My apologies for taking so long with this. I've been fighting a head cold and didn't get a chance to flesh the chapter out until late last night (I wrote the bare bones of it earlier). Thank you for the reviews, and they reminded me that I forgot to say that Wilhelm is named after Wilhelm Grimm, one of the Grimm brothers. I'm considering a series of these and have the next 3 planned out a bit in my head (each would be a different fairy tale and it would be almost generational; all would be novel length). I dropped a hint for one in chapter 6 (book 4 according to my proposed order). Another hint is in this chapter (book 2). Both are very subtle though and don't necessarily point out the fairy tale I'm referring too. In fact, chapter 6's hint could be related to at least 2 familiar fairy tales. Anyway, I hope you're not going to be disappointed with my treatment of the dwarfs. See the A/N at the end. Please keep reviewing, your comments are greatly appreciated (point out flaws too if you see them).

The Dwarfs

As Snow White slept a dreamless sleep, she didn't hear the front door open. Seven men walked in, grumbling about their hard day of work. They threw down their tools in a pile next to the door. Lively accidentally stepped on Thumb's foot and Thumb sprang at him; soon the two were fighting on the ground with a few egging them on.

"Hey…hey wait a minute," Seagrass said. He stood next to the cleared table as the men turned to him. Holding up his lantern, Seagrass said, "Where are the dishes?"

"We've been robbed!" Lively said, pointing to the kitchen.

"My lute is still here," Crat said as he picked the instrument up from beside the bench in the far corner.

Stretch looked in the kitchen and said, "The dishes aren't pinched; here they are in the cupboard." The men went and gathered around to see the dishes clean and stacked in the cupboard.

"Well…I'll be," Father said, a smile stretching across his face. "Who do you think did it?" "Hmph," Wage scoffed. "Whoever did it had no right to break into our home."

Stretch held his lantern up and surveyed the room before looking upward toward the loft. "No sign of anyone."

"I don't care what the rest of you do, but I'm going to bed," Father said as he headed to the ladder.

Lively said, "The intruder wasn't a good crook not to take anything. I know we don't have much, but no matter what house I broke into, I managed to take something."

"Yes, and look where that got you," Thumb said.

"You want to go another round, Thumb?" Lively asked, bending at his waist and holding his fists level to Thumb's eyes.

"Knock it off!" Seagrass said, pulling Lively backward by his collar. "I swear you-"

Before he could finish his sentence, Father came down the ladder and rushed toward them as fast as his old bones would let him. "The-the intruder is upstairs in Wage's bed. It's a woman."

"A woman!" the men exclaimed.

"Is she beautiful?" Crat asked.

"How did she get here?" Thumb asked.

"She can't have my bed," Wage said.

The men's voices started to overlap as they bombarded Father with questions. "Whoa! Whoa!" Father said, covering his ears. "Be quiet, she's asleep. Come now and follow me, quietly," Father whispered.

Leaving their lanterns on the table, the six followed Father to the ladder. One by one they climbed up to the loft. They crowded around the bed as Father held the lantern up, letting the light fall across the woman's face.

"She's lovely, a true beauty if I ever saw one," Crat murmured, stretching his hand across toward her ebony curls. Stretch pushed his hand away and warned him with his grey eyes. "She looks like a princess," Crat said.

"Princess? I told you I'm not a princess," the woman spoke in her sleep. She turned over onto her back and tossed a bit. Her face creased with worry as she muttered, "Princess…queen." She gasped and sat straight up in bed saying, "The queen!"

The men's eyes widened in surprise at her sudden wakeful state. She looked at them, her eyes darting from one to the next quickly before she screamed and leapt to her feet, standing on the bed. Her head hit a beam above, which she barely acknowledged it except to wince in pain.

Stretch made the mistake of speaking first, "Miss, I-" His words were cut short when she quickly gave him an uppercut. Staggering backward, Lively and Wage quickly steadied him and all seven backed away from the bed.

"Where am I?" she asked, confused.

