The Grimm Diaries Prequels Volume 11- 14: Children of Hamlin, Jar of Hearts, Tooth & Nail & Fairy Tale, Ember in the Wind, Welcome to Sorrow, and Happy Valentine's Slay. (17 page)

Her illogical words helped me die in peace—death was an illogic incident, right?

I had never imagined that dying would be so much like sleeping, and I was grateful I died in the arms of that woman.

“You’re destined for greatness, and you will have your revenge,” were the woman’s last words.

It was in that moment that I knew I was actually dying in the arms of Death.

I understand now that it’s unlikely that you have read a diary written by a dead girl before, but here I am, not really dead, but I have died—confusing, I know.

When I woke up again I was in the room with ashes falling all around me, and a bird’s red feathers scattered on the floor—the Phoenix’s feathers. The girl with funny clothes was standing in front of me.

“Do you remember now?” she repeated the question she had asked me in the beginning.

I nodded without saying a word, even though there was so much I didn’t understand.

“You can’t die,” the girl said.

“That’s ridiculous,” I said. “Everyone dies.”

“It’s true,” she said. “And actually you die, but you rise again from your ashes, like a Phoenix bird. It’s a gift and you deserve it.”

“That’s impossible,” I said. “I am just an orphan girl. I couldn’t survive two days out in the cold alone.”

The girl stepped forward. “It’s alright,” she said. She had a lovely smile. “I have traveled the world enetering people’s dreams to find you.”

“Dreams?”

“Yes, we’re in a dream right now,” she said. “It’s crazy and it’s hard to explain, but it’s true.”

I didn’t know what to say. Nothing here felt like a dream.

“We’re in the hundred years of the Sleeping Death. Once the hundred years pass, you’ll be fully awake in the real world, and that’s when the adventure begins,” she said.

“What are you talking about? Who are you?”

“My name is Alice,” she smiled. “Alice Grimm, but that doesn’t matter. The real question is who you are.”

“I’m Ember,” I said. “The little match girl.”

“Yes, that was your name in the last world you lived in,” she said. “Now, we’re in another world. Thirteenth century. Your mother, Bianca, died bringing you into the world. She risked her life to save yours.”

“I—“There were no words to describe my confusion.

“Shh. All you need to remember now is your true name, the one that will complete your gift and powers.”

“Cinderella?” the word came out of my mouth, and I didn’t know how I knew. Was that because I was killed repeatedly and rose from the ashes again like a Phoenix?

“That’s right,” the girl smiled. “In the other dream you were the little match girl, now you’re the real you. It’s nice to finally meet you, Cinderella,” she patted me on the shoulder. “Now, I have to leave because this isn’t my world. It’s a Dreamworld, and I might drown in it if I stay too long.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“That’s a long story, but I think we’ll meet again when the curse is over—and don’t ask me what that is…” she said.

Before I could open my mouth, I heard the sound of my annoying sisters outside my room, calling my name.

“How is that possible,” I grabbed Alice by the arm. “How are they with me in this world again? This is going to be horrible,” I realized that I was in another room with cinders and a fireplace with no bed. I was a maid again, serving the same monstrous family again, just in another world.

“It’s part of the curse, but don’t be afraid,” Alice said. “I will always look for you.”

“But I don’t want to relive this story again,” I pleaded.

Alice held me by my arms, looked straight into my eyes, and said. “Then stand up for you believe. Look for the powers you have inside of you, which you should have used long ago. My job is to help you until you are strong enough to fight for your beliefs and your powers instead of giving into the darkness inside you.”

Alice walked toward the window she’d entered from then stopped and turned around. “I almost forgot,” she said. “There’s one last thing I have to teach you before I go,” she walked back to me and lifted my right arm to chest level. “Stretch your five fingers and point the palm of your hand toward that curtain by the window,” she said, and I followed her instructions. “Now take a deep breath and say, ‘Moutza’.”

“Say what?” I said.

“Moutza, Cinderella,” Alice repeated firmly. “Concentrate on the curtains by the window and say the word, ‘Moutza’.”

If I hadn’t trusted Alice, I wouldn’t have done as she demanded. I took a deep breath, pointing my palm at the window and said the word, ‘Moutza’.

I felt a great pain in my chest. It felt as if the sun had turned into a small heated ball that was trapped in my chest, wanting to explode.

At the very moment when I wasn’t able to take the pain anymore, the curtain caught fire, and the pain in my chest eased.

“Did I do that?” I said with wide eyes and open mouth.

“Some power, eh?” Alice said. “I wish I had this kind of power in the real world. Take care of yourself Cinderella,” she said and walked toward the other window and leapt out.

With my awful sisters knocking at my door, and the curtain burning with the flames I had created, I was left speechless with half a smile on my lips.

