"Dear Snow, please join me for tea at 7.00 tonight," the invitation reads in beautiful golden calligraphy. "It will be just like old times. I am expecting you. Love, Ella"
Snow turns to David, a confused look on her face. "Thomas doesn't want me stepping my foot into their castle while Ella invites me to tea..."
David reads the invitation she handed him. "Those two clearly aren't on the same page," he shrugs. "Are you going to go?"
"I suppose I should," Snow replies. "This way I can talk to Ella, tell her I'm sorry about what happened to her, after I ran away..."
"I'm not sure I like the idea of you going there alone, not after the way Thomas behaved in our office," David frowns.
"I'm going to be fine," Snow smiles, kissing him on the cheek. "What are you going to do tonight?"
"Emma asked me for help with a school project..."
"Oh?" And now Snow is the one looking worried. "I thought they stopped giving them homework after the incident..."
"There was an incident?" David frowns.
"A second grader had a coloring accident working on her homework a few months ago..."
"What does that mean?"
"Turned everything in her house blue, including her family..." Snow explains.
David's eyes open wide.
"It took the teaching fairies three days to turn everyone back to normal...And now the whole family is inexplicably allergic to blueberries," she continues. "I've learned to be very cautious with fairy school homework..."
"I'll be careful," David promises.
"You came!" Ella is practically jumping up and down, barely able to contain her excitement. "After seeing you the other day I realized, Snow... I've missed you, I missed you so much..."
"I missed you too," Snow smiles.
Ella ushers her friend into the conservatory. "I like having tea here, when I have company," she points to the sitting area.
The whole scenery is breathtaking. Hundreds of leafy vines are climbing up on the glass walls, flowers are bursting with color, three trees bearing colorful fruit that Snow has never seen before, a small water fountain humming in the middle of the room, water overflowing from the fountain to small carved out elliptical paths designing an intricate and rather whimsical irrigation system .
"Ella, this is absolutely amazing," Snow gasps.
"Isn't it?" Ella smiles proudly. "The queen used it mainly to grow herbs and healing flowers. It was useful, but it wasn't much... I made a few improvements..."
"A few improvements! That is quite an understatement!" Snow exclaims.
"Shh, you will scare the dahlias, they are quite delicate..." Ella points to the pink flowers on her right. As soon as the flowers sense her attention, they pull their heads away and they turn a shade of bright red.
"Are those blushing dahlias!" Snow gasps. "How? Ella, I thought those were extinct..."
"They are extremely rare, but they are not extinct yet..."
Ella motions Snow to sit at the small table, already set with a delicate china set decorated with light blue roses.
"I can't even remember when was the last time I invited someone over for tea," Ella sighs. "Catherine is about to become queen and she is far too busy with affairs of the kingdom. Belle is practically a hermit, she never walks out of her castle anymore...-"
"Why? What's wrong with Belle?" Snow frowns.
"I don't know. Something happened, though she won't say. A love story gone wrong... I think her heart is broken..."
"Belle?" Snow is looking shocked. "I always thought Belle was far too sensible to do something as reckless as falling in love..."
"I don't know..." Ella shrugs. "We used to spend so much time together, and then she just disappeared... and there are such strange rumors flying about, but I never believe a single thing the tabloids say..."
"You don't?" Snow is looking quite serious now.
"Why? Do you? After all the stories they wrote about you?
"No, I don't. But, you know, sometimes there is a seed of truth in all the inaccurate tales they weave..."
"Yeah," Ella shrugs. "But I'll let you sort out the mysteries. I wasn't ever any good at solving them..."
"Listen, Ella, I heard a rumor, and if it's true I may very well owe you an apology..." Snow is looking quite serious now.
"An apology?" Ella seems baffled. "Whatever for?"
Snow takes a deep breath. "I heard that after I ran away, the knight force turned to you for answers. I was told that the interrogated you for days..."
"What?" Ella blinks a couple of times. "That's ancient history. Who told you that?"
"It's not that far back," Snow insists. "I had no idea Ella and I am so so sorry..."
"Why, you don't need to apologize... it's not like you asked me to lie or cover for you..."
"I didn't?" Snow feels such a incredible wave of relief.
"No, of course not. It's just that," Ella lowers her voice "I understand how evil stepmothers can be... so I might have created a couple of crumb trails to lead them on, you know, all harmless fun..."
Snow is looking quite shocked. "You did that? For me?"
"I might have," Ella shrugs. "I might have told them that you were fascinated by magic carpets, and maybe, oh, I don't know, maybe Aggrabah was a dream destination of yours..."
"Agrabah?" Snow gasps. "Ella! Agrabah isn't even in this realm!"
