Grumpy caught up with the others as Snow turned a corner. As soon as the king and queen were out of sight, Snow dropped her royal demeanor and sighed.

"I'm sorry about her," she said.

"Right pain in the rear," Grumpy said dryly.

"Grumpy!" Doc shouted, looking dismayed. But before he could begin a proper scolding, Snow sniggered.

"You don't even know how painful," she replied primly.

"Oh, I gots a guess or two," Grumpy replied, grinning.

Snow laughed, and the brothers noticed once again how close the two of them seemed. What had happened between them? And when? Somewhere in between walking out the door with her waving them off and her waking up, something had changed. But the way it had changed puzzled them to no end. How were they closer? The brothers had no answer, but they were determined to find out while in Findersland.

"Here are your rooms," Snow said, stopping outside a pair of doors. "I had them specially prepared for you." She pushed them open, and the Dwarfs couldn't believe what they saw. They walked into the room and looked around.

The main room was a parlor area with a large fireplace and rich wooden furniture settled in such a way as to encourage conversation. An enormous rug spread out across the stone floor in the middle of the room, so brightly colored that it dazzled their eyes. The walls were paneled with cherrywood, and beautiful oil paintings of forests and lakes and mountains hung around the room. The lavishness of their surroundings made all of them uncomfortable, even Grumpy. Several doors were set around the room leading to other rooms, and Snow gestured at them.

"There are three bedrooms and a washroom. Ring the bell pull if you need anything. I'll send in Rafael to prepare your washroom. Yes?"

The Dwarfs nodded dumbly, and Snow smiled, unable to help herself. "Welcome to palace life," she said, her eyes sparkling. "Now, settle in. And remember to ring if you need anything."

They nodded again, and she turned and left. As soon as the door shut, Grumpy snorted. "She knows dern well we ain't ringin' for nobody."

The brothers all chuckled and relaxed as they spread out and began looking around. The beauty and extravagance of the rooms astounded them.

"Golly, can we even touch things?" Bashful asked.

Grumpy snorted and shrugged out of his pack. He watched as the brothers found a velvet blanket, exclaiming over the soft cloth. While they were distracted, Grumpy turned and pulled out a small pouch. He could feel the magic radiating out of it, and he wanted to give the brothers their gifts now. They'd never understand the full impact of them, but he knew they would listen.

"Dopey."

Dopey looked up and Grumpy gestured him over. He reached into the pouch and pulled out a perfect aquamarine. Dopey clapped, getting the others' attention.

"I want you to keep this on you while we're here. It's for good luck."

"Oh, that's very nice," Doc said.

Grumpy reached in again and grabbed another gem. Instantly, he knew it was the garnet. "Happy."

Happy took the jewel and grinned. "Ooh. This one's perfect!"

He handed Bashful a white opal, Doc a diamond, Sleepy a sapphire, and Sneezy a ruby. Then he tucked the bag away.

"Promise you'll keep 'em on you while we ain't home?" he asked. The brothers all looked at him then tucked them into their pockets.

"If it'll make you feel better," Doc said.

"Thanks."

There was a knock on the door and a young man came in.

"Her highness said you wish for a bath?" he asked.

"Naw, but the queen wants us to have one," Grumpy said. "So do whatever it is you're here to do."

"Very good, sir."

Grumpy blinked at him then burst out laughing. The brothers were puzzled by this reaction.

"Ain't no reason to call me sir," Grumpy said. "What's your name?"

The man looked surprised. "Oh. I'm Rafael."

"Grumpy. We want to go on a walk with Snow. Sure hope it don't rain buckets, yep?"

Rafael's eyes went wide and he stared at Grumpy. "Oh, yes. That's very true. It should be clear, but I'll make sure. You can count on me."

Grumpy nodded. "Well, we don't wanna be cooped up here all day. Get us some rags."

"Rags?" Rafael asked. "You don't wish for a soak?"

