Maplepunzel, Part 6

They remained with Hilary and Betty for almost a month. Maple did everything she could to help Hilary. She cooked vegetable and fish stew and fresh bread made in the hearth. She scrubbed that little hovel within an inch of its life, washing down the floors and sweeping away the cobwebs with an old broom. Even Walter and Foley helped. Foley’s cotton tail dusted corners, while Walter brought his mama and the old lady fat fish and honey for their bread.

Usually, Hilary would be giving orders at the table, or when Maple helped her to stand, at the lumpy old chair in the corner. Maple definitely believed she had been a queen. She gave orders like a queen, pointing out when Maple let the stew burn or Foley missed corners, even though she could barely move her bony finger without someone doing it for her. Maple didn’t mind helping her stand or bathe or lay down, even when she fussed at her or complained the stew was too hot or the fish wasn’t cooked to her liking. 

Hilary did manage to pick up a tarnished silver brush and scissors to even out Maple’s hair. “That Pavla,” she growled, “ought to be castrated and sent to the seventh level of a fiery hell, not only for destroying my home and my life, but for what she did to you. Your hair will be lovely when it grows out.” 

She brushed it very well, far more gently and slowly than Pavla, and pulled what little was there back with a clean rag. “I used to do this for Betty,” she admitted. “She was such a beautiful girl. Quiet, intelligent, and the best writer in the kingdom. She wrote wonderful plays for me! They were all hits, every one.” And she leaned over to stroke Betty’s head, rubbing her nose with her slender fingers.

When Hilary wasn’t gazing wistfully into the ivory hand mirror or scolding Maple and the animals, she told wonderful stories. Hope Springs had been in her family for generations. The Booth royal family ran it as a center for culture, grace, and gentility. It had the largest and most elaborate theaters and was the home of the most literate writers, actors, and artists in the Seven Kingdoms. Streets with lavish, colorful mansions were lined with tall plum trees that burst into soft lavender petals in the spring and perfect green leaves in the summer. 

She was the most beautiful woman in Hope Springs, with her thick, curling chestnut hair, porcelain skin, and flashing dark eyes. Only one man had ever matched her formidable presence…but that was the one thing Hilary was reluctant to discuss. She told Maple she’d been engaged before Pavla attacked Hope Springs, but she never said to whom, or what happened to him.

At first, Betty the deer rarely left Hilary’s side. Hilary condescended to allow Maple to feed her, brush her, and walk her in the swamp. Maple really began to like the sweet doe. When she wasn’t attached to Hilary, she was smart, playful, and friendly. She knew where all the good berries were and would kick at poisonous mushrooms they couldn’t eat. She even kicked and hissed at a snake in one of the stagnant pools who tried to strike them.

Betty continued to ignore Scott, at least for the first week or so. She only allowed Hilary and Maple to pet and feed her. Scott mostly stayed outside, chopping firewood or catching quail and fish for dinner with Walter. He would sneak in with a bowl of fresh leaves and seeds and put it in front of Betty while Hilary was distracted with Maple. 

At first, the little deer would turn her nose into the air and lean into Hilary’s absent stroking, trying to look anywhere but at Scott. He would try to stroke her ears or chin, only for her to snap at him or yank her head away. He’d leave the food in front of her, his steady amber eyes gazing into her frosty chocolate brown ones, before going back outside to hunt with Walter.

One day, Betty didn’t pull away when Scott brought her a bowl of berries and nuts. She was much too hungry. Maple had been out gathering nuts and fruit with Walter and Foley, and Hilary was snoring in her chair. Neither had paid much attention to her. Her tiny stomach was making loud rumbling noises. She slowly ate a few nuts, then a few more. She didn’t flinch or pull away when Scott placed his big hand on her head and ran his fingers over it.

“Betty,” he said softly, “I still love you. I never stopped loving you. I stole the money from the Flowergrams Shop and Erie-Lackawanna Coaches for us, so we could escape Hope Springs together. So you could write what you wanted, and I could be what I wanted, maybe even set up a business of my own.” 

He sighed sadly, looking down at his hands on her snout. Her ears twitched at the words “I still love you.” “I never meant for this to happen. If I’d stayed…if I hadn’t left…maybe I could have done something. And now…now I can’t. I’ve missed you so much, Betty. You’re the most wonderful woman…person…animal…I’ve ever known.”

Maple came in just as Betty leaned into Scott’s warm, waiting arms. He enveloped her in them, giving her a hug before she finally pulled away and went back to Hilary’s side…but she still stared at him before laying down on her straw pallet. Walter went to his papa’s side and nuzzled it. 

Scott rubbed Walter’s head, giving Maple a wan smile. “I think I’m finally getting through to her, Mapes. I just…I love her so much…I loved her the moment I saw her. She’s so brilliant, so…strong…and to see her like this…” Tears spilled over as he gazed at the little deer leaning into Hilary’s hand, even as she slept. Maple held Scott and let him sob onto her shoulder. 

Walter licked his papa’s hand. He wished that little doe hadn’t made his papa cry! Papa was too nice for that! He had half a mind to tell that silly deer what he thought of her, if his papa didn’t need him right now. 

