A/N- Sorry for the long wait, everyone! In short, I had a couple of projects--one in November and one in December--that took up some of my time. Those being over with now, I'm back and keeping up--or catching up--on my list. I hope you enjoy this next chapter!

Chapter Four

Snow White had purchased a room at a nearby inn, much to the protest of Cinderella, and now both princesses sat in the tiny space, each waiting for the other to speak first. Cinderella was fixing her hair, trying to pull it into an even tighter bun. Snow White had her head resting in her hands, staring at the silver dart she had placed on the table in between the two of them.

"I'm waiting," the ebon haired princess said.

Cinderella gave her a glare from beneath her long lashes. "Humph-ing," she finished with her hair and turned to face Snow.

"You've yet to ask me a question, highness. I can't read minds, you know," Cinderella said, crossing her arms.

Snow White sat up a bit straighter in her chair and indicated the dart before her.

"What kind of poison is on this?" she asked.

"Now, what makes you think that it's poisoned?"

Charin's princess smiled wickedly at her accuser. Snow returned the smile and said, in a sickeningly sweet voice, "Because I saw you kill that man, princess."

The smile vanished from Cinderella's face. In contrast, Snow White's smile widened. She waited for her to explain, but when it became clear that the royal spy was going to continue to hold her tongue, she pressed further.

"Why did you kill him? What offense had he done to you? To your kingdom?"

Cinderella rolled her eyes and sighed. Staring at Snow, seeming to be sizing her up, she finally shook her head. Reclining slightly in her chair, she crossed her legs--knee over knee--and began to explain herself.

"Although I am my kingdom's most proficient spy, I am not exactly here on Royal Business," she said.

She paused here, waiting for Snow White to make some sort of comment. When the other princess remained silent, Cinderella continued.

"I am here because of a somewhat personal offense your mother has done me. My suitor--the prince that is my husband-to-be--was traveling through your country some time ago. It was to be only a brief pass over before he went into the kingdom of Aurora. That is what he said in his last correspondence to me. That was just before he entered your mother's kingdom, which puts his disappearance as over three months ago."

Snow White's eyes widened a bit. Cinderella nodded as if to say, "See? I have my reasons."

"Have you gathered any intelligence about your suitor's whereabouts since then?" she asked.

"It was not easy, but I have indeed. At first, though, I was distraught. I didn't even know where to start. No, no," Cinderella said, standing and making her way over to a nearby dresser-top, where a selection of liquors were setting. Pouring herself a small amount of whiskey--licking the little bit that splashed onto her fingers off--she amended, "I did know where to start. The Kingdom of Mistopia…Malice's Kingdom. That's where he had been heading. So, I began to go to work, in the only way I know how…in secret. I gathered contacts and intelligence until finally, I had what I needed."

"A contact within Malice's castle," Snow White concluded.

"Exactly. You see, everyone has their price…even the most loyal of guards. He was unaware of my true Royal Status, otherwise he probably would have asked for more than he did. However, his price was high enough, but well worth it. I had discovered, after two months of searching, the location of my beloved Emil."

"Two months? I thought you said that he's been missing for three?"

"Yes. It took me two months to discover his situation. For this past month, I've been trying to work myself in to save him."

"Emil?" Snow White questioned, watching Cinderella down her shot of whiskey and pour herself another.

"You should know him," she said, turning her back to Snow.

Snow White searched her memory, for the name did strike a nerve. So many people passed through Mistopia, half of which always do some wrong to Malice and end up imprisoned or executed. It was always hard just to recall one.

"Wait. Prince Emil…and you say he was going to the kingdom of Aurora? I remember…Malice had him imprisoned for…aiding and abetting our enemy. Yes, she said that his travels to Aurora--which is a country under siege by Mistopia now--was a deliberate defiance to the treaty that Charin and Mistopia had. She said that he was now a prisoner of war, and that the treaty was void."

Cinderella had been nodded emphatically during all of this. She had abandoned her whiskey glass and had retaken her seat across from Snow White.

"Yes, yes, that's right! Now, do you recall what he was actually trying to do? I assure you, it was no treasonous act!" she said, her voice strangled, as if she was trying not to shout.

Snow White well remembered what the prince had been trying to do. Looking Cinderella in the eyes, she sighed. A wave of guilt washed over her. For too long she had simply sat by and watched as Malice had unjustly tried and convicted innocent souls…for her own frivolous reasons. And they never got trials, these poor souls. No, trials bored Malice, the evil queen said. She said that there was no need for them, since she could change any jury's verdict with a mere wave of her hand and a menacing stare. Sadly, she had been right.

"Well, princess? What had my Emil been trying to do?" she pushed.

"He was on a goodwill mission…delivering food to the harder hit areas," Snow White said, her voice low.

Cinderella sat back and nodded, glaring at her. She stood and paced a bit in front of Mistopia's princess, before she finally sat again.

"And where were you, pray tell, while she sentenced my Emil to a life of being tortured in your castle's dungeon?" she hissed.

"By…" Snow began, but stopped, looking away.

"Finish your sentence! Where were you!" Cinderella screamed down, pounding her fist down once on the table.

"By her throne…watching."

Cinderella was breathing heavily now, as if she had just got finished with a good cry. However, she had shed no tears. She stood and walked over to tower over Snow White. Snow looked up, unflinching.

"I'm sorry," she said as Cinderella pressed down upon her.

"Sorry? Is that all you have to say? And what could you possibly know about it?"

At this, Snow White stood. "Make no assumptions, princess. My prince lies in our town square, under sleeping spell. And I have much to say, but have held my tongue for far too long. Now, I know you hate me. I hate me too. But I'm willing to bet you hate Malice more."

Here, Snow White paused, waiting for a reaction. Cinderella merely nodded.

"Good. Hate is how political reason starts. It's how the downtrodden begin to think. I've allowed my hate for my own mother to bubble over the surface moments too late. Now, I'm looking for others to return to my kingdom with me and destroy that evil witch once and for all. I propose that we combine our hate, and turn it into something more powerful."

"Like what?" Cinderella asked.

"I don't know…yet. Join with me…search with me, and I'm sure we'll find out," Snow White said, extending her hand.

Cinderella stared at it for a moment. Finally, she placed her own in it.

"Let's save our princes," she said.

End Notes: How was that? Now, a note about Mistopia. I know that in the prologue I made it sound like the whole world that all these kingdoms are in was called Mistopia. I apologize. I am in the process of editing my fics, and when I edit the prologue, the word "world" will be changed to "kingdom." Thanks! I hope you enjoyed, please review!

Edit 2/27/07-- The change has been made in the prologue.