Snow X Dwight ~ Two!

“Yaaaah!” The muscled teenager across the river jumped in the air, pumping his fist. “I'm me again!”

“What.” Rose spoke for both of the twins as they stared at the solo celebration. Somehow, he heard the dry, shocked statement and turned to face them, immediately shifting into a courtly bow.

“Thank you for saving me from that curse!” he practically shouted at the ground he was now nearly parallel with. “I've been stuck as a bear for over a year, and that maniac has been hunting me for nearly six months. I admit, I was starting to lose myself. Had I stayed in that form much longer, I may have been trapped permanently.”

“How… were you a bear?” When Snow finally managed to speak, pure incredulity filled her voice. “Curses can transform you into-?”

The man popped upright, seemingly bubbling with energy as he rushed to the water's edge. “Give me a moment, I can bear-ly hear you! Ha!”

Moments later, he was in the water, swimming powerfully toward the twins. Reaching the shallows, he waded closer… and stepped onto shore with no sign of the wards activating. Snow felt unexpectedly relieved and allowed herself to relax slightly as the grinning young man restarted his tale.

“It's so nice to finally be able to speak again.” Seeing how his rescuers shied away slightly, he lifted his hands to signal ‘friend’, staying rooted in place as he recounted, “My kingdom came under attack from a coven of Witches and their minions. They made off with several of our most precious treasures, and we mobilized after them. During the chase, my father and brothers fell back upon seeing their dark powers, but I failed to heed the warnings.”

His eyes went distant, seeming to relive the tale even as he told it. The tips of his fingers brushed against his arm, drawing Snow's eyes to where a faint, raised scar puckered his skin. Seeing the pain on his face, she spoke up before he could continue further. “You don't need to say more. We can help you get back and-”

“No, please, I don't mind. There's a type of healing to be had in sharing one's sorrows—especially since my tribulations have come to a close.” Even as he spoke, he offered her a warm smile of thankfulness. “I would gladly accept whatever help you could offer in returning me to my home. I've traveled… I don't even know how far. My supplies are gone. Not to mention, the food I was able to eat as an animal would not sustain me now, and…”

He glanced down, flushing suddenly before letting out a relieved sigh. “It seems my clothes have transformed with me, thank the system. I had completely forgotten to worry that they wouldn't survive the curse.”

“Yeah, that would’ve been… unfortunate,” Rose agreed with a shudder. “You have a name, or should we keep thinking of you as ‘that guy that was a bear just now’?” 

Snow rolled her eyes for her sister’s benefit even as the young man quickly introduced himself. “Dwight Charmant, Duke of Artek. Or, presumptive Duke, so long as nothing unfortunate has befallen my brother, Crown Prince Charmant Charmant the Second. Err… also, assuming my father has not declared me dead and raised another to my position.”

“Your father's alive, Duke singular Charmant?” Rose questioned him without pause, getting a nod in reply, “You look to be about… what, fifteen? Then you're not a duke yet; you're a prince.”

“Duke,” he stated with a touch of steel in his voice. “The only way I become a prince is if my brother has been felled, and I would never wish an ill fate on him.”

“Well, Duke Charmant, please allow us to offer you hospitality,” Snow declared firmly upon seeing her now-guest begin to shiver as the excitement of his rescue wore off, and the chill from the river set in. “I'm looking forward to hearing the rest of your troubles, but let’s not add to them by allowing you to catch your death. Besides, when's the last time you had a hot meal?”

“Too-” He cleared his throat and looked away, his jaw working as he bit clamped down on his outsized emotional response. When he spoke again, his voice was raw. “Too long. It would mean the world to me to dine with you… both. To be treated like a person again.” 

“Then come, let us away.” Snow pulled her sister along, still not perfectly comfortable with the man claiming to be foreign royalty.

The twins hurried to the door of the cottage just as the royal knights returned, their search for Gasteel unsuccessful. After a quick introduction and explanation, the knights looked at Dwight with less suspicion—not no suspicion, but less—and he was shown to a room to be dressed in warm and dry clothes. When he rejoined the gathering, there were several additional curious people listening in as he continued his story.

“I ranged far afield, doggedly pursuing the Witches, who had robbed our vault. Apparently, my hunt brought them no end of annoyance, as they were unable to settle in and celebrate their successful raid. In the end, one of them threw a brew in the air, shattering it with an incantation and bathing me in a dark energy. Just before it coated me, I activated my skill and took the attack in my second form-”

“Ah!” Sir Upp, the royal knight who had been charged with Snow’s safety since she was a baby, snapped his fingers in excitement as he made a connection. “I have heard of your kingdom! By the system, Prince Charmant… you’re a long way from home.”

Completely unconcerned with the interruption, the young man leaned forward eagerly. “How distant is a ‘long way’? I traveled as an animal would, but with the boundless, endless stamina of humanity.”

