Ch. 9: Truth

Little Snowing…because they're really cute and needed some alone time. Thanks for the reviews, follows, and favorites.

The children played in the sparse green in front of the Sheriff's station. They had wheedled permission after having to be within Emma's line of sight for nearly two weeks. Snow had just finished her piano lesson and David had finished the last of his jobs for the day. Hauling boxes of files caused some heavy lifting, but David, who had carried wounded sheep and pulled them out of bogs, was strong enough for the job. Lazily, he gazed at his pretty playmate, who was dancing and spinning in the sunlight. He added another flower to the crown he was twisting in his hands, the thickness spanning nearly half his wrist. "Snow," David called.

"Yes?" Snow stopped spinning for a moment, only to fall on her backside to the ground, giggling in delight.

"I have something for you."

"Really?" Snow's tone was curious. She walked over to him on unsteady legs and plopped down in front of him.

He pulled the crown from behind him to show her. Delicately, she raised it from his hands to study it from all angles. "It's beautiful, Davey," she said with great admiration. "You must have used every flower within sight!"

He ducked his head. "Every flower within the area we are permitted to be in," he said with wry humor.

"I've not met a boy who could make flower crowns," said Snow, admiring the workmanship, and the eye for detail David had shown. The flowers were in a pattern, and it was weaved together so tightly that it was undoubtedly sturdy.

"I use to make them all the time for Amma," said David, smiling gently at the memory. He took the crown back to nestle it on her head, "Princess," he said, accenting the second syllable.

She nodded gracefully from her position on the ground, "My brave knight."

David leaned back on his heels from his knelt position. "I wish I could be your knight," his voice was filled with longing. "You have to have a title for that."

Snow adjusted her crown slightly. "I could make you a knight," she said.

"Truly?"

"Yes. Then you could live in my kingdom, and we could see one another every day," said Snow with great relish.

David sighed. "It would be hard to leave my home, but it would be nice to see you so easily."

"Just think Davey, I could get your mother work in the castle, nice gentle duties so she wouldn't have to work so hard. You could live in the castle itself, and never, ever worry about having enough to eat," Snow was thrilled at the thought of plying her friend with riches.

"What would your step-mother say of this?" said David with a small smirk.

Snow paused, tapping her check thoughtfully with her forefinger. "She'll be agreeable," her voice was uncertain.

"Indeed. You're a terrible liar Snow. You shouldn't try to do so at all," laughed David.

"Says you! I've gotten farther then you, poor boy. You must crumble when your Mama questions you!"

"Oh really?" David's eyes sparkled.

Snow laughed, standing, then pulling him to his feet. She led him to the corner of the building. "Over here."

David balked. "Emma said we were to stay in the front yard," he reminded her.

"This is the front yard," she protested instantly, "It's merely around the corner of it."

"I think she wanted us to stay within sight of the windows," said David uneasily, glancing around.

"If she wanted us to do that, then that's what she should have said," retorted Snow, her grip on his hand still tight.

"I thought that kind of thinking brought you trouble," said David suspiciously, his traitorous feet disobeying him to follow her.

"Just for a moment David," pleaded Snow. "I don't have any wish to get into trouble. Truly."

He shook his head a little. "Snow," he said warningly, trying to dig his heels in.

"David," she said in the same voice, pulling him further. Her blue checked dress flapped slightly in the breeze.

David laughed a little. "Snow, I've never met a girl as…as…" he paused, scrunching his face.

"As what?" asked Snow daringly.

"As…naughty as you," David laughed.

Snow stopped abruptly and opened her mouth in mock affront, "David! What a thing to say to me. I'm a princess!"

He grinned, blinking his eyes in the sunlight. "All the girls I know of, especially nobles, are prim little girls who wouldn't know how to run if they were being chased by trolls," he leaned back to give her a smug grin.

"I have been chased by trolls," Snow reminded him, flipping her hair scornfully. "And those girls sound dreadfully dull. You must not know many girls."

