Charming, Volume 2 by Jack Heckel

is, did the lady flee the castle, and was she chased into the woods by this ensorcelled huntsman?”
    Both the dwarves started to speak, and Charming stopped them with a brisk motion. “I don’t want any philosophy, just a yes or no.”
    â€œYes,” said Dorian, the gray-­haired dwarf.
    â€œNo,” said Grady. “It was not a huntsman. I think Liz said it was Rapunzel’s valet.”
    Charming felt his knees buckle under him. He grasped the rail to keep himself upright. They had seen Elizabeth. “Is she safe? Is she well? Tell me where she is!”
    Grady, the angry dwarf, started to speak, but the elderly fellow grabbed at his sleeve and stopped him. He gathered the group of performers together in a huddle, and they conferenced for a minute in low whispers. Finally, Dorian emerged, narrowing his eyes at Charming. “And who is it that’s asking?”
    â€œWhat?” said Charming.
    â€œWell, we know His Lordship here, at least by reputation, but we don’t know you. Who exactly are you? How do we know your intentions?”
    â€œI am Prince—­” he started to say, and then bit his tongue.
    The elderly dwarf responded with a stuttered, “You are a prince?”
    â€œNo,” Charming said with a shake of his head, “Prince Charming is no more, I am . . .” He hesitated and then straightened himself. “I am just a man that loves Lady Elizabeth, and I swear on my life that I shall allow no harm to come to her.” With that, he pulled the glittering shoe from its hiding place and placed it on the railing before him.
    The dwarves looked between the two shoes with wide-­eyed disbelief. “Well, we’ll be,” they all said in unison.
    â€œNow, where is she? Is she safe?”
    Dorian answered, “She’s perfectly safe. She’s at our cottage in the woods—­recuperating.”
    â€œRecuperating?” Charming said sharply. “Was she hurt?”
    Dorian blinked. “Oh, yes. But she’s fine now. Nothing more than a busted head and, um, a broken arm?”
    Charming paled. “Broken arm? Busted head?”
    â€œYes, at least that was my preliminary diagnosis,” the dwarf said in a suddenly nervous voice. “Others may disagree, but you’ve got to understand the circumstances. A great deal of latitude must be given for the rather crude medical tools I had at my disposal. Anyway, not knowing her medical history, any reasonable practitioner would choose to be a bit overcautious in their treatment.”
    The dwarf rambled on, but Charming had already stopped listening. He paced along the balcony, deep in thought. As if concluding some internal debate, he stopped and asked, “How long has it taken you to journey here?”
    Dorian shrugged. “Not too long, a few days. But, then, we walked.”
    â€œYou can’t trust horses!” Grady interjected.
    The others nodded their mute agreement.
    Charming turned to his host. “Your Lordship, Adam, I need . . .”
    â€œYou need to go to her, young man,” Adam answered. He snapped at the butler, who had returned with a massive silver tea tray. “Giles, give Charming anything he needs.”
    â€œAll I need is a sword and Your Lord’s fastest horse.”
    I am coming, Elizabeth.

 
    Chapter 5
    On Bended Knee
    LIKE THE FORESTS of most fairy tale kingdoms, the woods of Royaume are littered with cottages, which is odd, given that these same forests are also filled with giant boars, gruesome trolls, and a host of deranged woodland creatures. Nevertheless, whether you are a red-­hooded girl frolicking carefree along a woodland path or a raven-­haired beauty fleeing for her life into the trackless depths, it seems that no matter where you go, some little house will pop up like a toadstool in the night. If you’re lucky it might be the home of a family of benevolently domestic, if overly