When they approached the castle, there was a call for them to halt. Heinrich glanced back at Snow.

"Announce me and my intention," Snow ordered.

Heinrich's voice rang out. "Princess Snow White comes for her coronation! Make way!"

The guards didn't shoot, but they stared uneasily at the procession as it went through the gates. The nobles stared at Snow with distrustful eyes as they passed into the town surrounding the castle.

Grumpy immediately recognized that their stop in Castell had produced an unintended effect. It seemed like the citizens had reached the castle the long way on their own to see the princess's coronation. The citizens realized that the seven Dwarfs that rode with her were the same ones that came to town several times a year, and the talking began. Cheers and shouts and questions were flung around as the streets buzzed.

When they reached the castle, Heinrich dismounted and helped Snow from her horse. They all walked up the stairs toward a group of men with hard eyes. Heinrich and Bastian stood between Snow and the council, and Grumpy and the Dwarfs flanked her.

"Step aside for the princess," Heinrich ordered the men.

They didn't move. "Where's your husband?" an older man asked.

"I have no husband at the moment," Snow said, projecting her voice with a tweak of magic. "My fiancé is currently made of crystal, but we are attempting to remedy that. Now step aside, Gunter. I shall be coronated."

"Princess, our kingdom needs a good hand to rule our people."

"You mean a man?" Snow asked coldly. "Because I am next in line for the throne. You have no right to strip away my authority and give it to somebody else."

"We've been under a woman's rule for far too long, your highness," a third man said. "Besides, what could you do against whatever foul spells are cast over Findersland?"

Snow tilted her head. "That's very funny, Leo."

There was silence as the council stared at Snow in bewilderment.

"Funny, your highness?" Leo repeated.

"Yes. I recall that you were once most loyal to the family. You promised me that when you and Father got back from the war, you would help me select a horse to raise for my very own. But that didn't happen, did it? You came back from war, but Father didn't. And I didn't get a horse. I got beatings. And starvation. And lashes. All while you were parroting everything Grimhilde wanted to hear just so you would be safe from her wrath. I had none of that protection. It took a man much braver than you to defy her, and in doing so he saved my life. He was loyal to my father by doing that. Where is your loyalty to my father? Did it die with him?"

Grumpy had often seen Calida wield information like this, and he was always astounded by how bitter it could be. Leo looked as if his entire world had just crumbled around him. The man, forty years older than Snow, bowed his head in shame.

Snow turned her eyes on the other men, who no longer looked confident in their decision. "You will coronate me. I know the law of the land. Or is this treason?"

A ripple of discontent started in the crowd. "No, princess," Leo finally said.

"We won't do it," another man said. "You want to save your fiancé, but what about our kingdom? I refuse to lead your troops."

Snow White smiled. "Oh, you needn't worry about that, Adrean. I'll lead them myself. I'm certainly not staying here and doing nothing."

The men hadn't expected that, and Adrean hesitated. "Battle is no place for a lady, Princess."

"A lady I may be, but I am also my father's daughter," Snow declared. "He would not have left our ally alone, as Grimhilde did. I intend to marry Florián and secure our alliance, but things have gone very poorly for them as of late. However, we will discuss this after my coronation."

Snow stared at them expectantly, and the men began to mumble. Then the crowd stirred, and the Dwarfs distinctly heard Rowan's voice.

"Well, is it treason or not?"

The crowd grew louder and the council began to look very nervous. There were jeers and calls for Snow to be crowned and declarations that the men were traitors to the crown. Snow simply stood and smiled at them. Finally, Leo knelt down.

"Forgive me for my cowardice, your highness," he said. "You will be queen, as your father wanted."

One by one the others knelt before her, and she waved her hand. The crowd was practically roaring now, unable to hear what was being said. Snow looked at Grumpy.

"Silence them," she ordered.

Grumpy turned, cocked his arm back, and threw a ball of sparking green magic in the air. It whistled as it streaked up into the sky and exploded in a shower of sparks. Instantly, everybody went silent as they gaped up at the sky before looking down at the Dwarf.

Snow smiled. "Thank you," she said, her voice magnified even more. "Prepare for my coronation. Today is now a holiday. We shall celebrate this day, for tomorrow we prepare for war!"

There was a cheer, and Snow turned and gestured for Heinrich and the men to follow. Grumpy, Bastian, and the brothers padded up into the castle after her. The servants who had accompanied them ran to their places as controlled chaos erupted throughout the whole town. Snow led the Dwarfs and Bastian to a parlor.

"Wait here. I must prepare," she said.

Then she left with Heinrich. Grumpy sat down on the plush couch with relief. "At least they didn't hang us," he said.

"It seems the people are for Snow," Bastian replied, gingerly seating himself, as if he was afraid to ruin the furniture.

"Thank goodness," Doc said, taking the seat beside Grumpy. Bashful took Grumpy's other side and leaned against him tiredly.

"There's so many people out there," he mumbled, his face turning pink at the memory of all those eyes on them.

"It's okay," Grumpy assured him, wrapping an arm around his shoulders. "I got you."

Bashful smiled. "I knows that."

"Good."

They spent an hour waiting for Snow to return, and when she did, she gestured for them to follow.

"Quickly now," she said. "It's almost time. You are to stand beside me as honored witnesses. You needn't say or do anything, just watch. After that, we'll go and plan our next move while the people have their holiday."

