Reflection (Neverland Archives I)

VII

"Ebony. Hey, Ebony, wake up!"

Ivy opens bleary eyes to see Henric crouched over her, dark eyes hard. "What..."

"That's my question," he says, frowning as she sits up. "Why didn't you stay at the cabin?"

"I..." Everything is hazy in her head. Where is she? She remembers... Castor. Cas was here! And the Queen... her hand goes to her mouth.

She remembers everything.

She is Ivory Trealis, the daughter of Duke Trealis in Mirror City. She is Prince Castor's betrothed--or she was, but the Queen didn't approve of her. The Queen wanted her dead, so Cas hid her in the forest with friends of his--a group of dwarves... but then the Queen found her, tricked her and cursed her... and that was... three years ago.

Ivy has been... she's been frozen in marble for three years.  

But she remembers now.

She remembers everything.

She has to find Cas. He was here a minute ago, where...?

"Come on," Henric says, pulling her up with an arm under her shoulders. "We need to go." Ivy can hear braying in the distance, the dogs. But it's dark, so she can't see... dark. It's night.

Everything inside her freezes.

Henric is a huntsman. He's here to find the white hart for the Queen... but why would she... why...

Ivy remembers seeing Castor puking after being forced to eat at the Queen's table. She remembers him cursing her name, remembers what he said when he found his mother standing over her prone form the day she forgot everything. She remembers the anger in his voice, the rage he practically vibrated with as he touched her marble cheek.

"I'll never forgive you for this. No matter what you do, I'll never forgive you, Mother. Watch your back, because one day, I'm going to put a knife in it."

Castor must have made good on his promise. He must have tried to usurp his mother, and failed, and that's why... she hired Henric... to make a statement...

"The hart," she says, looking at Henric frantically. "Where is the hart?"

"Don't know," Henric says, shaking his head. "The dogs are after him. Fool. He should have stayed away from the forest, he knew they were hunting at night."

The dogs bray in the distance. Fear grips Ivy like a lead weight. "We have to go after him, we have to help him--"

"No, we have to get out of here," Henric says, still pulling her through the trees. Ivy struggles to get away, but he doesn't let go.

"No, you don't understand," she says, her voice panicked, "the hart isn't an animal, he's Castor, it's a--"

"A curse, I know, I saw that the moment I met him," Henric says, waving her off. "It's too late now. I warned him to stay away from this part of the forest, but he didn't listen."

Because of her... because he was watching over her... tears are streaming down her face. "Please, Henric, we have to help him--"

"I don't have to do anything, and you're coming with me, so neither do you. Relax, Ebony. If the Queen wants her son dead this badly, it's probably for a reason."

"Relax?" Ivy demands, struggling harder. "They're going to kill the man I love and you tell me to relax? Let go!"

Henric snorts. "Figured it was something like that. Will you be quiet? You're going to spook the horse."

Horse...?

"What are you--"

"Look, sweetheart," Henric says, pulling her by the arm now. He faces her, and there's nothing kind in his face. "I didn't come here to kill your Prince, but that doesn't mean I really care what happens to him. I warned him, he didn't listen, end of story."

"What... then what are you here for?" Ivy asks, feeling lost and panicked. All she can think is that her Cas is back there, running from his mother, and the Crystal Queen never lets anyone escape...

Henric smirks. "A treasure."

"Treasure?" She doesn't understand what's going on. He's a huntsman...

Henric reaches into his pocket and pulls out something that's all too familiar to Ivy. An apple made of rubies and emeralds, glimmering in the darkness like the jewel it is. "They say this little beauty can turn people to stone," Henric says, grinning wolfishly. "And you're my proof that it works, so it's two for one. You're coming with me, and there's nothing you can do about it, Beauty, so just get used to the idea of being mine."

With that he starts walking again, pulling her along. Ivy can't breathe.

"No, please," she whispers, struggling again, trying to get away. "Please, I'll go with you, I promise, just let me help Castor, please--"

"Too late. You really think the Queen is going to stop hunting him? He's done for."

"No!" She finally manages to jerk free, stumbling a few steps to fall on the forest floor. She's up and running before she can process the pain. She has to get to Cas. She has to help him. That's the only thing that matters.

Behind her, she hears Henric cursing, and she knows she's too slow.

She runs anyway, and when he catches her she fights--she scratches and kicks and bites and screams as loudly as she can.

But he's bigger and stronger and faster, and he covers her mouth with his big hand, cutting off her air supply. Her struggles weaken as she loses breath.

"Calm down, Ebony," he tells her. "It won't be so bad. I can make you happy, I promise."

She whimpers, the world going dark around the edges.

That's not my name, she thinks. I'm not dark, I'm light. I'm Ivory.

But the world fades.