The guards had searched for about 2 years with no luck. King Ferdinand continued to have them search, however, knowing that the wicked Queen would stop at nothing if she was alive.
One night, a dark cloud slowly made it's way through the kingdom. First, it reached the village. Anyone who was out running errands stared at the cloud curiously. When it came in contact with them, they all began to yawn. Some rubbed their eyes sleepily. Then, without warning, they all feel to the ground.
"Let the entire kingdom sleep, their dreams filled with dread
Until either the Princess or myself are dead!"
The cloud darkened, if possible, and moved slightly quicker. The servants, maids, and guards in the castle tried to move the royal family away from the cloud, but found it futile.
Ferdinand and Snow White ushered their daughter toward a secret passage in the castle. Olivia had been able to change out of her nightgown and was now wearing a dress with a white skirt, a dark purple bodice and short shoulder sleeves, and white heels.
Olivia turned and looked at her parents. "What's going on?"
"Olivia, we'll have to explain it to you later on..." Ferdinand hestitated. "If there will be a 'later on.'"
Snow White stepped forward a little. "We've never told you, but I had a stepmother. Queen Grimhilde. She was evil, and even tried to kill me." Olivia gasped fearfully. "And, now we believe she is still alive and wanting revenge on us."
"You have to run away, Olivia." King Ferdinand said, making sure his young daughter knew that she was in danger and needed to listen closely. "You can't let the Evil Queen find you."
Olivia nodded. She wrung her hands, frightened for both her parents and herself. She gasped softly as the black cloud came into view down the hallway behind them. "Mother! Father! Look!"
The King and Queen turned around and felt their eyes widen in fear and slight panic. They didn't have much time. Snow turned to her daughter. "Olivia, go through this tunnel. You'll come out in the forest. When you do, run and search for a little cottage. I have friends there that will help you. Just tell them that I sent you."
"Hurry! Go!" Ferdinand urged. Olivia gave her parents a quick hug before running down the secret tunnel. She panted softly as she quickly went down a set of stairs, making sure not to fall in the dark.
It wasn't long before Olivia was outside, surrounded by darkness. "Oh, dear..." she groaned, looking around in vain for any sign of light. Then, she heard a thunderclap and shrieked in surprise and fear. 'I need to find that cottage before it starts to rain...'
The young princess picked up her skirts to keep the edges from trailing on the ground and ran as fast as she could in the direction in front of her. While she ran, she heard owls hooting loudly and twigs snapping under her feet.
The whole experience was too much for her. Olivia had never been in such danger before, and she wasn't prepared for it. Her big brown eyes were filled with fear as they began to water. She looked around her for any sign of a cottage as she ran.
Suddenly, she tripped and rolled roughly down a small hill. She screamed in pain and surprise. She stopped rolling soon after the fall by running into a large object. Olivia looked up as she rubbed her sore arms and torso and saw a large coffin made of glass and gold. It had old, withered flowers around it, as if it hadn't been used for years.
"Oh, my..." Olivia read the name that had been carved into the side. It read 'Snow White.' The princess shuddered at the thought of her mother laying dead in this coffin. Then, she remembered that she had to find the cottage her mother had told her of.
Olivia ran a ways further from the coffin and sighed hopelessly. "Oh, I'll never find the cottage at this rate! But, I can't let the Queen find me..." Just as she had said that, she looked to her right and saw a cottage with the lights on. She smiled, glad to have finally found it.
As Olivia ran up to the little house, she heard yelling and talking from inside. She could make out the sounds of about six or seven different voices. Olivia smoothed out her mid-length hair and knocked on the door twice. "Hello? Is anyone home?"
The door snatched open to reveal a young boy with black hair, about 8. He folded his arms over his chest and snapped, "Of course we're home! The lights are on, aren't they?!"
"Snappy! Don't be rude!" An 8-year-old girl with blonde hair said, walking over to the door. She turned to Olivia and smiled. "Hello, ma'am. I'm Friendly. This is my cousin, Snappy."
"Hello. My name is Olivia. My mother, Snow White, sent me here. But, I think I may have the wrong place." Olivia looked around quickly. "Are there any other cottages nearby?"
"No." Friendly said, shaking her head. Then, she looked up at the princess. "Wait. Snow White?" She turned to Snappy. "Wasn't that the woman Papa always told us about?"
Snappy nodded. Olivia looked between them and waited a moment. "Excuse me. I don't mean to pry into your business, but... Who is your papa?"
Friendly smiled at her. "Oh, it's quite alright. My Papa's a dwarf that use to live here. His name is Happy. Snappy's dad's name is Grumpy."
"Don't go giving personal information to strangers!" Snappy yelled. He walked back inside the house.
