"Help! Help me!"
The prince who was already looking at the fallen tree, trying to determine whether it was cut down or fell on its own, turns to look.
His eyes open wide. There is a cat wearing boots standing at the side of the road.
"You can talk?" the Prince asks surprised.
"Yeah, I can talk," the cat nods. "That's how I said 'help! Help'!"
The prince raises his eyebrows. "What sort of help you need?"
"Not me. My friend. She was swimming in the pond when a dwarf stole all her clothes. You have to help her..."
The prince frowns.
"What does she need? Clothes?"
"Clothes and a ride to the nearest castle," the cat sizes him up. "You were going to offer that weren't you? Or was I wrong in thinking you were a prince?"
"That's debatable," the prince mumbles under his breath as he walks back to the carriage. How exactly is this going to work? His fiance is already in a terrible mood.
"Absolutely not," Abigail says looking at James incredulously. She can't believe he suggested this.
"You don't have any clothes? A spare cape? Anything?" he asks.
"My wardrobe trunks was sent ahead on the main road along with the rest if our things. I bet it will get there before us since we did take the scenic route," she looks pointedly at him. "This is a royal carriage this isn't a stage coach James!"
"Alright, alright," James replies. He reaches in his seat and grabs his burgundy cape.
"Tell her we'll send help. Under no circumstances are we taking a talking cat and an old naked lady in the carriage with us..." Abigail adds firmly.
"As you wish, dear," James walks away from the carriage following the talking cat.
The pond is about two minutes away and the prince is surprised at how beautiful the forest is and how much lighter his heart feels now that he is here on his own. He hadn't realized how hard it was to breathe around Midas and his people, around Abigail. He knew that agreeing to this engagement wasn't going to be easy. But he expected Abigail to try, even a little. As of right now, Abigail, doesn't seem to be trying at all.
"How much further?" he asks the talking cat, mainly because he needs to focus on something other than his gloomy thoughts.
"Am I boring you, handsome?" the Grumpy cat replies. "Name is Grumpy by the way."
"I'm James. Never met talking cat before..."
"Neither have I," the cat replies cryptically.
And then the road turns and there is the pond and James holds his breath. Because near the edge of the pond, her body still submerged in the water is a beautiful woman that has big green eyes, long dark hair, shivering in the cold water.
"You are back!" she tries to smile at the Grumpy cat.
"Of course I'm back," the cat replies.
James struggles to find his voice. He takes his doublet off and then he walks closer to the water and holds out both his doublet and his cape.
"Thank you," she says and she moves to stand up.
He looks away in a hurry, but not before he notes that she is wearing a white camisole that leaves very little to the imagination. Her hands tremble as she takes the clothes from him. He turns around to face the trees.
She puts his doublet on first then she wraps herself tightly with his cape.
"You can turn now," she says her voice almost a whisper. It's not exactly modest, but it's a lot better than before. He can't help but think of her wet skin wrapped in his leather doublet, her heart beating fast, her body shivering. She still looks so cold. Her skin looks so strikingly white against the burgundy of his cape. He hesitantly reaches for her hand. He ends up with both her hands in his and he rubs them together, trying to warm her up.
"You are cold as ice," he says quietly, "let's have you sit down for a minute," and he helps lower her to the ground. He kneels in front of her and he breathes in her hands. Then he rubs her bare feet.
"What happened?" he asks. "Did you see who robed you?"
"I didn't" she replies.
What are you doing swimming in the pond on such a cold day, should be his next question, but he doesn't ask that. He needs to get her to the castle, she needs to be in front of a roaring fire. Her face is still damp, a drop of water falls from the arch of her lashes to her cheek almost like a tear. No matter what Abigail says he cannot leave a frozen shivering woman in the forest and promise her that help is on the way. He will pay for this he is sure, but he is still not walking away until the woman is full dressed in front of a fire, hopefully after she eats a hearty meal.
She catches his glance.
"I'm Snow White," she offers a small smile. "Thank you for coming to my rescue..."
"I'm James. It's the least I could do..."
Snow takes a better look at him then she looks away.
"My carriage is over there," he points through the trees.
She doesn't say much, she just nods.
"Feeling any warmer?" he asks.
She nods.
"We should get you to my carriage. Do you think you can walk?
"I think so."
"Alright." He gets up and offers his hand to pull her up. Strange how the cat hasn't said a word this whole time.
Despite her ordeal the woman seems to be walking fine. But she is barefoot and there is are thorny vines extending its branches all over the ground. She tries to step over them and then she winces. She must have stepped on a thorn.
"Careful," he says at first and then he shakes his head. "I'm going to pick you up, alright?"
The woman hesitates then nods.
He places his right arm around her waist and his other hand under her knees and he lifts her up. She is really light, he catches himself thinking, she smells like lilies and there is something infinitely fragile about the way she folds and fits in his arms.
"Almost there," he says because he has to say something.
The White knights rush to help him.
"We could use one more cape," James says and the captain of the guard offers his instantly. Someone produces a flask and now Snow White is sipping brandy. Somebody opens the carriage door.
"James, what took you so long...-" the moment Abigail sees Snow White her voice trails off.
He places the woman wrapped in his cape on the seat across from Abigail. He covers her with the knight's cape.
