The bird led Frida to an area of land that lay somewhere in the middle of the forest and in that area was a small cottage. She knocked on the door three times, no one answered but the door was unlocked. She went inside and found that while the outside of the cottage was very nice and pretty, the inside was complete wreck. Furniture turned over, dirty dishes piled up in the sink, ash, soot, and dirty luandry on the floors, and dust and cobwebs covering the window, fireplace, and every other part of the cottage.
"What a dump." Frida said. "No one could possibly live here, must've been abandoned. This is great! If no one lives here then I'm free to move in."
The bird nodded in agreement.
"Of course some things are gonna have to change. I'm not living in a filth pile. Looks like I'm gonna have to get cleaning again."
So she began cleaning up the house best she could. She swept the fireplace, scrubbed the floors, washed all the dishes and clothes, dusted the furniture, and put all the furniture back up to the way it was meant to be. Once she was done she realized that she was starving and searched the cupboards for something to eat. She found flour, yeast, butter, and eggs.
"Bread it is." She decided.
So she put her baking skills to the test and began mixing the flour, yeast, butter, and eggs together to make thick bread dough. Once the dough was properly stirred and kneaded she poured it into a pan, lit the oven, and slid the pan inside.
"There we go and while that cooks I think I'll take a little nap."
She went upstairs into the next room where she found three beds. She climbed into one and fell fast asleep. Little did she know that someone was still living in the cottage and would be arriving home soon. This cottage was home to three miners: Davi, Toshiro, and T.J. They worked in the mines and they used to bring jewels to King Emiliano and Queen Carmela. But after the king died, Queen Carmelita had them banished from the kingdom. Now they lived in the woods struggling everyday to keep themselves going.
"Alright boys that's enough!" T.J announced to them in the mines. "Time to head back."
"Aye sir!" The other two replied.
They put the jewels they found to day in their safe and then went back home.
"Heigh-ho! Heigh-ho! It's home to work we go."
"Davi, Toshiro don't start singing that song again!" T.J said annoyed.
"Killjoy." The others muttered.
"Geez we're miners not dwarfs."
When they arrived they were shocked to find the light to their cottage on.
"The house!" Davi gasped. "The lit's light! I mean the light's lit!"
"Who left on? Toshiro?" T.J accused.
"It wasn't me."
"Look footsteps." Davi pointed out. "And they're nothing like ours and they lead straight to the house."
"So somebody sneaked in huh?" T.J said.
"What do we do?"
"Looks like we're gonna have to investigate."
"But what if it's a big, mean, scary monster?" Toshiro said shaking.
"Oh be a man! Pick axes are good for more than mining for diamonds you know."
"He's right whatever in is our house we have to drive it out." Davi declared. "Come on men."
Gathering up their courage they went inside their house and to their great surprise they found that it had been cleaned from top to bottom. Not a single speck of dirt or dust remained anywhere. For a moment they doubted if this really was their house.
"The floor, it's been swept." Davi pointed out.
"Somebody stole all the dishes." Toshiro said looking in the empty now sink.
"They're not stolen, they're in the cupboard you moron." T.J scolded.
"Oh...Huh silly me. Heh, heh. When did we get a maid?"
"We didn't."
"Whoever's in our house must've cleaned it." Davi realized.
"Oh how nice. We should thank him or her."
"But we don't know who this person is? What if they're a ghost or goblin or a demon or a dragon?"
"A ghost, goblin, demon or dragon who cleans?" T.J said doubtfully.
"What? It could happen."
"Oye...I'm surrounded by idiots."
"Hey!"
"Alright it's obvious if this intruder isn't down here they've got to be upstairs so let's send someone up to check."
"But who's it gonna be?"
T.J and Davi then turned to Toshiro and grinned.
"Oh no not me!"
But they sent him up anyway. He swallowed hard and nervously made his way up the steps and toward the door to their bedroom. He slowly creaked the door open and saw lying on the beds underneath blankets. When the thing lying underneath suddenly moved a little it scared him into running downstairs in a frenzy and bumping into the other two.
"What's gotten into you?" Davi asked.
"It's up there!" Toshiro blubbered in fear.
"What was it doing?"
"It was sleeping in our beds."
"If it's a asleep then we can sneak up on it and get it." T.J said grabbing his pick axe.
