

### Evermore: The Rylakian Heir

### Caroline Metzlaff

Copyright 2012 Caroline Metzlaff

Published November 2012

Smashwords Edition

Smashwords Edition License Note:

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, or if it was not purchased for your use only, please return to smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hardwork of the author.

Special thanks to Jessie Wood and Marilyn Metzlaff for encouraging me and reading each chapter as fast as I could write it, and to Matthew Wood for his mad photography skills and endless patience. I hope you all enjoy reading this book even half as much as I enjoyed writing it!

If you want your children to be intelligent, read them fairy tales. If you want them to be more intelligent, read them more fairy tales

– Albert Einstein

If I am honest, I have to tell you I still read fairy tales and I like them best of all.

– Audrey Hepburn

#

EVERMORE: The Rylakian Heir

Chapter 1

The forest was dark; the moon was just rising in the sky like a crystal ball floating in a bed of royal blue velvet. Bare branches of sinister looking trees reached out to her, like the gnarled fingers of a crone, inflicting unwanted caresses across her cheek; she flinched. Hopelessly lost, she had no idea how far she had come. In the distance an owl cried and something sprang up from the darkness; stifling a scream Snow fell to the ground in defeat and began to silently cry. She had been so strong for so long; stronger than any sixteen year old should ever have to be. Memories assaulted her continuously, replaying in a loop she couldn't escape, but always ending with Gregor the huntsman's face. She would never forget it, it had been burned in to her mind.

It was the bluebird that had alerted her. She had always had a special rapport with birds, with most woodland creatures in fact. It was Gregor himself who had introduced her to the wildlife surrounding Castle White. If the tiny bird hadn't chosen that exact moment to burst in to song, would Snow be alive today? In her heart she had to believe that Gregor would have stayed his hand regardless.

_To most he was simply Gregor, beloved huntsman of the Castle White; to Snow, he was Gregor, patient confidant for a lonely little girl_. _.._ Gregor _had been her friend; at times her only friend. It seemed inconceivable that he would do her harm. She'd spun around just in time to see the knife held high in his hand, a look of horror across his face as he struggled against the spell._

The betrayal was unimaginable.

" _Run" He'd whispered through quivering lips._ _"She's asked for your heart_."

And so she had. For hours and hours she ran, stopping only to drink from the stream. She ran until she was certain she had safely passed the Rylakian border and now sought refuge in the infamous Kingdom of Lonstas. But where to go from here? A life lived within the walls of Castle White had left the young girl ill prepared for flight; all she was truly certain of was that she had to find water again, and soon. Desperation had given way to exhaustion; eventually Snow gave up and laid her head on the cool damp grass. Come what may, she had nothing more to give.

A voice in the darkness.

Dehydration coupled with exhaustion made her vision hazy and she thought he resembled a dwarf; as he was easily a full three inches shorter than herself. She couldn't find the energy to move.

" _The name's Doctor Cornelius Rutherford, but you can call me 'Doc' sweetie." With a strength that belied his small stature, the good doctor had lifted Snow up on to the horse with him, and began trotting through the dark forest. Mute with hunger and exhaustion she had simply stared back at him listlessly._

She had listened silently to the gentle melodic voice as the little Doctor spoke softly to her. He had taken the shortcut through the forest on his way back from treating an elderly elf for a terrible cough when he had came upon the seemingly lifeless girl. Surprise flashed through Snow's eyes, human's didn't treat elves, and then she remembered that Lonstas, unlike her native Rylak, didn't enforce segregation between humans and creatures. Although not a perfect system, Lonstas was the first kingdom in their world of Evermore to have taken these first baby steps towards equality and coexistence.

Doc had brought her home to his cottage, and with the help of his six kind hearted brothers, nursed her back to health, physically at least; her emotional scars would take much longer. He provided a home for her, fed and clothed her...and loved her as his own. All seven little men doted on her, cherishing every smile and showered her with their unconditional love in return. It was more than she could have hoped for.

But Snow knew one thing for certain, this idyllic life wouldn't last forever; her stepmother would never stop....

A relentless pounding on the cottage door abruptly brought Snow back to the present. She swung the door open to find herself face to face with Cindy, flushed, out of breath and in mid pound. Cindy was the wealthy daughter of the kingdom's most successful Entertainment Manager, Caspian Vanholston. This of course might explain her flair for dramatics. She was also Snow's best friend; currently her only friend.

"Well, he's gone and done it." She announced as she brushed past Snow, and flung herself in to one of the many sturdy, wood chairs surrounding the long table. Sighing dramatically, she shook out her dark gold curls and dropped her cameo face in to her hands.

"Who has done what?" Snow asked cautiously. Her strict upbringing in Castle White had not included exposure to melodrama, so her dramatic and capricious friend never failed to amaze her. She smiled fondly at the despairing little blonde.

Snow regarded the bowl of shiny red apples placed in the centre of the table, her hand hovering as she sought out the shiniest, reddest of the bunch. She never could resist a perfect apple. The perfect apple tree that her stepmother had planted in the centre of the court...they had had such fun harvesting those apples together...but that had been 'before'. Something had happened to change their relationship; Snow had never known exactly what, but if she closed her eyes now, she could almost smell the blossoms on that tree.

"My father!" Cindy exclaimed, green eyes brimming with tears. "He's been out again last night with that horrible Madame Morgada! That's twice this week!"

Snow swallowed hard and nodded slowly. She understood her friend's fear of 'The Stepmother' only too well; her own had proven deadly.

"Oh thank goodness. I thought you meant Prince Leonardo had gone and married a fairy princess from another realm." She teased lightly, hoping to lighten the mood somewhat; the Crown Prince was usually Cindy's favorite topic, if anything could bring a smile to her doll like face, his name could.

Cindy peered up at Snow from between her fingers. "My life is practically over! And all you can do is make jokes!" She was silent for a minute as she considered.

"And the tabloids haven't even hinted at any sort of romance in his life yet. As far as they can tell, he's happily slaving away at med school". Cindy placed her hand over her heart and took a deep breath. "This is bigger than Prince Leonardo Charming."

And that really was saying something, because the elder Charming prince was the object of every teenage girl's fantasy, in all the known realms. A perfectly muscled six foot two, with shoulder length brown waves, intelligent blue eyes and a warm, confident smile...he was the picture perfect, although somewhat reluctant, celeb. Rumours of his courage on the battle field and prowess with a sword abounded, but Prince Leonardo was at heart, a man of peace. Which of course is why he had spent the last several years in med school, he wanted to learn how to save lives; anyone could take them. This only seemed to enhance his celebrity status. The girls were both members of his fan club; in fact that's how Cindy had befriended the tall, shy new girl.

"Okay." Snow nodded slowly, she now knew what exactly was expected of her. Once Cindy was wound up, only hours of speculation and considerable patience would bring her back down. In other words...girl talk, and lots of it.

Saying that Cindy was uncomfortable with her father's re-entrance into the dating game was a huge understatement; it had been simply the two of them, Cindy and her doting father, for so terribly long now, and Cindy had never really been very good at sharing. Snow was quite sure that had she been older when her father, King Roland, had begun dating Rosalyn, her dreaded stepmother, she would have reacted a lot like her desperate friend. Unfortunately there wasn't anything Snow could do for her desperate friend, aside from providing a shoulder to cry on and an ear to listen with. Cindy was her first best friend, she was learning on the job.

"Let's talk about it while I get ready." Snow suggested as she led the way through the homey cottage and up the stairs to her bedroom. Eagerly Cindy followed, hands punctuating various points as she poured her fears and frustrations out.

"Crap Snowy, what can I to do?" Cindy moaned. "She's so horrible! What if he marries her?" Tears spilled down her cheeks again.

In truth, Madame Morgada was...well she was tough. Tall, with dark auburn hair pulled back fiercely from her face in to the neatest chignon imaginable, arched eyebrows over piercing gray eyes and a perfect although somewhat narrow nose. The Madame was beautiful, but in a stand up straight and make sure there isn't any dirt under your finger nails kind of way. Her twin daughters Annette and Juliette had inherited their looks from their mother...as well as her imposing presence, and they steadfastly avoided Cindy and Snow. But most of the popular group did anyway, so Snow didn't think it was personal. Well, maybe just a little personal.

"Okay," Snow replied, slipping her feet in to her long, shiny white boots, as she tried to think both diplomatically and tactically as she had been taught at Castle White. "He hasn't formally introduced you, nor has he suggested a family dinner. This has all been very casual, I would think you are safe until one of those situations is proposed."

"Don't use that word, it sends creepers up my spine." Cindy glowered.

"Sorry, maybe he is just...just..." Snow trailed off as she looked for exactly the right phrase, the one that _wouldn't_ send Cindy into hysterics.

"Just what?" Cindy moaned. Then she gasped out loud, startling Snow completely, as she laid her hand across her mouth in horror.

"Oh no! You can't do that! What are you thinking?" Cindy jumped off the bed and pointed at Snow's new white boots. "You can't wear those fabulous boots with that ugly old dress."

Snow sighed loudly as Cindy began to quickly rifle through her large, walk-in closet, they really didn't have time for this, but Cindy had very strong ideas with regards to fashion. Very strong ideas.

"He's just...he's just what?"

"Just...passing time. Maybe they're just friends, you know playing cards and betting on wagon races? He might be lonely...maybe..." Snow hoped so for Cindy's sake, although she seriously doubted it. Caspian Vanholston was the single most sought after gentleman in the village, he was never, never lonely, and The Madame Morgada was not the sort to waste her time. Ever.

"He doesn't bet on wagon races...much."

Cindy took a deep breath and nodded before continuing. "Okay, maybe. I hope you're right." Neither one of them added the silent _but I seriously doubt it,_ that lingered in their heads. They didn't need to.

Cindy tossed a silver and white dress on the bed. White with silver panels up the side, it was form fitting and...short. "Wear this." She commanded with more authority than a five foot two inch, doll like teen should ever be able to achieve.

Snow eyed it suspiciously. "I think it has a skirt."

"Not with those boots and this cape it doesn't." Cindy beamed as she held out a royal blue, velvet cape. No one dared to argue Cindy when it came to fashion, and Snow was no exception. She _was_ usually right, and besides that, you wouldn't win anyway, Cindy could out-talk just about anyone Snow had ever met; she was a master.

The master herself, had chosen a filmy lavender sleeveless top, matching tights and sparkly sandals. She was adorable.

"Ugh." Snow said as she grabbed the garments. It was actually a great outfit.

"Honestly Snowy, I don't know what you'd do without me." Cindy began to buff her nails, a small smile pulling at the corners of her mouth.

Cindy liked to feel needed.

Chapter 2

The town of Turin was set in the valley, just east of the great mountains that separated the Rylak Kingdom from Lonstas. Turin, being part of Lonstas, was ruled by the benevolent and much celebrated Charming family, and had been for generations; much like Rylak was ruled by the White's. Surrounded by dense forests, vibrant meadows and an abundance of lakes and rivers, Turin was your average Tudor style village. Now stories disagree on the actual reasoning, but Turin, despite its small size was a prominent and well known village. Some say it was the loss of the Idiot, others firmly believe that the magic wishing well, dead centre of town, tapped in to some magical 'ever after' stream, attracting good luck; still others feel it was the neighbourhood watch and aesthetics board. But for whatever the reason, Turin was home to the Holiday Palace of the Charming family, and that was enough to put it on the map.

Although all of the roads in Turin were made of cobblestone, it was only the red ones that led to the town square. By day traveling merchants displayed their wares, such as exotic spices, freshly caught fish, fresh fruit, and Cindy's personal favourite; imported fabrics. At night, lovers, young and old alike congregated to stroll through the fragrant gardens and whisper sweet nothings beneath the moon. But the true heart of the square was that wishing well.

Legend said, that a sincere selfless wish, spoken from an honest heart, no matter how improbable, would always come true. Now teenagers for years had been making wishes for this person or that person to like them and so on, but as these wishes were not completely selfless, they were destined to fail. Adults, not wanting to waste time with a fickle well, consulted fairy godmothers, apprentice fairies and in some cases sorcerers.

The Legend had never been proven either way.

Now that particular morning, it wasn't the exotic spices, the infamous well or even the fresh fruit vendors that caused the girls to be late for school, it was the newly arrived 'Fanciful Fabric' vendor that had caught Cindy's eye. Cindy held close the dream of being a fashion designer one day, in the capital city of Crystallise. Crystallise was home to all of the wealthiest and best dressed people of all natures and origins in the Lonstas Kingdom. If Turin had a 'season', that being when the Charming family was in residence and throwing balls, Crystallise was one big 'season'.

Dashing up to the Tudor style school as fast as their not so sensible shoes would allow, Snow had the distinct feeling that she was being watched. Quickly she spun around just in time to catch a very tall, muscular boy with longish dark brown hair, look the other way...but not before they made eye contact.

His light brown eyes, flecked with green and gold were really unusual, but that wasn't what made her pay closer attention, it was the way he moved. He was fluid, he moved in a sleek, dangerous way, like a predator, and he was really, really cute; she knew in that moment that he wasn't human. She found herself staring at the boy; she had never been this close to a creature before, Rylak had been very strict in keeping non-humans far away from its cities and castles. Socialising between species was definitely not encouraged by the Aristocracy, regardless what kingdom; in fact it had been known to tarnish reputations, in some cases beyond repair. The only other non-humans that Snow had encountered as of yet were the Crones of Turin. But no one ever counted them; all they really cared about was sugar packet stealing and bingo anyway.

The boy turned back and flashed them a truly 'devil may care' grin with a teasing lift to his eyebrows, before sprinting out of sight, which of course caused an embarrassing red blush to spread across Snow's pale cheeks.

"Oh he was so cute! Do you know him? Please say you do!" You could always count on Cindy to notice the really cute ones immediately.

So naturally there she stood, her rosebud mouth open and awe stamped across her dainty face; the boy had kind of taken their breath away.

"Nope." Snow slowly shook her head. "Not at all." ' _Unfortunately_ ' she thought, and then immediately blushed again. He _looked_ so human; she wondered what he _really_ was.

Cindy thought for a minute. "Was he looking at you, or at me?"

Snow laughed and began to steer Cindy to the school house door. "We wish."

The boy had run off so quickly, she hadn't had the opportunity to see who he actually _was_ watching. It had all happened so fast. However, Snow was clear about three things, one: the boy had been watching _someone_ intently, two: he wasn't human and three: he was trouble.

Snow had a feeling that they hadn't seen the last of him. She wasn't entirely sure how she felt about that.

~~*~~

"Miss Snow W. Rutherford." Announced Miss Hollyhock, teacher extraordinaire, as she looked over her notes. "This is the second time this week that you and your sidekick, Miss Cinderella Vanholston, have been late arriving at school. Do you have anything to say in your defence?"

Miss Hollyhock was the tiny school's only teacher, and despite her hokey Sally Sweetness name, she ruled with an iron glove. No one, not even the boys dared step out of line; she had eyes in the back of her head and uncanny hearing.

"I'm not the sidekick." Cindy interjected with a toss of her golden curls. Snow groaned inwardly, knowing this was going nowhere good...and fast.

"Excuse me?" Miss Hollyhock looked up from her notes with a look that would have shut anyone down, anyone except Cindy that is.

"I said I'm not the sidekick" Cindy blew a dark gold curl off her forehead; she hated being underestimated more than anything. "Just because Snow's taller than me doesn't automatically mean she's the leader. We are 50/50 with everything. There's no boss you know, we're equals.''

"Thank you for clarifying that for me, Miss Vanholston." The teacher said with a malice laced smile. "In that case I assume you won't mind accompanying her this evening to The Lonesome Forest with today's lesson."

Cindy's face fell; Snow looked confused, and some boys snickered in the back.

"Excuse me, Miss Hollyhock? Why am I taking the lesson to The Lonesome Forest?" Snow inquired as politely as she could, considering the fact that being sent to The Lonesome Forest was somewhat like taking a long walk off a short plank. The punishment certainly didn't fit the crime; she really hated, cold dark forests.

"Penance." said the teacher with a smile. "Our newest student is stricken with Hoglas disease and can't leave her tower for class. As penance, you and Miss Vanholston will bring and explain the day's lessons; you will continue to do so until I say further."

Snow had never heard of Hoglas disease, she hoped it wasn't catchy and it certainly didn't sound good.

"Miss Hollyhock?" Snow questioned again. "What exactly is Hoglas disease?"

"Excuse me?" Turin's one and only teacher had never found herself questioned so closely by a student before; she didn't like it. She glared at the offending student...in this case, Snow. This glare might have frozen another student immediately, but they hadn't been brought up in Castle White. They hadn't stood face to face with her stepmother, the Queen of Rylak.

"Hoglas disease. I have never heard of it." Snow repeated in a strong, level voice. "I am concerned that it might be communicable."

Flustered and irritated, the teacher began to shuffle her papers again. "Why it's a, it causes, it has...Miss Rutherford, I have been assured it is not communicable, and if you have any medical questions I suggest you direct them to Dr. Rutherford, we are already behind on today's lesson. I'm sure you can all understand why you will be kept later this afternoon to make up for this unnecessary delay."

The room was suddenly filled with groans, which were immediately silenced by a dark look in the furious teacher's eye.

"Just one more question, please?" Snow pressed. "What is the new student's name?"

"Rapunzel. Her name is Rapunzel Goethal."

### ~~*~~

Saying there were actual roads through the Lonesome Forest would be an overstatement. Paths, very overgrown paths would be far more accurate. Even though the sun shone bright in the afternoon sky, the glorious rays could hardly penetrate the densely overgrown foliage. " _How aptly named_ " Snow idly thought as she took in the dark and mysterious forest. Carefully the girls picked their way through the dimly lit path, Snow in her knee high white boots and Cindy in her fragile silver sandals. Needless to say, the going was slow...very slow.

Only the most eccentric, would make their home anywhere near The Lonesome Forest, and few ventured beyond the point where the sun failed. The depth of the forest was said to be home to trolls, vampires and various non-unionized fairies and witches; and if the legends were true, sleeping dryads rested deep within the dark and silent trees. Dryads are the spirits of the trees, they had long since stopped dancing in the moonlight. Ancient texts told stories of great celebrations in the forests, magical nights inspired by the dryads sheer joy of life; dryads had always been Snow's favorite mythological creature. She loved daydreaming about those beautiful dancing dryads, their long hair and arms swaying so ethereally and gracefully as they moved. She could almost imagine joining hands and being caught up in the dance as well. She sighed softly to herself as she let her mind wander. It was all just fantasy now, the legends stated that the dryads had been hunted almost to extinction; earlier humans had believed that if they could cut the dryad down in her home tree¸ her magic could be absorbed. It was false, and thousands of dryads were sacrificed according to the stories. Whatever dryads had escaped the massacre had retreated to The Lonesome Forest, where it is believed they eternally sleep, or as some stories go, turned in to vengeful spirits tormenting any who disturb that sleep. Regardless, they no longer befriended humans, if they ever had.

With their destination finally in sight, the girls began to pick up the pace, and within minutes found themselves standing directly in front of a dark stone house. The dark, narrow tower seemed even taller up close. The house, situated in a small clearing in the dreary forest, appeared sinister without the help of green grass or colourful flowers to add warmth or personality. Snow followed the dusty path to the dark, rounded door with Cindy just a step behind, but before she could knock, the door swung open revealing a bent, dour looking woman.

Quickly Snow recovered her manners. "Good day Madame." She said curtsying gracefully. "My name is Snowy and this is Cindy. We have brought..." She hunted for the new girl's name.

"Rapunzel." Inserted Cindy, who had no intention of curtsying.

"Rapunzel's lesson from school today." Snow finished. Uneasily she smiled up in to the woman's disagreeable face. The woman took the girls in one by one. The effect was that of being inspected and dissected; there was no warmth to be found anywhere in the woman's face. Snow's bright smile wilted somewhat.

"I am Mother Goethal. You will find Rapunzel at the top of the stairs. Explain your lessons and mind that you don't dawdle." The raspy voice informed them with great reluctance; and with one thin and gnarled finger she pointed to the staircase.

The dark stairs went round and round, higher and higher, seemingly forever. Cobwebs grew between the stairs in the gloom and it appeared that nothing had seen a broom in years. Finally the girls reached the top of the dark, dusty staircase. The rounded door was shut in front of them, so Snow grasped the large brass knocker and rapped politely three times.

The girls turned to look at each other slowly as the rapping sound echoed off of the walls eerily; Cindy stepped in as close to Snow as she could.