"Alright," he says, let's get you in front of a fire, shall we?" and then he climbs on the seat next to his fiance. The cat jumps on the seat next to Snow.
If looks could kill then James would be a pile of ash under Abigail's accusatory glare. But he either doesn't see it or he pretends not to.
"Snow White, may I present my fiance, Abigail," James is quick to introduce the two women. "Abigail, this is Snow White."
"My name is Grumpy, thanks for asking," the cat glares at him.
"Forgive me," James shrugs.
"A talking cat, how exotic," Abigail mumbles under her breath and then she stares outside the window. She feels so annoyed. She keeps stealing angry glances at James who is casually talking to the cat now.
"There is a faster way out of this forest," the cat is saying.
"So I've been told," James offers a weak smile, "repeatedly."
Abigail looks outside the window.
"But this route has a better view," mumbles Snow bundled up in her corner. She doesn't understand why both James and Abigail turn to face her. James is looking amused, Abigail fuming.
"So, how did you guys meet?" the cat asks.
"Why don't you answer that, my dear," James suggests, this way he won't be tempted to say any of the things that instantly pop into his head like 'her father seems to think that being a dragon slayers is enough qualification for a husband'. Or, 'my father is in love with gold, so it's a perfect royal match really'. Or even worse, 'I will forever associate the moment I first laid eyes on her with the terror I felt when I realized that I was no longer free and king George had no soul'. Which is really not fair to pin on Abigail. He wouldn't hold any of this against her, if she was putting an ounce of effort into this relationship. Which she is not.
"Not now James, I have a splitting headache," Abigail replies.
He takes a deep breath and looks out the window.
The cat is about to say something but Snow shoots a warning look his way. She lets her gaze rest on the prince. He looks tense.
"Are you alright?" he asks somehow sensing her attention on him.
"Much better now, thank you..."
What were you doing swimming in cold day like today he wants to ask again, but he can't, not with Abigail doing her best to completely ignore him and Grumpy the cat staring at him.
"Almost there," Abigail points to the golden castle ahead.
"It's so gold..." James can't help but blurt out because it is, the golden castle walls are glistening in the sunshine.
"After a time you'll stop noticing," Abigail shrugs.
James is still staring at the golden walls as is Snow White. The cat seems bored. He is stretched out on the seat taking a nap.
"Grumpy, wake up," Snow shakes him lightly.
The royal carriage stops at the castle's courtyard. James steps out first offering his arm to Abigail. She either doesn't see him or chooses not to, she walks away without looking back. He offers his arm to Snow who takes it and steps out of the carriage hesitantly. It is a lot to take in. Midas' golden banners are swaying on the breeze, the cobblestone speckled with golden rocks.
The captain of the guard must have rushed ahead to ask for help because three women hurry towards Snow White with fresh towels.
"Come here, dear, let us take care of you..." the first woman smiles at Snow.
"How would you feel about a warm bath?" the second woman asks and the third scoops Grumpy cat in her arms.
"What a lovely cat," she smiles. "And he is wearing boots. How cute! Did you fall in the pond as well?"
"Why thank you!" the cat replies. "And no I did not falling in the pond, cats don't fall in ponds..." he sounds offended.
The woman jumps, almost dropping Grumpy the cat on the ground.
James tries to conceal a smile and so is Snow White.
"Thank you," she says softly as the women pull her away.
He watches them as they usher Snow White in through a side door. Now what, he wonders. Abigail walked away and he is here standing in the courtyard of this new castle on his own.
"James!" he hears king Midas behind him.
James turns around, the king is smiling brightly. "You are here. Already rescuing damsels in distress on your way here, I hear. Did my daughter just leave you here on your own?"
"She must have been tired from the journey," James shrugs.
"Was she now," the King Midas smiles. "Well. There are some red tulips on out flower garden," the king winks at his future son in law. "And I happen to know they are my Abby's favorite flower. Now come on, let's get you settled in your rooms..."
James is grateful to be in his bedchambers on his own. Apparently king Midas has assigned a lot of servants to his service. They are there to help him dress, help him get around the castle, they are available to anticipate his every need. He wonders if the King is overcompensating because of his daughter's visible indifference towards him. It doesn't matter. Because right now James needs...he needs to make sure that Snow White is alright. He hasn't seen her since this morning. And there is no way to ask the servants that, not without word of his inquiries reaching Abigail ears. They women probably took care of Snow, got her clean clothes and sent her on her merry way. Why would she still be here? He needs to forget about the curve of her neck, her fingers in his hand dripping with cold water, her hair messy and beautiful, her eyes looking at him both concerned and trusting. He needs to do something to get her out of his mind.
James sets out to explore the castle. There are corridors and hallways, two large ballrooms, three libraries, one of them with books exclusively bound in gold covers, rooms full of portraits and statues, and a grand hall full of golden oddities. James wanders in surprised to see the decapitated head of the dragon he slayed, now turned to gold, a chimera also gold a wound on her side, monsters he doesn't recognize, monsters with names too hard to pronounce. In front of every exhibit a small sign, explaining what everything is and a short story of its capture.
Perhaps he should be standing there, gold as a statue, James thinks. The golden fiance. He was a shepherd once, the sign could explain. A shepherd who thought he could be a hero. A greedy king decided to marry him off to the highest bidder, Midas' daughter who couldn't care less for him. He is lost in his thoughts when he hears a familiar voice.
