in thought, then looked up at Mike, “I know…I’ll bet Ophelia can tell us. She knows the woods better than anyone…and I think she’s talked about some kind of ‘spirit of the woods’ before. She might even know the Mistress.”
“Hmmm…” Mike was suddenly skeptical, “And considering Mai’s troubled relations with the Mistress, that might explain in a way why Mai doesn’t care too much for Ophelia.”
Snow looked at him perplexed. He smiled at her then led her to sit down on the bed with him as he pulled her to rest her head on his shoulder, “Don’t you worry a bit. We’ll get this taken care of...even if we're on our own.”
Softly Snow whispered, “I just want that witch gone and out of our lives, Mike.”
Mike pulled her in tighter, “So do I, my love…so do I. I just hope this Mistress person…or spirit, or whatever she is…can help us.”
“I can go and ask Ophelia about her right now.” Mike kept hold of her hand as she jumped up, gently pulling her back down, “No need to rush…let’s wait till after dinner.” He lovingly brushed a strand of her hair back away from her face, “I asked someone to fill in for cooking dinner this evening so we could leave later tonight and no one sees us.”
“But won’t they be suspicious now?”
Mike grinned, “No, they just think we’re here…spending a quiet evening at home. I told them we would eat in our cabin tonight…I doubt anyone will bother us now.”
Snow smiled, “You’re so clever, my love. Now we can have a good night’s sleep before our journey tonight.”
Mike reached over and presented two prepared sack dinners, “And we still have time for dinner of course.”
Snow then snaked her hand up Mike’s chest and toyed with his hair as she cooed, “I hope that’s not all we have time for…”

Snow in WW: Chapter 212 – “A Lonely Quest (part 2)”

Surprisingly, Snow found Ophelia by the punching bag, trying her hand at Ritchie’s favorite pastime. Curiously, Snow watched her for a moment before offering, “Working out some stress?”
Ophelia stopped, and held the bag still as she would often see Ritch do as she turned to Snow and smiled, “Nah…just seeing how tough this ol’ bag is. After watching Ritch and Mai go at this thing, you’d think it were made of stone!”
Unsure if Ophelia’s words were meant to be an insult to the two would-be fighters, Snow shook it off and continued, “I was wondering if I could ask you something…unusual?”
“Of course…it’s my middle name, you know. What’s up?”
The two women went to sit on the bench nearby, as Snow searched for the words, “You once mentioned a spirit in the Willows…you even gave it a gender…a female. Were you being serious? Do you know of a spirit in the Willows?”
Ophelia cocked her head to one side questionably, “Why do you ask?”
Snow sighed as if in surrender of her plight, “Mike and I want to be rid of that horrible witch…forever. Mai once mentioned a figure she called the Mistress.” Ophelia perked at the mention. “Mike and I thought she may be able to help us to get rid of this witch that’s trying to kill me…among other things. If this is indeed HER Willows, we thought maybe she would also want to be rid of such a hostile outside force disturbing her forest. But since Mai and I just had a falling out of sorts, I know she won’t help us locate the Mistress now.”
Ophelia tutted at the thought of her nemesis, “How is it that you had a falling out with Mai…again?”
Again Snow sighed, guiltily, “I asked her for the truth about what happened at Dinger’s cabin…which I really had no right to do. She basically told me to leave her alone…for good I think…at least it sounded that way. Serves me right…I shouldn’t have been sticking my nose where it shouldn’t belong.”
Ophelia’s eyes blazed and she fumed loudly, “She kicked you out of a friendship for THAT? What a mongrel BITCH! I should have expected as much from such a sad and sinister creature as Mai!”
Snow didn’t quite understand what Ophelia meant by this, but in defense of Mai, she offered, “No really…I had no right to judge her. And that’s basically what I was doing, right? Being judgmental?”
“NO!” Ophelia emphatically disagreed. “You were just asking for the truth as one friend to another, and she brushed you off like an annoying flying insect! That’s no way to treat a friend! But then again, how would that cow know how to be a friend anyway!”
Ophelia suddenly stood, grabbed Snow’s hands and pulled her up with her, “I WILL help you Snow. Mai’s behavior is ATROCIOUS to me! Mai is right…there is a Mistress. Her home is the Willows. And I can tell you where she is. But I ask you to please not mention me to the spirit…it would be better that way.” Ophelia thought in her mind how the Mistress may not be too happy about the fact that she told a human of the Mistress’ whereabouts. This way, it would be easy to pin that blame on Mai. Snow agreed to her terms and made careful note about the location of the mystery spirit.

