China. 1579.

If winning isn't everything, why do they keep score? -Vince Lombardi

A house was bombed by one of Shan-Yu's henchmen that had survived from the war previous years ago. The home housed the heroes of China from the war. They and their one-year old daughter are said to be died for there is nothing left of the small cottage but burned wood.

A baby's cry made a man passing by the ruin made him turn to the resting place of the heroes and their child. Silence followed, nothing happened. The man turned back, thinking that he was hearing things and that he should go to home to rest as fast as he could, but when he took the next step he heard it again more clearly. He ran to the sound he heard. The man stopped and listened, a faint cry. After minutes that seemed endless, he found a baby wrapped with thick wool blankets. The baby girl was beautiful with dark brown almond-shaped eyes with hair as black as the night sky. The man held the baby girl in his arms and frowned. This little girl lost her family and her home. "I guess I can do nothing but bring you home with me... I hope Ana doesn't mind that instead of a rose I'll be bringing home a child." Dimitri stopped, "maybe I should find a lot of roses on my way."

Russia. Home.

In the first place, God made idiots. That was for practice. Then he made school boards. -Mark Twain

Once Dimitri walked into his house and put his stuff down, his wife ran up to him and gave him a kiss, not noticing the baby between them until the baby girl cried making Ana jump back. Dimitri laughed at the look of his wife's face when she tried to think about what was going on with the scene. "I don't remember giving birth. And why does she look Chinese?" Anastasia asked madly to her husband. Dimitri looked at the baby for support, finding none; he sighed and told her the truth.

After the story Ana held the child. "We need to name her. Do you have any idea of who her parents were?"

"Yes, Fa Mulan and Li Shang. They were the heroes that saved China." Dimitri explained while Anya read the paper Dimitri handed her. "I was thinking on naming her Snow White. Her skin is pale white, only her eyes and hair are dark." Ana seemed to like the name, because she smiled and kissed her new baby.

"Welcome to the family Snow White." Ana yelled and hugged her family.

Russia. Home.

Fall seven times, stand up eight. -Japanese Proverb

"Snow White, where are you?" Ana walked through the house looking for her 18 year-old daughter. What Ana didn't know was that Snow had gone to the gardens to pick roses for her mother. Roses were Ana's favorite flowers.

Snow White loved the garden behind their house; she would spend most of her time alone there. They had planted many trees, bushes, and flower beds to make it more beautiful. At times Snow would see birds or deer come through. It was Snows favorite place in the world.

Ana walked into the gardens to find Snow on the bench under a cherry tree. It was spring, so all of the flowers were in full bloom around them. Ana had always been in awe when she walked through in spring. She walked over and sat down next to Snow. "Happy birthday, sweetheart. You're 18 today, so I think I should tell you something."

Snow knew that this day would come, that she would hear it from Ana. Ever since Dimitri died, 8 years ago, Ana seemed to hid any more sad news from Snow.

Ana tried to explain what she was taking about. "We didn't want to tell you until you were ready." She paused to take a deep breath. She didn't want to loss Snow just because of some bad news. "You're real mother and father was killed by a bomb. You should have been killed with them. We have tried to contact other family members, but we think that they are all gone." Ana looked at her hands the whole time. She couldn't look at Snow yet. "You don't have any family that I know of."

Snow smiled and took Ana's hands and said, "You are my family." Ana looked up at her and hugged her. Snow said few words, but they were the ones you needed to hear. Snow was wise beyond her years. When they unlocked from their hug, Ana asked her to go to the market to get some food for the day. Snow agreed with a nod and got up and left.

The Russian Market.

Use your enemy's hand to catch a snake. -Persian Proverb

When Snow was looking at carrots she heard a voice behind her saying, "Snow White... Snow White..." over and over. She turned and found her best friend Eric smiling at her. "Happy birthday Snowy!" He gave her a big hug and a kiss on the cheek. "So what are you going to do for your birthday?"