Nothing.

"Hello? I have your lessons..." Snow trailed off, unsure what else to say. She looked at Cindy for assistance, Cindy who was never at a loss for words. Cindy was very helpful, she shrugged; she didn't want to be there at all. They waited for another minute in the dark and dreary stairwell. Snow knocked again.

Still nothing.

"Just leave it outside the door. We're leaving; this place is way too creepy." Decided Cindy with apparent relief. "Come on, we can still make it to Prince Leonardo's Fan Club Meeting."

Snow placed the books on the step outside the door and both girls gratefully turned to leave.

"Come in." Barely audible, the voice floated out from behind the door. Snow hesitated; Cindy sighed and shook her head.

Cautiously Snow opened the creaky door, nodding for Cindy to go in.

"Na ah. I'm just the sidekick." Whispered Cindy giving Snow a little shove forward. "You're the leader."

"Oh, _now_ I'm the leader." Snow whispered back as she took a tentative step in to the room.

"What, you're taller."

The room was round, and made entirely of stone; the only light came from the window directly across from the door. A bed, a wardrobe and a chair were the only furniture to be seen.

A tall young girl stood off to the side, hiding half in the shadows. Dressed in a simple floor length black dress, she seemed ghost-like. Silently, and without expression, she regarded the girls, you could feel her fear. Long platinum hair poured over her shoulders and down to the floor, it flowed across to the chair and coiled in front of the wardrobe.

"Oh. My. God." Cindy breathed as she clutched at Snow's cape.

Slowly Snow held up the lesson. "My name is Snowy, and this is my friend, Cindy." She said slowly, indicating her small friend. "We were sent with your lesson."

Rapunzel stared blankly at the girls.

"You know, from school?" Snow added carefully.

Rapunzel stepped out from the shadow. As the light hit her face, Snow was struck by how sad she looked; it shadowed her eyes, fringed with an abundance of black lashes, they were as dark as her hair was light. Her mouth, so perfectly red on her beautiful heart shaped pale face, looked as if it had forgotten how to smile. She was utterly beautiful, in an ethereally remote way. Snow was at a loss for words, and apparently so was Cindy, which was really quite rare.

"Why do you stare at me?" Rapunzel asked in a breathy voice full of fear and self consciousness, one pale hand fluttered helplessly by her slender throat.

Instantly Snow was ashamed. "Oh, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to, I was just-"

"It's your hair." Interjected Cindy. "I have never seen anything so beautiful! How do you get it so shiny? How do you move around? How do you brush it?"

They had never seen hair like it before. They couldn't begin to imagine how long it truly was, it seemed to stretch on forever, gloriously silver blonde. Tentatively Rapunzel touched her own hair. Her smile was slow, as if her mouth was unaccustomed to the motion, and as it touched her rosy lips she cautiously looked up towards the girls; hope shining in her dark eyes.

"It truly is beautiful." Snow affirmed. Magical it seemed, the cascades of silvery blonde hair that flowed across the room; you _could_ almost believe it was magic. Hair like that, you just knew would feel like the finest silk if you were to touch it.

Cindy looked on in confusion. "Seriously, hasn't anyone ever told you that before?"

"I don't remember meeting anyone."

### ~~*~~

Walking home that evening, the term 'The Lonesome Forest' seemed to have taken on new meaning. The dark silence of the forest seemed fitting and proper, allowing both of the girls to consider all they had just learned. Years had passed since Rapunzel had met another soul. Until today; until they arrived. How lonely she must be, they couldn't even begin to imagine. Once she had gotten past her initial unease, she had hung on their every word, apparently fascinated by their very presence; taking in every movement, every expression like a sponge. They both felt sorry when they left her, but their reassurance that they would return the next day had brought another tentative smile to the remote young girl's face.

One more very important thing happened without their knowledge that sunny afternoon in the forest, both of the girls made a subconscious pledge to befriend and help the lonely girl in the tower. This decision would change the course of their lives.

### ~~*~~

_She was_ close. _He could smell it, lifting his nose up towards the dazzling moon he inhaled deeply, revelling in the rich scent of her. It flooded his brain and instantly he relaxed. If there was a Heaven, he believed it would be full of her perfect scent. Or perhaps She herself would be present. He banished the thought instantly as his pulse began to race. No, this was enough._ _If he could only see her and smell her.... This would be enough._

Silence.

_He froze as she made her way down the path. Crouched down in amongst the brambles, in the dusty half light that barely infiltrated the base of The Lonesome Forest, he knew she would not see him. She never did. She traveled this way perhaps twice a week, each time with a basket held tightly in her slender hands. Each time he watched her._ _Watched over her, he corrected himself. Because he would have laid down his life for her from the first moment he had caught her scent._

_She stopped, mere feet away from him. He froze. She looked up at the moon, so perfectly set in the sky and a smile crept over her lovely features._ _He watched her smile lighting up her face and he felt his heart would explode. Unbeknownst to her, she was among a very select group of beings who had nothing to fear in this dark and dangerous forest. He had vowed to protect her from everything and anything that would threaten her in all of the Kingdom of Lonstas. Even from himself._

Such was the love of a werewolf.

Chapter 3

##

Annette and Juliette Del Grotta, the twin daughters of Madame Morgada Del Grotta, had never thought much of Cinderella Vanholston. In fact they were mortified and distraught when their mother, The Madame, was noted in the company of Caspian Vanholston III...frequently. It was not a lack of money that put the twin girls off you see, the Vanholston's certainly had no lack of such; it was the lack of Aristocracy. You see for all of Caspian's swashbuckling good looks, generosity with money, and that general air of good humour that always seemed to surrounded him, he had not a single drop of Aristocratic blood. This meant that Cinderella, his one and only daughter, was also found wanting. Now, had they thought to make their misgivings known to Miss Vanholston they might have found a valued ally. Instead two increasingly hostile camps were formed.

The Del Grotta girls were identical twins, each inheriting the dark auburn hair and steel grey eyes from their mother. Although they were widely considered to be pretty girls, they might have been considered beautiful if they had not let bitterness harden their hearts, this bitterness and occasional malice twisted their features very unbecomingly. It was bitterness and irritation that the twins felt in their hearts that Monday afternoon, so it was bitterness and irritation that showed on their faces as they watched Cindy and Snow leave the classroom.

"The ugly step-sisters are watching us." Cindy nudged Snow. "I think I hate them."

"Seriously Cindy! You don't hate anyone; it isn't very nice you know." Snow almost laughed at the thought.

"No, I hate'em." Cindy assured her as she held her ridiculously over-sized, hot pink and silver bag close to her body. "They never smile, they're ugly and they have the worst fashion sense." That being a crime of unimaginable proportions coming from Cindy.

"They never smile at _you_ , they are definitely not...ugly, and...okay they do have really boring fashion sense, you got me there." And they did. Greys, browns, dark blues, sweaters and skirts. It was expensive, yet utterly dull un-inspired fashion...a cardinal sin in Cindy's eyes.

"Oh, and they aren't your step-sisters...yet; but I heard a little rumour last night that-".

At that Cindy swung the bag at her. "I don't even know whose side you're on anymore." And then the implications of the term "step-sisters" struck her. "Oh my God! That would be the worst possible thing that could ever happen to me! I will jump in the river if that happens! We will engage in sabotage! Never surrender!" Clutching her chest, Cindy gasped for air.

It was quite humorous, Snow mused, watching Cindy in her little hot pink tunic and leggings, she'd caught her golden curls up in a circlet of daisies piled high on top of her head. She looked adorable; but she was clutching her heart, gasping for air and rolling her eyes like a two hundred year old crone whose number has just been called. Bingo was really big with the crones in Turin.

"Baba Yaga at bingo last Thursday!" Snow joked, playfully pointing at her friend. "That was an impression, wasn't it? You are really good. I think you should abandon designing and join the dramatic arts!"

"You are a terrible person." Cindy sniffed.

"Maybe." Conceded Snow. "But just think how much better in comparison you will look standing next to them in Family Pictures. And that actually hurt, you've been guarding your ugly old bag all day, what's inside?"

And that's all it took. Cindy had been bursting at the seams all day with some secret, having to do with her hot pink bag, which she had kept close to her body at all times. She indicated that Snow should follow her off to the side of the school house. With great curiosity, Snow did just that.

Slowly, Cindy unravelled a very long rope ladder. She looked up at Snow expectantly, excitement rolling off of her in waves, her electric green eyes shimmering with mischief. Snow took a long look at the rope, she had no idea what could have brought forth this level of excitement, and Cindy was fairly dancing with glee. It was just some rope as far as she could tell.

"You want we should hang someone?" She finally asked with a sceptical look across her face.

"It's for Rapunzel you dope!" Cindy explained in complete exasperation. "I worked on it all weekend. I think it should be just about long enough, but if not we'll improvise! And my bag is neither ugly nor old, it is completely fashion forward."

"Whatever you say." Snow shook her head, she could never keep up. "You are up to some nefarious deed again aren't you, you know, the type that ends up with us getting caught, scolded and grounded?"

Sighing dramatically, Cindy nodded in happy agreement. "I'm going to break her out."

"You're going to break her out? And go where? You can't break her out she has Hoglas disease, what if she gets sick? What if The Mother Goethal finds out." She shivered at the mere thought. With her raspy voice and knowing eyes, the bent old woman managed to make the girls feel skittish and guilty every time they arrived with the Lesson.

"She seems fine to me. We're dropping the ladder off this afternoon. We'll come back for her tonight." Cindy informed her confidently. "Trust me."

So it was "we" plan. Snow shook her head. They were going to get in to so much trouble.

The idea had been planted that Friday when Cindy had brought along the latest issue of "The Lonstasian Eye", a very popular tabloid magazine. Rapunzel had seized it immediately enchanted with the stories and pictures of people and places she had never seen; and likely never would. Perhaps it was when the lonely girl had innocently asked what grass felt like beneath bare feet. Perhaps it was the picture of Rapunzel leaning out the window of her tower wistfully, as she watched the girls begin their walk back through the forest. But whatever the reason, the girls had left with heavy hearts that Friday.

So they were going to break her out. Cindy just loved to make plans.

### ~~*~~

The trip through The Lonesome Forest that evening was very quick, even with the heavy bags and cloaks Cindy had outfitted them with. Maybe they were becoming more familiar with the path, maybe it was the threat of trolls and other such night dwellers, but much of it would most likely be the cause of the sensible walking boots Snow had insisted they wear. They made good time.

Several sets of eyes watched the two girls as they trotted through the dark forest that evening; but only one set assured their safety. Neither of them was "Her", but he wasn't completely unfamiliar with these girls, and since it was a rare occurrence for a human to traverse The Lonesome Forest after dark, he decided to follow them. None of the creatures of the night dared to interrupt a wolf in what appeared to be a hunt, and so Cindy and Snow arrived safely at their destination.

### ~~*~~

"It's a masterpiece." Breathed Cindy as she placed the last pin in Rapunzel's hair.

Snow turned from her lookout at the window to take in Cindy's handiwork. Amazed, her jaw dropped.

Rapunzel's silvery blonde hair had been braided and re-braided, caught, looped and wound. The finished effect was stunning, although it still cascaded down to the small of her back and stood about six inches off her forehead, making her appear even taller, but it was beautiful, and oh how it shone in the moonlight. She ran a hand through her own long, satiny black hair and wondered if she should let Cindy have a go at hers as well. Maybe she would.

Outfitted in riding breeches, tunics, boots and cloaks, the girls were finally ready to leave the tower. Cindy was about to burst with mischievous excitement, Rapunzel was about to faint, or perhaps fall backwards from the weight of her hair, but Snow was still frowning as she looked out the window. She couldn't shake the feeling that someone had followed them, and although she had heard nothing, and seen even less; she had felt the eyes upon them. And it bothered her. A lot. But then again, all dark forests at night bothered her; anything and everything could be lurking.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" She asked the visibly trembling Rapunzel, who simply nodded in response.

"Okay then." And with that, Snow began to crawl out the window and down the rope ladder, there was no way she was leaving either of her friends alone so, as uneasy as she was...she was in.

Reaching the bottom, she waited nervously for Rapunzel to descend. Somehow climbing up the rope ladder hadn't seemed quite as frightening but Cindy had given them one important piece of advice that in her opinion would make or break this part of the adventure. 'Whatever you do, don't look down.' Simple, but effective, Snow had found it invaluable and began to wonder just how much experience Cindy had with breaking out. Something told her tonight wasn't Cindy's first time.

Sneaking out had been much harder for Snow. True, the idea had never crossed her mind before, but truly, sneaking out of a castle posed many more logistics problems than sneaking out of a cottage. When she'd yawned and announced that she was retiring early that night, seven pairs of eyes had fallen upon her in concern.

Guilt.

She felt terrible. And if they had asked her what was up, she knew she would have told them; she was a terrible liar. She still felt guilty. She hadn't had much of a choice really, if she hadn't come along, Cindy would have done this alone and who knew what kind of trouble would have ensued. Cindy could plan the mischief, (and Cindy was very good at doing just that) but Snow had to be there as the voice of reason; and with that she banished all feelings of guilt. Well, almost all.

Halfway down the ladder, Rapunzel paused. Her long white fingers clutched desperately at the rope ladder, her eyes wide with apprehension as her slender form lagged against the ropes.

She had looked down.

"Oh crap, oh crap." Whispered Cindy from the tower window.

"Rapunzel," Snow's voice came very softly. "No, don't look at me, just listen. Look at Cindy."

Rapunzel looked up toward Cindy who was nodding and smiling from the window encouragingly.

"Take your time. You can do this, you're almost there." Snow encouraged quietly.

"Besides," Cindy's voice floated down. "It's the same distance up or down, and if you fall going down now, it's not so far. You'll be fine."

Snow rolled her eyes and shook her head. So not helping; but wait, Rapunzel began to slowly make her way down again. As the frightened girl carefully descended, the moon crawled out from behind the clouds illuminating the small yard, almost as if she was welcoming Rapunzel in the night. Finally she planted one tentative foot on the ground.

Snow felt tears spring to her eyes as she witnessed Rapunzel's first step outside of that tower in years. Rapunzel knelt down to touch the dusty path, marvelling at the uneven texture of the ground. She looked up and gazed at the moon that fairly blazed down at the girls. A slight breeze caressed her face and she covered her mouth to stifle the laughter that had nearly escaped. In awe Rapunzel gazed at the world around her, a stray tear of joy slowly made its way down her soft cheek.

Quicker than anyone could have imagined, Cindy had made her way down the ladder and joined them on the path. But even Cindy was not inclined to interrupt this beautiful moment. Finally Rapunzel looked at the girls, and enveloped them both in a hug.

"This has been the most wonderful night of my life. Thank you. You have given me the world." She whispered in her soft and breathy voice.

"Oh, it's not over yet". Cindy straightened her cloak and patted her hair. Both the girls looked over at her questioningly. "We're going to Vampire Night School."

### ~~*~~

Vampires have existed alongside humans, elves, pixies and all manner of creatures since time immemorial. But, like most non-humans, they did tend to keep to themselves, regardless or perhaps still unsure of the growing equality/coexistence movement. This was not to say that they were ostracized or unwelcome in Lonstasian towns or cities, why vampires are among the most talented musicians in all the realms. No, they were simply, like the Weres, regarded with a certain sense of apprehension, perhaps a lot of apprehension. Now this was most likely due to the large number of folk tales and fictitious stories that cast both species in a bad light. Not that they were "tame" mind you, but in essence, both vampires and werewolves are much like anyone else...most days... or nights as the case may be.

Legend, as old as the hills themselves has it that vampires and werewolves have both evolved from the Fairy Folk of Old. Not to be confused with fairies, the Fairy Folk of Old are a completely different set of beings...reclusive, almost myth now. And fairies, well fairies are becoming so mainstream they are unionized already, although a fairy godmother is still a rare, rare honour. It wouldn't be wise to walk around calling fairies 'mainstream' though; an angry fairy is truly something to fear. But since the theory as to the origins of both the vampires and werewolves was largely unsubstantiated, both sets of creatures rejected the association.

The main difference between a vampire and a human is of course, sunlight. It burned their bodies starting with the blood, leaving nothing left save a tragic pile of ash. It was an excruciating way to die, and although fairies, witches and sorcerers have been working on a solution for centuries, the answer still eludes them. For this reason, the vampires tended to keep secret their daytime place of rest, but at night...they could be anywhere; and you can be sure a good many of them could be found at school.

Vampire School, of course, could only be held at night, and usually outdoors if the weather co-operated.

Cindy knew they were getting close, she could feel her excitement rising. She hadn't been entirely sure Vampire School existed in this part of The Lonesome Forest, but a conversation overheard between a crone and a witch, had made reference to the school (not a wicked witch, just your average garden variety witch)...it had piqued Cindy's curiosity. Vampires were reportedly stunningly attractive, although Cindy had never actually met one...yet, so that might have helped in the actual decision making process.

As she brushed cobwebs away from her face, she turned back to see how her friends were fairing. Snow seemed apprehensive, which was typical, Cindy expected nothing less from her all too responsible friend, but Rapunzel, Cindy had never seen her look more alive. Her face was positively shining with joy, and just as Cindy began to congratulate herself on a most impressive adventure, she collided with something very, very hard and fell back down on her bottom...very, very hard.

"What are three human children doing in The Lonesome Forest at night?" A dark and melodic voice questioned.

Cindy looked up at the 'Wall' and discovered an incredibly handsome, and very pale young man. He was perhaps six feet tall with long dark hair pulled back at his neck, beautiful bottomless dark eyes set beneath arched black brows and a perfect nose. His sculpted face, for a moment, made Cindy forget all about Prince Leonardo Charming. But only for a moment. He wore an exquisitely embroidered waist coat, ruffled sleeves covered his wrists and he had really great boots. Really great boots. No sword swung at his hip, but then again, he didn't need one. Cindy could hardly fault his clothes; however a gentleman would have given her a hand up after knocking her down at the very least. But then again this was no gentleman, this was a vampire. At a loss Cindy said the only thing she could think of.

"I am not a child, I am a lady."

"What are three human...ladies...doing in The Lonesome Forest at night?" He questioned again in the same dark, melodic and somewhat bored voice.

Snow rushed forward to help Cindy up off the forest ground; time to use her diplomacy skills...would they work on a vampire? She supposed she would soon find out; taking a deep breath she began.

"My name is Snowy; this is Cindy, and this." She pointed to Rapunzel who stepped out of the shadows and lowered her hood. "Is Rapunzel. We meant no offence, we..." She trailed off as she realised that he was looking right through her at Rapunzel.

Rapunzel returned his gaze. She had never seen a man before, and he was quite something to look at. He was so beautiful, beautiful and lethal. Snow began to get nervous as she realised how alone they really were in the depths of the forest. Then, as she notated the way the beautiful vampire was looking at her tall innocent friend, she began to feel more than simply nervous...she felt afraid.

"You know, we should be getting back...it's late, people will be, probably _are_ looking for us already, right Cindy?" She turned to her friend who had stopped brushing herself off and nodding furiously.

"Oh yeah, there's going to be like a search party, any minute so, we really have to go. Now. Nice meeting you though."

The vampire ignored them, stepping forward he took Rapunzel's slender white hand in his and brought it up to his mouth for a kiss. "I am called Manuel; I guard the entrance to this School of Night. I am honoured to have met you."

"Okay, nice to meet you too, Manuel, we are very sorry to have disturbed you but we're leaving now so...." _Please don't eat us_ , she finished silently in her head as she rushed over attempting to take Rapunzel's hand back from the beautiful vampire, which was somewhat like trying to move a statue. He ran her wrist under his nose, inhaling deeply. He stood incredibly still. Carefully he inhaled again before gazing in to Rapunzel's dark and innocent eyes.

"Cindy, a little help here?"

"Uh, my father represents a great number of performers from all over Lonstas...if you let us leave, without eating us, I'll put a good word in for anyone you want. We're kind of important; big deals and all." Cindy babbled as she nodded and chewed her lip. Cindy had fantasized a great deal about meeting a real vampire, but this was not going according to her fantasy at all.

"Call off your dog." Manuel drawled in his beautiful bored voice, his eyes never leaving Rapunzel's.

"Excuse me?" Snow was positive she hadn't heard correctly. She didn't even own a dog; she could hear her heart pounding. She hoped Manuel couldn't; but knew he could.

"Your dog, send him home." Manuel smiled slowly at Rapunzel who mirrored the same smile and shyly looked down.

