I could only stare up at the light as I lowered myself further and further away from it. My feet were fast beneath me, hooking onto each step with a shudder as I dared to consider that Cinderella was already dead and gone. There was a high chance that our attempts to save her would be futile. There was a chance that we, too, would be slaughtered.

  I tried to brush away that dark possibility of being hidden in a cavern, our bodies never to be found, left to rot in the stomach of the monster my father once famously slayed. But it seemed inevitable. I was not strong enough; physically or otherwise. I was marching myself towards the beast's mouth, and I had no plan and no power against it. Ana, with nothing more to lose, seemed fine to do so, were it not for the spark of revenge that continued to boil in her blood. Her voice let out no shudders; no gasps for breath; no talk of fear as she descended beneath me.

  Desperate for distraction, I blinked back tears, thinking of the life that I had lived. The day I had discovered the ocean, wide-eyed with boundless imagination as I thought of the possibilities of an endless expanse. The night of the ball, where my nerves melted away into tenderness the very moment I laid eyes on the faceless maiden draped in blue and green. The elation that I revelled in with every new discovery leading closer towards her. But when I had become only steps away from her, only then did I think to turn back and live. I paused, watching the flames die above. Was it too late?

  I continued. I tried to think again of happiness; my father's stories, the ways they had sounded when I was a child. I imagined his arms around me, while his voice echoed the tale of fighting wendigos in the North Continent. I had thought of the land of ice he travelled on, frozen to the bone, as he took on the terrifying man-eating beast who could not feel the unbearable cold. He liked to frighten me with the monster, but his voice would always soften, and I knew that the tale would always come to a happy ending.

  Happy endings were all my mother and father ever had. I blinked again. I was not to be so lucky.

  Recent memories flicked past my mind as though I was already dead. I saw Cinderella's head resting on my shoulder as we sat beneath the stars. I watched Emiliano emerge from the crowd of soldiers, cementing his choice to believe in my cause. I almost felt the wind of the avery rush through me as Ana sat beside me, back when she was just Zolin, showing me the drawing of myself at my grandfather's statue. I closed my eyes and allowed myself to simply feel the comfort, finally allowing a single tear to roll away. The urgency tugged at me, but had I allowed myself to give in to it completely, it would have driven me to madness.

  A breath escaped me as my foot touched the ground. In-between those memories, there was an emptiness. Recollections of staring at walls, waiting for time to pass by. Growing up in the same few acres of land, buried in books as my only means to fly beyond the outer wall. Waiting for sunset to fall and lying awake at night, happy to finally sleep away the time. The unsettling sadness that crawled up my neck as I laid there, realising that I would have to repeat the day again when I awoke. The stifling, painful realisation that I had done nothing of value until it was too late crept up my spine. So many days wasted. So much life gone away. All until Cinderella came into my life, and suddenly gave me a purpose.

  I could not let her go.

  I paced quicker and quicker towards the two doors Gloria led us to, until there was no room left between the three of us. She opened them with reluctance, revealing another room, though much larger than the last. Ignoring the reek of rotten flesh in the air, I pushed my way from the tunnel and entered the unknown carelessly.

  "Hello?!" I called out desperately. I jerked my head sharply, over and over again, rechecking directions I knew to be empty. My voice echoed at least twenty feet above me, but faded out to nothing. My heart hammered in my chest, feeling the dawn of unending hopelessness.

  "Who said that?"

  I recognised that voice.

  "Hello!" I repeated, surprised I had any more breath to give. "It's Andres! Prince Andres!"

  I heard a short gasp.

  "Andres? W-what are you-"

  "-There is no time to explain. We have to get out! Now!"

  I turned to where Cinderella's voice came from, but I could not see her. I could hardly see a thing. And I could not hear a footstep.

  A grumble shook the ground, startling us all. The sound of scales and feathers sliding against the wall wrapped itself around us, muffled but astonishingly loud. Instead of freezing in place, I ran towards Cinderella, catching nothing but air. The serpent was there - lurking in the walls - smelling us all. We were its feast, trembling and disorientated. Ana's blood and mine soaked in our clothes, being lost by the minute. The serpent's appetite growled from the walls. It would have to strike soon if it was to strike at all.

