I haven't done a Snowing fanfic in a while, but God I've missed it. Please send feedback, and I hope you enjoy! I've also made George a little nicer, cause David deserves it, but it won't really take away from the story. Despite what this may seem like, this is a focus on David and Snow, not James and Belle. I may do a separate story with just them, if wanted. ;)

Age: Seven Years Old

"David," George called from his bedchambers,"come here for a moment." David looked up at the servants adjusting the pieces for his suit. He jabbed his head at the door to show he needed to go, and the tailor reluctantly stopped fixing buttons and swiping away lint from his trousers.

He jumped off the pedestal and sped down the halls to his father's room, just passing James's room, then stopped a metre from the door to make it look like he walked in.

"Yes father," he answered hopefully.

"I need to talk to you." He noticed his mother's presence once she patted his shoulder and whispered to him.

"You look so handsome, my prince." He grinned cheerfully at his mother, then turned back to George, waiting for him expectantly, patting the spot beside him on the bed.

"You do look quite dashing. You'll be the talk of the party tonight," he said.

"I know. So will James. It's both our birthdays, after all," he said like it was an obvious fact.

"It is, my sweet boy, but tonight's going to be very special," Ruth intervened. "There's going to be a king coming from another kingdom, and he's bringing his daughter. She's the same age as you. I think you'll both get along quite nicely."

"Really?" Ruth couldn't help but stroke his cheek as she saw the pure wonder in his sparkling blue eyes. He didn't waste time in getting back to his room to finish getting dressed up.

He always found the balls and banquets to be lonely. His brother didn't play with him when they were attending balls, and instead followed his father around, striking up conversations with the monarchs his father visited with. He didn't understand how he could be so boring.

Not all banquets were boring. Sometimes Thomas or Eric came to the events, but he often found himself roaming the halls of whatever castle they were at.

He climbed back onto the pedestal in the room and looked at the large mirror in front of him. He wondered what the girl would be like. Did she like exploring with him, or did she talk to grown-ups like James did? He really hoped she liked the former.

He couldn't bother wincing every time the valet shipped off a piece of his hair or adjusted his tunic. He couldn't care less, as long as she liked it.

"Prince David?" He flinched and turned to the valet just outside the door.

"Yeah?"

"I said your done. You can go, as long as you don't mess up your outfit." He pumped his fist in the air before racing past the man in front of him.

He wouldn't be allowed in the garden, if his father had any say in the matter, so he did what he would do when bored; explore. He liked going through the passages of the castle, inside the walls from the library, down to the dining room, and all the way past the knight's headquarters to the armoury.

He adored looking at the armour. He always loved imagining what it would be like to don a suit of armour instead of a royal garb. It was a dream that didn't seem like it would come true. Even if he didn't inherit the crown, no doubt would he be married to rule another kingdom.

It didn't matter, though. He didn't have to deal with marriage just yet. Instead, his mind was blessed with the thoughts of his new friend, surely riding in on a carriage made of gold.

He raced back through the secret hallways and back out from behind a moving bookshelf in the library, and into the ballroom. People were already striding in through the big doors, twirling their swirling moustaches and flaunting their wives.

He didn't have to wait long for the princess to come through the doors. His jaw fell in awe. She was better than he could've imagined. She had dark hair falling in ringlets onto her shoulders. Her green eyes pierced the air around the ballroom, sweeping over everything, before falling over him. He quickly closed his mouth and smiled. Her cherry-red lips smiled back, and her small white dress swished around her as she walked towards him.

He was nearly sweating when she arrived at his side.

"Hi," she said quietly.

"Hi there," he said, with a slight quiver in his voice.

"Are you okay," she asked, her face scrunching in concern. His tiny heart fluttered a little. So this is how Mother feels around Father, he thought to himself.

"Yeah, I'm great, thank you."

"I'm Snow, by the way. Snow White."

"I'm David." She smiled back at him tenderly. "You're really pretty," he said to her. They both started blushing.

"Thank you. You're very charming," she said. He grinned like he won an award a knight would win.

"Have you been to a ball before?"

"Lots of 'em, but they're all so boring," she said, dropping her voice to a low whisper.

"Don't worry, I have a plan," he said slyly, rubbing his hands together and looking around suspiciously. She giggled and rolled her eyes.

