Almost Perfect Princess

I ignored Wolf's curious stares as we fled from the distracted Woodcutter. I could tell what he was thinking."Why didn't you tell me you could do magic?" He asked when we stopped for a break. I rubbed my sore wings and thought for a minute. "I didn’t know until just then. I guess I traded one gift for another when… Well, it doesn’t really matter. I’m not very good at it, as you saw back there.” It appeared the witch had done more damage than I had thought. It would take me awhile to sort my feelings on the matter out. "You can change me back then,” He said matter-of-factly. "No." “Are you saying no, you can’t or no, you won’t?” “Both.” “You’re going to have to do better than one word answers, Fae.” I slowly chewed on a wad of clover. It wasn’t very appetizing. But I needed to think over my reply. “Fairy magic doesn’t work like that. Even if I took the time to refine my skills, I’d never be strong enough to compete against what you’re enchanted with. There’s no telling what would happen. I could slip up and instead of turning you into a man I could turn you into a…a… minivan!” “One of those large metal things that appeared in the Kingdom of Grim?” “Exactly.” “What does that have to do with anything?” “All I’m saying is that, maybe it’s not so bad being a wolf. ” I stuffed another piece of clover into my mouth. “But what if you didn’t mess up?” “That’s putting a lot of faith in an ‘if.’ Something rustled in the bushes beside us. I stiffened, too afraid to move. The Woodcutter had found us and this time there would be no escaping. Wolf lunged toward the bush. "Come any closer and I'll eat you for dinner!" The movement stopped. We both waited, staring at the shrub with unfaltering concentration. “Maybe it was just an imp?” Wolf whispered after a time. A loud sniffle broke the thought. Someone (or thing) was crying. I looked at Wolf in bewilderment, mouthing the words, "What is it?" He shrugged and called out, "Show yourself!" Two pale hands parted the underbrush. Whatever I had expected, it was not the delicate white face that revealed itself. I might have gasped. I can’t remember. My eyes were filled with the image of our mystery guest. She was beautiful, pale, with a head of glossy black curls that bobbed around her face. A princess, if ever there was. She stared back and patted the tears from her cheeks. Wolf moved forward cautiously. I could see the nervous tension in his legs. He wanted to kiss her bright red mouth. “Are you hurt?” He asked instead. I groaned at the sweetness in his voice. “Since when does yelling at someone cause physical harm?” I mocked. He ignored me. “I think I’m alright,” the princess answered. I forced myself not to recoil at the sound. Despite the princess’ undeniable beauty, her voice was the most awful thing I’d ever heard. It was almost painful to listen to. Wolf backed away dejectedly. If Wolf’s sudden change in mood bothered the princess, she didn’t let it show. “Have you seen a Woodcutter?” She whispered. Her voice wasn’t nearly as offensive when she didn’t raise it. I pointed in the direction we had come. “We left him some ways back. But there’s no telling if he’s followed or not.” The princess suddenly rose, careful not to tear her fine dress. “I’m Snow White,” she said. I curtsied midair. “Tink and Wolf, at your service.” Wolf wandered away at the mention of his name. “What brings you to these woods?” I asked, before she had the chance to ask the same. Fortunately, she made her story short in order to save my ears. “The trouble started a few nights ago. I was snooping through my Stepmother’s room when I stumbled across the most peculiar mirror. It told me all kinds of dirty little secrets about my family. It said my stepmother was a witch and that she plotted day and night to have me killed. It told me that she drank potions every morning to make herself beautiful, and that nothing she created could make her as beautiful as me. It said she called to her lover, a drunken Woodsman by the name of Thebes, and made him promise that he would have me killed.” “Scandalous!” I exclaimed. Wolf, who had since wandered back, rolled his eyes. Snow continued. “So I fled the castle, determined to leave before the Woodcutter came. But he caught me as I left the gate and