Cinderelsa (Cinderella Jelsa Merge)

Chapter 7

Jack's POV

I knew the redwood tree well. Funnily enough, when I was a little kid I had always gone there to be alone. At least until my parents died. After that I was too busy running the kingdom to visit.

As I got closer to the redwood, I noticed places where plants had been trampled. I knelt down and examined the ground. Horse tracks. Someone had already been this way. Madame Jewl? How could she have gotten here so fast?

I picked up the pace a little, and Luck suddenly howled. His fur was standing on end, and his ears were flattened to his head. My blood turned to ice.

Luck only howled when a kill had been made or when someone he was attached to died. And neither was good for me.

Elsa's POV

I leaned against the redwood trunk, gasping for air and holding my side. The run had been long and hard. My arms and left foot were scratched from running into bushes and stepping on rocks, and my hair was a mess. My dress was covered in dirt and leaves, and I imagined Sapphire's face when she saw what I had done to her dress, but then I remembered what all of them would do to me if they ever caught me.

I heard growls behind me, and I quickly spun around. Two hunting dogs were glaring at me a little ways away. Both had the royal tag on them.

Jack had come after me! The stubborn hero! Didn't he realize that we couldn't be together? Madame Jewl could make his life as miserable as mine. After all, she was one of the richest people in the kingdom.

A black horse stepped through the trees and into the moonlight. On it's back say someone who was defiantly not Jack. It was Hans. My heart sank. On the upside, Jack hadn't come himself. On the downside, Hans was on the "Avoid because he wants to kill me" list.

"Well well well. What do we have here?" Hans asked.

"Please, leave me alone. I'm not with Jack any more. You don't have to worry." I said. The dogs slowly walked forward, and I backed up until I was pressed against the tree. Hans chuckled and climbed off of his horse.

"It doesn't matter. He loves you. And he will never stop looking for you." He said.

"Why does that matter to you?" I asked.

"It matters to me because of Jack dies without a wife or heir, then I become king. And I want to be king. So that means eliminating each and every girl that Jack falls in love with." Hans said. On the words each and every, he took a couple steps forward.

"I promise, I'll leave and never come back." I said. The dogs flanked me on each side as Hans continued to walk towards me. He stopped inches away from me.

"Lucky for you Elsa, you're different. I... like you." He said. My stomach twisted. What kind of sick joke was this?

"And since I like you, I'm willing to make you a deal. If you kiss me, I'll let you live." He said. My mind raced. What was I supposed to do? If he let me live, I could probably warn Jack that he was a traitor! But was that worth kissing him?

Yes. If it meant saving Jack, then yes.

I nodded, and Hans walked even closer. We were practically nose to nose now. He started to lean towards me, and I closed my eyes. I tried as hard as I could not to throw up. After a moment, I opened my eyes. He hadn't kissed me. Instead he was staring right into my eyes with a wolf-like grin on his face.

"My, you'll do anything to save your skin won't you? Too bad Jack wasn't here to see that. Unfortunately, I need to go. I have a kingdom to take over." Hans said. I felt sharp pain in my stomach, and I gasped. Hans stepped back, and I looked down. A silver dagger was sticking out of my stomach. He had stabbed me.

I felt like my body was on fire, and I sank to my knees. My head pounded, and my vision went slightly fuzzy. It was becoming harder and harder to breath.

"Come on boys. We're done here." Hans said. I blinked slowly. Everything was going in slow motion. The last thing I heard before I died was a long, mournful howl.

It must be the ghosts of the underworld, my brain thought slowly. Then everything went dark.

Jack's POV

I pushed my way into the small clear area around the redwood tree. The scene I saw was almost too much to take in.

Hans was riding his horse with both of the hunting dogs. He was standing only a few feet away, blocking my view of the redwood. Hans look started at seeing me here.

"Jack! What are you doing here? Why aren't you back at the castle?" He asked.

"I'm looking for Elsa. Got a tip she might be here. Have you had any luck finding her?" I asked.

"I'm afraid so. She killed herself Jack." Hans said.

"What?" I asked.

"See for yourself." Hans said, Turing the horse's head. Now I had a direct view of the tree. Elsa was lying on the ground at the roots of the tree.

"No... no! Elsa!" I shouted, running to her side. I gently turned her over. She had a dagger in her stomach. I slowly picked up her head and put it on my lap. Then I began striking her hair.

"Elsa... no... why...?" I asked. A drop of water landed on her face, and I realized I was crying.

"Come on Jack. Don't bother with her. She was using you anyway." Hans said.

"No. She was trying to protect me. She was trying to warn me." I said. I was too slow. Why couldn't I have been faster? I could have saved her!

"You don't know that. Leave her Jack." Hans said in an angry and commanding voice. My eyes narrowed. Something wasn't right. I grabbed the dagger.

"Jack...." Hans warned, but I pulled it out anyway. I examined the hilt.

There, right in the center, was the symbol of the royal guard. I glanced at Hans.

"What aren't you telling me?" I growled. Hans glared at me.

"She must have stolen a dagger to kill herself." He said. I glanced at the dagger again. Right below the guard crest was another symbol. The symbol of a sword. This dagger only belonged to one person.