[Part VI] Foudroyant Roses

In which Edward abandons Klara, but not of his own will. And the Snow Queen has a mother.

The brave stallion galloped right through the forest and into marshes and brackens without faltering; so did the young man riding never stopped smoking his cigarettes.

What a queer sight it was, if anyone could see the two speeding over thorny bushes and wilted drunken trees: the man using one hand holding the reins and urging the faithful horse onwards, the other grasping a nearly burned out stub of a cigarette; while the girl hugged the horse’s neck tightly.

Quivering northern lights illuminated the howling night sky, calling to Klara and Edward, enticing them to stay awhile and watch in amazement as blue and red streaks of racing lights entwined and separated.

Just as they had predicted, snow started to fall on the blackened debris that remained of Lapland’s neighbouring countries, till they could not differentiate where the horizon began and ended, for both the sky and land was pure white, whiter than any ice and snow they had ever seen before.

And oh, the cold! How cold it was! It was like the sunken, white earth and sky had enclosed them in a gigantic refrigerator, and taken away the sun as well. Only a little of its warmth penetrated through thick layers of ominous looking clouds, but it was no match for the man-made ice and frost.

But not even Pegasus with his wings can go on galloping away through harsh terrains forever; nor can Hercules continue being thrown up and down while trying to balance a growing girl and lighting a cigarette at the very same time.

So after losing more than thirty three cigarettes to the frozen ground (after the whole event, Klara commented on how Edward at that time seemed to have had an unlimited supply of Marbolo cigarettes), the young man quit, swore, and stopped by a hut close to the metal gate that was the entrance to Lapland, his thankful horse immediately dropping off to sleep after being led into the warm stable.

They crawled into the hut, and were greeted by a petite woman that did not wear much. She was not a slut; it was just that the hut was devilishly hot, and even Klara had to loosen her dress and take off her boots and mittens to accommodate the sweat-inducing, water-bubbling temperatures.

“How now,” the woman said, her coal black eyes twinkling at the two exhausted youngsters. “What brings travellers from far-off lands to this cursed land?”

“We seek your advice, Madame,’ Edward said, bowing his head to the small woman, “On how to kill the Snow Queen.”

She raised a bushy eyebrow. “She’s practically immortal.”

“But is she brilliant? Or good?” Klara asked, thinking of Hans’s words:



The woman’s bright eyes twinkled even more. “Ah, yes. But here poses a question: do you really need to kill her?”

Edward thought for a moment, and said, “I don’t like this any more than you do, Madame, but I believe that only her death can bring peace to the world.”

“And what shall you do next, after murdering her?”

Both of them flinched at the word. “I just want Rune back,” Klara whispered, tears filling her hazel eyes.

“Who?” she peered at the girl, who had tears trickling down her rosy face.

Thus, Klara repeated her tale, and Edward told her of his after she finished. The woman listened intently, closing her eyes, and said nothing but a few ‘hem hem’s.

She was silent for a while longer after Edward ended his plea for the woman to ‘assist them in their noble task’, and merely said, “Is that all?”

“Yes, Madame.”

“Let me see: Klara wants to find Rune, while you, Mr Postle, want to eradicate Rose from the earth itself.”

“Who’s Rose?” Klara asked.

The woman opened her eyes, and seemed to wither and age an eon before their eyes. “My daughter. Your Snow Queen.”

Silence fell and caught stuck in each and every one of their throats, which no amount of gulping could force down the sudden bile-tasting air in the boiling hot room.

“I named her that because when I first saw her, she smelt of roses blooming throughout the land. No-one could ever deny her anything when that pair of sparkling blue eyes looked into yours, and you would suddenly feel young again…”

She shook her head. “Who’d had known she would become the Ruler herself?”

Edward delicately asked, “The Ruler?”

“That used to be the name of her position in the government of District 203, till she suddenly changed it to ‘the Snow Queen’. I told her that she mustn’t raise so high in such a cruel land, that her warm, sunny temperament would have to be twisted till she was not Rose anymore, but only a Ruler.

“But she did not listen, and said she could handle it, that she would never turn her back on the people who needed her to change the injustice of the whole system.

“Then again, who’d had thought the former Ruler would force my poor, poor child to have two looking-glasses implanted into her eyes? Her sweet, starry blue eyes?

“I knew something had changed in little Rose when she came back for Christmas. Her eyes were cold, as cold as the frozen lakes, as stony as the rock imprisoning Prometheus in the Caucasus.

“’You have to move, Mother,’ she said that day, not even touching her soup. ‘I can’t let the citizens know your existence.’