Now Snow began to feel real fear. A vampire was dangerous enough, but an insane one? What were the chances that they were going to get out of this alive...she didn't dare ask herself.

"I don't think I know what you are talking about." She slowly replied, racking her brain for anything she could possibly remember about vampires. She found exactly nothing; vampires were notoriously secretive about almost every aspect of their lives. Unless they were performers, and a great number of the best musicians were, they tended not to mix with humans.

Manuel sniffed the air once. "I see." An arrogant flash in his deep, dark eyes.

Rapunzel reclaimed her hand and turned to her friends. "There is no cause for alarm; Manuel wouldn't hurt us, would you?" She looked up at him with complete innocence. Of course she would, she had no idea what a vampire _was_ let alone what they were capable of. Come to think of it, none of the girls knew what vampires were really capable of; Manuel was their first.

Manuel spoke to the forest. "These human girls shall be my responsibility for the remainder of this evening. This I pledge on the honour of my forbearers."

Cindy and Snow exchanged wide eyed looks; this evening was not turning out as expected that much was certain. Manuel took Rapunzel's arm gently and began walking her back the way they had came. Cindy and Snow started in behind them exchanging looks of confusion.

"The Lonesome Forest is a very dangerous place at the best of times, especially for _human_ children. What on earth are you doing out here in the dead of night? I shall escort you safely home myself. Now 'Rapunzel', that is a beautiful name."

Silently they followed Rapunzel and the beautiful vampire home, listening carefully as he pointed out different places of interest for her. There was nothing else they could do.

### ~~*~~

_The vampire had stated his intention, and unless he wanted to declare a duel, a duel he may or may not win, he had no choice but to leave. He'd protected them as long as he could; they were now the responsibility of the young vampire. If they were harmed in any way, a duel would be called, and blood would be shed but he doubted the vampire would purposely destroy the peace their two_ p _eople had held for the past two centuries. He'd done all he could; he began his run home._

### ~~*~~

Snow crawled back up the olive tree outside her bedroom window, silently changed in to her soft silky powder blue pajamas and slid between her sheets.

Bliss.

What a night. Not only had they broken Rapunzel out of her tower, they had met an actual vampire. A _vampire_. Unfortunately he hadn't let them anywhere near the school, but seeing as he had introduced himself as a 'guard', she supposed that was his job. Leisurely he had walked Rapunzel back to her tower, quietly chatting with her; the pace had picked up considerably as he led Snow and Cindy to the edge of the forest in silence, a bored and somewhat disdainful look in his dark eyes. Apparently manners weren't his strong suit.

Snow had turned around to thank him, but he had already disappeared back in to the night. The good news was he hadn't eaten them...this time, obviously a huge relief; Snow wasn't completely sure she wanted to give him another opportunity. He didn't seem friendly in the least.

Maybe they should try the lagoon next time...it just sounded safer. And with that thought she fell deeply and blissfully asleep.

### ~~*~~

Rapunzel felt more alive than she ever had from the moment she awoke. For the first time in nearly seventeen years, she rose from her bed with more than merely the need to imitate the motions of life.

Something caught her eye on the stone windowsill of her lonely tower. A rose. A single red rose, the exact color of her lips. Perfect in every way, and so vibrantly alive against the cold stone. Rapunzel knew it had not been there when she fell asleep.

Chapter 4

Candles lit of their own accord, great blazing flames illuminating the dark and fearsome hallway. Spiders hid in the depths of their webs, and rats scurried for a hiding place as the Queen of Rylak strode through the secret underground chambers of the Castle White; such was the cloud of malevolence that enveloped her.

Angry. The queen was angry. And with each long stride she made, the heels of her boots thundered against the floor, echoing off every wall, her long black cape flaring out behind her. Her face, both beautiful and terrifying was twisted with rage.

With a sudden hand movement the massive steel doors of her most secret hidden room, that which was dedicated to the darkest of arts flung open. The room was dimly lit by several wall candles. Books lined two of the walls; shelves with brightly coloured flasks lined the other. A cauldron stood off to the side, and ancient symbols, known only to the most devoted of the arts decorated both ceiling and floor. Six soldiers in black armour immediately knelt as she entered.

The queen stopped and ran a hand over her sleek black hair. "I was gazing at myself in my favourite mirror this morning, as I do most mornings," Her voice like silky cream. "But this particular morning my mirror imparted to me some very...upsetting news. Can you tell me what that news might have been?"

The queen began to pace in front of the soldiers. "Anyone?" She tapped her foot. "Come now, my most loyal soldiers? My eyes and ears in the Kingdom?" She asked sweetly.

Suddenly she spun around, her cape swirling around her, she flung her arm out and all of the soldiers went flying in to the bookshelves across the room.

"My trusted huntsman has betrayed me and fled, while Snow White still lives!" The soldiers fell to the ground and began to get up.

"Find! Snow! White!" The queen roared, the sound increasing and increasing in volume with each word until each and every minion crumbled to the ground clutching their ears in a vain attempt to lessen her deafening roar.

### ~~*~~

The Moon was filling. He felt it in his blood, how his heart ached as he pondered his dilemma. "She" would be making her trip again tonight, how he yearned to smell her, how he lusted for-stop that thought. The moon was gaining control, he knew it. He felt the wild emotions assaulting his mind. "She" was not safe with him. Not now.

_And neither were "They". Since the first night he had accompanied them through the forest serving as an unseen form of protection. At first merely out_ _of curiosity, and later an unwelcomed sense of duty had taken its place, so he had continued. Countless threats had been...discouraged._

Now the moon was filling the sky; none of them would be safe. For he would possibly be the biggest threat of all. He didn't know what to do.

Out of the blue it came to him.

### ~~*~~

Although most witches, rouge fairies, goblins and the majority of card carrying sorcerers, etc prefer a rather solitary life, there is always some central meeting place. Heavily shrouded with enchantments, they are often missed entirely by those less accustomed to darker, denser magic, humans for example. These locations serve as a venue for potion, herb or spell exchanges as well as means to facilitate information. Consider them a black market for darker, less mainstream magic than one usually finds in Town Bazaars. One such location existed at the edge of the mountain range separating the Rylak Kingdom from Lonstas.

It was at this most secret and strategically placed location that a tall Soldier, bearing the crest of Rylak, and dressed entirely in black armour issued a Bounty Decree, the picture was of a dark haired human child; her name...was Snow White.

### ~~*~~

The werewolf and the vampire stared at each other silently, each feeling a similar distaste. Their people may be enjoying a time of peace, but that did not necessarily mean that they had any love for one another.

" _And why would the well being of these human children be of any concern to me?" the vampire had lazily inquired._

It isn't, he explained, but he would owe a debt of gratitude to the beautiful vampire, that could be called in at any time, should the proposal be accepted. Debts of gratitude between werewolves and vampires were very rare, and very powerful. This was mostly due to the fact that the two People tended to avoid close association with each other. So this oath would peak the vampire's interest...a little; and then he stoked the vampire's ego just a bit further by asking what could possibly stand a chance against a warrior vampire as powerful as himself?

" _What indeed." The vampire had agreed with a wide smile._

Eventually he'd began to lose his patience, for which the vampire regarded him with open amusement.

" _Fine." The vampire had finally decided. "I will do as you ask. For two nights, no more."_

### ~~*~~

The girls happily skipped over fallen logs on their way to Rapunzel's tower that evening. The moon blazed full in the evening skies, its magical light illuminating the usually dismal forest extraordinarily. Stars shone and twinkled in the clear black sky alongside that rounded moon, all adding to the natural beauty surrounding them, creating the feeling that the forest was just teeming with life. In fact, the forest _was_ more alive that evening. Much, much more alive than either of the girls realised.

With Cindy happily chattering about the latest tabloid gossip concerning Prince Leonardo, and Snow listening with rapt attention, neither one of the girls noticed the strange yellow eyes that had started to trail them through the forest.

If either of the girls had paid even just a little more attention to their surroundings, they would have noticed the strange silence that had settled over the area as well. Having traversed the forest many times under cover of darkness these past few weeks, the girls had acquired a misplaced sense of security with regards to the dark and mysterious forest. A mistake.

Had they still approached that forest with a certain, very sensible amount of apprehension, they would have sensed that something was very wrong, and that evening might have turned out very different indeed.

"I think I _am_ excited for the season to begin, we actually stand a chance of meeting Prince Leonardo; do you think we will get a chance to dance with him?" Snow asked as she jumped off the next log back on to the path.

They had each created elaborate fantasies about dancing with their famously graceful and heroic prince. This would be Snow's first 'season' in Turin, and Cindy had talked it up enormously, she couldn't help but feel excited about the prospect of turning one of her favorite fantasies in to a reality.

Perhaps it was the magnificent moon glowing down from the sky, but Snow felt generous enough to want to share her good mood with her friend. "That means I will be needing a few new dresses...and some help picking them out you know."

Silence. What?

"This would be the part where you jump for joy!" She pointed out, turning around immediately. Cindy had been begging to take Snow shopping for weeks now, a thought that made Snow groan, so the silence that followed her acceptance was completely inexplicable. Cindy was never, never silent when either of her favorite subjects came up, those being Prince Leonardo and fashion.

Snow was alarmed to realise that she was quite alone on the path. Cindy had disappeared quietly in to the night, it was then that Snow became aware of the complete silence surrounding her. No crickets, no twigs snapping, nothing to be heard; even Snow knew that a forest is never completely silent.

This could only be the work of an enchantment.

Looking around with apprehension, she also realised that the moon wasn't shining nearly as bright as it had mere moments ago, in fact the entire area seemed rather hazy now. She immediately began to breathe shallowly, resisting the urge to scream for her friend and take in more of the enchanted air then necessary. Allowing herself only the bare minimum breath, Snow scanned the area slowly. The haze seemed only to extend a few feet in diameter, so she stepped off the path and out of the enchanted haze. Although her first hand knowledge of dealing with enchantments was positively nil, she did remember a few key points from her Magic Safety class in grade school. Now she would see if the tutor her father had paid so handsomely had been worth her salt. Carefully scrutinising the surrounding area, she made out a small clearing to her left.

She stopped just short of the clearing and peered through the bushes, hoping to take a breath. Finally allowing herself to fill her lungs with much needed oxygen, she took a moment to study the scene before her.

Cindy was apparently asleep at the opposite edge of the clearing, neatly tied up both at her hands and her feet. A tall, thin witch with long, tangled silver hair, bits of twigs and forest debris embedded deep within the tangles, stood over her small friend. The witch was wearing a long, flowing dark green gown, slowly she knelt down and began to build a fire. Snow was careful not to make a sound, but even so the witch turned her ageless face towards the bushes concealing Snow, revealing her beautiful yet strangely mad, yellow eyes.

"I see you are familiar with enchantments Miss White. I had hoped to make this easy for myself." The yellow eyed witch snickered in her deep and raspy voice.

_Crap on a cracker!_ Snow thought, stealing one of Cindy's favorite expressions. _The witch knew who she was! How? No one did! Nothing good could come from this!_ But leaving Cindy in the clutches of an obviously evil, and quite possibly mad witch was not an option, so she remained silent. How on earth would she get Cindy back from a witch? She had no skill with magic, and she wasn't a good fighter, in fact she possessed no weapon to begin with. She began to creep around the clearing towards Cindy's sleeping form, being careful to stay hidden within the cover of the bushes.

She had no plan.

The witch threw something in to the newly started fire and it instantly became brightly coloured flames, emitting a strangely pungent, dense smoke. These new flames burned brightly, reds, blues and green flames dancing in the night. Snow continued to crawl around the bushes to her sleeping friend, keeping low to the ground and tried not to inhale the enchanted smoke. The witch began to laugh madly to herself, holding her sides and swaying slightly. Murky tears of laughter made their way down her sharply angled face, and just when Snow had almost reached her friend, the witch stopped laughing.

"Do you think I would make it that easy for you Miss White? Do you have any idea what they are offering for you? Your little friend is just for my own amusement, a free gift for all of my hard work. But you, you I can trade for prestige, power and riches! No Miss White, I am afraid you are coming with me."

Suddenly the witch appeared right in front of Snow, her mad yellow eyes mere inches from Snow's own large dark ones. She felt a growing sleepiness in her limbs as the pungently aromatic smoke from the fire made its way across the clearing, and began to fill her lungs. Damn. She tried not to breathe, but the damage was done. Fighting to keep her eyes open, Snow vowed to enroll in an after school Magical Defence course, should she miraculously live through this.

Deftly the witch tied Snow's hands and feet before tossing her next to Cindy by the fire.

It was at that moment precisely that Snow lost all hope.

### ~~*~~

"Will someone explain to me why humans are _such_ a pain?" A bored, yet melodic voice floated out from the dense forest. And just like that a bored looking, although stunningly beautiful Manuel stepped out from the trees.

At the sound of Manuel's voice, Cindy and Snow abruptly awoke. Snow looked up sharply in disbelief, mouth agape; it was the rude vampire from a few weeks ago. What was _he_ doing here, and more importantly, was he here as friend or foe? Considering the abruptness of their departure last time they met, Snow wasn't so sure it was 'friend'.

"Manuel." The witch said with considerable dread, shrinking back from the vampire, who merely assumed a casual stance and began inspecting his nails.

"Drina darling, really. Is that any way to greet me? I trust you remember our last meeting, in detail." A twitch of his perfect eyebrow revealed his mirth.

The witch paled in response. Manuel smiled broadly revealing deadly fangs; his eyes glowed brilliantly in the firelight.

"Now," Manuel continued. "What could you possibly want with two naughty human children?"

Cindy poked Snow. "I really hate when he does that." She whispered.

Snow rolled her eyes and shushed her. Manuel, although outwardly bored by this exchange, was practically oozing menace. For one thing, his fangs were still extended, his eyes glittered daringly and every muscle in his elegant body seemed poised for immediate action. Snow shivered, wondering once again whose side he was on. She hoped and prayed it was theirs.

"This one" The witch indicated Snow. "Has a price on her head."

"Does she indeed. And the other?" He inquired casually.

Cindy clasped Snow's hand so tightly she thought she might break it. Snow squeezed back tightly in reassurance as she carefully watched the exchange between the two night creatures. The witch had magic and enchantments on her side, but the vampire was a predator; he most likely ate witch for dinner. Somehow that thought didn't make her feel any better. The witch tossed a disdainful look at Cindy.

"That one is of no importance, you may have her if you wish." She offered. Manuel simply raised his eyebrows in acknowledgement.

"And then I shall take her. I find myself in a sporting mood this evening, and truthfully quite hungry." He winked at the witch, who swallowed hard in return.

Quickly she untied Cindy and pushed her towards Manuel, who caught her up in one arm. Apparently satisfied with the deal, he turned as if to leave, but not before giving the writhing Cindy a long, dark look that dried her scream up before it even left her throat. She dangled helplessly under his arm.

He took two elegant steps; stopped and turned around.

"And I think I shall take the other as well."

The witch backed up slowly, her eyes never leaving Manuel's bottomless depths. Reaching down she roughly snatched Snow up off the ground and held her close, like a shield against any sudden movement on Manuel's part.

He smiled his most beautiful smile, his eyes suddenly dancing with glee.

Edging away from the clearing with Snow she countered. "Now Manuel, we agreed that you would take the one and leave me be."

Manuel looked puzzled. "Is that what we agreed too?" The light from the flames danced across his sculpted marble face.

The witch held Snow close in front of herself, still using her as a human shield. Snow slowly looked from the witch back to Manuel, Cindy dangled from his arm, her face a mask of fear. A tight feeling enveloped her stomach and she could barely breathe, she could feel the witch's fear of the beautiful vampire...

"You said you would take her." The witch replied slowly. Manuel made a gesture for her to continue. When the witch didn't respond, he prompted her with another gesture.

"And then you said that you were in a sporting mood." The witch finished in a halting whisper laced with dread. "And you were hungry."

Manuel fairly beamed, and for some reason, a smile that would have appeared beautiful on his perfect face at any other time, seemed monstrous.

"And I am fair Drina, I am." He whispered back, fangs extended and eyes glowing like embers.

With a sudden motion the witch threw Snow at Manuel, and ran as fast as she could in the opposite direction. Manuel effortlessly caught Snow with the other arm. He let go of both girls so Cindy could untie Snow. While Cindy worked at the knots, the vampire regarded Snow with more than his usual lack of interest.

"You are one creepy vampire. You know that?" Cindy said over her shoulder while she worked.

"Who is it that has placed a price on your head?" He finally asked Snow.

Snow looked away, unwilling to open up about her family issues. Her pain was her own. That, and the fact that she still didn't know if she could count the fearsome vampire as friend or foe. She stayed silent.

"It's probably her stepmother, she chased Snowy right out of Rylak a few months ago, and she sounds nuts enough to issue a bounty." Cindy decided with a nod of her curly head.

Inwardly Snow groaned, unsure if this information offered up by Cindy was going to help them...or get them killed. Who knew if this vampire was in her stepmother's employ, he certainly was scary enough. Cindy finally finished untying the knot and helped Snow to her feet.

Manuel pondered the information. "Your stepmother, what connection could she have to the Creatures of Darkness in this forest?"

Snow decided to answer him as simply and as honestly as she could. The damage was already done, and apparently he _didn't_ know who she was, meaning he couldn't possibly work for Rosalyn, and if he did, how were they to stop him anyway. She took a deep breath, even saying this much bothered her; Snow had always been a private person, especially about the things that cut her the deepest.

"I believe she is a sorceress of great power back home in Rylak. She hates me, although I love her, she wants me dead. I don't know why." She shrugged trying to shake off the feelings of betrayal. Many, many feelings of betrayal and confusion.

Manuel sighed deeply. He looked up at the stars as if consulting their position.

"Come along. We have much to do this night." He said wearily. "Humans are _such_ a pain."

"We didn't ask you to take care of us you know." Cindy huffed indignantly.

"That's right... _you_ didn't." Was all he said with a tight and pointed smile before taking each girl by the arm and fairly dragging them back in to the forest with him.

### ~~*~~

Perhaps she was named for the abundance of magnificent long, wavy red hair, hair that sprang up and back from her perfect forehead, a stunning contrast with her large navy blue eyes. Falling to the small of her back in shimmering waves, it swayed invitingly with every movement she made. Perhaps it was an old name that had been handed down the generations, or perhaps it was simply an apt nickname, but for whatever the reason, she was known as Red.

Red came from a wealthy, aristocratic family that rumour had, could trace their ancestry back to all the ruling families at one point or another. This put Red directly in contention as a possible bride for Prince Leonardo, or his younger brother Prince Nickoli. Regardless of who she would eventually marry, it was expected that Red would marry well. Demanded that she marry well, as not only was she rich and aristocratic, she was also a great statuesque beauty.

Red's parents, the Lord and Lady Adair had been grooming Red for a prestigious place within the Aristocracy since birth. Almost every moment of her life was carefully planned and structured.

Now Red's grandmother on her father's side was considered by to be somewhat of an eccentric, having built her home in the outskirts of The Lonesome Forest and all. Everyone had thought her time was up a few weeks ago as she had taken to her bed after a rather nasty fall; but Grandmother Adair was nothing if not resilient, and after a week of Red's bedside book reading, not to mention the fresh biscuits baked especially for her by her daughter-in-law, and delivered courtesy of Red...she was up and ready to run again.

You see this accident, had served to create a bond between Red and her fun-loving grandmother, whom she affectionately referred to as "Granny". Grandmother Adair had no use for the Aristocracy and all of the restrictions that were placed on members of this complicated social structure, she had renounced all ties years ago much to the chagrin of her son, who publically denied that she had done any such thing. So in these views she was somewhat ahead of her time as well. Red found all of this enormously refreshing and so twice a week she trudged up to "Granny's" house with a basket of biscuits.

Granny was the only person who truly understood her.

The girls watched silently in the bushes crouching beside Manuel as Red hugged Granny Adair goodbye, adjusted the hood on her red traveling cloak and began her journey home. More than once Manuel tossed a furious look over his shoulder; apparently the girls weren't nearly as quiet as he would have liked as they trailed the beautiful red head through the bushes. As soon as Red's feet hit the main road back to Turin, he turned to them.

"Well don't just stand there, perhaps you have nothing better to do this evening but I can assure you that I most definitely do. Now hurry, your friend is undoubtedly frantic with worry, having waited this long; how inconsiderate of you."

Even though his words sounded harsh, he wore the faintest smile.

"We have business in the Gypsy Camp." He added.