"I don't," said David, mirth dancing in his blue eyes, waiting for her predictable response.

"And why's that?" She put her hands on her hips – daring him to continue.

"Because they're dreadfully dull."

This time, Snow's giggles joined David's. She took his hand again and tugged him further into the shadow of the building. "I just wanted to give you something too," she said looking up at him, her eyes looking especially green.

"What's that?" His eyes were round in innocence.

She leaned forward, pressing her lips softly against his. She tasted like the strawberries they had eaten for a snack wasDavid's first thought, as his eyes closed involuntarily. It was his first kiss. The warmth rushed to his face as Snow drew herself slowly back from him. Her heart was beating hard. She had never wanted to kiss anyone as badly as she had wanted to kiss him when he had scrunched his face so adorably. They looked at one another, wide eyed. Their fingers entwined without thought.

"Snow…you," he whispered, and then he bent his head forward to kiss her again. Snow felt a thrumming throughout her entire body, and she didn't resist the urge to lift one small hand to stroke David's cheek. When they pulled away from another again, David felt a little dizzy.

Neither of them heard footsteps crunching leaves, but they did hear an unfamiliar voice. "And what do we have here? Two little love birds?"

David tried to step in front of Snow, but her hand clenched his tightly as she stepped beside him. "We don't know you," she said clearly. "You shouldn't be here."

"It's public property, little one. I have every right to be here," he leered back.

David began pulling Snow towards the door to the sheriff station, "Leave us alone," he said, trying not to let his unease show.

When they began edging around the corner, they saw another man blocking the door. "David," breathed Snow quietly. He squeezed her hand again. It was a question. "Yes," she whispered back.

"What?" asked the man suspiciously.

In an instant, Snow had whipped out her sling, already loaded with a rock. The rock hit him squarely in the jaw. He yelped, then bellowed as David propelled himself forward and aimed a kick at the edge of his knee, bringing the man down instantly. "Run!" yelled David.

Snow turned to see two more men coming from the direction of the sheriff's station, so she began running in the opposite direction. David easily caught up with her and grabbed her hand, pulling her along at a faster rate. "Where shall we go?" she panted.

"We're at the edge of the woods," said David. "Let's go there." They ducked onto a heavily wooded path. They ran until Snow suddenly fell hard to the ground tripping in a hole. "Oh!" she said, somewhat breathless from her impact.

"Are you unharmed?" asked David, as he bent to pick her up.

Snow grimaced a little as she placed her left foot on the ground. "I believe so," she said, unwilling to make him worry.

David hesitated, looking around the forest. Snow began tugging him eastwards. "Come this way," she said. "I'm good at hiding."

"Not really," David argued. "I always find you. Every time."

Snow scowled and little, and resisted the urge to stamp her foot. She didn't enjoy losing at Hide n' Seek. Then her eyes turned soft. "You're the only one," she said quietly, watching as a small smile turned up the corners of his mouth. "Come on," she tugged him harder as they moved eastward. Snow was limping heavily, but trying to conceal it. She paused when they came to a fallen log. She used her hands to clear some of the decaying bark, then began squeezing under to the hollowed out part below.

"Perhaps I should hide somewhere else," David said, looking around. "There may not be enough room."

Snow grabbed at his boot. "There is! Get under here now!"

David squeezed under. There was very little room in the log. He put his arms around Snow to make more. This was beneficial in other ways too. "How long shall we stay here," he whispered in her ear.

"As long as we can bear it," Snow whispered back. "Did you know those men David?"

"No," he shook his head decidedly.

"Nor did I," said Snow, sighing and wincing a little as her foot twisted in an uncomfortable direction.

David began picking pieces of wood chips out of her hair. "How is your foot?" he asked anxiously.

"I think it will be fine," she lied. "Were you harmed?"