"Is it me or is this room incredibly spooky?"
James jumps.
Snow is standing in the doorway, wearing a blue dress, this time her whole body beautifully concealed in lovely fabric, that accentuates her waist and brings out her eyes and the soft blush of her cheeks.
"You are still here," he blurts out. "You are alright!" He feels so relieved. "You look more...-" More what? Where is he even going with this?
"More dressed?" she offers. "I'm here, I'm alright..." she offers a smile. "So are you. I didn't get a chance to properly thank you..."
"No need," he replies. "It was nothing..."
"Well, I'm still grateful," she smiles. "So...this is a rather strange room," she says pointing at the golden hall of oddities. "Could you give me a tour of the castle?"
"I wouldn't know were to start," he shrugs. "This is my first day here."
"Really?" she looks surprised.
He nods. "I got lost twice on my way here," he shrugs.
Snow laughs. "Maybe I should be giving you a tour, I have yet to get lost in this castle..."
He smiles back at her.
"Do you think it's true?" she asks taking a step closer to him. "Do you think it's true that the king can turn anything he wants into gold?"
James nods. "It's true," he replies pointing to his sword. "He turned this into gold in front of my very eyes. And this," he says pointing to the dragon's head," I know for a fact that it wasn't golden. A few days ago it was silver gray and it was pretty disgusting..."
"Really?" she asks touching the dragon's head with her hand. "Was it oozing dragon blood?"
"As a matter of fact, it was," he replies.
"How do you know?" she turns to look at him eyes opening wide. "Did you kill him?"
He takes a step back looking at her closely. He can't help but think that she is acting different. Like she is up to something. "What if I did?" he asks.
Snow bats her eyelashes. "I'd be impressed," she says.
His heart beats faster, this beautiful woman noticing him, wanting to know him, but something seems off in this whole encounter. Something isn't quite right.
"Where is your cat?" he asks, trying to change the subject.
"He is not my cat, I don't own him" she tries to explain. "He is a friend. He is sleeping in his room, right next to mine."
"They gave you a room? You are actually staying?" he asks before he can help himself.
"They did," she replies softly. "Would you like to see it?"
"I should go," he replies. "I'm glad to see you are alright," he says and he walks away as if sensing danger.
Why did he run? Was he really that worried of what she would say next? Or was he worried of what he would say? She is staying in the castle. What does she mean by inviting him to her room? Does she not understand what this sounds like? Or does she know exactly what it sounds like? Does she not care? Does she have an ulterior motive? That can't be good. This isn't good.
He really should be one of Midas' golden exhibits. The golden fiance. A man foolish enough to fall in love with a mysterious stranger on the very first day of his new life with his fiance. Or a man foolish enough to walk away from a beautiful woman interested in him in a misguided effort to remain faithful to a fiance who doesn't want to be near him. A fiance who hasn't put slightest effort into spending time with him, not since they got here.
The red tulips, James remembers. They are in the flower garden. It shouldn't be too hard to find the flower garden and gather some. Then he could try talking Abigail into going for a walk with him.
James doesn't take too long to find the flower garden and cut a few tulips. He asks directions from one of his servant and walks straight to Abigail's quarters. A sweet shy looking girl that can't be older than sixteen years old opens the door and lets him in.
"My lady will be with you in a minute," the girl bows deep and walks out of the room.
He waits a good ten minutes before Abigail shows up.
"James," she offers a curt smile. "What can I do for you?"
"I was wondering if you'd show me around the castle," he smiles offering her the red tulips. Abigail's face blanches.
"Something wrong?" he asks.
Abigail tries to talk a few times before she finds her voice. "I suppose my father told you of my love of red tulips," she tries to smile but there is no hiding the hurt in her eyes. "I know you mean well James," she manages. "I'm sorry I won't be able to show you the castle tonight. Tomorrow perhaps," she says pointing her hand towards the door.
And just like that James is left standing outside of his fiance's quarters holding red tulips in his hands. He looks at the flowers then he shake his head He doesn't understand this at all. Feels like the king set him for failure. He shakes his head and he leaves the flowers on a small table. Perhaps a servant will appreciate them. He can't just throw them away, they are still so pretty.
Turns out the servants are very excited to have a talking cat living in the castle. They all want to pet him and show him around, they want to know how he got his voice. The servant that walks in to help James dress for dinner goes on and on about the talking cat. James is now wearing a gray embroidered jacket and gets ushered into the dining room.
Abigail doesn't show up. She sends one of her ladies in waiting instead, a quiet shy girl who explains that her ladyship is feeling unwell and will not be attending dinner, information King Midas accepts with a polite smile.
And then Snow White appears, followed by the booted cat. The king is delighted to meet her and he is in deep conversation with the cat right away.
"And then my Mistress pulled out the knife. 'Leave my clothes alone you brute,' " the cat is sharing blow by blow how Snow valiantly fought the troll that stole her clothes.
"She fell to her knees and said, please sir have you no mercy? I am but an innocent maiden, what of my dignity? How will I survive in this cruel dark world without my clothes, now that my cruel step mother has cast me out in the darkness, what am I ever to do...with nothing but my soft delicate hands, not used to the hard work she forced me to do, oh how she beat me...," the cat looks ready to cry as he goes on and on about Snow's perilous life. King Midas is hanging from his every word. And James is feeling increasingly annoyed. This feels like a trap, like he is a pawn in Snow's elaborate game. Why is the talking cat exaggerating every detail and how come Midas doesn't see through his lies?