“The Kingdom of Artek is in the northernmost parts of the continent, two years’ travel by carriage if there are no delays whatsoever,” Sir Upp enthusiastically explained, not at all bothered by how Dwight's face fell at the information. “You took a direct strike from a Witch and were only inconvenienced? It speaks well of your powers to be able to resist her dark influence.”

The royal knight turned to address the twin princesses. “The royal family is known to have a powerful bloodline gained in the distant past by a Dire Ursa, who ascended to Monstrous status, only to turn away from its base desires and walk the path of a Hero after it gained intelligence—becoming essentially the best of human in all ways that matter. Princess, those of royal blood are rumored to be able to transform into bears, are powerful combatants, and have potent resistances to most ill effects.”

“Princess?” Dwight perked up at the casual mention by the knight. “One of you is a princess? I had assumed you were both from some noble family, but this makes expressing my gratitude much easier!”

Leaping to his feet, he shifted into a deep bow once more, “Princess, you who have saved my life, please accept my formal offer of engagement. While I may not be from the largest kingdom on the continent, we are powerful and wealthy.”

“Wow.” Rose leaned back in her chair. “Can you believe it? You do something nice for someone, and they try to ruin your life in return?” 

“Rose!” Snow hissed in shock at her sister’s jest, but the blonde powered on without concern.

“Tell me this, Dwight. Which one of us is the princess? Who are you proposing to right now?” The princess leaned forward, glaring at the older boy. “How are you able to stand there with a straight face and announce the first thing that crosses your mind like that? I understand you've been away from other people for a long time, but right now, I think you should feel ashamed.”

The duke stumbled away, his eyes rolling in his head as a wave of intense emotion washed over him, forcibly wiping the smile off his face. “No insult was intended, I swear! I’m simply attempting to honor the life debt I owe-”

“Stop it.” Snow shot to her feet, pulling her sister's chair back away from the table and breaking her concentration. “Look at him! He's shaking worse than when he broke a curse and immediately swam across the river. It's been less than an hour since he managed to return to his current form. Can we please give him some grace? If not, would you at least tell me what's the matter with you?”

“He’s trying to separate us!” Rose shouted at her sister, going pale as she realized her sister's passive persuasion had caused her to blurt out her real thoughts. Even so, she didn't stop herself from speaking, “You heard what Sir Upp just said! Dwight's kingdom is two years’ travel by carriage. You’re going to be queen here someday. What if our parents actually accepted his outlandish proposal? Do you want me that far away from you?”

Completely taken aback by her sister's outburst, Snow hesitated for a long moment before leaning forward and wrapping her arms around the outraged twin. “Of course I don't want us to be that far apart. But why in the world do you think I'm going to be queen? I'm two and a half minutes older than you are; that doesn’t matter when choosing the line of succession. You're powerful, you can fight, and your skills are growing. Not to mention…”

“Oh, don't say it.” Rose huffed as she saw a familiar pain in her sister’s eyes.

“You know it's true.” Snow overrode her sister in a quiet tone. “What kingdom would accept a queen who only has Epic skills like I do? With five modifiers, you have a Legendary skill set and are the clear choice to be the next sovereign. I'm completely fine with that, as it means I'll be able to live a happy life and support you in the background.”

“You’re legitimately a born, system-approved diplomat.” Rose groaned uncomfortably, pushing her sister away. “I can't believe you think you won't be able to take the crown because you have ‘only’ Epic skills.”

“Four modifiers means I have less versatility.” Snow shrugged nonchalantly. “It's just a fact. Our neighbors would see us as weakened, and even if I have a better chance of talking people into an alliance… those are just words. Kingdoms respect strength.”

“Look, let's not… discuss such private matters in the open like this.” Rose turned to look at the duke, who had remained silent since her outburst. “My apologies, Duke Charmant. I tend to feel deeply, as I'm sure you realized by now.”

“Yes. If what you caused me to feel was even a fraction of your true passion… that is far beyond my standard, um…” The duke stammered, trying to figure out how to remain polite after being subjected to her skills. “That depth of emotion may chase me, but it has never before managed to engulf me.”

“Poetic way to reveal your shallow ability to feel-” Rose bit off her retaliatory remark as Snow gave her a look. “My, uh, apologies once again. It’s been a… trying day. Please, we've interrupted you so many times. Tell your story?”

“Ah. Yes. Certainly.” Dwight furrowed his brow, his expression clearing as he remembered what he’d been saying, though he spoke with a hint less enthusiasm than he had been. “Just before the foul attack of the Witch landed, I transformed, using my bloodline’s Class Skill. Instead of doing… whatever it was supposed to do, the cursed fluid wrapped around me, partially cutting me off from the system by removing my ability to return to my human form.”

The duke paused for a heartbeat, his face clouding, “From how my horse was rendered to glue, I can only assume the effects of the vile brew were meant to be far deadlier. Ah… Snowflake. You’ll be missed.”

