Rachel Andric and The Editor

Chapter 26: The Assassin

Rachel and the others sat at a too-small table in the dining room of the house. Will, with his long limbs, had to curl his legs in what looked like an extremely unnatural and uncomfortable position. Nobody laughed at him; it was a very solemn group gathered at the table.

Despite the possibility that Alan could be alive, there was also the other very real chance that he wasn't, and nobody wanted to get their hopes up. Even Rapunzel, who had never met Alan, was affected by the grim mood. She sat twisting her hair and chewing on the hard jerky that Red had found in the house. Everything was hard or stale, and Rachel's nose wrinkled as she chewed a stale piece of bread for what felt like forever.

After what felt like ages, Will and Rapunzel finished their meal. With an extremely short and impersonal farewell, Rapunzel opened a Story door and they went through. Merlin watched them go, pulling at the ruffles on the sleeve of his ball shirt ruefully. "I can't help but think that this is not a very good idea," he said.

"It's for the best," Rachel answered, laying aside the last hunk of bread. She didn't want to admit that their arrangement had left knots in her stomach. She drew the heavy skirts of her dress around her as she stood up from the small stool she'd been sitting on. "I think we'd better change out of these clothes."

They all agreed, though not just because they were impractical for traveling quickly. The gowns and fancy clothes were a hard reminder of the Cinderella Story and what had occurred in it.

Merlin procured new clothes for them with his magic, and they split up to put them on. He even included Red's cloak for her. In only a few minutes they were all dressed in breeches, high boots, and comfy cloaks, except Merlin, who had reverted to his big robes that seemed to swallow him.

Rachel fidgeted with the cloak. "Should we leave?" she asked.

"I do not think Will should have gone without properly resting first," Red interjected quietly. "We are in no condition to go traveling around."

"I agree with Red," Guinevere said, nodding. "Both physically and emotionally we're completely drained. A night's rest will do us good."

"I don't know how well the dwarves will react to us taking their food," Rachel warned.

"They'll understand," Merlin said confidently. "Rest it is. I'll deal with the dwarves when or if they come. I'll keep watch for a while. You ladies go and rest."

Although Rachel detested the fact that Merlin had taken it upon himself to "protect" them, she was too exhausted to argue. She went up the stairs back to the bedroom she had woken up in and fell asleep.

She woke up some time later by a loud banging noise from downstairs. She hastily left her room and went downstairs. "Merlin?" she shouted as she went. "What's going on?"

Merlin, who had been dozing in the corner, woke with a start at both the banging and Rachel's yelling. "How should I know?" he exclaimed, scrambling to his feet and tripping over his robe.

Drawing the sword she'd grabbed in Cinderella's Story, Rachel flung open the door. Instantly, a young girl with black hair ran inside, sobbing and wailing at the top of her lungs. She ran straight into Merlin, who grabbed her in an effort to keep her still. She started screaming louder, slamming her fists into him furiously. "Lass los! Lass los!" she yelled, and Rachel's head started to pound from the amount of noise the pale girl was making.

"Stop fighting!" Merlin answered in the same tone, holding her tight. Thankfully, she didn't look too strong. "Listen to me—we're not your enemies!"

"You...you are not?" the girl asked in a quavering tone, finally ceasing her sobs and wails. She looked at Merlin, blinking tears from her soft, deer-like brown eyes.

"No," Rachel said soothingly, touching the girl's shoulder gently. "We're friends. I'm a Guardian."

"Oh, thank God!" the girl cried. "There is a man—a man with dark hair—he's been chasing me! He means to kill me...you must help me!"

"You're Snow White, correct?" Merlin guessed, and the girl nodded. "Alright, Snow, just take a deep breath and we'll take care of this dark haired man."

"I'll stay with her," Gwen said. She and Red stood at the top of the stairs looking down.

"I will look with you, Merlin," Red added.

"I'll stay here," Rachel decided. Just from Snow's description, she could gather that the dark haired man was probably Guy, and she didn't want another run-in with him. Not after he'd run away without helping to save Alan.

Merlin gave her an odd look, but her glare must have told him to mind his own business. He cleared his throat and turned away. "Right. Come on then, Red." They quickly went out the door in search of Snow's attacker.

Snow White sat down on the floor and cried quietly. Rachel deduced she was probably sixteen years old, though she might have been younger. Guinevere sat beside her, gently running her hand over the girl's hair in comfort. Very soon, Snow White had fallen asleep. Rachel cocked her head. "That was pretty good," she said. "How'd you do it?"

"I...well, I just...," Gwen stammered, then shrugged. "I guess I'm just good with children is all. Lady Rachel—"

"Just Rachel, please," she interrupted. She shuddered a little; the term "Lady Rachel" reminded her far too much of Alan.

"Umm...right," Gwen said, looking as though Rachel had made an already-awkward situation even more so. "I—I'm sorry about Alan."

Rachel grabbed the edge of her cloak and started twisting it. "You have nothing to apologize for," she said, trying to maintain an even tone. "It wasn't your fault. It wasn't anybody's fault."

"We should have waited for everyone to come through," Gwen said as though she hadn't even heard Rachel. "But I ran like a coward, and...and..."

"Enough!" Rachel snapped. She woke Snow White, but she didn't care. "How many times do I have to tell you—it wasn't anybody's fault! Not yours, not Merlin's, not mine. The only person who is to blame is the Editor. So stop acting like a martyr!"

Guinevere stared at Rachel, taken aback. Snow White started crying again, which seemed to be all the girl could do. Rachel stood up, agitated. She brushed her blonde hair back, irritated at both Guinevere for bringing up such strong emotions and herself for unleashing them on the unsuspecting Queen.

Before either woman could say anything, the door slammed open. Rachel swung around to face it, expecting Merlin to have returned. Instead, Snow White's shrill scream might have saved Rachel's life; she dove down to the ground to avoid a sword strike aimed at her heart. "Gwen, get Snow clear!" Rachel yelled, fumbling with her sword as she hurriedly moved backwards. The sword came down in the wood where she had been seconds before and caught fast.

Rachel attacked her assassin, seeing his face for the first time as she swung the sword. She stopped the sword, horrified. "Ewan?"