"Interesting," James turns to Snow.
"What is interesting?"
"You pulled a knife on the troll when you were in the water?" he asks. " I might not be a maiden in distress but I do know one does not swim carrying knives or swords..."
Snow looks at him. "Really?"
"Really! And what happened to 'he is not my cat, I don't own him'?"
The Grumpy cat is now explaining how Snow was in the frozen pond, shivering, barely alive, letting out her last breath...
King Midas is hanging from the cat's every word, wiping his eyes with a cloth napkin.
James looks away. Even though that is a ridiculous exaggeration the memory of Snow cold in the pond makes his heart beat a little faster.
"You might tell your cat to keep his villains straight," James whispers under his breath.
"Meaning?"
"He told me a dwarf stole your clothes. He told the king it was a troll, meanwhile you didn't see who did it..." James looks at Snow inquisitively.
"Grumpy cat had been known to embellish to make a good story better," Snow shrugs holding his gaze.
"Yes, that might be it...or maybe you both are up to something," James replies.
Snow's smile disappears from her face. "Are you always this mistrustful?" she asks.
"Only when I'm surrounded by liars," he shrugs.
"Aren't you a real prince charming..." she counters.
She looks even more beautiful when she is angry, he thinks. He is about to fire back when King Midas raises from his seat and walks over to Snow White.
"My lady, after hearing the tale of how much you suffered, I want to invite you to stay in my castle for as long as you need. Make yourself at home. No one will hurt you here..."
Snow bows her head and then meets the king's eyes. "Thank you Sire," her voice sincere, innocent. James watches her transformation his eyes open wide. When she looks like that innocent, vulnerable, all he wants to do is protect her, throw himself in the line of fire for her. Take on the imaginary troll. But this isn't real, he tries to convince himself. He can't fall for Snow's spell. Snow and Grumpy the cat are definitely up to something.
"You are playing with fire," Grumpy cat the says to Snow White once they are alone in her room.
"What are you talking about?" Snow frowns.
"I see the way you look at him," Grumpy replies. "We get in, we do the job we get out. It's that simple," the cat looks at Snow. "Get your head on straight."
"The prince is just another mark," Snow says louder than she meant to. "I thought he could lead me to the treasure himself, but he said he's never been here before. So I'm going to have to ask the king."
"The king is quite taken with you..." the cat smiles.
"Because I'm playing this right. You on the other hand, not so much..."
"What are you talking about?"
"The troll. Why did you change the story?"
"The troll?" Grumpy the cat is confused.
"You told the prince my clothes were stolen by a dwarf. You told the king I fought a troll at the pond, do you see the problem here?"
"I do," Grumpy cat replies. "Listen, the king is obviously fascinated with monsters, and dragons. When I said you were attacked by a troll he immediately wanted to save you..."
"Yes, but the prince..."
"Prince James is a well known ladies' man stuck in a loveless engagement. Bat your eyelashes at him, admire his muscles, do whatever you need to do to keep him distracted..."
Snow looks away.
"Come on Snow, it's the job. It has to get done..."
Snow nods. "It's just that..."
"Just that what?"
Snow thinks of James' face when he pulled her hands closer, when he rubbed her feet. All honest and caring. Careful not to overstep. She still feels his breath on the tip of her fingers.
"He isn't easily distracted," she blurts out.
"Or maybe you don't want to distract him," the cat replies. "Please do this right Snow..." he says as he walks out of the room.
Snow is walking around the gardens when she runs into James sitting on a golden bench, absentmindedly playing with a silver ring in his hand.
"Pretty, but not exactly your style..." she says and he jumps.
"Didn't mean to startle you," she sounds quite apologetic.
"It's fine," he says. "It's my mother's ring," he explains. "I was planning on giving it to Abigail. I always thought it was beautiful. Except now I'm looking at all this," he waves his hand at the lush garden that has golden benches and golden lampposts and a couple of pathways with rocks made of solid gold," and this isn't quite right..."
Why is he even telling her all this? How come she is so easy to talk to? And then he is surprised when because she takes the ring from his hand and slips it on her finger.
"How long has it been?" she asks.
"How long has what been?"
"Your mother," she explains. "How long has it been since you lost your mother?"
James nods. "It's been a while," he replies because his real mother died less than a year ago, but prince James'mother died when prince James was a child.
"Well, this is beautiful," she replies quite earnestly. "And it doesn't have to fit with all this..." she says pointing around. "Maybe it's beautiful because it doesn't fit..."
James looks at this woman who placed his ring on her finger and is looking at it appraisingly. The green stone of the ring matches her eyes, the ring fits perfectly on her finger. It's almost like his ring was designed to fit her hand. He looks at her, and she can't bear the warmth in his eyes.
She hands him back the ring in a hurry. "Your fiance is going to love it..."
He lets out a small laugh. He very much doubts that. In the last few days in the castle he's made quite a few efforts to spend time with Abigail. She keeps sending her handmaidens, making excuses. Princess Abigail is unwell, Princess Abigail is under the weather, princess Abigail begs the prince's indulgence while she fights off her cold. Princess Abigail has a headache. He has a feeling that those are phrases he is going to be very well acquainted with in the coming years.
