2 Unhitched (33 page)

Gallant’s paintings continue to burn, all but the portrait of Aurora on the top level. It’s been ironically spared from Malevolence’s fiery rampage. Angry tears burn my eyes. Perhaps it’s for the best that My Prince will never able to see this devastation. An afterthought stabs my heart. That is,
if
he lives!

The water is so deep now that it’s covered the banquet table and washed everything on it—all of Winnie’s exquisite hard work—into this sea of evil. Fruits, vegetables, and ornaments float by me while centerpieces, platters, and dinner plates quickly sink to the bottom. For the sake of the baby, I should just get out of here when I can. But I can’t leave Gothel here alone with Malevolence. It’s become personal. I want revenge for what Malevolence has done to Gallant! To my father! To me! To Calla! And to my child! She’s destroyed our lives!

The icy water rapidly hits my shoulders. I can no longer just stand here; I must swim. But when I stroke my arms, I hardly move. The weight of the long lace train, floating across the surface of the water, is holding me back. I frantically struggle to rip it off, but it’s sewn on too tightly. Damn Armando and his fairy godmother magic. And for being such a good tailor.

“Jane, hang in there!” screams Gothel.

The ground floor of the museum has become a violent ocean. I struggle to keep my head above the water as it rushes in from valves on the upper levels. I gasp for breath. Exhausted, I don’t know how much longer I can keep this up. And then one of Gallant’s masterpieces floats by me. I reach out for it. It keeps me afloat. My Prince, in his own way, has once again saved my life. The baby kicks madly. HA! My little one is going to be a great swimmer.

I hold on to the canvas for dear life as the water swiftly rises. It now must be twenty-feet deep or more. It’s up to the dragon’s middle. Malevolence thrashes her wings around in it, creating violent waves, while Gothel continues to stab her in the back repeatedly.

“You bitches!” Malevolence roars hoarsely. She opens her jaw wide, exposing her super-sized, razor-sharp fangs. Terror fills every part of my being. She’s about to shoot her fiery breath right at me. Holding on to Gallant’s painting, I kick my legs as fast as I can. The bolt of fire hits the water, missing me by an inch, and creates a sizzling, steamy mist. Mad as hell, the she-dragon snaps at me with her deadly fangs. I hold up the painting like a shield, and her fangs rip into the canvas. The canvas is in shreds, but I am spared once again.

I gaze up. Gothel has reached the dragon’s head. Malevolence flings it madly, trying to shake her assailant off. Gothel clings to the dragon’s horns and stays put. My eyes stay riveted on her as she slithers forward on her tummy to the very front of the beast’s head. She pulls out her sword, and with a powerful grunt, she plunges it right between the black dragon’s wretched yellow eyes. Malevolence curls over and roars in pain.

“Suffer, you whore!” I scream out at the monster.

Gothel stands up victoriously on the monster’s bowed head, brandishing her sword. Why is she stopping? She’s supposed to be keeping her mind in the fight. That’s what she taught me. Without warning, Malevolence straightens, and Gothel goes flying off her head. To my horror, Malevolence snatches her in midair with one of her monstrous claws. Gothel curses and struggles to free herself. But she can’t.

“Let’s see now who’s going to finish whom.” Laughing wickedly, Malevolence squeezes the life out of her prey. Gothel gasps for air. Oh no! Gothel can’t die now!

Her life slipping away, Gothel lets go of her sword. It plummets into the water, landing with a splash close to me. I grab for it and slash off my train. It sails away. I’m free! Clutching the sword, I call upon every muscle in my worn out body and sidestroke toward Malevolence. Gothel’s desperate eyes make contact with mine.

“Gothel, hang in there!” I yell.

I’m
going to finish it! I know what to do! I swim up to Malevolence until I can go no further. I’m right up against her torso. Smack in the middle. Her repulsive scales brush against my skin.
This is it!
With all my might, I plunge the sword deep into her heart.

Malevolence lets out a scream unlike any other I’ve ever heard. It’s a siren. An endless, deafening siren. She loosens her grip around Gothel, who free-falls into the water.

Blood spurts out of the mutilated beast. I’m sickened by the sight of it; gumball-size droplets accumulate around me in the water. She slaps a clawed limb over her heart, but cannot stop the flow. I watch in horror as her jaundiced eyes roll back, and her hideous tongue falls out of her fang-filled mouth like a limp rag.