Snow in WW: Chapter 213 – “A Lonely Quest (part 3)”

“Do you see anything?” Snow asked softly as she looked around them in the dark woods.
“No…” Mike’s brow creased in concern, “But this is where she said the Mistress was.”
They were at the edge of the lake…and not a part of the lake the villagers traveled to very often. It was dense with thick trees and brush. It took awhile just to hack through some thorns and bramble that grabbled hold of their legs on the path…as if they didn’t want the couple to continue on.
Mike cleared his throat and began sheepishly, “Um…Miss? Mistress? We’ve come humbly to speak with you. We come in peace!”
Snow gave him a questioning look and Mike shrugged, “Well, I don’t know…I saw it in a movie once.”
Snow couldn’t help but grin as she suggested, “Try going to the edge of the water…she said she was very often actually IN the water.”
“Oh, right.”
Mike had hardly reached the embankment when he was almost bowled over by a force that shot through the water and into the air. He heard the voice before he make out any image, “Who calls on me? I know not your name!”
Mike swallowed, trying to still his now racing heart, “M-Mike Lovall. And this is my wife Snow. We live in the Willows village.”
“Ah yes...I know who you are…the Princess and the cook.”
Mike and Snow exchanged surprised looks.
“Yes.” Mike answered with a slight quiver in his voice. He now could make out the image of the Mistress, as she rose high above the lake’s surface. She was a large feminine figure, surrounded in just enough haze to keep her entire appearance a mystery. She appeared now more as a foggy shadow almost, a woman bathed in mist…and a powerful presence of a woman at that…this ‘lady of the lake’. Mike suddenly felt like the Cowardly Lion in the throne room of the Wizard of Oz. Any moment he expected to hear the Mistress say ‘Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain!’ That, however, was not what he heard the Mistress say.
“So why are you here at such a late hour…and how did you know where to find me?” Her powerful voice resounded through the trees like thunder.
Mike hesitated in her power. It was Snow who found the bold words to speak at this, “Must that be a prerequisite to make our request known in your presence?”
Mike was surprised at her boldness as he squeezed her hand. At this point Snow was desperate. She would do anything to have that witch out of their lives.
The Mistress gave a hearty laugh…Mike and Snow exchanged concerned looks once again.
“Your elusiveness gives you away! I know who is at fault for that! But never mind…it will be something I shall deal with at a later date. Let’s get on with why you two are here, shall we?”
Snow secretly hoped she didn’t just get Ophelia in trouble. She brushed the thought away as Mike stepped forward, as spokesperson almost for the couple’s request, “There is a witch in the Willows…a dangerous one.”
“Dangerous to you maybe.”
Mike paused at her quip, then continued, “She has been wreaking havoc throughout our village…even attempting to kill Snow and myself and others as well. We’ve come to you for help. We wanted to ask if there was a way to be rid of her.”
“In requesting help, I’m assuming you mean you wish ME to do your dirty work for you?”
“No, not at all. We just…”
The Mistress cut him off, “As I recall, you brought this witch into my Willows yourself…or rather your wife did.”
Snow was more than annoyed at this and pushed past Mike to give this other would-be-witch a piece of her mind, “Now wait a minute! I was in my own time and my own kingdom minding my own business and I fell through a hole into this place. I didn’t ask to come here! I didn’t want to come here!”
“Then perhaps I should just send you home?”
Snow stopped, pondering whether this being could actually send her home to where she may never be able to return to her beloved husband, and her voice quieted, “I’m sorry…no. What I meant was, she followed me here…I had nothing to do with any of it…how I got here or how she got here.”
“Lovely, so now you’re saying my village has ‘holes’ in it?”
Mike sighed under his breath…this wasn’t going very well.
Snow shook her head, but before she could answer the Mistress began in a gentler tone, “Well it does. The Willows is full of portals to other lands and times and even dimensions. But if you think that is by accident…think again. Nothing happens in my woods that I didn’t allow to happen.”
Snow couldn’t help but think about the AllDev’s and what Mai had said about them…but of course this was not a person or being to argue with. She did wonder, however, why the Mistress was allowing so many of her Willows residents to fall sick so mysteriously…especially her so-called “prize”, Dinger.
“So you’re wanting to get rid of Margurite?”
Mike blinked in surprise that the Mistress knew the witch’s name. He was suddenly suspicious that this Mistress may know more about them than she lets on. He hoped she wasn’t involved with Margurite somehow…considering it was quite curious indeed that the witch managed to stay in the Willows for this long. He brushed away the thought, daring to trust in this creature thought so highly of by Ophelia and Mai…well maybe not Mai.
“Take this…” Suddenly out of the water sprung a large and beautiful sword. It magically floated down from the air…the handle landing right into Mike’s hand.
“One swift thrust of this sword at the witch, and it will find its way to her heart on its own. Even you can simply thrust a sword at someone…or can you?”
Mike thought back at all the spear throwing lessons by Prasut and was suddenly more thankful than ever. “Yes.”
“Good. Then this should be easy for you.” In one large gust of air followed by a splash into the lake, she was gone as quickly as she came.
“Thank…you?” Mike looked at the empty air above the lake then looked at Snow and shrugged, “I guess she isn’t into long goodbyes.”
Snow was more entranced by the look of the sword. She glided her hand around the glamorously detailed handle. It was gold and covered in jewels. She wondered if they were from the Willows jewel mine. She was enthralled by its evident power as she touched the handle in such a passionate manner, Mike quickly cleared his throat, “I’m getting jealous over here.”
Snapping out of the power the beauty of the weapon had on her, Snow realized and giggled, ”Sorry…it’s just so beautiful.”
Mike smiled, “Yes, but not as beautiful as you, my Princess. But we should probably go.”
Snow smiled and said playfully, “I think the sword is making you a little…antsy.”
To which Mike quipped, “I was just thinking the same about you. Because I don’t need any sword to fan my desire for you Snow…it’s already blazing 24/7.”
Again Snow giggled and they turned to head home. The sword even gave off a luminescence to light their path back to the village. There was something very powerful about the sword…something indeed.