"I apologize for him." Friendly said to Olivia, shaking her head at Snappy's behavior.
Olivia waved it off. "Oh, it's okay. But, I don't think my mother was referring to you and Snappy when she said that she had friends who would protect me here."
"Protect you? From what?" The little girl asked. She listened closely as the young princess explained her predicament. She gently patted Olivia's arm once she'd finished explaining. "Oh, dear. Well, you can stay here with us! I'm sure that what our dads would have wanted." Friendly led Olivia inside the cottage.
When they entered the house, another little girl with brown curly hair waved her finger at them chidingly. "Wipe your feet! I can't stress it enough with you, it seems." She quickly began to sweep the area they had tracked a bit of dirt inside. Then, she noticed the princess standing next to her cousin. "Hello. My name is Tidy. How do you do?"
"How do you do?" Olivia looked around as she responded. The inside of the cottage was so comforting and safe-looking. It reminded her of how she'd feel at home, with her mother sitting next to her as her father told them stories.
A red-headed boy, covered in dirt and soot, ran by them. He ran back over and bowed respectfully to Olivia. "Hello. You're the princess, right? I've seen you in the village a few times. I'm Dirty!" Dirty smiled as he held his hand out to her.
Olivia giggled as she shook his hand, dust flying off of it. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Dirty."
Friendly tugged lightly on Olivia's skirt. She pointed over to a girl with red hair that was chatting happily with a boy with dark brown hair. "The girl over there is Gabby. She talking with our cousin, Wheezy."
"Why is he named Wheezy?" Olivia asked curiously.
"He's got a little breathing problem, so he wheezes a lot." Dirty explained.
Olivia's expression flashed sad for a moment. "Oh, that's too bad..."
Then, a little boy with dirty blonde hair jumped around the room until he knocked into Dirty, creating a big cloud of dust and dirt. Dirty glared at him. "Watch it, Jumpy! You're gonna break something."
Jumpy rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "Sorry..." he chuckled lightly.
Tidy gasped in shock as she surveyed the mess the two boys had made. Then, she groaned in frustration. "I can't keep this place clean for 10 minutes without you messing it up. Especially you, Dirty!"
Dirty answered defensively. "Why is it automatically my fault? Jumpy ran into me; that's what caused the mess!"
Friendly interjected before the two children could start a fight. "Now, now. There's no need to bicker." She gestured toward Olivia. "The princess needs a place to stay, and this is the only place she knows of."
Tidy smiled. "Oh, of course, she can stay with us. Her mother, Queen Snow White, was very kind to our fathers."
"So?!" Snappy said, sitting on a nearby chair with his arms folded. "That doesn't matter what her mother did. What matters is what she'll do for us."
"Snappy!" Gabby chided. She turned to Olivia. "I'm sorry, Princess Olivia. My cousin can be a bit rude at times. Gets it from his Papa."
Olivia nodded lightly. "It's alright. But, I should do something to help you all around here." She thought a moment, and then smiled brightly. "I know! I'll keep house for you. I helped with the housework all the time in the village and the castle."
Friendly blinked in surprise. "Oh, but, princess! We could never ask that of you!"
"Now, now. No 'buts!' I insist." Olivia beamed happily. She had forgotten all about her woes and troubles.
Suddenly, a loud thunderclap sounded outside. It was soon followed by a flash of lightening. Olivia flinched in alarm, and looked out the window. It had begun pouring rain outside. Almost in an instant, she remembered her entire kingdom falling to the ground, seemingly dead.
She gasped in fear, and began crying. The Evil Queen could have sent a cloud of poison to the kingdom and had killed everyone... including her mother and father. She fell to the ground and sobbed onto her arms.
The children around her could only watch and hope she was okay. They had no experience with such a matter as this. Sure, some of them had cried before and the others comforted them. But, in those instances, they knew why one of them was sad and teary-eyed. The princess had just broken down crying after it started raining.
Friendly tried to comfort her the best she could. "I-it's okay, princess... I-i-it's only... thunder and lightening. Just noises and sights, y-you know?" She looked at her cousins for help.
Tidy nodded and patted Olivia on the shoulder. "Oh, yes. But, everyone gets scared of thunder sometimes. Why, I've been frightened by it before."
Olivia looked up and smiled at the children. She wiped her eyes daintily with the back of her wrist. "I'm so sorry. I must have startled you, falling to the floor and crying as I did." She hugged Tidy and Friendly. "I'll be okay. It's all going to be alright." she told them, also saying it to herself.
Meanwhile, far away in the underground catacombs on an abandoned castle, an old hag cackled. She was looking into an enchanted mirror, watching the young princess Olivia as she talked with the seven dwarfs' children. "All will soon fall into place." she whispered to herself as she belted out another ear-piercing cackle.