“’Why, Rosie?’ That was my pet name for her.

“’And stop calling me Rosie! It is not suitable for someone of my pedigree!’

“’Pedigree?’ I was so surprised at her brusque actions towards me, her very mother. But she did not reply; and merely stared at me with contempt. ‘Just know that I won’t be coming back anymore to this dump.’

“And with that, she slammed the very door you entered, and left me forever. I knew then Rose didn’t exist anymore; the Ruler had replaced her.”

Edward sunk into one of the colourful beanbags. “Then what do you think we should do, Madame?”

The Snow Queen’s mother’s eyes twinkled once more. “It is my belief that the youngster sitting over there,” she motioned to Klara, “Will become the downfall of the Snow Queen.”

In disbelief, the young man jumped up and lowered his voice, so that Klara would not hear them. “But Madame, she is just a girl! Is there any potion that can make her stronger than Rose?”

“Make Klara strong than Rose?” she laughed. “That is of no use when she finally confronts Rose and tries to take Rune back from her.”

She lowered her voice even further. “Though that is an even more impossible task than defeating my daughter. You see, Rune loves being in her presence and in the palace, for he thinks that it is the greatest and most beautiful place in the entire world. Such thoughts can only be caused by the looking-glass that I have spoken of; get rid of this menace, and both Rune and Rose will become whole again.”

Edward sighed and strolled back and forth in the room, while Klara, who still had no idea what they were talking about, started to sing again:



“See her singing, Mr Postle? That is what will conquer, and unite all men. Can’t you see how men are prepared to fight and serve her? Her strength lies in her own courage and purity; which Rose has lost.

“It may seem to you an unfair fight, for how could a mere girl of thirteen years overcome one who is more skilled and old tenfold?

“But remember, how old you were when you rallied for change in Rune’s Grandmamma’s house --- seventeen years.

“Age or experience is not a matter in this fight, Mr Postle, innocence is. If Klara herself cannot dreg up the courage to face Rose, then no adult or any amount of soldiers can help her or salvage what is left of poor Rune’s soul.” the woman concluded.

Edward’s heart hardened, suppressing the embers of his fury and helplessness from erupting. “If this must be, then so be it, Madame. What should we do next?”

The woman’s eyes sparkled. “The Snow Queen’s palace starts two miles into the gates. Ride straight and true; at the edge of the palace gates, let Klara go all by herself into Rose’s lair. But do not tarry any longer, come back as quick as you can, for your troops need you.”

Without another word, Edward stiffly bowed and took his leave, dragging Klara along with him. They sat on the saddle as fast as they could, but when the refreshed stallion galloped away into the metal gates, the burning cold reminded the girl that she had forgotten to wear his mittens and boots.

“Edward, please go back!” she cried.

He daren’t, for they had already arrived at the palace already. The guards all were pointing at them and whispering, and he could only peck a surprised Klara on the cheek and said, “Best of luck, little one,” and speed away from whence they came.

Poor Klara was left behind in the bitter cold, without mittens or boots. She knew she could not just stay there, teeth chattering like a fool; so she began to run for her life and Rune’s, feet bruised black and blue pittering and pattering on the icy marble path.

Soon, a whole regiment of guards surrounded the entrance, closing in on her. Their rifles made of ice all pointed at the unfortunate girl, and she could only lower her head and recite the Lord’s Prayer.



It was so cold she could see steam outpouring from her mouth. The soldiers laughed at the girl’s supposed naïveté and prepared to pull the trigger.



But the steam began to increase hundredfold, till it surrounded the circle of soldiers. The hot water vapour warmed their hearts and melted the ice and frost there; thus their eyes brightened and their cheeks reddened, their souls were completely transformed, till they were all suddenly left wondering what the hell they were pointing their firearms at a poor, young, shivering girl.

So the confused soldiers let Klara through, one giving her his scarf to ward off the cold more. And thus she hastened onwards to the Snow Queen’s stronghold, to await her destiny.






































Part I ＊Part II ＊ Part III＊ Part IV ＊ Part V ＊ Part VII

Spoiler

This is the penultimate part of my contest entry for SporkPunk's 21 Century Fairytale Contest! Please tell me what you thought of it.

Awesome!!! Foudroyant Roses is really shaping up to be epic! Using The Lord's Prayer as a weapon is a really interesting device, and I like how we learn about the Snow Queen's past via her mother. I'm off to read part VII!
Oh! I nearly forgot! I like how you include the sub-titles at the beginning of each part. Thy're really funny!