“Snowflake… melted?” Snow gulped at the vivid image his story conjured in her mind, hoping it wasn’t a portent of her own future. “Yet you were merely trapped? That must be some magical resistance. How did you know to seek out the totem which reversed its effects?”

“Instead of dissipating, or washing off, after the fluid took effect, it came together and formed that totem.” Dwight grunted in frustration, “The Witches took it with them, telling me they would be sending a hunter to show me ‘how it felt’. I was meant to fight him to the death to reverse this curse, but he was far too skilled. Even when my last-ditch ambush went all but perfectly, the hunter would have at least escaped except… well, you know the rest.”

“You're safe now, lad!” Sir Upp boisterously stated, slapping a hand on Dwight's shoulder and gently shaking him. “I'll send a couple of my men back to the palace with you to explain your situation. I'm certain they’ll send you home in style. We should be off soon; otherwise it’ll be too dark to-”

“I cannot rest here?” Dwight’s face fell slightly as Sir Upp shook his head firmly.

“Certainly not! It would be completely improper for you to stay under the same roof as the princesses.” The knight pulled his hand away, a slight suction pulling at Dwight’s shoulder as he did so. “Apologies, I seem to be a bit sticky.” 

“But why?” Dwight glanced at the hand in question with no small amount of concern in his eyes.

“Sorry you lost a year to being a bear, Duke Charmant,” Rose casually called, calmer now that she knew this interloper would be moving along shortly. “I'm glad we could help you.”

“It's not all bad.” Dwight turned back to the twins, looking between them. “So, you are both princesses of this kingdom? How fascinating. Oh, when I say it's not all bad, being a bear was… surprisingly pleasant when I wasn’t being hunted. Beyond giving me a deep grudge against Witches—never a bad thing—the situation provided fantastic growth for my skills. In fact, I will gain access to my Breakthrough Skill upon reaching a Class Shrine.”

“Congratulations! That's quite the achievement.” Snow grasped his offer of an olive branch, turning the conversation to more pleasant topics.

Yet, the meal could only last so long, and soon a pair of knights were flanking the duke as he walked toward a prepared horse. Pulling himself on with the ease of someone who had long hours of training with large animals, he looked at the twins and raised a hand. “I shall not forget my promise nor the debt I owe you. Before I sojourn home, I will surely take the time to repeat my offer to the king and queen. Farewell, and I hope to see you again someday.”

“Farewell, Duke Charmant,” Snow called cheerfully.

“Four years at the minimum, if his journey has no delays,” Rose commented under her breath, “Glad we could help the guy, but we're never seeing him again. Good riddance.”

The rest of the week they had at the cottage passed slowly and uneventfully compared to the first day. Each day spent together allowed the twins to relax further, speaking on their dreams and plans for the future. Still, time relentlessly marched forward, and soon they had returned to their carriage and were making the trip back to the capital city.

“At least one of us managed to use our time productively.” Rose poked at Snow as the raven-haired princess glanced happily at her left arm. Even with as relaxed as the last few days had been, Snow had managed to make more progress than she had in the previous six months. 

Skill increase! Aura of Innocence [Level 6 (Considerable) → Level 7 (Proficient)]!

Requirement to advance to level 8: Mediate a peace talk between feuding groups commanding immense power, calming tensions on both sides.

Their journey home lasted two full days, and they managed to arrive at the capital, the port city of Deckbett, on the eve of their birthday. From there, it was only an hour through the forest and up the mountain to reach the palace just outside the city. As they clamored out of the carriage, ready to rush in and learn how Dwight had been received, their father stepped out to greet them. 

“Welcome home, Snow. Rose.” The excitement the twins had been feeling melted away as they took in the dark rings under his eyes, his haggard appearance, and the general air of despair surrounding him.

“Father-?” Snow began, only for Rose to interject.

“What's happened? What's the matter?”

The king ran a hand through his hair, letting out a deep sigh. “I had hoped your return would be a joyous occasion. Unfortunately… I do not have good news to share. A few weeks ago, your mother, the queen, was struck by a severe illness. We didn't want to scare you, but unfortunately… the healers and alchemists have been unable to find a curative which will restore her. She's resting now, but-”

Without waiting for another word, Rose dashed into the palace.

“-she doesn’t have long,” the tired man finished sadly.

“Father… why would you send us away?” Snow inquired as she stepped forward and pulled him into an embrace. Hot tears trickled down her hair as the king quietly allowed his feelings to spill over, soon joined by hers. They parted slightly and began walking toward the queen’s chambers.

“We had hoped that this would all be taken care of, and you wouldn't have to worry for her.” His words rang hollow, but there just wasn’t more he could offer. “Don’t allow yourself to fall into despair. We have the best people in the kingdom searching for a cure…” 

“…She’s going to be fine.”