### ~~*~~

The nearest Gypsy Camp was set on the south side of The Lonesome Forest, very close to the Traders Lake. Traders Lake was well stocked with a variety of fish; a river ran from the top of the lake and snaked its way over to the North Sea, and again from the bottom through various kingdoms, creating a favourable trading route. Hence the name, Trader's Lake.

The bustling Gypsy Camp was everything the girls had imagined it would be. Gypsies by nature tend to move often, although these particular gypsies had been in this particular camp for years, there was very little in the way of permanent structures. Multi coloured tents and easy to assemble buildings formed a rough circle with a large campfire in the centre. Even at this hour of the night, the camp was alive with activity. Young men danced with beautiful girls in bright dresses to live music played by campfire light, children playing tag raced by laughing with excitement, and older bearded men clinked mugs of ale, laughing heartily and drinking deeply.

And there was a delicious yet unidentifiable aroma tickling Snow's nose.

A beautiful young woman with yards of glossy brown hair, large brown eyes and beautiful hoops at both ears noticed the new comers and a wide smile of recognition spread across her face.

"Manuel!" she exclaimed as she rushed forward to greet him enthusiastically. He caught both of her hands in his and gave them the gentlest squeeze.

"Sweet Alessa." He returned with a genuine smile that even touched his deep, dark eyes.

"What brings you to our village this evening with...with three human children in tow?" She asked sweetly, clearly puzzled by his entourage. Carefully she took the girls in one by one lingering longest on Rapunzel.

Cindy fairly growled in response to what she took as another insult, she hated being called a "human child". Snow found this exchange very interesting, the gypsy girl didn't seem frightened of Manuel in the least; in fact...she seemed quite the opposite. Clearly Manuel was not a stranger to this camp.

"I have business with your grandmother tonight. Would you be so kind as to tell me where I may find her?" Manuel let go of the lovely young woman's hands.

"I believe she is sequestered in her tent this evening; but an interruption from you would always be welcomed." Alessa replied with another wide smile.

Manuel bowed in acknowledgment and indicated Rapunzel. "This is Rapunzel; please entertain her while I speak with your grandmother."

Alessa shifted her eyes to Cindy and Snow, giving the vampire a questioning look.

"Snowy and Cindy." He replied offhandedly. "They have a penchant for stirring up trouble so do your best."

At that the trouble makers in question gave Manuel the dirtiest of looks.

"How difficult for you Manuel." The gypsy girl laughed evidently quite used to Manuel's dramatics.

"You have no idea." He replied wearily, and set out towards the brightly coloured tent in the middle of the camp.

"Come." She said to the girls as she steered Rapunzel towards the dancers. "Surely you like to dance?"

### ~~*~~

Manuel stopped just outside the brightly coloured tent as a gravely yet wise voice trailed out to him.

"The Vampire Manuel. Please come in, the sight of you would do an old woman such as myself wonders."

Manuel smiled and suppressing a small laugh he pushed open the curtain of beads and stepped in to the tent.

Seated behind a long rectangular wooden table, was an old gypsy woman. A deck of tarot cards, a crystal ball, and two ancient books faced her on the table. Her abundance of white hair was artfully caught up and piled on top of her head, held in place by a gold chain encrusted with black and red jewels cut into mysterious symbols. Her heavy lidded and equally heavily lashed dark eyes held amused warmth as they took Manuel's gentlemanly beauty in; the smile returned much of her former beauty. He bowed low in respect, a smile of genuine friendship lifting the corners of his mouth.

"Come now Manuel." She spoke quietly. "We both know this is not a social call."

Manuel rolled his eyes upward. "Wish I that it was Great Mother, but I find myself in need of two rather large favours this evening."

"The first?" The old gypsy said with a smile.

"I need a cloaking spell. One of such power that it will scramble a signature aura, rendering one unrecognisable to all but family and friends."

"That is a very expensive spell indeed. The human that you procure this spell for must be in very grave danger." The old gypsy said with a frown.

"I have reason to believe so." He replied casually with a shrug.

"I see. I have never known you to extend yourself on behalf of humans before, Manuel." She looked down to her ball curiously.

He sighed. "My only desire is to get through these next two nights as quickly as possible. I have already had a disagreeable encounter with the witch Drina this evening, a dreadful waste of time and intolerably taxing on my patience. This brings me to my next favour; I will need a small memory erasing potion, Drina escaped with some most unfortunate information." He shook his head. "I would erase the information...but not our encounter." He said looking up with a dangerous smile, eyes alight with wicked mischief.

"Surely you have your own means to deal with one such as Drina?" She asked with surprise.

"Now Great Mother Sardinia, you know witch always gives me indigestion." He replied with a wink.

At that she laughed out loud. "As you wish young vampire, I could never deny you anything. But be forewarned, I have seen your destiny in my ball tonight and true-"

He cut her off quickly. "I shall make my own destiny Great Mother." He blew her a kiss and exited the tent leaving the old gypsy to shake her head in silent laughter.

### ~~*~~

Snow sat on a bench completely enthralled with the dancers by the fire. Cindy, caught up in the excitement had decided to join them, as had Rapunzel, and the girls whirled and twirled with the gypsy dancers in great circles; Snow clapped in time with the rest of the audience.

"Trouble maker." The familiar voice caught her attention.

Manuel, looking irritatingly self satisfied strolled up to her. Stopping about two feet in front of Snow, he reached in his pocket and threw a small vial at her. She jumped back in alarm as it hit the ground in front of her and enveloped her in a cloud of purple smoke.

"Hey! What do you think you are doing? What kind of a jerk are you anyway!" She screamed in shock at him.

"Neither your stepmother's minions, nor any other creature of the night should be able to identify you now. And you're welcome. Now come let's..." His voice trailed off as he watched Rapunzel re-joining the gypsy dance, her face flushed with happiness as she twirled and twirled. Her royal blue cape swirling around her lithe form and the fire light danced off her extravagantly dressed mound of pale blond hair, as if covered in a netting of diamonds. The softest of smiles touched his porcelain face, his eyes fixed on Rapunzel. He sat down beside Snow, apparently content to watch the dancers for now.

Snow cast a side look at him, if all vampires were this irritating, she didn't think she wanted to meet them; what a jerk he could be. Although she still didn't understand why he had rescued them from the Drina witch, or why he had gone to the trouble of procuring a protection spell for her. And what in the world could his reason be for trailing Red? He was one messed up vampire to be sure.

This didn't mean that she thought he was a foe, but she wasn't quite ready to count him as a friend either. While Manuel gazed at Rapunzel with apparent contentment, Snow turned to Alessa who was seated beside her.

"Alessa, when we first arrived you referred to us as 'human children', aren't gypsies human as well?" She asked the young gypsy girl curiously. Gypsies were counted as human in most censuses, and had full voting rights in almost every election.

"Well," the gypsy girl replied conspiringly, leaning over so her new friend could hear her. "Mostly gypsies are human, but we owe half of our ancestry to fairies, with a small sprinkling of witch as well, and a little vampire. We're mutts." She said with a laugh. "Magical mutts."

"I thought witches were human, or used to be human?" Snow wasn't sure she understood. Idly she wondered what it would be like, not being born human; it was something she had always taken for granted. She wondered how human's had climbed to the top of the food chart...then she looked at Manuel and realised that they hadn't.

"No, witches are born witches, like fairies are born fairies. A human who learns magic is a sorcerer or sorceress."

"Oh I see." Snow slowly considered this. "Witches are born, sorcerers are made."

"Correct." Alessa smiled.

"Wait, gypsies have a little vampire in them too?"

"A little" Alessa confirmed. "And your friend Manuel over there..." She indicated the lovely vampire who had decided to cut in to the dance, and now twirled the enchanting Rapunzel in his arms.

"He's not my friend." Snow replied sharply.

"Well, friends are as friends do, but none the less, The vampire Manuel...has human blood too. Oh yes, he would never admit it outright, but his great grandmother was human; and her he loved well." Alessa nodded and smiled as if she were imparting a great secret...which in fact she was.

So, the menacing Manuel was part human. Snow decided to file that information away for the time being.

"Wouldn't that make him a gypsy then? A Magical mutt as well?" Snow asked with feigned innocence. The idea of calling Manuel a "mutt" tickled her immensely; not that she'd ever have the guts to actually say it to his face. She shivered at the thought.

"No," the gypsy said with decisive shake of her head. "Trust me, Manuel is quite vampire."

Snow watched Rapunzel and the vampire with a growing feeling of concern. He seemed quite taken with her, and she was completely enthralled with his company as well. But still, he was a predator, what if she was nothing more than prey to him? What had they done, bringing these two together?

"You worry for your friend." Said Alessa as if she had read Snow's mind. "Worry not. Her life is quite safe in Manuel's hands; her virtue...her virtue is quite safe as well. For all of his mad dramatics and sometimes questionable reputation, the vampire is every bit a gentleman...in these regards anyway."

"Alessa? Have you ever heard of Hoglas disease?"

"No, I cannot say that I have." Alessa replied. "What is it?"

"I don't know." Snow sighed. "They say Rapunzel has it, but I can't see anything wrong with her."

"Well then." The young gypsy decided. "When either of us finds out, we shall tell the other, so we both know. But I agree, she looks quite healthy to me as well."

Snow smiled and nodded in agreement; it was hard not to like the gypsy girl. Finally the music stopped, Cindy flushed and exuberant found herself caught between two young gypsy boys, each intent on wooing her. Cindy, who had always imagined herself a great femme fatale, was having the time of her life. Rapunzel and Manuel had also stopped dancing and seemed content to stand off to the side conversing quietly.

An elderly gypsy woman slowly made her way across the camp. From the way everyone bowed or nodded, Snow knew she must be someone of great importance among the gypsy's. Dressed in black and red lace, her white hair piled high on top her head she projected great strength and considerable power. Her eyes scanned the campfire, stopping to rest on Manuel and Rapunzel. She smiled and nodded her head slightly as if confirming some secret. Then she zeroed in on Alessa and Snow on the benches.

Alessa immediately jumped up, and Snow followed suit.

"Grandmother! How wonderful that you join us. I'm honoured to introduce Miss Snowy Rutherford." Alessa put her arms around Snow in a gesture of friendship.

The old gypsy woman looked up in to Snow's dark brown eyes and smiled. "I would read your cards and those of your friends if you would agree."

"What an honour Snowy! You must agree!" Alessa exclaimed with delight.

~~*~~

The trip back home that evening was strangely silent. The full moon hung heavy in the midnight skies, lending the forest a magical ambiance. Each lost in their private thoughts about the magical evening they had experienced together; they silently made their way through the glistening path. The evening with the gypsies would go down as one of the best each of the girls had ever had. After Great Mother Sardinia had read their cards, they were all invited to join them for a late night snack, which Manuel had reluctantly allowed. The most amazing food was offered by the families, and before you knew it, the trio were made official 'Friends of the Camp'. This meant of course, that if ever they were in need, they could enter the camp and receive whatever help the gypsies had to offer. A very big honour indeed.

As far as adventures go, this one was the best to date.

Manuel had walked the girls safely to the base of the forest before disappearing in to the night just as he had the last time. He may be short on manners, but he was growing on them.

Chapter 5

Dr. Cornelius Rutherford was just sitting down to his morning coffee, along with the weekend edition of the Turin paper, complete with a list of the jousting finalists, when a relentless pounding on the front door of the cottage startled him. Thankfully the good doctor was exceptionally skilled, with an exceedingly steady hand, which did indeed save him that morning from a dreadful coffee stain. Curiously he opened the front door and gazed upon the red and tear stained face of Cindy.

Now, like most men confronted with a damsel in distress, Dr. Rutherford immediately set out to calm the hysterical Cindy; and so he did the only thing he could think of, hot cocoa and cookies, chocolate chip of course. As far as the good doctor was concerned, chocolate was a great natural remedy for a wide variety of life's problems, and in that he was quite right. As grateful for the chocolate as Cindy was, and believe me, Cindy loved chocolate, the doctor soon realised that he might very well be in over his head; and so he sent her on in to Snow.

Snow was blissfully sleeping in her big comfy bed, cocooned in between blankets, pillows and sheets when she felt a big thud beside her. Slowly opening one eye, she found herself face to face with a puffy eyed Cindy's unblinking stare. She took a moment to collect herself.

"Why are you in my bed?" She finally managed. "And why are you up so early?"

Manuel had delivered them back home so terribly late that Snow felt as if she had only just laid her head down; Snow had never really been a morning person.

Cindy drew a long breath and announced. "I am running away to join the gypsies."

"Why." Snow managed. It was way, way too early for this.

"Because my life has become intolerable here and I have no where left to go." Her little blonde friend whispered dramatically. "Great Mother Sardinia said we were always welcome in the camp and if ever we were in need they would come to our aide. I am in great need."

Slowly Snow exhaled. How to deal with this, how to deal. Damn there not being a 'How to' book for friendship. "I think you need to start at the beginning, okay?"

Cindy leaned in closer and whispered. "He isn't just lonely, you know?"

"No, I don't. Who isn't lonely?" Snow tried to block out the world with her fluffy blanket, bringing it up and over her face.

"My father!" Cindy wailed, fresh tears spilling from jade coloured eyes and her doll like face crumpled.

"I see. So...how do you know this?" Snow really had no idea how to proceed. Cindy was emotional at the best of times, but when the subject of Madame Morgada and her father came up, she was like a ticking time bomb. That being said, as a true friend, she would do her best to see Cindy through this; she slowly and with considerable reluctance lowered the blanket down from her face.

"He asked me to join the Madame and the troll twins for dinner tomorrow night."

Not good. Really not good. Snow digested this new piece of information silently.

"So you're going to run away and join the gypsies, if they'll have you, to avoid the dinner." Snow pieced together, nodding slowly.

"Not just the dinner! The whole damn situation! Snowy, this is the end of my life as I know it. One day it's dinner, the next it's a vacation. Before you know it he'll marry her, I'll have a horrid stepmother and two ugly step-sisters!" Cindy buried her head in Snow's pillow and began to sob.

"Okay, okay. But you know if you join the gypsies you will have to choose between Fyodor and Fredrik, and that won't be easy since they are both serious cuties; they might even fight a duel over you and what's worse you can never marry Prince Leonardo cause you'll be just a another gypsy girl...which means I can so, yeah; I think you should go live with the gypsies."

Cindy raised her head and stared at her friend eyes like saucers so complete was her shock.

"Kidding. I don't think you should run away just yet. What did you tell your father when has asked you about dinner?"

"I said I would come if you came too of course." Cindy snuck a look at her friend. "Oh you have to! It's the only way I can stand it! We need equal numbers to defeat such evil! Please don't abandon me...they will eat me alive!"

"Agggghhhhh." Snow ran a hand through her thick dark tangles, she really hated the idea of dining with the Vanholston's and the Del Grotta's. Why was she being punished?

But Cindy had this way you know, and it was really hard to say no to her.

### ~~*~~

One more night. He didn't know if he could stand it. Locked in his room deep within the Wolves Camp, ravenous didn't even come close to describing how he felt. His beloved mother did all she could to ease his "time" as she so delicately put it, by delivering food and company every few hours. He devoured the food almost without swallowing, such was the emptiness within. Yet somehow he found himself unable to confide his deepest secrets even to one so close; he bore his fears alone.

Young werewolves suffered far more than the older more experienced wolves during the moon time, and he took solace in the fact that one day he would gain control, to an extent that is. Even that knowledge did little to comfort him as he tossed and turned struggling to control the beast inside. Helpless, he felt helpless. And a werewolf hates to feel helpless.

He hoped the vampire was worthy of his trust.

### ~~*~~

"Are all humans this inconsiderate, or is unique to the two of you?" Manuel drawled as he stepped out from the trees at the entrance of The Lonesome Forest.

Snow felt herself bristle at the characteristically surly nature of the vampire's greeting.

"Excuse me?" She questioned, not in the mood for Manuel's dramatics. She'd had more than enough with Cindy that morning and resented the fact that the smug vampire believed he could simply 'summon' the girls with his pigeon delivered message earlier that evening. Cindy, bless her little soul, stuck her tongue out at the arrogant vampire; which of course Manuel completely ignored.

"I asked if you were unique among your species but a careful look has assured me that you are not."

"Want to know what I think?" She asked finally.

"Not even a little; but I'm sure you're dying to tell me, so go ahead with your earth shaking revelation." He shuddered delicately, rolling his eyes skyward.

"I think that you feel that you have to insult us every time you see us so we won't realise how much you actually like us."

Slowly he closed his eyes and shook his head. "You've kept me waiting long enough, make haste, we must collect Rapunzel, who has assured me she at least shall be ready, and even so we might not make it in time. _Humans_." He bit off the last word as if it were a curse.

Cindy had just about enough of Manuel's cryptic theatrics. "You summoned, we came, stop wasting time insulting us and tell us what's so important!"

"I will do better than that, I will show you!" And with a truly stage worthy flourish, he re-entered the forest leaving nothing left but for the girls to follow him.

Which of course they did.

### ~~*~~

The vampire had the girls keep a very quick pace, and the lovely Rapunzel was indeed dressed and ready when they arrived. Flushed with excitement she descended her ladder and took Manuel's graciously offered arm.

Cindy and Snow exchanged knowing looks, and then had to race to catch up again. Manuel took them through the forest, quickly and efficiently with an honest to goodness air of excitement; every once in a while looking back to flash an electric smile. Whatever the vampire had to share with them had to be very special indeed. In fact, you could almost find yourself liking the abrasive vampire when he acted like this. Almost.

The forest ground took on a hazy appearance as enchantment smoke floated up over to them causing Snow to gasp instinctively in fear. She held her breath trying not to panic as she reminded herself that tonight they traveled with Manuel, who above all was a strong and fearsome vampire; her heart pounded out an increasingly rapid rhythm none the less.

Manuel stopped as he noticed her apparent alarm, he looked back at her quizzically. Perhaps it was his nearness to Rapunzel but, with more sensitivity than they had thought him capable of, he reached out and took Snow's trembling hand in his own.

"Relax, little human, not all enchantments are for evil. This mist is merely to discourage all who are not invited. A great good, a moment of long awaited beauty is arriving." And then with a quick wink of his beautiful black eye he added. "There is nothing to fear when you travel with me."

And so they continued through unknown parts of the forest until finally they reached a clearing.

The mists abruptly ended in great billowy clouds, leaving open a perfectly green jewel of an outcropping, with an immense and magical waterfall as a backdrop. Stars twinkled in the sky, fairly giddy with joy and the moon, hanging full and high in that same sky, sent magical beams down illuminating the clearing with silver light. Instantly the girls were filled with a sense of awe and joy.

For in the centre of the clearing, bathed in the silvery moonlight, a mother unicorn, white and perfect as freshly fallen snowflakes, tenderly nudged her new born foal. The foal turned soft brown eyes to the newcomers, his tiny horn rubbing against his mother. Snow was sure that she had never laid eyes on anything so perfect in her life.

For a moment they stood there, saying nothing, in awe of the new born foal.

Suddenly the clearing was filled with a rush of rainbow light, and a dozen glowing fairies each bathed in a different color descended in a circle around the mother and child. The forest floor came alive as hundreds of four inch pixies, wings alight with iridescent sparkles marched in to congregate in the clearing as well.

In a reverent whisper Manuel spoke. "The fairies and the pixies come to greet and celebrate the arrival of the new prince. Such has not happened in many years."

The fairies and pixies joined voices in a song that spoke of such beauty and such love, that when they were finished, not a dry eye remained, not even that of Manuel. The sound had filled the clearing, echoing off the forest and left in their hearts a feeling of lightness. As the last note of the song faded, it was taken up again but this time with a wilder, more ancient tone.

Snow gasped as dozens of willowy, tall women slowly glided towards them, dressed in white robes with arms outstretched, their long hair trailing behind. They swayed back and forth with the song, eventually forming a circle. These were the dryads Snow had longed so to see; and they were every bit as beautiful as she had imagined. Crystal voices joined the dryads as three translucent and ethereal water nyads rose from the waterfall and joined the dryads in their song of welcome.

The mists also rose, creating great, white walls surrounding the clearing and the sky above reflected the fairy and pixie light across the moonbeams, creating an iridescent rainbow sky.

Manuel leaned closer to the girls. "All are represented here. The dryads for earth, the nyads for water, fairies for air, pixies for fire and myself for night."

Rapunzel turned to him, and asked in the faintest of whispers. "And to what do we owe the honour of witnessing such an event?"

"Beautiful Rapunzel, you represent day. Now watch, no human has witnessed this in nearly a century."

