The ground began to shake again, and the trees seemed to sway, while the clouds in the sky disappeared, along with the sounds of distant lightning. Soon, the landscape seemed to change, if only in a few details.
Grimilde closed her eyes, and when she opened them again, she was surprised to see a deer before her: this time, much closer than before. She was kneeling near the edge of the river that flowed through the middle of the woods, and just across the bank, the majestic creature was watching her with its black eyes. This time, it was innocent and unsure.
"Wonderful..." She whispered.
Astrael stood beside the queen. He looked at the deer with her, admiring all its beauty and animalistic power, then lowered his head toward the blonde, his long black hair masking his usual smirk. "Do you want it?"
"You know we don't kill animals this way."
"Who said anything about killing? It will be yours to do as you please." Astrael raised his hand slowly, and the deer seemed suddenly drawn to him. The demon's eyes turned red, and a dark smoke curled along his arm and disappeared into the air.
"It's very beautiful." Grimilde was pale: she had lost a lot of blood, and the poison had been circulating for too long. Her clarity was shattering second by second, but in that moment of confusion, she still managed to understand that she should be dead. What was happening then?
"Astrael... the poison—"
"You belong to a family immune to many poisons, Grimilde... your blood has been invaded by these harmful, foreign substances for generations. Your ancestors began to practice this resistance little by little and passed down their secrets."
"W-what are you talking about?"
Grimilde wanted to get up, to look for the princess, but her body was truly paralyzed. Furthermore, Astrael's words had blocked the queen's flow of thoughts, stopping her precisely on that discovery. Was she immune to poisons? "It can't be..."
"Every infant in your family is not spared from the administration of small doses of poison every day, and so on for years to come." At that point, the demon waved his hand toward the deer, who walked over the rocks across the bed of the small river to reach their bank.
"I imagine you'll be surprised right now. We'll talk about it again at the end of this story, if you wish." The demon lifted the queen into his arms and set off down a path, followed by the deer. Grimilde wanted to rest, to close her eyes, but she didn't allow herself to.
"Why are you helping me, Astrael? Our pact... It doesn't require for you to protect me."
She wanted to understand why a being like him, who found humans intolerable, had done so much for her.
"Grimilde, Queen of Arran, daughter of the North... your existence makes human affairs truly interesting to me. Allow me to amuse myself a little more..."
Astrael was truly strange, but Grimilde didn't ask anything else and remained silent. She thought of the princess, her citizens, the guards, and the assassins: what was happening to them? Was Snow White safe?
"Don't worry about the others. The hunters will have managed to chase away those insects. I can hear the sound of a fight ending."
"Snow White..." Grimilde was now delirious and began whispering the name of the woman she loved, wishing she were there with her. It was heartbreaking not to have her by her side in that moment of pain and confusion. Astrael continued walking and walking until they reached the edge of the forest. There he stopped, lowering the queen to the ground.
"The guards and competitors are gathered in the camp. The princess is with them. Now you must show strength, Grimilde."
"I can't... stand."
"You won't have to stand alone." At that moment, the stag approached her and lowered its head, in a gesture vaguely reminiscent of a bow. The woman looked at him, astonished. "He'll give you a hand."
Astrael helped the queen hug the stag's neck to stay standing, and as difficult as it was, Grimilde gritted her teeth and stepped forward. Astrael remained behind her, smiling mischievously: he wondered how all those men would react upon seeing the queen arrive with the most captivating prey. Their reactions were not long in coming, when Grimilde emerged from the thick forest that had concealed her presence.
"Your Majesty!"
"Your Majesty, are you all right?" The excited voices of the guards and some nobles caught the attention of the princess, who fortunately had escaped the attack unscathed. Gregor had protected her just as he had promised, ensuring their safety. Disappointment and despair had overwhelmed her when she hadn't found the queen, but the whisper of the demon Astrael had reached her ears, reassuring her: the queen is alive, he had said. Simple words, but so powerful; they had made Snow White's body tremble.
The princess began to run toward the queen, to help her, to check on her, but before she could, soldiers grabbed Grimilde, carrying her away. "The queen is injured! Quickly! Make way—" someone shouted, and within seconds, only a few nobles remained in the camp, the princess, Gregor, and Astrael. The advisor approached the girl, grabbing her arm: "You look really shaken, but don't worry. The queen will survive."
"W-what happened?"
"We'll talk about this later, away from prying eyes." Astrael looked up at those present and The princess, who was so pale, did the same. Her glassy eyes fixed on two nobles in particular, those who had treated Snow White like a trophy to be won in a simple contest. Anger at what had happened and resentment drove the young girl to burst into rage. She advanced resolutely toward them, and when the nobles saw her, they stood up, frightened by the girl's gaze. Wasn't Snow White docile? Why did the princess look like a hungry wolf before their eyes?
"Well, don't we have a winner for the contest?"
"W-what are you talking about, Your Highness?"
"Didn't you say that the strongest, the most skilled hunter, would win the contest? And what better hunter is there than the one who carries the prey unharmed? Tell me!"
"Um... I'd say no one?"
"Exactly! Aren't I right?" The princess turned to the rest of the crowd, and some nobles immediately nodded, frightened by the woman's anger, while others stared at the magnificent stag in amazement and confusion. How had the queen led the stag into the field without killing it?
"Without further ado, I announce to all participants in the race the name of the winner." Snow White shifted, moving among the nobles under everyone's spellbound gaze. Even Duke Helmholtz, though perplexed, could not tear his attention from the princess. "Her Majesty, the Queen of Arran, officially wins the Hunt, with spoils of magnificent quality and unparalleled rarity. Feel free to congratulate our regent when she recovers from her wounds... and prepare to prove your innocence when the time comes to name the perpetrators of the treachery."
And without another word, Princess Snow White marched off, followed by her advisor and two royal guards, who were waiting to take her to the Marquis of Terran's mansion.