Chapter Eight
The next morning I awoke, hardly daring to believe the happenings of the night before. The dwarves had quickly made up a bed on the floor in the kitchen beside the stove, so it was warm and cozy under the thick blankets and the comforting heat of the crackling fire. I lay for a while in silence as I slowly let myself out of sleep and contemplating on my new whereabouts.
It certainly wasn't the king's palace, but it held a homier feel to it, always filled with warmth and chatter. Though I couldn't deny the dwarves argued quite a lot. I spent a half-hour watching them tug at pillows trying to figure where I should sleep. In the end they decided to make a bed for me the next Sunday afternoon in the lean-to in the main room. But I found I thoroughly enjoyed my little companions and I was pretty sure they enjoyed my company as well. I sure hoped they did because if it wasn't for this house, I still might be wandering through the woods, eating barely anything and falling into hidden brooks. I was determined to start anew with the dwarves and forget everything that my past had so scornfully thrown at me.
I sat up and breathed the morning in. It smelled of rain and the clouds were setting low and thick in the sky, but I at least had time to explore the grounds around the cottage before breakfast. Upon standing up and smoothing down the same stained yellow dress, I tiptoed out over the front stoop and walked around the side of the house. By the sidewall, there was, one once was a kitchen garden, full of weeds and moldy tomato plants and leftover pumpkin vines. The back of the house was a bit prettier. It was an open meadow that stretched a good acre or two and was covered with grasses and wild flowers. I walked a little bit over it and stumbled across two gravestones. Intrigued, I knelt down to read them.
Theodore Ewen II
"May green meadows find you"
"They certainly did," I murmured, gazing at the very worn stone engraving surrounded by forget-me-nots. The other tombstone was too worn away to read anymore. I stood up and walked back towards the house, remembering to finish scoping the grounds after breakfast.
"Who is Theodore Ewen II?" I asked the dwarves as they yawned and stretched their way to their chairs to eat. Even through their tiredness, they bowed their heads.
"He founded this place," Alberic said, "Built it with his own two hands. He was killed by a witch about fifty years back. He was a good dwarf. One of the first ones in this country."
The other dwarves nodded silently in agreement. There was an awkward silence before I asked them what they wanted for breakfast.
"Oh, we'll make it this morning!" Martin laughed. He always laughed when he spoke, "You've still got a lot to learn about dwarves yet."
He walked over to the bookshelf and pulled out of the books, no longer dusty. He flipped through the pages, stroking his red beard and stopped at a particular page.
"Men!" he looked up at them all and nodded them over. They whispered together for a few minutes, while I struggled to listen in. They nodded in agreement and Perry came over to me, taking my hand and seating me down on one of the tiny chairs.
"This morning, we will make breakfast for our guest," Perry exclaimed grandly in his squeaky voice. They circled around the kitchen area and left the book open. Alberic moved his hands and waved them at the cupboard. To my astonishment, the cupboard creaked open by itself and two bowls came flying out into Alberic's open palms.
"Now, would you prefer hot cakes or bacon?" he asked nonchalantly to me. My jaw was stuck open in surprise.
"Um-well, I." I didn't know what to say. Alberic shrugged.
"All right, we'll have both."
Samsen pulled a wooden spoon from his sleeve and started mixing something in the bowl. They ran around each other, making little explosions and small popping noises and as they did so, a very delicious aroma filled the air. The oven somehow heated itself and Gareth opened it and pulled out two fresh loaves of bread that I'm sure were not there twenty minutes ago. He grinned at my surprise and placed them in the middle of the table, still steaming. Martin grabbed a slab of yellow butter out of the air and a butter plate came sailing out of the cupboard. They landed together next to the bread on the table.
I was beyond shock. This was completely different from what I imagined dwarves to be like, when I imagined them at all. The day before I was satisfied living very realistically and doing what I could from what life handed me, but here was these seven dwarves pulling flour and sugar out of the air, creating life as they wanted it. It was too good to be true, too amazing for me to comprehend.