With the sword still lodged in her chest, she slowly collapses into the water. Vertebrae by vertebrae. Like a fortress that’s been bombarded. I swim away, fearful she will crash on top of me. From the corner of my eye, I see that Gothel has swum to safety; she’s by the entrance to the museum. Thank goodness, she’s a strong swimmer like me. I steal a glance behind me. My eyes grow wide as Malevolence’s limp head hits the water with a geyser-like splash. The water sizzles, and a steamy green mist rises.

Yes! I’ve slain my first dragon. The evil Malevolence who killed my father. And destroyed my beloved husband. The satisfaction of victory quickly succumbs to sadness. Unbearable, gut-wrenching sadness. It’s time to get the hell out of here. But before I take a single stroke, two monstrous horns bolt through the water. Malevolence! She’s still alive!

“You may be finished with me! But I’m not finished with you!” She bursts out of the water, creating a colossal tidal wave. I thrash around in the water, unable to move forward.

She opens her monstrous mouth wide. I can feel the heat of her breath on my face as I toss and turn.

“Get ready to be reunited with your mother and father,” she sneers.

I gasp. How does she know about my mother? I’m not going to find out. A puff of smoke blasts out of her mouth. Red-hot flames can’t be far behind. Oh God, she’s going to poach me! But just as she roars, the rising water seeps into her mouth. She chokes. To my shock and relief, the water extinguishes the deadly flames. I’m saved.

Malevolence flounders. The water is almost over her head. I remember what Armando told me. That dragons cannot swim and are susceptible to drowning. Panicked, she thrashes her wide wings to help keep her afloat. I ride her mighty waves, trying desperately to keep my head above the water. Despite what a strong swimmer I am, I keep going under. After all this, am I going to drown? My worst nightmare becomes a reality when she grips me in one her powerful claws and holds me under. I’m going to die! And so is my baby! As my breath leaves me, questions swim in my head. Who will take care of my sweet Calla? And my beloved blinded Gallant? Will Winnie tell them about the baby?

She thrashes me around while I hold my breath praying for my life. Luck! Gothel’s dagger gets caught in the deadly whirlpool. I grab for it and stab Malevolence’s limb. She lets go of me, and I shoot up to the surface of the water. I suck in the smoky air and cough. I’m alive. Malevolence is flailing madly, her jaw frozen in panic. More luck! My long lace train has entangled her like a net! She’s trapped! Battling the waves, I stroke furiously and manage to swim away.

“Help me!” she screams hoarsely. “Don’t leave me here!”

I don’t know what or why, but something makes me want to swim back for her. Swimming against the swells of the waves is virtually impossible; each crash sends me backward, further away. She cries out again, her voice weak and desperate. To my shock, flames shoot out of her. Everywhere. She roars in pain and then suddenly she implodes. The sound is deafening. Smoke, water, and scaly remains shoot up to the rotunda. I thrash around in the tumultuous water like her once angry dragon’s tail.

The water calms. The monster is gone. But
she
is not! A holographic image of Malevolence, The Mistress of Evil, floats by me on the surface of the water. Her body is emaciated, her skin a ghastly green, and her glazed eyes, the color of urine. And there are tiny horns growing out of her head. So, this is what she looked like in her human form. A freak. I wonder what her life was like. Did her fairy family hide her because they were ashamed of her? Was she lonely and misunderstood? Embarrassed and angry that fate had dealt her a rotten hand? An unexpected sadness fills me. Malevolence was
not
born evil; I’m sure of it. I gaze at her frozen smile. At last, this tormented soul has found peace. The holographic form floats away from me, and I swim toward the entrance of the museum without looking back at the devastation evil has caused.

“Are you okay?” asks Gothel, sprinting up to me outside.

I nod. Truthfully, I’m cold, soaked, and exhausted. And numbed by the night’s events. Even my near-death battle with my monstrous mother Nelle did not prepare me for what I faced tonight.

Flames and smoke continue to shoot out from the museum. Sadness courses through me as parts of it collapse. Once the kingdom’s crowning glory, The Midas Museum of Art is now in shambles. And my father’s body is still inside. Oh, how I already miss my brave father! Tears leak out of my eyes.

“I fucked up in there,” says Gothel, her head bowed low.

She must be referring to her premature victory stance. “No, you were great,” I say, meaning it.

“You were too.”

“I had a great teacher.” I flash a smile.

Gothel smiles back and brushes off some soot on her face. “Shit! I lost my nose ring!”

Nervously, I fumble for Shrink’s mirrored locket. Phew! It’s miraculously still around my neck.

Gothel looks glum.

