Chapter Twenty-Four

SNOW WHITE

Prince Florian has shown himself to be overly friendly and outgoing and he had a really bad habit of talking too much. From how he talked he showed that he really didn't think about what he said before he said things; Snow White could only assume he was an only child and didn't have very many friends. On the tour he would ask questions on top of questions while Snow White tried to answer and explain the previous questions; she found that to be very odd and rather rude. He made it very difficult to carry on a conversation with because he really liked to talk about himself and all of his accomplishments he had made in life.

He would tell her sweet things that would make her heart go a flutter or blush occasionally before talking about some rather frivolous adventures that were simply too hard to believe and would ruin the moment. He was a good sweet talker and could flirt very well, but Snow White noted how he looked at some of the maids and other female staff in a manner that she knew all too well and strongly disliked it. He did not seem to be a bad person, but Snow White had found it difficult to talk to him and interact with him, especially since he did not seem to want nor care to listen to anything that she had said. Towards the end of the tour she found it tiring to keep smiling and had Frederick escort her to her room so she could have a little peace and quiet while getting ready for the picnic

As she changed dresses to something more spring, she could not help but think about both Adam and Florian. Although she was very aware that they were entirely two different people she could not help but compare and contrast them.

Adam was tall, pale, handsome, mysterious, empathetic, and an overall gentleman. From the moment she met him she felt as though she could talk to him about anything and he always listened. Unless it was during lessons he really did not speak very often, not that she minded, but she really wanted to get to know him better. He claims to be Queen Grimhilde's nephew, which would mean that he would kind of be her cousin, but something is off about both of their relationships. Also, Snow White can't help but wonder if there is something he hasn't told her yet, which could very well be for her own safety, but he knows things and doesn't tell her. In everything that he did he always treated her like a lady, even a princess, and she secretly cherished that.

Florian was taller than Snow White, but not taller than Adam nor Queen Grimhilde. He was handsome for a prince as well as pleasant enough, but Snow White did not feel as though she could trust him and she could not get rid of the feeling that he was lying to her about everything that came out of his mouth. He talked a lot and listened even less, especially to Snow White and she could not help but find it both concerning as well as overwhelming. Some of his stories were entertaining, but many of them repeated the same words from his other stories and she couldn't help but feel that he kept telling her the same story multiple times just in different ways. Even though she has just met Florian and she has no right to judge a book by its cover, whenever she is around him she gets the same feeling whenever those men who took her virginity.

"No, I can't think like that. . ." She shook her head and looked at herself in the mirror. "Prince Florian hasn't done anything to me, that's not fair to him." She stared into the eyes of her own reflection, as if she had to talk to herself to give herself new courage. A sigh escaped her and she fell back on the small vanity cushion seat. "Maybe if I had never met Adam, I wouldn't feel like this conflicted. . ."

She frowned at the thought and hated the idea of never meeting Adam. He had shown himself to be trustworthy, reliable, and he has protected her from the aggressive attackers. She hasn't seen them or heard anything about them the day he escorted her back to the castle. She couldn't help but feel safe when around him, especially since he was so patient with her in teaching her to read. He had made her feel special, important, which was something she hadn't felt since her father passed.

A chill ran through her and she shivered. She rubbed her arms to get a little bit more heat conducted and get the blood pumping. Although the Queen was attempting to fix her relationship with Snow White she had still yet to give Snow White a new room. Not that she minded since it had been her room all her life, but there are a few holes in the stone that allow the winds to come in and her room gets drafty at night. It's a miracle that she hasn't gotten sick from how cold it gets in the evening.

With the cold pushing her forward Snow White quickly changed into her soft yellow dress and made sure to grab both her hat and the one she had been working tirelessly through the nights to make for Adam. She had noticed that he really didn't seem to have much and he seemed to not like the heat, so she hoped that a hat would help keep him cool. Not that she minded when he sweated, he had such a sweet smell to him like a hint of apples and something else mixed with it, perhaps a bourbon? She had yet to give him back his handkerchief and found herself placing it on her pillow so the sweet scent would help her sleep.

Peeking her head out of her door she saw that the coast was clear and she could quickly make a trip to the throne room. She wasn't sure where Adam had gotten off too since she had to give Florian a tour, but she hoped he would be in the throne room. As quietly as a mouse, she peeked into the throne room and saw rather disappointedly that it was empty. A small sigh escaped her as she turned from the throne room and made her way to the carriages. She secretly hoped that she would run into Adam along the way so that she could give him his hat. If she walked slow enough, maybe, just maybe she would run into him. When she made her way down the long pillared halls that would take her to the carriage Prince Florian quickly met up with her.