The next day, Maple was cleaning the hovel alone. Scott had taken Foley and Walter hunting, while Hilary snored loudly in her chair. Betty dozed next to her, Hilary’s hand on her head even as she slept. At least the hovel is looking better, Maple thought. There’s no more cobwebs, and it doesn’t smell like mildew. She still couldn’t believe it had once been the grand manor Hilary often described, with grand polished staircases, tinkling chandeliers, and airy bedrooms perfumed with lilac and roses. 

Maple absently picked up the ivory hand mirror, intending to clean and polish it as a surprise for Hilary. The elderly woman constantly looked into it, murmuring what she was sure sounded like sweet nothings and wistful conversations. Hilary never told her why she was talking to a mirror. She tried to peer into it once, but Hilary just said it was private and pulled it away. 

In a way, she could understand Hilary’s fuss. The mirror really was beautiful. Creamy white, with gleaming gold inlay, elaborate etching on the corners, and a long handle, it was the only expensive thing in the entire hovel. No wonder Hilary cherished it. It was likely all she had left of her life in Hope Springs. Maple wondered why Pavla let her keep a mirror, of all things. She supposed it meant a lot to Hilary, the way she fussed over it and wouldn’t let anyone else touch it.

Well, Hilary was sleeping now. It wouldn’t hurt to take one look. She wanted to see how her hair looked after Hilary trimmed it. Hilary said it had grown out a little bit. At least she hoped it didn’t make her look like a scared porcupine anymore!

Imagine her shock when she picked up the mirror and gazed into it…only to see a male reflection peering back at her instead of her own face! She almost dropped the mirror. Her shaking hand quickly put it back on the table, not believing what she saw. It had to be her imagination, she thought. Too much stress lately. Her heart beat triple-time as she picked it up again…and once again saw the face of a handsome young man reflected in the smooth, perfect glass.

Gosh, he was a looker! Tall and commanding, with cheekbones so high, they practically met his eyes. Short, thick black-brown curls framed heavy brows and dark almond-shaped eyes that were nearly as surprised as her own. He wore a navy uniform somewhat identical to Victor’s, with fewer buttons and less trim and a magnificent navy and gold cape. If this was the person in the mirror Hilary talked to every day, no wonder she didn’t want to show him off. She wouldn’t want to share a dish like that, either. He stood in what looked like the hovel, but turned around, so everything faced him. 

His eyes widened as she ran her fingers over the cool, smooth glass. He nodded towards Hilary, his gorgeous face heavy with concern. His lips moved, but no sound emerged. Where’s Hilary, she figured he was asking. Maple turned the mirror towards her and put a finger to her lips, to show she was sleeping. 

His dark eyes watched Hilary with nothing short of pure love and adoration. It reminded Maple so much of a similar look Victor used to give her, her heart hurt. Her fingers slipped to her pocket, where the ring he gave her still lay. Someday, she’d pull it out, but not now. Now, she was just glad it was still there. It reminded her so much of how much they loved each other. She missed him so badly. 

She was about to wave her hands and ask him what he was doing there when she heard a snort from Hilary’s chair. “Huh?” Hilary’s head shot up, her eyes fluttering open. “What…” Those tiny dark eyes widened when she saw Maple holding the mirror. “What in the bloody blue blazes are you doing manhandling my Jeffery?”

Jeffery? Maple mouthed, nodding at the mirror. Is that who that is? The young man in the mirror nodded. That name sounded familiar. Hadn’t Victor been looking for a brother named Jeffery?

“My poor, beautiful Jeffery.” Hilary reverently shuffled over and slowly took the mirror from Maple. “My fiance, or he would have been, if that…that Prague trollop hadn’t done this to him!” She stroked the mirror, running a clawed finger down him. He almost seemed to lean into her touch. “He can see everything that happens out here and we can see him, but he can’t hear us, and we can’t hear him. He’s trapped in that mirror, just like I’m trapped in this god-forsaken body.” 

Maple nodded at Jeff, trying to mime him wearing a crown. “Yes, dear, his full title is Prince Jeffery of Wennaria.” Hilary sighed wistfully. “He came looking for Betty and me, but that…that rotten sweet pastry of a witch got to him first!!” She slammed her gnarled fist on the table as Jeffery showed his teeth in anger at the mention of Pavla. “She married him before I could, then decided he wasn’t the one she wanted and bound him to the mirror!” 

Scott came in at this point, carrying three sleek silver fish in a bucket. Water dripped off his rolled-up leggings. Water trotted on his heels, nudging his papa. He wanted a fish! Foley came up behind him. “Hi, girls. What’s going on?” Betty trotted over, straining at her leash, which was tied to the arm of Hilary’s chair. “What is it with you and that mirror, Hilary?”

Hilary made a face. “This mirror happens to contain my fiance Prince Jeffery of Wennaria! Or,” she added softly, “he was. Until Pavla got her hooks into him.”

“I think there’s a story here.” Scott sat at the table next to Maple. Walter settled on his rear, too. He loved good stories! Grandmother Hilary and his papa told the best ones. “First of all, I’m guessing that’s Victor’s missing brother. Second, how did this happen? Hope Springs still had flowers and homes and people when I left…but after I got to Yorkalia two days later, I heard it was gone. It just…vanished. That doesn’t happen, Hilary!” 

“It did happen! It’s what she does!” Jeffrey nodded from in the mirror. “One of the things my Jeffrey can do is show the past as well as the present. It’s part of Pavla’s mirror curse. Jeff,” she went on softly, “show…what happened. Show Betty and me, the way things were.”