Chapter Thirty-three

SNOW WHITE

The night just seemed to grow longer and longer with the rain all night long. It was sometime early morning when the rain finally stopped and Snow White had been awake for the moment's notice of Adam coming to get her. The hours ticked by, the minutes ticked by, the seconds even ticked by. There were several times that she had dozed in waiting for him so she busied herself with her dress all throughout the night, adding details and making sure that it was finished for the day. Even when she had finished that she had gone around her room and tried to organize things and even pack a few small things like clothes and her books that she would need for wherever Adam would be taking her. She merely assumed that he was going to take her to his little house in the village, however as the night dragged on and Adam still had not come she realized that he was truly taking her away from the castle and possibly Apfel itself.

This made her both anxious and excited. She had never truly dreamed of what life outside of the castle would be like. She just always prayed and hoped that things with her step mother would get better and she could have a family again; though that had proven itself just a terrible false hope that she should never look at again. Since Prince Florian had arrived in Apfel and had proposed, she had toyed with the idea of what Franca would be like, but if Prince Florian was to be a representative of his country she had not counted on her enjoying it very much. She could not help but wonder if Adam was going to take her back to the place that he was from. He talked little about his past, and given the recent circumstances in the library and the possibility of his taking her to some place dreadful had crossed her mind. She shook her head at the thought, pushed herself from her bed, and paced the floor.

She didn't like thinking of Adam in a bad light, or as a bad guy; however she could not ignore what she had heard in the library. He was supposed to kill her, he was working with the Queen to kill her; yet he hadn't. He had been nothing but gentle and kind with her that she could not actually think of him actually killing her; but the thoughts of the two men that had forever tainted her and left her damaged crossed her mind as their existence in this Realm seemed to no longer exist. She chewed on the inside of her lips and stopped her pacing. She just couldn't make much rhyme or reason to any of his methods in handling her. She could not fathom why he would be so kind and so gentle with her if he was to kill her. Perhaps it was some sort of method of luring her into a false sense of security; that thought almost hurt her worst. She hated thinking that he was merely pretending to like her, that he was doing it all out of some sort of morbid responsibility of getting rid of her.

She stopped pacing and looked at the wall on the left side of the room. Adam had only stayed in that room just recently, he would have had every chance and opportunity to have killed her but he still hadn't. Her hand went to her chest and she tried to still her heart as she sincerely hoped that his feelings and actions towards her had truly been sincere and not an act. Her mind slipped back to all of the individual times during lessons, and escorting her through town and the castle, as well as at his house in the village – he could have killed her at any of those moments in time, but he never did. She could not recall him raising his hand against her, threatened her, or even came off in a malicious way at all. No, he had only ever shown her kindness, had taught her how to read and write, and had helped to give her a new independence. Despite what she heard in the library she would never believe that he would truly kill her. Why else would he be trying to save her?

A smile of hope returned to her face and she tried to remind herself that he would not have left her here; but some part of her deep within her whispered dark negative secrets that tried to smash out her hope. She was so lost in trying to remain hopeful that she had not heard when the rain finally stopped pouring. Then the knock came at the door. She practically flung herself at the door and moved so quickly to open it. Though much to her surprise it was Frederick. That was okay because he normally escorted her anyways, perhaps he was going to escort her to Adam! She dared to continue that hope, but the crestfallen look behind the smile Frederick tried to give her dashed any remaining hope. She could not let him know how disappointed she was, how all her hopes were diminished, no she smiled. She forced a smile as she leaned on the door and almost clutched the frame for support; it would perhaps be the only thing that would not let her down now. She studied Frederick's green eyes, and the poor loyal knight was struggling to find any words to give to her.

"He's . . . not coming, is he?" Her tired eyes burned with exhaustion and longing for sleep and threatened to let the building waters within them fall.

"I . . ." He opened his mouth to speak but hesitated. "I don't know. He's not here yet, but I know he's coming - !"

Oh how she wished he would not lie to her. A cold bitter truth was better than a beautiful lie.

"Thank you, Frederick." She tried to swallow a hiccup with a smile. "But I think it is rather obvious that he isn't coming."

Her nails dug into the grains of the door and she was glad that the few splinters that dug into her skin provided her with some truth that this was reality. That this wasn't a fairytale, that the prince would not be coming to save the princess. That this was a cruel reality where she was engaged to a prince who would more than likely kill her the moment he could just to get her out of the Queen's hair.

"Princess he wouldn't just leave you here." He spoke softly, but sternly to her. "Prince Adam is a man of his word and he would be here if something weren't keeping him."

"I thank you for your kind words and encouragement, Frederick." She stood straighter, but felt so tired. "But I think I'm tired of hope right now, I'm just very very tired. . ."

"But princess – " He tried to argue, but she closed her eyes and turned her head into the door.

"Please, Frederick." She whispered in such a pained voice as her heart ached. "I have decided to accept my fate already. Don't give me any false hope that he will come for me, I don't think my heart can take much more. . ."

She, much to her demise, sniffled and wiped her nose with the only handkerchief she had, Adam's handkerchief at that, before stepping out of her room and into the hall. If she were to remain in her room she could live in the false impression that she could still be saved. Although the morning was still early and there were perhaps a few minutes to spare, somewhere deep within her heart begged to leave the fleeting dream. She tucked the handkerchief in her pocket and forced another smile on her face. Oh how quickly she was growing tired of smiling.

"Let's go to breakfast, shall we?" She gripped her hands placed in front of her tightly together as she walked down the hall not even waiting for Frederick to respond.

She silently wished that there was something else to speak of, just to distract her mind, though she also greatly appreciated the silence. Only their footsteps made noise as they walked down the halls to the dining room. In the silence she could not help but reflect on things. She wondered if perhaps her actions had done something to push Adam away. She wondered if something had happened to him, or if he truly ran away. As she walked the halls she could not help but think of all the actual happy moments she had spent with Adam here. Cleaning together, folding laundry together, having lessons together – too many things in the short month that he had been here reminded her of him. She tried to suppress the memories because thinking of them made it feel as though a hand were around her heart, gripping it tightly threatening to pop it. No, she would put all thoughts of him away.

But did she really want to?