“Don’t worry, I’ll buy you a new one.”

“Thanks, babe.” Gothel smiles again. “I’ll give you a free haircut.”

I feel closer to Gothel than I ever have. Our ordeal has made us like sisters. I want to hug her. Before I can wrap my arms around her, an enormous explosion rocks us. Oh my God! It’s the museum! A fireworks-like display of embers shoots into the sky. We run for cover behind a wide tree as sparks and debris fly everywhere. My eyes follow one spark, bigger and brighter than the rest, as it ascends into the universe, rising way above the cloud of smoke. A star magically appears. One like I’ve never seen before. It’s green just like my eyes. As I gaze at it, it twinkles brightly. Warmth courses through my cold, soaked body. Of course. It’s my father, The Huntsman. He’s going to watch over me! Tears trickle down my face.

The sound of loud stomping footsteps steals my attention. I can make out the silhouette of a tall, well-built man coming toward us. He appears to be holding some kind of weapon. I tremble with fear. Now, what terror awaits us? Haven’t we had enough for one night?

“Yo, Ho, Ho.” Damn! I never thought I’d be happy to hear those words.

“I’ve come back to rescue you two damsels.” It’s unmistakably Hook, carrying his sword in his good hand and blankets over the other.

“What took you so long?” asks Gothel with obvious sarcasm. She grabs the two blankets, wrapping one around me and the other around her. The thick blanket warms my body but not my heart.

“How’s Gallant?” I ask anxiously.

Hook presses his lips into a thin grim line. I fear the worst.

“I got him back to your palace.” He shakes his head as sadness sweeps over him.

I know what he’s going to say and hold on to Gothel’s arm to steady myself. Tears are flooding my stinging eyes.

Hook takes a deep breath. “He’s in critical condition, but he’s alive.”

Yes! He’s alive! I feel a glimmer of hope.

“Please, Hook, take me to him.” Silently, I pray for My Prince to live.

As I take a step forward, a sharp pain grips my stomach. A warm liquid immediately pours down between my cold, damp legs. I know what’s happening. I’ve experienced this once before.

“Gothel.” My voice trembles. “I’m having my baby.”

She says only one word. Her favorite one. “FUCK!”

The contractions keep coming. Faster and sharper. I clutch my stomach.

“Lie down!” Gothel takes off her blanket and spreads it across the damp earth.

Reclining, I look up at my father’s star and take deep breaths. Nothing can stop the stabbing pains, and I scream out in agony.

Gothel gets down on her knees beside me and rips open my dress. “What’s in your flask?” she asks Hook.

“Water.” Hook’s voice waivers.

Gothel grabs it and takes a sniff. “Liar!” She takes a couple of swigs and makes me drink the rest. The rum runs through my veins and relaxes me.

“PUSH!” yells Gothel.

I try to push, but the result is another agonizing contraction. And then another and another. I scream out again in pain.

“Hook, she needs something calming to hold on to!” I hear Gothel mumble. The rum has made me light-headed.

“What about my hook?” He sounds freaked out.

“I don’t think so.” She sounds stressed. “But I may need it later.”

“What about my good hand?” He perks up.

“Fuck you, Hook.” She sneers at him. “But I may need it later too.”

Gothel slides her cold hands up my legs and digs one of them deep inside the cavity between them. She makes a disturbing face.

“PUSH!” she shouts again.

With all my force, I push. Something is sliding out between my legs!

“I need your hook! NOW!” yells Gothel at her sometimes mate.

Hook gets to his knees. Gothel grabs his hooked hand and guides it between my legs. My heart thuds in my ear. Something’s wrong.
Very
wrong. My mind flashes back to my first pregnancy. The excruciating, blood-bath birthing that almost took my life. Oh no! My baby is going to be stillborn, and this time I’m going to die!

Gothel pushes a horrified Hook aside. “FUCK! It’s not going to work.”

I watch in horror as she pulls out a shiny knife from her leather utility belt.

“Jane, your baby’s breech. I’m going to have to cut the baby out like I did for Rapunzel.”

I sob uncontrollably. Fear consumes me. Frightening images of my mother, my father, my little stillborn, and Gallant bombard me. What ever happened to happily ever after? Life has fucked me. Big time. It’s just as well it ends now.

I reach for Shrink’s locket. The smooth, cold metal feels good in my hand. As it rubs against my palm, a strange calmness washes over me. A euphoria like I’ve never felt before. I have no worries. I’m at peace with the universe and myself. Shrink’s locket was magical after all. I’m ready.