Chapter 15: With a Smile and A Song
Pocahontas Powhatan
Elsa didn't seem to be bothered by the heavy snowfall. Pocahontas didn't mind it either but she was surprised they didn't have a Snow Day.
She stomped her snow boots as she entered school, shaking off the salt and ice. Elsa strode ahead, wincing at the blasting hot air from the heating system. Pocahontas raced to catch up with Elsa.
She saw Elsa in the parking lot and had been trying to think of something to say to her for the last 5 minutes.
"Think, we'll have a snow day tomorrow?" She blurted out.
Elsa gave her a nervous glance. "Why do you ask?"
"Record cold is predicted for tomorrow." Pocahontas wondered why Elsa seemed so cagey.
"I don't care really." Elsa shrugged.
"It's almost impossible to get anywhere out there. The snow is brutal."
"The cold never bothered me anyway." Elsa sashayed away, leaving Pocahontas dumbstruck and even more fascinated by this mysterious girl.
Tiana Orleans
Tiana closed her locker and almost jumped out of her skin when she saw Naveen leaning on the lockers next to her.
"Hello Tiana."
"Naveen, what do you want." Tiana clutched her chemistry book.
"To walk to chemistry class together. It would be nice. No?" He leaned closer. "Considering we have chemistry."
"We do not have chemistry." Tiana fumed. "How dare you imply anything. I'm walking to class with Lottie."
Tiana huffed in his face than walked straight to where Lottie was obviously pretending to put on make-up and ignore Naveen
"What was Naveen talking to you about? He wanna dish on the break-up too." Lottie harrumphed.
"Nothing, just being, Naveen." Tiana played it off.
"What was he talking to you about, Tia? I know you wouldn't hurt me, it's him and his wandering hands that worry me. Please, you have to tell me." Charlotte begged.
"Don't burn your biscuits, Lottie. He just wanted to talk about chemistry." Tiana did her best to calm her friend with a half-lie.
Ariel Triton
Ariel missed her dad's car as she trudged through the piled up snow. "Daddy would never let me go to school like this." She shivered and held her jacket tight. Snow leaked into her converse and her jeans were soaked and heavy.
Ariel hauled herself through the doors, covered in snow and wetness and exhaustion. She dripped all over the floor as she walked to her locker, where Anna and Moana were waiting for her.
"Gosh, what happened to you, Ariel?" Anna gasped.
"Walking to school happened." Ariel sighed and wrung out her wet jacket.
"You're turning the hall into a slip and slide." Moana's shoes squeaked on the wet floor.
As they walked to class Ariel walked past Eric, who gave her a half-smile. They had kissed and Ariel had felt sparks but no magic. It wasn't the Kiss of True Love that she needed.
"Do you think we should tell my aunt and uncle about Rapunzel?" Anna asked.
"Do you have any idea how they'll respond?" Moana opened the classroom door.
"No idea." Anna shrugged.
She hadn't spoken with Jim since New Years. Ariel thought, while her friends shot annoyed glances at her.
Later that day, when she was leaving the bathroom, she ran straight into Jim.
"I knew I would find you here." He said proudly.
"In front of the Women's Bathroom?" Ariel raised an eyebrow.
"We all gotta pee some time." Jim shrugged.
"What did you wanna talk about?" Ariel asked as they walked down the hall slowly.
"We both know our relationship is a convenient sham but I'm done with that." Jim said confidently.
"Oh" Ariel felt her heart sink. "Are you breaking up with me?"
"Yes but that's not the point."
"Oh then what is the point?" Ariel stopped.
"We both like different people. I know who you like because I banged him with you. Why don't we help each other win over our crushes?" Jim smiled.
Ariel lit up. "Ohmygosh, I love that. Let's start with you."
"No, we're starting with you." Jim leaned close to her.
"I already ruined things with Eric." Ariel's shoulders drooped.
"You screwed up. No big deal. We just gotta put it all on the line for him."
Jim seemed eager and Ariel liked where this was going. She'd much rather play the role of the girl with a crush than the mermaid trying to gain a human soul.