"Why did you agree to marry her anyway?" Snow blurts out and he looks up at her surprised.
I didn't have a choice, the words almost spill out of his mouth. He looks away. Snow is acting different today. She is acting concerned, caring, friendly even. She is not putting on the innocent damsel act, neither is she trying to flirt with him. She is acting different, he tells himself. Still acting. She is up to something and he needs to not fall prey to her deception.
"Why are you here?" he asks instead of answering her question. "What is it that you want?"
"What do I want?" she frowns at his change of tone. "The charming prince strikes again... Excuse me for thinking that you looked like you could use someone to talk to..."
"Right. How very thoughtful of you. And the other day? Were you actually in danger or where you pretending? What is it that you are after?
"Pretending," her eyes flash with anger. "You know a lot about pretending, don't you?" she counters.
"What is that supposed to mean?" he frowns.
"The southern kingdom's official stone is the emerald. Your mother was the Queen of the southern kingdom yet her ring has a peridot on it. Prince James has a reputation for not letting a woman walk by without trying to..." her voice trails off. "But you are not trying..You are not prince James." There is a lot more she could say. Prince James lost his mother when he was really young. But she can tell that his mother's death is still raw, he is still deeply affected by it. He is not acting like someone who lost his mother years go. This is where she draws the line though. She is not going to make that point. She is not going to take advantage of his grief to win this argument. She is going to leave that one alone.
James swallows hard. So many things he could say. You think I'm not the prince because I didn't jump at the chance to visit your room last night? You think you are irresistible? Maybe you are not my type. So many awful horrible things he could say to her. But he is not going to say any of those things. Instead he says "You know a lot about precious stones, don't you?"
And somehow this question hits the mark. Snow takes a step back. "Stay out of my business I'll stay out of yours, Charming!" she replies putting emphasis in the last word. Then she walks away in a hurry.
Snow is pacing up and down in her room, replaying her conversation with James over and over in her mind. She should have said things differently, she should have brought up his mother, she should have found a way to throw him off, push him where it hurts, confuse him. Why did she hold back? He is just so... he is just... he is so infuriating. That's what he is.
Grumpy cat walks in the bedroom, and Snow doesn't even hear him.
"Good news, Snow White, I know the location of the stone, we strike tonight."
Snow nods absentmindedly.
"Did you hear what I said? We'll get the stone tonight, we will be out of here by morning. We never have to set foot in Midas castle ever again..."
"Right, of course," Snow mumbles sitting down on her bed.
"What's the matter Snow White?"
"The prince..." she replies.
"What about him?"
"I don't know. He seems suspicious."
"Let him suspect." the Grumpy cat shrugs. "We are going to get the stone tonight, we are going to pay off your debt to the Evil Queen and we will never set foot to another castle ever again... We'll never hear from any of those royals..."
"Do you promise?" Snow smiles.
"I promise," the Grumpy dwarf smiles.
"Does the prince look happy to you?" Snow asks.
"Happy? Does the prince look happy?" the cat looks at Snow White incredulously. "Why is that any of our concern?"
"It's not. I was just asking your opinion..."
"How could he be happy? He is going to marry a woman who isn't the least bit interested in him..."
"Right. But why doesn't she like him? He seems nice enough and he is not that bad looking..."
Snow can't help but think of James kneeling in front of her, warming up her hands.
The cat glares at her. "Nice enough and not that bad looking?" the cat sighs. "No, sister! He is incredibly nice and very handsome. The fact that you are trying to downplay this makes me think that you've got it bad... Snow, are you in love with him?"
"I'm not downplaying anything," Snow mumbles.
"No, of course not," Grumpy cat rolls his eyes. "Well if you must know, according to Lucy the laundress who is the best at scratching behind my ears, it's not so much that the princess Abigail isn't interested on James. She is actually heartbroken. She was in love with a knight who her father accidentally touched and turned into gold..."
"What? Lucy said that? This is huge. Does the prince know?"
"Does the prince know... Would you listen to yourself? You are completely obsessed with this prince. No of course the prince doesn't know. Would you tell him if you were her? Would you say 'sorry James I am emotionally unavailable at the moment because my father accidentally turned my one true love into gold, careful, you could be next!'"
"Is the prince in danger? Why did the king turn her lover into gold?" Snow is looking worried.
"It was an accident alright? The king spent a fortune trying to bring the guy back to life..."
"An accident...so the prince is safe," she mumbles.
Snow thinks for a moment. If she were in Abigail's shoes would she tell him? Doesn't he deserve to know? Doesn't he deserve better than a woman who can't love him at the moment, a woman too heartbroken to notice him?.
"If I were Abigail I would tell him the truth," she replies.
"Alright sister," the cats sighs. " I'm sure when the royals decide they need your matchmaking services or your opinion on how to handle their love lives they will ask for them. In the meantime there are two blue sapphires we need to steal. I need you to focus..."
"Right, of course, I'm focused," Snow replies. "Don't you think that someone should tell the prince?" Snow mumbles and Grumpy lays on his back groaning.
"I thinks someone should mind their own business," the Grumpy cat replies sternly. "One last job Snow White and we are free. Come on, do not ruin this for us..."