"Yeah...I know that now. But, you see, I didn't know that at the time..." Ella shrugs. "When you are forced to spend all your time cleaning after your stepmother, learning geography and realm location, just wasn't a big priority at the time... I didn't mean to send the silver knight force to the furthest realm possible, I just wanted to stall them a little... buy you time... To be entirely honest, I expected you to come back after a week or so. I didn't think you'd be gone for over a year...I thought you'd come back within the week, and they'd leave me alone."
Snow is still looking shocked, as a man walks in carrying their tea tray.
"Sweetheart? What are you doing here?" Ella smiles, delighted.
Thomas places the tray and pours tea in their teacups.
Ella reaches for his hand as soon as he is done with his task.
"Just dropping in to say hello," he replies, looking at her lovingly. Then he casts a worried glance Snow's way. "How are you doing, Snow White?"
"Doing well, thank you," Snow hesitates.
"Just catching up..." Ella replies. "I was telling Snow about Aggrabah..."
Thomas shakes his head. "Agrabah!" he sighs. "That was...-"
"Funny," Ella finishes his sentence for him. "It was quite funny..."
"If you say so, dear," he replies, looking dubious.
"Oh, come on Tommy, don't be so serious..." she says jabbing him gently with her elbow. "Won't you have tea with us..."
"I..." Thomas shakes his head. "I'd feel like I'm intruding..."
"Fine, you may go," Ella waves her hand at him, "if you promise to talk to Snow about that other thing we discussed..."
"Ellie, not this again," he sighs, avoiding Snow's eyes.
"Yes, this again..." Ella insists.
"Fine, I'll talk to Snow," he mutters.
Snow watches as he clenches his fist, even though he manages to appear relaxed.
"Excellent," Ella beams at him. "How about now? I need to check on the babies anyway... I will give you two a minute..."
Ella walks to the door and as soon the sound of her steps disappears in the distance Thomas turns to face Snow.
"I should be thanking you," he says, his voice sounding quite hoarse.
"Thanking me? What for?" Snow asks softly.
"Clearly, you told Ella nothing about our previous encounter... and I... I... Thank you..."
Snow nods, lifting her tea cup to her lips. She takes a sip.
"Hmm, this is quite good, is it blue mint tea?" she asks.
"No, Ellie is allergic to blue mint... I believe it's rose tea, Ellie's favorites..."
"But you are not allergic to blue mint tea?" Snow watches his face closely.
"What? No, I am not..." he replies absentmindedly.
Snow places her teacup carefully back at the table.
Ella walks back in. "The babies are sleeping and the nanny is gone..." she reports.
"The nanny is gone?" Snow looks concerned.
"Our nanny disappears every evening at exactly the same time, as soon as the babies are sleeping" Ella is looking quite delighted.
"And that doesn't bother you?" Snow frowns. "Who is with the babies now?"
"Oh, no," Ella is quick to shake her head. "I have three maids in the room with them... the babies are never left alone. It's just that the nanny disappearing every night is so incredibly romantic," Ella sighs.
"I'll let you ladies talk," Thomas stands up and bows.
"Aren't you going to listen to the song, Tommy?" Ella asks.
"No, not tonight,dear," he says lifting her hand to his lips, for a quick kiss, and there is a sadness and a tenderness in his voice that is impossible to miss.
"Alright then" Ella replies.
"What song?" Snow feels like there is quite a lot of information she is missing.
"Come along," Ella smiles. "I'll tell you along the way... if we don't go now, we are going to miss it..."
"What are we going to miss?" Snow follows her friend, now more confused than ever.
"Alright, so at first I'd decided I wan't even going to hire a nanny, I'm not going to be the sort of royal that lets her kids be raised by nannies, you know what that's like. But then I had triplets. And the triplets are so much work... Tommy said you have to get someone, even if it's just for a few hours... So I did. I found Noreen. And she is lovely and patient and the babies adore her. She is perfect in every way. Except for one strange thing that happens every night..."
As Ella talks, she is walking quite fast, leading Snow out of the conservatory, through stairways and corridors until Snow is felling quite lost.
"What thing?" Snow is looking concerned.
"Every night, if the triplets fall asleep before nine, she disappears for thirty minutes. And then she comes back..."
"Really," Snow is looking quite worried now.
"So I thought this is a mystery, a mystery that needs solving. I asked myself, what would Snow do..."
"Did you?"
"Yes! I dressed up in a maid's dress and I followed Noreen, as soon as the babies fell asleep and she sneaked out of their room... and Snow, it is the sweetest, most romantic thing ever..."
"Is it?" Snow raises her eyebrows. In her mind a nanny disappearing is just plain irresponsible behavior, nothing romantic about that.
"Yes!" Ella exclaims. She opens a side door and they are outside in the fresh air, listening to the song of crickets and nightingales in the trees above, and the croaking of frogs inside the castle moat. Ella walks Snow to a cluster of modest houses. "The groomsmen quarters," she whispers. She points to the one lit window on the house on the right.