Snow White
Ferdinand walked Snow to her doorstep.
"I had a wonderful time tonight." He gazed at her with gentle eyes.
"I always have a wonderful time with you Ferdy." She kissed him on the cheek.
"Snow White." He cleared his throat. "I love you." He leaned in and Snow moved her blood red lips to his. It was a small kiss. Short, sweet and tender, but it held as much love in it as any two lovers could muster. It was truly beautiful.
Gazing from above, Snow's jealous stepmother, fumed. She slammed the curtains shut.
"I love you too." Snow whispered. "I love you more than anyone."
"Me too." Ferdinand smiled. "I'll see you tomorrow at school."
"See you tomorrow." Snow smiled as she entered her home.
He would not see her tomorrow at school.
Snow White sang to herself as she headed upstairs to her room.
With a smile and a song
Life is just a bright sunny day
Your cares fade away
And your heart is young
She jumped into her bed of stuffed animals and snuggled with them, imagining she was snuggling with Ferdinand instead. Snow hadn't eaten much at dinner because Ferdinand made her stomach so fluttery so she was still hungry.
Snow headed downstairs, her stuffed bluebird in hand, her heart set on some Peanut butter and saltines. She hummed to herself as she went to reach for the peanut butter. Just then, she saw a shadow on the cabinets of a knife plunging towards her.
Snow screamed and turned around. The knife grazed her pale white skin and crimson red blood started to gush out. Snow cried out and looked up to face her assailant.
It was her Stepmother. Mayor Grimhilde Queen.
"Stepmother, why?" Snow sputtered.
"I just want your heart, my dear. That's all the spells say I need." She strode towards Snow menacingly. "And then I can have that innocent beauty that you wield like a weapon."
"So you are a witch." Snow whispered and then threw the peanut butter at her Stepmother. She fled, the older woman at her heels. She raced up the stairs and into her bedroom. Slamming the door behind her.
The door thumped and thumped as Grimhilde threw the weight of her body against it. Snow curled up in her stuffed animals, sobbing and bleeding. She knew the door wouldn't stay forever.
She grabbed her blue jacket and her yellow snow boots and hoping the large stuffed bluebird would protect her head, she threw open her window and dove into the cold night air.
She was grateful for the inches upon inches of powdery snow in her backyard.
Snow landed in the snow, blood dying it red, and ran into the snowy trees.
"Come back. You'll freeze out there." Grimhilde called but Snow wouldn't listen.
She raced into the cold black night, past black trees that clawed at her dress and her jacket, past frozen streams that soaked her boots, past mounds of snow as big as ogres. Snow ran as fast as her little legs would take her until she was thoroughly lost in the woods.
Cold and shaking, she huddled in the roots of a tree, holding her stuffed bluebird for warmth. She felt so cold and alone. The only thing she knew to do was sing.
There's no use in grumbling
When the raindrops come tumbling
Remember, you're the one
Who can fill the world with sunshine
When you smile and you sing
Everything is in tune and it's spring
And life flows along
With a smile and a song
As Snow finished her song, she felt a little warmer and the night felt a little brighter. Approaching her were two strange glowing figures that glistened like stars. Snow shivered back at first but as they approached her, the figures filled Snow with warmth and peace.
They were a doe and her young fawn, fur so light and white it reflected the stars. They gazed at her with big gentle eyes and approached.
The fawn offered Snow it's head to pet and the doe began to lick her face with warm saliva.
"That tickles." Snow giggled.
The doe and the fawn licked Snow's wound and the blood faded away.
"Thank you, you beautiful creatures." Snow hugged the two soft deer.
"Would you know of a place where I could rest my head for the night? I'm less frightened now but I'm oh so very sleepy."
The deer nodded and led Snow through the trees to where they knew she would be safe.
Cinderella Tremaine
Snow hadn't shown up to school today. She wasn't answering her cell phone and her home phone went to Grimhilde's answering machine.
Cinderella was worried. Her heart was racing fast. Ferdinand was in shambles, sobbing to Charles and Philip about Snow being in trouble because she had gone social media/texting silent.