Ten minutes later, there was a platter of delicious-looking hot cakes and a plate of bacon that made my mouth water. The dwarves sat calmly down at the table and began to dig their forks into the meal. I gaped at them.
"That.was amazing," I found my voice.
"Aw that was just little magic," Alberic waved his hand and the butter raised towards him and landed in his hand.
"Why didn't you show this to me last night?" I asked.
"We weren't sure about you yet, but now that we know you can be trusted, we can squeeze out a little of our magic now and then," a napkin wiped Gareth's mouth by itself.
"And that was just little magic?" I asked in disbelief.
"Oh yes, that is all we ever do. Bigger magic could cause damage for one and for another we don't want to be noticed by civilization. Big magic would draw attention to us," Martin said between swallows.
"I didn't know dwarves had magic," I started filling my plate.
"But of course, Lady Snow," Alberic smiled at me, "Theodore's father, Theodore the first was famous for his incredible magic. Though most humans don't recognize dwarf magic. Their fairy tales only include the fairies, witches and wizards and other such creatures."
"Are there really fairies? I asked excitedly.
"Oh of course."
"In this forest?"
"Yes, we're in good relations with them, but they don't come around much. They're very selfish little creatures."
At nine o'clock I stood at the door and watched the dwarves walk off through the woods to the mines. Much as I loved my little friends, I was glad for my days of solitude. I made my way back to the back meadow. I passed the gravestones again and brushed my hand over the engraving. The name made me think back to the well. Teddy. Was he looking for me? I grieved for him. He would never know the reason why I disappeared. And he would never find me, even if he were looking for me. Somehow I felt this.
I left the gravestones behind and walked through the tall grasses wandering around in my thoughts till noontime when I walked back to the house for some of the leftover bread and butter from breakfast. I cleaned up some of the main room in silence, for even doing magic left a mess.
That evening, the dwarves came home, weary and dirty. I wouldn't let them in the house until they had gone to the stream to wash off.
I made them supper in a slightly irritated mood. I wasn't sure why I was in such a mood, perhaps because I had allowed myself to think of the past. I was paying attention to what I was doing and spilled flour all over my dress.
"Aawww," I groaned, "this is the only dress I have."
The dwarves rushed towards me.
"Never fear," Martin smiled up at me, "We think it's time to broaden your wardrobe anyhow. Even in a small cottage such as this, a lady can't live in one dress. We'll fix this."
They pulled me to the center of the room. They circled around me and Gareth walked around me, removing all the stains and tears from my yellow dress with a wave of his hands, leaving it just as beautiful as it was when Erin had taken it out of the closet which seemed so long ago now.
"What are your favorite colors?" Daran asked me.
"What do you mean?" I gave him a questioning look.
"Well, just tell me, what are your favorite colors?" he repeated.
Confused, I answered him, "Well, I suppose blue, red, green, and lilac."
As I spoke the colors, each dwarf broke from the circle and got to work waving their hands. A few minutes later, I was surrounded by freshly made dresses all in the colors I had asked for. I raised my eyebrows. There was a pale blue one with short sleeves and a thin row of lace around the waist. Martin had created a wine-colored one with elbow sleeves with flowing skirts and a low neckline. The spring green frock Alberic had made and was short sleeves with equally long skirts and the lilac had long sleeves and a thin ribbon around the waist.
"Oh really, you didn't need to do this," I stared at the dresses that were floating around me.
"We know we didn't," Daran said, scratching his pointy nose, "but consider it a welcoming gift for you. Besides, don't you think you'd need some new things once and a while?"
"I-I suppose so," I swallowed.
"Then everything's fine!" Alberic grinned, "Let's have supper. I'm starving!"
I went and hung my new clothes in the closet under the stairs and upon smiling to myself, resolved to start a new with these magical creatures.