Snow in WW: Chapter 214 – “Sword of Ecstasy” (part 1)

It was difficult to be in a jovial mood with so many of the Willows residents falling ill so mysteriously as of late. However, the remaining healthy villagers tried to make the best of things and planned a Halloween celebration, as was the custom in the Willows. Costumes were required as always. No one gets into the party without one…that’s the rule. It seemed from year to year, the holiday of Halloween always brought with it some kind of “bad” event. Perhaps it was true that this holiday was ruled by the evil spirits, Snow thought as she put the finishing touches on her costume. This year, many of the villagers had fallen ill due to some “mysterious” sickness. The year before, the Other was lurking about the village and Natalie was brutally murdered. And the year before that was when Snow first came to the Willows. She inadvertently brought with her the witch that then wreaked havoc on the village back then as she was now. Snow was convinced that it was the witch that was causing so many of the villagers to be sick. But why not her? She figured the witch had tried so many times to hurt Snow and failed, she would instead hurt Snow by causing illness in the people she cared about. But then why not Mike? She was as glad as she was perplexed that her beloved was healthy and happy as he smiled a flirtatious smile to her, shifting the sword on his belt to one side. He was her strong and handsome Lord as she was his loving and faithful Lady. Since they had received the mystical sword from the Mistress, things had changed in their lives. The Mistress hadn’t mentioned the return of the sword or when she wanted it back. Mike and Snow assumed it would be once they used it to kill the witch. They knew they must use it soon to try and save the ailing villagers…but on the other hand, they were not in a big rush to return it, once they discovered the powers it held. Mike winked as he took his lady’s arm, “Shall we?”

The hut was eerily decorated with black and orange decorations and spider webbing material that Jennifer had brought back with her from New Orleans.   The webbing always made Snow shudder…but in a good, exciting kind of way. Even with all of the bad things surrounding Halloween for the village, Snow really enjoyed ‘All Hallow’s Eve’ as it was called in her kingdom. She squeezed Mike’s hand as she looked at him…it was this holiday where she first began to fall in love with him three years ago. Ophelia approached them smiling dressed in a halo and angel wings made from her own white horse wing feathers leftover in her cave,
“Don’t you two just look the happy couple.” Then she said in a much quieter voice, “So, how did things go? I haven’t seen you two since the other night. Did everything go OK?”
Mike then grinned and motioned to the sword by placing his hand on it. Ophelia’s eyes widened…Mike’s motion had said it all.
“Oh geez! You got the Sword of the Golden Lion! Wow! I’ve only seen it once…you must really have great favor with her!” Ophelia touched the gold part of the handle with the lion’s head built into it. Then she closed her eyes as if feeling some kind of power emanating from it. “Yep…that’s the Sword of the Golden Lion.”
Snow looked at her curiously then turned to her hubby, “Mike, would you excuse us for a moment.   I just want a few words with Ophelia.” Mike smiled and bowed as he headed for the bar to help with the service as usual.
She watched him head that way, “He has such a servant’s heart. No wonder I love him so much.”
Ophelia noticed the dreamy gleam in her eye and wondered. Casually she prodded, “So…what’s up?”
Tearing her eyes from Mike, Snow looked at her slowly, then remembered, “Oh. I have a question for you. What do you know about that sword? You acted like you knew all about it.”
“What do you want to know?” Ophelia could feel what was coming.
Snow’s cheeks began to flush slightly pink, and her tone quieted, “Well, when Mike and I brought the sword home, things began to…well change really.”
“Change? Really…how?” Ophelia asked innocently.
“Well that first night we got back from the lake with the sword, we went to bed and we were…well you know…and Mike had leaned the sword against the wall by the bed. Well, I didn’t even realize I did it, but at one point I reached out and touched the sword, and Ophelia I swear! This rush of energy surged through both of us like nothing we’d ever felt before and…and…”
”And you came like a heard of buffalo charging across the prairie land!” Ophelia interrupted smirking.
“YES! Oh Ophelia it was incredible…for both of us!! Neither of us had ever experienced anything like that in the two and a half years we’ve been married!   And obviously, we didn’t know what to think of it. So of course as you can guess…Mike says to me, ‘What was that?’ I told him I thought I touched the sword. And then he says, ‘Well, then we’d better try it again and make sure that’s what it was!’”
“So did you?”
“Oh heavens yes!”
Ophelia nodded, “Good shit, ain’t it?”
“Girlfriend, lemme tell ya!” Ophelia giggled at Snow’s uncharacteristic response as she continued, “Oh, and it’s just gotten better and better every time. Which brings us to the problem that we can’t bear the thought of parting with it at the moment…so we haven’t set up a plan yet as to when we will set out to search for the witch. Isn’t that horrible of us? I feel so guilty! I feel like we’re two kids that just found this wonderful toy that we know we have to return…but we want to play with it first, you know?”
Ophelia smirked, “First hand…no I don’t know. But I DO know that it does have an ‘aphrodisiac’ effect on human beings…and what’s more, it also intensifies their sexual pleasures.”
Snow nodded and said to herself under her breath, “Yes it does.” She then jumped slightly as she heard Mike’s voice a ways over,
“Oh m’Lady Snow…so what kind of ‘girl talk’ are you two engaged in over there?”
Snow smiled brightly, “Oh…nothing.”
“Well, then come over here and dance with me! Your Lord is lonely over here!”
Cheerfully Snow jumped up, “Coming!”
Ophelia then said quietly, “Well, that’s inevitable.”