"Of course not," Snow replies but the cat doesn't look at all convinced.
"Right," the cat says still glaring at her.
"What's wrong? Why are you looking at me like that?"
"I walked in, I informed you that I now know of the location of the stones. And you completely ignored me and talked about your prince and his doomed love life..."
"Where are the blue sapphires located?" Snow asks dutifully.
"Are you sure you want to know? Because I'm not sure we've discussed the love lives of the royals thoroughly yet..."
"Grumpy!"
"There is a small room, behind the hall of golden oddities," the cat whispers. "And I know of a tunnel who can get us straight there..."
"How did you find out?" Snow asks.
"Frank the butler loves cats and is very talkative when drunk. There is a ball tonight," the cat explains. Everyone will be busy. We can dot his without anyone noticing..."
"Good," Snow smiles. "Now tell me where is the tunnel ? Is it guarded?"
"You are back," the Grumpy cat smiles. "Now listen carefully..."
After being holed up in her quarters avoiding James for the past week Abigail is actually attending tonight's ball. James is looking at himself in the mirror. Not sure if he recognizes the man looking back at him.
"You are not...You are not prince James."
How does Snow even know that? He means to stay clear of her path. He means to forget the softness of her voice, the ways her eyes light up, her hands and how she shivered in his arms when he carried her back to his carriage.
The Golden Ballroom is full of people James doesn't recognize. A few of them recognize prince James though. They greet him enthusiastically. He smiles back, doing his best to avoid calling them by name because he doesn't have the faintest idea who they are. When he finally sees Abigail he is actually relieved.
"Abigail," he smiles warmly.
"James," is all she says, her voice cold, distant. He doesn't mean to but he takes a step back.
"Would you care to dance?" he asks because she doesn't look like she is in the mood to talk to him.
"My feet are killing me," she shrugs looking away. "if only I'd thought to wear my comfortable shoes..."
She's been coming up with excuses not to meet with him all week and she shows up in the ballroom unwilling to dance. James is not even angry. He is sort of done. Done with Abigail, done with this golden palace, done with this royal life that feels like he is stuck in a golden cage all alone.
"Would you like me to fetch them for you my dear?" he asks, because that would be as good excuse as any for him to walk away.
"My hero," Abigail replies and he tries hard not to roll his eyes.
James walks out of the ballroom. He needs some fresh air. He wouldn't know where Abigail keeps her shoes or which shoes she considers comfortable, he's only been in her quarters once, but royals probably don't go looking for their own shoes anyway. He could ask Abigail's handmaiden to find her shoes, or he could ask her to come up a few excuses as to why he is not going back to the ball. Something like, the prince has a severe headache and he cannot talk to you at the moment. The prince begs your indulgence but hostile fiances make him nostalgic for his sheep farm. The prince begs for forgiveness but arranged marriages make him feel claustrophobic and nauseous.
James takes a wrong turn in one of the corridors and he arrives at the golden hall of oddities. No one is here this late, everyone is at the ball so he walks slowly to the golden head of the dragon he slayed.
He touches the dragon's nose. Perhaps I should have let you live, he thinks. A failed dragon slayer would not have been someone that King Midas' would consider a suitable husband for his daughter. And then James freezes in place. Because he hears soft noise behind the wall.
Maybe there are golden ghosts in the hall of oddities, he thinks then he sets out to find who made the sound. The wall that he thought solid is actually made out of two wooden panels and he is surprised to see the one of them open right up to his touch. James slips in and pushes the panel back. He is in a small stairway leading downstairs. A secret passage undoubtedly used by servants, nothing to see here, he tries to reassure himself even as he walks slowly down the stairs. The stairway leads into a small corridor and then at the end of the corridor a small room, similar to the hall of oddities, with displays of Midas'most precious treasures. He notices a golden fleece, a golden chalice and then James holds his breath and leans against the wall, because a thin shadow is there, looking up to the top self at the end of the room. The shadow looks familiar, James thinks and then his heart stops because there is a cat at the top of the self that pushes something off the self. That the shadow grabs it in one swift move and stuffs in her pocket. Snow White. Snow white is here to rob Midas. His heart beats wildly. He needs to stop her.
The cat disappears first, James has no idea if there is a small hole or tunnel but the Grumpy cat is gone and now Snow is alone in the secret room walking towards him.
He grabs her by the shoulders and pushes her against the wall.
"Snow White! What are you doing here?" he asks. Snow looks so startled. She looks at him eyes wide open, breathing fast. And in that moment she looks no different than she did on the first day when he lifted her hands to his lips to warm her up. She looks startled and innocent and so very fragile. How does she do that? He caught her red handed and yet when he looks at her he wants to hide her, he wants to protect her. Snow is not innocent, he tries to convince himself.
"James!" is all she says.
"What did you steal?" he asks.
She makes a sudden move reaching for her dagger but he is ready, his knife already in his hand pointing to her chest.
"What did you steal?"
"What do you care?" she asks. "Doesn't Midas' has a palace full of treasure? Are you worried that you won't inherit it all?"
"Stop it," he says louder. "Show me what you got!"
"Or what? Are you going to kill me?"
"I'll alert the guards," he shrugs. "You'll spend your life in Midas' dungeon..."
