𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐓𝐚𝐥𝐞 𝐎𝐟 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐧𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐢𝐫𝐥

𝐗𝐈𝐗.𝐑𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐬

Japeth was leading Arice to his own chamber.
Even if the castle was 'abandoned' and not took care of for years, Arice was still mesmerized by its arhitecture.
She was looking all over the walls and ceilings with wide eyes. She saw every vase, every painting and every statue on their way to a big green door, a door which was leading to Japeth's chamber.
  It was the only chamber in which maids were not allowed, Arice found out from Japeth.
Inside was colder than the rest of the castle. Also dark. And it smelled like old things, which Arice liked very much.
 
Maids entered the room, but they didn't touch anything. They were all wearing white, coming to Arice. One was blonde, the other one was brunette. The first one placed her on a chair, while the other started to take off the makeup.

Japeth got up to leave. "where are you going?" Arice's tongue slipped.
"to the dungeons" he replied without looking back, but not before leaving his scims there, with Arice.

After the two maids finished their job, took Arice's veil away and took off the useless details on her white dress, they left, leaving Arice only with Japeth's scims.
Suddenly, they all climbed to her dress, covering every inch of it. After the white material wasn't able to be seen anymore, the slimy creatures started morphing, eventually mixing themselves with the cloth.
Now the dress was a very dark green. The veil was gone. The makeup too.

Arice gazed at herself in the mirror. Her face was normal again. She wondered what is her family doing now. Their daughter's wedding just stopped because she decided to leave with a random man.
Will William take Alice as his bride?
  Too many thoughts.
She should do something else than overthinking.
Dungeons
Why not?
Arice left the chamber.
Dungeons are underground, so she just has to go as down as possible.
And it wasn't hard.
After many lefts and rights she found the staircase leading to the dungeons.
And down she heard Japeth's voice.

"...one of you who's life will be spared"

Silence

"for now" he said creepy.

"she picked me!" another voice said.

The two continued arguing as Arice was walking down the old stairs.
There was Japeth, and in a cell, a blonde boy. Tedros, she asumed.
Tedros looked at her. And he was looking horrible.
"you really need a woman to help you beat me up?" he said full of himself.
Japeth turned only his head, to see Arice standing straight, looking uninterested at Tedros.

"so confident, are we? Where is your woman, dear? Where is your princess? The graveyard girl" Arice said with cold, sarcastic voice.

"you shouldn't be talking about her like this when you look like you came out of one" the blond boy told her angry.

BANG

Japeth banged Tedros' head into the bars.

"you got a girlfriend now?" the blond said, only to irritate the snake more.
He knew Japeth won't kill him there. Rhian had to execute him in public, and Japeth wasn't that dumb to destroy everything.

"i bet you don't even know her full name. Maybe Malleficent. Or some Evil Queen"

BANG

Japeth banged his head again, then, still holding Tedros by his hair, he said
"i don't care what orders my brother gave me, i don't care what plans he has, but if you dare to talk about Arice once more time, I am going to kill you right here, right now"
Then scims left his suit.
Tedros was silent.
Japeth got up
  "wait for me outside, I need to free a peasant" he told Arice, as she obeyed

One thing was clear for Tedros:that he wasn't the one Sophie picked.

                       ***

Japeth left the dungeons. He walked slow outside, to look for Arice and take her to dinner.
  As he left the castle, the boy tried to pick a rose from the closest bush. But as soon as he touched the flower, it dried.
  Arice walked to him. Japeth then saw her clear, since in the dungeons his attention was on Tedros.
  His scims did a good job, as always. She looked better than before. Much natural. White really doesn't suit her, but this green. This green was magnificient.
  Arice saw the dried rose, which was still conected to its bush.
She put her fingers under the flower, as it bloomed again. Much beautiful than before.
Japeth then touched it slow. But unexpectedly, the flower didn't die. It bloomed more and from its center, It turned black. A very elegant, cold black.
  Japeth looked at it passionate, since it was the first flower which didn't dry ar his touch in a long time. He then picked it, and gently placed it into Arice's hair. Then, out of the blue, he kissed one of the scars on her face.
  "let's go" he said cold, like nothing happened, and they went in with Arice holding his arm