As they reached the dining hall, the silence was broken by the mocking laughter of the Queen and Prince Florian. She secretly did not want to enter the dining hall and even debated on trying to run away on her own, though she knew she would be caught instantly, she wanted some way of escaping. She remained as quiet as possible as she entered the dining hall and took her seat at the left of the Queen. A lukewarm bowl of porridge awaited her as she took her seat and she nibbled at it as best she could. It was delicious in flavor, though it could have stood to have been a little warmer.

Still left to herself Snow White's eyes glanced at the queen, mentally pleading with her to cancel the engagement. She could not help but wonder what actually went through her pretty head. She was so beautiful on top of being intelligent, she just did not understand why things were happening the way they were. All she wanted to do was to fix things between them, and despite everything she tried, she just could not fix things between them.

Florian's laugh woke her from her daze and she hoped she hadn't stared too long. "Oh, good morning, Snow White. I didn't know you were there."

"Yes, I didn't even hear you come in." The Queen blinked in shock. "Well, don't you look nice." She looked Snow White up and down and Snow White wanted to crawl in a hole and disappear. She did not want their carnivorous eyes on her. "The dress simply came out marvelously!"

"Thank you, your highness." Snow White forced a smile and tried to find her voice. "It took me most of the night to finish."

Which was a bold understatement, it in fact took her the entire night and early morning to finish, but she would not let the Queen know that. If she should perchance be holding Adam in a containment cell or worse, have found out about his failed attempt at getting her to run away from Apfel Snow White did not want to endure her wrath this early in the day by hinting about anything that would give her away.

"That explains why you look so haggard." She tutted and cut into her eggs. "You'll need to freshen up and make sure to grab your cape when we leave."

"Yes, your highness." She only nodded and continued to eat. Has talking with them always been so exhausting before?

"We will be going into town today to finish the festivities with the peasants." The Queen took a sip from her goblet. "I'm sure after last night's rain that it will be quite muddy and very slippery out. But the day has shone such promise for a lovely day that I refuse to not have the annual picnic."

"Is that such a good idea, My Queen?" Frederick spoke from behind Snow White. It almost made her jump, she was so tired that loud voices were startling her.

"Are you questioning me, Knight?" She raised a thin eyebrow at him.

"Not questioning, My Queen." He stood at attention as he looked down at her. "Merely wondering if it is truly safe to go out today. Although there is a small window of sunshine today I do believe that it will rain again later this afternoon and I would hate to see you get drenched – "

"You can predict the weather?" She smirked at his challenge and stared at him over her goblet. "Surely you jest."

Snow White blinked in surprise that both Frederick and the Queen had towards one another. They were always gracious and respectable to one another, yet here at breakfast there was hostility and tension. Snow White felt so much of it because she was in the center of it. She swallowed her spoonful of porridge hard and quickly sipped on her water.

"Merely trying to look out for you, My Queen." He held her gaze steady. "I would surely hate to see anything bad happen to you on our endeavors today."

"Indeed." She scoffed for a mere moment before drinking her goblet and pushing her plate aside. "Well, that is why it is your duty to ensure that nothing happens to me, Sir Knight; to all of us, in fact."

"Yes, it is my duty, My Queen." Snow White noticed that his tone suddenly changed. Had he always spoken to her like this? There felt as though there was something hidden in his words. "I will protect you and keep you safe until my dying breath."

"Well now, aren't we being a little dramatic." Prince Florian snorted. "You make it sound as though it is a love confession."

"It is an outward action of showing loyalty to my country and My Queen, Prince Florian." The air suddenly went cold and Snow White felt chills all around. "It is something you should probably show a little bit more to your fiancée and your country."

"How dare you – " Prince Florian slammed his hands on the table and made Snow White jump back from the table to the point she thought she would have flipped the chair over. Watching Prince Florian interact with Frederick now, Snow White very quickly did not want to marry him. He had shown himself to be very aggressive over the last few days and it was a quality that she could not see herself living very happily with. She could not help it when her eyes glanced to the door, wishing in the tiniest voice that Adam would come through those doors. He didn't even have to come and save her, she just wanted to see him. . .

"Now that we've all had our fun." The Queen spoke up and slowly stood herself. "I shall be getting my cloak and I expect the rest of you to get ready for the picnic as well."

Snow White had hardly touched her food, but she was far from hungry and just wanted to sleep. She both anticipated and dreaded going back to her room, her small safe haven. She anticipated returning to her room for a quick moment's reprieve before having to spend the rest of the day with the Queen and Prince Florian, but she dreaded it because her bags were still packed and as much as she fought the urges of not thinking on it she would inevitably think of Adam and the fact that he had not come to get her. As she walked past the spare room that Adam had stayed in she quietly hoped that he was nearby. She almost dared a peek to see if he were there, but she knew better; her heart couldn't take another disappointment.

The door seemed to be looming on its hinges as she approached, as if to mock her and her dreams for a happy ending. She quietly gulped as she reentered the room. Nothing had changed. The bed was still made and unslept in, her nooks and crannies were tidied and clean, her small vanity still had her few possessions there, and her wardrobe had remained undisturbed.

"Really, Snow." She scoffed at herself as she went to her wardrobe and pulled the cape from its hanger. "You really shouldn't be acting this way." She slipped her cape over her shoulders and felt the smooth velvet brush against her skin.

"Adam doesn't owe you anything. . . He doesn't even owe you the matter of keeping his promises." She walked over to the mirror and tried to freshen up a bit. "You are engaged. . . You shouldn't be thinking of. . . him. Setting your heart on . . . him." Her mouth went dry every time she tried to say his name. The name she loved to say, the name she loved to write, the name who she wished she would call upon and speak to for the rest of her life.

Adam.

A lump formed in her throat and she quickly left the room. She would not give her heart the chance to dream again until she could finally sleep. She quickly and quietly shut the door, and upon exiting Frederick looked determined about something.

"Princess." She looked up at him and knew that she did not want to listen to him. "He is coming."

She tried to smile but it hurt too much. She had had to smile too much already this morning and the day had yet to begin. Her hand went to her chest to try to quiet its own crying it was doing.

"Please, Frederick." She spoke ever so softly to remind herself. "I need not think any more of him today. . . Besides, I'm engaged to the Prince of Franca. I'll soon be married and won't be allowed to think of him ever again. . ."

Frederick carefully and gently rested his hand on her shoulder and Snow White looked up at him. His deep green eyes were searching for something, some kind of answer that she could not presently give him.

