Grumpy had been right, and two days later, they walked into Castell in the early afternoon. Grumpy assured them all that they could still get home by evening, so they relaxed and stopped for a good, hot dinner. They were left alone, and they were all grateful that Snow was still posing as a boy. They didn't want to be stopped and questioned, and the closer they were to Altenfeld, the more likely Snow was to be recognized.
"Okay, what's the plan?" Bastian asked after a filling meal at a familiar inn.
"I want to squawk, erm, talk to Rowan before we leave," Doc said. "He deserves to know."
"We can also go to the guild and find out what's going around," Bastian said.
Grumpy said nothing, but his face grew hot. He knew it was the right thing to do, but he also knew the others would finally hear the stories he'd spread about them. Bashful noticed his flushed face, and Grumpy glanced away from his sharp eyes.
"Better get to it, then. Rowan first. Guild second. Then I'll show you how I got in your way that night," Grumpy said.
"We're still glad you did," Happy said, beaming.
Grumpy smiled and they headed out into the streets. Grumpy wound his way to Rowan's shop without a second thought. They'd walked that path so many times over the years, and as they pushed into the shop and waited for their eyes to adjust, it was good to hear Rowan's cry of delight.
"Well, if it isn't my favorite Dwarfs! Oh, with some friends?"
"Gotta talk fast. Sleepy, tell him what we're doing," Grumpy ordered.
Sleepy thought for a few moments then straightened up and explained everything that had happened, managing to get it all told in ten minutes. Rowan stood there, his brows drawn together and his mouth hanging open as he looked from face to face. Then he looked at the boy. Or what he thought was a boy.
"Are you really Snow White?" Rowan asked faintly.
"I am," Snow said, and her sweet voice left no doubt that she wasn't a boy.
Rowan quickly knelt down. "My princess," he murmured.
"Soon I will be queen," Snow said. "You may rise."
"So the rumors are true?" Rowan asked, his eyes shining. "You seven are the most incredible people I've ever met! And to think, I thought I knew you for over a decade."
Bashful stared at Rowan then glanced at Grumpy to see him blushing again. He quickly jumped in.
"We'll all be in Altenfeld in two days' time for Snow's coronation. If things go right, we'll be able to start gatherin' an army to march on Findersland."
Rowan gazed at him with wonder. "You're something else, Grumpy. You really are."
Grumpy shrugged, glancing around for a change of topic. He saw Rowan's magic coin hanging from the ceiling, and he snapped his fingers. Green sparks burst from his fingertips, and the coin raced for his hand. He caught it and clicked his tongue then flipped it into the air. Another cloud of sparkling magic burst around the coin, and Grumpy caught it then handed it over.
"Here. Keep this on you no matter what."
"Why…?" Rowan asked slowly, staring at him with new eyes.
"Because they can't kill you if you have it on you. We gotta go now."
Grumpy bolted out of the shop and began walking toward the guild. Bastian caught up, grinning. "I told you to tell them," he said.
"How?" Grumpy asked. "I still ain't used to this."
Doc and the others caught up, and Bashful opened his mouth to begin questioning him.
"Yes, I done told them stories to pass along," Grumpy said.
Bashful looked surprised then pleased by how simple it was to get the answer out of Grumpy. "Is that all?"
"Yep. But you might not like all of them."
"Well, no changing it now," Doc said. "Though next time, please flask, ah, ask."
Grumpy relaxed a little. "Sure."
"What did you say?"
Grumpy didn't answer, turning down an alley and squinting at doorways. Then he made another turn down an even darker alley. He muttered under his breath, counting doorways, then stopped by a curtained doorway.
"Bastian first. And she's a he, and he's Kasper," Grumpy said, pointing at Snow.
Grumpy and Bastian ducked inside and instantly made the same hand signals. The room relaxed, and all the men stared at Grumpy.
"Is it true you've rejoined the guild, Ivan?" a tall man asked.
"Nope."
"Oh. Is Calida dead?"
"Yep."
The man peered at the Dwarfs behind him. "Are these the brothers?"
"Yep."
"Are you staying?"
"We've got an hour," Grumpy said. "Then we gotta head out to meet the princess in Altenfeld. I wanna talk with you, Justin." He turned to the brothers. "Stay here. Do whatever you want. I'll be back and we'll leave."
Then Grumpy and Bastian hurried after Justin down some stairs, leaving the brothers and Snow with a room full of thieves. Snow walked over and sat down at a table, her eyes watching the room. That piqued the thieves' interest, and the brothers quickly joined her as the men began to murmur. Doc pressed a soothing hand over hers when he noticed her fingers trembling a little.
"Always scary when he does this," she said, pitching her voice low. "But at least you're here this time. Makes a load of difference."
"We'll protect you," Bashful promised, and the hellish glint came back into his eyes for a moment.
"So you're the brothers?" a burly man asked, scanning them.
"Yep," Sneezy said. He stood closest to the room, and he peered disdainfully around. "What's it to you?"
"Sneezy?" the man asked.
Sneezy blinked. "How'd you know my name?"
"Because you're the protective one," the man replied.
As Sneezy stood there dumbfounded, his brothers began to laugh.
"He's got you there," Happy hooted.
"And you're Happy!" somebody shouted. "You are, right?"
The brothers didn't know whether to be flattered or wary by how well-known they seemed to be.
"I certainly am, sonny," Happy said. He grinned. "You'll never guess who he is!" he teased, then poked Bashful's ribs.
As his face turned scarlet, the room erupted in laughter. "Bashful!" they called.
Bashful tugged his hat over his face and there was more laughter. Dopey pointed at himself, wiggling his ears.
"You must be Dopey!"' a young man called.
