Chapter 1 #3
They ate the contents of the food baskets after that, then Rosie took up her knitting again.
When her hands grew tired, she watched the world pass by through the carriage window.
She had never been this far from their woodland cottage before.
Their little village was the only town she and Snow had ever known.
Now, however, they rolled through meadows and woods and even crossed a river with a bridge so wide Rosie wouldn’t have been able to toss a stone from one side to the other.
Which was saying a lot, as Rosie had a strong arm.
“… You’ll all get new wardrobes, of course,” Frederick was telling Rosie’s sister and mother. “And my father will likely make you a duchess, madame, and the girls will receive the title of Lady before their names as well!”
“Oh! Oh my,” Rosie’s mother exclaimed, but Rosie wasn’t entirely sure it was a declaration of joy.
Snow, however, was in raptures as she listened, and it made Rosie smile.
They had known Frederick was never a real bear, of course.
At least, they had figured it out after they’d gotten over the shock of a bear politely knocking at the door and, with gestures, requesting shelter from the cold.
Magic, after all, was fairly common in the woods, and there were dozens of stories of humans being enchanted into animal forms for this reason or that.
And for all he spoke of their kindness and generosity, he had kept them safe over the course of several long winters as well, when the wolf populations had exploded nearby.
He’d even saved them from the very troll who had cursed him.
To Snow, Frederick had been their protector–their knight in shining armor–long before he’d regained his human form. And to see all of Snow’s hopes and dreams come true made Rosie share her sister’s joy.
But what about your desires? that relentless voice in her head wondered.
I’ll find new hopes and dreams, Rosie thought rebelliously. This was, after all, a new adventure. And Rosie had always wanted an adventure.
She just… hadn’t imagined one so far from home.
From the strained look on her mother’s face, Rosie could tell she wasn’t the only one harboring little seeds of doubt. So with what she hoped was a reassuring smile, Rosie took her mother’s hand and squeezed it gently.
Her mother returned her smile, but the expression was hardly convincing.
Their mother was a good woman. The best, really.
She had taught the girls to read their Holy Book–one of the few books the family owned–and she had kept them safe and warm and loved.
But she rarely stirred far from their cottage after Rosie’s father’s death.
And this, Rosie reminded herself, was why she was right where she needed to be.
Whether or not she wanted to live a noble life in the castle was beside the point.
Her mother and sister needed her, and Rosie would answer the call.
Rosie must have been lulled to sleep by the rocking of the carriage at some point because the next thing she knew, she was being jolted awake by the sounds of many voices shouting outside.
Blinking the sleep from her eyes, she realized that they had come to a stop, and Frederick was standing in the open door of the carriage, speaking to a group of men in armor.
From what little Rosie could see around the prince, half of the people outside were kneeling, while others were working frantically to open the gate.
Snow watched him, her eyes the size of walnuts, and their mother clutched at her bag.
A moment later, Frederick got back in the carriage, grinning from ear to ear. “Well, ladies,” he said, “we’re finally here! And we beat the messenger, which means no one knew we were coming!” His blue eyes sparkled as though this had been his intention all along.
It probably had been. Even when he was a bear, Frederick had been quite fond of playing pranks.
A few moments later, the carriage stopped again, but this time, they were on a semicircular gravel drive that led up to the main entrance of the palace.
Frederick, despite wearing common clothes, strode from the carriage as though he hadn’t been walking on all fours for five years.
Then, ignoring the crowd that was quickly gathering on the palace’s wide stone steps, he turned and immediately handed Snow, their mother, and Rosie out of the carriage.
Rosie clutched her own little bag, but this was pulled from her hands by a servant, as were her mother’s and sister’s bags.
Before she could object, however, Frederick let out a shout.
“Mother! Father!”
From the excited tenor of his words, Rosie expected him to take off running to embrace the two figures that were now descending the castle steps.
But rather than throwing himself into their arms as Rosie would have done after five years of separation from her mother, he stopped before them and bowed low to each.
Snow met Rosie’s gaze with wide eyes, and Rosie knew she wasn’t the only one thinking such things. Were expectations really so rigid in the castle? Rosie had the sneaking suspicion that Frederick had no idea how much court etiquette they lacked because it was all familiar to him.
Before anyone could say anything else, though, another figure came bolting from another direction, a streak as he sprinted toward them. He didn’t stop until he was gripping Frederick’s shoulders tightly and staring into his face with what looked like incredulity.
This figure, once he stood still, reminded Rosie of Frederick in many ways.
But where Frederick had gold scattered through his brown hair, this man’s hair was a far darker shade of brown.
He was taller too, by at least a handspan, which made him very tall.
Their eyes, however, were the same shade of blue–that of an autumn sky.
They could only be brothers, Rosie decided.
Which meant that this man was none other than the crown prince.
“Frederick,” the queen breathed, sounding very much as though she might faint. The king must have thought the same thing because he reached out and pulled her arm into his.
“Son,” he echoed, though his voice sounded nearly as weak as his wife’s.
“What… What happened?” the tall man demanded. “Frederick, what–”
“A troll with a propensity for curses,” Frederick said, clapping the man on the shoulder.
“But it’s a long story, and I need first to make some introductions.
” He stepped back out of the man’s grasp and took Snow’s hand before gently pulling her to stand beside him. “This is Snow White, my betrothed.”
An audible gasp went up from the now-large crowd surrounding the royal family. The queen swayed slightly.
“And these,” he said, gesturing for Rosie and her mother to join them, “are her twin sister, Rose Red, and her mother, Magdalene. And they are responsible for saving my life and ultimately helping me break the curse the troll held over me these past five years.”
The king seemed to come to himself first, blinking a few times before nodding to all three women, who, in turn, curtsied.
“I think,” he said slowly, looking at the still-growing crowd around them, “that we ought to bring this reunion inside, out of the evening air.” He smiled hesitantly at Snow.
“Perhaps over supper? I’m sure you’re all hungry. ”
Snow beamed, and Rosie recognized the moment the sunshine of Snow’s smile hit the king. His own smile grew, and Rosie felt herself let out a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding. The king was enchanted. Which meant everything would be all right.
She hoped.