"I'm just as confused as you, Princess." He spoke gently to her. "But I promise that I'm not going to let anything happen to you. I promise that I will keep you safe until your real prince comes to save you."

"Thank you, Frederick." A faint flicker of a real smile formed on her face. He was too kind to her. She was ever so grateful for his years of kindness that he could provide her after her father passed. "I truly do believe that you will keep me safe, but I don't know if I really should let you. I've already resigned to my fate."

"And I refuse to allow you to make the biggest mistake of your life." He said firmly. "You deserve so much better in life than what you've gotten. I'm so sorry that I haven't done much more until now. . ." His guilt gnawed on his stomach. "But I will protect you and keep you safe and will keep you from making the biggest mistake of your life."

He truly did sound like a father as he spoke to her. She could only smile up at him in response because she had no words to provide him the comfort that she could believe him. He had always done his best to keep her out of harm's way, but she was very aware of the long lasting friendship he shared with the Queen, and after yesterday's events she was not entirely sure if she could trust anyone, especially those she loved.

Still, she kept up a smile so that she could pretend like everything was fine. She walked around Frederick and continued to go to the carriages where both the Queen and Prince Florian were already seated inside talking again.

"Oh just wait until we get to the mountains." The Queen purred. "There are so many flowers and deep valleys, it's a picture that you've never seen before."

"I'll be looking forward to it." Prince Florian spoke in a charming manner. "I'm sure that my mother would love to receive flowers from Apfel."

"I only hope that they last for your journey." The Queen sighed exaggeratedly. "Pretty flowers are always so fragile."

"And it's always the prettiest ones that die first." Prince Florian nodded his head in agreement. "But I shall do my best to keep them in a pristine condition."

Snow White thought that the conversation was rather odd. The Queen had never before shown a great interest in flowers, and yet this week she can't seem to stop talking about them. She said nothing to them as she pulled herself into the carriage and settled herself into her seat, and they in turn did not seem to acknowledge her existence. Snow White found herself enjoying that momentary peace of being unseen and unheard of for the first time since she has ever had to endure this sort of treatment. It started as soon as her father died, and though she should have grown used to that sort of treatment it had always been difficult for her to deal with. It was only now that she was nearly nineteen that she was able to secretly appreciate being able to go unnoticed for so long, she only wished she had realized this secret freedom sooner.

The Queen and Prince Florian talked about frivolous things that Snow White did not have the energy to keep up with nor listen to. She turned her gaze to the passing scenery of the castle to fields of green and countryside to the yellowing brown roads that led to the village. She enjoyed the scenery most days, but found that it was oddly blank and rather peaceful; if only she could go for a quick walk through those fields instead of riding in the carriage listening to and being discussed in conversation by the other two representatives. There were random subjects of hunting trips, the type of game that they enjoyed to eat that slowly diverged into travel plans back to Franca. There was also the mention of where the wedding was to be held, either here in Apfel or there in Franca. This small bit of conversation caught Snow White's attention and made her turn her head from the window to look between the two of them.

"Care to tell us what you think would be better, my dear?" Prince Florian crooned and Snow White pretended to yawn to hide the disgusted look that dared to show on her face.

"E-Either is fine with me." She threw on a quick smile. "I'm sure that either place would be perfect for a wedding."

"We could always do both." The Queen suggested as the idea suddenly struck her.

"Won't that be expensive?"

They continued on about the venues, the menus, the seating, the dresses, the guests and just became background noise as Snow White got lost in her own head. As much as she tried not to, her thoughts just kept wandering over to Adam. Just where was he?

They continued on about the venues, the menus, the seating, the dresses, the guests and just became background noise as Snow White got lost in her own head. As much as she tried not to, her thoughts just kept wandering over to Adam. Just where was he? She quietly twisted her fingers and chewed on her lower lip to keep from crying. Crying would do nothing for her as of this point. It seriously was just better to go on ahead to resign to her fate and accept that she was going to marry Prince Florian.

The ride into the village was rather quick for Snow White and she was all too ready to jump out when the carriage stopped. The fresh air felt great and put fresh air into her lungs. She hadn't realized she had been holding her breath until she was outside of the carriage. Villagers were walking all about looking at the different stalls, making purchases, eating the delights and delicacies that were only ever offered at this time of year, and most of all they were all talking as though they were so happy. Snow White was so happy that there were happier people in the world than herself. She suddenly felt so guilty for being so selfish. She was really only thinking about herself, she hadn't even thought of how her wedding with Prince Florian would affect the villagers. It would be such a benefit to the people, trade would improve, and more job possibilities would open up for her people. For far too long so many of the villagers have been restricted to the jobs and responsibilities of their fathers and mothers with little to no change in the work industry. She wanted to help Apfel, she wanted to make changes for the better. If marrying Prince Florian was the way to do it, then so be it; though she still could not fight the internal fear and distrust she felt for him. She would only marry him for her country, not because she truly wanted to.

Not wanting to think of her current issues, Snow White just began to walk, she didn't care where, she just needed to move. She didn't want to feel stagnant or stay in one place for too long. When she was still for too long her brain would start to talk with her, scream at her, trying to convince her of everything but her actual responsibilities as a princess. Her eyes barely glanced at the villagers as she walked, they were just blurs of loud noise that drowned her out from the scene and allowed her to be momentarily invisible. Well, as invisible as Frederick would allow. She hadn't acknowledged him, but she knew he was following her. She was just able to sense him, his presence was very strong and very protective. She appreciated it more than she let on, especially since she felt as though something were going to jump out and get her. She hoped it would be Adam to take her away from this scene, but it was too ominous, too hateful to be Adam. She pinched the inside of her elbow to scold herself for being selfish again.

They walked around in a giant loop before returning to the carriage where they met back with the Queen and Prince Florian who were emptying their pockets of gold buying overly extravagant things that they did not need but wanted to show off their wealth. They seemed so comfortable together, as if they were friends or companions who knew each other well. It was odd, the Queen had never shown interest in Frederick and she could not help but not like the friendship the two seemed to share. Though they smiled and seemed friendly enough, she could not get rid of the ominous feeling that seemed to be wrapped around them. It made her debate on slipping out unnoticed and wonder how far she could go before they would bring her back. If they continued to allow her to be as invisible as she was she could probably get very far, just, where would she go?