"Seven of 'em?" Grumpy asked. "Ain't no point in that. Just fill it once and we'll scrub ourselves down."

Rafael sagged with relief and gave a real smile. "Snow said I'd like you, Grumpy."

"Glad to hear you're on her side."

"Her side is worth being on," Rafael said. "Excuse me, Grumpy."

Grumpy watched him hurry to draw a bath. He was satisfied by his answer. He had been right that Rafael knew the informant codes, and his assurance that he'd pass news along was good.

"It sure didn't look like rain today," Sneezy said.

"Just wanna be sure," Grumpy mumbled. "Ain't no point in ruinin' the dress Sleepy made her."

Sleepy nodded. "That cloth is dern hard to keep clean. I appreciate the thought."

Grumpy's lips tightened, and he looked away, ashamed of his lie. Bashful squinted at him, but Grumpy didn't notice.

"Here's your rags, Grumpy," Rafael said. He opened his mouth then paused and hesitated. "How many times, exactly?"

"Just once," Grumpy replied quickly, glancing at the brothers.

"Ah, well in that case, I should probably leave. Ring if you need anything."

"Yep."

Rafael left, closing the doors behind him.

"How many times what?" Sneezy asked, puzzled.

"Just once," Grumpy said.

Sneezy blinked. "No, what was he askin' for?"

"'Cause he wanted to know, I expect," Grumpy replied, irritation in his tone. "Now let's get washed and changed. Snow's expectin' us soon."

Grumpy turned away, but not fast enough to hide his grimace from Bashful. He hated how easily the runaround leaped from his tongue. The longer they were in the city, the more he recalled about his younger years. Just in the short trip to the palace, he'd seen hand signals from thieves pickpocketing and scouting, and it was scary how easily everything came rushing back to him. The coded messages were almost too much to bear.

By the time the brothers got to the washroom, Grumpy was already scrubbing himself. His back was to them, and in the sunlit washroom, his scars stood out vividly from his tanned skin. They'd never seen them so sharply before. It was proof that Grumpy had had a very hard life before he'd come to them. They still couldn't bring themselves to ask why he'd been whipped, and they knew enough about the brand to make them unwilling to put Grumpy through the pain of talking about such a traumatic event. They didn't dare bring it up. They'd seen him pass out far too many times just by getting too close to the forging fires.

Doc walked over and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. Grumpy jumped.

"What?"

So many questions wanted to come out, but he couldn't figure out where to start, even after twelve years. Doc only stared sadly at his friend.

"I'm okay, Doc. It was a long time ago," Grumpy said gently when he realized what was wrong.

Doc nodded. "I just…"

"Awful bright in here. I suppose they ain't so pretty," Grumpy mumbled.

"They ain't so bad," Sneezy said.

Grumpy smiled a little. "Liar."

Doc's fingers grazed the brand, and Grumpy shivered. "Aw, stop it. Get washed for Snow."

The brothers stripped down and began to wash, and the mood was subdued for once. Grumpy finished first and went back into the main room to grab his pack. He pulled on his good clothes, knowing they would get a lot of use, then made sure he was presentable. He even combed his beard, knowing Snow would like it. He was ready first and waited as the brothers quickly got ready, too. He and Dopey spoke while the others finished getting ready. When they were all done, Grumpy stood up and headed for the door.

"Where are we stowing, ah, going?" Doc asked.

"To find Snow," Grumpy replied, and before the brothers could protest, he left.

They hurried out after him, unwilling for him to be alone despite their reluctance to be out of their rooms. Grumpy strolled along without a care in the world, and they all looked around with interest at the fancy decorations and large, ornate rooms.

"Hail, Dwarfs!"

Grumpy paused to see Florián coming out of a room.

"What're you up to?" Grumpy asked casually.

"I was just coming to find you," Florián said. "Is it true Dwarfs can tell quality for gems and precious metals?"

"Yep," Grumpy said.

