Through the Mirror and Into Snow (8 page)

As he watched them walk away, he noticed a possum off between the trees in the distance and thought how strange it was. “They are usually out only at night,” he said aloud to himself. “Strange indeed.”

It wandered away almost as fast as it appeared so he didn’t have to give it another thought nor did he think to mention it to the girls. They had never shared with him that a possum was what had started their adventure in the first place.

The girls promised him they would stay close then walked over toward a tavern a few doors away. They were grateful the cart blocked Wilhelm’s view of where they were going. A place like this would be a good starting place to inquire about Snow’s father, but Wilhelm was sure to wonder about it if he saw them. This seemed like a peaceful community of farmers, not warriors, but Snow was no more familiar with this one than any other kingdom and couldn’t really say for sure one way or another. It made sense that the men in town would gather in a place such as this to haggle crop prices, complain about the weather, or to hide from their wives for a while. Someone had to know something about the crusades and Snow wasn’t going to let her fear of going into a place like this get in her way. Before they could even push open the tavern doors, they overheard three men talking and paused to listen.

“It’s a terrible shame,” one man said, “for the king to die in battle. What will become of his kingdom now?”

Another gravelly voice spoke. “Is there no son? Surly one will become of age soon.”

“No, sadly there is no son, only a young daughter.”

The girls listened with heavy hearts. They had come to another kingdom, but yet again fell into more sadness. This time it was not at the hand of an evil fairy, but instead because of the horrible crusades.

“No one has even seen the little girl since her mother died. The new queen is a heartless woman. She is not fit to run a kingdom. Surely the House of White will fall to ruin.”

All the girls gasped and raised their hands to their mouths. Snow felt her legs buckle under her. Samantha caught her arm and together they fell to their knees.

“No!” Snow cried.

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on a bench around the corner, Valerie walked over and told Wilhelm they were going further down the road a bit and not to worry. “We may have found someone that can help us find who we are looking for. I promise we’ll be back before it gets dark.” She hated fibbing to him, but she wasn’t ready to explain everything.

He didn’t look pleased and knew there was more to the story than what they were telling him, but he simply nodded and let them go. They didn’t need his permission; he was happy they took the time to let him know of their plans. He hadn’t been meddling with them so far, but he was beginning to wonder if it was still such a good idea; they were too young to be out here alone. He would have to find a way to ask them about their troubles.

Snow took the news of her father’s death very hard. She had been unable to find the strength to stand. When Valerie returned from talking to Wilhelm, she saw Sam resting her head on Snow’s while she gently stroked her back trying to comfort her. Valerie sat and placed her hand on Snow’s shoulder. “We’ll find a way to get you through this, Snow.”

“She hasn’t stop crying,” Sam whispered to Val.

Snow finally straightened up and brushed the tears away from her eyes with the bottom of her dress. “What am I going to do now? I have no one!”

“That’s not true. You have us.” Again Sam wrapped an arm around her trying to offer her comfort.

“But you two don’t belong here. You can’t stay here forever. You need to return to your own time and families.”

“We won’t leave until we know you’re okay,” Samantha assured her. “I don’t think your stepmother knows you are still alive. No one has tried to follow us, or at least that’s how it seems for now. We’re safe with Wilhelm. Maybe we should ask him for help and tell him our whole story.”

“No, not yet. I have to figure out what I can do on my own. I can’t be a burden to such a nice couple. What if my stepmother shows up? I couldn’t bear it if any harm came to him or Dorothea because of me.” Snow got up and walked away. Sam and Val followed her.

Snow walked out of town and up a hill. The girls kept their distance and remained quiet, knowing Snow needed to gather her thoughts. They couldn’t begin to imagine how alone she felt. Sam stopped.

“What is it?” Val asked.

“Listen. Snow, hold up a second.”

Snow came back and joined them. Val and Snow heard what Sam did. Someone was singing off in the distance. They followed the sounds until they could see a very pretty woman at the bottom of the hill they were on. She had an enchanting voice that captivated the animals around her. They could see birds sitting in trees watching her, squirrels running around, field mice nibbling on corn thrown about for the chickens, and even a deer standing among the trees close by. She was sitting by a fountain and sang a lovely song about dreams. They got closer and realized she was a teenager. The girl was dressed in clothes that gave the appearance that they were nothing more than rags sewn together, but that didn’t take away from her beauty at all. The clothing made her look poor but the house she was beside was very grand.

“She must be one of the servants,” Snow said. The concept of royalty, castles and servants was still sinking in with the girls.

The young girl noticed them and waved as she called out. “Well hello there. Are you girls lost?”

“Um, no,” replied Valerie. “We were just wandering around. We have never been here before. We are…looking for berries.” Val always could fib on the spot when she was younger. I’m pretty sure her mother never believed that grasshopper’s leg fell off by itself, but hey, if you’ve got something that works, run with it, I always say. I’m glad to see she hadn’t lost her touch.

They walked down the hill toward her.

“Oh, we have a lot of wild berries growing by the stream. I was going to go there myself. I’ll get a basket and join you.”