In awe the girls silently gazed upon the mother unicorn and her new prince. As the last note of the last song slowly trailed off, one by one the fairies knelt in a circle around the unicorns.

"They each give their blessing as fairy godmothers to the new prince." Manuel explained quietly. And they watched as each fairy rose and kissed the unicorn's horn before returning to her place. All the while, the mother looked on with majestic and gentle eyes. Neither Cindy nor Snow had ever seen a unicorn before; they were spoken of often in legend and referred to as the most magical of magical beings. But no one had laid eyes on one in so many years they were believed to be myth.

"Oh crap!" Cindy breathed as the last fairy, the littlest one swathed in pale blue slipped on the damp grass and fell over backwards, her wand rolling towards the edge. Quicker than a cat, Cindy dove after it, rescuing the wand, but not before nearly falling over the edge herself. Now, the wand in question was never actually in peril, as one of the nyads could easily have caught it herself; but that did not diminish Cindy's quick thinking selfless action. The little pale blue fairy found herself touched by Cindy's courage.

"Human child," She tinkled in the sweetest, youngest of voices. "You risked yourself for my wand; and at great risk to yourself. What is your name?"

"Cind, ah Cinderella Vanholston...Great Lady." Cindy stumbled over her words as the young fairy smiled sweetly at the tongue tied girl.

"Cinderella Vanholston, I am called Lailie, I will be _your_ fairy godmother as well; should you truly need me, I will come to your aide." And the little blue fairy touched Cindy with her wand ever so lightly on the forehead. Unsure what to do, Cindy curtsied as a smile of bliss lit her face; and Lailie the fairy stepped forward to bless the unicorn child.

"Quite an honour little human, quite an honour." Manuel whispered beside her.

Snow reached over, eyes shining and clasped Cindy's hand tightly. Rapunzel clasped her other hand, both of them so happy for their friend. It is a rare human who can truly say that they have a fairy godmother.

The magical crowd began to sing again together, fairies, pixies, dryads and nyads as well. The song was so beautiful, Snow felt herself swaying side to side with the dryads. A chorus of voices filled the rainbow skies. As the song faded, all of the magical beings retreated back in to the mist, with the nyads disappearing in the foam of the waterfall. Manuel silently led them through the mist, across the forest and home. No one spoke a word all the way home, but each wore the softest, most contented smile of peace.

Even Manuel.

### ~~*~~

The door at the top of the stairs flung open. The old woman scanned the room anxiously. The sleeping girl in the tower slept on uninterrupted. Finding nothing, she closed the door.

The Mother Goethal had felt the change in Rapunzel. Outwardly she appeared the tall, pale reclusive young woman she had been raised to be. But her eyes, it was in her eyes that The Goethal saw something growing. Awakening. The eyes long referred to as the window to the soul; Rapunzel's eyes shone with a light The Mother Goethal recognised but could not yet identify. The Mother saw it, and hated it.

As she shuffled her way back down the stairs she vowed to keep a closer eye on the girl. Rapunzel's change had started soon after the girls from town had begun bringing the lessons. The Vanholston girl, and Dr. Rutherford's charge. Something about that girl scratched at the old woman's mind, something familiar. The eyes again, something in the eyes.

Maybe it was time to contact "Her".

### ~~*~~

Dinner with the Vanholstons and the Del Grotta's was not something Snow was particularly looking forward to, but a promise is a promise, and so she showed up at the Vanholston mansion at precisely five o'clock. Chalking it up to 'after effects' of the unicorn blessing, she found herself feeling rather peaceful and benevolent. So much so that she even went as far as to allow Cindy to outfit her for the evening.

That might have been a mistake.

Cindy had shrieked with outright glee at the first indication of a yes. Immediately she began to swath Snow in yards of red and white gossamer silk; finally creating a simple floor length gown that crossed over both of her shoulders and swirled around her feet with each step. That would have been just fine with Snow, but when Cindy had attempted to weave white feathers and beads into Snow's already mile high black satin hair do...well Snow lost that particular battle. At least she was more comfortable than if she had been wearing Cindy's high necked bare backed purple concoction; although she did somewhat envy the simple gold chain that draped across her friend's forehead disappearing in her upswept golden curls. At last Cindy deemed them ready.

Caspian Vanholston waited patiently for the teenagers to descend the spiral staircase in the front foyer of his home. Running his hand through his own dark gold curls, his dashing smile reached all the way to his jade green eyes, making the resemblance between him and his daughter unmistakable. The laugh lines around his eyes did nothing to distract from his swashbuckling good looks, and Caspian was and always would be the ultimate gentleman. His smile widened as he watched the two lovely teens slowly descend his long and winding staircase. Like a true gentleman he bowed slightly as they reached the bottom, and offered them each an arm.

With an arm around each young lady, he gracefully steered them to the waiting carriage out by his gardens. Believing himself the luckiest man alive to be escorting two such beautiful young ladies to dinner, he carefully assisted both of the girls in to the stylish carriage.

The Crystal Candelabra was the most elegant restaurant in Turin. Modeled after The Crystal Cerise in Crystallise, the restaurant presented a veritable feast in its opulent private dining rooms. Rich red velvet with gold trimmings, gleaming wood and, yes crystal chandeliers, glassware and candelabras all played their part in creating a truly sumptuous environment.

This was the venue Caspian Vanholston chose to formally introduce The Madame and her two daughters, to his own young daughter; Snow notated that important detail, filing it away to be examined later. Neutral ground, she realised, giving none of them the tactical advantage; good plan she decided as she was convinced this would indeed be a battle. She glanced down at her young friend who appeared to be completely engrossed in a magazine; Snow knew better. Cindy was terrified, emotional and near hysterics. The meeting of the families was considered the 'first step' before announcing a formal engagement. Not knowing what she could say to ease her friend's suffering, she said nothing, instead she reached down and squeezed her friend's little hand, which was exactly the right thing.

As their carriage pulled up alongside the elegant restaurant, Snow noticed the same tall dark haired boy she had noticed outside the school, lounging against the fence.

He was maybe six foot four and dressed entirely in black: black trousers, black shirt, and black vest. He had broad shoulders suggesting impressive muscles, shaggy, longish dark hair and those beautifully unusual eyes. He was very, very attractive in a strong and rugged way, with just a hint of danger. He sniffed the air and looked up, returning Snow's curious gaze, slowly he nodded and a small smile graced his face. She smiled back in return and felt that blush rising up in her cheeks again. When would she ever learn to control it? The blush was still prominently written all over her face, when much to her embarrassment, the great mahogany doors of the opulent restaurant opened and Red Adair and her family walked out. The infamous red head and her cascades of magnificent hair, threw Snow a small smile of recognition before climbing in to her waiting carriage, assisted by a dapper footman. Red was really beautiful. Snow looked back towards the boy to check his reaction to the town beauty, but he seemed to have disappeared again.

Trouble, that's what he was; trouble with a capital T. She hated blushing.

"Huh." Came Cindy's voice from directly behind her. "I wouldn't mind knowing him. Who." She pretended to fan herself. "Are you sure he wasn't looking at us? I mean, we look divine."

Snow laughed. No, he wasn't looking at them, but Snow now had a pretty good idea of whom he _might_ have been waiting for.

### ~~*~~

For some reason she felt restless that night, and after tossing and turning in her bed, Rapunzel rose and went to the window.

The gentle breeze caressed her face and she inhaled deeply, willing the fresh forest air to bring peace and hopefully sleep. She deliberately replayed the songs from the night before in her head as she leaned out of her cold tower window.

It was getting harder to stay in the tower.

Now that she had began to actually taste life, the half life she had been forced to live all of these years seemed almost cruel; her life a sham, her tower a prison. She was overwhelmed by thoughts and emotions she was too afraid to examine.

She opened her eyes. Standing in the moonlight, gazing back at her, was a lone figure in an embroidered black waist coat.

He lifted his hand in a silent greeting. Instantly she felt better. She was no longer alone.

### ~~*~~

Alas, not even a six course feast complete with chocolate strawberries, Snow's unwavering loyalty, and the one glass of sparkling white wine Caspian had allowed his sorrowful daughter could have saved the disastrous evening at The Crystal Candelabra that evening.

Round one: the Madame comments on the importance of structure and adherence to rules when raising young woman; Caspian counters with a declaration about spontaneity and creativity allowing for more well rounded, adaptable young women. The tension becomes inescapable. Snow knows it's bad when the otherwise doting and impossibly polite wait staff begin dropping plates off and running. Even the Violinist manages to overlook their private room.

The Madame purses stained red lips.

Round two; the Madame comments on modesty and age appropriate attire; Caspian celebrates Cindy's artistic talent in the realm of fashion. Snow feels her dinner begin to churn in her stomach.

It must be said for the record that Cindy tried her very hardest that evening, even issuing a friendly greeting to the impassive Madame Morgada and her disdainful daughters. Unfortunately the well meant greeting was not exactly reciprocated, and the dynamic duo found themselves being scrutinized like circus anomalies. To be fair, the dashing Caspian did not fare much better with the twins, but since the Madame was pleased as punch by his presence, as any woman would be, he shrugged the slight off.

Cindy, well Cindy didn't even try after that, and Snow could hardly blame her. Sighing inwardly she berated herself for ever having agreed to bear witness to this disastrous event. Outwardly sighing when she had to rescue Cindy from a tight situation involving the ladies room window, during a highly unsuccessful escape attempt.

The shining point of the evening being when Caspian, fed up with The Morgada's not so veiled attacks on his parenting, Cindy's attire ad nauseum, slapped a wad of bills on the table, and with the girls in tow, strode out of the restaurant to his waiting carriage.

Snow supposed that would be considered the end of round three; knock out.

Cindy danced her way out of the restaurant, convinced that her life was finally looking up. In fact her cloud nine mood held firm all night only bursting when Caspian, contrite and shamed, rushed out of his mansion in the early morning hours to surprise The Madame with several bouquets of priceless flowers in hopes of begging her forgiveness. Snow, having slept over the night before, ran out of the house after her friend when Cindy announced her intention to drown herself in her father's lake. The fact that the lake was more of a pond, and was in fact about three feet deep made no difference, Cindy's intent was clear.

Desperate times call for desperate measures and Snow did the only thing she could think of. She appealed to Uncle Doc.

Dr. Cornelius Rutherford, being a most kind hearted man did the only thing _he_ could think of. He arranged to take both the girls to Crystallise with him that week for his Medical Convention. Whatever the strange turn of events that led the girls to this journey, this holiday in Crystallise would set in motion an entire chain of events that would someday shape the future of all kingdoms.

Chapter 6

Crystallise was a two day journey by carriage from Turin, and that was with fresh horses every eight hours. Had Dr. Rutherford been traveling alone that spring, he very well might have done just that; but since he was now in the company of two young ladies, he decided to travel with a touch more luxury. The Rutherford Party traveled along the most well used tourist road, stopping everyday at a different Bed and Breakfast, in a large well stocked carriage pulled by four bay coloured horses.

This is not to say that the actual travel time was anything but tedious, but the good doctor had taken special care to collect the school work the girls would be missing. Unfortunately only the doctor appreciated his efforts, as they were met with undisguised groans. So as Cindy and Snow reluctantly worked at their lessons, Dr. Rutherford went over his notes and prepared his lectures.

The closer they got to the famed capital city of Lonstas the higher the level of excitement reached. Cindy had been several times with her father, and even Snow a native Rylakian had heard of it; Crystallise was one of the most famous cities in all the known kingdoms. Prince Leonardo, dream man to both Cindy and Snow, not to mention every other teenage girl in the kingdom, was slated as partaking in the convention, and a dinner and dance were scheduled every night. It was a dream vacation, excluding the mandatory homework of course. The only real downside was that Rapunzel couldn't be there too. How she would have loved a chance to see the beautiful city.

Snow felt terrible leaving their lonely friend behind, but both of the teenagers knew there was no way the dreadful Mother Goethal would ever have let the poor girl join them on this trip. She would put an immediate end to the night time adventures too, should she ever find out; Snow cringed at the thought. She often played out the scene in her head should she confess their little crime, but it never ended well for any of them. Obviously things couldn't go on the way they have been forever, but how on earth would you approach such a subject? The time never seemed right; was there ever a good time though? It wasn't that she feared Uncle Doc; she was almost sure that if he knew the full circumstances, he would understand why she might do what she had been doing. Almost sure. Maybe it was the fact that she had been lying to him, well she hadn't actually lied as per say, but lies of omission still count as lies...no matter how wrong that felt sometimes. She really hated the feeling she was letting the good doctor down.

### ~~*~~

Crystallise, by any standards was an incredibly beautiful city, and worthy of all the attention it had garnered on the world stage. Built so that the city backed in to an actual mountain, and surrounded by gleaming white stone walls, it was virtually impenetrable. Although the city possessed several huge gates granting entrance, Lonstas had long since been at peace with the neighbouring kingdoms, and the gates had remained open for years; so long in fact that no one could remember them ever having been closed. It was a huge city with miles of tree strewn roads leading directly in to the city proper.

Crystallise, the actual city proper had several distinct neighbourhoods. The touristy neighbourhood in the north west section was home to the largest congregation of hotels, restaurants, gaming rooms and entertainment venues in the city. Although you could find a hotel, restaurant or pub in other sections of the city, Laureate, as it was referred to by the locals was the one area where you couldn't take ten steps without passing another impromptu performance by actors, dancers or musicians all anxious to be discovered and perform to great celebration on one of the many main stages across the kingdoms. The 'strip' was a constant hit with the tourists. Lit by thousands of bright lights, it just begged attention, and it got it. It was never, never quiet in Laureate.

Across the main road, the south western section, or Homner, as it was called was home to a large, eclectic shopping district. This was the location that one day Cindy hoped to open her design studio. Designers, boutiques, all sorts of shops were laid out in perfect cobblestone streets. Why, anything you could think of could be found in shops and vendors in Homner. Quaint cafes strategically placed at several intersections provided rest and sustenance for weary shoppers.

South east, or Wilcox, was a residential neighbourhood. Home to the very wealthy, it was meticulously groomed, with beautifully maintained parks and large pristine looking schools. The water fountains that graced these parks, it is said, were gifts from a Dwarf King several centuries ago. Chiselled out of solid granite these fountains depicted water nymphs and fairies greeting the morning sunlight; remarkable workmanship.

North east was known as Rosen. Again a residential area although not quite as wealthy as Wilcox, it sported a fun and riotous feel. Small pubs, flea markets and colourful playgrounds dominated the middle class neighbourhood. Children played hide and seek up and down weathered cobblestone streets, while mothers gossiped as they hung out the daily laundry on the lines.

Pulling these four sections together was Centre Court, which as the name implies was right in the middle of Crystallise. Centre Court was home to the great libraries, universities, hospitals and law courts in the kingdom. The statue in the actual centre court of Centre Court was that of a man, in robes with a great beard flowing down, each arm raised upwards to the sky holding a book. The inscription read "Dare to Dream". Horse drawn cabs and carriages awaiting weary travelers ready to take them to any point in the much beloved city, used Centre Court as their base.

At the far west nestled in to the Crystal Mountain, was The Charming Family Palace. The huge, glorious castle sported dozens of turret towers and several domed roof sections complete with stained glass windows. Bright green ivy crawled up the stone walls of the famous castle, intermixing with another vine that bore small bright red flowers. This created the effect that the castle was strewn with green and red jewels. The garden in the centre of the palace was said to be without peer, its beauty magical. Surrounding the castle were several large estates held by various dukes and lords of the Aristocracy, each more beautiful than the next. Reaching past the castle and upwards on the mountain, sheppard's and goat herders made their home in a more rustic style similar to the small subdivisions on the miles of outskirts outside the city proper, although still within the massive city walls. And there were a great many wealthy estates that preferred to make their home just outside the bustling city as well. All of this fell under the umbrella of "Crystallise".

### ~~*~~

Uncle Doc chose to book a suite in Centre Court; he would be close to the convention site, and the girls would have the use of the fabulous cab system to explore the Homner district. Cindy begged o be allowed to visit Laureate with Snow, but on this Uncle Doc put his foot firmly down. Laureate was far too dangerous for the teens to explore un-chaperoned; he did, after much pleading, promise to take the girls himself before they left. Cindy took that as a win.

With Uncle Doc busy registering, the girls found they had the entire evening free for exploring. Cindy delightedly went over the tourist map of Crystallise, pointing put various 'hot spots' they just _had_ to see. Although there were several fabulous options, Snow let Cindy choose the night's destination. Cindy chose the "Cat Walk" in Homner, firmly stating that it would be a defining moment in Snow's life; it had been in hers. Snow wasn't convinced but she decided not to burst Cindy's bubble of joy with her doubts.

The Cat Walk, was an outdoor fashion event showcasing the talents of Crystallise's most prominent up and coming designers. Set under a tent in Homner's only park, models wearing the newest and most innovative of the designs would parade up and down the centre walkway. Cutting edge musicians played at various stages and more than one celebrity was bound to show up; this tended to bring even more cache to the event; you never quite knew who you would run in to at the "Cat Walk", and anything was possible.

The event was officially a hit when hoards of paparazzi descended, and how Cindy happened to end up in the pictures of both the Grand Duchess Aria and The great elf Frieda no one will ever know. Snow, quite sensibly opted for anonymity. She almost succeeded.

Almost.

Cindy clasped her hands together and watched the models make their way past with such excitement that Snow couldn't help but get swept away with it as well.

Homner was exactly Cindy's kind of place.

### ~~*~~

"Yes, that's all fine and dandy, but how are you going to test your theories?" a stout Devonian asked.

Uncle Doc was a very good public speaker, but somehow Snow just couldn't concentrate on his speech that day, so as he explained the various methods used to keep infection at bay, she let her mind wander. Idly she scanned the room, physicians from the four main ingdoms were represented, local physicians from Lonstas of course, The Republic of Sarrilia, or the leaderless Sarrilian Kingdom as the Devonian's called them, the overly led Devon Kingdom with their dozens of petty kings all owing fealty to their High King and of course, Rylak. Snow closed her eyes as she thought about her former kingdom; the homesickness was overwhelming. How she yearned to see her father, smell the chrysanthemums that grew just outside her window; how she missed her life sometimes. It wasn't that she was lacking anything in her new life as Snowy Rutherford, Dr. Rutherford's adopted niece, it was just homesickness plain and simple. Sometimes she missed being Snow White.

Years ago Rylak had moved in on the undefended Sarrilian Kingdom, intent on enveloping and occupying the mysterious land. The Kings of Rylak had always been practical, if not a tad opportunistic, in that her father was different. King Roland was a firm diplomat; or had been until illness had struck him down, her stepmother, the beautiful Rosalyn was somewhat less so. So the Rylakian occupation of Sarrilia had not gone over well with the reigning King of Lonstas, the most powerful Kingdom at the time, the occupation had been labelled hostile; Lonstas had intervened. The king placed a regent of sorts from the Sarrilian capital city to stand in for the missing Royal Family. That had been one hundred years ago. This had created a sort of Republic instead of a kingdom, the first in recorded history. These regents were elected by the people in a democratic vote, and so far the system had worked. Rylak had never really gotten over it. The history Snow had been taught with regards to the situation was somewhat different than that taught by the teachers in Lonstas.

Snow wondered if she would recognise any of the Rylakian physicians. Suddenly she gasped and began to sweat. How could she have been so stupid! If she recognised them, they would in turn recognise her! Of course the Rylakians would recognise her; she was their Crown Princess after all; there were portraits of her everywhere across the land. So she recognised _them_ , they recognised _her_ and returned home tell the queen, her stepmother and...just when the room began to swim from panic she remembered the enchantment Manuel had procured for her. The purple smoke that had enveloped her had _felt_ like the real deal but...

She really, really hoped it worked because it looked like it was about to be tested right now; she trembled slightly and thought for one horrible moment that she might get sick. Realising again what a stupid idea this was to attend one of Doc's lectures, Snow barely dared to breathe as the foremost physician in all of Rylak made his way towards her. Just as she felt the colour drain from her already pale face and the room began to swim, she felt a strong hand take hers...Uncle Doc.

When he had finished his speech and came to stand beside her she had no idea, but it appeared that the Rylakian physician was heading for Uncle Doc...not her. She managed to focus on something to the left of the men, so not to tempt fate with a dead on look, as her heart beat a thundering rhythm beneath her ribs.

