“For someone who should be saving a princess, you look embarrassingly amateur,” Charmwill shouted, riding next to him on a unicorn. It was an unusually fast unicorn, so beautiful it had a glittering aura surrounding its curvy body. Loki was glad Charmwill was at his side.
“Why do you get the unicorn and I get the horse?” Loki’s face reddened.
“I’m Charmwill Glimmer,” he said proudly, riding his unicorn as if he were as young as Loki. “I deserve it. I did many amazing things in my life.”
“Do you think this is really the right time to brag?” Loki puffed.
“I’ll tell you what,” Charmwill drew nearer to the side of Loki’s horse. “Jump behind me, but this is the last time I will save you, understood?”
Jumping off the horse was as hard as riding it, but Loki thought it was the lesser of two evils. He grabbed Charmwill’s cloak with one hand and managed to jump on the unicorn behind him.
“Yeeha!” Charmwill said and the unicorn sped up. Loki had never seen this side of Charmwill before. He wondered why he’d never been fun like this in the past, and wondered if it was because they were in a dream.
Suddenly, Loki heard growling sounds approaching from behind. Fear surged into his soul. Someone or something evil was after them.
“Who’s chasing us?” Loki asked, holding onto Charmwill.
“Whatever happens, don’t look back!” Charmwill’s tone changed back into having a serious edge. “You hear me? Don’t look back!”
“Who are they?” Loki asked.
“The Queen’s huntsmen,” Charmwill sped up. “Led by the Huntsman. Whatever happens, fight the urge to see his face, or all will be lost. You understand?”
Being Loki, he couldn’t help it and looked behind to get a glimpse of his pursuers. Behind him, leading all other huntsmen, a black-cloaked Huntsman rode a hornless unicorn like nothing Loki had ever seen. This wasn’t the white, good looking unicorn like Charmwill’s. It was a black one with scars all over its body, and it had a third eye where its horn had been cut off. It sped up once it saw Loki looking back. It was hungry for him, and bared its lion-like canines.
But the black unicorn was the lesser of Loki’s horrors. It was the Huntsman riding it that brought goose bumps to the back of his neck. Loki felt a sudden headache, a needle sharp pain in his head. He stared at the cloaked Huntsman against Charmwill’s advice, but couldn’t see his face. The Huntsman’s cloak showed only hollow darkness underneath it. But Loki could sense the amount of evil in him just like when he looked into the eyes of the Queen of Sorrow. Loki’s eyes were glued to the hunter. He regretted looking back at him, but he was too stiff with fear to turn back around. The Huntsman let out a dark laugh and was about to lower his cloak and show his face.
“What are you doing?” Charmwill pulled Loki back from the Huntsman’s spellbinding trance, and turned him around. “Didn’t I tell you not to look at him? He is evil! So evil and full of darkness like you’ve never, and will never, see in your life.”
“I don’t know what happened to me,” Loki shook his head. “This Huntsman and Carmilla have the same effect on me.”
“That’s because you’re still not strong enough,” Charmwill still rode the unicorn skilfully as Carmilla’s carriage was coming into view. “Did you look into the Huntsman’s eyes?” Charmwill asked Loki worriedly.
“No. You turned me around before I could see what was under the cloak,” Loki said.
“That’s good,” Charmwill let out a sigh. “I will take care of him and his hunters, once we get closer to the carriage.”
Loki and Charmwill quickly caught up to the golden-framed carriage. Like everything else having to do with Carmilla, the carriage looked majestic and expensive. It was the shape of a pumpkin. Nothing hinted to the evil Queen who rode inside it. From this angle, Loki couldn’t see the wolves pulling it, nor could he see Snow White inside. The back and side windows were barred with rods made of pearls.
It was a dire situation. They had to save Snow White and escape their evil pursuers.
“We’re close enough, now,” Charmwill said, right behind the carriage. The Huntsman’s heavy breathing was so close Loki knew he wasn’t just behind them. He was riding right next to them. “You’ll have to ride the unicorn from here and save the princess. I can’t help you anymore.”
“Whatever happens don’t look at him,” Charmwill said, focusing his eyes on the carriage. It was as if he couldn’t bear looking at the Huntsman himself. “Ride the unicorn and stop the carriage, Loki. Let me take care of the Huntsman.”
In a flash, Charmwill jumped through the air and onto the Huntsman’s unicorn. Loki was worried about the man who taught him everything, but managed to control his urge to look at the Huntsman while he fought Charmwill. He rode the unicorn and followed the carriage, listening to the sounds of struggle between the Huntsman and his guardian behind him.