He bounced over to her. "Snow White!"

"Ah, Prince Florian." She smiled at him to be polite. It would be rude to ignore him or not smile at him.

"I see you changed dresses." He noted looking her up and down.

"Y-Yes." She felt that it was odd that he pointed that out and held her hats tighter in her hand. "I thought that this would be a better color for the picnic."

"Although I much preferred the other one." He noted. "I still think that is a lovely dress on you, Snow White! That yellow is absolutely lovely!"

"Thank you, Prince Florian." Her smile was making her tired again. But smiling meant that she was being nice and kind and that things would be right as rain. As she searched for the carriages up ahead, she saw Adam standing looking a little lost as he stared at her. Her heart swelled and she could feel those bubbles of happiness popping inside of her.

Tall, pale, and handsome he stood down the long halls. The sun shone brightly on his raven black hair and it shone with a pretty sheen. His eyes were so brown they were black, but she could not help but feel drawn to those ever growing and caring eyes. He wore his usual dark royal blue suitcoat, not that she was surprised; perhaps blue was his favorite color. The blue still made him look very dashing. Her heart simply wished that he was the prince that would find her and take her away.

"There you are!" She beamed up at him, so relieved to see him, and instantly ran to him. "I was wondering where you had gotten off to. I went back to the throne room, but I didn't see you. . ."

She suddenly felt very warm for telling him that she went to look for him. That wasn't very lady-like nor was that a princess thing to do. The princess was supposed to wait for the knight or prince or man to come to her; she hadn't even thought about that because she simply wanted to see him so badly.

"You must have missed me when I made my way here." He smiled down kindly at her and her heart was like a bird trying to escape from a cage.

"Oh." She felt just a tad embarrassed. But as she still looked up at his face she could see dark circles forming under his eyes, like he hasn't been sleeping very well. "Adam, are you all right?"

He still smiled but he looked so tired. "I'm fine."

"Are you sure?" She was sure he was tired. His face was slightly droopy and she could see that his body was fatigued. "You have dark circles under your eyes."

She ever so desperately wanted to reach up and touch his face to show him what she saw, but she wouldn't. Any time she tried to touch his face or hands he jumped away, as if she burned him or something. She tried not to take it too personally since he didn't seem much of a touch oriented person, but it still stung occasionally.

"Just a rough night." He looked away from her and over her shoulder. She had completely forgotten that Prince Florian was still nearby.

"Are you having problems sleeping?" She held onto his arm to make sure his attention was on her. She didn't want Florian being the reason he wouldn't tell her something. She wanted nothing more than to help him after all the help he's done for her. If she could do anything, anything at all to help him she would do it. "If you are, I have a wonderful tea that could help. I also have a soft pillow you could borrow if you need it –"

"My dear, Snow White." He spoke in such a soft voice and called her such a tender name that her heart felt that it was going to burst. She could only look up at him as he had all of her attention. "I promise that I am fine. I will admit that I am a little tired, but I am fine."

She looked so desperately into his eyes seeking and searching for any hint that he was putting on a strong face for her so she wouldn't worry even though there could have been something deeper going on. Despite her searching, she could not detect a lie, and although she wanted to help she was glad he wasn't lying to her.

"I believe you." She said earnestly, wanting to convey that she truly did. "I just wanted to help. . ."

There she went again, telling him what she wanted and how she felt. His smile was so tender she was sure she would pass out from the ever growing heat within her. "I know."

"If there is anything that I can do to help," Florian suddenly came up in their conversation. "Please, Adam, just let me know."

She watched as his smile fell and an irritated look replaced it. She did not like it when he scowled or frowned, he looked so much more handsome when he smiled.

"How kind of you, Prince Florian." She smiled and responded to him in place of Adam. She was aware that Adam was far from a fan of Florian and from Florian's stiffness the feeling seemed to be mutual.

"But of course." He smiled down at her. "Anything for a fellow royal. I must say that I am looking forward to this picnic, I do believe that it will be a lovely day out. And I know that that hat will look simply splendid on you, Snow White."

Thank goodness he let his mouth run! She forgot about the hat in her hand! She was so caught up with Adam that she forgot. She blushed in embarrassment that she had forgotten such an embarrassing thing. She felt so silly, ridiculous, and utterly stupid. How could she forget to give him his hat?

"Two hats?" Adam noted as he glanced from her hands to her face.

"O-o-oh." She cleared her throat and looked away. She couldn't directly look at him. "I-I brought you this one. . ." She had to gulp for air and for her words to return. "I know you don't really have hats with you s-so I made this one for you. I know you get hot easily in the sun so. . ."

