Night fell immediately. There had been no warning. Luna had fallen asleep hours before and Remus was growing tired himself. Romulus, on the other hand, kept moving at the same pace he had started at. Every now and then, he would stop, his head tilted to the side, as if he was listening to something that only he could hear.
Remus was so far into his mind that at first he did not notice his twin stopping by a large cottage. He continued moving and would have run into the cottage if Romulus had not touched his shoulder lightly. "What?"
"We can sleep in here. Let me take Luna and you go on in." Remus complied happily and entered the cottage, with Romulus on his heels, Luna cradled in his arms. The inside of the cottage was run down and filled with the oddest graffiti Remus had ever seen. Sayings that told of trolls filled the dryer spaces of the walls. The room they had entered was furnished with seven tiny stools, seven chairs, seven plates, and seven cups. There were seven small lanterns hanging on a shelf. He met Romulus' eyes and burst out laughing.
"What does this place remind you of, Rom?" Romulus rolled his eyes and set Luna onto the floor, where she swayed on her feet. He walked up the stairs and Remus was left with Luna, who was swaying dangerously far on one side. He caught his little sister before she could hit her head and followed his twin up the stairs. Reaching the top he blinked and then blinked again. Cluttered into the room were seven little beds.
"Snow White and the Seven Dwarves."
"Excuse me?" Romulus blinked owlishly at his twin and then blinked at the seven beds.
"Remember that story Mom and Dad used to tell us before bed?" Remus nodded.
"Yeah?" Romulus huffed in annoyance and took Luna from Remus' arms, placing her in one the beds. He piled the blankets over her sleeping form and pulled his twin out of the room. He did not speak until there was a fire going in the fireplace and warmth washed over them.
"That story they told us was about this place." Remus stared at his twin, waiting for Romulus to continue. "There was the part about the four travelers seeking shelter in Snow White's Cottage after their run in with the Gypsies and the girl's curse on her that had her hair growing like Rapunzel's. I think this is that cottage."
"Rom…"
"No. Listen, please?" Remus nodded his compliancy and sat back, so that Romulus was fully in the fire's warmth. "Mom always told us that the story wasn't real and that it never happened, but think about it for a moment. It's Mom and Dad's way of telling us how they met and under the circumstances that they protected and saved the Nine Kingdoms. I bet if we met someone and asked them about Prince Wendell, Kissing Town, or the three trolls: Blabberwort, Bluebell, and Burly, we'll get some kind of reaction. Mom always drew us pictures and told tales of this place. Remus, it has to be true or else we're going to wake up back home listening to Dad serenade Mom, again."
"It could be true, but, Rom," Remus leaned forward and grabbed his twin's hands, "what, then, happened ta Mom and Dad? Why did they come back and not bring us? What are they hiding from us?" Romulus sighed and hunched forward, so that his head rested on Remus' hands. Remus started slightly when Romulus did this, but freed one hand to slowly stroke his twin's untamed curls.
"I don't know." The words were mumbled and if Remus had not been listening for his twin's answer, he would have missed the words. "You…you don't think that they don't want us to know because they don't want to take care of us, do you?" Romulus' eyes were large and Remus could see fear swimming in those mismatched depths. He smiled softly and shook his head.
"No, Rom. I think that they don't want us ta have ta go through what they did. Remember what Mom said about what happened to Grandmother?" Romulus nodded.
"Of course I do. Mom said that she didn't want to end up like her own mother. I don't think Mom could ever hurt one of us intentionally." Remus smirked at his twin, who was frowning at himself.
"I think ya just answered yer own question. Mom and Dad have been careful ta keep you questions about Dad's family, Grandmother, and Grandfather under wraps. There is only one mistake they made, Rom."
"What?" Remus grinned broadly.
"They told us their story. We know about the Nine Kingdoms already and we can find our way ta Prince Wendell's Kingdom easily." Romulus arched an eyebrow, rolling his eyes at the same time. "Okay! We have ta find a town first, but then we can find our way easily." Romulus nodded and gazed into the fire.
"I hope Mom and Dad are okay, Remus." Remus watched his twin silently, without giving an answer vocally, but he was thinking the same thing.