"You're in our home, Miss," Lively said.

The woman's eyes widened before she paled and slowly went from standing on the bed to sitting on it. "I'm so sorry," she whispered. "I-I didn't mean to intrude." She looked over at Stretch who was rubbing his sore chin. "I'd like to apologize for…" she gestured to his chin, "that."

He narrowed his eyes at her, the pain making it difficult to forgive her rash behavior.

She nervously plucked at her apron. "I should leave." The woman stood to go but Father, Crat, Thumb, and Seagrass quickly stopped her, blocking her way to the ladder.

"Don't leave just yet," Seagrass said.

"If you need shelter, we can accommodate," Father reassured her.

"Are you the one who did the dishes?" Wage asked. "Yes," she answered.

"You need work on breaking and entering; I can teach you," Lively offered. Stretch promptly slapped the back of his head.

"Tell us your name," Father said as he sat down on Lively's bed to face her.

"My name is Snow White. What are yours?"

Each gave his name: Father, Crat, Thumb, Seagrass, Wage, Stretch, and Lively.

"We're dwarfs," Father said.

"Dwarfs?" she said, looking from one to the other. "What are dwarfs?"

"A dwarf is a detainee working at redeeming faults," Seagrass said, "D-W-A-R-F. Dwarf. I came up with the name myself on account of Thumb over there."

"Forgive me, but I don't understand."

"It's something King Henry started. Felons such as us can decide to do work for the kingdom instead of staying in the dungeons. Our group here digs for gems in the mountains yonder," Father explained, pointing his hand in the general direction of the mountains.

"Oh," she said. Her eyes kept coming back to Thumb who seemed to know what she was looking at.

"Yes, I'm short and the only true dwarf here. I was born this way," he said.

"That's why we call him Thumb. You know? As in Tom Thumb?" Lively said.

"I believe we have unfinished business, Lively," Thumb said as he pulled his trousers up higher.

"I'm ready any place, anytime," Lively said as he went into fighting stance.

"It's getting late," Father spoke up. "My dear Snow White, I insist you stay in the loft. We men will sleep downstairs."

"On the floor?" Wage sounded appalled.

Father gave him a stern look, his blue eyes flashing angrily. "We'll take the pillows and quilts. Come men, we need to start a fire; it's quite cold in this house."

"But she's on my bed," Wage complained under his breath. "What will I sleep on?"

"You can always sleep with the dogs outside," Stretch mumbled, grabbing Wage's arm to coax him downstairs.

"Good-night, my lady," Crat said with a flourished bow before climbing down the ladder.

Once downstairs, Seagrass kindled a fire in the stone fireplace, casting shadows across the room. They extinguished the lanterns, moved the table and chairs against the wall, and lined the floor with their quilts and blankets. Wage grumbled some more as he grabbed some clothes from the corner and stretched them out to sleep on.

"She's so beautiful," Crat said as he lay on his back, staring at the ceiling. "She must be a Lady, I'm sure of it."

Wage rolled his eyes, "She's hardly a Lady. Ladies don't break into strange houses in the woods. Besides, she's not dressed like a Lady. We need to get her out of here tomorrow."

"Perhaps she's a fairy in disguise. Did you not see her eyes? I've never seen eyes like those before," Seagrass said. "I used to hear tales of beautiful, magical fairies when I was out at sea."

"Not more sea tales!" a few men groaned, throwing pillows over their heads. Seagrass grumbled and turned his back to them. It wasn't long before the house was filled with silence occasionally interrupted by snoring.

The smells of frying eggs and pork woke them the following morning. Blinking in surprise, Stretch stood first and went to help Father off the floor. Lively gathered up the bedclothes while Seagrass and Thumb moved the table and chairs back to their proper place.

"I feel guilty that everyone slept down here," Snow White admitted as she handed plates to Crat to set the table.

"Don't worry about it," Crat said to her. "It is a pleasure to share our home with such beautiful company.

"Tell that to my back," Wage said, holding his hand to the small of his back for emphasis.