"No," he said. They breathed quietly for several minutes. When they heard scuffling noise around them, they froze. They could hear muffled voices as well, but not much beyond that. Snow shivered a little, and David stroked her back soothingly. After hiding for what felt like hours, they were stiff from lack of movement and encrusted with wood chips and dirt.

David rolled out from under the log first, investigating their surroundings thoroughly until he called for Snow. When Snow tried to stand, she yelped in pain. David gently eased her into a sitting position. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"It's my foot. Or my ankle, really," said Snow, biting her lip from the pain.

David knelt and gently removed her shoe, "Oh Snow," he said sympathetically.

Her ankle was swollen and some bruising was developing. "It's fine," she said bravely. "We need to leave before those men come back."

"You cannot walk on that foot Snow!" said David.

"Shall," said Snow, annoyed. "There's no other choice."

"Shan't," retorted David. "You'll just hurt yourself worse."

"Shall!"

"Shan't!"

The children glared at one another. "You're so stubborn, Snow," said David in exasperation.

"No more so than you," said Snow in the same tone.

"I'll carry you on my back, like I do the sheep," said David in a decisive tone.

"Oh, David. I'm so much bigger than a sheep," said Snow, placing her hands on her hips.

"Not very much," said David critically. "You're just a little girl Snow White."

"Am not either," said Snow, but with considerably less steam. She was tired and her ankle ached terrible.

"Let me at least try," begged David. "If it's too much, then I'll stop." Not waiting for her permission, he bent down, and grabbed her arms to wrap them around his neck as he balanced her on his back. "Just as I said," he said coolly. "I can easily carry you." He began navigating a path out of the woods.

"I hope we get home soon," Snow's voice was slightly anxious. "Emma's going to be furious with us."

David paused a moment, then soldiered on. "I don't think we should tell Emma we were chased," he said. "She'll worry so…and never let us out of her sight again."

Snow was silent a beat. "David, did you enjoy being grounded?" her voice was incredulous. "If we don't tell Emma we were chased, she will think we disobeyed her. Not let us out of her sight? We'll never leave the apartment again!"

David sighed in defeat. "I suppose you're right."

"Besides, my mother would have about a hundred fits about it. I would never hear the end of it. Ever." They travelled in silence for a short time, then Snow spoke again. "I have a rule about getting into trouble."

"Is it to get into as much as possible?" He felt a light swat to the top of his head.

"No, you ridiculous boy. It's to never cause a lot of trouble within a fortnight. The memory of past trouble is too strong."

"Hm," David hummed thoughtfully. "Sounds like a good rule. Why do you break it so often?"

She swatted at him again. "I don't usually get into this much trouble."

"I think it's just that you don't get caught as much," he said shrewdly, shifting her weight so it balanced more comfortably.

She patted his head, "Is there something you wish to know, David?" she asked matter-of-factly.

"Where did you learn to fight and shoot? I've never met a girl who could do so, and from what you've said, your parents wouldn't have taught you," his words rushed out in his eagerness.

Snow sounded pensive when she spoke. "I suppose I could tell you. "You'd have to swear not to tell…and we'd have to trade."

"I don't have anything," said David carelessly.

"Secret for a secret," said Snow, her own curiosity overcoming her as she bounced along. "You must tell me what you did to the nobles after you were whipped."

David's entire frame stiffened, "It would be foolish of me to do anything after that," he said, trying to avoid the subject.

Snow tugged on him, to make him stop, and she slid to the ground, seating herself on a rock. "I know a great deal about you now David. You are brave, and kind and you fight for those you love." Her green eyes fastened on his intensely. "You also have a temper and you hate injustice," his eyes flickered and fell. "Please tell me Davey, I swear on my mother's grave I will never tell a single, solitary soul."

David took a breath, and nodded once. "I'll take your deal and your promise," he said. "You mustn't even show that you have the faintest idea that you know. I would be in so much trouble," he knelt down to look at her, touching her hand lightly as he did so.

"I swear."