"Would you mind looking at something for me?"

"We're lookin' for Snow," Happy said.

"It's for her. Please, I have a suspicion that I have never been able to confirm. It should only take a few minutes."

"Sure, sonny," Bashful said kindly.

They were led through the hallways to a room guarded by two men in full armor. Florián spoke quietly to the two men, and they looked reluctant but allowed the Dwarfs to pass. Grumpy saw one of them scamper off, and he knew there'd be trouble. It was confirmed when he turned to see a jewel room. One glance around and Grumpy knew why Florián was suspicious.

"Who is sellin' you all this junk?" Grumpy asked.

Florián had been reaching for a jeweled crown, and the young man paused and turned to him. "Beg pardon?"

"You're right," Grumpy said, much to the brothers' bewilderment. "Awful. Almost every single one of them. Whoever it is is cheatin' you."

"What are you squawking, uh, talking about?" Doc asked, blushing fiercely as he glanced at the prince.

Grumpy reached over and plucked up what looked to be a gorgeous necklace. He handed it to Doc, who made a face. "Ah. That explains it."

The necklace was passed around as Florián approached. "So it is not good quality?"

"It's very poor, actually," Doc said carefully. "The ruby has a crystal flaw and the gold could stand to be refined a few more times."

"You know that? You hardly looked at it," Florián asked, and there was a sudden difference in his way of speaking. It was far less regal, but it helped Doc to relax a bit.

"Grumpy is the only one who can tell by sight," Sleepy said, yawning. "But we can touch them and know. It's a Dwarf thing."

Florián turned to Grumpy as the Dwarf put away the necklace. "Tell me the state of the jewel room."

"Hardly anythin' decent in here," Grumpy replied. "You've been conned."

"Is there anything worthwhile?" Florián asked.

Grumpy scanned the room carefully then pointed out ten pieces that were flawless. The rest, he said, weren't worth much. Out of the ten pieces that were flawless, four were exceedingly rare Dwarf-made pieces, the others were human-made but worth a hefty price.

"What are you doing in here?"

Florián and the Dwarfs turned to see the king and queen, who didn't look too pleased. Florián stood up straight.

"I told you not to trust Gabriel," Florián said reproachfully. "He and his family have been fleecing us. Hardly anything in here is worth anything. We need a new family to be our jewelers."

"We will discuss this later," Isabela said, glancing distastefully at the Dwarfs.

But Florián turned to Grumpy. "What about this?"

He pulled out a crown, and Grumpy scowled. "That better not be for Snow. It's hideous."

"What exactly is wrong with it?" Isabela demanded. "We spent plenty to have it made."

Grumpy stepped forward and scanned it. He could tell the queen was waiting for him to touch it so she could have a reason to pounce, but years of thieving plus his strange gift meant he could do it by sight alone. Without hesitation, he began describing exactly what was wrong with it in extensive detail. The more he talked, the more the brothers looked displeased. Florián grew more angry as the list continued.

"That's just what I can tell from here," Grumpy finally finished. "If we could touch it, we'd know more. But that sure ain't fit for a princess."

"You liar!" the queen said. "Gabriel wouldn't lie to us!"

"He and his whole family have been lying for years!" Florián retorted. "Grumpy just told me that most of what's in here is flawed! We have to find somebody else."

"They've been the Royal jewelers for over a century."

Grumpy snorted. "That explains why this junk is here."

The queen spun, her eyes flashing. "Shut up, dirt eater!"

The next thing Grumpy knew was a bone deep terror as his beard was yanked so hard that he stumbled forward. A startled yowl escaped his throat, and he scrambled frantically to get free. He heard a commotion, and hands tugged on him as somebody shouted. Grumpy was blinded by memories, and as soon as his beard was released, he bowled over the soothing hands and ran for his life. As far as he was concerned, he was fleeing not the queen, but Calida, and he knew he'd never escape her as her cackle echoed in his ears.