She wanted to run away and hide and be anywhere but here stammering like the lovesick fool she was. She could feel her nerves catching up with her and could feel herself beginning to shake. She held out his hat but continued to look down at her own.

"Thank you." He took it from her so carefully and delicately that she had hardly realized he had taken it from her. "This is the best present I have ever received."

She looked up at him, his eyes and smile were so honest. She wanted to cry and she was so happy. She didn't know what to say. She was so happy. She wanted to hug him or hold him, or even –

"We shouldn't keep the Queen waiting." Florian sounded a little miffed even though he had a smile on his face. "From what I hear she has quite the temper."

"And from whom do you hear this?" She turned and looked at him. Although it was true, as she had experienced it first hand, she was making a real effort to change and turn her life around. Snow White would not allow anyone to talk bad about her while she was going through such great lengths to change!

"Well, everyone, really." He shrugged unashamedly. "Between my messenger and a few villagers, I've heard quite a few things. I'm sure that Adam here can attest to it since he is her nephew."

"Gossip is not a good characteristic to have, Prince Florian." All of that happiness she just had seemed to immediately turn into a heated anger. "Rumors and gossip are not kind things to spread, no matter how true they may be. . ."

She had to hug herself to calm herself down. She didn't want to start a fight, especially with Prince Florian since he was from the neighboring country, but he is stepping into some places that he shouldn't. She was very disappointed in him.

"Forgive me, Snow White." He bent to one knee before her. "I was merely jesting, joking, to lighten the atmosphere, even to get a laugh out of you."

"I did not find it amusing." She looked away from him and stepped closer to Adam. She did not find him to be funny at all.

"I sincerely apologize, Snow White." Prince Florian continued to apologize, rather vehemently, and took off his hat. "Can you forgive me?"

She actually wasn't sure all that much if she wanted too. He had been rather rude today and did not seem bothered by it in the least. She looked up to Adam for some kind of confirmation as to what she should do. Much to her surprise he gave her a smile. Happiness swelled within her again and she felt very proud of Adam. Despite his own personal feelings toward Prince Florian, he encouraged her to forgive him.

She stood straighter as she looked back to Prince Florian. "I suppose I can forgive you."

"Oh, thank you, Snow White!" He stood up and held his arms out as if he wanted her to run into them.

"However." She remained close to Adam. "I must ask that you not speak ill of my mother, no matter if it is serious or in a joking matter. It is not proper and it is certainly not kind."

And she especially did not need any more favors for her stepmother to dislike her any more than she already did. If Prince Florian ran his mouth like she knew that he would, he would say something and more rumors would spread.

"As you wish." He took off his hat and dropped to one knee again. He took her hand and placed a kiss on it, and though it was not unpleasant she did not particularly like this action; especially in front of Adam.

He kept his face down so she could not see if he were saying this because he actually meant it or if he were just trying to please her. That was another thing that Florian did that Adam did not. Florian always looked away and never kept eye contact with her when he spoke, as if he had something to hide. Adam always looked her in the eyes and always spoke openly with her even though she knew there were some things he could not easily talk about.

Feeling bad about comparing them again, she blushed rather foolishly.

"I thank you, Snow White." Florian stood and replaced his hat on his head and held his arm out to her. "Shall we go?"

"Yes, we shall." She nodded her head, though she much would have preferred if Adam had been the one to escort her. She wanted to look to Adam for him to send out his own invitation, but she had already accepted Prince Florian's arm and it would be rude to change so suddenly. Feeling rather ashamed, though, she kept her face forward and did not want to see whatever face Adam was making towards her. She wasn't sure what face he was making, but as she walked away she felt her heart hurt.

"You seem to have quite the interesting relationship with your cousin." Prince Florian kept his gaze ahead as he spoke. There was something in his tone that told her he was not as happy as he just was a moment ago.

"Well he is my cousin." She admitted, though she wasn't entirely sure if that was true. "A-And he has been teaching me to read and to –"

"Read? He's teaching you to read?" His nose crinkled in distaste. "Why would you ever want to read?"

"Because reading is fun." She looked up at him rather confused. "It teaches you things it –"

"I don't like girls who read." He said flatly and a very plastered smile stayed on his face. "Girls who read must be up to something. Typically, bad things."

That feeling that she got came back to her. She could feel herself shaking, despite the fact that they were walking, and she wanted to run. She wanted to run as fast as she could to Adam. She did not feel safe, no she did not. The conversation ended right there and she was ever so relieved to see that they had made it to the carriage and that the Queen was already in there. Should Prince Florian do or say something surely her step mother would do something to stop him.

"So what kind of thing should I be looking forward to when we get into town?" He suddenly sounded overly happy and completely different from just a moment ago.