"Again, I'm so sorry," Snow White said. She offered him an arm to assist him to his chair, but he refused any help. Sitting in his chair, he scowled at her.

"This looks wonderful, my child," Father said as Snow White brought the eggs and pork to the table, filling their plates.

"It is the very least I could do," she said as she pulled a small stool up to the table to sit upon.

The men started eating loudly; their manners were very unrefined as they ate with their mouths open, gulping and slurping the food down like animals. Stretch looked around at the others and cleared his throat. "Gentlemen, we have a lady present; remember your manners."

"Oh, don't go to any trouble. I'm only a kitchen maid…well…I was a kitchen maid," Snow White said.

"You, a kitchen maid?" Crat sounded incredulous.

"Yes, at the castle." "You worked for King Henry?" Lively asked.

"No, I worked in King Rupert's castle."

"Tell us, my dear girl about yourself. How does a kitchen maid from Everton find herself in the middle of a large forest in Thadwick?" Father asked.

Snow White's face grew grave as she said, "One of the king's huntsmen was ordered to kill me yesterday."

All seven, even Wage, stopped and looked up at her. "Murder," one said. They mumbled amongst themselves, about the news.

"Why would anyone want to harm an innocent, beautiful woman such as you?" Crat said.

"He let me go. He told me to run away and never return because the queen wants me dead. She's the one who ordered him to kill me."

"Why though? Why would the queen want a kitchen maid dead?" Father asked.

"Did you steal something?" Lively asked.

"No. I did nothing that I know of. I rarely ever see the queen. She even cared for me as a child."

"She did?" Seagrass asked.

"Yes. I was found in the woods, unconscious near a tree. The queen nursed me until I woke up. I could remember nothing of my life, so she let me work in the kitchen. It was rather odd though, not knowing anything of my former life. Everyone kept confusing me with their lost princess at first. I would have remembered being a princess, I'm sure of it. Besides, they found me in peasant clothing, rags. Who has ever heard of a princess dressed in rags?" Snow White asked them.

They nodded in agreement that they had never heard of a princess dressed in rags. Outside, the dogs scratched at the door and barked. "I'll go feed 'em," Thumb said. He went around collecting some scraps from their plates to take to the dogs. He disappeared out the door with the food.

"Tell us about what you did in the castle. What talents did you develop besides cooking?" Stretch asked.

Snow White laughed heartily, making a few chuckle along with her. "I'm no cook," she admitted.

"I beg to differ," Father said. "I usually fix oatmeal for breakfast."

"God-awful stuff if you ask me," Wage piped in. "The dogs don't even want it most mornings."

"I fail miserably at cooking eggs. Most of the time, they turn out browned and rubbery," Father said. "Preparing meat is beyond my talents too. All I can make is soup with the meat and bones." Wage snorted his opposition to that statement. Father could make soup, if only by its definition, though it was hardly anything to brag about. Father's blue eyes darted at him, causing Wage to turn back to his cup.

"I didn't really cook though in the kitchen. I mostly worked in the gardens, tending the plants. I do so love the outdoors. I did learn the basics when I was younger and can cook well enough to survive, I suppose."

"To us, this is the best meal we've had in…oh, I don't know how long," Seagrass said.

"Tell me about yourselves," Snow White said. She wasn't interested in talking about her past, a past she could never go back to.

"We will tonight," Father promised as he stood. "Right now, we must make our way to the mines. Come, men."

"Tonight? Does…does that mean I can stay?" Snow White asked, hope shining in her eyes.

"Of course you can!" Father said.

"You must stay," the others agreed as they picked up their lanterns and discarded tools.

"We shall protect you from that evil queen," Lively said. He petted Snow White's arm as he passed her on his way to the door.

"Oh thank you!" she said happily. "I'll cook, I'll clean, why I'll even plant a garden. I won't be a burden, I promise." She followed them to the door and watched the men grab start down a path that led away from the cottage and toward the mountains. The three dogs, having finished their breakfast looked over at Snow White and desperately seemed to want to go and greet her. Their plans were spoiled before they could even put one paw in her direction, for Thumb whistled for them. Knowing their place, they followed the men toward the mountains.