As she watched them interact she could not help but feel jealous at the relationship they seemed to share. She had tried very desperately, perhaps too much, to be kind to them both and have a very good relationship with them. She thought that she did, but the conversation from the library still rolled around in her head and her heart ached as she knew things would never get better with the Queen. With Prince Florian she had only ever been kind and polite to him and he found every chance he could to belittle her and be mean to her. She could only hope that things would change after their marriage, who knows, maybe she could learn to love him. Somewhere deep inside her a small voice told her to stop fooling herself, she knew who she loved and there would never be one like him ever again. Her eyes burned as tears wanted to fall again. It was only after they passed the Queen that Snow White finally stopped and looked up at Frederick. She looked into those deep green eyes, hoping that she could get some sort of answer from him, that he would maybe tell her what really happened to Adam.

"Is something wrong, princess?" He asked staying by her side.

"Why do they hate me so?" Her brow furrowed as she glanced at the Queen and fiancé. This was not what she wanted to ask him, but it was more than likely for the best since she would just end up torturing herself if she truly asked where he really was. "I don't know what I've done to them to make them hate me so terribly much. I've tried and I've tried to make up for it, but I don't know what I've done."

"You've done nothing." Frederick took a step closer to her, shielding her from their view. "You've done nothing wrong!"

"Yet why do I feel so guilty?" She sniffled as the tears just became too hot for her eyes. She twisted her fingers together in an odd way of trying to force herself to stop. "I just want to apologize and make nice but it seems that all of my efforts are for naught."

"I wish I had an answer for you, princess." Frederick heaved a heavy sigh and gently placed his hand on her head. "I truly and sincerely do. I've been fighting for your honor, not as long as I should have, and I still haven't figured it out entirely. . ."

"Is there any chance for me to be forgiven?" She asked as the dam of tears threatened to burst, she really didn't want to cry anymore. She already felt so pitiful, crying would do nothing to help her situation.

"You've provided them both with far too many chances already." Frederick smiled down at her. "You've done nothing that's ever needed to be forgiven of you. . . " He paused for a second and looked so sad. "But I do wish you'd forgive me, princess."

She blinked in surprise. "Why?"

"For I have not protected you as I should have, and though I can only do so much and I am doing this on the promise that I made with prince Adam." He spoke slowly. "I should have done more than what I have and I know that I can never make up for it."

"You were merely doing as you were told, Frederick." She smiled kindly at him. "I do not hold it against you because I know how the Queen is. But I thank you and if it will make peace with you and allow you to feel more at ease, I accept your apology and forgive you."

"Thank you, princess. . ." He stood there smiling, but not looking relieved. If anything he looked even sadder as if he almost wished that she wouldn't have forgiven him. She hoped that her smile would be enough to take away those sad feelings. But alas, her kind smile soon fell and a forced smile replaced it as Prince Florian came over.

"There you are, sweetheart." Prince Florian gushed as he took both of her hands into his and kissed her knuckles. She froze instantly, his touch was unwelcome and left her skin itching, burning. She wanted to run away, but she was so terrified she was frozen to the spot

"Were you looking for her, Prince Florian?" Frederick stepped beside her and Prince Florian drop her hands. There was an odd look that flashed through his eyes and Snow White only grew more worried.

"Of course I was." He threw on a quick smile and there was something in the tone of his voice that Snow White didn't like. It was almost ominous, like he wasn't looking for her for a good reason.

"Interesting." He looked down at Florian. "It looked as though you were having a great time with the Queen."

"She is great company." Florian gritted his teeth, and no matter how much Snow White tried to convince herself that she could someday love him she knew that with his anger it would take a very long time before that could happen.

"Of course she is, she's the Queen." Frederick took a half step forward and was able to wedge himself between him and Snow White. She was very grateful that he was acting as her shield. She just wanted to be invisible again.

"Of course she does." Florian nodded and took a half step back.

"Did you need something?" Snow White asked, finding her voice again and resolving her courage to not back down. She hoped she had control over her voice.

"Yes, it's time for us to be getting gone." He smiled at her. TI was pretty enough, but it was dark, as if he was ready to pounce on her. . .

"Get going?" Frederick asked. "Go where?"

"The picnic." Snow White answered with a sigh. Yes, it was time to go on the picnic. . . "We're going up the mountain for the picnic."

"That's right." Frederick winced. "I momentarily forgot."

"How very odd for a knight who's supposed to be protecting royals." Florian smirked and raised an eyebrow at him. "Lacking a bit in sleep?"

"It is nothing to be concerned about, Prince Florian." Frederick deadpanned and held Florian's gaze.

"If you say so." He sneered with a shrug and turned his leering gaze over to Snow White. "Are you ready to go into the carriage, my darling?"

She hated the pet names he so recently decided to call her. They were nice enough, but there was almost something malicious and condescending in them in the way that he spoke to her. She was very aware that he did not like her, she would find a way to get around that obstacle as the time came, but it was as if there was a great shadow looming over him ready to devour them both. Her hand instantly went to the sleeve of the knight before her. She did not like to hide, she would rather run; yes it still meant she was a coward but she knew there were things she could not face on her own. She was physically weak and she had to make up for it by doing extra chores; she was not as smart as she was supposed to be and she had to make up for it in her lessons to learn as much as possible to seem capable in a very cruel world; she was not the tallest nor the prettiest so she knew that she had to make up for it in being able to hide and run fast.

"Um." Frederick paused. "I'll bring the princess over in a bit. There was something in one of the stalls that caught her eye and we'd like to get another look at it before we leave."

"As you wish." Florian walked off seeming more off put than before.

Snow White finally felt relief as Florian walked off. She was trembling and the tears were threatening to fall again. Frederick stood there, allowing her to hold onto him for support as she resolved herself. She needed to be better, she needed to get stronger. She did not need to cry every time something frightened her or bothered her. Once someone knows how to anger or scare another, they will possess the deepest control over them and will use it to their advantage every time. She could not allow a dangerous man like Prince Florian to possess that deep control and power over her. Oh how she wished Adam were here.

Suddenly, something small bumped into Frederick rather hardly and caused him to shift and catch Snow White's attention. They looked down to see a short bald man child in a green shirt. He saw that it was a Dwarf. The Dwarf had fallen back on his back and looked up at Frederick, chest pumping and looking as though he were ready to burst into tears.