"I don't know should we really wake them up? It's kind of rude don't you think?" Toshiro suggested.
"Grab your pick axe and let's go."
They carefully and quietly walked upstairs and like Toshiro they slowly creaked the door open. They slowly and quietly approached the beds, Davi grabbed part of the blankets giving T.J and Toshiro the signal to attack when he pulled it off. The two miners raised their pick axes up and prepared themselves to attack the intruder. In a swift move Davi pulled off the blanket and T.J and Toshiro started to strike only to stop when they saw that it was a girl sleeping under there.
"It's a girl." Davi said.
"Where'd she come from?" T.J asked.
"She's beautiful." Toshiro complimented. "Just like an angel."
"Oh brother don't start going mushy on me please." T.J groaned in annoyance.
"Shh! You'll wake her up." Davi said.
"Well good then we can tell her to leave."
"But that would be rude." Toshiro said.
"Who cares? She's trespassing."
"Look she's moving!" Davi said noticing Frida moving over to her side. "She's waking up!"
"What do we do?" Toshiro said.
"Tell her to leave." T.J said.
"No!" The other two said.
Frida sat up, yawned, and stretched. When she was fully awake she was startled to see three men looking at her.
"Whoa! Where did you three come from?" She asked.
"We live here." T.J said.
"Someone actually lives here?"
"Yes! And you're trespassing little missy!"
"Oh I'm sorry I didn't know. I thought this place was abandoned since the door was unlocked and everything was such a mess. So what are your names?"
"I'm Davi."
"I'm Toshiro."
"I'm T.J."
"Nice to meet you." She said.
"And just who are you?" T.J said.
"If you don't mind telling us my dear." Davi said politely.
"Oh right. Sorry, I'm Frida."
"The princess?" They gasped.
"Yep that's me."
"We are very honored and-" Davi started.
"We're mad as hornets." T.J said.
"We're mad as hornets- No we're not we're bad as cornets- No as mad as- What was I saying?!"
"Nothing just sputtering there like an idiot."
"Just who are you calling an idiot?"
"Oh shut up and tell her to get out of here."
"Wait! Please don't send me away." Frida begged. "If you do she'll kill me."
"Who?" They asked.
"My stepsister the queen."
"The queen!" They gasped in fear.
"She's horrible!" Davi said.
"She's evil!" Toshiro said.
"She's an old witch that's what she is." T.J said. "Just like her no good mother was and she finds this girl here she'll take her fury out on us."
"But she doesn't know where I am." Frida said.
"Oh she doesn't huh? She knows everything. I swear to you by my right hand she has a way of finding out everything. I don't know how she does it but she does and she knows black magic so she could do anything."
"How do you know all this?" Davi asked him.
"My father told me. He used to work at the castle and he saw that girl's mother turn someone into a snail and step on em. I'm warning ya if that girl is anything like her mother and I'm sure she is, she'll find us and turn us all into toads."
"Oh I don't worry she'll never find me." Frida assured them. "And I won't stay long, just until I find out what happened to Manny."
"Who's he?" Davi said.
"He's a good of friend of mine and he must be very worried about me right about now so I'll have to start searching for him soon but in the mean time if you let me stay here I won't be any trouble. I'll clean and sew and cook-"
"Cook?!" Davi and Toshiro said hungrily. "What can you cook?"
"Well I can cook bread and stew and chicken and apple dumplings and plum pudding and gooseberry pie."
"Gooseberry pie!" The two cheered. "Horray! She stays!'
Frida laughed at their eagerness. She had a feeling that living with them would be fun. Meanwhile somewhere near the forest one of the castle maids Mrs. Chiquita was out gathering nuts and berries to make stuffing when she spotted Manny's unconscious body. She began to gently shake him awake.
"Your highness? Your highness? Are you alright?"
"Where's...Where's Frida?" Manny asked waking up.
"No one has seen her."
At that very moment the royal guards appeared.
"There he is! After him!"
"Wait! I found him here on the ground! He hasn't done anything!" She defended.
Manny quickly picked himself up off of the ground and ran off while Mrs. Chiquita kept the men at bay. He noticed that it had become very dark. How long had he been out? And what had happened to Frida? He hoped that she was alright where ever she was.