The two men shook hands, congratulating each other on recent discoveries; Snow breathed a sigh of relief. Apparently Manuel's spell had really and truly worked; should she thank him she wondered? No, she decided he would only take it as an excuse to insult her in some way. How, she wasn't sure, but Manuel was nothing if not creative. That insufferable vampire. Tomorrow's lecture was about vampires, she made a mental note to attend; the more she understood about him the better. As the Rylakian moved on without a second look at her, Snow felt herself begin to relax.

"Dr. Rutherford, your books on infection prevention, were truly some of the most inspiring I have read; and I love your theory on the correlation between compromised water supplies and plagues." A soft and intelligent voice remarked.

How nice, she thought, a student thanking Uncle Doc for his constant contributions to the medical world. Smiling she looked up...in to the beautiful blue eyes of Prince Leonardo Charming himself! Her breath stopped in her lungs and she thought she lost the power of speech.

He. Was. There. Really there, all perfect six foot two of him! And he was smiling! At her! Holy Crap!

"Snowy, this is Leo; he is the finest medical student at the university. Snowy is my...niece and she has been kind enough to accompany an old man across the kingdom." Uncle Doc introduced.

Leo? He calls him Leo? Perhaps she was going mad, Snow thought.

"Snowy, how wonderful to meet you. You must be very proud of your uncle; he is certainly the star lecturer at this convention." He took her hand and kissed the back of it. Prince Charming had just kissed her hand. Cindy was going to faint when she heard.

"It is wonderful to meet you as well your Highness." She responded automatically, with a small curtsy. Good manners had been drilled in to her in Castle White as long as she could remember. "I always stand in awe of my uncle."

"Please, call me Leo; when I'm at school I'm just Leo." He replied with a devastating smile and a twinkle in his famous blue eyes. That smile, the was the same one he wore in the picture she had framed and currently hung over her bed; which was all rather bizarre. She was sure her cheeks were flaming.

"Leo." She repeated with a shy smile, endlessly thankful for her decorum training. He was even better looking in person though; way better.

The gorgeous prince turned back to the little Doctor. "Dr. Rutherford, if I may, do you have plans for dinner tomorrow evening? I would be honoured if you would dine with me and discuss your latest book?"

She forgot how to breathe.

### ~~*~~

So, if Snow was having trouble breathing at the thought of dining with the most eligible bachelor in the Kingdom, in all Kingdoms, then Cindy was downright catatonic. Lying sideways across the bed, she simply stared at the ceiling.

"Tell me again. Tell me everything again." Cindy managed.

Snow, sitting on the chair, hands clasped around her knees, slowly recited the whole story yet again.

"He kissed your hand..." Cindy whispered in apparent awe, her eyes big like saucers.

"Yup." Snow confirmed. To be honest¸ she was getting a bit tired of rehashing the whole five minute meeting. Yes, it was amazing to finally meet the 'man of her (and every other red blooded teenager's) dreams', but now that she had a few moments to think about it, it really wasn't that big of a deal. The strange thing was, he didn't act like anything other than a gentlemanly university student. Certainly not like the girls had imagined him, most fantasies had him swooping in on white winged horseback, sword drawn, and emitting a great battle cry. But in all honesty, most of those fantasies also involved massive dragons or hungry ogres at the very least. No, none of their fantasies had ever been about Prince Leonardo Charming, "Med Student".

" _Leo_ " He'd said. " _When I'm at school I'm just Leo._ " Okay then, actually that was a minor relief. It would be so much easier acting normal around a nice med student named "Leo", than it would be with "Prince Leonardo Charming, heir to the throne, defender of the kingdom"...

So Leo he would be. Maybe he was as uncomfortable with all the pomp, hoopla and whatnot, as she herself was...had been. Not that Snowy Rutherford accorded any pomp, hoopla or whatnot, but Snow White certainly had. Hmmm. Maybe they had something in common; not that she could tell him though. So that was a completely pointless thought. Sometimes it really bit at her, having to hide her identity; but if she wanted to live, she had to be Snowy Rutherford...forever. Sometimes the idea of never going home again felt less like a rescue, and more like a punishment. Another pointless thought.

So tomorrow night they would be joining Prince Charming for dinner. That they _had_ fantasised about, but she supposed, those fantasies had been about "Prince Charming", this dinner was with "Leo". He did have the best smile she had ever seen, something about it just made you feel good.

She let herself be dragged off by Cindy in search of the perfect outfit. This was after all, dinner with the Prince to Cindy, no matter what he decided to call himself.

### ~~*~~

"Vampires, have lived among us for as long as anyone can remember." The healer started off, his refined, clear voice effortlessly carrying across the lecture hall. This was his moment to unveil and discuss the recent breakthroughs the medical community in Sarrilia had made, in their quest to bring vampires, biologically speaking, back in to the folds of society. Uncle Doc had expressed special interest in this presentation; the room was understandably packed.

This was a huge task by any standards, and Snow had to admire the elf for championing it. Even here in Lonstas, with the ever growing equality and coexistence movement, certain biases still remained. There would always be those ready to point a finger and cry 'monster' at anything and anyone different then themselves. And those sorts typically cried loudest.

"No" He continued. "I am not speaking of the lusty blood thirsty _fictitious_ creatures of legend-" The tall pale Sarrilian elf was cut off by a squat looking man with an overgrown grey beard.

"Do you deny they drink the blood of their victims? Do you deny they live outside human laws and conventions?" The man shouted.

"I am not here to discuss their rumoured nutritional needs I-" Again the elf was cut off.

"Nutritional needs! They drink blood! A Fact!" The squat man, with the sharp Devonian accent shouted back, opening his arms to the crowd for support. "They want to drink _our_ blood!"

"You can't go around making accusations based on superstition and rumour-" The tall pale elf tried in vain to talk over the rumblings of the crowd.

"If the vampires need help so desperately, why are they not here making an appeal to the medical community directly?" A sly looking Devonian, with a bad comb-over remarked.

"If we held conventions after the sun went down, I have no doubt they would attend. But as it is, it is physically impossible for a vampire to attend a daylight lecture. That is why I-" The Sarrilian reminded.

Snow's eyes got larger and she bit her lip, wondering why these Devonian's were so intent on discrediting vampires, and this Sarrilian healer. They just might incite a riot if they kept this up.

"Perhaps the vampires do not really desire a vaccination against sunlight; perhaps they view it as easier to...satisfy their needs under cover of darkness." The same sly Devonian smugly replied; the crowd began to roar again. "Perhaps that is why they self-govern in their own hidden and secret covens."

"There has not been a documented case of a vampire slaying in over fifty years. Of course they live outside our laws, they keep separate, and they have to! Do I need to remind you what we have done to them?" The exasperated elf shot back as loudly as he could.

He, of course was referring to "The Burning Times", a terrible chapter of human history where vampire covens were hunted and either burned outright, or left open for the sun to destroy the helpless vampires as they lay paralyzed. Whole communities of the beautiful creatures executed ruthlessly while they slept. Well, they slept until the sun's rays hit them that was, then they writhed and screamed in agony as they burned from the inside out. As a result, vampires had become even more reclusive, and very territorial; they guarded their safe places with a fierce determination. They lived outside human society, governing themselves, painted as devils and villains by unsubstantiated rumour.

Snow considered Manuel, the only vampire she had ever met. Was he scary? Absolutely. Was he irritating, condescending and arrogant? No doubt about it. But she had never actually witnessed him do anything in the least bit violent. Was he capable of violence? Undeniably, but he did seem to adhere to some sort of moral code; maybe not her moral code exactly, but he definitely wasn't lawless. Was he a devil or a villain? No, no that he wasn't.

"What I'm trying to say, is that if perhaps it was possible for them to be more fully a part of society, if they weren't in constant danger, I believe the majority of the vampires would-" Again a roar rose from the back.

"Bring killers in to our schools? Entertain savages in our homes? Never!" One irate and red faced woman shouted. Several people began to nod encouragingly. Suddenly it was very, very loud in the auditorium.

"Please!" The elf tried to speak over the uproar. "Please, I have made a discovery that could change everything!"

"Keep the monsters in the bushes!" A tall, thin Devonian started and several others took up the chant. Everywhere she looked Snow saw the ugly faces of bigotry. The riot had begun.

"Humans." The elf lamented sadly. "Always so ready to hate that which you don't understand."

With his elegant head hung low, the Sarrilian elf healer collected his papers and left the podium. It was over before it even began.

Snow snuck a look over at Leo, who met her eyes and sadly shook his head.

### ~~*~~

"Thank you Swardish¸ but I truly do not believe I will ever have the opportunity to test the serum. I have yet to discover a suicidal vampire." Uncle Doc said as he accepted several red star shaped vials from the Sarrilian healer. Both healers laughed a little at the idea. "Tell me how you conducted your tests again?"

The elf, seated comfortably in an arm chair by the fire in Uncle Doc's room, took a deep breath, crossed his long legs and began. "Well Cornelius, there are many Vampire Covens in Sarrilia that aided my research in donating vials of their blood. You see, that is why I believe there should be, and can be an end to this...this 'segregation' for lack of a better word. Without their approval and support I could never have discovered this breakthrough. Rumour and superstition have painted these beings as monsters and 'Devils of the Night', I suppose out of fear they have not openly discouraged it; but they are anything but. It was through these samples, from various Sarrilian Covens that I created my serum, and the samples provided my means of testing its potency as well."

"Fascinating." Uncle Doc commented.

"We know that the blood burns first, so I hypothesised that were I to create a serum to stop the blood from burning, to isolate the flammable component, the vampire might be saved as well." Swardish continued. "I started with comparing vampire blood to human blood, a daunting task, but finally I made a breakthrough. My first samples burned immediately upon first rays of the sun, but eventually they began burning slower and slower until finally I isolated the problem. My findings might solve their...nutritional needs as well, but I have much more research to do in that regard before I announce anything. Although I do think it all comes down to the blood. The newest batch of clinical tests on vampire blood soaked objects, has proven highly successful. But, as you can understand I have yet to convince a living vampire to take part in these tests." He sighed.

Uncle Doc lit a pipe. "That will prove problematic my friend."

"Yes." Agreed the elf. "But we are men of science, we have to try; we could do nothing less."

Uncle Doc chuckled at his new friend's frank wisdom and poured them both a glass of wine.

### ~~*~~

Dinner with Prince Charming. No, Snow corrected herself, it was dinner with "Leo", hard working med student. Apparently someone forgot to tell the wait staff at the restaurant that, because those ladies were tripping over themselves in their efforts to ensure he didn't have to ask for a thing. You would think seeing as he resided in Crystallise that this would be a common place event; obviously not.

Cindy and Snow ate in relative silence, sneaking peaks at the gorgeous prince and listening in to the conversation Leo and Uncle Doc were having about infectious outbreaks. Needless to say they didn't feel the need to add anything to that particular topic. Watching the two men converse, the girls almost forgot that one of them was the Crown Prince of the Kingdom, even if the wait staff didn't. Eventually they topic changed to the aborted vampire lecture that afternoon. Now that Snow _was_ very curious about.

"Tell me why the Devonians hate the Sarrilians so much. I feel like the riot this afternoon was racially targeted, not only against vampires, but against Sarrilians as well. I have never heard of any war, I don't understand the hostility. Is there something I don't know?" Snow asked.

"That is a rather mysterious story, some would call it a legend. Wouldn't you agree Leo?" Uncle Doc asked.

"Oh yes. One of my favourites actually." Leo replied with a small smile.

"Why don't you tell it then, I would be interested in hearing a new version." Uncle Doc asked.

"I would love to."

"It was in the time of my great grandfather," Leo began reflectively. "The Sarrilian Kingdom was in a state of celebration as King Stefan had announced the impending marriage of his only daughter Aurora, to the Devonian Prince Phillip. It was, as I recall hearing, her sixteenth birthday." He stopped for a moment. "But people married much younger then of course."

"Of course." Uncle Doc agreed.

"The invitations were sent out to all kingdoms to come and share in the festivities. My great grandfather, who was at that time still a young man, prepared for the trip to Sarrilia bringing with him his new queen, Queen Nadia, my great grandmother. So excited were they to join in the celebration having recently been married themselves. And it was said that the young Princess Aurora was thrice blessed having had the blessing of three fairies, each vowing godmother oaths. And, as you know fairies rarely pledge themselves godmother to humans." He continued.

Cindy smiled. "I know." She said quietly, thinking about Lailie, her very own pale blue fairy godmother.

"The journey was pleasant and uneventful, they said, until they neared the good King Stefan's Castle that is; for then a great storm appeared. Swirling, dark ominous clouds surrounded them, lightning struck trees in their path and torrential rain pelted them mercilessly, the closer traveled towards the castle, the more violent it became. They took shelter for the night, and when they awoke a strange mist had filled the valley. Now, My great grandmother swore she heard malicious laughter in the air throughout the strange storm, but she always had a flair for the dramatics. Perhaps that is where my brother Nickoli gets it." Leo laughed at the thought.

Snow smiled, she too had a close someone with a certain dramatic flair. She looked over at Cindy, who was gazing at Leo with rapt attention; this story was new for both girls.

"Fighting through the mists, a great weariness set upon them, but still the marched on attempting to make their way to the castle. Try as they may, they could never find it. They searched for King Stefan's Castle for two days, before giving up and returning home. All the while fighting the strange sleepiness that filled their every minute."

"What happened to it? To the castle I mean." Snow had to know; castles just didn't disappear. There had to be a logical explanation for it.

"It has never been found. King Stefan, his lovely wife the Queen Inga, Aurora and Phillip have never been seen again. And what's more, the wedding guests that arrived before my great grandfather have never been seen either. Historians have searched for the lost castle, but never has anyone come close to finding it. It remains one of the great mysteries of this world." Leo explained with a shake of his head.

"What do the Sarrilians say about it?" Snow asked.

Uncle Doc answered. "For years rumours of a malevolent rogue fairy have circulated, and they lay the blame on her malevolent feet. But for a fairy to wreak that kind of havoc is unprecedented, perhaps even impossible. I mean we are talking about the total destruction and disappearance of an entire castle full of people. And not only the castle, the entire courtly village. It seems improbable. The magic needed to achieve this would be...unimaginable."

"You're right of course." The Prince said with a smile. "As a child I had always dreamed of going to Sarrilia and finding the Castle. Solving the mystery I suppose; if my grandfather had been just a little bit earlier, perhaps I would not be sitting here."

"So, the Devonians blame the Sarrilians?" Snow reasoned.

"Correct." Uncle Doc answered. "They lost their most promising prince; they had hoped that the alliance of one of their princes with the Sarrilian princess would result in improved trade deals and prosperity for both kingdoms. Instead they lost their prince, and Sarrilia became a Republic. They felt cheated and had to blame someone."

"That's so sad." Cindy murmured. "So now they reject any innovation made by a Sarrilian, based solely on the fact that they are Sarrilian. It doesn't make any sense."

"Hatred and racism rarely do." Snow said with a shake of her head.

"A rare insight for someone eighteen." Leo remarked.

"Sixteen. Snowy's sixteen." Uncle Doc said in a firm voice.

"Seventeen in two months." Cindy put in quickly. "Me in three."

"Sixteen." Prince Charming said with a glorious smile. "You will be a marvel in five or ten years."

Snow blushed a deep red under his intense gaze; damn it she hated blushing. But that seemed to mollify the good doctor...somewhat, although he wasn't sure how he felt about the look that the prince had given his beloved Snow.

"Lonstas has come far in paving the way for equality; it will be up to your generation to take the fight to the next level." Uncle Doc commented.

Prince Leonardo nodded slowly, fully understanding that the battle for equality had only just begun.

The rest of the evening went by far too fast for either one of the girls; although, Leo did promise to send an invitation to the Palace Ball, which was only a day away, for Uncle Doc and the girls. While Snowy and Cindy stared in stunned silence, Uncle Doc politely accepted and thanked the prince for both his company and his thoughtfulness. Recovering their power of speech the girls managed to stammer out a thank you of their own. Barely.

The gold inlaid invitation arrived first thing in the morning. It smelled like lilacs.

### ~~*~~

As Snow stood in the Grand Entrance way of The Charming Family Palace, she was for perhaps the first time, so, so glad she had let Cindy dress her. Surrounded by some of the most beautiful, perfectly dressed people she had ever seen, she would have felt quite out of place had she gone with her original choice. But her deep rose coloured form fitting, strapless floor length satin gown was as simple as it was elegant. Her hair had been brushed to a sleek sheet, back from her face and fell to the small of her back, a simple rose the same color as her gown was placed behind her ear. Cindy, jade eyes shining like jewels in her jade green, velvet dress clasped her hand and nudged her forward to the reception butler.

"Lady Snow Rutherford and the Lady Cinderella Vanholston." He announced.

Cindy gave her hand a squeeze and they stepped in to the ballroom.

The orchestra played from a marble stage to the left of the dome shaped room. The ceilings were easily three stories high, magnificent skylights strategically placed across the ceiling allowed snippets of star lit sky to grace the room. White marble columns rose up majestically with golden wall sconces, story high painted glass windows lined the rounded walls, white lilies and red roses filled the room. Gorgeous bejewelled couples glided past moving in time to the exquisite music, and wait staff carrying trays laden with food and drink floated around the room. Snow scanned the room looking for a familiar face, one familiar face in particular. And then she found it.

Prince Leonardo's gentle blue eyes lit up when his gaze settled on Snow. Instantly she blushed, and then cursed herself because that blush would be painfully obvious set against her naturally pale skin. He smiled and began crossing the room towards her. Her eyes widened in utter disbelief when she realised that _she_ was his destination.

"Snowy Rutherford!" He exclaimed as he caught both of her hands and formally kissed them before returning them and catching Cindy's. "Miss Cinderella." He winked at Cindy who appeared to be on the verge of passing out.

"Your Royal Highness." She replied and deeply curtsied.

"No, no. Stop that, I told you it was Leo. Just Leo." He protested with another devastating smile.

"Ah," Snow teased lightly. "That was for when you were in school, here you are His Royal Highness, Prince Leonardo Charming."

The prince in question, smiled widely at Snow's gentle tease.

Just then a dashing young man appeared at Leo's side. Cindy flashed her brightest smile.

"Sir Jacob Lindstone, may I present Miss Snow Rutherford and Miss Cinderella Vanholston. They have accompanied Dr. Rutherford from Turin to attend the medical conferences in Centre Court. Speaking of which, where is the doctor this evening?"

"He was asked to sit in on a very delicate surgery at University Hospital, he sends his regrets but he will not be in attendance this evening." Snow felt terrible that Uncle Doc would miss this magical evening, but overjoyed that he had allowed both her and Cindy to attend without him. They had to return by midnight, Cindy had pouted at that, but Snow readily agreed.

"Ah, I see. Then I shall be your chaperone for this evening." He replied playfully, to which Cindy almost swooned.

Sir Jacob bowed to each in turn. "Miss Cinderella, would you care to dance? If that would not offend Your Highness." He inquired.

"Miss Cinderella is free to dance with whomever she chooses, providing she saves one dance for me."

Blushing, Cindy accepted Sir Jacob's offered arm, but not without sending a questioning look Snow's way. Snow didn't know how to respond, so she kept her face blank.

"Snow. That's a very unusual name." Leo turned to her.

"Not really, I think its gaining momentum." Snow defended, unable to believe that she was actually standing in the Charming Palace, in Crystallise of all places, bantering words with 'The Prince Leonardo Charming' of her fantasies.

"Perhaps you are right. Isn't the Rylakian princess named Snow?" He inquired casually.

Her heart froze.

"Yes, I think it is." He continued. "I met her once when she was a small child, although we haven't socialised much with King Roland since he has taken ill. Still "Snow", one tends to remember such unusual names."

She didn't know what to say. They had in fact met many years ago, before her mother had died, but obviously he would never recognise her now. Her mother had died when she was five, and the world had changed unimaginably in the eleven years since. What could she say? A big part of her was tired of having to always hide who she was, pretend to be a penniless runaway, but her very safety required that she conceal her identity, lie if she had to. Both being crown heirs of their Kingdoms, there was so much they could have shared, so much they could have spoken on. But she could say none of it; and it hurt.

So she simply said nothing at all. Leo, sensing her distress led her out through the ballroom to the terrace.

