Chapter Thirteen
The rain was still pouring down and the wind still howling and lightening flashing, but there was a strange sort of silence upon the broken ledge. Alberic was standing with his fists still clenched, staring off the cliff in the grey nothingness beyond, completely bewildered. Gareth and Perry, however, rushed to Warryn and Martin still lying unconscious on the rocky ground. Warryn had a sizzling mark shaped like a circle by his left ear and Martin on his left shoulder. Gareth took his hands and placed them gently on Warryn's head, closing his eyes. A moment or two later, Warryn's own eyes fluttered open. Daran went over and did the same procedure on Martin. When both were awake, all looked upon Alberic, who still was motionless.
"Alberic?" Perry squeaked uncertainly. He crept over to the dwarf and softly put a hand on his shoulder. Alberic didn't even startle or move.
"He's gone Alberic," Gareth said quietly, "Come along now." They turned him around and slowly started making their way back down the mountain. Suddenly, Alberic stiffened.
"Did you hear that?" he said faintly. Perry, who was holding up his right side, looked up at his face soberly.
"It's just the wind, Alberic."
"No, no, listen," Alberic shrugged them away and turned around again. The other dwarves stopped and listened to the mournful sound of the wind. Alberic ran to the edge of the cliff and knelt, peering down the side.
"Samsen!" he yelled. The others looked at each other in shock and scrambled over. A little figure about seven feet down was dangling from a root in the wall of rock. There were a few tense moments as Daran conjured a rope and threw it down and all of them pulled Samsen up the cliff until a hand grasped the edge. They almost let go of the rope in relief. Samsen climbed onto the ledge and gasped for breath. He was too weak to walk a very long distance, so Gareth, the tallest, carried him. Once again, they slowly walked down the mountain pass to the forest to the sorrow that awaited them.
Back at the cottage, the rain was not beating down so hard. A light sprinkle covered the dwarves as they reached the walkway and saw Lady Snow still lying motionless on the grass. They tried everything to wake her, no magic would do. But yet she seemed so lifelike, like she was only asleep. But there was nothing they could procure to wake her.
Nobody really spoke much as they dried her off and dressed her in the yellow gown she had first worn when she came to live with them. They laid her in her bed, but couldn't bring themselves to do anything with her. Samsen took the unfinished lilac flower wreath, finished it and placed it on her head. They folded her hands nicely on her chest and smoothed down her gown.
"Isn't there anything we can do for her?" Perry sighed, to nobody in particular when evening came and they settled down to a supper of cold soup and dry bread.
"I really don't know Perry," Alberic said quietly, "That witch cast a spell on her. Witches spells are very complicated, far more complicated than anything of a dwarf's magic. I'm afraid there is nothing to be done at present."
Silently, they finished their meal and went to bed.
The next day passed just as quietly. They went to work as normal and came back to gaze despairingly at Snow White's bed. They knew she couldn't be completely dead, her skin was not in the least bit cold, but perhaps it was something worse than death, something nothing but a witches spell could cast, something they knew nothing about. None of them exactly knew why they kept her in the house, but even now and again, Alberic could be heard creeping downstairs in the dark of night and muttering incantations above her head. Nothing worked. The dwarves were heartbroken. Lady Snow had brought so much into the old house, laughter and music and lively conversation. They supposed it would just have to be as if she never came, except it felt entirely different, so alone.
The summer ended and October came with beautiful austere blue skies and brilliant hues of red and orange leaves, things Snow would have gushed about in her dream-like fashion. But the autumn held no beauty for the dwarves.
One evening, the dwarves were settled down at the dinner table, silently sitting doing nothing. They all stared rather uncomfortably at one another.
"Why don't we read aloud a book?" Martin asked suddenly in a false cheery voice, quite unlike his usual happy nature.
"No, Snow was the only one who could do all the characters," Daran folded his arms on his chest, leaning back in his chair.
"Well what about a game of cards?" Martin tried again. A few shook this heads dismally.
"Ya need eight people to play Kings on a Corner anyway," Alberic said quietly.
"Some music?"
"Can't sing," Gareth muttered.
"Come now come now, men, can't we get passed this? We've done it before!" Martin banged his fist on the table, making the candle light bounce.
"It's kind of difficult when she's right there!" Daran sneered sarcastically, thrusting his hand towards Lady Snow's bed.
"Well, then, maybe its time that-" Martin started quietly.
"NO!" Alberic interrupted sharply. They all shifted uncomfortably and the silence fell again. All of a sudden, there was a knock on the door.