It was the particular dancing style of Mike and Snow that had the villagers wondering. If it had been Jennifer and Ribold or even the newest couple Mai and Dinger, no one would have thought twice about it. But it was the super-conservative Mike and Snow who’s “groping “ had the others whispering tonight. Were they drunk? Out of the corner of her eye, Snow couldn’t help but notice the eyes upon them and she whispered, “I think we’re being watched.”
Mike then pulled Snow even closer, “Good.” The thought of an audience suddenly seemed exciting in itself.
Snow was a little embarrassed that all eyes were on them and she tried to sway the subject, ignoring her own passions igniting inside her, “What about the sword?”
“What about it?” He placed his hand on the lion part of the handle…his blood now feeling as though it would boil in his veins.
“Mike, we have to plan a time to use it.”
He replied in husky, desperate voice, “God, I thought you’d never ask.”
As she felt him steer their dancing toward the door, she stopped him, “No…you know what I mean. We have to use it to kill the witch. The lives of the villagers depend on it! Who knows who will be falling ill next.”
Mike sighed…willing his blood to cool, “I know. And you’re right. As much as I would rather wait…and believe me I would much rather wait, “ he then winked at her. “We must see to it that this witch is destroyed.”
“We’ll do it together.” Snow then put her hand on his hand upon the sword and that familiar power began to surge through them once again ever so slightly and all Mike could think of at that moment was a visual of Snow’s words ‘we’ll do it together’. There was nothing he wanted more. He whispered low and breathless as he stared at her lips, longing to feel them on his own, “I think…I need to get some more ale from the storeroom.”
Knowing they had plenty stocked at the bar, Snow replied, “I’ll help you.”
Mid-dance, the couple suddenly hurried from the main hall, into the kitchen and then into the storeroom, locking the door.
Ophelia couldn’t help but giggle as they hurried out.

He kissed her all the way back into the kitchen…they were both out of breath.
“Each time is better than the last…is it that way for you too?” Snow inquired as Mike kissed her neck.
“Mmhmm,” Mike replied then he looked at her with a gleam in his eye, “Which means it would be even better next time in the cabin…in our wonderful…” he kissed her cheek, “…luxurious…” he kissed her neck, “…soft bed that I know I hear calling our names at this very second.”
“Oh you do?” Snow smirked.
“Yes I do…and it breaks my heart to leave the poor thing alone for one second longer. It’s afraid of the dark, you know.”
Snow laughed. “Oh it is?”
“Mmhmm, “ again he kissed her neck.
Snow reached out to touch the sword and the energy began to pulse through her again. Breathless, she forced the words out, “I thought you’d be exhausted by now.” Though she secretly hoped he wasn’t.
Mike was suddenly concerned and stopped to look at her, “No…but are you?”
Snow cooed, “Strangely so…no…not at all.” She then grabbed the small of his back and pulled his hips into hers. Immediately he growled and picked her up, “Oh lonely bed…fear not! We’re coming!”
Snow grinned and looked at him playfully, “Well, maybe in a little bit.”
To which Mike growled again and plowed out of the kitchen through the back door and towards their cabin.
Suddenly, about ten paces from their cabin, Mike stopped and put Snow down. The surprised look on Mike’s face gave Snow concern, “Mike, what is it?”
Mike pulled the sword from his belt with urgency, “It’s the sword…it’s vibrating!”
“Hmmm…” Snow purred, “That could be interesting!”
Suddenly, Mike started heading away from their cabin, “Wait! Now it’s pulling me!”
Snow watched Mike struggling to control the sword and so she grabbled hold of it too. Indeed, the sword was pulling them both in the direction of the woods and wouldn’t seem to take “no” for an answer.