"That's the same as killing me," she whispers looking down, then she pulls out two rocks out of her pocket. She places them in his hand. He catches himself noting that her hands are cold again. "If you don't let me go I could tell them that you are not really James," she counters.
"Then you'd be killing me," he replies simply and she looks at him almost concerned.
She blinks really fast shaking her head. "I... that's not what I want..."
"What do you want? Was this your plan all along?" he asks. "Weasel your way in Midas' palace to rob him?"
"What if it was? Is that so different than what you are doing?" she asks. "Are you not marrying a woman who doesn't love you to get access to Midas'money?"
He pulls his knife back and now they are just staring at each other. She leans against the wall, her hands shaking.
"Tell me I'm wrong. Tell me you love her and you are not marrying her for her gold," she challenges.
"I wasn't given a choice," he whispers.
"And you think I had a choice?" she asks.
"What do you mean?" he frowns.
"Years ago I betrayed the Evil Queen's trust. She said she'd let me live if I retrieve some objects for her. Valuable objects hidden in the most secret vaults in different castles in the Enchanted Forest. I've been working for her ever since. Trying to amass enough treasure so I can earn my freedom back. The blue sapphires are the last thing she asked for. If I take them to her I'm free..."
"And if you don't?"
"I don't know..."
"Why should I believe you? You've fed me nothing but stories since the day I met you. Why should this story be any different? I can't let you take the sapphires..."
"I know," she whispers.
His hand is still clasping her shoulder. "If you leave Midas' castle now I won't tell anyone what happened..."
She looks at him breathing fast and for a moment she leans in and he thinks she might kiss him. She runs her finger across his cheek instead.
"Are you sure this is what you want?" she whispers. What he wants is to close his eyes and loose himself in her touch but he won't, not like this. For a brief second he considers kissing her and helping her carry all of Midas' treasure outside not just the sapphires, but he doesn't. He knows she is pretending. She is pretending she likes him. This is no different than one of her stories. And he doesn't want another story. He wants the truth.
"You win," she whispers running both hands across his chest. "Goodbye James..." and she is gone. James walks to the tallest self to put back the two rocks he retrieved from Snow White. He takes a closer look at them. He is not a precious stone expert but he knows that what he is holding in his hand is blue glass. Snow White tricked him, she handed him two worthless pieces of glass and ran away with the real treasure.
"Snow!" he whispers. he should run, he should alert the guards, he should tell Midas what transpired here. But he doesn't. He places the glass at the top self and then he rushes out of Midas' secret room. In the Hall of golden oddities he closes the wall behind him carefully. He runs out to the courtyard looking for Snow White but he doesn't see her anywhere. He knows it's wrong but part of him is relieved that Snow managed to get away with the treasure. He walks back into the ballroom. He offers his hand to Abigail. Then he pulls her into the dance floor. Abigail looks surprised but at the end of the first dance she actually smiles at him.
"One more dance?" she asks when the first one is over. At the end of the night James walks back to his room. He looks out of his window, wondering how far away Snow White might be from the castle, wondering if there is any truth to her story about the Evil Queen. The he shrugs. He's made some unexpected progress with Abigail tonight. And he will never see Snow White again.
"Is it that so different than what you are doing? Are you not marrying a woman who doesn't love you to get access to Midas'money?" Snow's voice echoes in his mind.
He shakes his head to clear his mind and he reaches for the leather pouch where he keeps his mother's ring. He opens the pouch and then James' gasps. The ring is gone.
"Snow!" he whispers under his breath. She managed to run away with Midas' blue sapphires. Why did she take the time to steal his ring too?
Next morning life goes on as usual in Midas' castle. Nobody has noticed the missing stones yet. Nobody remembers or cares about the girl that was rescued form the cold pond a week ago, so nobody says anything now that she is gone. It is going to take them a while to notice that the stones are missing James realizes. But he needs to get his ring back, now.
James saddles his horse and ventures deep into the forest. Somehow he knows exactly where he will find her. It's almost as if she wanted him to follow her, because she left her tracks everywhere. He follows her tracks to the pond where they first met. And he is surprised to see her sitting by the small waterfall almost expecting him.
"Hello Charming! Took you long enough," she smiles at him.
"Excuse me?" he frowns.
"I was going to loose my clothes again but I wasn't certain that you were coming this time and the water is too cold..."
"Do you think this is funny?" he glares at her.
She is still smiling. "A little funny," she replies and the softness in her voice makes his heart beat faster.
"Where is your cat?" he blurts out.
"I told you. Grumpy is not my cat, he is a friend. I don't own him. He is on his way to deliver the rocks and hopefully get his true form back..." she shrugs.
"His true form?" James feels really confused.
"The Evil Queen turned Grumpy into a cat so he could help me steal in all the missions she sent me. She felt I wasn't properly motivated... Now that we got the sapphires hopefully she will turn him back..."
"Back into what?" he frowns.
"Grumpy is a dwarf."
James shakes his head. Stories and more stories. That's all he ever gets from her.
"You don't believe me?"
"Why should I believe you? You've fed me nothing but stories ever since I met you!" he crosses his arms. "You lied to me and stole Midas' sapphires, and now you've stolen my ring..."
"That I did," she smiles getting up. "But if you are keeping score, you lied to me when you said your name was James...but I don't want to keep score. And I didn't invite you here to fight..."
