A/N: Hey, guys! In the previous chapter, we saw Sleepy's point of view. Over the weeks, he and the other dwarfs have had difficulty sleeping, suffering from insomnia and resorting to coffee to stay focused on housework throughout the day. However, Sleepy, who went through a full month without ever being able to fall asleep, lost consciousness and risked death from a cardiac arrest caused by a combination of lack of sleep and an excess caffeine in his blood. Now we will see the story from Bashful's point of view. Let's begin!

Chapter 6: Bashful: Woe and Heartbreak

-Bashful's POV-

(''Tears of the Light- Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep OST'')

Such agony... I can't believe anything like this happened to Snow White. When we found her lifeless, I could only cry, and when we had to go to bed, we couldn't sleep much, and we started suffering from insomnia. She had told us that her stepmother, the Evil Queen, wanted to kill her, and that was something that shocked us to hear. We were all aware of the queen's bad reputation, but Grumpy was the only one who believed she was a witch, and the poisoned apple was the proof of. He told us that the apple often symbolized temptation and sin, but the worst thing about it was the fact of killing Snow White: she was only 14, and at that age, she should make some friends, live her life, and, being a princess, learn to be a good monarch, as sooner or later, she would become queen. If she is truly dead, who will succeed her to the throne of her kingdom? Will it collapse because of the lack of heirs to the throne? After all, she never mentioned any other living relatives. And if her stepmother is still alive, will the kingdom rebel against her? Will it fall into a civil war? I don't know what it's like to manage a kingdom, but these are just hypotheses, and killing Snow White, a girl so beautiful and so pure of heart is a crime that only a being without heart or soul could do, either by poisoning her, suffocating her, or in any other way(1), even worse if the queen would ever have done such an act to her own stepdaughter. Why? What is the point of all this? If she was really the witch we chased before, it symbolizes her true nature: she's ugly outside and especially inside.

What is the thing about Snow White that I miss the most? I really missed hearing that voice of hers, sweet as honey. With her beauty and her heart as pure as a diamond, that girl was beautiful both inside and out. I've always been pretty romantic, as I really like the concept of true love and happy ending, and I hate sad stories and tragic endings because there, the protagonists ended up with an ending they didn't deserve. Sometimes, Snow White would tell us about the prince she had met before leaving the castle, and it was love at first sight between them. Even though I would turn red as a tomato from embarrassment, I loved it when she kissed my forehead. Not to mention her physical appearance, which for me was second to no other woman. Her skin, so white that it looked like snow, her hair, black as the most precious ebony, her lips, which, with their intense red color, had the beauty of a rose, not to mention that pure heart of hers that has allowed to make many friends in the animals of the forest, all characteristics that make her like an angel(2). Now I will never again be able to enjoy the time spent with her, never again will I be able to feel the touch of her lips when she kissed me, never again will I be able to eat the dishes she prepared. Oh, alas! I felt like I had lost everyone I cared about, like I had nothing left to live for.

Even in death, Snow White was so beautiful that we didn't want to bury her, and we decided it was best to place her in a coffin. I told my brothers that the coffin had to be special and reflect her beauty, and they all agreed. We built a coffin of glass and gold adorned with gems, and to do so, we went to the mine to retrieve the materials we needed, plus some of the most precious diamonds we had taken. The animals helped us with the housework by dividing into groups, for example, the tortoise helped to carrying the dishes to wash, the chipmunks took care of the dusting, the rabbits and raccoons helped us to wash the laundry, the stag took them outside and the birds helped us to dry them. It was amazing how that girl manages to guide animals to help her with the housework and how she did it so cheerfully. My face was getting all red, but not from embarrassment as it usually did, but from crying, and my eyes were so red they looked sunken and all the blood vessels were visible.