The next morning I awoke, hardly daring to believe the happenings of the night before. The dwarves had quickly made up a bed on the floor in the kitchen beside the stove, so it was warm and cozy under the thick blankets and the comforting heat of the crackling fire. I lay for a while in silence as I slowly let myself out of sleep and contemplating on my new whereabouts.
It certainly wasn't the king's palace, but it held a homier feel to it, always filled with warmth and chatter. Though I couldn't deny the dwarves argued quite a lot. I spent a half-hour watching them tug at pillows trying to figure where I should sleep. In the end they decided to make a bed for me the next Sunday afternoon in the lean-to in the main room. But I found I thoroughly enjoyed my little companions and I was pretty sure they enjoyed my company as well. I sure hoped they did because if it wasn't for this house, I still might be wandering through the woods, eating barely anything and falling into hidden brooks. I was determined to start anew with the dwarves and forget everything that my past had so scornfully thrown at me.
I sat up and breathed the morning in. It smelled of rain and the clouds were setting low and thick in the sky, but I at least had time to explore the grounds around the cottage before breakfast. Upon standing up and smoothing down the same stained yellow dress, I tiptoed out over the front stoop and walked around the side of the house. By the sidewall, there was, one once was a kitchen garden, full of weeds and moldy tomato plants and leftover pumpkin vines. The back of the house was a bit prettier. It was an open meadow that stretched a good acre or two and was covered with grasses and wild flowers. I walked a little bit over it and stumbled across two gravestones. Intrigued, I knelt down to read them.
Theodore Ewen II
"May green meadows find you"
"They certainly did," I murmured, gazing at the very worn stone engraving surrounded by forget-me-nots. The other tombstone was too worn away to read anymore. I stood up and walked back towards the house, remembering to finish scoping the grounds after breakfast.
"Who is Theodore Ewen II?" I asked the dwarves as they yawned and stretched their way to their chairs to eat. Even through their tiredness, they bowed their heads.
"He founded this place," Alberic said, "Built it with his own two hands. He was killed by a witch about fifty years back. He was a good dwarf. One of the first ones in this country."
The other dwarves nodded silently in agreement. There was an awkward silence before I asked them what they wanted for breakfast.
"Oh, we'll make it this morning!" Martin laughed. He always laughed when he spoke, "You've still got a lot to learn about dwarves yet."
He walked over to the bookshelf and pulled out of the books, no longer dusty. He flipped through the pages, stroking his red beard and stopped at a particular page.
"Men!" he looked up at them all and nodded them over. They whispered together for a few minutes, while I struggled to listen in. They nodded in agreement and Perry came over to me, taking my hand and seating me down on one of the tiny chairs.
"This morning, we will make breakfast for our guest," Perry exclaimed grandly in his squeaky voice. They circled around the kitchen area and left the book open. Alberic moved his hands and waved them at the cupboard. To my astonishment, the cupboard creaked open by itself and two bowls came flying out into Alberic's open palms.
"Now, would you prefer hot cakes or bacon?" he asked nonchalantly to me. My jaw was stuck open in surprise.
"Um-well, I." I didn't know what to say. Alberic shrugged.
"All right, we'll have both."
Samsen pulled a wooden spoon from his sleeve and started mixing something in the bowl. They ran around each other, making little explosions and small popping noises and as they did so, a very delicious aroma filled the air. The oven somehow heated itself and Gareth opened it and pulled out two fresh loaves of bread that I'm sure were not there twenty minutes ago. He grinned at my surprise and placed them in the middle of the table, still steaming. Martin grabbed a slab of yellow butter out of the air and a butter plate came sailing out of the cupboard. They landed together next to the bread on the table.
I was beyond shock. This was completely different from what I imagined dwarves to be like, when I imagined them at all. The day before I was satisfied living very realistically and doing what I could from what life handed me, but here was these seven dwarves pulling flour and sugar out of the air, creating life as they wanted it. It was too good to be true, too amazing for me to comprehend.
