Chapter the third:

The Seven Maidens

Gerard tried to pretend to Jesse, as they made their way through an increasingly darker forest, that it was still the fun and games it had been during the day but it became ever more difficult to come up with good games to take her mind off their surroundings.

Every time he stood on a twig, the sound crashed through the forest and, to his mind, told all the dangerous animals and unhinged criminals that he was sure habituated the forest where he and his sister were. In reality the sounds made by their footsteps scared a few birds who, being very stupid, forgot as soon as it had cessed.

They had been walking through for many hours when Gerard spotted a light shining through the trees. Hoping the light meant a warm bed and plenty of food instead of what he dreaded (that the light was that made by the fire of a gang of homicidal maniacs on the loose from the nearby asylum) he took Jesse by the hand and drew her through the forest into a small clearing.

Thankfully the clearing was not the headquarters of that imaginary gang of homicidal maniacs (since most homicidal maniacs can't stand each other). Instead a small cottage graced the clearing. The one word that would help you picture it was picturesque. The roof gently sloped into small eaves which Gerard could imagine water drifting languidly off during the rain. The door, situated in the middle of the front of the house, was a light blue and had a small latch, pretty ineffectual if anyone decided to rob the place. It was exactly as he had imagined the seven dwarves' cottage in Snow White and the Seven Dwarves.

He unlatched the door and entered quietly, holding Jesse's hand. "Hello?" he said. The cottage appeared to be empty. He glanced from side to side and advanced slowly into the house. "Hello?" he said, this time much louder. He turned to Jesse and shrugged.

Telling her to sit outside and not make any movement, he explored the cottage more thoroughly and was astonished at what he found. It really was almost exactly like the seven dwarves' cottage, except that the furniture was not small. However there was seven of everything. The second storey was much the same, containing seven beds and seven bedside tables.

After a long deliberation he went outside to get Jesse. He sat down beside her. "How do you feel about staying here?" he asked her. She said nothing so he turned to look at her and found that she had fallen asleep. Smiling softly he carried her inside and laid her out on one of the seven beds. He lay in the bed beside hers and drifted off to sleep, hoping that whoever lived here would be as kind as the seven dwarves had been to Snow White.

Unbeknownst to the prince, the cottage was owned by seven maidens, each one more beautiful than the last.

The eldest maiden's name was Penny and she was the local midwife, having learnt the trade from her mother. She was the most serious of the seven and, being the eldest, was their leader. And, you remember when I said that each one was more beautiful than the last? Well, this meant that Penny was also the ugliest of the seven maidens.

The second eldest was called Jasmine. She owned a small convenience store in the nearby town of Ellenton and was the most financially minded of the seven sisters. She took care of their finances as well as being the one they took their problems to, whether money related or not. Although she wasn't as ugly as Penny she wouldn't exactly win any beauty competitions either.

Georgiana, the third sister, was by far the most uncouth of the seven. She drank hard liquor, smoked heavily, swore constantly and was the quintessential tomboy. But then she'd have to be when she was a miner's apprentice and had to be able to survive in what was thought to be a men-only world. She was prettier than her two elder sisters but the best adjective to describe her would be homely. She preferred to be called George.

Hannah, the fourth sister, was the local glassblower's apprentice since from an early age she had had a fascination with all types of glass and her mother, being the local midwife, could get just about anything for her daughters, especially since she had delivered the glassblower a fine son. She was kind but absentminded, often found in front of a mirror smiling at her reflection.

Alyson and Jacqueline were the twins. They were both milkmaids, at the nearest farm, and were known throughout the forest and surrounding areas as flirts. Alyson was the more flighty one of the two while Jacqueline, known as Jacky, tried to make up for her sister's fickle nature by being very serious but more often than not was unable to keep up the charade and succumbed to her sister's wiles. They were both very beautiful but rarely noticed the effect they had on people.

The youngest, Marianne, was the most beautiful. However she was also the dirtiest, thanks to her apprenticeship to Ellenton's blacksmith. Since her beauty could be seen, even under all that soot, she was constantly bombarded by suitors and offers of marriage. She rarely put any stock in anything those suitors said and was often to be caught with a thoughtful expression on her angelic face. However, if you asked her what she was thinking about, you would be assailed by jargon and gobbledegook about her job.

All seven had lived in the cottage since they were born and had grown up surrounded by those self-same dark woods, which no longer held any terror for them. In fact most of the dangerous animals were more afraid of the maidens than the maidens were afraid of them.

When they returned home, one by one, they were much too tired to worry about where the extra blankets had disappeared to or why their food supply had been depleted. But when they ascended the stairs into the loft and discovered Gerard and his sister sleeping peacefully in their beds they were naturally a little stunned.

"What the–" George cried until she was silenced by Jasmine who dragged her downstairs and into the living room. The others followed silently.