(''Tears of the Light- Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep OST-s'')

Over the weeks, amidst stress, nervous breakdowns and insomnia, we questioned something: Doc, unable to do anything to help us or awaken Snow White, believed he had failed as our leader, Grumpy questioned his morality and was full of guilt for never admitting how much he cared about all of us until it was too late, Happy was unrecognizable, so depressed he wanted to change his name, and I was starting to question many things in life, including living with this searing agony. When Happy finished his shift for housework, he hummed and strummed his guitar as usual, but no cheerful songs as usual, only sad melodies that symbolized our mourning for the princess. The day after Snow White's death, I found a book without a cover and with blank pages, which I made my diary, on which I wrote my thoughts on what happened during the days, or, on some sheets of paper, I wrote some poems and sonnets dedicated to the princess, since none of us thought of anything but her. Every time I looked Dopey in the face, I was shocked: he looked even more fragile than usual, like a little mouse wrapped in an oversized yellowish-green nightshirt. He could never sleep without having nightmares about what happened to Snow White, the Evil Queen and how she brutally killed us, and he always needed someone around to give him support. Dopey had a stronger bond with me and Sneezy and he trusted us more because we knew how it felt to be embarrassed, be it from shyness, like me, for his drama, or, in Sneezy's case, the sometimes bad timing of his sneezing. We all felt bad for him, and we couldn't blame him.

(''Warmth is Gone- Fire Emblem Fates OST'')

Sleeping was not easy for us, as we often spent a sleepless night, woke up after a few hours and when we were able to fall asleep, we cried in our sleep, wetting the pillow and half the blanket of our beds, but with the weeks passing, everything got worse and worse. Due to the lack of sleep, other than suffering from mood swings, we weren't very focused, and we started to resort to coffee to prevent it from affecting too much in the house, but we exaggerated.

Three months after Snow White's death, something happened that scared the hell out of me. It was Wednesday. Sleepy joined us after making the beds, but he was moving strangely, heavily, and then he felt pain in his chest and fell to the ground. Sneezy was the first to realize that Sleepy was not well, and when he lost consciousness, we all panicked. I, in particular, was hysterical. Doc took off his jacket and undressed him to the waist to use a defibrillator, then put him on his bed upstairs. When asked what had happened, he replied that Sleepy had gone into cardiac arrest due to a combination of lack of sleep and an excess of caffeine, and that he had barely managed to save him. He too had succumbed to caffeine, even though he said it was bad for his health, so he could stay focused, and after Happy said he had completely changed his mind about coffee consumption at other times apart from the morning after waking up, he told us not to do this ever again, because it could happen to someone else. He heard from Dopey that Sleepy hadn't been able to sleep for a full month, and he'd noticed that the lack of sleep, coupled with the excess caffeine in our blood, was making us suffer even more, both physically and mentally. He only woke up the morning of the next day, and after explaining what had happened, we left him alone with Sneezy, who was really scared and thought he had lost him.

(''Warmth is Gone- Fire Emblem Fates OST-s'')

(''And what if I can't? What if I'm not worthy of her ideals? - Fire Emblem Awakening OST'')

Since we found Snow White's lifeless body, I never left the house except when it was my turn to do the laundry, but the animals, sad but also worried about us, would occasionally come into the house to be by us. As much as I appreciated the fact that to them Snow White's friends are their friends too, nothing would have changed. When Doc told us that Sleepy had nearly died of cardiac arrest, I cried all night, never being able to sleep, and the next morning, my bed was completely wet. I'd already lost Snow White, and then I'd almost lost one of my brothers. A week after Sleepy's awakening, I stood next to Dopey and we cried aloud as we hugged each other, traumatized by having almost lost him forever. I didn't want to lose any of my brothers, not after what happened to the princess. Two more months later, winter came. The snow was beautiful to look at, but it only made me feel even sadder, as that white was like the skin of the beautiful princess, it reminded me too much of her. The animals also had to withstand the winter, and we decided to house those more sensitive to cold, such as the birds, during the night so that they could get food during the day.

It was Tuesday night. As I was in the bedroom writing my thoughts on day 165 in my diary, i heard the door open and I got scared.

''Are you feeling OK, Bashful?'' Happy asked.

''What are you doing?'' asked Sneezy, who had seen the diary out of the corner of his eye, and I closed it immediately.

''I-I-I... Nothing...'' I murmured.

''Come on, Bashful, we won't judge you. What's wrong?'' asked Doc, worried.

''Yeah, you hardly show up.'' said Sleepy.

I sighed and convinced myself to speak. ''I'm writing in my diary.'' I said.

Dopey watched with interest. ''Since when?'' asked Sneezy.

''Ever since Snow White died. That day, I found this book with no cover and blank pages and put a cover on it. Now I write on every day my thoughts about the day ever since the tragedy happened five months ago. There are also some slips of paper on which are written sonnets and poems that I wrote myself, dedicated to her.'' I explained.

''Do you mind if we see a little?'' Happy asked, a little hesitantly. ''If it's secret, it doesn't matter. We're brothers, we will have to know.''

