Hoorah, another update, and it didn't take me three weeks. So, here are the dwarves. Enjoy the chapter! :)
Chapter Ten
"Well, this seems to be our lucky day!" said one of the dwarves.
Eric struggled against the snare. "Oh, come on now. This isn't how you treat a friend, is it?" he said. The dwarf shook his head. "Oh no, no of course not. This is how I treat a friend!" He hit Eric's face with the handle of his pickaxe.
The other dwarves laughed, save one with reddish hair and beard, who seemed to be the youngest of the group. "She's pretty," he said, gesturing to Snow White. The first dwarf seemed to notice her for the first time. "Ah, who is this?" he asked Eric. "An apprentice?" Then his face darkened. "Or a captive?"
"This man is helping me," Snow said, fearing what they might do to Eric if they got the idea she was a captive.
"I say we kill 'em both," said a third dwarf. "Skewer him and leave her to rot. I don't like killing girls."
"I'll do it," said another. He walked toward Snow.
"Leave her alone, Duir!" said yet another dwarf, who was the only one who had not removed his mask. He said nothing more; only stood there and seemed to be studying Snow.
The other dwarves were looking through Eric's coin pouch. "He's got nothing," one announced. "Only a silver coin."
"Three days we sit here, and for what? Nothing?" This dwarf walked forward and hit Eric in the gut with the handle of his pickaxe. "We should have stayed by the river! What a waste of time!"
Eric grunted from the blow and then said, "Cut us down, Beith. I have gold; I can pay you. It's just not here with me. It's hidden back in the woods."
"Shut your ugly mug, huntsman!" another dwarf commanded.
Snow gave an exasperated sigh. Why did Eric have to lie so much? It got them nowhere. "Tell them the truth, Eric. We haven't time for all of this nonsense," she said.
Eric looked annoyed but did not question her. "I have to take this girl to Duke Hammond's castle. She's not safe here; the queen sends her men after her."
"Oh, well, my little heart bleeds for you!" spat one of the dwarves. He turned to the rest of them. "I say we should chop 'em up and feed them to the wolves!" he said.
"Who is she?" Beith asked Eric.
Eric swallowed. "She is worth a lot of gold to me, which I would be happy to share with you if you let us down, stupid little dwarves!" he snapped, which resulted in another blow from Beith. "Stop that!" he said, but Beith just laughed.
Snow cleared her throat. "Gold is worth nothing to you if you're all dead! Please, the queen's men hunt us! They are very close!" she said in desperation. But the dwarves only rolled their eyes, and one even said, "Shut up."
"You have love for the queen," Snow said.
Beith scoffed. "No, we have no love for the queen."
"Then you fight against her?"
"No. No one fights against the queen. We lost everything when the king died."
"My father was King Magnus," Snow said.
The dwarves were silent, all staring at her, until Beith said, "Muir, does she speak the truth?"
The dwarf with the mask said, "Yes. She is of the blood. She's destined, Beith. I see an end to the darkness."
Now the dwarves stared at Snow in wonder. Muir removed his mask, and opened his mouth to say something more, but splashing was heard from the river, and he said, "Riders."
Snow gasped. "Oh no, they've found us! Please, you'll get your weight in gold if you cut us down now!" But the dwarves only shushed her.
"They're coming this way!" said Duir.
Beith turned to look at Snow and Eric. "All right. We'll take her, but not him," he said. Snow shook her head. "No. You take both of us or neither of us!" she said, and Beith sighed.
"Fine. Gort, cut them both down. Let's get out of here."
Gort walked toward them, and swung his axe, cutting the rope. Snow and Eric fell to the ground, but Eric quickly stood and then helped Snow up. The dwarves gestured for them to follow, and they did, not daring to look back for the fear that the Queensmen would see them. The dwarves led them quickly away, around several turns and down several paths before they came to a rock covered in ivy. Snow stared at in in confusion. "What is that going to do to help us?" she asked.
"It's a passageway, Princess," said Gort. Duir pulled back the ivy to reveal a tunnel through the rock, and they all stepped through. Beith, at the back, pulled the ivy back over the entrance, peeking through to make sure no one had followed them.
Finn bent down and picked up the bit of rope. The ends were frayed, as if it had recently been cut. William bit his tongue and forced himself to say nothing. Had Snow been captured? If so, by whom? Was she still in danger? All these questions rushed through his mind in that moment.