"Oh, I'm sorry." Frederick bent down and held out a hand for him. The Dwarf just stared back up at him. Snow White peered around Frederick and saw the Dwarf and instantly kneeled beside him. Frederick kept a careful eye on Snow White and saw another Dwarf in a red shirt and a brown hat running over, panting heavily.

"Are you hurt?" she cooed softly as she picked up his purple hat and handed it off to him. His pale face blushed twenty shades of red as his fellow Dwarf walked up beside him. The poor fellow, he must have been terribly embarrassed!

"Now what have you done, Dopey?" The grumpy sounding Dwarf barked as he did a series of hand motions. "You just ran into these folks!"

The Dwarf named Dopey did a series of hand motions in a quick manner and looked back at Snow White. The Dwarf looked at her then slipped his hat off his head to reveal a shiny bald noggin. "Princess?"

"I'm Snow White." She offered a sweet smile to them. "Dopey here bumped into my knight Frederick, and I was just checking that he was all right."

"He'll be fine, your Grace." He bowed his head respectfully while keeping eye contact with her. "He ran off from our brothers, and I was just coming to get him back."

"What a good brother you are." She cooed with an even brighter smile. "I'm sorry if we interfered."

"Of course now." He shook his head and blushed a hair. "If anythin' you helped me catch him faster."

"Then I'm so glad that we were able to help." She pushed herself to a stand and helped Dopey too. "It was nice to meet you . . ."

"Grumpy, your Grace." He coughed and his face burned a shade red. "Grumpy is my name."

"You don't look very grumpy to me." She tilted her head to the side and was very curious about the name.

"I'm just naturally that way, your Grace." He blushed even deeper and smiled embarrassedly and even patted his balding head.

"Well, it was very nice to meet you, Grumpy and Dopey." She bent and curtsied to them both. "I'm afraid I have to leave now, I have to go on a picnic with the Queen and the Prince of Franca."

He bowed deeply and kept a hand on Dopey. "The pleasure was ours, your Grace."

She gave them one more smile before she turned and began her dreaded walk to the carriage. She wished she would have had more time to talk with the Dwarves, they seemed like nice fellows, it would have been really nice to get to know them more.

"I wonder what they were doing here. . ." She thought aloud. "It is so very rare to see one Dwarf, let alone two."

"They're miners, princess." Frederick answered. "Every other years or so they come into town and down business with the locals and traders during the festival to share their jewels they've mined up."

"I do wish I could see their wares." She hummed. That would explain why every year the festival gets bigger and more requests from merchants and other countries broaden. Perhaps that could be a good business prospect. "I'm sure they're ever so pretty."

Frederick nodded in agreement. "They almost always are, princess."

"You've seen them?" She was very surprised. Frederick did not strike her as a man of fine jewelry.

"Once before." He nodded. "I purposely got a ring from them once; it was a beautiful thing."

She stopped and looked up at him so curiously. "Whatever for?"

"I was going to propose to this girl I fell in love with." He stopped and would not look at her.

"And you didn't?" She pressed softly and curiously.

"Before I could, some king snatched her up and drug her through hell and back." He shook his head and his hand slowly balled up into a fist.

"Oh." She blinked and frowned. Frederick deserved a happy life, he was far too good for his position that he carried. "I'm so sorry to hear that."

"I'm sorry to have told you." He laughed dryly and suddenly he seemed to age by twenty years. He'd always looked very young, but this conversation seemed to have aged him terribly. "It's not a very happy romantic tale."

"Is she still alive?" She raised a small eyebrow at him.

"Parts of her are." He answered solemnly and she watched his eyes scan the crowds, searching for the girl he spoke of. "But many parts of her just died or have gone into hiding ever since. I had hoped I could have woken her up by now, but maybe I was too late."

Snow White drew her cape closer to her as a chill grew in the air. "Do you still love her?"

"Yes." Frederick nodded as his eyes landed on the Queen. "I love her more than anything in the world."

"Does she know?" She pressed carefully.

"I don't know." He admitted with a sigh. "I've told her a thousand times, but she just won't listen. She's blinded by her past and so many scars. As much as I'd like it to be, I just don't think we're simply meant to be together."

Snow White stood quietly beside him, her own gaze looking in the same direction as Frederick's. The Queen. She should have known, assumed she knew but disregarded it. Of course it was the Queen. The two of them have practically always been together, even when she was a little girl she stuck to his side even when her father was alive. She didn't think that her father minded it much, though. Once you find someone or something you truly love, it's hard to let it go; even if they don't realize their own feelings. Snow White couldn't help but relate to them both somehow. How she wished she would have properly conveyed her feelings to Adam, perhaps it would have encouraged him to stay; or perhaps it would have encouraged him to leave too.

"Some things that are lost are rarely found. . ." Snow White said slowly as she realized just how similar she and Adam were to Frederick and the Queen. "Especially if they've been gone for a long time."

His eyes never left the Queen's vision, "Yes, this is true."

"They're rarely found." She repeated and held his sleeve. She wanted to give him hope, somehow, to convey what she saw as a child as proof that there still was hope for him. "But they're still found. Sometimes you just have to dig deep into the darkest parts to find it."

"Thank you, princess." Frederick smiled down at her, but he wasn't really looking at her. He seemed far away as if he wanted to believe her words but did not want to be shattered by the disappointment should they fail. She remained quiet and allowed him to sort out his feelings, his thoughts, and whatever conflictions that were inside of him. He and the Queen have been together for such a long time, and he has waited all this time. Just by looking at him she knew that Frederick would always be waiting for his Queen to look at him the same way he looks at her.

"Let's get on with it then, shall we?" He sniffled quickly and hid his emotions behind a quick smiling mask. "we can't delay it for too much longer without them getting suspicious."

She said nothing but gave his arm one last squeeze before dimly walking to the carriage. Once again the Queen and Prince Florian were already in the carriage talking about things and the rest of the day's events. They paid her no attention as she took her seat at the window and watched the village roll out of sight and climbed the steep hills of the mountains.

Random discussions about weddings came up in conversation, which Snow White assumed was a way to draw her into the conversation but she did want to entertain their ideas for the moment. She wanted the last few quiet moments of her trip to herself as the beautiful mountain side scenery passed by. She saw more birds, squirrels, deer, rabbits, and other wild animals along the way than she ever saw at the castle. They would pause from their natural activities and watch the carriage climb the mountain. It was as though life itself were passing them by as they rode on up the mountain. It was as if a different life called after her, wanted her to join them somehow. She had always loved nature, the grass, the flowers, the trees, the brooks, and all of the animals. Oh what she wouldn't give to have her own little hideaway, a cottage in the woods that she could escape to and be free in. Her mind daydreamed of a life outside of the castle and a life in a world she never knew for the rest of the ride.

