The Stepsister Scheme

Arlorran. “I told you, there are only a few places where the pull is strong enough for me to summon myself. If you want to reach the chasm before your stepsisters take their anger out on your prince, this is the place to start. Unless you’d rather take your chances on the road? Some of your race have been known to wander that road their whole lives, never finding their destination.”
    “I thought we were protected, as long as we stayed on the road,” said Danielle.
    “Protected, sure,” said Arlorran. “That doesn’t mean the road will take you where you want to go.” He stuck his fingers in his mouth and gave two sharp whistles. One of the pixies whistled back, then disappeared through an unseen window above a spear.
    “Damned dwarves,” Arlorran muttered. “She’ll be back just as soon as they give her permission to speak with us.”
    The pixie emerged again before Danielle could respond. She flew faster than any bird, a blur of yellow light that streaked down to hover before Arlorran. “What do you want, gnome?” she asked.
    “Nice to see you too, Nexxle.” Arlorran gestured at Danielle and the others. “My friends need transportation.”
    “Then it’s fortunate they have feet,” said Nexxle.
    “They need something faster.” He pointed to Danielle. “They need to rescue this one’s husband. Nasty forces at work here, and they need all the speed and help they can get.”
    Nexxle’s wings stilled, and she dropped lightly into the mud. “What kind of forces?”
    Arlorran lowered his voice. “They set a darkling loose in my home, Nexxle. Little bugger could have killed me!”
    The pixie’s scowl never changed, but her light brightened slightly. “Maybe he’ll have better luck next time.”
    “Will you help us?” Danielle asked.
    Nexxle spat. “Some husbands aren’t worth rescuing.”
    “Do I have to call a meeting of the elders?” Arlorran asked.
    Nexxle’s light dimmed to almost nothing. “You would, wouldn’t you? Never could take no for an answer. Stupid gnome.” She leaped up, wings buzzing. “Stay there. I’ll find someone to take you to the stables.”
    She returned to the same window and disappeared into the tower.
    “What’s she doing?” Danielle asked.
    Arlorran rubbed his face with both hands. “Getting permission from the dwarves to come with us. The whole bloodline lost a bet with the dwarves, years ago. Had they won, they would have taken the towers and supplanted the dwarves as the king’s guardians.”
    “What did they lose?” Danielle asked, watching the pixies work.
    “One generation of servitude. One dwarf generation, lucky for them. Pixie generations are measured in centuries.” Arlorran laughed, though there was little humor in the sound. “I have to hand it to them. These towers have stood for centuries, and I don’t think they’ve ever looked so clean.”
    “Who is Nexxle, and why does she hate you so much?” asked Snow.
    Arlorran pursed his lips. “She’s... well, she’s my mother-in-law.”
    Snow’s body went still. “You’re married?”
    “Uh-oh,” Talia muttered.
    “I was married,” Arlorran said hastily. “A long time ago. She died young, fifty years ago this month.” He turned away from Snow and stared up at the tower. “A bit flighty, even for a pixie, but I loved her. You remind me of her, actually.”
    “I’m sorry,” said Snow.
    Arlorran shook his head. “Suffice it to say, pixies take family ties pretty seriously. I’ve still got rights here, though it pains them to admit it.” He took a deep, tremulous breath. “Enough of my troubles. You need to know who’s got your prince. Maybe the tale of the Duchess will drive some sense into you.”
    He took Danielle’s hand and tugged. “Don’t worry, Nexxle will catch up.” He reached for Snow with his free hand, and soon he was walking along, swinging their arms like a child between his parents. “The Duchess’ story is an old one. Goes back to when Fairytown was little more than a lump in the earth, surrounded by a ring of toadstools. The king and queen kept within the hill most of the time, coming out only once a year to hunt.”
    “To hunt what?” asked Snow.
    “Humans, mostly.” Arlorran gave an apologetic shrug. “’Twas sport, little more. They’d capture their favorites, choosing the most handsome and beautiful of your race to be their playthings for the coming year. Others became slaves. Often the humans chose to remain with us, even when