It’s ‘Fairest’s release day!! Yay!! In honor of my f/f fantasy, fairytale, I’m posting a brand new fanfic/freebie story. It’s called ‘Take a Look at Yourself’.
The glass had been cleaned, thanks to the princessâs eventual success in removing its grime. Garnet stared at himself in the mirror, seeing his reflection for the first time inâŚhow long had it been? It couldnât have been a hundred years!
âI didnât realize Iâd done so much damage to my beard,â he said. Gently, he reached up to feel the rough patches on his chin. He moved his hand with care over the tufts of hair he had left. âI never meant to tug so hard.â
âIâm sure you didnât,â Opal said. He stood a little distance from his brother, out of range of the mirror. Coward, Garnet thought. âNone of us look as well as we once did.â
âPerhaps itâs time to look better,â Garnet said, lowering his hands. âWe should take better care of ourselves, instead of waiting around for some lost princess to do it.â
âItâs not like we were waiting around for princesses!â Opal said sharply. A little too sharply. âThey came to us! Besides, when have we ever cared what we dwarves look like to outsiders? All we ever had was each other!â
âYes, until we had her,â Garnet said. His hands longed to reach up, yank, and pull at the remaining hanks of his beard. âShe changed everything for us.â
âWe lost our brother, because of her. Letting her in was a mistake,â Opal said, shuffling his feet, but not moving any closer to the mirror. âShe was an outsider. Eventually, the outside reclaimed her, as we should have expected it to. â He shrugged again. The gesture made his shoulders tremble.
âIf thatâs true, why did you do the exact same thing Quartz did?â Garnet demanded. âWhy did you let another princess into our home?â
âWell, you saw our living conditions,â Opal mumbled. His eye roamed about the bedroom, avoiding his brotherâs gaze. âWe were drowning in dirt. Didnât seem like we had the time to do something about it ourselves.â
âIs that all there was to it?â Garnet demanded. He balled his hands into fists, willing them to stay at the level of his hips. âGetting the house cleaned?â
âMaybe more than the house needed cleaning,â Opal admitted. His gray eyes were watery, as they stared at the tip of his boots. âWhen I saw that witch at the door with another princess, I wondered if it was a sign.â
âA sign of what?â Garnet asked. He really wanted to reach for his beard! He banged one of his fists against his hip to distract himself from the urge. Pain spasmed through his hip.
âA sign that we needed to stop mourning our brother andâŚher,â Opal said. The last word emerged from his mouth with slow difficulty. âA sign that our lives have been on hold, ever since we lost Quartz. Itâs like weâve all been waiting forâŚsomething.â
âOr someone,â Garnet said, nodding. He unclenched his hands, as he stared his own homely face. What self-respecting dwarf tore his beard to shreds? How could he have let himself go like that? âDo you truly think that princess can bring our girl back from whatever sheâs become?â
âNo,â Opal said with a decisive shake of his head. âYou canât go back, whether youâre human or dwarf. You can only go forward.â
âI knew it,â Garnet growled. His hand reached for his chin. He stopped his fingers, willing them to stroke, rather than pull at the tuft it clutched at. âWe canât trust that witch queen or her promises. She might very well be tricking us into hoping that her princess can save our princess.â
âShe might be,â Opal agreed. An odd gleam came into his eye. âOne thing Iâve noticed about that witch queen, though. She seldom lies. She uses the truth to lure you into a trap.â
Opal took a deep breath, before he took a step forward. His reflection was now caught in the mirrorâs reflection, even though Garnet stood between him and its critical gaze. Opal laid his thick hands upon his brotherâs shoulders.
âIf anyone has reason to mistrust every word that comes out of that queenâs mouth, itâs you,â Opal murmured. âYou were closer to Quartz than any of us. You used to get yourself out of bed every morning with a curse on your lips. You mumbled nonstop that you wished sheâd start sprouting boils, or for that her magic would backfire, turning her into a newt.â
âAye, I did and I do!â Garnet said. All he had to do was think of that woman and whatever food rested in his stomach turned sour. âI know better than to trust that witch, no matter how hopeful her words.â
âYet, youâve decided to believe in those words,â Opal said. His fingers dug into his brotherâs shoulders. âWhy?â
âItâs not her words I believe in,â Garnet said, shaking his head. âItâs that girl.â
For a moment, blue eyes as clear and direct as the summer sky seemed to looked back at him from the glass. They werenât the queenâs. The queenâs gaze had never been so bold. There was a strength in them, which both the witch queen and their darling lacked.
âThereâs something about that girl, an energy, a direction which we brothers lost,â Garnet murmured. âI wonder if that energy might not be the key to saving our lost one.â
âAye,â Opal said. Some tension seemed to run out him. A smile crept over his bushy lips. âI can see she had the same effect on you that she had on me.â
âIâm going to grow it back,â Garnet vowed. âIf the curse falls upon that girl, Iâm not going to run whatever happens. Iâm going to go to that castle with a fine chinspread of whiskers to face whatever she awakens as.â
âAye,â Opal said. He released Garnetâs shoulders and stepped back, but he was still smiling. âWhatever happens, letâs all go to the castle. Looking our best.â
Garnet nodded, as his own mouth trembled in an unfamilar smile. Perhaps it was his fancy, but he thought there might be a few new whiskers in his beard already.