"His name is Rowan," she explains. "He's worked for us for quite a while, he is in charge of the stables. His wife died years ago, and every night at this time, he blows out the candle in his daughter's bedroom and sings her a lullaby, even though she is older now..."
"His daughter?" Snow is feeling quite moved. She notices that they are not the only ones waiting outside Rowan's window. A woman wearing a dark cape, undoubtedly Ella's nanny, is hiding behind a sycamore tree. Three servants and two royals are also silently waiting.
Just like Ella described, the window goes dark, and then a man's voice fills the air drifting outside window. Snow can't understand a single word he is singing, the song sounds like a language of the east, familiar yet unknown, but all the emotions are there. This may be a lullaby but Snow can recognize the longing and the pain, this melody is bringing back all the pain of missing yet not remembering David for ten long years. This isn't just a good night song. His voice raises and Snow find's her eyes welling up, she can feel the sadness, the loss and the longing in his voice. And Snow knows exactly what it's like to raise a child alone, yearning for someone who is no longer there. Her hands are shaking and she covers her mouth, trying to keep it together and not burst into sobs.
Ella listens to the song, but perhaps she is used to it, she is not as moved as Snow White. She is quite shocked to turn around and see Snow crying.
"Are you alright?" she whispers. "Snow, I am so sorry, I thought you'd like it..."
"I love it," Snow smiles through her tears. But it's not just that she loves it. There is a power as the melody swells, an inexplicable force. And Snow wants to lose herself in the music, she wants it to never stop, she'd feel quite content if she spent the rest of her life, crying outside of Ella's palace.
Snow wipes her eyes and tries to stop crying. The songs is over and Snow feels like she can breathe again.
"Funny, my Thomas cried, just like you, when he heard it," Ella shrugs. "He doesn't want to hear it again..."
"Did he?" Snow wipes her eyes again.
"It is such a sad story," Ella tugs on Snow's hand and pulls her out of the way, out of the moonlight.
Noreen, a beautiful woman with dark brown eyes walks right past them, still crying. She doesn't notice them.
"Is that your nanny?" Snow asks.
Ella nods. " I never told her I know that she listens to Rowan singing every night. But I happened to bring him up. How he's been alone for such a long time, and I thought that maybe she'd like it if I introduced them... she looked completely horrified at the idea. She seems content to listen to his song and never actually meet him. Isn't this the saddest love story ever?"
"It's quite sad," Snow agrees absentmindedly, her mind replaying the last noted of Rowan's song over and over.
"So, Snow, " Ella hesitates once they are back in the conservatory, finishing up their now cold tea. "Is there any progress with my case?"
Ella looks both hopeful and terrified. Asking Snow for an update was the first thing she wanted to do the moment Snow joined her for tea. But she's been reluctant. She's terrified of what Snow's answer will be.
Snow doesn't know what to reply to that. She definitely knows more than she knew two weeks ago, but none of it is news Ella will want to hear.
"I have made some small progress, but it's nothing concrete yet."
"Oh," is all Ella says, but the disappointment is evident in the way she bites her lips and tries to smile back at her friend. "It's too soon, right? You just started?" she asks, her voice filled with hope.
"It's too soon," Snow agrees.
"Snow, whatever it takes, no matter how much it may cost... Please..."
"I know," Snow nods, her eyes welling up.
Ella throws her arms around Snow. "Thank you so much for doing this for me," she whispers, and then she wipes her eyes in a hurry.
"It's getting late, I should be going home," Snow replies, reaching for the magic bean in her pocket.
"Alright," Ella sighs.
Snow stumbles out of the magic bean portal right on her front yard.
It is so good to be back home. She notes how her front lawn is freshly mowed, how the mailbox is no longer covered by overgrown vines, how there are no weeds growing in her flower boxes. How the shutter on the left window is no longer crooked. All signs that David lives here now, he's been taking care of things, she is not alone anymore. And Snow, still overwhelmed by the sadness of Rowan's song, feels tears streaming down her face.
The light is on in the dining room. He is here, Snow thinks. He is still here.
Snow walks quietly through the front door to find David sitting at the dining room table, watching a news update in his magic mirror. "You are back," he smiles. "I'm happy to report that Emma is asleep. And the homework was just a simple writing assignment. No one has turned blue. There was a minor bubble incident, but it's been handled..."
Snow doesn't reply right away.
"Emma and I gave Wilby bath," he continues, "She used a replicating spell on the shampoo bubbles... but it's all wiped clean, nothing to worry about... How was your night?"
"It was alright," she replies, trying to force a smile.
David gets up from his chair in a hurry. "What's wrong?" he asks quietly.