Having stood on the back of the carriage for nearly thirty-two minutes the carriage finally lurched to a stop. The stop was so sudden she almost fell out of her seat. Frederick opened the doors for them and assisted them out. The view was amazing. The biggest of biggest fields of rainbows were painted on flowers in the fullest of bloom dancing in the wind like fairies. The grass bobbed like an inviting playful sea and the trees waved hello as they finally reached their destination. It was perhaps the most beautiful vision she had ever seen. How had she not come to this place before? How had she not ventured so far from the castle? Oh how she wished that hike up the mountain would have been easier to climb so she could have seen this sooner. Perhaps Adam would have taken her here. . .

The scene was so beautiful and bright, but as Florian stepped closer everything seemed to grow dark and chilling. That looming shadow from before showed its ominous head again and Snow White felt exposed with her back to Prince Florian.

"This is possibly the second most beautiful thing I have ever seen." Prince Florian said as he slid his hand around her shoulders. Her skin crawled and she had to resist the urge of wanting to run away from him and his reach and his touch.

"The second?" Snow White asked with a raised eyebrow. By his tone she could tell that he was trying to be flirtatious, but how many women had he seduced with lines like this?

"The first being you, my dear." He smiled down at her and she threw on a quick smile and nodded a thank you to satisfy him. And satisfied did he look as he squeezed her shoulder tighter and pulled her closer. For being out in the sun all day he was alarmingly chilly to the point it burned her through her cloak.

"Yes, this is my favorite place to come to." The Queen spoke from behind them. "It reminds me of my own home and the beauty it was once upon a time. . ."

Snow White wished she could have said something to continue the thought and the conversation of learning more about her past, but she felt she no longer needed to. She only wished her dead, why should she want to get to know or understand the Queen any longer?

"But it is only ever this beautiful in the spring and I have forbidden any of the peasants from taking even the smallest peek to seeing it." The Queen threw on a funny looking smile that wrinkled her nose. It seemed very fake to Snow White and very insincere.

"I can see why you'd keep this to yourself." Prince Florian chuckled. "It is quite marvelous."

"Yes." She smiled rather greedily. "My favorite thing is the flowers."

"The flowers?" Snow White turned and blinked at her in utter surprise. In all the years that she brought her flowers she always tossed them out. She had always assumed that the Queen hated flowers; or perhaps it was just the ones she picked that she hated so much. . .

"Yes, I love the wild flowers that bloom here." Her smile became snakelike. "They're so rare and only ever grow here, so I always have some brought back to the castle."

"I can see why." Snow White offered a smile and had to fight down her growing nervousness. With Prince Florian latched to her side and refusing to let her go she felt trapped but all means and sense of the word. She would try to convey a look to Frederick for assistance, but it would only put him in a position that would be terrible and harmful.

"Snow White, my dear." The Queen stepped forward and took Snow White's hands. Her hands were cold, distant, as if she wanted to continue to build walls and shove Snow White away, to do away with her. "Would you be a dear and go pick me some flowers?"

She blinked in surprise and quickly glanced at Frederick. "M-Me?"

"Since we've been getting closer." The Queen continued and Snow White could hear the forced sweetness in her voice and it made her sick. How many times had she used that exact voice to woo Snow White into doing her bidding? "I would love to have a pretty arrangement made by my beautiful daughter."

"If that is what the Queen wishes." She forced a smile and gulped. She did not like where this was going. Oh how she wished Adam were here. She would do anything to have him here to take her from this place.

"I do." She patted Snow White's hands. "And Prince Florian can go with you while Frederick stays here and helps set up for the picnic."

"I would be more than happy to do so." Prince Florian perked up and slid his hand through her arm and linked arms with her, practically chaining her to his side. "That would be fun, wouldn't it dear bell?"

Again with the needless pet names. She was between two beasts who seemed to only want her downfall. What else could she do but to fall into their trap? There was no exit, no way out. She could not tell the Queen no without someone else getting hurt in the end. She could not tell Prince Florian no without causing a scene or him being terribly mean to her. No, the safest option would be to go through with their idea.

"Y-Yes." She blinked back tears and forced another smile on. She could feel herself beginning to tremble, but she would not shake in Prince Florian's arms. She could not let him know how absolutely terrified she was. No, she must allow him to think she was still naïve and gullible and stupid. She would play her part.

With a quick tug of her arm, Prince Florian grabbed her hand and began to drag her in his running down the fills to the large flower fields. She had to pick up her skirts of her dress to keep up, she would keep up, she would not allow him to purposely drag her and her new dress in the dirt and mud.

"You keep up pretty well for a princess." Prince Florian laughed over his shoulder. For the first time Snow White believed she heard an actual boyish laugh from him. He looked to be having fun as they made their way into the fields.

"I won't be outdone just because I'm in a dress." She responded with a laugh of her own. How could she actually find this to be fun? It had to have been the adrenaline rush. There was something bubbling within her that was just excited to be running in a field of flowers that seemed to promise her freedom.

More laughter escaped them as they continued down the hill and finally came down to the flatter parts of the valley. Prince Florian released her hand and as they continued running, butterflies flew all around them in a flurry that Snow White could not help but laugh. It felt so good to laugh, she felt free and there was something within her blooming as she spun around in a circle. Some of the butterflies brushed her skin as she twirled in a circle before falling back in the folds of flowers. Laying in the flowers the sun warmed her as it gently kissed her pale skin. AS she sat up she noticed that Prince Florian was staring, gawking at her and was very pink faced. His hand went over his nose and hid half of his face.

"This is the most wonderful thing I've ever seen." She laughed and hugged a bundle of flowers. "I've never seen so many beautiful flowers!"

"I've never seen anything this beautiful either. . ." Prince Florian mumbled. Snow White in her fits of laughter hadn't quite caught what he said and as she sat up to ask him what he said, he was a few feet in front of him.