Alice peaked back in through the window in the last second and said, “It’s a dangerous power. It brings darkness as much as light with it. Use it wisely, Cinder.”

End of Prequel no# 13

Author’s Notes:

1)        I know it’s still sometime before Cinderella Dressed in Ashes, so I thought you’d like a little back story about her. She is one of the most complex characters in the series. I guess the reason is that her story had always seemed incomplete to me. As a storyteller, when you tell me about a girl called Cinder, treated horribly by her stepsisters, sleeping next to ember, I saw so much potential in her story, much more than just ending up in at a ball with a prince charming—don’t panic; there’ll be a ball and a prince, but I don’t guarantee that nothing bad is going to happen there. There will be superpowers, revenge, and love.

2)        I was always fascinated by the mythology of a Phoenix that has the power to resurrect itself when it dies. According to our Cinderella story here, the Phoenix’s attributes fit her just right. And not to confuse her resurrection with Marmalade’s story, I should point out that Marmalade is only given one second life in the form of a mermaid, and she can’t tell about it or she and Jack will die. Cinderella is different. According to the Pheonix’s mythology, Cinderella is given infinite lives as a phoenix. She will die and rise from her ashes again in another place, but she can tell about it and it doesn’t change who she is.

3)        The Little Match Girl is one of my favorite Hans Christian Anderson fairy tales. It has his delicate sense of caring for children—it reminds me with the magic of Ugly Duckling, which I will have and an upcoming prequel. Hans shows how difficult and insecure it is growing up, and he has added a rare element to this tale: it’s a sad tale. In his version, the girl dies—and we thought fairy tales were all fun and games.

4)        Don’t let the timeline confuse you. I leave out explanations of what happened after what because it will all be explained in the main series. Also, it adds to the mystery. All you need to remember is that Bianca, Cinderella’s mother was one of the Children of Hamlin. She had fled to Venice to escape the Piper in the late 1200’s (Ashes to Ashe and Cinder to Cinder) with Alice Grimm’s help. Then she fled to Murano Island and then all over Europe to London before the Piper decided to spread his plague there. And if you’re wondering if there is time traveling, of course there is time traveling in the series. That’s how the Little Match Girl was in London in 1800s.

5)        A small hint to the small things that shape Cinderella’s character are: Moutza, Murano Island, glassblowers, Venice, the Phoenix, ashes, and of course cinder.

6)        The appearance of the Ebenezer Scrooge is homage to Charles Dickens timeless ‘A Christmas Carol’. As one of the most amusing characters, I thought Ebenezer would make a perfect appearance to show people’s cruelty to the match girl—I hope you’re familiar with a Christmas Carol, one of the greatest novellas of all time. Since Charles Dickens wrote it 1843, I thought the story should have happened some time before. The dateline 1812 did strike me as just about right. Also, Ebenezer will make an appearance in the future the night he’s visited by a spirit before he dies. I guess it’s easy who will be visiting him before his
death
.

The Grimm Diaries Prequel #14

Jar of Hearts

as told by the Queen of Sorrow

By Cameron Jace

Edited by Melody Benton & Danielle Littig

The Grimm Diaries Prequel #14

Jar of Hearts

as told by the Queen of Sorrow

Dear Wilhelm Carl Grimm,

Remember when I first told you I killed your brother? I lied.

If you don’t like it, sue me, be mad, show yourself and we’ll see who owns who. Don’t you like it, Wilhelm, when the character in the book you wrote hunts you down for the rest of your immortal life?

To tell the truth, I was close to killing Jacob, and even though the scent of his blood on my carefully manicured fingers was more than enchanting to me, I decided to let him live in the last minute.

But not before he kind of sold his soul to me. I took his heart as a souvenir, and you know how fond of hearts I am. Right now, your brother is nothing but a hollow writer walking dead in my kingdom. Who once created me in his imagination with pen on paper is now my slave.

And you know what that means, owning Jacob like that. It means he has become your archenemy instead of your partner and supporter.

Frankly, I can’t think of something more entertaining at the moment, watching both of you becoming rivals in an eternal war. Who would have thought that those who once created the world of fairy tales—or forged it for that matter—would end up on opposite sides?

If only you hadn’t been wise and cast a spell on him to prevent him from telling me what I wanted to know.

But that’s fine. The little things he still remembers are good enough for now. He even sympathized with me when I told him my side of the story.

I let Managarm, the wolf, drive me to Jacob’s place today. I still had him locked in Snow White’s cottage, hoping that one of the Lost Seven might show up, and I didn’t want to give him his freedom before he proved his loyalty for me.

Managarm stopped in front of the cottage in the middle of the night, then turned into human form and walked back to open the door for me.

“My majesty,” he bowed his head a little. He was a big wolf, a strong one, but not that flexible with bending parts of his body. I slowly stretched my gloved hand and he took it gently and helped me step down from the carriage.