Snow White removed her hand from his arm and held tightly to the carriage wheel as she looked up at him. He had that nice smile on his face as if what he said and how he had acted before had never happened.

"T-The people." She tried to find her voice. "The people are very nice, and there are many that have trades and – "

"What sort of trades?" He interrupted rather impatiently. "Anything interesting?"

"Well, there's the baker, the blacksmith –"

"Any of them have useful talents?" He interrupted again, seeming more impatient. She felt her face grow warm and her eyes became hot. Her tongue crawled back into her throat and she wanted to run and hide. Although she was doing her best to answer his questions she obviously wasn't speaking fast enough for him.

"W-Why don't you tell me more about Franca?" She decided it would be better for him to do the talking since she wasn't fast enough. As he began to ramble on, she stole a glance in the carriage to see if her step mother was listening. She seemed to be distracted with her own thoughts in the carriage.

"Hey." Prince Florian snapped. "Are you listening?"

"Of course." She threw on a smile that she hoped he would believe. "I thought I saw something over there. Please continue."

Much to her relief Adam and Frederick came walking by and she felt relief was over her. Adam walked past her without casting her a glance and climbed into the carriage. He plopped down in the seat as though he were exhausted. She worried that he was getting enough sleep.

"Come, Snow White." Florian cooed and held her wrist. His grip was firm and tight and it sent her chills. "Let us join them or else we might get left behind."

"Yes, please do." Her step mother called. "Snow White, dear, please come and sit beside me."

Those were words that gave her relief, and even though she much preferred to sit beside Adam, so long as she wasn't beside Prince Florian she would be much better off. She entered the carriage and felt much better by seeing and feeling Adam's presence. Prince Florian took his seat beside Adam and across from her and Snow White noticed that he was wearing a much different mask now.

"Oh, I'm so excited to see Apfel!" He seemed excited, but Snow White had a hard time finding it genuine. "I can't wait to try the food, to see the people, to see the countryside!" He clapped his hand excitedly. "I can't wait to experience the Apfel experience."

Snow White could only stare at him. His words were the exact opposite of his actions just moments ago. She watched his face and his eyes carefully and the moment his eyes locked with hers he immediately looked away to the Queen or anyone or anything else but her. She wasn't sure what that was about, but she did not want to point it out in case he was embarrassed or something.

When the carriage finally lurched forward, she felt a bit more ease come to her, but she could not quite relax. Prince Florian kept looking at her as though he were undressing her, and she did not like that. She placed her hands in her lap and tried to look out the window to avoid that gaze, but then he started asking her questions that demanded her attention to answer and she had no choice but to look at her. She was tired of him asking her questions, especially since he would not allow her to finish answering them. She kept glancing out the window to see how close they were to town. Obviously Prince Florian saw because he purposely pointed a question to what was going on outside.

"What's this that is going on up ahead?" Florian asked, nearly sticking his head out of the window to see what was ahead. She was so glad he was no longer looking at her.

"That would be our first stop." Queen Grimhilde spoke rather chipper.

"It is the merchants that have come for the festival." Snow White answered. "Many of them bring exotic animals, items, and fabrics, yes they're all very wonderful –"

"Animals, you say?" Florian interrupted, eyes sparkling as he liked the idea of getting a new pet. "I must have one to add to my collection!"

"Collection?" Snow White's smile faltered and her brow creased. She didn't like the way he said that. There was something off and foreboding by that response.

"Oh yes, I have quite the collection." Florian gushed. "I have had quite the many pets over the years, and once they get too old and die, or cease to entertain me I have them stuffed and preserved for all time!"

"Stuffed?" She gulped and felt a shiver go through her. Her hands balled up into little fists in her lap. She was horrified. She hated it when people went out hunting for fun and not even for the sole purpose of providing for a family or village. It was one thing to go hunting to provide, but it was another to hunt for the blood thirsty sport of it.

"Oh yes." He smiled brightly as if it were the most normal thing in the world. "I even stuff the game from my hunts if they haven't already been made into fur rugs or hats!"

"A fur rug?" Queen Grimhilde seemed more interested in this topic. "Any bears perchance?"

"Bears, lions, you know some of the wilder beasts from our mountain trips." He listed the animals off his fingers. "We have plenty of fox furs for scarves, rabbit furs for the lining of boots – "

She wanted nothing more than to escape. All of her anxiety was building up to its peak and she needed to get away.

"We're here!" Snow White burst as the carriage lurched to a stop. She didn't even bother for the carriage to come to a full stop; she was so desperate to get out of the carriage. She ran to the front of the carriage to the horses and pet them. They were living breathing animals that were good and honest creatures. The black one she was petting nuzzled her hat as she hid her face in the beast's shoulder first.