dragged me into these woods. I knew I had to save myself before he got the chance to pull out his knife, so I started to tell him stories as loud as I could. It wasn’t until his ears started hurting that he released me. Which was a mistake, for him. My Stepmother won't take him back unless he has my lung and liver in a casket. So he hunts me. That’s why I was hiding a moment ago. I thought you two were him.” “Well I don’t know how safe you’d be with us. The Woodsman hunts us too. But you’re more than welcome to follow until we can find you somewhere safe to stay.” I offered. Wolf stared at me incredulously. Snow clapped her hands together. I turned to Wolf, “What? I took YOU with me didn’t I?” “That’s a little different.” “Can you think of somewhere we can stop along the way? We obviously can't take Snow back in that direction.” “I know a place,” Wolf grumbled. “It’s just down the road.” Snow led as we made our way through the woods. “I thought you’d be more excited,” I whispered to Wolf teasingly. “Weren’t you looking for a princess?” “Yes, a princess I could spend the rest of my life with. Did you hear her voice?” “Since when did a kiss stop being just a kiss?” I laughed. “Don’t you think you’re being a little too picky? You are, after all, a wolf.” Ahead of us, Snow had stopped to turn back, a hand pointing forward. “I see something!” She called. We winced. Wolf and I were quiet as we caught up to our companion. “You understand what awaits us at the castle, right?” Wolf asked just before we reached her. My pulse quickened. “A witch.” The moment Snow had told us of her Stepmother, I wondered whether going to the castle was worth the risk or not. Part of me considered dropping the cause. But really, what other plans did I have? I had already faced one witch. What was one more? Besides, the world was filled with witches. Some good. Most bad. I couldn’t live my life avoiding them all. My thoughts were interrupted by the announcement that we’d arrived. “This is it!” Wolf said excitedly. I stared up at the large brick sign in front of us. “This Little Pig’s BBQ,” it read. Wolf shot past us calling out, “Sweets-O!” A young woman walked out from the brick building behind the sign, wiping barbeque sauce from her hands. “Wolfie!” she called back, throwing her arms around him in a hug. I stared at the two in wonder. If I hadn’t seen it with my own two eyes, I wouldn’t have believed Wolf capable of acting so happy. The two friends laughed for a minute, sharing in some private joke. The girl finally turned toward Snow and me, her bright red hair like a halo of sunlight. “Come in! Come in!” she cried out cheerfully. The inside of the brick building was a hub of activity. Nearly three dozen people, creatures, and mysterious entities sat at the tables dining on plates heaped high with BBQ pork. The smell of it made my mouth water. “Are you hungry?” Sweets-O asked. We all nodded eagerly. We sat outside, away from the din of voices and chomping noises, a plate of food for each of us. “How have you been?” Wolf asked in between bites. “Great! Business is booming as usual. I almost can’t keep up with the demand. Fortunately there’s no shortage of pigs. Thanks to that Ol’ Sow in the shoe. How about you? You’re obviously still a wolf. Although I don’t understand why, accompanied by two lovely ladies such as these?” Wolf might have blushed, had he been capable of it. “I’d hardly call the fairy a ‘lady’.” I stuck out my tongue. “We’re on an adventure,” he added. “An adventure! Are you the good guys or the bad guys?” “We haven’t figured that out yet.” Sweets-O cradled her head in one hand. “It depends on what you plan on doing during this adventure.” Wolf shrugged. “The usual. Kiss a princess, punish a fairy, find a safe location for Snow here to stay, and possibly off a witch.” “Is that all?” Sweets-O laughed. Having finished my meal, I sat down on the table and rubbed my protruding belly. “So how do you and Wolf know each other?” “Wolfie and I go way back. Well, ‘way back’ to someone as young as me. He’s the reason I’m so wealthy and well known around these parts. Shoot, he’s the cofounder of this restaurant!” Snow and I leaned forward. “Cofounder?” “It all started with some pigs,” she said. “But you probably already guessed that.”