"What did you say?" She tried to stop her laughter and tucked some of her straying curls behind her ear. She looked to him and saw something within his features change, something softened. The ominous presence dissipated almost completely as he continued to approach her and kneeled before her. He just kept staring at her, and for the first time she had not felt as though she were being seen as an object of unwanted desire. There was no malice, no anger, no meanness in his fact, there was a boyish sincerity in his gaze as he stared seriously at her. He stayed about three feet from her as he too sat amongst the flowers.

"P-Prince Florian?" She stammered and quickly gulped as she found that she could not look away from him. She was not intimidated by him, nor was she uncomfortable, but his gaze made her face warm far too much. Her heart pitter pattered in her chest. Subconsciously her hand went to her chest to quiet it and she almost gasped as he reached for her other hand.

He stared deeply into her eyes, "I said I've never seen anything this beautiful before."

"The flowers are very beautiful – "

"No, not the flowers." He gently shook his head and used his other hand to trap her one hand between his two. "You. I've never seen someone so beautiful before."

"S-Surely you're mistaken." She felt her face burn and she wanted to slip her hand away from his.

"Surely I'm not." He spoke seriously and the tone in his voice somehow deepened. "You, Princess Snow White, are the most beautiful person I have ever seen."

"Thank you." She carefully slipped her hand away. "I-I'm flattered. . ."

She had no idea what to say. He'd never looked at her this way before, as if he actually liked her, as if he might even –

"I'm serious." He never took his eyes away from her. "You're the fairest of them all, Snow White."

She studied his face, trying to read what his eyes were telling her. His face was still soft, endearing even, almost apologetic as if he was hiding something from her. She had no idea what to make of it. He had far too many walls for her to actually be able to see what it was that he was hiding from her. Instead she only smiled at him and pushed herself to a stand. He stood quickly and took a half step closer, as if he were scared he would scare her off like a hunter with prey.

"Do you know what flowers your mother likes?" She asked and dusted her skirts off. She only hoped that would be enough to distract him.

"I don't know what kind of flowers she likes." He gave an awkward shrug. "She likes the colors blue and yellow though."

"Well, there's plenty here." She smiled at him. "We should get to picking. They'll have quite the time setting up the picnic if it is up to the Queen's standards."

She slowly began to wander from him as she began her search for flowers for her bouquets that she would make. She would make one for Prince Florian's mother, one for the Queen per her request, a small one for Frederick, a small flower wreath crown to hand in her room, and perhaps a small boutonniere for Adam. She paused in her walking at the thought of Adam and she momentarily looked over her shoulder to see if he had finally caught up with them. She looked up the hills and was surprised how far down she and Prince Florian were coming. She only saw the Queen sitting on a picnic blanket and Frederick standing behind her while the servants continued to set up for the picnic. Still no sign of Adam. Her heart quivered and ached in disappointment, and there was nothing she could do to ease it.

As she looked back she saw that Prince Florian had a small handful of flowers and kept looking from his bouquet to her as he picked his flowers and kept inching closer to her. She turned to the side to keep him in the corner of her eye as she began to pick her own flowers. There were white and purple and blue anemones, purple asters, delicate baby's breath, yawning yellow begonias, petite pale carnations, gorgeous cornflowers, dancing daffodils and daisies and dandelions! There were just so many flowers she simply could not name them all.

She began to pick flowers and gather them into bundles. She started with the blues and yellows, for the Queen of Franca. She wasn't entirely sure how long the flowers would last before he returned to Franca, but she hoped that they would be well received. She made sure that it was full enough to hold as many flowers as possible, but not too much to be overly done. When she was satisfied with her bouquet for the Queen of Franca she looked at some of the long strands of waving grass and twisted them around the stems of the flowers.

Prince Florian had somehow gotten behind her. "You're really good at that."

"Thank you." She answered quietly and smoothed down the grass so she could sit down again. It was rather difficult for her to stand over the small flowers and she preferred to be at eye level with them to make pretty bouquets. Prince Florian sat down and allowed his foot to rest next to hers. A weird tingle went through her as his boot touched her shoe.

He pointed to her bouquet, "Who is that for?"

"You mother." She handed it off to him and began picking the blues and purples and deeper colors for the Queen.

He smiled as he gently held the flowers, "She'll love it."

"I hope so." She smiled as she continued to gather flowers into a medium bundle.

He asked scooting closer to her, "And that one?"

"The Queen." She responded and remained as still as possible. She had no clue what to do with this different side of Prince Florian. It slightly alarmed her more than his angry side.

"How do you do that?" He asked studying what she was doing. "I thought you were just supposed to pick flowers. But you're actually arranging them, somehow."

"It's not hard." She kept her eyes on the flowers as she continued to put them together. "You just have to make it look right."

"I obviously don't know how to do that." He snorted and she looked at the bundle he had. It was very obvious that he had just gone around picking random flowers not even caring that they looked slightly wilted. "I didn't realize that there was an actual art to it."

"Just a careful eye." She offered gently and handed the other bouquet to him.

"And carefully hands." He caught her hand again and held it tightly. His eyes searched for hers again and Snow White could not help but furrowed her brow at him as she tried to figure out what it was that he was doing. He was just acting so strange.

"Is something wrong?" She asked carefully, waiting for him to suddenly change back to being mean.

He looked confused as he looked at her. Those brown eyes looked so confused. "Should something be wrong?"

"I don't know." She withdrew from him again and began to work on her wreath. It would have a baby's breath and cornflowers.

"Snow White." Prince Florian spoke to her. "What do you think of me?"

She blinked in surprise at him. "I beg your pardon?"

"What do you think of me?" His eyes were serious but he had a nervous smile.

"That's rather difficult to answer." She admitted and turned away from him.

"I can imagine so." He laughed dryly. "I haven't been very kind to you."

She said nothing, kept her head still, and kept her eyes and hands focused on weaving the flowers together. He most certainly had not been very kind to her. She found this sudden turn around as a possible chance that he might not be so bad after all, though there seemed to be something deeper lying within him.

"You are handsome." She would credit him that he was attractive. "But aside from that I could not tell you anything that would be a redeeming quality without it being a lie."

He laughed slightly with a joking grin, "I wouldn't mind."

"I would." She stared at him seriously and it seemed to surprise him. "I may be naïve and stupid, but I will not be a liar, Prince Florian. Many things have been said of me, but a liar I am not."

His mouth fell open and his surprise only grew as the realization hit him. She had heard what he said about her that day and now he knew that she knew. She stared at him and could not help but wonder how naïve and stupid he thought of her now.