The rain was still pouring down and the wind still howling and lightening flashing, but there was a strange sort of silence upon the broken ledge. Alberic was standing with his fists still clenched, staring off the cliff in the grey nothingness beyond, completely bewildered. Gareth and Perry, however, rushed to Warryn and Martin still lying unconscious on the rocky ground. Warryn had a sizzling mark shaped like a circle by his left ear and Martin on his left shoulder. Gareth took his hands and placed them gently on Warryn's head, closing his eyes. A moment or two later, Warryn's own eyes fluttered open. Daran went over and did the same procedure on Martin. When both were awake, all looked upon Alberic, who still was motionless.
"Alberic?" Perry squeaked uncertainly. He crept over to the dwarf and softly put a hand on his shoulder. Alberic didn't even startle or move.
"He's gone Alberic," Gareth said quietly, "Come along now." They turned him around and slowly started making their way back down the mountain. Suddenly, Alberic stiffened.
"Did you hear that?" he said faintly. Perry, who was holding up his right side, looked up at his face soberly.
"It's just the wind, Alberic."
"No, no, listen," Alberic shrugged them away and turned around again. The other dwarves stopped and listened to the mournful sound of the wind. Alberic ran to the edge of the cliff and knelt, peering down the side.
"Samsen!" he yelled. The others looked at each other in shock and scrambled over. A little figure about seven feet down was dangling from a root in the wall of rock. There were a few tense moments as Daran conjured a rope and threw it down and all of them pulled Samsen up the cliff until a hand grasped the edge. They almost let go of the rope in relief. Samsen climbed onto the ledge and gasped for breath. He was too weak to walk a very long distance, so Gareth, the tallest, carried him. Once again, they slowly walked down the mountain pass to the forest to the sorrow that awaited them.
Back at the cottage, the rain was not beating down so hard. A light sprinkle covered the dwarves as they reached the walkway and saw Lady Snow still lying motionless on the grass. They tried everything to wake her, no magic would do. But yet she seemed so lifelike, like she was only asleep. But there was nothing they could procure to wake her.
Nobody really spoke much as they dried her off and dressed her in the yellow gown she had first worn when she came to live with them. They laid her in her bed, but couldn't bring themselves to do anything with her. Samsen took the unfinished lilac flower wreath, finished it and placed it on her head. They folded her hands nicely on her chest and smoothed down her gown.
"Isn't there anything we can do for her?" Perry sighed, to nobody in particular when evening came and they settled down to a supper of cold soup and dry bread.
"I really don't know Perry," Alberic said quietly, "That witch cast a spell on her. Witches spells are very complicated, far more complicated than anything of a dwarf's magic. I'm afraid there is nothing to be done at present."
Silently, they finished their meal and went to bed.
The next day passed just as quietly. They went to work as normal and came back to gaze despairingly at Snow White's bed. They knew she couldn't be completely dead, her skin was not in the least bit cold, but perhaps it was something worse than death, something nothing but a witches spell could cast, something they knew nothing about. None of them exactly knew why they kept her in the house, but even now and again, Alberic could be heard creeping downstairs in the dark of night and muttering incantations above her head. Nothing worked. The dwarves were heartbroken. Lady Snow had brought so much into the old house, laughter and music and lively conversation. They supposed it would just have to be as if she never came, except it felt entirely different, so alone.
The summer ended and October came with beautiful austere blue skies and brilliant hues of red and orange leaves, things Snow would have gushed about in her dream-like fashion. But the autumn held no beauty for the dwarves.
One evening, the dwarves were settled down at the dinner table, silently sitting doing nothing. They all stared rather uncomfortably at one another.
"Why don't we read aloud a book?" Martin asked suddenly in a false cheery voice, quite unlike his usual happy nature.
"No, Snow was the only one who could do all the characters," Daran folded his arms on his chest, leaning back in his chair.
"Well what about a game of cards?" Martin tried again. A few shook this heads dismally.
"Ya need eight people to play Kings on a Corner anyway," Alberic said quietly.
"Some music?"
"Can't sing," Gareth muttered.
"Come now come now, men, can't we get passed this? We've done it before!" Martin banged his fist on the table, making the candle light bounce.
"It's kind of difficult when she's right there!" Daran sneered sarcastically, thrusting his hand towards Lady Snow's bed.
"Well, then, maybe its time that-" Martin started quietly.
"NO!" Alberic interrupted sharply. They all shifted uncomfortably and the silence fell again. All of a sudden, there was a knock on the door.