Disclaimer: I do not own Snow White, or any of the associated characters.

Summary: See Previous Chapter

A/N: Dedicated to my twin, Sally, on the 10th anniversary of her death. RiP, December 26, 2005

Chapter Two

Crown Prince Augustus, Heir to the throne of Gallacia, was worried about his little sister.

Physically, she was as well as she had ever been, but she didn't smile anymore, and while she still sang, something she had loved ever since some of the people who had known their mother said that Snow White had inherited her voice, happy songs were becoming rarer and rarer.

Augustus had been taught to look for the pattern in events, and the pattern that was emerging painted a very worrying picture. His sister was miserable, being taken appalling advantage of, and possibly in actual danger.

Perhaps it should have been obvious sooner, but Snow White had always had a slightly unbecoming disregard for things like station and propriety, mingling as much with the domestics as with the nobles, and had been going through a maddening (at least to him) phase of wanting to emulate the mother she had never known.

Aunt Anastasia, who had practically raised them, had looked fantastically awkward as she summoned the Head of Housekeeping when the phase had first started and asked her to allow Snow White to be permitted to assist in some of the lighter tasks… after her lessons were finished for the day.

The new Queen, who wielded scary amounts of influence upon her husband the King, and through him, the kingdom as a whole, did not like her stepchildren. She wasn't obvious about it, and while bystanders might murmur sympathetically about 'adjustment periods' and how it 'couldn't be easy', the new Queen never did anything so overt as to make anyone suspect that there was a problem.

It started with little things, like less time in lessons and more time helping the servants, and a refusal to purchase new clothes until Snow White's old ones were barely fit for the ragman, let alone a princess. The Queen's excuse that there was no reason to waste money on clothes that would only be ruined by hard work, and it sounded reasonable, yet Augustus couldn't help feeling, at the time, that there was something wrong.

Snow White had never been very sociable in the first place, but she started to actively avoid him, which was a definate worry. Something was wrong, and the Crown Prince was going to find out what.

A quick word with the Housekeeper revealed that orders had come from 'on high', as she put it, that the Princess was not to socialise with the other staff, and that her workload, and it's difficulty, were to be increased. No reason had been given, but the staff had been threatened with losing their positions and being blacklisted if they disobeyed.

The only person who could over-rule the Queen was Snow White and Augustus's father, the King, but he was going through one of his 'spells', and the Prince didn't think he could risk waiting for King Henry to recover. So, Augustus did what he always did when he was confused or didn't know what to do next: he went to Aunt Anastasia. She didn't always know what to do, either, but she gave good hugs, and sometimes just talking it through with her helped him decide on a course of action.

Aunt Anastasia was displeased when Augustus told her his suspicions, but not as surprised as he expected. "I suspected it, too, but without proof, my word is not enough to speak against a Queen, Grand Duchess or not."

Augustus had always known that his aunt was more intelligent than some people said she looked. This was just further proof. "But how did you recognise it, if no-one else did?"

His Aunt looked uncomfortable. "Because I've experienced it before. I didn't realise it for a long time, then, even though I was one of the ones doing it, and I took stopped once I realised what I had been doing, but I know the signs. More importantly, I know how to stop it."

A small voice came from the doorway. "You can get me away from our stepmother?"

It was Snow White, looking wan and exhausted and scared. Aunt Anastasia nodded and motioned for the princess to come inside and shut the door. "It won't be easy, for any of us. Even once you are away, you will still need to be cautious, at least until we find a solution to the dilemma of Her Majesty. Most of all, you need to believe in yourself and your own strength."

Snow White cuddled up to their aunt, both of them ignoring the dirt and soot that fell from her onto the fine silk gown. "I don't know how much strength or courage I have, but I can't stay here. I can't explain why, but I think I'm in danger here."

She wasn't talking about the occasional disgruntled citizen or court assassin, either, and they all knew it. Augustus hugged his sister from the other side, "How can I help?"

Aunt Anastasia looked serious. "There will be gossip if your sister suddenly disappears, even if the story is that she was 'sent to stay with relatives'. If it keeps her safe, can you stop yourself from revealing the truth, no matter what people say about her?"

It would be hard, because gossips were vicious and uncaring of the truth, and High Society even moreso, but if it kept her safe, Augustus could do ignore it. He nodded, "But mother didn't have any living relatives that she acknowledged, except for you. Where will she go."

Aunt Anastasia smiled. "No family related by blood or marriage, but a friend who runs an exclusive school, far from here. Sophia is a very private person, and had responsibilities that prevented her from visiting court, but we have kept in touch."

Both siblings raised simultaneous eyebrows. "Who is Sophia?"

Aunt Anastasia looked pleased that they hadn't rejected the suggestion out of hand. "Sophia was your mother's best friend, the one who helped her when Cinderella finally took control of her own life. She has responsibilities that keep her away from the Capitol, but if I ask, she will shelter Snow White until we can find a more permanent solution."

Augustus frowned. "What about Stepmother? What if she sends someone after Snow White?"

Their Aunt smiled, "Sophia's house isn't easy to find, and she has ways of protecting herself and her charges. Besides, anyone who the Queen or her agents might approach know what side their bread is buttered. They benefit more from Sophia's presence than they would gain by betraying her."

Snow White nodded firmly. "I'll go pack a few things. You think of a way to get me out of the city."

Anastasia smirked. "Pack your nicer clothes and personal belongings in a large basket, like the maids use to carry shopping, but dress in something plain. No-one will notice an extra servant leaving, and I'll arrange for a coach to collect you from the market. I'll send a letter by carrier bird tonight, and Sophia can set things up on her end."

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A/N: Sorry for the delay in updating. My laptop is very old, and kept randomly shutting down and losing sections of the document. Luckily, I now have a new one as an early Christmas present, and aside from working out how to use a different brand of computer, it is fantastic!

In other news, I FINALLY GOT PUBLISHED! 'Cinderella Grows a Spine' and 'The Highwayman's Legacy' are now both available on Amazon dot com in Kindle or paperback format. Better yet, both currently have a sequel in the works!

I'm also working on the next chapter now, and I'll try to work on it while I visit Dad for Christmas.

Thanks,

Nat