Snow in WW: Chapter 215 – “Sword of Ecstasy (part2)”

The brambles in the woods ripped at their Halloween costumes as they were dragged through the brush by the magic sword. Somehow the fear of what was to come outweighed the aphrodisiac effects of the glowing blade. Mike had told Snow to let go and he would handle the sword on his own, but she wouldn’t let him alone with this magic. At one point he tried to make her let go to keep her safe, but to avail…the sword had them both in some kind of magic “hold”, pulling them through the woods to an unknown destination.
”Where is it taking us?” Snow cried.
Mike could see the obvious fear in her eyes. He wanted to calm her, “Just stay close to me, no matter what happens…I’ll protect you!”
Snow kept her comments to herself. But she was not comforted by her husband’s “knight” act. He was just a cook after all. What kind of protection was he against a force such as this?
They passed groups of black birds setting in trees, and lurking on the ground. Their numbers were increasing as they were pulled deeper into the woods. Finally they arrived at a clearing. Snow gasped as she witnessed hundreds of black birds circling and diving, although they were not being attacked by them. The swarms of birds were circling something, but the couple couldn’t make out anything other than a shadow. Then surprisingly the shadow began to grow taller and larger as the birds continued to fly busily around it. It grew into what looked like a gigantic black tree. Suddenly the birds scattered away from the shadow as fast as they could, scurrying here and there to trees and bushes and air. Snow gave a blood curdling scream as she saw what their exit revealed. Mike grabbed Snow with his free hand--the hand the sword had not laid claim to. Both looked up in horror, frozen in fear of the sight before them. Standing upright over three stories tall was a huge dragon! It was a bright blue color with fire in its eyes and teeth blazing white at the now tiny couple.
”Sweet mother…Is this the mistress?” Mike halfway asked himself out loud.
Snow cried with tears in her voice as well as now in her eyes, “No! Oh God, that’s Margurite!…The birds!”
The creature then puffed up its chest and roared. The fire they swore they’d seen in the dragon’s eyes now shot out through its mouth at lightning speed. The couple ran for cover, ducking under a fallen tree and into some brush. Snow squealed…her dress was now on fire. Luckily, with the rain the last few nights, they were able to get the flames out quickly with the moist soil, as well as be shielded from the creature’s fire through the trees.
As Mike finished putting out Snow’s dress, she sobbed, “That won’t stop her for long!”
Mike suddenly realized they were no longer attached to the Mistress’ sword. He looked around, “Where is the bloody sword?”
As if answering his call, the sword floated to where they were in the trees, glowing as it had the other night. Without hesitation, Mike grabbed it and started out toward the creature.
Snow grabbed his shirt and pulled him back, “What are you doing?”
”This is what the Mistress gave us the sword for…to kill Margurite. This is our chance…we may never get another one!”
Snow’s voice shook with panic as tears still streamed down her face, “But Mike, it’s too dangerous! She could kill you!”
”It’s better than killing us both!” Before his wife could protest, Mike sprinted out of the brush and toward the dragon as he heard Snow screaming “no” behind him. He knew what he had to do.

Snow in WW: Chapter 216 – “Dragonheart”

Snow trudged after Mike, but the wind from the magic in the air was so strong, it held her back. She found herself grabbing hold of a tree to stable herself. From this position, she saw Mike face to face with the dragon…the witch herself. The creature then gave a mighty gust from her mouth…her firey breath barely missing Mike as he ducked to one side. As Snow held her breath, she could not help but think to herself how Margurite always was full of hot air.

‘Close call,’ thought Mike as he hesitated throwing the sword. He really only had one shot…he knew that. After that, if he missed, he would probably become a human ‘barbeque’. But he was still not all that comfortable with his spear throwing skills. If only Prasut were here. He’d only been taking the lessons from Prasut for a few weeks…if he missed, it would surely be his and his beloved wife’s doom. He could feel Snow watching from behind…he could feel her fear for what was to happen. He didn’t want to let her down…which is why he knew he must act quickly. Suddenly, the sword began to vibrate in his hand…began pulling slightly in the direction of the dragon. He looked at the mighty creature…she was about to blow another firey blaze at him, as her chest appeared to be even more puffed than the last blow. He looked at the sword…he knew it was telling him that he should throw it at the dragon. Then he remembered the words of the Mistress. She told them that the sword would take care of itself…it would always make it’s target, no matter how bad the aim was. Quickly, he pushed his hesitation aside and reared the sword back as he would with one of Prasut’s spears…then he hurled the large weapon with all of his might at the large beast in front of him.

Bull’s-eye!

Mike and Snow both gasped as the sword impaled itself directly into the dragon’s chest. The creature screamed out in pain…its voice now strangely resembling that of its human form, Margurite. Snow rushed into Mike’s arms and began to pull him back toward the brush. They both witnessed the mighty creature roar in pain and anger as it slowly began to stumble to ground. It was dying.