Snow shrugged her shoulders. "I still feel that I need to go there." She and Eric had been planning to go to China to find everything they could about her parents that is possible when Snow turned 18. They knew her real mom and dad were Chinese and dead since they were 8. "Do you still want to?"

"Of course!" He laughed, "The question is will our parents let us go."

Snow didn't think about that. How was she going to tell Ana that she was leaving?

Eric knew what she was thinking, "we can tell her together."

Russia. Home.

Don't let your sorrow come higher than your knees. -Swedish Proverb

Snow and Eric walked into the house. Ana knew something was wrong, "what happened?"

Snow looked at Eric. He said, "We would like to go someplace, and we would like your permission to go. She will be with me the whole time."

Ana knew that someday Snow White would want to leave, but she thought Snow would leave in a few years. Ana gave Snow a hug and said nothing. She turned and walked away saying, "yes that is fine. I will miss you when you are gone."

Snow White could hear the pain in her mother's voice. She took a piece of paper and a pen she wrote,

Dear Mother,

I love you, you are my one and only true mother. I just need to see where I came from. I need to know who I am. Don't worry, I promise I'll be safe.

Love Always,

Snow White

Snow put the note on the desk, grabbed her bag and left with Eric.

France.

Wait until it is night before saying that it has been a fine day. -French Proverb

"Are you sure this is the way to China?" Snow asked Eric.

"Of course." Eric didn't look very reassuring.

"We need to ask someone," Snow said as she looked around.

"We don't need to ask anyone, I know where we are going. Plus there isn't anyone here." Eric smiled, he won for now.

"What about that castle?" Snow pointed to a large castle in the woods. "It looks scary, but I need to know were we are going, now."

Eric sighed, defeated once again. He hates asking where to go.

France Castle Gates.

Charity sees the need not the cause. -German Proverb

"I'm not sure of this..." Eric pushed on the gate to open it. They walked hand in hand to the large doors and knocked three times, and on the 3rd time, the door opened. "Hello?" Eric called out into the dark room before them. "She... We need directions to China. Can you help us?" Just then, a pretty maiden walked up to them and said something in French, waited, and then in another language Snow didn't understand. Eric seemed to understand it through.

"She said that her name was Belle and that she is sorry she doesn't know were China is." Belle said something else and Eric translated, "she said the beast doesn't have a map, but they think that China is south. I wonder who, or what, is 'the beast'." They said their good-byes and thank you and left the castle.

Africa.

If you refuse to be made straight when you are green, you will not be made straight when you are dry. -African Proverb

"I think we went to far south..." Snow said to Eric.

He looked around, "you might be right." just as soon as they turned; a lion jumped in front of them and roared at them. Snow hid behind Eric. "It's okay, we were just leaving," Eric said, trying to clam down the lion. The lion looked up, nodded, and walked away calmly. When he was gone they started walking north. "That lion was very weird."

Snow looked back and said, "I'll call him Mufasa. I think it means King." Eric smiled and continued on.

At The Sea.

A smiling face is half the meal. -Latvian Proverb

"How are we going to go through this? It's too deep and wide," Snow asked Eric. Then, out of the water, a girl with bright red hair came to the surface. She was singing with the most beautiful voice both of them had ever heard.

"Do you need to get across the water?" Her watery voice asked them.

Eric seemed to be under a spell, so Snow had to answer her. "Yes we do. We are trying to get to China; do you know where it is?" Snow was hopeful.

The girl shook her head. "I don't even know what it is." She smiled, "but I can help you get across." Just then, she swam away.

"Where did she go?" Eric asked Snow, she rolled her eyes and laughed at him.

A few minutes later, the girl came back to them with a boat. "Here," she said, "use this to go to the other side, and good-bye." She went into the water and left them.

"I never thought I would see a mermaid."Eric said in awe. Snow smiled as the two got into the boat and sailed away.

India.

When you have given nothing, ask for nothing. -Albanian Proverb

Snow sat down on a pile of hay, "let's go to the ruler and ask him where we should go." They had been spending hours asking everyone in sight.

