The Law of the Prince Charming

Chapter 7.4

Tabitha runs into the house just in time to see the Lady of Bluedell come racing down the stairs, her eyes wide with terror. Her foot slips and her hand misses the railing. She falls forward with another scream.

Tabitha moves to catch her, but her foot tangles in her dress and she stumbles. The Lady of Bluedell tumbles forward, cracking her head against the stone floor just in front of her.

"My Lady!" Tabitha exclaims.

"All the bodies," the Lady of Bluedell whispers. Blood is flowing through her hair, turning it from brown to red.

"What happened?" the Lioness comes up behind Tabitha. The other ladies have followed her in. At least one of them is crying. Servants are swarming in from different parts of the house, but none of them knows what to do.

Tabitha feels the air contract around her. Something is wrong. This isn't the way the tale is supposed to go. "You." She shouts at one of the servants. "Call for a doctor."

The servant scurries off. Tabitha stands, gathering the Lady of Bluedell in her arms. Her stout body is trembling. Tabitha nails another servant with her gaze. "You. Show me where her room is."

The servant hesitates, looking around. "Maybe I should ..."

"Now."

The servant stumbles up the stairs and Tabitha follows. Behind her, she can hear the guests and servants talking and crying. Tabitha can feel the pressure of the magic flexing around her.

The servant tries to push open a pair of double doors to the Lady of Bluedell's room. "It's locked? It shouldn't be locked?"

Tabitha orders him aside and kicks the door firmly, but the lock holds against her flimsy shoes. She stumbles back, struggling to retain her balance while holding the Lady of Bluedell. She lines up another kick when the doors click open and swing inward on their own.

Tabitha carries the Lady of Bluedell inside and lays her on the bed. The servant lingers in the doorway. "Now go make sure they're actually calling a doctor. Have someone bring me some water and bandages," Tabitha orders.

The servant bows and dashes off to do as asked. Tabitha tries to get a better look at the wound on the Lady of Bluedell's head. It is still bleeding heavily, the red seeping into her pillow. The Lady of Bluedell stops trembling.

"Where are those water and bandages?" she shouts in frustration, as the magic in the air grows suddenly heavier. The tale is failing. Tabitha stands, turning toward the door as Wildrose strides in. She feels immediate comfort in seeing him. "How did you ...?" she starts.

"Silver told me," Wildrose replies. "What happened?"

"She fell down the stairs and hit her head on the floor," Tabitha says. "We need to-"

"She's dead," Wildrose walks past her.

"Dead? What?" Tabitha looks back at the Lady of Bluedell. "She can't be dead."

"The wardrobe was open. I closed it." He unfolds a piece of cloth in his hand to reveal a thick, solid key. For a moment Tabitha feels like she is falling into it. She stumbles back, nearly losing her balance.

The windows in the room open and close, the force of the movement shatters the glass panes. "What is-?"

"The Laws are breaking down." Wildrose clutches his fingers over the cloth-covered key. His knuckles turn white.

"Is that what that pressure is?"

"The Laws are trying to fix the story, but there are plot holes and the magic isn't being guided properly. The main character died and the Bluebeard didn't do it." Wildrose moves to a wardrobe in the room. He tries to pull it open, but the doors are locked.

"Open up!" Wildrose snaps and the magic rips the doors off its hinges. He looks surprised for just a moment before he reaches in and pulls out a dress.

"Hold on, were the walls always green?" Tabitha asks. "Are those ...leaves?"

Wildrose strips off his suit and Tabitha looks away. "Lace me up," he says.

Tabitha turns back to see he has pulled the dress on, and she moves to lace it up, her hands shaking. The windows and the trunk at the foot of the bed slam up and down repeatedly. The magic from the locus is thick as it pulls on the Laws of the tale. Tabitha feels like she is moving through water.

"When this is over, you have to contact Black and tell him what happened. Remind him of his promise."

"Promise?" Her fingers trip on the laces. Wildrose doesn't respond. "Tell me what's going on."

"The main character of this story died. It's looking for someone suitable.

"Suitable for...wait you mean you? You're not supposed to get too close to a tale."

Wildrose chuckles with feigned confidence and turns around. "Yes, that is the rule, isn't it? Now get away from me." He pushes his clothing into her arms.

"You ..."

"Go."

Tabitha steps back through the viscous air. Wildrose moves to the bed, still clutching the cloth in his hand. He stops next to the Lady of Bluedell's body and peels back the cloth from the key.

"Wildrose!" Tabitha takes a short step forward. "You can call me Tabitha."

Wildrose smiles at her. Tabitha does not see the fear, only his deep blue eyes as they sparkle for a moment before he touches the tale's locus.

Magic lances outward and the body on the bed vanishes. Wildrose's hair and eyes dull to brown, his face blurs into that of the Lady of Bluedell. The Lady of Bluedell gasps and collapses onto the bed.

"My Lady?" Tabitha steps forward, feeling dizzy.

"My head hurts." The Lady of Bluedell groans.

"You were in an accident. Please lie still." Tabitha isn't sure where the words came from. She helps the Lady of Bluedell into the bed.

Unblemished doors burst open and a doctor comes in, followed by several servants. Tabitha backs away to give the doctor room.

"Wait, don't go. Please stay with me." The Lady of Bluedell reaches for Tabitha.

"I'm here, my Lady. I won't leave." Tabitha stands nearby as the blood on her hands and clothing dry.

There is no longer as much blood on the bed and in the Lady of Bluedell's hair as there had been. The windows and the wardrobe are no longer broken, and no glass coats the floor. The magic had fixed it all so nothing could interfere with the tale.

The doctor proclaims the Lady of Bluedell to be very lucky, with just a small cut that doesn't need stitches, and a large bump. He tells her to take it easy for a day or two and tells everyone they should leave so the Lady of Bluedell can get some rest.

"Wait, I want to talk to the Lady of Redstone before she goes," the Lady of Bluedell says.

Tabitha moves over as the other people file from the room. "Rose?" Tabitha looks into the Lady of Bluedell's eyes, but they are entirely brown.

"I think some flowers would be nice," the Lady of Bluedell says. There is nothing of Wildrose in her gaze. "But I wanted to thank you for helping me."

"It was my pleasure." Tabitha takes a step back and bows. Only as she bends over does she remember she is in a dress. Tabitha excuses herself and as she turns the corner out of the room, her knees begin to wobble.

"Are you alright, my Lady?" The doctor helps to steady her. "Do you need assistance?"

"No, I'm fine," Tabitha says. "I just need to go lie down."

A servant guides her to her room. They ask several times if she wants anything, but Tabitha tells them no and they eventually leave. Only then does she allow herself to collapse onto the bed, grasping Wildrose's clothes to her chest. She squeezes her eyes closed, feeling tears threaten. Princes don't cry, but then she is a lady right now. The tears flow like she has been doing it her whole life.