THUD!

The dragon fell to the ground with a mighty blow that shook the earth Mike and Snow stood upon. As the dragon now stopped stirring, its appearance began to change. The creature began to shrink, it’s form changing into that of a human…a woman…Margurite. Snow and Mike crept closer to see that it was indeed her. The sword had fallen from its target…but the blood oozing from the witch’s chest was more than enough to tell Mike and Snow that she was indeed dead. Mike picked up the sword and gently pulled on Snow’s arm, “Come on…let’s go. She’s gone.”

“No wait!” Snow pulled from his grasp and slowly moved closer to the witch.

“Snow, she’s dead. You’re free…we both are. Let’s go home.”

“I have to make sure…I have to KNOW she is dead!”

As Snow crept up on the witch’s corpse, she then witnessed the body change even further. The witch’s beauty now began to wrinkle and shrivel up before Snow’s very eyes. The queen’s once beautiful skin now turned gray and cracked off the skull, leaving nothing but a rotting skeleton. Snow squirmed at the sight and turned quickly away, “Ewww! OK…she’s dead. Let’s go!”

Mike took her hand and rushed her away from the gruesome scene.

They’d made it about halfway back to the village when suddenly Snow dropped to the ground sobbing in realization. Alarmed, Mike crouched down next to her, his brow now creased with worry, “Snow, what is it? What’s wrong?”

Snow looked up into his eyes. She then touched his cheek and smiled, “Nothing. That’s just it. There is nothing wrong now. We don’t have anything else to fear…anything else to keep us apart.”

Mike smiled back and clutched her hand in his, “Yes. It’s just us now…you and I…together forever.” He then kissed her hand, “My sweet Princess.”

Just then the sword began to glow and Snow laughed as she touched the magic object that had just saved their lives, “And we owe it all to the Mistress and her ‘Sword of the Golden Lion’.”

Mike helped her up, using the sword for leverage. They both smiled as they grasped the sword, admiring its heavenly glow. Now that the dragon was slain, the sword began to have its usual effects on the couple once again. Mike reached over and cupped Snow’s face in his hand.

Snow smiled, “How far are we from one of the emergency cabins anyway?”

Mike grinned at her meaning.

Snow in WW: Chapter 217 – “Afterglow”

Snow awoke with a new glow that next morning. As she looked around the emergency cabin, all of the events of the previous evening came back to her memory. Their troubles were over…Margurite was dead. Snow gave an audible sigh of relief as she reached over to the space next to her in the bed only to find it…empty?

“Mike?” He was nowhere to be found in the small cabin. The fire had dwindled to nothing but embers and the air inside the cabin was cold, compared to the toasty warm bundle the couple found themselves in the night before. Snow smiled in her thoughts of last night as her eyes caught sight of the magic sword standing in the corner near the bed. She dressed quickly as the cold chill hit her when she threw back the covers. She stepped outside, as she figured her beloved was gathering wood to refresh their fire, “Mike?” She yelled two or three times…nothing. On the ground she spotted several ample pieces of wood for the fire. Only one option remained…he must have returned to the village to cook the breakfast for the villagers. Snow frowned as she gathered her things and the sword to leave…this just wasn’t like him to leave her alone in the woods, and at the very least, he would never leave her with little to no fire. But of course, it was daylight She was always prancing the woods in the daylight. And maybe the fire was blazing fine when he left. Perhaps she was taking it too personally. Brushing it off, Snow made her way back to the village. As she entered the now awaking village, she could see the residents making their way to the hut for chow. Even though she saw Mike more than enough the night before, she was looking forward to seeing him for breakfast. She sighed, and decided to first drop off the sword before heading to the hut. As she turned toward their cabin, she stopped when she spotted a ‘visitor’ approaching. ‘Eghad’, she thought. ‘Not now.’ And it had started as such a lovely morning. The last thing she wanted right now was a confrontation with Mai.

Snow in WW: Chapter 218 – “The Lurker”

Where Snow used to be good friends with Mai, it seems as of late all that had disappeared somehow. Things had changed…whether it was Mai or just the recent circumstances in general, or both…she didn’t know. Nonetheless, Snow tried to put it all out of her mind. It was a good day. She and Mike had just defeated their last foe…their last cause of separation and grief, and Snow couldn’t be happier. She gently propped the sword in the corner of the cabin, dressed in a fresh change of clothes and headed out…but not before glancing at the object one more time. Its beauty along with the help it gave she and Mike just the night before convinced her that Mai had to be wrong. The Mistress truly wanted to be rid of that witch from HER Willows and gave the sword to Snow and Mike to aid them in this task. So in essence, they helped each other. Snow was annoyed at Mai’s accusations that she and Mike actually “needed” the sword to aid their sex life. Nothing could have been farther from the truth…the sword had just been an added “bonus” as it were. Snow gave one last hiss of frustration at Mai’s annoying and sarcastic attempt to ruin her day before brushing it off and never giving it another thought. She then grinned at the sword as she shut the door to the cabin.