"Sure, with what we have seen, I won't be surprised if he lets us talk to him." Eric joined her on the hay. "Do you know where he is?"

Snow jumped up, "yes!" She dragged Eric out to the streets and pointed to the palace at the end, and they walked up to the guard who was guarding it.

"We need to see the ruler." Eric said to the smaller guard of the two. Snow didn't know what he was saying, and thought that he was speaking their language. "We have a war thing we must talk about." Eric didn't know what he was saying, but it seemed to work because the guard nodded and stepped aside.

When they walked up the path to the palace they heard a commotion on the street, and when they looked back, they saw a prince coming to the palace. He was riding on an elephant and there was a blue man singing a song introducing the prince Ali. Snow and Eric turned back and entered the palace.

The ruler was a small man with a large stomach, the man next to him was the opposite and very dark. The ruler looked at them and asked, "Who are you?"

Snow and Eric bowed together. Eric introduced them, "I am Eric and she is Snow White. We come asking directions to China. Can you help us?"

The ruler paused, studied them, and smiled. "Of course I'll help you! I have a map you can have that will show you the way." Then he walked over to a desk and found the paper he was looking for. "Here it is." He handed the map to Snow and walked over to the door to greet the prince.

Eric looked at Snow, smiled, and said, "Let's go, we finally know where we are going."

China (at last!)

Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime. -Chinese Proverb

When Snow White and Eric finally reached China, they quickly realized that they had no idea where to start looking. Eric suggested that they saw and asked the emperor, but Snow said that they don't even know who her parents were. So they agreed to ask around about a bomb that went off years ago and killed two people.

They went to a bar and asked three men sitting around a table. "Hello. A long time ago a bomb went of and killed two people, a man and a woman, have you heard about it?" Snow asked them. Since she was Chinese she thought it would be best if she learned her language.

The fatter man introduced his friends before answering, "I'm Chien-Po," he then gestured to a thin, tall man, "his name is Ling, and he is Yao," the last man was a small man with a black eye. "And to answer your question, yes we have heard of one. Years ago two of Chinas heroes were bombed along with their young daughter."

Snow was amazed at herself; she asked them, "Do you know who they were? Or maybe where they lived? This is important, please."

They looked at each other and sighed. The tall man answered this time. "They were our friends. We can show where they lived."

China. Home.

The palest ink is better than the best memory. -Chinese Proverb

When the five of them got to the site, Snow felt, for the first time, whole. She walked past the gates onto the middle of the burned house, sat down, and cried.

Eric walked over to her with the three friends and sat in a circle. Eric suggested that the three would share some stories about Snow's parents. They nodded and told them about their adventures of fighting the Huns, bringing three princesses across the country to marry princess, how Mulan help them marry those princesses, and every story between. So they all sat there, together telling stories about life and telling jokes all through the night.

When it was time to go the three friends gave them some food for the trip and a flower hair pin. They said it belonged to Snow's mother. Snow and Eric said good-bye and left.

Russia. Home.

Take hold lightly; let go lightly. This is one of the great secrets of felicity in love. -Spanish Proverb

When they went into Snow's house Ana was sitting on the couch with Snow's note and a picture of Snow, Ana, and Dimitri. Snow could see that Ana was crying, so Snow walked over and gave her a hug. Eric left them, knowing that they needed this time alone.

As Ana and Snow released from their hug, Ana said to Snow, "I'm sorry. I didn't say good-bye. I just didn't want to think that you were leaving me." Ana stopped to breath. "Dimitri went to China to look for your relates, or really anything he could. He died before he came back."

This was new to Snow. She had heard that he went somewhere and died before he could come back, but she didn't know where or why. She looked at her, "Mother, I need you to understand something. I feel feel like a caged bird here. I need to spread my wings and go out every once and a while. I need to know that I will always have a nice, warm, loving mother waiting for my return. And I will promise you that I will always return and write whenever I can. I need you to trust me and have faith in me, that I will be safe."

Ana looked at Snow with tears in her eyes, "I will always be here for you. I love you so much, sweetheart."

!THE END!