"Someone's been here. Recently," Finn declared. "Move on, men!"
He leapt back up onto his horse, and they continued on in search of the princess.
It's all so bright, Snow thought, nothing's dreary and grey. And it was true. The place the dwarves had led them to was magnificent. The sun shone bright, its rays pouring onto grass greener than Snow had ever seen, and she heard birds singing. Many of them, all at once, and they seemed to be accompanied by music. Flowers blossomed and danced in the gentle breeze, butterflies fluttered about in all their colors, and little animals chattered. Snow even saw a tortoise, which she had thought was only an animal of the desert, but this one was green and fit perfectly in with the rest of the place.
"Where are we?" she asked quietly, still entranced.
"They call it Sanctuary, my lady," said Gus, the young red-haired dwarf. "It's the home of the fairies."
"The fairies," Snow whispered, smiling.
They came to a small clearing, where logs had been arranged in a circle around what looked like remnants of a bonfire. "Make camp here!" Coll said. The dwarves pulled up moss in certain spots and brought out mugs and plates. Beith called for Gus to build a fire, which he started on right away. Snow walked toward a tree, examining the little fluttering leaf-like things on its trunk. When they all flew upward, she saw that they were not leaves, but butterflies. She smiled, having not seen a butterfly for fifteen years.
Eric watched her, noticing how she seemed so at home here; how she fit with it all. To him, she seemed content to stay here forever. He smiled, saying nothing, and turned back to the dwarves.
That night, after they had all eaten, Quert brought out his fiddle and played. The fire was still burning, and Snow stared into the flames, wondering if this place was truly safe from Ravenna. It had remained untouched by her dark powers, certainly, but was it protected from all evil? She hoped it was. If the Queensmen came here, they would surely destroy it.
She was drawn out of her thoughts when she heard Coll say to Duir, "Would you really have killed her?" Duir answered without hesitation, "Of course," and eyed Snow suspiciously.
Feeling uncomfortable, Snow stood and walked over to Muir.
"That seat's not taken, if that is what you were about to ask," he said.
Snow laughed slightly. "I ... I wanted to thank you," she said.
"It's only a log, Princess."
She shook her head. "No, for earlier. For defending me."
"Your father was a good man. The kingdom prospered, and our people prospered." His look was faraway, as though he were remembering happy times from long ago.
"There were more of you?"
Gort spoke up. "Aye. Those of us you see before you ... There were many more. Went deep into the caves. We were noble gold miners, because we could see light in the darkness. Gus, you were just a boy, but do you remember? One day, when we returned to the surface, there was nothing. The land was black, and everyone and everything was gone. It was dead."
Muir nodded. "That was the month the king died."
"Oh. I'm so sorry," Snow said.
"As am I, Princess. As am I." He turned to Quert. "Son, play a happy song," he said, and Quert immediately obeyed. A few of the other dwarves began to sing, their voices lively. Gus walked over to Snow.
"I know I'm a bit ... well, small compared to you, but ... would you care for a dance?"
Snow smiled. "I'd be honored, Gus."
Eric met Snow's eyes and raised an eyebrow. She laughed and shrugged in answer, and followed Gus closer to the music. Gus bowed, and Snow pulled her imaginary skirt and curtsied, still smiling.
As they passed by, Snow heard Nion mutter to Gort, "I don't trust her, and I don't believe her, no matter what Muir says," causing Snow to falter in step, but only for a moment.
Beith approached Eric as they watched Snow and Gus dance. "So, what's in it for you?" he asked.
Eric frowned. "What are you talking about?"
Beith laughed. "I'm talking about the girl. Is it really just about the gold for you?"
Eric looked over at Snow, and again their eyes met. Her smile softened, and Eric looked away. "I don't know, Beith. If I had any sense, I'd have abandoned her long ago." He took a drink from the mug the dwarves had lent him. But apparently, I don't have any sense, because here I am, still with her, he thought.
"Muir says she's destined," Beith told him. "The question is ... for what?"
Lalala ... I'm listening to the Wicked soundtrack. Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth are amazing. -sighs- I wish I could see them in the musical ... All right, that had absolutely nothing to do with my story. But please review anyway. :)