He turned again, so she could clamber on his back. "Who goes first, then?" he asked.

"I will," said Snow easily. "When my mother died, I was so sad and so unhappy," she began, her voice catching a little. "I was tired of sitting around, learning embroidery and having music lessons. It seemed quite useless. None of that helped me when my mother was ill." The crunching of the leaves under David's feet became a counterpoint to the story. "I watched some of the Pages' training from my window. It was interesting. When I looked at them, and I realized that they weren't much bigger then me. I tried watching them to figure out what to do, but it wasn't enough. I could learn hardly a fingers-breadth of what I needed. I followed the training master, and begged him to take me. He was very polite, but refused utterly. So I watched him and his family, hoping I could find some way to make his change his mind. One day I saw his littlest son wandering, and before I could catch him, he fell into the river. I jumped in and was able to save him. He was crying and cold, but no more hurt then that."

"You were very brave, Snow," David interrupted.

Snow shrugged. "Not really, I mean, what other choice was there? Watch a baby drown? It happened too suddenly to call anyone. I was there. It was lucky. The weapons master…his name was Andrew, he thanked me when his wife told him about it later. He said he was beholden to me. I knew this was my only chance so I told him, he could teach me to fight. You should have seen his face fall, David."

He could feel her grin, face pressed into his shoulder as it was. He shook his head a little, "No doubt."

"Andrew begged me to change my mind, but I was adamant. So…" she said, glossing over the weeks where her muscles ached and she had bruises covering her body, "He did."

"For how long?" David asked as used his hand to move a tree branch out of his face.

"At least six months. At the end of the first, I had begun to feel badly, because I knew he had no wish to teach me, but he laughed and said I was his quickest learner," Snow smiled at the memory, "And he lamented I was not a boy."

"So why did you stop?" David ask, trying to ignore the faint ache in his muscles.

Snow ducked her head, her curls brushing against his neck. "My father caught me. He had been away, and I was still in the courtyard…jousting with some of the boys. He didn't know it was me, at first, but he found out rather quickly. He was so rarely angry with me. I was a bit bruised, I suppose and looked rather like a beggar…my clothes were so muddy and torn. I got a terrible scolding and was punished. When he was calmer, I told him it wasn't Andrew's fault, so he didn't get into very much trouble."

"Did your father permit you to do training again?" David wondered, knowing the probable answer.

"No," Snow's smile was bittersweet. "He said he couldn't bear the thought of my being hurt."

David could hear the longing in her voice. Then he smiled. He knew her too. "How long did it take you to sneak away, and begin training once more?" He could practically see her biting her lip.

"Not terribly long," the little girl's voice was reluctant. "It grew much more difficult, especially after Regina came to live with us…but I still managed to get away once and awhile."

David couldn't even pretend to be surprised. He whistled low. "You are a cunning one," he said admiringly.

Snow laughed a little, "You don't think less of me?"

David shook his head. "Hardly," he scoffed.

"Let me down, David," she said presently. "You need to rest for a moment. And you can tell me your story."

"It isn't a long one," his brow furrowed, but he stopped and found a mossy area to set his precious cargo. He started to sit down, but a boldness welled up within him, and he lay his head in her lap.

Delighted, she stroked his blonde hair. "Now tell," she commanded simply.

"You must understand, I was terribly angry at those boys for a long time, but I knew I could do nothing about it. Not right away anyway. But I'm a shepherd Snow, and I know how to be very patient, even when I don't like to be," he looked up at her, to see if she understood. She nodded. "So many things happened in between," his voice grew low and he closed his eyes. "Amma died. Papa died. Then it was just Mama and me." This time, Snow dropped a small kiss on his forehead in sympathy. He smiled and opened his eyes. "I didn't forget those boys though. Mama wouldn't have liked it. She'd have said what's done was done. But I minded it. They made her cry. They made Amma cry. They deserved a punishment for that."