Opening the cut glass door and stepping out on to the terrace, Snow felt revived by the sweet breeze that swept by and caressed her face, playfully pulling at her carefully coiffed hair. Inhaling deeply she closed her eyes and took a moment to collect herself. The sky was alive with twinkling stars, and the lights of the city further down the mountain sang out to her, the delicious scents of lilacs, roses and cinnamon combined tickled at her nose, truly this was a magical evening. And she was alive to enjoy it, she was _alive_. She thought on that for a moment. Yes, she was alive to enjoy this. She supposed that in the end, it didn't really matter if her name was Snow White or Snowy Rutherford, the point was she was here, alive, enjoying a wonderful evening. Holding on the balcony she lifted her face up to the night sky. Somewhere out there, her father was being wheeled out on to his balcony to enjoy the stars. The same stars Snow gazed up at right now. She took comfort in that, they gazed upon the same sky, and she vowed that she would see her father again one day, no matter what.

"Snowy?" He asked gently from beside her. "Are you alright?"

She turned to him and saw the concern on his face, she hadn't meant to alarm him; but for some reason it touched her, The prince...Leo...was really just a nice guy. A really nice guy; the kingdom would be in safe hands when he ascended to the throne, of that she was quite sure. Although she would always be a loyal member of his fan club, she didn't think she would ever view him in quite the same way. He was real.

"I'm okay." She said, focusing again on the here and now. "I really am." He nodded and smiled as he stood beside her letting the breeze caress his face as well; intuitively he realised that she didn't need for him to say anything more, only that he stand there with her. So he did. And for a long moment they did just that; enjoyed the city lights and the scented breeze in surprisingly companionable silence.

The rest of the evening sped by with both Snow and Cindy dancing with several noblemen always under the watchful eye of their self appointed chaperone, Leo. Of course they each danced with him as well, delighted to be acting out at least one of their school girl fantasies. He may not have swept in on a white winged horse, but he was a very, very good dancer. And what teenage girl wouldn't feel like a princess being twirled around the palace dance floor by a very handsome and eligible prince.

Arranging for the girls to be taken home in one of the Royal Families own carriages, Leo ensured that the girls both made it home safely before their midnight curfew.

### ~~*~~

Just one more small thing about the trip to Crystallise, Uncle Doc did in fact escort the girls to the famed Laureate district. Musicians of every background, jammed together on street corners, dancers, mimes and actors filled the venues. They took in two shows, a lovely theatrical retelling of the fable 'The Princess and the Frog', and a more modern, dance inspired chorus show. Cindy wanted to try her luck at the tables, but one stern look from Uncle Doc put an end to that idea. After hours of walking up and down the cobblestone roads of 'The Strip', the girls were only too happy to retire to their beds that evening.

But to be completely honest, nothing, not even Laureate with all of its outrageous splendour and nonstop excitement, could top the enchanted evening they spent at the Charming Family Palace. Leo, a fan of the good doctor's work had promised to pop in and say hello next time he was in Turin, which would most likely be sooner rather than later. At the time, it felt like all of their dreams were coming true.

Chapter 7

It was a simple picture in a trashy tabloid magazine.

The article was about the stunning turnout at the latest Cat Walk, in the trendsetting Homner district of Crystallise.

"Mirror, mirror, on the wall,"  
"Who's the fairest of them all?" She'd idly asked, while running a brush through her masses of glossy, black hair. Now truly, Rosalyn of Rylak was a great beauty, especially now dressed in her white lace and silk dressing gown, her black tresses cascading down her back in thick, glossy waves.

"T'would be you by far, to hear the talk"  
"But they haven't seen Snow White, attending the Cat Walk." The mirror answered.

The Queen's expression changed from peaceful contentment to dark and dangerous rage. With one arm she violently pushed everything off her dressing room table, shattering bottles, vases and vials against the marble floor; with the other she made a fist tightening gesture and the red velvet curtains suddenly ripped off the windows and fell in a heap in the centre of the room.

"Maidens!" Her deafening scream ripped through the room.

Two timid and terribly frightened young girls, in matching red uniforms with long white aprons and tightly braided hair, quickly slipped in through the door, and stood on either side of it; heads hung low, they curtsied and awaited their command.

"Bring me the latest Lonstasian tabloid magazine." She ordered. "Do it now!" She screamed.

Both girls scrambled for the door, each attempting to be the first out of the door and away from their terrifying monarch. When Rosalyn of Rylak was in a mood, and that was more often than not lately, no one wanted to be anywhere within her reach. Rosalyn strode to the door pushing each girl aside with a flick of her wrist.

"Bring it to my breakfast terrace, and clean this up." And she left through the door, slamming it shut behind her with another flick of her wrist.

Jealousy ate at Rosalyn's heart, just as it always had; but it was much more than that. Passing her husband's sick room on her way to the breakfast terrace, Rosalyn paused, sagging against the door frame. Roland was still asleep, looking pale and gaunt against the covers; it broke her heart. King Roland of Rylak was stricken by a terribly debilitating disease; all of the healers in Rylak were scrambling to find a cure, and had been for years. Rosalyn had personally funded hundreds of researchers, so desperate was she to save her husband.

Desperation can drive a woman to commit heinous acts; and it had. It certainly had.

So, now at the queen's breakfast table in her private breakfast terrace, lay a very popular Lonstasian tabloid.

It was a simple picture, in that trashy tabloid; the article was about the stunning turnout at the latest Cat Walk in the trendsetting Homner district of Crystallise. But the picture, the picture was of an equally stunning teenager, innocently caught on camera as she unknowingly stood beside an infamous elvish beauty and her rakishly handsome gypsy beau.

And Snow White did look beautiful.

### ~~*~~

The walls felt as if they were closing in around her, her lonely tower room grew smaller and smaller by the day. With Snow and Cindy gone this past week, Rapunzel had not seen another living soul, save the Mother Goethal, who had become increasingly suspicious and hostile. Her one solace, the lone figure standing in the moonlight nightly; and the rose of perfect proportions left on her windowsill each morning.

How long had she spent in this tower, never making the long trek down the stairs? Long enough to forget the layout of the house beneath her. How many years? She had no idea, she had no memory of any other home. It seemed inconceivable that she could have endured all of this for so long. How many days had she gone without uttering a single word, she had lost count; the thought frightened her.

There had been a tutor many years ago, a kindly older woman whom Rapunzel had loved with her whole heart, but a loud argument with The Mother Goethal, about the benefits of sun to a growing child, as the tutor attempted to carry the five year old Rapunzel down the stairs, had ended that relationship. She had never laid eyes on the tutor again.

Since that day on, the only door remained locked until just before her lessons arrived each day; The Mother kept the key on her person. Why she was locked in, she had no idea. What had she done? She was too afraid to ask. So she lived her life in a daze, only fully awakening when she met Cindy, Snow...and Manuel.

Sometimes she imagined attempting an escape; but an escape to where? Rapunzel had no idea; she had no family. This past week had seemed ten times its length, trapped in the monotony of her existence in her cold tower. Thank goodness the girls would be returning soon. Their appearance, and the simple rope ladder crafted by Cindy had provided the only other way out of the tower. Somewhere deep inside, Rapunzel knew she couldn't go on like this forever, that there was something very wrong with her life as it was. She began asking herself questions:

Had the Mother ever loved her? Was she even her Mother? For some reason Rapunzel had never been sure of that; she had been instructed to call her "Mother Goethal", but never "Mama" or "Mom". Where was her father? Never had there been mention of a father as far as she could remember; this only added to her growing suspicion that The Mother Goethal was not in fact her mother at all. But if she was not Rapunzel's mother, who was she and why was she jailing her? Suddenly Rapunzel felt so tired; so many questions, and no one who could ever answer them.

The Mother entertained strange and loathsome beings at times, Rapunzel never made mention of these as in fact the very appearance of these creatures frightened her. Goblins, trolls, witches, sometimes even Imps. Very strange friends for a lonely old mother to tea with; and now, The Mother had taken to checking on her in the dead of night. Throwing her tower door open, The Mother would stand there watching, as she pretended to sleep, before finally leaving and relocking the door behind her. Rapunzel could almost feel her hard, hostile eyes boring a hole in her back. She had grown to loathe the sound of the locks clicking.

Sighing, she returned to her seat in front of the window. The moon had just risen; he would arrive any moment now. He was all she had to look forward to most days. He would arrive moments after the sun set and the moon rose majestically, he would stand just inside the clearing. He would wave in silent greeting, and she would watch him until she retired to her bed; content in the knowledge that she was not alone. He stayed until she fell deeply asleep, always leaving a rose and a note on her windowsill for her to find each morning.

Manuel.

### ~~*~~

Hotels beds, as inviting and comfortable as they might be with their freshly laundered blankets and cool crisp sheets, can't hold a candle to your own bed. That's why as soon as Snow had unpacked, and given a special greeting and hug to each of Uncle Doc's six sweet brothers, she did what can only be described as a swan dive, on to her own big cushy bed.

What bliss. Within seconds she was out.

A very annoying rapping at her window, brought her back from a very romantic dream involving Prince Leonardo and a marble dance floor. Burrowing her head under the pillow, she tried in vain to block out the sound. No, no, no.

Rap. Rap, rap, rap.

She growled softly to avoid uttering a word that she had once overheard in the stables back home in Rylak, and realised that the noise was not going to stop unless she did something about it. Completely annoyed, Snow sprang out of bed and flung open her window, only to find herself eyeball to eyeball with an enormous grey and blue pigeon...a grey and blue pigeon with a note rolled and strapped to one foot.

Crap. Crap. And crap. There was only one being she knew, that employed a pigeon for communication.

Manuel.

The big jerk.

Sighing, she removed the note and unravelled it carefully.

"The base of the forest, when the moon hangs high _."_ It read.

What was that supposed to mean? "When the moon hangs high?" She asked the impassive pigeon.

"Huh? He can't say 'Can you meet me at eleven?' or 'As soon as it's dark enough out that I don't fry up.' No, course not. That would be too easy. No, Manuel has to be all codey-codey".

The pigeon merely blinked.

Cursing Manuel's cryptic messages, she began to pull a sweater on. She had no idea if the "moon was hanging high", but the annoying pigeon was sitting there waiting for her. What was it with him; did he have the stupid pigeon casing the place, just waiting for her to fall asleep? Knowing Manuel...he just might have. Jerk.

Grumbling to herself, she slid in to some black pants, grabbed a cloak and began to crawl out on to her windowsill. Grabbing on to a branch of the nearest tree she began to slowly climb down from her second story window; the pigeon started cooing annoyingly at her.

"Listen birdbrain, I've only got two speeds. And you won't like the other one." She grumbled at the peevish bird that appeared to snort in response.

Reaching the bottom, she immediately crouched down to crawl past the window. Dashing down the path she was surprised to notice that the pigeon was following her. Fluttering from tree to tree, keeping time, the pigeon made noises that sounded curiously like laughter. Now it was Snow's turn to snort.

"Please don't tell me Manuel has you on escort duty as well." The bird cooed even louder.

"Oh jeez, I hope he's paying you for this." The pigeon eyeballed her intently before turning his head away from her and flying on to the next tree.

"Wait! This is where we turn to get Cindy!" She protested but the pigeon waited patiently, pointing with its beak in the other direction.

"Are you telling me we have to go that way?" Was she really communicating with a bird? "So you're telling me no Cindy?"

Sure enough the bird started cooing and hopping up and down on his branch. Sighing deeply she began to follow him.

The bird kept a ferocious pace, and Snow had to trot to keep up. The pigeon took her down an unfamiliar path that just skirted the town, stopping every once in a while to make low groaning noises, that sounded suspiciously like grumbling again, to Snow. Finally they approached the base of The Lonesome Forest; but instead of stopping, the pigeon kept on going. Snow had kind of expected Manuel to slide out from behind a tree, all dramatic like, and throw an insult her way as he usually did, but he didn't appear to be anywhere in the vicinity. With no clear alternative, she followed the disagreeable bird in to the dark and silent forest, hoping and praying that she was not making a terrible mistake.

"Okay, but you are going to have to have to take it down a notch, because I can't see where I'm going and I'm not going to be breaking my leg tonight." She informed him, the bird let loose a furious sound in response.

"I'll deal with Manuel, he'll blame me anyway. What's he gonna do...eat me?" She started to laugh and abruptly stopped as the bird regarded her with a level eye. She gulped.

"Okay, but slow down just a little."

And the bird did. Just a little mind you.

Just as Snow's eyes were finally getting accustomed to the gloom of the forest, something reached out from the darkness and grabbed her arm. Shrieking she jumped back, stumbled on a rock and fell flat on her bottom. Looking up, she recognised a pale, familiar face, and that face was wearing a very wide grin.

On any other face, and at any other time, she might have considered the grin attractive. But as it was, she found it immensely irritating.

"And humans are so clumsy too." He commented, as he reached down and basically lifted her up back on to her feet. Setting her straight, he took a step back, the grin returning as he looked her up and down.

"What!" Indignantly Snow questioned.

"You've got-" He started, pointing at his glossily perfect hair.

Snow pawed at her own completely disheveled hair, pulling twigs and bramble out irritably.

"Oh, and hi to you too Manuel. Yes, I did have a nice holiday, so nice of you to inquire."

He looked at her in confusion for a quick minute before wiping his face blank again. Grabbing her by her arm, he began leading her quickly through the forest.

"You're friend is in trouble, and if you do not stop him he is going to be in even bigger trouble." He whispered ominously.

"I don't understand; who is in trouble?" She asked as she jogged along to keep up with the vampire.

"He ran in to some ogrenots two nights ago. They made the mistake of taunting him about his great red obsession; he made the mistake of destroying their night shelter."

Ogrenots. Really disagreeable creatures, not only were they quite unattractive, they were also known for their loud mouthed mocking personalities. They looked like a cross between an ogre and a pig, which is why most beings referred to them as "ogrenots"; although some slang referred to them as "pigs", which is quite inaccurate and a major insult to pigs. Ogrenots, were for the most part, pretty unthreatening, but they did have a tendency to mock, insult, provoke and were counted among the most irritating creatures you could ever meet.

"Ogrenots? Yuck." Snow made a face. "What do you mean he destroyed their shelter? And who is "He?"

"He blew it down, it was made of straw." Manuel stopped and carefully looked through the trees.

"Well straw makes a crappy shelter anyway, why didn't they build it out of wood?" She asked as she stood on her tip toes to look over his shoulder.

"They did. That was last night. He blew it over as well." Manuel absently answered.

"Who is this 'He'?" She asked again.

"Tonight they hide behind a shelter of rocks; they toss insults and innuendo at him."

"And he thinks he is going to blow it down?" Snow almost giggled. Whoever 'he' was, he wasn't very smart.

"Not down, up." Manuel said and moved away from the bushes so Snow could take a look.

In the middle of the dark forest, stood a hastily created shelter of stone and rock, in some ways it closely resembled a fort that children would construct to play in. It had what appeared to be one round entrance, that was currently sealed with a boulder. Riotous laughter mixed with nasally sounding snorts came from the 'fort', it was a truly irritating sound.

The boy.

The boy with the beautiful eyes and the longish, dark shaggy hair, was busy erecting a pile of explosives, a homemade bomb; sweat on his brow, and a maniacal look in his eye. Now Snow knew what he was, he was a werewolf; and he was really, really irritated. It was a very stupid thing to do, antagonising a young werewolf; they took unpredictable to an entirely new level. She turned to Manuel, intending to demand he take her home immediately. She didn't want to be anywhere near this particular situation.

"Oh little pig, little pig..." the boy muttered, and then he used some words Snow had been taught never to utter, his hands shaking as he hurriedly worked on his bomb.

"Ha, ha, ha-ha!! And she smells so good too! Num, num, num, num! Yah?" One of the ogrenots cackled from inside the fort; followed by the sound of rapid lip smacking and they all erupted in to hysterics. "We tells her you says hi! Yah!"

"Yah! Yah!"

"Oh, this is not good." Snow murmured. "We're all going to get killed."

"He's your friend. Do something." Manuel gave her a little push.

"What are you talking about? I don't know him! I don't even know his name!"

Manuel stared at her blankly.

"And he's apparently a nutbar!" She added, nervously looking over her shoulder.

"You mean to tell me that the werewolf is not one of your beloved friends?" He questioned.

"Absolutely not, what would possibly make you think that?" Snow was getting really frustrated very quickly, either that bomb was going to go off, or the young werewolf was going to lose it; she didn't want to be anywhere near, when either of those things happened.

Manuel sighed. "That damn wolf." He whispered to himself.

"Are you going to huff and puff and blow our house down?" Another ogrenot taunted and his companions cackled again. From the sounds of it there were at least three of them in there.

"You still talking?" The wolf answered as he searched through his pockets for a match.

"Manuel, we need to leave...now!" Snow whispered urgently. Manuel studied her intently.

"You have no desire to intervene?" He casually asked.

"Oh, maybe we should let him in, yah? Maybe we make some tea and he tells us all about his sweetie?" Laughed another one. "Kissy, kissy!"

"What, do I look crazy?"

The vampire regarded her for a split second before shrugging.

"Yah, yah! Not by the hair of my chiny chin chin!" And they all erupted again. "And you have a lot of hair!"

"Yah! Oh wolfie!" the creature taunted.

"No, big bad wolfie!" Another one corrected.

"Yeah! Big bad wolfie? Does she likey-likey all your hair? Your sweetie, yah?"

He found his matches, and that was when Snow realised that if she didn't do something fast, they were all doomed. Manuel was right, she had to intervene. Her father, in his prime had been considered a master negotiator; she only hoped it was genetic.

Springing from the bushes she yelled. "Hold it!"

That surprised everyone, especially Snow. The boy spun around, a look of complete shock on his face.

"What are you doing here?" he gasped in a combination of recognition and irritation.

"Um, I don't really know and believe me this isn't high on my list of places I really want to be right now; but it looks like you're having some trouble. You think maybe we can talk about this for a second? You know, before you do something crazy?" Snow asked thinking fast. "Like building a bomb...and setting it off in a dry forest." She laughed somewhat nervously.

Clearly she had no idea what to do, but Manuel had brought her here to help, so try to help she would; but this was an irritated young werewolf, in a fair fight she wasn't completely sure even Manuel would win. That being said, the boy wasn't a complete stranger to her; she had to try.

"Sweetheart I-" he started before she cut him off.

"My name is Snowy, and I would appreciate you using it, and I'm no sweetheart, trust me. What is your name?" She swiftly asked.

"Mercury. They call me Mercury." He offered almost reluctantly, clearly he was not used to being cut off like that.

"Mercury. I've seen you around town a few times. You didn't strike me as a merciless killer, or a crazed mad man though. Then again, what do I know about people, I typically think most people are better than they really are; then I end up almost getting killed and...yadda yadda story of my life. Okay, so maybe I pegged you all wrong. You are a horrible merciless killer about to roast these childish ogrenots in their ridiculous fort, greedily snack on their bones just like all of the folktales say you would and burn down most of the forest while you are at it. I thought you guys just got bad press; apparently it's deserved. Okay, carry on." She stepped back feigning acceptance. "Just give us a minute to get clear of the firestorm."

The expression on the wolf's faced changed from agitation to amusement with a dash of curiosity.

"Oh little girlie!" One of the ogrenots sang out. "Are you trying to get us all killed and roasted?"

"Yah, yah!" Another one agreed. "The big bad wolfie is-"

Snow cut him off. "About to blow you up, and a large portion of the forest as well. I suggest you settle down and let me deal with this my way, or I just might let him, cause believe me...you aren't helping."

"Yah! Listen to that. The little girlie is getting mad!" And with that he erupted in to fits of laughter. He stuck a pudgy green finger through a tiny hole in the rocks. "Oh little girlie! Pull my finger! Yah?"

To which the other ogrenots began yelling. "No, No Hazzo!" before the laughter took up again.

Mercury made a gesture with his matches, still more than eager to rid himself of the smelly green irritants, but Snow shook her head sternly.

"You know, not only do you have a severely irritated wolf, but I've got a vampire here with me too, and he would just love to try roast ogrenot, so don't test me buddy. Settle down and shut it!"

Stepping out from the bushes, Manuel rolled his eyes upwards and shuddered at the thought; clearly the idea of snacking on an ogrenot offended his palate.

"Seriously? You brought a human here?" The young werewolf blasted the vampire. "What were you thinking?"

"I thought you were friends. Why else would you have tasked me with her protection?" Manuel casually stated, brushing invisible dust off of his beautiful coat.

"That was you?" Snow whirled around. "You're the reason we got stuck with Mr. Personality over there? I don't know whether to thank you or slap you."

The boy recalled sharply; darting his eyes from Snow to Manuel, he looked rather shocked at the slender human child's outburst.

"He is the biggest pain in the _you know what_!" She declared. And at that both werewolf and vampire threw a stunned look her way. "Well he is." She finished.