"It's that Stepmother of hers. The mayor. I don't trust her. Snow had a feeling she wanted to hurt her and now she finally has." Ferdinand sobbed.
"Calm down, we don't know what's going on yet." Charles did his best to comfort his triplet. "Unless there's some secret you've been hiding." Charles gave Ella and Philip a pointed glance.
"My dad hasn't seen her." Belle joined them at their lunch table. "I think it's time they know."
"Know what?" Ferdinand sniffed.
"The things we know." Aladdin hopped into a seat. "There's a lot more to Waltville than meets the eye."
They proceeded to explain everything they knew about Waltville and Maleficent and her minions and the Night on Bald Mountain game.
As they finished Ferdinand fought to remain calm, his worry for Snow increasing. Charles looked at them with increased skepticism.
"You can't be serious." He said quietly.
"I wish we weren't." Ella nodded
"Whose Snow in this Bald Mountain game?" Ferdinand grabbed the game manual from Aladdin.
"She's the Snow Maiden, I think." Philip turned to one of the first pages.
The maiden in the picture looked like Snow, with pale skin and dark hair and red lips. And she was petting a glowing doe and her fawn.
"The Snow Maiden has a pure heart, free of darkness." Philip explained. "The Vain Queen can use her heart to cast a Soul-Devouring spell to destroy half the heroes but more importantly, they need either the Snow Maiden or the Dawn Princess to be trapped in the Forbidden Mountain to complete their goal of summoning Chernobog."
Everyone stared at Philip blanky.
"What?" He shrugged. "I've been doing research online."
"What does any of that mean?" Charles looked at the manual with disgust.
"It means they probably want to use Snow for some ritual and we need to find her." Cinderella nodded firmly. "Tonight wear your best winter gear because we're going searching."
Belle Provence
They had split into two groups to search the woods. Ella, Charles and Ferdinand went down the riverpath while Belle took Philip and Aladdin uphill.
"Snow! Snow!" They called out.
There would be no official police search because Mayor Grimhilde didn't declare her missing and no one would dare question the Mayor.
The sun was already setting and Belle's fingers were already feeling numb. She couldn't imagine leaving Snow in this cold but she knew her body could scarcely go on. They had been out for three hours and Belle felt soaked and cold to the core.
No matter how cold she felt, her blood went even colder when she heard the howl of wolves.
"What was that?" Philip searched the trees with his flashlight.
"Wolves." Belle grabbed his arm. "We have to get out of here."
She raced down the trail towards the car, the two boys behind her. She could hear the baying of the wolves getting closer and the sound of their paws crunching across the snow.
Belle rounded the bend and came face to face with six drooling wolves. She glanced all around and saw wolves circling in.
"Stay back!" Philip brandished his flashlight as a club.
"That's not going to work." Aladdin said as he fumbled with his back pocket.
A wolf leapt towards them. They all screamed but a massive paw swiped the wolf out of the way.
It was the Beast towering over them. It glanced at them with fierce but familiar eyes.
The wolves barked and leapt at the Beast, tearing at his flesh and fur. The Beast roared and swiped three wolves of their feet with one swipe of his arm. It was a frenzy of fang and claw but soon the wolves were scattering into the woods.
The Beast looked at Belle with sad blue eyes and then collapsed, bleeding, into the snow.
Aladdin released a carpet square out of his pocket that spun and expanded until it was a floating Persian rug.
"What the hell is that?" Philip exclaimed.
"It's my flying carpet. Let's get out of here before the Beast wakes up and eats us all." Aladdin leapt onto the carpet.
"Can't you see, he's hurt." Belle leaned down towards the Beast. "He risked himself to defend us. We can't just leave him to die."
"Belle, he's a literal monster. He's been scaring everybody in town." Philip pointed to the bleeding Beast.
"We're taking him back to your house and that's final. I think I have another piece of this puzzle." Belle looked over the Beast. She knew something was familiar about him.
Adam Prince
Adam came to a warm room, soft humming and a stinging compress being held to his wounds. He roared himself awake. He saw two figures leap up and one stare straight back at him.