Ten minutes later, there was a platter of delicious-looking hot cakes and a plate of bacon that made my mouth water. The dwarves sat calmly down at the table and began to dig their forks into the meal. I gaped at them.
"That.was amazing," I found my voice.
"Aw that was just little magic," Alberic waved his hand and the butter raised towards him and landed in his hand.
"Why didn't you show this to me last night?" I asked.
"We weren't sure about you yet, but now that we know you can be trusted, we can squeeze out a little of our magic now and then," a napkin wiped Gareth's mouth by itself.
"And that was just little magic?" I asked in disbelief.
"Oh yes, that is all we ever do. Bigger magic could cause damage for one and for another we don't want to be noticed by civilization. Big magic would draw attention to us," Martin said between swallows.
"I didn't know dwarves had magic," I started filling my plate.
"But of course, Lady Snow," Alberic smiled at me, "Theodore's father, Theodore the first was famous for his incredible magic. Though most humans don't recognize dwarf magic. Their fairy tales only include the fairies, witches and wizards and other such creatures."
"Are there really fairies? I asked excitedly.
"Oh of course."
"In this forest?"
"Yes, we're in good relations with them, but they don't come around much. They're very selfish little creatures."
At nine o'clock I stood at the door and watched the dwarves walk off through the woods to the mines. Much as I loved my little friends, I was glad for my days of solitude. I made my way back to the back meadow. I passed the gravestones again and brushed my hand over the engraving. The name made me think back to the well. Teddy. Was he looking for me? I grieved for him. He would never know the reason why I disappeared. And he would never find me, even if he were looking for me. Somehow I felt this.
I left the gravestones behind and walked through the tall grasses wandering around in my thoughts till noontime when I walked back to the house for some of the leftover bread and butter from breakfast. I cleaned up some of the main room in silence, for even doing magic left a mess.
That evening, the dwarves came home, weary and dirty. I wouldn't let them in the house until they had gone to the stream to wash off.
I made them supper in a slightly irritated mood. I wasn't sure why I was in such a mood, perhaps because I had allowed myself to think of the past. I was paying attention to what I was doing and spilled flour all over my dress.
"Aawww," I groaned, "this is the only dress I have."
The dwarves rushed towards me.
"Never fear," Martin smiled up at me, "We think it's time to broaden your wardrobe anyhow. Even in a small cottage such as this, a lady can't live in one dress. We'll fix this."
They pulled me to the center of the room. They circled around me and Gareth walked around me, removing all the stains and tears from my yellow dress with a wave of his hands, leaving it just as beautiful as it was when Erin had taken it out of the closet which seemed so long ago now.
"What are your favorite colors?" Daran asked me.
"What do you mean?" I gave him a questioning look.
"Well, just tell me, what are your favorite colors?" he repeated.
Confused, I answered him, "Well, I suppose blue, red, green, and lilac."
As I spoke the colors, each dwarf broke from the circle and got to work waving their hands. A few minutes later, I was surrounded by freshly made dresses all in the colors I had asked for. I raised my eyebrows. There was a pale blue one with short sleeves and a thin row of lace around the waist. Martin had created a wine-colored one with elbow sleeves with flowing skirts and a low neckline. The spring green frock Alberic had made and was short sleeves with equally long skirts and the lilac had long sleeves and a thin ribbon around the waist.
"Oh really, you didn't need to do this," I stared at the dresses that were floating around me.
"We know we didn't," Daran said, scratching his pointy nose, "but consider it a welcoming gift for you. Besides, don't you think you'd need some new things once and a while?"
"I-I suppose so," I swallowed.
"Then everything's fine!" Alberic grinned, "Let's have supper. I'm starving!"
I went and hung my new clothes in the closet under the stairs and upon smiling to myself, resolved to start a new with these magical creatures.