  I fought through my shaking breath and spoke the name I had longed to know.

  "Estella?"

  I tripped forward. Desperately, I held out my arms to catch myself, but instead, they pressed against soft flesh and bone, warm to the touch. It hardened at my pressure and held me upright, dropping something which smashed against the stone ground. I breathed. I could feel a warm breath close to my face. I stood, releasing my weight from Estella's shoulders, so close to her face that I could feel a curl of her hair touch my forehead. I stepped away, embarrassed, trying to squint in the dark to see her face. She kept her hands on my arms, giving me great comfort, despite the fact that she was touching the wet sting of my wound.

  "It's alright." She said, and she let go of me, lowering herself to whatever she had dropped. "I just need to feed my stepmother's Western Griffin."

  "Griffin?" I said. I turned towards Gloria, who stepped forward, making her presence known. But she could not speak. Not before I exposed her lie. "She is not holding any griffins here. That sound? That slithering in the walls? That's a feathered serpent! We have to get out."

  "Stepmother?" Estella said. I heard Gloria take something from her sleeve and scrape it against the wall three times. A spark ignited, and she walked towards the room's centre and touched it to a giant fire pit. Though it was dim, it was enough to highlight the swirled carvings on the walls and the crimson-stained floor, cluttered with torn rags. I was knocked sick as I saw a lone shoe tattered beside me, once belonging to someone long dead and digested. Gloria just stared at her stepdaughter, not offering any explanation.

  Estella abandoned the smashed plate at her side, which was splattered with chunks of raw chicken. Her head was too low to see her face, and despite everything, I yearned to see it, just once, before the inevitable was to happen.

  The top half of her hair was wrapped up behind her head, the rest falling to her shoulders in deep brown coils. When she finally looked up at me, I felt my breath being taken from my body. My eyes widened, taking her in for the first time. The face I had longed to see, free from the spell of the Faerie Godmother.

  If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

  Estella stood, still close to me, allowing me to see every detail of her glowing face in the firelight. The skin on her rounded face was golden brown, shining like the richest bronze of the Mendessan mines. Her cheeks were plump and youthful, running down delicately to a soft-pointed chin, which lifted up a pair of naturally peach lips. Beneath her eyes, she had dark circles, which only excenuated their rounded shape and sweet chocolate hue. Above that, her eyebrows were high and rounded outwards, opening up the beauty of her face. Everything about her exuded a softness; a kindness built into her character, far more deserving of the 'Charming' name that I had acquired. It was undeniable how beautiful she was, but something about her unkemptness stood out to me in particular. She was so natural in her beauty. So willing to present herself as she was, fearless of judgement.

  I wondered how Gloria could ever subject such a woman to that terrible fate.

  I forced myself to tear my eyes away from Estella. Instead, I looked to Gloria with my eyebrows furrowed.

  "Your stepmother wanted to feed you to her beast!"

  A painful silence dawned.

  "You wouldn't do that," Estella's voice and head shook at her stepmother, "you...would?"

  The countess' eyes went dark.

  "The beast hungered for your blood; your father's blood. Who would I be to deny it?" She stepped away from the flame, cascading herself in shade. "That day… when your father was found dead. I had never felt so much shame. He never should have found that cellar I had built while he was away. He never should have pried into what I was keeping for us - our own wish-granting serpent. I had only meant it as a gift. A gift for our family to prosper….despite you. His golden child. A constant reminder of the woman he used to love. A distraction. He was not meant to die. But keeping this serpent… feeding it human sacrifices instead of animals… that was the only way I could get him back."

  The truth crushed Estella like a boulder. The tragic but understandable reasons for her father's death became brutalised with images of torn flesh and crunched bones. She did not want to believe it.