''No problem.'' I replied.

Doc put on his glasses and began to read. ''Day 1: Oh, woe is me! When we got home, Snow White was dead, and next to her was an apple. We were all inconsolable, and Grumpy, who had discovered that the apple was poisoned, burst into tears of grief. He had even discovered a gooseberry pie, and realized she wanted to surprise him. We ate the dessert for lunch, but as much as we liked it, we thought of nothing but Snow White. How will I live like this? Or rather, how will we live like this? Never again will I be able to hear her voice, never again will I be able to enjoy her kisses, that girl with lips like roses, with ebony-like hair and skin as white as snow is gone forever, and her smile has faded like a withered flower.'' He then turned a few pages. ''Day 15: We gave up the mining job just this week, and Doc wanted us to do at least the housework, as she wouldn't want the house to remain in the neglect in which she first saw it. Happy turned inside out in terms of personality, too depressed to be able to sustain us emotionally. She was so beautiful, even in death, that we didn't have the heart to bury Snow White under the ground, and we made her a glass and gold coffin adorned with some of the most precious diamonds from our mining job. We all agreed on the coffin, but I wanted it to be worthy of her, so we took all the materials in the mine. Every day, we go to the clearing where we put the coffin to visit our lost friend.''

All my brothers, including Grumpy, had tears in their eyes, moved by what I had written. They began to read the poems and sonnets on the sheets of paper that were on the first page, while Doc leafed through a series of pages and read another entry in the diary. ''Day 76: Ever since Snow White passed away, we have been having trouble sleeping and suffering from insomnia, so we have started using caffeine. Today, however, something happened that left me in shock. Sleepy was unable to sleep for a month, and today, he suffered from cardiac arrest due to an excess of caffeine in his blood and lack of sleep. I've already lost Snow White, and I don't want to lose anyone else. I feel like I've lost everything, and if there was a Genie, I would really wish she was still alive, but I doubt God would allow it(3).''

Dopey was now crying on Happy's shoulder, and everyone turned their gaze to me. I was a little embarrassed by the attention everyone was giving me. ''Bashful... I can't believe it... it's all so deep..'' Sneezy whispered, wiping his eyes and nose with his sleeve.

''You know, Bashful? I think you could be a good poet. You wrote everything you felt in your heart, I've never seen such a thing.'' said Doc.

''Those poems are beautiful. They make you cry...'' Sleepy murmured.

When I looked at Sleepy, I fell to my knees and burst into tears, covering my face with my hands and beard, a reaction that worried him. ''What's wrong, Bashful? Why are you crying?'' he asked in concern.

''Because you went into cardiac arrest two months ago, Sleepy! I thought that you would leave me forever, that you would die!'' I sobbed.

Everyone was taken aback, even Dopey, who is as upset as I am, if not more. Now they wept not only because they were moved by what I had written, but because they felt bad for me. I felt a hand on my shoulder, and I was surprised to see that it was Grumpy's. ''Bashful, listen to me. I'm not good at these things, but you wrote all of this with all your heart, and your feelings are very sincere. I have always hidden my true feelings towards all of you, including Snow White, and I never had the courage to admit them until she left us. You, however, despite your shyness, have never been afraid to express your feelings. A couple of days before the tragedy, you even admitted to us that you were secretly in love with her(4). However, Doc told me that for some time now, you have barely seen yourself except in the housework. You need us.'' he said.

''Grumpy is right. Why did you keep everything from us?'' asked Doc.

''It's because- It's because I didn't want to make things more difficult for you guys. I'm-I'm... I'm sorry...'' I whimpered, taking off my hat.

''There's nothing to be ashamed of, Bashful.'' Sleepy comforted me. I looked up at him.

''Sleepy, I thought I had lost you forever due to that cardiac arrest! I've already lost Snow White, and I don't want to lose you too! I don't want to lose no one of my brothers! I don't want to lose anyone else!'' I screamed hysterically, tying my beard into a knot and gripping my head in my hands from the stress.

''Bashful! Look at me!'' Grumpy shouted, forcing me to look up. ''Listen to me. None of us had the idea of using caffeine. According to Doc, we all did it subconsciously, without realizing it, including him. Even if Sleepy had died, it could still have happened to one of us because by dint of always thinking about Snow White, we're neglecting ourselves. We can never think of anything other than her, but this is making things worse for us.'' he told me in a serious tone.