"Do you?"

"Yes. Follow me, if you want." She laughed once more before bolting after him, smiling all the while. Ruth caught sight of her son and the girl laughing together, and her heart clenched.

"First, you should meet my brother," he said over his shoulder, unaware that she was sneaking around in front of him.

"Gotcha!" She tackled him to the ground, knocking his chin on the corner of a table. "Oh no, I'm so sorry!" Her eyes pricked with tears.

"Hey, don't cry. I'm fine, see?" He made a silly face at her, despite the blood running down his chin.

"Are you sure? I can get someone to help you."

"I'll be fine." She reluctantly climbed off of him and followed him through the ballroom, pulling him back by his arm when he started running.

"James," he called from across the room. His brother looked up and skipped over to his side.

"Hi, David. Who's your girlfriend?"

"She isn't my girlfriend, she's just a friend," he argued. James laughed.

"I'm Snow," she said. "you look exactly the same."

"I'm James. Nice to meet you, Snow. David is my twin brother." He reached his hand out to shake hers. She shook his hand and looked over at David.

"Do you want to go on an adventure with us?"

"Okay. What are you doing?"

"I don't know, David said he had plans."

"I do!"

"Then prove it."

"Fine, I will. Follow me." He led the two of them to the library, barely taking his eyes off the princess in front of him. She didn't gape at the towering shelves like most guests did, she merely brushed them off and followed her prince to the moving bookshelf. David pushed it out of the way into the narrow passage lit by a few torches every few metres. James and Snow's mouths were both hanging open in shock.

"Wait, this bookshelf moves?"

"Yeah, have you not noticed? The castle has a ton of secret passages. This is one of six. I looked at the palace map." He winked at Snow over his shoulder and listened to her giggle while leading them into the hall. He wound them through stairwells and corridors, into a knight's chambers, while he was in the middle of changing out of his armour. David opened the small stone door just slightly to peek inside. They all covered their mouths with their hands as he continued changing and muttering to himself about some knight.

David closed the door and ran a little down the hallway before bursting out laughing.

"Did you see his underwear?" James was laughing too, but not so loudly, and Snow was giggling politely, and yet so maniacal.

"Show me more," Snow persisted, pushing him down the hall to lead them somewhere new.

They wound up going through each room the secret passage led to and back, making sure to skip the knight's bedchambers.

They were back in the ballroom when the musicians had just started playing a song. Instead of going back to the dull royals littering the ballroom, he stuck beside his brother and new friend.

"Wanna dance," David asked Snow. She looked at him and suddenly shrunk back.

"I don't know how to dance," she whispered.

"Here, I'll show you how." David hauled her to the centre of the room where everyone else was dancing.

"Here, put your hands here, and I'll put mine here," he said, winding themselves together. "Now, move like this. You put your foot here, then here, then here, then here, and then do it again and again."

"Really? I can do that." David twirled them both around the adults, dodging their tall legs threatening to stomp all over them. Thank God Snow was fast. David pulled Snow to the right to avoid a man's leg sweeping towards her head.

"You saved me," she said in a high voice, putting her arm to her forehead and turning her head. He laughed.

"Anything for you, m'lady." He let go of her hands to kneel in front of her.

"My hero," she swooned, before pulling him back up to dance.

On the other side of the room, James was slowly backing into a corner and watching the two brush past people, holding each other's hands and shoulders, grinning contentedly to each other. He felt a tap on his shoulder.

"Hi," a girl said, trying to hide her face as best as possible. "I'm Belle."

"James," he said, curtsying for her. "A pleasure to meet you."

"A pleasure as well," she said formally, before bursting out in a fit of small laughs. Her grin shone onto his face like a sky of stars. Her hair was swept back, half of it tied in a small bun, and the rest flowing over her bright yellow dress.

"Want to dance," he asked hopefully. She nodded eagerly and took his hand. he led her to beside David.

"Hi David," he said, grinning wickedly.

"Hi, James." He turned back towards Snow, never letting his eyes stray from hers, even as they brought out the dessert tray. James and Belle caved and zipped towards the smell of chocolate. Ruth watched both her sons with the princesses and laughed, hearing her heart break in two with an unbearable love for her children. She was excited to tell George about their 'expeditions' during the ball.