  "That's… impossible." She said, before the realisation hit her that, despite her untrustworthiness, Gloria would never lie about something so obscene. "How could you? How did I never…"

  "I kept you distracted for long enough." Gloria explained. "I gave you the chores around the house. Menial tasks. Purposefully requesting meals that took a lifetime to cook. Cleaning the house from top to bottom, under impossible standards to keep you busy. All the while, I led others here, to meet the fate your father did. Only now I realise it wants a certain kind of blood. Whether that be the blood of the man who killed his father…" she looked at me with a flash of wickedness, "...or the blood of the man I want to bring back to life. Either way. I have you both here. And you shall get what you deserve. For Fabián, it is a fair deal."

  Estella's face turned scarlet.

  "But I am his child! Your daught-"

  "-You are no daughter of mine!" Gloria snapped sharply, "You are a reminder of the life I had lost! Everything I had lost! Your father was a good man. It should not have been him who was killed that day, and yet I wasted years caring for you in his place! It should have been you, Estella! It sickens me that you are still alive!"

  She stormed forward, before Ana held her back. The blaze in her eyes was too fierce to be stopped, and she tried to fight through Ana's grasp, growling like a rabid hound as Estella stood still in utter shock.

  The grumble shattered the air once more. All four of us almost lost our balance. Gloria's teeth were clenched, growing into an unsettling grin, as the sound became more and more clear. A sudden heat flared in the atmosphere, calling in a screech from above. My body jolted as I heard the noisy flapping of wings, just the same as I had heard them on the field to Castillon. A shadow moved quickly past us, almost snuffing out the light of the flames. And then, in the opposite direction, it moved again, passing from one round door to another. I held my arms out, using myself as Estella's shield as I witnessed the serpent's terrifyingly swift movements.

  I searched desperately. There were no weapons - no possible means of defeating it. We were dead, if we did not leave.

  I grabbed Estella's wrist from behind me.

  "Run!"

  We sprinted towards the exit. Shaken to our core, the serpent blocked our path with a mighty force. It swooped down, gripping something in its talons. I heard a cry. I heard a struggle.

  "Ana!"

  Gloria was thrown against the wall, crimson splattering from her head as her bones crunched lifelessly on the ground. Ana kicked and elbowed and bit with all her might, slowly being squeezed to the point of no breath.

  The serpent darted around, trying to chase the rest of its prey before enjoying the feast of its lifetime. It bared its sharp teeth, drooling and twisting its body between us. Estella, despite everything, ran to her stepmother, separating us between a long, green tail.

  "You have done well, Gloria." The beast's voice echoed, while his mouth did not move. "The son of the man who killed my father. And even better… the girl who slaughtered my brother!"

  I heard a crack as he crushed Ana's ribs. Her painful scream ruptured my eardrums and tore down my skin like the serpent's claw. The serpent sniffed her and read her thoughts, gaining pleasure out of her lengthened suffering. She resisted despite her pain and bit down on its flesh once more, barely making so much as a puncture. With hungry eyes, the serpent headed for Estella. I ran; I ran as fast as my legs could carry me, and then some. Almost stumbling forward, I shoved Estella away from its gnashing teeth, letting us both fall to the hard floor. Despite my pain, I stood before her once more. The serpent readied itself to strike again. Against my will, my arms shot in front of me. My face creased.

  "I'm sorry!" I blurted. I did not know who I said it to. Could it have been Ana, who I had led with me, only to bring to her fate? Estella, who I had pushed away? Gloria, who I left to bleed out? Or my father and mother, who would be left without an honourable heir? I could not fight this creature - not with a weapon, nevermind with my bare hands. But I felt a strength within my core, blazing through my veins, giving me permission to stare down the serpent's glowing yellow eyes. I had no weapons. But I had words. And I had thoughts and dreams that I needed to accomplish. I was not done there yet; none of us were.

  "I'm sorry about the genocide of your species. I'm sorry that you lost your family." I did not dare to lower my arms. "I can never imagine such a thing. And I cannot imagine being trapped somewhere…" a familiarity washed over me and my words slowed, "...expected to fulfil a purpose…"

  The feathered serpent was silent. I did not need to speak, for he was already peering into my inner thoughts, searching for fear to justify his attack. I spoke again to distract him from finding it.

