“So why are there two of you?”
“I wanted to introduce you to my younger version so you don’t freak out and try to kill me before I get a chance to show you what I want you to see. I know you’re fond of staking me in the heart,” she threw an investigative look around her to see if someone was coming. “I also wanted to show you how closets work in the Dreamory,” she grabbed his hands and pulled him after her again.
They entered another room where she opened the door of another closet filled with the finest dresses, probably the Queen’s because of their bigger sizes. Snow White pushed him inside, hopped in and closed the door behind them. Although the closet was big, the plethora of dresses and shoes on the floor barely allowed enough room for the two of them. They were standing face to face, breath to breath, too close for people who wanted to kill each other.
“I once had a girl force me into a make out session with her in a broom closet,” Loki said, remembering Pippi Luvbug, and wondering if he’d end up being fooled again. He doubted Charmwill would come and save him this time, and he double-doubted he could bring himself to stake the beautiful princess.
“You better start whispering,” Snow White drew a serious face. “Or the Queen will find us and she’ll send you to an eternal blackout session.”
“Are you always so serious in the Dreamory?”
“Loki,” Snow White rested one palm on his chest, and suddenly he was about to forget all about the dream and the vampire killing business. He wondered why he felt at ease with her in this Dreamory. Or was it that he’d wanted to let go and feel that way since the first day he laid his eyes on her? For some reason, he doubted that those she laid her eyes upon didn’t live long enough to tell about it.
Those she laid her eyes upon, fell for her slowly, and forgot about her fangs and bad temper.
“You’re being ridiculous,” she added. “You need to learn as much as you can about me in this dream. Focus, please.”
“OK,” he grabbed her palm, held it to his face like a handkerchief and let it slide down again where it landed on his chest. “Back to serious face, my princess. What do you have in mind?”
“I need to show you my story in different periods and places as fast as I can, so you know how all of this started.”
“Why don’t you just tell me? I got a D+ in chemistry so I’m kinda smart.”
“I can’t, and I have my reasons why I can’t,” she sighed. “You don’t understand. You have to see with an open heart. We need to go back in time,” she explained.
“What do you have in mind? Renaissance? Dark ages? Dinosaurs and stuff?”
“Please. Please. Stop it.”
“What do you want me to say? We’re already in the 19th century, right? How far back in time is back in time from here?”
“I will take you back, five years before I was born. I was born in 1796, so we’re going to 1791.”
“That’s interesting.” a surge of seriousness hit him.
“Why?” she looked puzzled.
“It means you were exactly sixteen years old when the Brothers Grimm wrote your story in 1812,” Loki thought Axel was actually useful all of a sudden.
Snow White smiled, looking satisfied, “1812,” she nodded. “It’s the first version they wrote. It was a bit closer to the truth, unlike the 1857 version which was filled with more lies and hidden messages.”
“Lies?” Loki frowned. “Are we really talking about you being the real Snow White here?”
“Of course, I’m the real Snow White,” she seemed insulted by the question. “How can you even doubt that?”
“I have to be honest with you,” Loki said. “I don’t know what I should believe. Just hours ago, I was here to kill you and go home, but now everything has changed.”
“That’s because you resist opening up to your Chanta,” Snow White said.
“You know about the Chanta, too? Is that some kind of a new cool catch phrase?” Loki said. “I don’t get it.”
“Please stop being stubborn.”
No one had ever mentioned to Loki that he was stubborn, but now that she’d pointed it out, he knew it was true. After all he’d been through the last couple of days; he still detested Minikins and believed he was superior to them, even after meeting Axel and Fable and caring for them. And he also still wanted to kill Snow White, even after finding out the castle imprisoned her and she asked him to save her. Loki thought it was funny how people hung onto the things they were taught first, not the things that made sense.
You’re born, you’re told you’re a half-angel, that the world sucks, and that if you kill someone you’ll be a hero and find your way home. Then the idea sticks with you forever. Never mind how everything around you is screaming, ‘no, you’re wrong. There are other things about this life, more beautiful things. You’re just too blind to see, possessed by the ideal future that may not come. Why not live in this moment, and see where it takes you from here?’