At the hut, Snow did not find what she’d expected. As she opened the door to the kitchen, instead of seeing her beloved finishing the breakfast dishes…instead she found Kahlua. Not masking her surprise very well, Kahlua chuckled, “I take it from the long face that you were expecting someone else? To be honest, I haven’t seen Mike today at all. I just stepped in when he didn’t show this morning…but then, “ she grinned, “…from the looks of you two on the dance floor last night, it really didn’t surprise anyone when Mike was AWAL this morning.” Snow didn’t even hear Kahlua chuckle…she was too submersed in her own thoughts wondering just where Mike could be if he wasn’t here. Without a word, she left the hut. It wasn’t like him to leave like he did…and now he wasn’t here …the only other likely place he would be. There was nowhere else he would have left Snow alone at the emergency hut to be. Now she was worried. What happened to him? She had to go look for him…and the most likely place would be where she last saw him. She spotted Ritch and Mai heading for the hut. She knew that she only had a few hours to search before the next mealtime, else she would be missed…the last thing she wanted was a search party sent out for her, namely Mai. But she needed more time than that. Bingo! She could pack a lunch and ask Ophelia to cover for her. She could just say Snow had a headache and would be eating in her cabin at lunch…and even dinner for that matter. Some things were just more important than the almighty “get-together’s” at the hut, she sneered to herself in her usual annoyance of everyone always wanting to keep tabs on her. “Humph!” Snow shrugged audibly as she stormed back to her cabin for some stashed away food she could take with her on her search. She stuffed some cheese and crackers, fruit and beef jerky into a sack along with a canteen of water. She then also grabbed her pistol…once belonging to Lily. She put on a pair on long johns under her long skirt and grabbed her warmest coat before heading off to find Ophelia.

As she predicted, Ophelia had no problems covering for Snow…stating herself how overly protective and paranoid Mai actually was. Snow smiled at her friend’s offer to help as she headed in the direction of the emergency hut that she and Mike had stayed in the night before. It was a brisk day, but the sun helped to warm things. When Snow reached the cabin, everything looked the same as she’d left it earlier. A light wind had blown the dirt around, so there wasn’t much of a path to follow, had Mike left footprints on the ground. Snow’s eyes were locked onto the earth’s floor, searching for something…anything that might tell her where Mike had gone. There was no sign of struggle…Prasut had taught her how to look for this type of sign. But there was nothing. It was now past lunch time and she hoped Ophelia’s cover story was keeping the others at bay. She’d not stop till she found her husband. With the cold air, her throat was very dry and she got out her canteen to take a swig, when something caught her eye. Her canteen then went tumbling to the ground…its contents gurgling into the dirt. Snow was frozen. She didn’t want to investigate the sight further, but she knew she had to. Her heart was racing and her stomach already churning as she approached a familiar piece of clothing…the tunic Mike had worn at the Halloween party the night before. Slowly, she knelt down to pick it up…then she stopped. The tunic was torn, but it was what lay next to it that caused Snow to become sick. A pair of shredded pants lie next to the tunic…also Mike’s. She reached out to touch them, but her hand trembled and she stopped.

“NO! This can’t be! Mike is fine!” She then lost her balance in a crouching position and fell sideways to sit onto the ground. She was sobbing,

“He’s fine! MIKE!” She screamed after him, “MIKE! Where are you? I know you’re out here!”

Her voice cracked and her lips trembled as she then whispered, “You just have to be.”

She grabbed the clothing into her arms and up to her face and sobbed into the tattered garments. Her attention was suddenly taken by a low growling. She snapped her head up to see the one sight she would dread to see ever. It was an AllDev. She knew this was the one thing Mai was most afraid would happen. But they shouldn’t be out so much during the day, should they? She didn’t move…the creature still a ways in front of her. She hoped it did not see her. She was wrong. It was eyeing its next tasty dinner as though pondering what part of her to eat first. Slowly it headed for the princess…prolonging the inevitable, as if teasing its prey. What could she do? She tried to crawl backwards, but there was nowhere to go…nowhere the creature wouldn’t be able to get to her. She grabbed a nearby fallen branch to use as a weapon. A fat lot of good that would do against this creature, she thought…but still she held tight to it. She was frozen with fear. The monster lunged at her, only to be thrust to the side as another creature knocked it out of Snow’s path. She gasped. This new beast was twice as large as any AllDev she’d ever seen. He was hideous…teeth snarling, but at least they were snarling at the AllDev and not at her. Perhaps it did not see her, intending to make this AllDev it’s dinner. It was massive…standing on its two back legs, but more naturally so than say a grizzly bear. It’s teeth were stark white…Snow would swear they probably glowed in the dark. What was this thing? Snow remembered Dinger warning the villagers about the Lycan he and Mai had seen. Could this be a Lycan? It looked very different than what Dinger had described. And was this ‘thing’ from the other Willows village then? Where else would it have come from? It defeated the AllDev quickly…shredding the creature before Snow’s very eyes. However, it did not devour the creature as Snow had expected. She shuddered…glad this act of violence wasn’t her fate. But then, she felt her skin turn cold as this new beast turned to look at her. She was able to get a good look at him…too close for her comfort. It gazed upon her for what seemed like an eternity…then vanished into the woods. Once Snow was able to catch her breath, “What the…?” was all her lips could produce as she stared at the brush the beast had just disappeared into.