Dopey nodded, clapping. That left two others, and Sleepy was the most obvious. He was resting his head on his fist, struggling to stay awake. Another younger man grinned. "Tell us a story while you wait."
Sleepy blinked once and looked at him blearily then registered what he'd said. Instantly, his eyes brightened and he sat up. "What do you wanna hear?" he asked.
There was an explosion of laughter.
"You're Sleepy all right!" the young man called.
"What do you wanna hear?" Sleepy asked stubbornly.
"Tell them some Dwarf stories," Sneezy said. "Might as well teach them somethin' about Dwarfs."
"Which one?" Sleepy asked.
"The dragon's keep!" somebody shouted. "And the gold sickness!"
Sleepy stood up and got on the table then placed his hands behind his back as he began to recite the well-worn story. The room was quiet, and though a couple other thieves came in, nobody interrupted. As Sleepy was telling them how the dragon rose up to spit fire at the Dwarfs defending the keep, the fireplace in the room roared and a giant flame dragon came out, lunging forward as smoke poured from its mouth. The entire room screamed, and Sleepy tumbled backward into Snow's lap with a shriek. There was a pause as the dragon disappeared, smoke lingering behind it. Then they heard Bastian laughing.
"He got you! He got you!" he crowed.
Standing in the doorway between Bastian and Justin was Grumpy, grinning like a fool.
"What was that for?" Sleepy demanded.
"Makes it more interestin'." Grumpy said. "We'll have to practice after all this."
"You're gonna animate my stories with magic?" Sleepy asked, his eyes dancing as he scrambled back onto the table. "They used to do that all the time! Only the best storykeepers were given that chance!"
"You're the best I know," Grumpy replied. "Now finish up the story. Kasper, come here."
The room instantly went silent and every eye turned to Snow.
"Kasper?" Justin asked, narrowing his eyes. "You said you were meeting the princess in Altenfeld?"
"That's what I said," Grumpy replied as Doc led Snow over to Grumpy. "Finish the story, Sleepy, or they'll never hear the end of it."
So Sleepy finished the story as Snow disappeared down the stairs with Grumpy and Justin. Bastian joined the others and sat down to listen. He'd heard the story before because it was one of Grumpy's favorites, and he had asked to hear it three times since they'd reunited. Bastian understood why. The gold sickness matched Grumpy's afflictions almost perfectly, the only difference that Calida had been linked to Grumpy through the curse. When Justin came back up with Snow and Grumpy, he looked determined. The story was over and the room was buzzing about it. Justin placed his fingers in his mouth and whistled.
"Any who wish to swear fealty to the soon-to-be queen of Germonia, stay. Everybody else, get out and come back later. You have five minutes to decide."
The room went silent then the talk began again. Seven men eventually got up and walked out, leaving the other dozen sitting where they were.
"I thank you for your loyalty," Snow said in her usual voice. "You will be rewarded for this once I return home with my new husband."
Silence. Then a young man spoke, but it wasn't a man's voice. "You're the princess, aren't you?" the girl asked.
Snow smiled. "Yes, my dear. I am Snow White, daughter of King Friedrich of Germoania. I will be ruling in two days, and they can't stop me."
"Stop you? Who's trying to stop you?" the girl asked, outraged.
Snow explained how the council had twisted the nobles into preferring a new king rather than her because of Grimhilde's iron rule. "But as I said, that will not stop me. I will be queen, even if I have to clean house."
"You're good at that," Grumpy said, grinning. "Kept our place awful clean."
"You had the princess cleaning for you?" Justin asked, aghast.
"In exchange for their protection from Grimhilde, I would have done much more," Snow said. "I was already well used to cleaning and cooking. I was a slave in my own castle, after all."
More silence. Then the girl approached first and knelt down and swore an oath to Snow. One by one, the others joined in, and she asked for each of their names. Once the last oath had been sworn, Snow stood back.
"Please, stir up the people for me. It will be a hard thing to become queen with so much opposition in Altenfeld. I know of your networks and ways of spreading news. Please, do this for me."
"Yes, your highness," they promised.
"We gots to go now, Snow," Grumpy said.
"See you in Altenfeld," Bastian said.
"Course we will. You're comin' with us," Grumpy said.
Bastian was pleased to be included in helping Snow get ready for her coronation. He'd planned on hiking to Altenfeld and hoped to make it in time. He hadn't been sure he'd be welcome in the Dwarfs' home. It was a part of Grumpy's new life he'd thought to stay away from. But loyal Grumpy had invited him to go, so he would.
"Very well. Are you ready, Snow?"
"I am. Where are we going?"
"Outside Castell," Grumpy said. "We'll walk half a mile then flash forward. Should get home in an hour."
"Good." Snow looked around. "I trust you all to help me. Thank you."
With that, the room all bowed to Snow, who gave the gesture to rise. Then, her head held high, she walked out with the Dwarfs and Bastian. As soon as the curtain fell, there was an explosion of noise behind them as the thieves started talking.
"Let's go home," Grumpy said. "Can't wait to sleep in my own bed. Even if it's just a couple days."
"Lead the way," Bastian said.
Hiking his pack higher on his shoulders, Grumpy followed Doc this time as they headed for the gate. He glanced at Bastian, who smiled at him.
"Thanks for inviting me."
"You're welcome any time, butterfingers."
Bastian snorted then reached over and tugged Grumpy's hat over his eyes. Dopey laughed beside them then stuck his tongue out when Grumpy could see again.
"Doodlebug," Grumpy muttered under his breath.
Bastian smiled as Dopey clapped. It was strange seeing his old friend so domesticated. Strange but also wonderful. He wondered again about the cottage, and he couldn't wait to see it.