"You must control your temper." The figure scolded him. Adam blinked again and realized it was Belle, nursing his wounds and sitting by the fireplace.
"Belle." He said with surprise.
"How does this monster know you?" Philip, in skin-tight compression clothes, knelt next to Belle.
"Don't call your brother a monster." Belle scolded.
Adam was shocked. "You know it's me!"
"I guessed it was you, Adam." Belle smiled. "What other Beast would save me from wolves. I should thank you."
"You're welcome." Adam puffed up his chest.
"But how dare you attack me and half the town like you've been doing." She hit him with the wet cloth. "What has gotten into you?"
"A hereditary curse." He defended. "It trapped me like this unless I work for Hades."
"Hereditary?" Philip sounded out the word slowly.
"Passed down in the family." Aladdin whispered to his confused friend.
"Than how come I don't have it? Or do I have it?" Philip gasped.
"You don't." Adam growled. "I'm the lucky brother."
"A curse. So that's the darkness I felt." Belle nodded. "And what does this have to do with Hades?" Belle asked sincerely.
Adam couldn't lie to Belle so he told her everything. Except how the curse could be broken by True Love. That would just be awkward to say to her. Aladdin and Philip kept muttering about some nerdy game but Adam was only doing this for Belle. She looked at him with eyes both sympathetic and firm.
"I appreciate you telling me Adam. But I think you have a lot of actions to think about. I'm going to go make sure Cinderella is okay, I think you should get used to being a Beast." Belle said matter-of-factly.
"What?" Adam growled.
"We won't tell anyone." Belle shot glances and Philip and Aladdin "Unless you want to keep serving the God of Death and destroying all of us. Then we'll have to tell someone in order to stop you. But if you wanna stay home and find a way to turn back that doesn't involve the forces of evil, you can count on our help." Belle smiled. "Goodnight, Adam."
"See ya, bro." Philip waved as Belle led him and Aladdin out of Adam's room.
"Cute." He heard a chilling voice sass behind him.
The fireplace went out and Hades appeared in the cold embers.
"At the first sign of discovery you spill your guts out." Hades hissed.
"I'm not scared of you." Adam growled.
"Why? You think a nerdy girl, a hoodlum, and your dumb brother can protect you? Yeesh, I'm a god, you numbskull, and you just got on my bad side. Consider yourself warned." Hades snapped his fingers and disappeared in a puff of ash, leaving Adam shaking in the cold.
Cinderella Tremaine
It was a brutally cold January night. The wind kicked up the snow into Ella's eyes and howelled through her old white peacoat like it was nothing.
"Snow! Snow White it's Ella! Are you okay?" Ella sobbed into the unforgiving night.
"Snow. Snow!" Ferdinand screamed. "Where are you?"
"Snow?" Charles was the only one who managed to maintain an even keel.
They spent hours trudging through the snow, water leaking into their boots, wind freezing them to the core, and lips turning chapped and blue. Their voices were sore from screaming, they were wet and bedraggled like drowned cats. Ella could feel Charles about to suggest turning back but she wouldn't hear it. She couldn't rest until she knew sweet, innocent Snow was safe.
"I won't give up. Not on Snow." Ella said preemptively.
Charles nodded and sighed, swallowing his words before they even came out.
Just then the stars seemed to twinkle as two deer trotted out of the trees. A doe and her young fawn, glistening like freshly fallen snow, approached Ella.
The roaring wind died down as the doe rubbed her head against Ella's side.
"What the heck." Charles whispered. The fawn butted Ferdinand in the leg and then skipped off across the snow. The Doe followed but turned around to watch them.
"She wants us to follow her." Ella walked off after the doe.
"We're just going to follow random deer?" Charles asked in disbelief.
"Magical glowing deer." Ella corrected.
"They're going to lead us to Snow. I know it." Ferdinand took off after the deer.
It wasn't long before the deer led them past seven hills and seven falls to a small cottage in the snow.
"Is this the brewery?" Charles pointed a large metal building behind the cottage.
"It looks like it." Ella followed the deer to the door where they just stopped and looked up at the door expectantly.