I was not convinced. ''Sneezy, you were really upset when Sleepy nearly died of cardiac arrest. Among us, you are the one who is closest to him.'' I said to Sneezy.

''That's true. I was upset, and when me and Sleepy spoke privately, I was about to cry, but he consoled me. After what happened, he finally managed to sleep through the night. What I mean is that you can't live in fear of losing us, you will become paranoid. Plus, Dopey is just as upset as you are, if not worse.'' my brother said, putting a hand on my shoulder.

''We are all with you, Bashful. You're our brother.'' added Doc. Sleepy hugged me and rested my head on his chest, with Happy on his right and Dopey on his left, followed by Sneezy, and Doc positioned himself between Grumpy and Sneezy. The animals entered and joined us, completing the circle. We stood crying together for about a couple of minutes as they comforted me, then we broke away and Doc began to loosen the knot in my beard.

''Are you feeling better?'' asked Sneezy.

''Now I do. But I still feel that emptiness in my heart. Half of us died with Snow White.'' I replied, after my beard was now no longer in a knot.

''Everything will be fine, Bashful. I feel better now and we can sleep decently, but we have to stay strong at least for Dopey and offer him support, or he'll fall victim to his nightmares, they are so recurring that he's afraid just to close his eyes.'' Sleepy told me.

''I'll try, but I don't guarantee you anything.'' I said.

(''And what if I can't? What if I'm not worthy of her ideals?- Fire Emblem Awakening OST-s'')

Another three months passed. Spring had arrived, and nature was being reborn in the woods. Spring was my favorite season, with wild flowers covering the woods and birds chirping. Sneezy liked spring too, but his hay fever didn't make things easy for him, and for some time now, when he felt he was about to sneeze, he'd rush to the bathroom to avoid problems. Instead, he never really liked winter because he hates washing in cold water. We are managing our grief better than before, but still nothing would have remained the same anyway. We didn't know what was going to happen in the future, but at least the animals were with us to help us, and we really appreciated that.

A/N: Poor Bashful! With everything he has been through, he's very depressed, especially considering that not only has he lost Snow White, but his brother Sleepy almost died of cardiac arrest. It looks like he needs a hug with that grief of his. I hope you enjoyed the more poetical way of describing Bashful's point of view. There are only two dwarves of which I have to explain the point of view left, and therefore, three chapters. Don't miss them! See you soon!

(1): In the original story, the Evil Queen, before resorting to the poisoned apple, tried to kill Snow White two more times disguised as an old saleswoman, first with a corset, then passing a poisoned comb through her hair, unsuccessful attempts because although Snow White fainted, the seven dwarfs saved her, loosening her corset in the former case, and removing the comb from her hair in the latter. These two attempts were originally intended to be implemented in the movie, but were discarded due to time and budget constraints. Also, in the original story, the apple was half poisoned, leaving it with a red side (poisoned) and a pale side (not poisoned). To convince Snow White that there was no danger, the Queen, pretending to be an apple seller, bit the pale side, and the princess bit the poisoned side instead. This time, the dwarves couldn't save her, as they didn't understand what the source of the problem was.

(2): These are references to the ''angel woman'' of the Dolce stil novo, an Italian political movement between the end of the thirteenth century and the beginning of the fourteenth century.

(3): A reference to Aladdin: the Genie can grant three wishes, but not kill, make someone fall in love or revive the dead. Luigi Proietti, better known as ''Gigi'', an Italian comedian, voice actor, singer (from 1958 to 2000, part of the Melody Trio) and TV presenter who dubbed the Genie in Italian in the Aladdin franchise and and the Sultan in the 2019 live-action of the same name in Disney movies, celebrated the 50 years of his career in 2017. Two weeks ago, he ended up in the hospital due to heart-related problems, suffered a heart attack yesterday and died this morning at 5:30 AM, in his eightieth birthday. Six years ago, Robin Williams, a comedian and voice actor who starred in many movies like Dead Poets Society, 1995's Jumanji, and voiced the Genie in Aladdin and Aladdin and the King of Thieves and Ramón from Happy Feet, cut his wrists with a pocketknife and committed suicide by hanging himself with a belt at the age of 63. He was also a huge fan of The Legend of Zelda video game series, to the point that he named his daughter Zelda after the princess.

(4): This was revealed by Walt Disney himself when he introduced Bashful.