Femme Fatale: Snow White

Chapter 5

Pic on the side is of Prince Chris

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Chapter 5

Snow's POV

“Whoa,” The gasp left my mouth involuntarily as I stared up at the large stone building, the pictures Theron had once drawn me years ago, telling me that this was what a castle looked like in real life.

The cream towers, the dark red circular roofs, the patches of ivy creeping over the bricks that somehow made the structure look more immense in its size, the stain glass windows that had been delicately assembled to tell stories in enchanting vibrant colours, and the ‘regal-ness’ of the flags with the national insignia attached to the gold flagpoles on the high turrets…it was spell bounding.

As we waited for the drawbridge to lower over the large moat of crystal clear water with mean looking fish type things that had menacing looking teeth, I heard Alice giggle behind me.

“Don’t worry I was like that when I first arrived here too,” She whispered in my ear, and my stiffened form let her know without me looking at her that I was shocked by what she said. “I’ll explain later.”

The Prince’s monstrously large dark horse began to move forward and Pearl followed so I didn’t get a chance to broach the subject she arose. Chris had called her his sister, so surely she would have seen this castle from birth? Or was she adopted like me? I mean she did say ‘arrive’ and it would explain her blonde hair and light blue eyes, as Chris had dark blue eyes and incredibly dark hair that was too light to be black, but too dark to be brunette.

The gate slowly withdrew as we galloped closer to the entrance and then we were inside a narrow passageway that barely was able to contain both Pearl and The Prince’s horse, as they rode side by side, comfortably. I didn’t get chance to inspect my surroundings however as The Prince lead us outside once again through a wider exit in the narrow space, and we were on the grounds.

My eyes widened even more when I saw there were smaller buildings within this castle, and more astonishment entered me when I realised that they were people’s homes. Gosh how I wish one of my brothers was riding next to me so they could explain this to me.

But from what I could glean as we rode slowly through it, it was like a mini village of their own, with stalls, and black-smiths and apothecaries, and I comprehended that this must be the private village of the people who were closest to the royal family – I mean surely the Royal Guard had families too and needed somewhere to live? If they had to fight alongside their Prince at a moment’s notice, then they should be able to be within at least a mile’s distance from their Prince. And the journey to here from the town we had just come from was an incredibly long one and that was the closest one to the Prince’s Castle in this Kingdom.

No wonder the castle was so huge. And here I thought it was because I’d lived my entire life (of what I remembered anyway) in the forest with no such brick structures, just fabric tents and camp fires. Who knows, maybe it’s my inexperience too, and that there were larger castles in the world?

All too soon I realised why the Concilium had not given me the right to go through the Ritual. I really was too ignorant of the world to be able to protect it and do my job.

My shoulders immediately thrust back automatically, my chin rising slightly in determination. I was going to learn then. Wasn’t that the whole reason I was allowed to go on this mission? I would no longer treat this as some sort of holiday or break as my brothers had had before they went through the Ritual.