She shakes her head, trying hard not to cry.
"Snow?" he walks towards her, his hand already on her shoulders. "What happened?"
"Nothing happened," Snow replies. "It's just that I don't like where this case is going, and I don't know what to think. Because he seems to love her but she may have been memory spelled and the song, David, that's the saddest song I heard in my life..."
"Whoa, slow down," he says pulling her towards the couch. "Can you start over? What song?"
"Thomas," Snow replies. "I don't know what to think about him. Because he seems to love Ella so much... but she is allergic to blue mint tea, David, and he is not. Which means she got memory spelled and he didn't. She is looking for her child and he is not cooperating, David what does that even mean?"
"Did you meet Thomas again today?"
Snow nods. "He showed up. He was acting like the perfect supportive husband. Sweet, kind, tender. Exactly like the Thomas I remember. Except that I suspect that he already knows exactly what happened to Ella's child... Why won't he tell her?"
"I don't know," David frowns, placing his hand on her back. "I don't know..."
"I mean, it's quite a serious betrayal isn't it? If he won't tell her?"
David nods.
"What if he won't tell her because he is responsible for the child's disappearance?" Snow doesn't even want to think of what it will do to Ella, if it turns out that her suspicion is correct.
"Looks like we are going to have a serious talk with Thomas next," he replies.
"And then there was the song..." Snow continues.
"What song?"
Snow explains Noreen's story and Rowan's song and as she describes the scene she finds herself once again overwhelmed with emotion. "I don't know why I'm like this, why I'm letting this get to me..."
"Because Ella's case has memory spells and missing family... it's a little too similar to ours..." he replies.
"Except you didn't betray me," she whispers, placing her thumb on his cheek.
"Yes, but I bet it felt like I did at the time," he says quietly. "Snow, I wasn't around for ten years!"
Snow is quick to shake her head and pull him in closer.
"I know everyone had horrible scenarios about us, and theories, and guessed awful things... and I often doubted... but David, I think I always knew. Deep inside I just knew..."
Snow's arms are already wrapped around his neck and he is holding her tight, his fingers tracing her back.
"Snow," he whispers, her forehead on his.
Ella is half asleep, when Thomas walks into their bedroom. He takes off his clothes as quietly as possible, trying not to wake her up.
"What took you so long?" she asks softly.
Thomas jumps.
"Didn't mean to wake you," he stammers.
"Come here," she whispers, reaching towards him.
He always finds it impossible to say no to her, so he climbs on the bed half undressed.
"Have you been drinking?" she whispers, and without waiting for an answer, as soon as he lays next to her she cradles his head in her arms.
"We are going to be alright Tommy," she whispers, her fingers running through his hair. And when she feels hot tears streaming on his cheeks, she just wipes them away with her fingers. "Please don't cry Tommy, we are going to be alright, you'll see..."
Thank you for being here, thank you for sharing your thoughts. I appreciate you guys!
Jennifer Baratta chapter 26 Great chapter
Thank you!
Alexa chapter 26 LOL! David's reaction to Greta's snake hair and not knowing what Snow meant by saying she was a med!
At least they found out some new info about what happened.
:) I laughed a lot trying to describe that scene
mry23 chapter 26 id haha that must've been scary. Also interesting about Thomas and the scandal about blaming Ella, I loved how realistic that is because that would be the same that would happen naturally. But now I'm curious if Thomas knows about the baby and if this is similar or having something to do with Rumple. Loved it and can't wait to see what happens.
Yep. They'd totally blame the new peasant girl...
Bella1296 chapter 26 Great job with this chapter!
Thank you Bella!
Guest chapter 26 . 1h ago Welcome back and what a great first chapter of 2020, it really started with a bang. [Insert image of me clutching my knee and wincing when reading that flashback here] That flashback HURT. SO BAD. like oh no no no. The whole scene hurt me so much like not only did my heart hurt for not only Snow and Davids situation. But the accident and what will happen and the pain of it all. But also ouch ouch ouch Davids poor knee and all the pain he was in. So Thomas... seems to have a lot on his plate... Maybe he's not cursed but suffering from what Teal was dealing with. That he literally can't speak about what's missing from his life. But to yell at Snow and think that she deserved what she got with the memory curse is so unnecessary mean. David sold his horse to Kristoff and Anna so they had the security of magic beans. Haha Greta prime is the best gossip reporter. Even if she's a med. Poor David just ambushed by tiny snakes not even a warning from his wife. Of course David has the white knight handbook memorized. Prrr should mean prince obviously. It was a cute ending to a very traumatic beginning. I wonder if we're gonna get to see when Snow and David first met up at the cabin or how they even found it in the first place.
Thank you!- There will be a continuation prequel chapter, explaining how they ended up in the cabin :)