"Invite me? You stole my ring!" James glares at her.
"Your ring is right here. Come and get it..." her voice is soft, teasing. The ring is hanging form a string around her neck.
He breaches the spaces between them with three strides. She raises her head and looks at him expectantly.
"Why did you take it?" He frowns but it's hard to stay mad at her when she is so close to him. "Well?" he asks, his voice softer this time.
"You could have turned me to Midas' guards but you didn't. I thought it was only fair if I returned the favor..."
"What? What favor?" he asks.
"You kept me safe, now I'm keeping you safe..."
"Keeping me safe?" he asks. "I'm not in danger..." Maybe it's because he is so close to her that he feels lightheaded, like he is not thinking clearly, but what she says isn't making any sense.
"I'm saving you from making the biggest mistake of your life," she replies and she is no longer smiling.
"What?" he whispers.
"You can't marry her," she whispers. "She doesn't love you, she doesn't even see you..."
"And you do?" he challenges. "You see me as a mark..."
She shakes her head, her eyes welling up. "If you really think that, then let's go get your sapphires back. You can take them back to Midas, you can even turn me in if you like..."
"Get them back from where? The Evil Queen? She is going to kill you..."
"You are worth the risk," she whispers tears streaming down her cheeks. "Charming, I'm sorry I tricked you. And I'm sorry I lied. And if you need me to I'll get the sapphires back..."
His heart thumps wildly. "Snow," he says and he doesn't say anything else because her fingers are wrapping around his hand, her other hand resting on his chest.
"Say you won't marry her," she pleads her hands cupping his face, and even though he knows there are so many reasons he shouldn't be doing this he can't think of a single one as her lips touch his. His arms wrap around hers and he is kissing her back. The ground shakes around them, a bright light blinds them. Snow smiles. Charming breaks the string around her neck, places his ring back on her finger and kisses her hand.
"How many stories has it been?" she asks. "I'm loosing count..."
"Too many" he replies pulling her closer.
"How are you holding up?" she asks trying hard to hold back her tears.
"Always better when you are here," he replies burying his face in her neck. "We are not giving up, we are never giving up," he says just in case she needs to hear it. She lets out a soft sob and just like that Snow is gone.
"Let you go home first?" the Queen looks at her incredulously. "And what guarantee do I have that you will ever come back?"
"I will be back your Majesty, I promise," Snow is looking so earnest. The Queen has to show mercy, David thinks. She has to. Snow is one of the best fighters, she is smart, brilliant, she is their best tracker. She can track anywhere through the roughest terrain.
"I don't think you understand the severity of the charges, Snow White," the Queen glares at her and David's heart sinks. This can't end well.
Snow's shoulder's slope and she looks down.
"You are charged with treason. What is the penalty for treason Snow White?"
Thank you for reading, thank you for reviewing.
I had a great week, thank you guys for your concern...
Bonus hint for next weeks story: It is a lot older than a Grimm fairytale, this story is a classic...
baratta jennifer chapter 20 Awesome chapter.
Thank you so much Jennifer!
Bwayrox chapter 20 Loved the wizard of Oz. You do a great job of writing a story that keeps readers interested while slipping positive life lessons in there. That's one of the things I loved about the original OUAT. I felt inspired, but not preached at. I also thought Regina and Zelena's fighting near the end was a hoot.
Why thank you. I wasn't trying to slip a positive life lesson... :)
Guest chapter 20 I'm quite sick at the moment so (as much as I loved the chapter and how it became one of my favorites) I'll try to make this short, but I promise nothing. I cannot tell you how much I loved this and how it made me tear up. I agree with what you said about the heart split, it worked really well for the shadows and I'm so happy that they got their happy ending. I loved the quote "it's not a waste of a heart for love." The concept of shadows was so interesting but also kinda funny because how open and honest Shadow Snow and Tin David were acting, and how embarrassed the witch and warlock was. I loved the witch and the warlock too! But there was more restraint and heartache with them than the soft and loving shadows. I love that you involved "I will always find you" and that it was what made David remember. I never thought I would say this but Zelena you're the MVP, thanks for your pettiness. Overall it was such a powerful, badass and creative story. I wonder if you're gonna introduce frozen soon since the trailer for Frozen 2 was just released. I don't know if this got any shorter or if I'm making sense. Hope everything is okay on your end.
Yes making the Witch and the Wizard cringe while the shadows made out and professed their love to each other was a lot of fun... Thank you! And I hope you feel better!
Austenphile chapter 20 I love how you wove in the I Will Always Find You and the heart split. It was a lot of fun.
I think it's the first time I've used "I will always find you." in this fanfic. It's beautiful but I don't want to overuse it. Thanks!
mry23 chapter 20 And again cheers for that it was amazing. I was nervous throughout. Ah the shadows were so adorable and I loved their little side story. And then we have our jaded Snowing who I love, I'm a huge sucker for Snowing banter and it was fun to see that. And zelena you captured her perfectly and it made sense that she'd do that because thats just who she is. I'm lost on the next one but I'm excited to see where they go now.
Thank you soo much. I love Jaded snowing banter too... I thought that clue was very obvious. There was a cat. And boots. :)
Bella1296 chapter 20 . beautiful story! I really loved it.
Thank you Bella1296