"No, I don't think I could fault you for that." He laughed more nervously. "But, do you think you could come up with something else?"

She almost gawked at him, but there was something pleading in his eyes that needed something more. He knew he was charming and handsome, he had been told it all his life and he hadn't a single scratch on him. No, he needed more value to him other than being attractive and charming.

"Well. . ." She took a deep breath and refocused her attention on the flowers. "Despite your lack of kindness that you have shown me, I can say that you're enthusiastic, determined, and zealous, sometimes too overzealous; though I think everyone in the world truly can be. I also think that you could be a great king, you just have to stop being selfish."

"Oh?" He snorted, his smile faltered. "How would you suppose I do that?"

"Be kind to others and the people of your kingdom." She stopped meddling with the flowers and looked at him with no trace of smile. "Kindness is not a weakness and does not give others a way to walk over you as you and the Queen seem to think of me." Again another surprised look. "You have the upbringing and makings of a king, but also a dictator. One will deem you much higher in your country and the other will completely ruin you."

"You're much bolder than you have previously presented yourself, Snow White." The boyish look within his eyes was quickly diminishing and something else was replacing it. Something else that Snow White greatly disliked.

"I have presented myself as who I am, not as who you have interpreted me to be." She turned back to her flowers and decided to give up on making that wreath. She had twisted the stems together one too many times and now they were much more withered than they should have been.

"I must say that I think I like this side of you more, Snow White." Florian admitted and propped back on his hands, tapping his foot against hers. "There is hardly anyone who challenges me; especially in the way in which you have."

"I only hope that I have challenged you to be better then." Snow White admitted softly. "It would make you so much more likeable if it did."

Out of the corner of her eye, tucked away under the brush and stems of the higher flowers that Snow White found the prettiest shade of blue. The moment she saw them, and she wasn't sure why, but those were Adam's flowers. Those were to be his flowers. Very carefully she plucked the flowers and began to weave them into a small boutonniere. She went back to her flower arranging while Prince Florian fell into a small lull of silence.

"Do you mean that?" He asked thoughtfully.

"Mean what?"

"Do you mean that I would be much more likeable if I heeded your words and tried to be kind?" His nose turned up as though he could not stand the sound of that.

"I do." She nodded as she plucked the long pieces of grass around Adam's flowers to bind them tightly. "I think it would make you very much likeable."

"Would you find me more likeable?" He cleared his throat and she could feel his gaze intently on her. "If I were to change, I mean?

She finished her flower arranging and her movements became slow as his question echoed in her ears. There was something more to that question that made her nervous. Her hands began to shake. She tightly held onto Adam's flowers to keep them from shaking too obviously. She slowly looked at him, slightly fearful of what she might see. Her head turned slowly as her eyes slowly met his. He was sitting up straight with a serious face looking at her expectantly. Those brown eyes were already searching for an unseekable answer, but so desperately wanting one. He looked both boyish as well as a man instead of the rude and immature teenager that he had shown to her. She for a hesitant moment thought that perhaps he too was different than how she had originally thought of him. She entertained the thought that maybe, just maybe she could have been happy with him. If she stripped him of the terrible qualities that he had shown her while he was here, he wasn't terrible, definitely not the best but not entirely the worst. Even entertaining the thought though, her heart ached and immediately the flowers in her hands reminded her of who she should not forget.

"Well?" He sounded very impatient and rather nervous.

"I do think that I would find you very likable, Prince Florian." She took a deep breath as she continued. "However, I do not know if it would be enough to make me happy, or fall in love with you."

"Surely with time –" He laughed and the nervousness was quickly replaced by his impatience.

"Prince Florian." She would not be cut off this time. "I have just told you that I will not be made a liar."

"I know but –"

"I will not give you the false hope of entertaining the idea that I could in time come to love you." She dug her nail into her own skin so as not to damage Adam's flowers. "Thinking of you in a likeable manner is a far cry from loving you."

His voice and temper rose, "But you just said that I would be a good king!"

"And I do believe that." She nodded, hoping to choose her words carefully. "I think you will be a good king. . . I just do not see you as my king nor my husband."

She could see it in his eyes, that ominous presence from before returned and something within him snapped and completely snatched away the remaining boyhood in him.

"It's because of him, isn't it?" He asked, his tone darkening as well as deepening. "It's because of Adam, isn't it?"

She kept her mouth close because she did not want to admit it, nor could she deny it.

"He's not even here." She could see his hands trembling with anger as he looked at her. "How can you still be set on him when he's not even here? He walked out on you last night!"

She swallowed hard and dug her nails deeper into her skin. "He has his reasons."

"He left you!" His voice was level, but she could tell he was getting ready to yell. "I would never have left you!"

"Just like the sweet maids in the castle that you promised not to leave?" Snow White challenged coolly. The maids were very aware of Prince Florian and his empty promises, but the girls still dared to dream. Those dreams were very easily shattered with reality and tears as they knew it was a dream that would never come true and that he had hopped on a maid more than one night in his stay here.

"Did you really think I would not know?" Snow White's voice cracked for a mere instance. "Those girls are my friends. I have heard the stories. Yes, you are quite the lover in bed, but you make promises that you do not intend to keep."

"So you are making me out to be a liar?" He challenged, a fire in his eyes as he stood.

"I am not making you out to be anything more than what you have shown yourself to be, Prince Florian." She too stood with some strange found strength and fire within her own belly. She would not allow him to belittle her any longer. "And it is yourself that has made you into a liar."

Those brown eyes had never been so hateful, so vengeful before as he clenched his jaw and swatted the flowers at her. "You bitch." He snapped and continued to hit her with the flowers, petals and leaves and pollen stems going everywhere as he continued to call her that. She stepped away from him, retreating into the woods as Prince Florian continued to come at her with the flowers, throwing the remains of the bouquets at her.

She held Adam's flowers in her hand and picked up her skirts in the others as she pushed herself to run. She hadn't gone far and her lungs demanded air, her sides burned from lack of nourishment, and her limbs screamed at her as she ran. She felt something hit her, and it hit her hard, but she needed to keep running. This fitful rage that Prince Florian was in would do her nothing good if she stopped now.


Author's Note:

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

I hope I was able to make the length in this chapter for you lovely readers. Please remember to leave comments and reviews and share your thoughts with me! If you like the story enough, why not share it with your friends?

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

Ko-fi/SarahtheWriter