Surveying the house, Snow White wondered where was the best place to start. Spying the dirty clothes piled in a corner, she decided she would tackle them first. Snow White went outdoors to try to find a small pond to wash them in rather than using the sink. The sunlight glittered through the trees of the forest, painting gold on the young, spring grass. A few hens clucked and pecked at the ground at her feet. As she walked past them, she spied an egg in the grass. "Thank you, madam," Snow White said to the red hen scratching at the dirt next to the egg as she scooped it up.

Cradling the egg in her hand, she walked around the house and smiled upon seeing the pond in the midst of the open patch of land just southwest of the house. Quickly, she returned to the house and placed the brown egg with the other eggs, gathered the clothes along with a cake of soap, and carried them to the pond.

Snow White shook the dirt off them before dunking them into the cold water. She pushed up her sleeves and scrubbed each piece by hand until the majority of the dirt was off. After washing, she hung them on low hanging branches to dry. Blowing a wayward strand of hair out of her face, she surveyed the trousers, shirts, stockings, jackets, and other clothing items as they hung dripping from the still bare branches with the hint of leaf buds. Many of the clothes were in need of mending, but that would have to wait until another time.

Leaving her work behind, Snow White went in and opened each window, letting fresh air and morning sunlight in. Taking a shirt that she had deemed beyond repair, she ripped it into rags and took one, dampened it in the sink, and started washing each window until they looked more presentable.

Next to tackle was the dusting. With another rag, she worked to dust all of the furniture downstairs and in the loft. Taking the broom, she knocked all of the cobwebs from each corner. Once the dust was cleared from the surfaces, she swept the floors, taking the dust with the dirt.

Having found a bucket in the kitchen, she blew the cobwebs out and filled it with water to scrub the floors. On her hands and knees, she started in one corner of the kitchen and scrubbed with a rag until her knuckles were raw and knees aching. Her back cried out when she finally stood and looked at the now clean floor.

Stomach grumbling, Snow White opened the cupboards and found a bit of moldy bread in the cupboard. She sliced the mold off and ate the bread. It was stale and not appetizing at all, but it was better than nothing. Going through the cupboard, she didn't see a variety of ingredients, but she saw enough to make a fresh loaf of bread. Setting to work, she started mixing the dough together. Once finished, she set it near the kitchen window to rise.

Snow White headed outside and saw that it was well into the afternoon for the sun was behind the house now. Going to the pond, she saw that the clothes had finished drying. Snow White gathered them into her arms and took them inside. She sat on the bench and folded each article, setting them in two piles. One pile was for the mending, which she would start after she asked if they had a needle and thread. She picked up part of the other pile and took them to the ladder to the loft. Stretching as high as she could, Snow White set them on the highest rung she could reach. Careful not to swing the ladder too much in her climb, she climbed up, moving the pile higher and higher in her ascent. At the top, she took the clothes to the wardrobe in the corner. Opening the wardrobe, a moth flew out, startling her. She watched it fly out the small window on her right. Snow White placed the clothes neatly on the shelves of the wardrobe and then went back down the ladder for the second pile.

Although she was tired and achy, Snow White decided to start fixing a soup for dinner. The vegetables in the cupboard left much to be desired; they were withered almost beyond recognition. Snow White washed them and tried to salvage the best portions of each. It was a shame that the only meat in the house was pork, but it would have to do. She sliced chunks of it into the pot and added some salt and pepper. She tossed the bone in too for flavor. There was an unlabeled jar of spice in the cupboard, and upon tasting it, she decided it would suit the soup even though she wasn't sure what it was. Adding a pinch of that, she stirred her concoction and hoped it was good enough for the kind men.

The light started to dim, so she built a fire as best as she could. It barely smoldered, but it was better than nothing. It wasn't long before she heard the sound of dogs barking outdoors. Going to the window, she saw the men coming back up the trail toward the house.