The girl was out of their sight for a moment then came running over to them with a small basket in her hand. She looked at Snow and could tell something was wrong. “Are you okay? You look sad, as if you have been crying.”

“I’m okay. I received some bad news today, that’s all.” Although she seemed kind, Snow still had a hard time meeting anyone’s eyes just yet.

“Oh, I see. I hope it’s not too terrible.”

“I’ll be all right.” Snow wanted to change the subject. “Which way to the berries?”

“They are right over here. Follow me.” As the girl led them toward the stream, she tried to spark conversation. She didn’t have visitors often. “What brings you girls to our kingdom?”

“We just tagged along with a friend,” said Samantha. “He is selling produce in the market.”

“I have to sell some of the vegetables we grow at the market, too. Who is your friend? Maybe I know him.”

Samantha thought about it for a brief second before she answered and didn’t see the harm. “His name is Wilhelm.”

“Oh! I know him. He is a wonderful man! I don’t get to talk to many people. My stepmother doesn’t permit me to leave the cart, but he always comes over to say hello. He often gives me the most wonderful wildflowers. His wife is a very lucky woman.”

“That sounds like him all right. He is very sweet,” Sam agreed.

A bellowing from the house interrupted them. “Danielle!”

Valerie smiled. “Your name is Danielle? My middle name is Danielle. It’s the girl version of my uncle’s name, but when I was younger I used to think it was a word you used to get attention.”

“How is that?” Danielle asked. She looked back but she didn’t answer whoever was calling her.

“Do you need to go?”

“No. They can do without me for five minutes.”

“Who?”

“No one that’s important. Please, tell me your story. I’ve never met anyone else with my name before.”

“Well, you know. When your mother really means business and uses your middle name to make her point. I was around three years old, I got upset because my mother wasn’t coming over to me fast enough. I stomped my foot and said, ‘Mommy Danielle!’”

Daniele laughed. “You remember that from when you were three?”

Sam spoke up. “I think it’s more likely Val keeps overhearing it. Her mom loves to embarrass us with stories about when we were younger.”

“I didn’t even get your names. I’m sorry. She’s Val and you are?”

“Samantha but you can call me Sam. This is Snow.”

“Where are you, girl? Come here immediately!” a different voice boomed this time. It sounded much more forceful than the one that called her earlier.

“I’m very pleased to meet you all, but I guess I really must go before I get in trouble. Will you come visit me again tomorrow? I’ll be alone and I’ll have more time.”

“I hope we can,” Val said, “but I don’t know how long we will be staying here.”

“Please try to come back if it works out, at least to say goodbye. I’d really like to see you all again.” She ran off toward the house then stopped after a few steps and pointed off to the distance. “Keep going straight that way. You can’t miss the berry bushes.”

“Thank you!” they hollered back. They decided to gather a few berries since they were so close, but they were eager to get back to Wilhelm. It was time for them to fill him in and ask for help. When they returned to the cart it was obvious he was quite distraught.

“What’s wrong?” Samantha asked him.

“I’m afraid one of my horses has thrown a shoe on the way. I didn’t notice it until a few minutes ago. She was limping so I walked her over to the blacksmith. He cannot fit her until tomorrow. I’m afraid we’re going to have to stay the night. I’ve made arrangements with the blacksmith to stay in a small room off to the side of the barn.” He led the girls there as he explained the situation.

“There is a grand ball going on tomorrow for the prince. Word around town is that he has to find a wife. The king wants him to take the throne soon and insists he be married. This room is not much, but it’s dry and warm and the owner has given us clean blankets. You girls do need to stay here tonight, don’t you? Or did you find who you are looking for and have other arrangements?”

“Yes and no.” Snow hung her head low.

He looked over to the other girls. They weren’t quite sure what to say either.

“I’ll get dinner set up for us. After that we need to have a long talk. Dorothea always prepares too much food in case an emergency comes up. In this case, it’s a good thing she did.”

After they got settled around the blanket of food, Wilhelm broke the silence. “Okay, who is going to go first?”

Valerie told the story as far back as when she and Samantha snuck out of their house to hunt after the possum. Wilhelm stayed focused on their story, fully believing them. He did not question the magic their land held. He had witnessed its wonders on more than one occasion himself. He did remember seeing the possum when he watered the horses, but he didn’t interrupt the story’s momentum with his recollection. When he heard what the Queen tried to do to Snow, he was furious. A part of his heart broke for the little girl when he learned of her father’s death. He went over to give her a comforting hug.

“Well, then, it’s settled. We will leave here tomorrow as soon as my horse is ready. I will see you two back to the place where the mirror let you in,” he said to Valerie and Samantha. “Your mothers will be frantic with worry over you. And you,” he said as he turned to Snow, “will live with Dorothea and me. I warn you now, young princess, I will not take no for an answer. Our cottage is far from the castle you have grown accustomed to, but you will be loved.”

A big smile spread over Snow’s face and she gave him a strong hug. She fought the tears that wanted to flow again; this time they were tears of happiness. The other two girls joined in and created one big group hug. Things seemed like they were going to turn out all right after all, but their adventures were not yet over.