"Please." Her voice wavered as she whispered. "Please let me hide for just a few moments. . ."

The horse whinnied in response and even turned into her as if to assure her that it was all right. She shut her eyes and held the horse's face and just tried to calm her breathing and stop her sniffling. A few moments later she heard the carriage door squeak open and heels clicking on the cobblestones. She knew all too well that it was her step mother, but she made no movement to expose her location; not that she was really hiding but she was not ready to really speak to anyone.

Once her breaths had calmed and her nose no longer sniffled she removed her face from the horse's face and began to pet its long nose.

"Thank you, friend." She spoke softly to it and placed a kiss on its nose. "I needed that more than you will know."

Suddenly the carriage shook and caught Snow White's attention. Her curls whipped around as she watched the carriage finish shaking before it stilled and heard loud voices from within. She just realized that Adam and Prince Florian were both in there. She was worried they were fighting and made her way over to the carriage when she heard Prince Florian speaking.

"I don't know what you think you're talking about." Florian snorted. "If I want something, I always get it, whether it be a prince, princess, or scullery maid."

"And that is what makes you lower than most scum." Adam sounded really angry. "And I would know."

She inched closer and stood just under the driver's seat so that she could hear what they were saying.

"What, are you the hero that's supposed to take out trash like me?" Florian responded. "You may be a prince in name alone, but you're obviously too new to the world of courting if you think I'm just going to let you waltz away with my prize. She's just gullible enough that I can –"

Snow White bit her lip at Prince Florian's words. Gullible? He thought she was gullible? She had only tried to be nice to him. He had been so rude and impatient with her and she thought she kept doing something wrong, but he thought she was gullible? If he thought that, what did Adam think?

Her eyes burned and she could feel the tears wanting to come back. She slid her hand over her mouth and nose to keep her from sniffling too loudly and to try to control her tears. She rested her back on the carriage when it suddenly shook again.

"You may be a prince in name alone," Adam sounded truly angry. "But you're obviously new to the Realm of Apfel if you think I'm just going to let you waltz away with Snow White. She is far too precious and innocent for a terribly cruel world that I would never allow her to be released into your disgusting pig fondled hands. I don't care who you are, prince of Franca or prince of the pig sty from which you belong, but you shall not disgrace Snow White nor disregard her as trash because you want something easy out of life."

Her eyes widened and now her heart burned along with her tears. Adam's words touched her heart and she wanted to cry from the sheer happiness of him defending her. He thought she was precious. She didn't consider herself precious. She had been tainted by men, she had had to work all of her life, she had not received a proper education and was currently being taught things she should have, and she felt as though she did not belong here. Her heart swelled; he thought she was precious. Fresh happy tears trailed down her face as she smiled. She was going to move forward when she heard Adam speaking again in a low and deeply angered voice.

"If you so much as lay a hand on her I shall personally remove all ten fingers one at a time, starting with the nails and go down each phalange until you have nothing but stubs. Are we clear?"" She felt a chill go through the air and though her heart had previously been beating out of happiness, it stilled in fear. Adam was threatening to kill Prince Florian. No matter what was said she could not believe that Adam would kill Prince Florian; would he? Suddenly she thought about the two men who followed her and how she had not seen them since that day . . .

She didn't stay to hear the response and quickly went back to the horse. She had never once considered Adam as a threat or someone to fear, he had always been so kind and gentle to her, he even defended her just now! Still his words chilled her to the bone and she found herself shaking slightly. She couldn't figure out why she was shaking, she had no reason to doubt or even question Adam; but then again why had he befriended her so quickly? Was she naïve and gullible like Prince Florian said? Maybe she truly was.

She heard his quiet footsteps when he stepped out of the carriage and heard him approaching. She had her face buried in the horse's long nose and she swallowed her tears and tried to control her shaking. She didn't want him to think she was scared of him, and she especially didn't want him to think less of her. He gently touched the rim of her hat to get her attention. She peeked one doe brown eye at him and just watched him. He still looked exhausted, and although she could see the hints of his anger fading from his face he still looked and felt like the Adam she knew. Still watching him carefully, she slowly removed herself from the horse.

"Are you all right?" He asked softly and handed her his handkerchief. Just by plucking it from his breast pocket she could smell his sweet scent.

"I-I'll be f-fine." She sniffled and dabbed the handkerchief to her eyes. "I just. . ." She wasn't sure what to say after what she just heard. "I just wasn't expecting that from Prince Florian. How could he do something like that?"