Snow in WW: Chapter 219 – “The Lurker (part 2)”

It was turning dusk, and still Snow had no luck in finding Mike. Emotionally shaken and cold, Snow shivered as she hurried back to the village, hoping against hope Ophelia’s cover had held well and no one had noticed she was gone. As she clutched Mike’s tattered clothes to her face, she realized how grave this situation really was. She was thankful there was no blood…none at all on the clothes. But still, why were they all in tatters? He had to be out there…he had to be OK. And he must be awfully cold, Snow thought as she shivered again and quickened her pace. She knew now she would have to tell someone. Oh, but please God, not Mai, she thought…or Dinger for that matter. Duncan…she would tell Duncan. Snow gave a sigh of relief at this thought. Duncan had always been like an older brother to her and wouldn’t treat her like a criminal like Dinger would, or as the devil himself like that Mai woman whom Snow used to call a friend. Tears welled in her eyes, being dried by the brisk air of winter approaching. She had never meant for this to happen. She truly thought Mike had just gone off somewhere and lost track of time…or maybe lost his way. Perhaps he had gone to Ophelia’s cave and fallen asleep.

“Silly girl!” Snow scolded herself. “You’ve always lived in a fantasy world…a ‘fairy tale land’, as Mai would say.” Snow then winced to hear the admission from her own mouth to something Mai had said. She felt frustrated and ashamed to have not used her head about this whole thing. To her, daylight was always safe…of course this was not the case…at least not any longer. And she couldn’t get that vision out of her mind…this new “beast” in the woods. It was scary and ferocious, as she thought back to the way it easily tore through that AllDev like it was a ragdoll, yet left her unharmed. She knew it saw her, so why did it spare her? And why did it not devour the AllDev as prey? Was it the type of creature that would kill for the “hunt” alone and not eat its killing? So then why did it not kill her? Snow remembered vividly the ferocity in the creatures eyes, yet, when the beast had turned to leave, it wore a different look when it caught Snow’s eye. It looked almost…sad. But that was quite silly, thought Snow. Here was a huge ferocious monster that can shred another monster but choose to leave her unharmed…the whole idea was disturbing to Snow…but not nearly as disturbing as the disappearance of her beloved.

She’d finally reached the village. All Snow wanted was a hot bath, a soft bed and a good cry. And for certain she would get the latter with her beloved still lost. One thing was for sure…last thing she wanted was a confrontation with Willows security…especially the particular security whose attention she’d inadvertently gotten as she appeared out of the woods at dusk. As she spotted the woman out of the corner of her eye, she stuffed Mike’s tattered clothing into an inside pocket in her coat…at least until she could get to Duncan. She should talk to him first…but not like this. She had to at least change out of this ragged clothing. Mai spotted Snow from afar and stopped dead in her tracks, now changing directions. Snow swiftly turned a corner and decided to take a detour to her cabin by way of passing in between the neighboring dwellings. She gasped as Mai jumped at her out of nowhere from between two of the cabins, “So…decided to give us all the slip, eh?”

“Mai, you scared the life outta me!” Snow uttered in annoyance as she caught her breath.
”Serves you right for trying to avoid me…like you ever could.” She looked the princess up and down, “Well, I see you must be feeling better. From what Ophelia told us all, you were quite ill not…,” Mai then looked at her watch,”…not ten minutes ago. Quite a miraculous recovery if you ask me.”

Mai could see something was bothering Snow right way, but was not sure of what. She did however know that Mike had been mysteriously absent all day. Mai had originally passed it off as the couple off playing with their new sword ‘sex toy’ yet again, but quickly ruled that out when Snow appeared out of the woods all alone.

It occurred to Snow that Mai being security should probably be told of the new “creature” she saw in the woods, but was afraid of even more interrogation by the woman, so she decided against it. She wanted to talk to Duncan, not Mai.

Snow sighed, “Mai, I’d really like to just get a bath and get to bed.”

Mai ignored the girl’s hint, “So where’s your dear hubby? I thought for sure he was with you…you two being literally inseparable since that lovely ‘gift’ bestowed upon you both.”

Snow stared at the woman blankly, quickly thinking of what to say. Obviously, she didn’t think fast enough for Mai as the woman folded her arms and demanded an answer, “I guess you didn’t hear me. I said…where is Mike?”

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