"Come in!" she called, "I've almost finished the soup."

They came in, dropping their tools haphazardly onto the floor and hanging the lanterns on hooks next to the door. They praised her with about how the meal smelled. Seagrass went to tend the fire, while the others offered to set the table.

Snow White stood silent, her arms folded across her chest as her eyes narrowed at them. Crat noticed her face and asked what the matter was.

"I worked very hard on cleaning this house and look." She gestured toward the tools laying in the doorway and the dirty shoeprints spotting the clean floor.

Silent, they looked down and saw the mess they had made. "Our apologies, my lady," Crat said as he turned and helped Lively and Stretch gather the tools to stack neatly in the bin next to the door. Thumb collected the men's shoes and took them outdoors. Father picked up the broom and set to sweeping up the loose mud. Seagrass finally finished tending the fire, making it grow strong in the fireplace, and Wage stood and watched the spectacle.

Once everything was tidy once again, Snow White served the soup. After Stretch blessed the meal, everyone tried the soup. While it wasn't the best that Snow White had ever tasted, it wasn't too bad. The men raved about it, saying they hadn't good food in years.

"I'm glad you like it," she said. "Is there a village nearby to buy supplies from? Maybe some vegetables or meats?"

"We get supplies at the mine. They bring supplies to us, grains and some vegetables. As for meat, we have to hunt for it ourselves," Seagrass explained.

"We usually hunt when we find the time," Lively said. "Our last kill was the boar you're cooking with now. We usually can get rabbits though."

"Don't forget the chickens," Wage piped up. "We slaughter a hen if we run out of food."

"Who's 'they?'" Snow White asked.

"Overseers. They're in charge of us; they make sure we don't run off or take the gems," Crat said.

"Is that why you don't just run away?" Snow White asked.

"If one of us runs away and they find out, they'll lock the rest of us back up in the dungeon. When they find the escaped prisoner…well…I don't like to think about what they'll do," Father said.

"They do surprise checks on us some evenings. One of the king's soldiers will come to see if everyone's home and not living in a nearby village," Wage said. "They're afraid we'll fall into our old habits if we go back."

"You probably would," Thumb mumbled under his breath.

"May I ask what each of you did to end up here?" she asked quietly.

The dwarfs looked at each other, unsure of whether they should tell her. Finally, Father spoke, "Let us gather by the fireplace where it is warm and we will each tell you in turn." He stood and took his empty bowl to the sink. Each man followed his example. Stretch stirred the fire as they pulled the chairs up closer to the fire.

"Wait," Snow White said as the men went to fill their mugs with ale before sitting. "Do you have a needle and some thread? I'd like to do the mending while I listen."

Crat smiled at her and nodded. He disappeared upstairs before returning with the desired needle and thread. Snow White thanked him and retrieved the rags she had made that morning to use as potential patches when needed. Picking up the first shirt from the mending pile, she threaded her needle and looked at the men, expectantly.

"Thumb, why don't you start?" Father suggested as he took a draught of his ale. The fire crackled as Thumb cleared his throat to start his story.

Snow White asks about the mine work and why they don't run away (they kill the ones left if one runs away). Go into her chopping wood the next day. After dinner, the men start telling their stories.

A/N: I mentioned this will be novel-length, right? Next few chapters will be the dwarfs' backstories. I'm hoping that people won't mind 7 convicts living in the woods, but really, to me, 7 dwarfs living in the middle of the woods and digging in mines for gems seemed less likely. If you've ever seen the Disney film, during the "Dig, Dig, Dig" song, they mention something about digging for gems though they don't know why. Well, I'm giving them a reason. They're felons with a debt owned to the kingdom. Might as well make the kingdom rich with the sweat from their brows. Names are nicknames, and they'll be explained in the backstories. BTW, I love Seagrass's nickname, but my computer swears the word doesn't exist, though I chose it from the program's dictionary. Stupid program.