Shadows on Snow: A Flipped Fairy Tale (Flipped Fairy Tales) Read Free Page B

that’s why he’ll never win, Raelynn. So long as we have each other, there’s nothing we can’t survive.”

    Sitting up with a start, I sucked in a deep breath. Cool wetness on my face marked the tracks of my tears through the grime of endless days in the stables. I’d not had dreams of that night in so long, as it had been replaced by far more terrifying ones, that it shocked me with its vivid realism. Unlike the last time I’d experienced the memory, however, this time I was filled with an overwhelming sense of love, rather than the fear I’d felt that fateful night. That my sisters still lived, that we cared for each other through every imaginable hardship, that was what stayed with me. No matter what else life had thrown at me, at us, we never wavered in our commitment to each other.
    I would do anything to keep them safe.

    Collapsing on my pallet, I cursed at the support beams of the stable. My entire body ached from a day of grueling work in the castle, preparing for the grand masked ball to celebrate the prince’s return. It was to be the first of many such events, all leading up to his Ascension Day.  
    But, as exhausted as I was, I still needed to report in. Reaching up to the hook beside me, I grabbed the metal bucket and lit a small fire in the kindling. Within seconds, smoke wafted into the air, and her face appeared before me.
    “Sorry it’s so late,” I said with a yawn. “It’s been a very long day. There’s a masked ball tomorrow and there’s no shortage of people ordering me to do everything from deliver parchments to messengers, to hauling baggage for arriving guests. It’s been wretched.”
    “A ball?” the voice said from the incorporeal face. “This may be the distraction you need.”
    “You can’t be serious. There will be people everywhere.”
    “If you disguise yourself properly, you shouldn’t have a problem.”
    I gulped, knowing full well what she meant by “properly.” My palms were already sweating at the thought of it.
    “You can’t avoid it forever, dearest one,” she said softly. “You must fight through it. One can be beautiful and strong at the same time.”
    My jaw clenched. “I have a hard time believing that anyone can be strong in a ridiculous gown with a hideous amount of fabric restricting every possible movement.”
    “Beauty can mask strength. It throws off suspicion.”
    “It also invites others to take advantage of perceived weakness,” I snapped. Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath. “I apologize. I shouldn’t be short with you.”
    “I understand your heartache, but you must consider it.”
    I waved it off, disturbing the smoke. “Even if I thought to do so, I cannot conjure the kind of attire I’d need for the event, and I’ve no way to acquire such things. It’s a moot point.”
    The face drifted, thoughtful. “Perhaps not. Let me confer with the others. There may be something we can do.”
    “I wish you wouldn’t.”
    She laughed a little. “It’s been ages since any of them have had a reason for a fancy dress. You think I could dissuade them?”
    Slumping against the wall, I shut my eyes and tried to ignore the memories forcing themselves into my head. “There must be another way.”
    Warmth caressed my cheek as the smoke curled past my face. “Time is short, and you may not get a better opportunity. I know the difficulty this presents for you, but if we’re to succeed…”
    I grimaced. “I remember. We can’t allow our fate to be the fate of others if it’s within our means to stop it.”
    “Can you do this?”
    Could I? I didn’t know. Even the thought of wearing a dress again churned my stomach.
    She rephrased her question. “Will you?”
    After taking a deep breath, I relented despite my own discomfort. “I will.”
    Her face vanished for a moment, but returned within a few heartbeats. “You’ll have a visitor. Go to the clearing tomorrow evening, and you’ll be met there.”
    “A visitor? What