There were many things that she was thinking of when it came to Prince Florian but she felt utterly betrayed by a stranger who lied to her with sweet words. He did not appear to be as aggressive or impatient in front of others, but from their conversations they've had today as well as what she heard in the carriage she wasn't sure what to think of him, Adam, or even herself anymore. She had nothing nice to say or to think about any of them at the moment.

"I don't know." Adam sighed and his growing fatigue made the circles under his eyes darker. "We can always ask him about it later, if you'd like."

"No." She shook her head, and a few curls bobbed on the sides. She didn't want him to feed her more lies to try to placate her. She really did not want to be around him at the moment either. "No, I don't think I would like to hear his answer. Something tells me that it would only give me more heartache."

"Then let's not speak of it anymore." He held his arm out to her. "Shall we go and have a look around?"

"Yes." She nodded with a sniffle and all too easily took his elbow. The moment she had touched his arm, peace washed over her like he was providing her a safe harbor to rest on from the whirling storm of emotions that warred inside of her. She didn't have to think, didn't have to speak, she was able to enjoy the scenes of the festival and walked in a comfortable silence between them. She felt very foolish to think that Adam would ever hurt her.

Adam led the way to get them as far from the carriage as possible and Snow White couldn't help but feel relieved. They walked past the animals' stalls which seemed to have been the closest to them. After hearing that Prince Florian liked to stuff his animals she really wished they had put the exotic animal display farther down. Adam guided her past the baker, who already had a massive line for his sweets, the florist, who was busy making bouquets and flower crowns, and proceeded to take her down the long line of merchants that lined the streets with their stalls trying to sell their wares.

The merchants greeted her kindly and tried to draw her in to buy something, but since she wanted to use her limited amount of spending money on materials to make a dress she was sadly stubborn about continuing moving. She smiled politely enough as she had the chance to speak to the different merchants, but some of her joy seemed to have been zapped away. All the crying she did plus all of her nerves must have taken a bigger toll on her than she had realized; she would still smile through it though because today was supposed to be a happy day.

They were walking past a few jewelry stalls when something caught her eye. It was a much smaller vendor in comparison to the other merchants' stalls, but this particular table had a few more interesting items on it. The small vender had necklaces, rings, bracelets, circlets, and even earrings on display. There was a tiny necklace that had the prettiest red stone she had ever seen that rested on the neck display. The stone was in the odd cutout of an apple line with gold and it rested on a delicate box chain with a lobster claw clasp. She was not one to wear jewelry as she had never owned any, and she certainly did not need it, but it was very lovely.

"Hello, pretty princess." The vendor smiled a toothy smile at him. "Do you see something that you like?"

"Oh, I'm just looking." She smiled brightly, realizing she looked for too long. "They just sparkle so nicely in the sun I couldn't help take a look."

"Yes, I specifically picked this spot for that very reason!" He chuckled. "If there is anything that you see that you like, please do not hesitate to ask."

"Thank you." She curtsied politely and felt rather guilty for looking too interested in the necklace when she couldn't afford it. "Perhaps another time. I really must go catch up with my mother, we have to look at fabrics."

She slipped from Adam's elbow and went on ahead of him so she could look at the fabrics without him. She had a very specific color pallet in mind and she hoped that she would be able to find the pieces and materials that she needed.

The garment district expanded in a world of color, textures, silks, cottons, ribbons, tulle, and just about everything else that any seamstress or sewing lover could dream of. The merchants from different corners of the world had their wares on display and she was so excited to see all of the fabrics. She wasn't sure where to start so she just walked along the rows of stalls and looked for what would catch her eye.

As she walked around she found an Italian stall that sold rich velvets. There was a particular deep midnight blue velvet that caught her attention; it was the same blue that Adam always wore. She was instantly drawn to it and reached her hand up to touch the soft fabric.

"Ciao signorina poco. Hello little lady." A nice Italian man spoke to her as she continued to pet the velvet. "Can I help you?"

"Oh, yes." She smiled back at him. "Could you tell me how much two yards of this would be?"

"Due metri, Two yards?" He put his hand to his chin. "Eight silver pieces."

"Then I need two yards of this, please." She smiled, rather relieved of the price. She had twenty silver pieces, two gold pieces, and a handful of copper and brass pieces that she had planned on using later on.

"Solo un momento." He smiled as he picked up the velvet. "Just a moment. I'll have you two yards very quickly."

While he laid out the fabric to cut her two yards, she dug around in her coin purse and counted out the amount of silver she needed. She was so glad she knew how to do math and how to use money, even if her reading and writing was terrible. Knowing how to count proved to be very useful and helped her make many deals over the years when people tried to cheat her out of an honest price. She held the silver pieces in her hand and waited patiently as he cut the velvet, folded it over, and placed it in a brown paper.