"And for you too, David," Snow said gravely. "They deserved it because what they did to you wasn't right."

David shrugged a little. "That's different Snow. It's different when it's yourself. I just wanted some justice for Mama and Amma."

Snow knew more discussion was pointless, so she nodded. "Continue."

"It was several years after. I'd hear tales of them. You know how it is, servants talk," he folded his arms against his chest.

Snow wrinkled her nose, she did indeed, know this. "Yes."

"I heard they were going on a hunt. They were looking for a golden stag." Snow looked at him curiously. "It's rumored to be in a very specific part of the forest. I knew that area, and it wasn't far from my home. When I learned of the days they were to be there, I asked if Charlie would watch over my sheep, and to bring them home if I didn't meet him by sundown. I went to a neighbor's house, and asked if I could borrow his horse. I told him I would trade for three days labor. He agreed. It was a good deal. I got everything in place and on the day of my revenge…I took it."

"But want to hear the whole story," protested Snow. "I've told you all of mine!"

David sighed. "When I went into the forest, I found some of the stag's trails, and I set traps upon them. I knew the boys would be so excited about finding the trails that they would be careless. Besides, most humans aren't as smart about traps as animals, and their caught quite often."

"What kinds of traps?" asked Snow with great interest.

"Nets, a pit. I'm good with traps," he bragged slightly. "You never know when you might need them to trap a wolf or fox that is after the sheep."

"You caught them then?" Snow asked.

David's grin answered her. "Not for ever so long. I thought I might have to do it all again, but then…snap!" He waved his arms about, the glee in his face unmistakable.

"What did you do to them?" asked Snow, leaning into him a little in anticipation.

His grin dimmed slightly, and he began speaking more slowly. "You've heard of Ettins, haven't you?"

Snow's face wrinkled in disgust. "Of course. But you didn't feed the boys to the Ettins, did you?"

"No," David seemed slightly affronted. "But you see, they have a smell that is so bad, that it makes a person vomit, just to be around it."

"How would you go about getting that?" asked Snow, her voice becoming suspicious.

Now David was speaking so slowly it was like the words were being torn from him. "Nearly a year before…there was an old woman…who lived on the edge of the forest...and she had some…potions."

Snow straightened and shoved his head off her lap, "David! Did you consult a witch?"

"Nooo," his voice was reluctant, "At least I don't think so."

"Are you mad?" asked Snow incredulously. "What did you think would happen if you went cavorting around with witches?"

"You should speak!" said David, his feathers ruffled. "Your step-mother is a witch."

"She isn't!" Snow protested immediately. "I told you, she's magic."

"And so could Dreda have been," said David stubbornly.

Snow put her hands on her hips. "You could have been hurt. Or turned into a frog!"

"It's not fair of you to scold me," said David scowling. "I didn't do so to you, when you told me your story," he began moving away stiffly.

"Oh David," said Snow, reaching out to grab his hand. "Don't leave." She pulled him back to the ground beside her. "It just worried me so, to think of you being close to someone who might have hurt you."

"She didn't," said David, slightly mollified. "I cut wood and fixed her well. If she were a witch, would she have needed me for that?" he appealed to her.

"I suppose not," said Snow. "So she had…" she nose wrinkled again, "Ettin musk?"

David nodded. "Yes, only a small flask, but that it all that I needed."

"What did you do with it?"

"I was wearing a cloak, so my features were hidden. When I got close to them, I threw it upon them. Both of them. Then I left," David shrugged casually.

"But what happened to them?"

"I heard that some of their servants went looking for them. They weren't found for a day. I heard all kinds of stories later. Seems that they tried every sort of trick to get the smell off. It didn't work. Anyone downwind of them, would vomit continuously until they left. They had to live apart for the rest of their families. They couldn't be with their friends. The best part?" David asked, teeth flashing with his grin, "The musk didn't wear off for months. Bards and troubadours made up songs about them. They were the laughing-stock of the entire kingdom."