"You want us to knock?" Ella asked the deer. Their eyes seemed to tell her yes.
Ella knocked on the door.
"We're closed." A grumpy voice snapped.
"They came all this way in this cold weather." A cheerful voice countered.
"Kitchen's closed." The grumpy voice hollered.
"We're looking for Snow White. Have you seen her?" Ella shouted through the door. "She's about 17 with pale skin and short black hair."
"Who's asking?" The cheerful voice seemed less cheerful.
"Her boyfriend." Ferdinand called in.
"And her best friend." Cinderella chimed in.
The door creaked open and Ella saw three short men staring back at her.
"Ella."
Cinderella looked up to see, Snow White, looking tired but safe, running across the quaint cottage brewery and restaurant.
"Snow!" Ella ran towards her friends and embraced her. "Thank God, you're alright."
"Ferdy!" Snow ran to her boyfriend next and kissed him. "I knew you would come for me."
Ella saw that seven little men had gathered around them.
"Thank you for keeping her safe." Ella could no longer hold back her tears of worry and joy.
A man with glasses spoke up. "We couldn't let the poor thing frozen, I mean frooze, I mean freeze to death."
"All because that wicked bitch of a mayor wanted to kill her own stepdaughter." The grumpy one harrumphed.
"My friends from church have been so kind to me." Snow cooed.
"We recognized her from when she sings in the choir." One of the men said as he turned bright red.
"And I'm going to stay with them from now on." Snow said firmly.
"What?" Ferdinand, Ella and Charles said in unison.
"I can help the brothers run their brewery and do my school online. My stepmother won't know where I am so she can't kill me." Snow said cheerfully.
"She tried to kill you?" Ella asked, totally shook.
"She did." Snow said quietly. "And I know she'll try again."
"If she's your guardian she can just declare you missing and the police will bring you back." Charles sighed.
"But she won't do that. She won't risk looking like a bad mother in front of Waltville. Easier for her to avoid the mess and public scrutiny and look for me quietly." Snow nodded.
"You've really thought about this." Ferdinand looked crestfallen.
"I have." Snow sniffled. "I'll miss everyone a lot, especially you Ferdy, but I feel like it's what's safest, at least until this whole thing blows over."
"If that's your choice, Snow." Ferdinand nodded.
"Oh Snow." Ella sobbed and hugged her best friend tightly. She breathed in her sweetness and warmth and kindness, it would need to last for a long time, and thanked God that she was safe.
Ariel Triton
Ariel wasn't sure if her plan was too outlandish, but when she saw Moana leading Eric into the auditorium with Flynn, she knew it was time.
Jim hit the drums, Anna started the keyboard and Ariel let her voice fly.
What do you say to takin' chances?
What do you say to jumpin' off the edge?
Never knowin' if there's solid ground below
Or a hand to hold or hell to pay
What do you say? What do you say?
Ariel sang the Celine Dione ballad with all her heart while Eric sat there, a soft smile on his lips. Ariel poured all her desire to take a chance with Eric into the song, hoping he would understand.
What do you say?
Ariel ended the song with her hand outstretched to Eric.
"Is this your way of asking me on a date, Red?" Eric laughed a little.
Flynn stared at her with disbelief and Moana gave her a thumbs up.
"Yeah, sort of. I find music is a great way to express how I feel." Ariel fidgeted nervously.
"I think it works for you." Eric smiled. "Alright Red, let's take a chance on a date. Maybe starting from square one would be good for us"
"I think so." Ariel couldn't stop the smile from beaming across her face. She looked behind her and Anna and Jim were high-fiving.
"Friday night?" Eric asked.
"Friday's perfect." Ariel smiled. It was finally happening, she was going out with Eric.
A/N: This is a shorter chapter but in the interest of finishing this story I'm trying to make chapters shorter. I hope you still enjoyed this wintery episode. Let me know what you think. This is our official half-way point so we're officially in the thick of the story. It means so much to me that you all have been reading. I hope you've thoroughly enjoyed the first half of my tale and I hope you'll tune in for the second half. Love you all!