"Eight silver." He held out his hand and she placed the silver pieces in his hand with a genuine smile.

"Already spending your money, I see." Her step mother chuckled behind her. "You must have found something nice to be spending your money so quickly."

"Ciao signorina." The Italian merchant smiled politely at the Queen.

"Oh, well." She blushed, feeling embarrassed for some reason. "I found the prettiest velvet."

"Let me see." She snatched the brown paper from her and looked at the blue velvet. "My, this is exquisite." She mused as she ran her hand over the velvet. "Twenty yards, merchant."

"Venti Metri!" He gawked at her.

"Yes, twenty yards." She smiled richly at him. "I do love a good velvet. It would appear that you do have good taste in materials, Snow White."

"Thank you, step mother," She smiled but didn't feel very happy by that comment.

"Let me take this off your hands and have the servants take it back to the carriage for you." She smiled and handed off the fabric to one of the servants. "That way you won't have to worry about carrying that everywhere with you."

"Ah," She wanted to insist that she carry it, but the servant was already running to the carriage. "Thank you."

"Yes, well, enjoy yourself dear." She smiled before turning her attention back to the velvets and began to bargain prices with the merchant.

She left the merchant to the mercy of her step mother and continued to look at the other stalls. There was a particular piece of red silk from a Chinese merchant that caught her eye.

"Hello!" A Chinese woman merchant smiled broadly at her. "How can I help you?"

"How much for one yard?" She held up one finger and pointed to the red silk that she saw.

"For that red silk?" She looked then smiled at Snow White. "Seventy-two gold pieces!"

Snow White took a deep breath and felt rather faint. She didn't want to have to keep looking for other shades of red, especially since this one was the perfect shade of apple red.

"Um, how much for two gold pieces?" Snow White held out her two pieces of gold and the Chinese lady just blinked.

"One foot." She said rather blandly as if she lost interest. Snow White chewed her lip and eye the red silk rather longingly. She didn't need a ton of red, though she would like more, but she would make it work.

"One foot, please." She handed the coins over to the woman who said rather disappointedly. She grumbled in her own language, but removed the red silk and cut the foot of red silk for her. She folded it up into a square and handed it to Snow White.

"Thank you for your business." She didn't sound very thankful, but she still had a smile on her face."

"Thank you." Snow White bowed her head in thanks as she accepted the silk and quickly made her way to the other fabrics. She held the red silk tightly in her hand, she didn't want anyone to take it from her, and wandered over to some thick cotton and wool materials and tried to find a suitable material.

She had the blue velvet and the red silk and now she needed a pretty but cheap material for the skirt. She eyed some of the yellows and greens, some fabrics that would have been relatively cheap and tried to envision what the entire dress would look like, but it was becoming harder and harder to envision because she could not find the right shade of yellow. She found a rather pretty soft pastel yellow fabric that had potential and laid the small square of red silk over it, trying to see if it would work.

"Finding anything that you like?" Adam's voice was right in her ear and it completely broke her deep thought of fabrics.

"A-Adam!" She jumped and pressed her hand over her heart as she caught her breath. "Don't sneak up on me like that."

"I'm sorry . . ." He took a half step back and watched her continue to examine the yellow fabric.

"No." She dropped her hands and looked at him. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have snapped at you. I just got caught up in trying to decide if this yellow would go with the red."

"That's not a lot of red." He noted, and she felt very embarrassed.

"I know," she sighed sadly as her embarrassment only seemed to grow. "Red is so expensive for fabrics, especially this color. It takes longer to dye. So I can only get this much."

"You're having to pay for these materials?" He blinked incredulously at her.

"Of course I am." She gave him the most confused look in the world. She came into this fully expecting to pay for her own things. "I always pay for my things."

"No, I meant – " He looked over his shoulder for the old hag. "No, I thought that the Queen was paying for it."

"Oh. I don't know if she's willing to pay for it or not, but I just anticipated buying it myself."

"Is that why you haven't been getting tarts lately?" She flushed in response. That was exactly why she hadn't been going to see the baker to get tarts lately. She wanted to make sure she had as much money to spend on the materials she needed.

"I had to save every penny I had." She refused to look at him and she felt her ears burning.

"Why didn't you ask me for help?" He asked, still confused. "I would have helped –"

"No." She shook her head and even tried to hide the fabric from him. "I-I d-didn't want your help with this. . ."

She quickly turned away from him and scampered off somewhere else in the crowd. She didn't know why she was running, but she just didn't want him to know that she wanted to impress him with something. He always impresses her with every little thing that he does from his writing to his reading to his quick wit and how naturally he was. She felt she had little to contribute to impressing him. She could occasionally cook, but unless he was impressed with her cleaning skills she was not impressive at all.