"Sounds perfect, my leer, um, dear," Doc said. "Just tell us where to stand."

There was a flurry of activity as Snow guided them through the halls as she gave them very specific instructions. Grumpy realized that they were actually being given one of the most important roles in the ceremony, to guard Snow from harm during the whole thing. Usually the nobles would have been given the honor. Snow was making a clear point that they were not in her good graces at the moment.

"And then, after my vows, there will be food and drink, but we will take them in the war room with the rest of the council," Snow finished. "As long as you all do exactly as I said, this will go smoothly."

"We'll do our quest, ah, best," Doc promised.

"Ready, your highness?"

The Dwarfs stopped when they saw Heinrich, and Grumpy smirked. The man was wearing what had to be the fanciest clothes he'd ever worn, and he looked frightened. Snow had given him an important role too, no doubt.

"Yes. Lead the Dwarfs out to stand. They know what they are to do. Then you will begin the ceremony."

"Yes, your highness," Heinrich said, bowing. "Come along."

The Dwarfs followed and spread out as they were instructed to, not saying a word. The room was packed full of nobles and commoners alike, all murmuring together excitedly, but when they saw Heinrich and the Dwarfs, they stopped talking. Bashful wasn't the only one turning red as hundreds of people stared at them. Only Grumpy remained unaffected. He simply ignored them and stood between Doc and Sneezy and scanned the room. He noticed several troublemakers at once and kept an eye on them as the ceremony began.

Heinrich announced Snow and the priest who would be crowning her. Grumpy continued to scan the crowd as the ceremony continued. He couldn't understand a lot of the words they used, but that didn't matter. What mattered were the three troublemakers he'd marked making their way through the crowd. They were planning on disrupting the ceremony. Perhaps they didn't like the thought of Snow being queen. Or perhaps Calida had made plans before her death. Whatever it was, if they tried anything, Grumpy was ready.

As Snow was reaching to take a golden staff in her hand, one of the men reared back and threw a knife. Grumpy moved fast as he threw his hand out and green sparks exploded from his fingertips. In a blink, the knife stopped midair, and before the men could run, Grumpy cast a spell and yanked them up to the front with coils of green energy. The room went silent and Snow turned as Grumpy grabbed the knife and padded over.

"Attempted assassination," Grumpy said, and he held out the knife handle-first.

Snow smiled and snapped her fingers. Instantly, a guard came over and took the blade.

"Arrest them," she said. "They will answer for their crimes later. Thank you, Grumpy."

Grumpy went back to his spot and resumed scanning the room. The brothers were much more serious now, and all shyness was gone as they watched the crowd. Thankfully, Grumpy's handling of the first situation meant no others were attempted. The people were now wary of the magic-wielding Dwarf who was favored by the soon-to-be-queen, and they behaved.

"And thus, by the power of God Almighty, I crown thee Queen of Germonia." The priest placed the crown on Snow's brow, and she stood up and faced the room.

Heinrich stepped forward. "All hail Queen Snow White of Germonia!"

The crowd bowed as one, hailing her as their new queen. Snow smiled and held out her hands. "It is an honor to be your ruler. I hope to rule as my father did, not Grimhilde. Now, let the feast begin!"

There was another cheer, and Snow swept her eyes to the Dwarfs and gestured for them to follow. Heinrich scrambled after them, and Bastian was waiting out of view off to the side. He bowed low when Snow approached.

"Hail, your highness," Bastian said. "I live to serve you."

"You may rise, Bastian," Snow said. "Come. We must go to the war room."

Bastian followed obediently, stepping behind the Dwarfs and nodding at Heinrich. Heinrich nodded back, and they all headed down several hallways to a large room with a round table. Food was already there, carried by several servants. Snow touched one of them.

"Lucille, would you please fetch the council."

"Of course, your highness," she said with a curtsy.

"Let's eat," Snow said. "Then we need to talk war. Any ideas?"

"Yep," Grumpy said. "Involves you doin' magic and a lot of thieves."

"Really?" she asked.

"If we strike from within Raverra as well as without, they won't know where to focus," Grumpy said. "And the thieves are the only ones that have a chance to get in and out of that city right now. Besides that, the wall is magic and invaders can't get in."

Sleepy blinked. "It is?"

"Oh yes," Snow said solemnly. "It's very powerful and very different than mine. I don't know what we can do about it."

"Sleepy?" Grumpy asked. "What do you think?"

Sleepy stopped mid-yawn and sat up, scratching his head. "According to the stories I done heard," he said slowly. "Only a Dwarf could do anythin' with it. It's Dwarf magic. That's why it was such a precious gift. No human sorcerer or magician could stop it or affect it."

"But I ain't a human," Grumpy said. "Could I redirect it long enough to get everybody in the city?"

"Maybe a select group of soldiers," Snow said. "I don't want to turn an army loose in the city. It's far too easy to hurt innocents."

"The thieves could help with that, too," Bastian said. "It's a good plan."

"Let me think about it. I'm hungry. Let's eat."

They all got their food and ate, waiting for the council. Grumpy thought the plan was solid enough, with the main army being a distraction for the city's soldiers while the thieves infiltrated the palace. Whether or not the council would think so was a different matter. But Snow had held her own thus far, and Grumpy knew she could keep it up. It was only a matter of time before they marched, and once again, he was somehow in the thick of it.

Oh, the things he'd do for his girls.