Snow laughed, then covered the rest of the giggles with her hand. "When you want to humiliate someone, you spare nothing!" her voice was admiring. "And your mother never found out?"

David ducked his head a little, "I was late coming home. It was quite dark before I made it, so of course I was in trouble." He hesitated a little, frowning. "Big trouble. But I don't think she suspected. The boys said later they were attacked by an imp," he smirked a little.

Snow leaned back a little to look at him, then patted his cheek. "If I'm ever to be at war, I want you on my side," she said firmly.

He grinned, momentary pensiveness gone, "I would take up a sword for you," he said. "You needn't even ask."

He leaned forward, boldly going in for another kiss when a shout broke the silence. "David! Snow!"

"It's Emma," said Snow, sitting up quickly enough to nearly hit his chin. "We had better meet her."

David bent once again, and felt her arms latch around his neck. He started towards Emma's voice. "Thank you for telling me," Snow's voice was soft. "I'm glad you tricked them. They deserved it."

David nodded, feeling conflicted now that his story had been told. "What's wrong?" asked Snow, feeling the tension in his body.

"It's my mother," admitted David. "When I was very little, I told her once that I wished I had buckets of gold to buy her anything she would ever want. She said," he faltered slightly. "She said all she ever wanted was for me to be a good boy…that would grow to be a good man. She said it would be better than any treasure."

"You are a good boy," Snow's voice rang with utter truth. "Being good shouldn't mean you let someone get away with treating you do badly," her voice was nearly as thoughtful as his had been.

"Snow – David!" Emma appeared breathlessly in their path. "Where were you? What's wrong? Are you okay?" the questions rushed out of her.

David lowered Snow to the ground to she could stand gingerly on her good leg. "We're fine Emma," he began.

"You're fine! I'm going to kill you guys!" Emma said with some intent. The children looked completely bedraggled. Snow's hair was knotted with wood chips and her ankle looked enormous. David's clothes were torn and both their clothes were covered in dirt.

When the children's eyes widened in anxiousness, Emma took a breath and tried to calm down. "Where in the hell were you? I told you, very specifically, that you weren't to leave the front yard. Does this look like the front yard?" her arms waved to encompass the forest.

Automatically the children reached for one another's hands. Suddenly Regina came plunging up to them with a scowl so large that Snow immediately stepped backwards, unfortunately on her wounded ankle. She winced and held a hand out in supplication. "We didn't mean too," she said hurriedly, looking at Regina and Emma. "Some evil men chased us. We needed to get away so we ran to the forest," her voice trailed off.

"It's true," said David quietly. "Three men we haven't seen before," he frowned. "They seemed to know us though."

Regina and Emma traded significant glances. "Can you tell if that's right?" asked Emma quietly.

"I'm not Miss Lucas," Regina snapped impatiently. "If you want that kind of information, you'll have to ask her."

"She's up on the far north side of town. In the mines or something," Emma sighed. "I tried to call her earlier when I couldn't find the kids. No answer."

Regina shrugged impatiently, reaching for Snow. Snow flinched back slightly, but Regina grabbed her chin in her hand. "Are you telling the truth?" she demanded.

"Yes," whispered Snow immediately.

"What happened to your ankle?" asked Regina, releasing her chin to bend down.

"I fell," said Snow quietly.

Regina probed it gently, "That's what happens when you run headlong into danger," she snapped.

"Apparently, they didn't mean to Regina," said Emma with a scowl and shoving her to the side to also examine Snow's ankle.

"Well it's truly amazing how much trouble manages to find them," Regina blustered.

"You're telling me," said Emma, rolling her eyes. She picked up Snow, then frowned as she shifted her weight. "How far did you carry her?" she asked David.

He shrugged once more. "Not sure. Wasn't difficult though."

Emma looked at him, then her mother, and for the first time that night her eyes softened. "Yeah. Okay. Let's get you two home."