She ran and ran and ran until she was on the very outskirts of the festival where she felt as though she were able to have her first true breath of air.

The wind blew her back, as if preventing her from going any farther, and had her open her eyes to take in the beautiful blooming spring day. The fields were wide and open with flowers of white, yellow, pink, and small purples popping up everywhere. The trees blew in the wind, the flowers danced, and even the birds sung a pretty little song. She felt as though she were momentarily free from her role as both a princess as well as a citizen of Apfel. Although she loved her city and the people who lived there, she just felt momentarily free from everything as she stood on the very edge of the town.

She wanted to steal a few moments more to herself when there was a roaring bellow that sounded like a bear and screams coming from within the city. She turned to look behind her when she saw a bear with Prince Florian riding the top of it. "There you are!"

He laughed and steered the bear in her direction. She wanted to run, but she found herself paralyzed to the spot and couldn't even scream as a brown bear came barreling towards her. It was only when Prince Florian had scooped her up that air found her lungs and a scream escaped her.

"Calm yourself, princess!" Prince Florian shouted. "The bear is harmless! I'm just teaching him what he will need to do for the future as my pet!"

"This is a bear!" She yelled back and tried to pry herself free from his grasp. "A wild bear!"

"No, a Russian bear!" He laughed like a crazy man as the bear continued to run towards the forest.

"Prince Florian." She still tried to pry herself free. "I don't think that we should –"

Before she could finish, the bear suddenly jerked off to the left and threw both Prince Florian who did not have a good hold of the bear and Snow White off of its back. She scuttled and rolled against a small patch of rocks and roots and rolled her way on the base of a tree. She pushed herself up and saw that Prince Florian had jumped up and was facing off a very displeased brown bear.

"You foul beast!" Prince Florian unsheathed his sword. "I shall teach you to listen to your master!"

The bear roared and ran at Prince Florian while Prince Florian yelled and ran at the bear.

"No!" She pushed herself up and ran as fast as she could to catch up to Prince Florian. Either Prince Florian was a slow runner or Snow White was a very fast one, but one way or another she was able to catch up to him and push him out of the way. They went rolling to the side while the bear began to roll down the hill. She sat up and watched the bear roll to where she had just been, but it skidded in its roll and managed to hop back up and look back at a furious Prince Florian.

"You, stupid girl!" He roared with a scary glare. "Why the hell would you do that?"

"You would have killed it!" She yelled back.

"It disobeyed me!" He marched up to her and yanked her up roughly by her arm. She yelped in pain and felt a nasty bruise developing on her arm. "You stupid –" He reared his hand up to back hand her. She turned her face in the direction of the bear and saw that it was quickly climbing the hill and coming towards them.

She wasn't sure what would have been worse, being backhanded by Prince Florian or being trampled by a bear. She closed her eyes and readied for the impact of his hand or the weight of the oncoming bear and wasn't sure what was going to get her first.


Author's Note:

Thank you so much for reading, I hope you're enjoying it so far!

I have a lot more free time now that I have accomplished a few goals this week, so I'm trying to write a little bit more. ^_^

Writing from Snow White's perspective was rather challenging. I had to rethink quite a few things of how she herself as a Disney princess would react as well as she herself as my changing character. I'm a lot more satisfied with how she has turned out than what I had originally planned out. I like feeling as though I'm giving her a better chance at life. I made her chapter a little longer so that way everyone could see her perspective on things. Who do y'all ship her with more? Adam or Florian?

Writing Florian has been rather conflicting. I know in the original film he wasn't a bad guy, but he wasn't necessarily a good guy. Think about it, the only screen time we get of him is singing to Snow White and kissing Snow White awake. He doesn't get involved with the Evil Queen, the Dwarves do and then she dies with the treacherous boulder and cliffside. I am aware that he does not have a good personality, he isn't supposed to. If you don't like it, well, you don't have to continue reading. He's supposed to be the competition and not everyone you meet are who they say they are; plus if you do any research of the French during Snow White's original time period (1500-1530's so the 16th century) a lot of Florian's sexist attitude and downplaying of Snow White's intelligence would have been part of that particular period of history.

And before any of you go on tangents or rants about the history, yes I am aware that not all men treated women this way, yes I am aware that women were able to have some forms of education (though not as vast as others), and that there were even successful women during this time period. In my story I am reflecting the more negative sides of Florian so that he is a true challenge/competition for Adam.

Please continue to leave reviews and letting me know what you think of the story. ^_^

Thank you so much for coming along the journey with me, stay tuned for more!

Ko-fi/SarahtheWriter