  "That cull. It affected you more than anyone. Even I, who suffered with the consequences of being the kin of your father's murderer; born with the need to kill something so equally great to prove my strength… I have not suffered how you have suffered. And I hope to never do so. I love my father… despite everything." I felt a tear sting my eye. "And I love Ana - the greatest friend anyone has ever known. And I love Estella, who made me into the person I wanted to become. Please… please don't kill them. You might want revenge but it will not fulfil you. You might think it is your nature to be strong and vengeful, but it isn't always so. You don't have to be this way. You don't have to be a hero for your ancestors."

  The serpent felt the strength of my heartbeat as I dared to lower my guard. With caution, I stepped closer towards it, and then took another careful step until I was so close that I could smell the heat of its blood-soaked breath. A bead of sweat dribbled down my brow, but regardless, I held up my hand and gingerly hovered over its hideous face. Its airborne tail, whipping and bending, settled to merely floating inches above the ground. It was listening. And with a careless thud, it dropped Ana to the floor. She rolled away, grunting. I tried not to look in her direction, in fear that the serpent would notice its abandonment. Instead, I stayed fixed on his eyes, and finally, my hand touched his face softly.

  At last, I felt brave. I felt undefeatable. And I did not need violence to achieve it. I had finally learned what nobody had ever told me; a great secret kept from humanity. There was no bravery without fear. And to face a fear was the strongest thing anyone could do. Whether it was the fear of judgement, the fear of the outside world, or the fear of the feathered serpent - I had conquered them all. Not before then had I given myself credit. I had been so concerned with taking on terrible foes and facing dangerous adventures like my father that I had forgotten that even minor, everyday anxieties took strength to overcome; more power than that once never-terrified man had ever needed to exude.

  My strength came from kindness. Not from violence.

  Suddenly, the serpent let out a mighty screech. Around its tail, a flaming rag was tied tightly, squeezing in its scales and feathers, which spread the flame even more across its body. It thrashed on the ground, writhing for release, screeching at much as its giant lungs could muster. Behind him, avoiding the flames wafting from its body, Ana laid, unable to stand, looking triumphantly at the ferity. She threw aside a blood-soaked, flaring rag she had used to ignite it.

  "Go!" She begged with a strained voice.

  Estella dragged me away, narrowly missing a flaming wing as it came lashing towards us. I loosened myself from her grasp. Recklessly, I dived beneath the wing and lifted Ana onto my back. She protested, but her words became uncontrollable coughs through the smoke. I reached out to Estella, who could not move. With Ana's weight clenched to my back, I bolted back towards her, gesturing for her to go to the exit. She struggled and yelled out.

  "Go, Andres!" She cried. Around her ankle, a bony hand gripped its long nails into her skin, making it ooze with blood.

  She kicked and kicked, but Gloria would not lose her grip. Croaking against the heat of the smoke, I reached Estella.

  "If I am to die here, so must she!" Gloria screeched. She dragged back Estella's foot, pinning her to the ground as the serpent unhinged its jaw with fury. Estella struggled between her grasp and mine, before letting out a cacophonous howl. She shut her eyes tight. She lifted her free leg. With a slam, she brought it down with force. Gloria's forearm bent backwards.

  Gloria screamed and let go. Estella ran with me. She did not look back.

  I led Estella and Ana to the stairs - back to safety. To my horror, I dared to witness what we left behind.

  The serpent, wheezing out its final breaths, shrieked and bellowed, causing the ground to shake wildly. Gloria held her arm, unable to stand, and the blood on her head continued to clot in her hair in a gruesome display. Angered, defeated and betrayed by its master, the serpent thrusted forward, and for one last time and one last victim, it struck Gloria Del Flores. With one fell swoop, it impaled her body between its teeth. Unable to finish the job, the serpent laid still, burning away until the flames no longer had any flesh to feed on.