The book was opened and the forest slept no longer. When Snow White and Summer entered in, the the sun shone brighter but the night became darker. Birds sang louder but monsters too, woke from their slumber.

Far to the west, Prince Avenant pulled his horse to a halt. The air itself had changed and his companion, a small silver fish swimming calmly in a lidded glass globe tied to the saddle, flicked its tail once.

“Yes,” Avenant said out loud, resting his hand against the globe. “I feel it too.”

He dismounted and could feel the disturbance, hear the vibrations in the air. Human magic had a way of doing that. 

Avenant closed his eyes and listened to the sounds of the forest, the truths spoken by the trees. Somewhere ahead, an old soul and a young one walked the wrong path for the right reason.

“Snow White wouldn’t leave her cottage without reason,” he said quietly. “The curse is no longer patient, the time has come.”

Avenant smiled, sharp and thoughtful. He closed his eyes and spoke to the wind. when the answer came back, he mounted his horse  once more and said, “the granddaughter walks where the grandmother once did.”