Manuel took an indignant breath. "The 'pain in the you know what' that procured a rather costly spell of protection for you, rescued you from Drina and took you to a Unicorn Blessing."

"You send pigeons to wake me from a beautiful sleep and insult me every chance you get!" Snowy snapped back. "Face it! You're a pain! And you're rude too!"

"I didn't know what else to do, this forest is so dangerous and you and the other two keep traipsing around at night; what were you _thinking_? You really keep me busy." Mercury defended.

"You were protecting us?" She asked in a small voice.

"Every night." He responded with a touch of exasperation.

Wow, she thought. That stopped her in her tracks; they never even thought to question their apparent safety. How many times had he saved them? She would never know; she wasn't planning on asking.

"Thank you." She whispered. "But he really is a pain." She couldn't help but add.

"I know." The wolf, Mercury whispered with a grin that for a moment made him almost as beautiful as Manuel. Actually, he was just as good looking as the beautiful vampire; only Mercury wasn't so much beautiful with his olive complexion and shadowed jaw, he was...rugged. Manuel was beautiful, Mercury was handsome. Really handsome.

"If the two of you are quite through..." Manuel drawled attempting to hide his indignation at being called a pain. "I do have other business tonight."

"Yeah!" One of the ogrenots called out. "It's getting hot in here and we want to get out now."

"It's not getting hot in here you idiot, Hazzo has the gas!" Another one yelled. "Help us! Help us!" They all started to yell.

"So come on out, we aren't stopping you." Snow shook her head; ogrenots were incredibly irritating creatures.

"We can't! The boulder is too heavy! We can't lift it!" They all yelled in unison; not really a pleasant sound.

Mercury looked perplexed. "So how did you get it there in the first place?"

"Oh, we asked a troll to close us in yah!"

"Why on earth..." Snow trailed off.

"Well, we didn't want the wolfie to get in did we?" And then the Ogrenot began to make choking noises; obviously "Hazzo" was not quite through.

Manuel nodded at the boulder and sent a questioning look Snow's way.

"Hmmm. Are you three ready to apologise to Mercury? If Mercury apologises to you that is?" She asked.

"Hey lady-" Mercury threw her an indignant look.

"Not lady. Snow; my name is Snow, but you can call me Snowy."

"Snowy. I'm not going to-" He stopped short as he caught the very dark look Snow sent his way.

"I was woken up from my much needed beauty sleep by a fat and irritating pigeon, sent by an exceedingly irritating vampire to assist an equally irritating werewolf! Now apologise!" Snow growled, her dark eyes blazing.

"I'm sorry I blew your houses down."

Snow shot him another look.

"And that I tried to blow you up." He finished with a shrug mouthing the word ' _humans'_ Manuel's way. Manuel could hardly suppress his smirk.

"Guys?" She prompted with impatience.

"Yeah! Yeah! We are sorry already!" They cried in unison. "Just move the boulder! Get us out of here!"

Snow nodded to Manuel, who casually sauntered over and pushed the boulder, making what must have been a several hundred pound piece of rock seem light as a feather. She made a mental reminder to be kinder to him; he was really, really strong.

Out from the fort, bearing a surprising resemblance to pigs, waddled three fat, little green ogrenots, each holding their necks and pretending to gasp for air. They threw themselves on the ground inhaling deeply. Jumping back up, they began giggling and ran back in to the forest, leaving Snow to watch in silent wonder, shaking her head.

Manuel took an emotionless look at them before grabbing Snow's arm once again.

"Come. Now there is someone else who needs you." He said.

### ~~*~~

No one was more surprised than Rapunzel, when emerging out of the forest strode not only Manuel, but Manuel, Snow and some unknown guy. Snow made a gesture for her to drop the rope ladder, and within minutes the girls had secured Rapunzel's hair and were quickly climbing back down to the boys.

"You cannot imagine how I have missed you. But tell me, where is Cindy?" The lovely blonde questioned.

"Ask Manuel, he's the one who sent for me." Snow gave her friend a squeeze.

Rapunzel turned her large dark eyes on the vampire.

Manuel bowed low. "My Lady, time was of the essence and since Miss Vanholston was rather... unresponsive, I made the decision to move forward and avert eminent disaster without her." He kissed her hand. Meaning Cindy had completely ignored the big bird. Cindy could sleep through anything, how Snow envied her.

"Whatever could have happened?" Rapunzel asked.

"Oh I made a bomb and tried to blow up some ogrenots." Mercury said, nodding as if it was nothing at all. And perhaps it wasn't...to him. "Really annoying little creatures; and they don't taste good either."

"You created a bomb?" Rapunzel repeated, eyes large and frightened.

"Sure, sure; but I'm not sure it would have actually worked, I was just winging it."

Snow and Manuel swung their heads towards him in unison.

"This is Mercury. Mercury, Rapunzel." Snow made the introductions, deciding to ignore his last comment.

Mercury reached for Rapunzel's hand, but the menacing look Manuel shot at him caused him to drop it immediately.

"Pleased to meet you Rapunzel." Mercury made a little bow instead.

"Mercury has been our unseen protector during our adventures. He's been trailing us and keeping the all the scaries away; except for the full moon of course, that's how we ended up with him. Lucky us." Snow pointed at Manuel, waggling her eyebrows. She suppressed a giggle at the outraged look Manuel shot at her.

"Sorry, it was the best I could do." Mercury added, which only fuelled Manuel's indignation.

Rapunzel smiled. "Then it is you I have to thank, Manuel was, and is a most thoughtful and caring protector; he is much appreciated."

Manuel shared a private and meaningful smile with Rapunzel, which Snow and Mercury both caught.

"Okay, so, I thought maybe we could all sit at the lagoon and chat for a bit tonight; that's the safest place?" She threw a look Mercury's way. He nodded in agreement.

" I'm pretty tired, but I should tell you all about Crystallise and Prince Leonardo Charming before Cindy gets to exaggerate the entire trip, making it completely unrecognisable. Yes, in case you didn't catch that I said 'Prince Leonardo Charming'." Snow laughed. "But I have to warn you, I am really tired, I might not make much sense."

"Shocking." Manuel mocked.

"You met the Prince?" Rapunzel asked, terribly excited.

"Yeah, I call him Leo." Snow replied, pretending to be nonchalant as Rapunzel gasped. "That's what he asked us to call him. You know, he's really not at all like I expected him. He's just kind of...normal, you know?"

"No, I don't." Rapunzel breathed. "You must tell me all about it." And she took Manuel's arm as they began the walk to the lagoon. Mercury looked amused and he jauntily offered Snow his arm. She took it. All that was missing was Cindy.

### ~~*~~

"Mirror, mirror, on the wall,"  
"Where is Snow White?" The Queen of Rylak asked in her most reasonable voice; her beautiful face a mask of calm, the delicate diamond tiara glinting invitingly in the candlelight, accentuating her strong and beautiful face.

Her favourite, and most powerful magic mirror was also her most difficult to control. Given to her as a wedding gift from her former master, it was bound to no one and nothing, accept truth; it never told a lie. It was magically incapable. However, it was known to mislead the asker by carefully crafting its responses; and it never responded to threats. Rosalyn of Rylak knew, that if she was to get anywhere with this most capricious of mirrors, she must reign her legendary temper in...at least until she had her answer.

With the use of this mirror she had risen from a scared and powerless young queen, watching insurgents destroy her husband's legacy, to the powerful warrior Queen of Rylak; successfully defending her husband's empire, and subsequently ruling with an iron fist. Alas, for all of its considerable power, the mirror could not cure her beloved husband King Roland, nor grant her the child she so desperately yearned for.

"The answer you seek, shall come to you soon,"  
"For she has been hidden, by night, smoke and moon" the mirror responded.

Drat. Another riddle. Some days she wanted to smash that mirror; which of course she would never do. Rising gracefully from her red velvet chair, she strode toward the door.

Once outside the door she pounded her fist in to her thigh to release some of her controlled rage and thought hard. An Inner Palace Guard, dressed in the black and red uniform of Rylak instantly appeared at her side.

"Majesty?" He inquired.

"Assemble the Black Guards. Have them ready and awaiting my orders in the Outer Garden. Dally and die." She strode down the hall, red robes flaring out behind her.

She was sending her most elite squadron to Lonstas. Not to the capital city of Crystallise, at least not undisguised that was. This was not to be a diplomatic mission involving the ruling Charming family. No, the Queen of Rylak would send her most elite soldiers to the forests, to the groves and the swamps, moving under cover of darkness and carrying with them a unique symbol known only to the magical community; the darkly magical community in particular. She would find Snow White, even if that meant enlisting some of the most repulsive of allies. Again.

Turin and its Lonesome Forest would be the first village they would pass.

### ~~*~~

Mercury formally joined the girls on their nightly adventures; it was easier, he said, then trailing behind in the bushes. More fun too, he admitted. Cindy quite happily accepted their new companion as well, although she did appear just a tad jealous when she realised that she had missed out on quite the adventurous evening. And thankfully, Snow had stopped blushing every time Mercury turned his incredible gaze on her or did his super cute eyebrow thing, which had been very, very embarrassing. The surprising change in their current evening line up was the addition of Manuel.

The girls had assumed that with Mercury back and capable of protecting them, the vampire would simply disappear back in to the night and spend his time doing whatever it was he did. No one knew what exactly that _was;_ they weren't altogether sure they would appreciate what they found out _._ But every night he appeared out of nowhere, tossing a well placed insult in someone's direction and continued on along with them. Sometimes Manuel's pigeon joined them as well. For some reason that always struck Snow as funny. Manuel and his pigeon. A big and fearsome vampire should have a hawk, an eagle or perhaps even an owl; but a pigeon? He was an enormous pigeon but still....

Slipping in to the forest just after dark, the girls waited at the appointed tree, a beautiful willow that Snow instinctively knew housed a dryad, but didn't dare try to wake her. It had been magical to witness the song and dance at the Unicorn Blessing, but Manuel had indicated that it would be unwise to press for more, dryads typically did not take well to pesky humans awakening them for any sort of nonsense. So she simply wrapped her arms around the tree each time they stopped and whispered sweetly to it. This particular willow was special, there had been times that Snow was convinced she had felt the willow hug her back. Most likely it was her imagination, but she never could shake the feeling so she made sure to greet her willow with affection and great respect every time she passed her. The willow would hold Snow's deepest darkest secrets in silence...forever.

"Sorry, were you waiting long?" Mercury stopped short in front of them, a big, beautiful dopey smile on his face; this was the smile he always wore after escorting Red back to Turin. He ran a hand through his shaggy hair and beamed at them; he knew how dopey he looked and he didn't care.

"Man, you love Red; if you could just see the dopey look on your face." Cindy laughed out loud at the look of bliss plastered all over his handsome face.

"I do." He confirmed simply. "I always will."

Snow let go of her willow, and they began walking down the dimly lit path through the forest on their way to Rapunzel's tower.

"Right. Until a beautiful werewolf lady catches your eye, all 'come hither' and all. Guys are so fickle. I know, cause I've had five guys 'love' me and where are they now? Men." Cindy joked. "I think they realised that I was just too good for them, you know. They said it was them, not me. And it was."

Snow cast a sideways look at her friend, but didn't say a thing. Mercury almost choked, trying to suppress a laugh.

"Maybe that's true for some men, but not all; and especially not for werewolves. We only fall in love once; and it's for life." Mercury explained.

"Seriously?" Snow asked. She had nowhere near the experience Cindy had, or rather _claimed_ to have. "Wow."

"Of course." He replied. "That's why it's so special to us. Once you catch the scent of the one you love, you could find her anywhere, forevermore. I mean, I could track either one of you anywhere, but it's not quite the same thing. Red's scent is like a scarf, gently pulling me in to her orbit and-"

"Alright, alright! Enough, that's so mushy it makes me want to throw up...I think I just did. In my mouth. A little...gross." Cindy cut in. "No one has ever felt like that about me..." She pouted.

"You're sixteen. We have lots of time to find True Love, there's no rush." Snow gently chided. She actually felt bad for the young werewolf now. How sad, because with Red being a member in good standing of the Aristocracy, her suitor selections were very limited. Snow was pretty sure that werewolves didn't even make the list; the Aristocracy had a distinct dislike for 'creatures'. A tidbit of knowledge she felt best to keep to herself. How truly sad.

"How predictable. Do humans females ever think of anything other than "True Love", or "How does my hair look", or my most favourite of all, 'Prince Leonardo Charming'." Manuel stepped out on to the path and continued on with them.

"Yes, sometimes we think about shoes." Cindy laughed.

"I'm not going to be here for the next two nights, I don't know what you girls have planned." Mercury announced seriously. Tomorrow was the full moon, so once again Mercury would be locked in his room back at the Wolf Camp; a slave to his emotions...he hated the very thought of it.

"I suppose that means you will be expecting me to pick up your slack again, wolf." Manuel rolled his eyes up toward the almost full moon, sighing. "Wrangling the ingrates and escorting your Red. It's exhausting just thinking about."

"Hey, don't put yourself out; if it's too hard for you, I can find someone else. I'm sure if I approached someone else in your coven and explained your physical limitations..." Mercury replied, seeing right through the vampires show of dramatics.

"Anyone else in my coven would simply eat them; a rather good idea most days." Manuel sniffed.

"Oh crap, he's leaving us with Mr. Personality over there." Cindy moaned.

"Ingrate." Was all Manuel said.

"Fanger."

"Nuisance."

"Dead head."

Mercury stopped short.

"It's not like I'm taking a holiday or something. I hate it! How would you guys like it if every twenty eight days your hormones took over, and you had to fight your own emotions, not to mention your inner beast from coming out and going medieval on everything and everyone you love! I feel so alone." He bit his thumb, acting uncharacteristically fragile; his beautiful eyes large and glistening.

"Actually I-" Cindy started, before Snow clamped a hand over her mouth.

"Not the time Cindy, not the time." She whispered shaking her head.

Why are you looking at me like that? You're making me feel bad!" The werewolf moaned.

Manuel laughed out loud.

"You're being very insensitive." Snow growled at the mirthful vampire.

Suddenly Manuel's whole demeanour changed. He stood completely still and motioned for the girls to be silent as well. Even Mercury seemed alarmed, he lifted his face up and sniffed the air before turning back to Manuel. A silent message was past between the two and Mercury took Snow by the hand while Manuel carried Cindy deeper in to the forest; crouching down in the, they waited.

Snow's heart was pounding, and from the look on Cindy's face, she was just as frightened. Something very big was happening and judging from the reaction of the boys, that something was nothing good.

The ground began to shake beneath them as a dark war horse and his rider thundered past them. Something about the rider's armour seemed familiar to Snow, but it sped by her far too fast to properly identify; even so, she felt a deep sense of unease growing in the pit of her stomach.

After waiting several moments, the boys led the girls back to the path; but the playful banter of the evening was broken and they continued on to Rapunzel's tower in silence.

Just as they came to the small clearing that surrounded the tower and house, Mercury made a sudden gesture and led them all back in to the trees. Standing in the clearing, bathed in the moonlight was the dark war horse, his rider was nowhere to be seen.

Cindy and Snow exchanged a look, surely they were thinking the same thing. Why on earth would the Mother Goethal be receiving a guest so late in the evening? And more importantly, why would she receive a soldier? These questions and more tumbled around Snow's mind as they must have Manuel's, because she had never seen the vampire so tense.

Many minutes passed without anyone uttering a word, as they watched the rounded door of the cold stone cottage; finally it opened and the dark armour clad soldier strode out in to the night, closely followed by the dour and bent Mother Goethal. In the moonlight she bore a remarkable resemblance to a crone, something Snow had never realised before; and not one of the slightly crazy, but basically harmless wine and bingo loving ones either.

Snow finally had a chance to examine the soldier's armour, and her breath caught in her chest as she did; his breast plate bore the emblem of Rylak, more specifically, the Queen of Rylak. Queen Rosalyn...her dreaded stepmother.

She was never sure who caught her as she fainted, but someone must have because when she fell, she fell hard.

How long they waited in the trees, she wasn't quite sure, but when they finally stepped out in to the moonlight they were dismayed to see Rapunzel's head pop out her window as she shook her head rapidly. Something was wrong, they couldn't visit that night. Slowly, with heavy hearts they backed in to the forest and began the silent journey back home. Everyone except Manuel that was, he stayed in the bushes and watched the dark tower, as was his nightly custom.

Unbeknownst to them, the Mother Goethal had also been watching; she observed the two human girls, the werewolf and the vampire emerge from the bushes. Sitting in the darkness next to the window she silently watched as they emerged from the forest, gazing up at Rapunzel's tower. She watched them wait in the clearing, she watched them retreat back in to the forest leaving the vampire behind. Her cold, wrinkled eyes narrowed in undisguised hatred.

Using only the light of a single candle, she wrapped her thin gnarled fingers around an ancient quill pen, dipped it in ink and began to write.

Chapter 8

Snow felt the change the moment the door was flung open, The Mother was usually hostile and suspicious, treating the girls as if they were diseased vermin, being needlessly inflicted upon her. But today she was condescendingly smug; like a cat that has blocked all exits and now sits by the one remaining hole waiting for the mouse. Snow shivered involuntarily under the sharp smug gaze. After making the necessary polite greetings, she grabbed Cindy and fairly flew up the cold, dark winding staircase. Instinctively she knew that it wouldn't be in their best interests should The Mother realise their actual feelings towards her, or what they had witnessed the night before.

Thank goodness for Manuel's spell; for without it, The Mother would surely have turned her over. Of that Snow was positive.

She had hardly been able to sleep a wink the night before; visions of her stepmother and her dark minions were dancing in her head. Why would she send her dark soldiers here to Turin, and why to The Mother; what connection could she have to the beautiful and powerful Queen of Rylak? At least it hadn't been Alaric, her stepmother's main bodyguard. She felt shivers down her back at the very thought; although not evil in himself, he was hopelessly devoted to Rosalyn. There was nothing he would not do for her...nothing; and he was frighteningly competent. When he was present, you could be sure Rosalyn of Rylak was close by. He would die for her; he took his job very seriously.

No matter which way she examined the situation, she never could seem to find the answer. None of this made sense; she had hoped that Rapunzel might be able to shed some light.

"I have never seen such men before." Rapunzel had responded with a shake of her lovely head. "Trolls, goblins, Imps and such have frequented this home after dark many a night." She gave a delicate shrug of her shoulders at the thought of such unsavoury creatures.

"But a soldier I have never seen before. They spoke in hushed tones so I did not over hear any conversation, but I did see him show her a badge before she allowed him entry. What was on the badge, I could not see."

"Such pacing I heard that night after the soldier left; behind this very door she stood, I heard her wheezing breath." She continued. "But waiting for what I don't know." To be trapped in her tower alone indefinitely again would be a slow and cruel death sentence; sudden fear overtook her. "I can't stay locked in here. I'll go mad." She whispered desperately.

Something had to be done, that much was sure; but what and where to start? That was the million dollar question.

Snow had a sneaking suspicion that there was more to the relationship between The Mother Goethal and Rapunzel than any of them knew. She didn't believe there was any such disease as this 'Hoglas disease', and she didn't think Rapunzel was her daughter. Proving these suspicions would be hard. Since they had befriended Rapunzel, Snow and Cindy had carefully avoided all lines of conversation that would touch on Rapunzel's mysterious illness, all the while carefully notating her apparent good health.

"Rapunzel," She started slowly willing herself to find the right words. "You have something called Hoglas disease, is that right?"

Rapunzel nodded absently. Cindy raised her eyebrows questioningly at Snow, but was apparently willing to follow Snow's lead.

"What exactly is it? Please understand I have never seen you sick, or display any symptom of illness. I am somewhat confused."

Rapunzel took a deep breath; no one had ever asked her this question before, not that she had ever had much contact with other people. She looked both of her friends carefully in the eye, unsure what to say.

"I don't really know; it has always been said that I am afflicted with this unspeakable illness but I don't know what part of me is afflicted. I have never felt ill. Perhaps I am addled in the brain? The Mother has often alluded to that."

Cindy shook her head. "No. There is nothing wrong with your brain. I would know, believe me, I wouldn't talk to you."

Snowy shot her friend a horrified look.

"What?" Cindy exclaimed. "I don't like stupid people; they irritate me."

"Perhaps" Rapunzel tentatively asked. "Perhaps you could ask your uncle, the doctor. If any would know the particulars of this illness, a doctor of such renown would certainly be amongst them."

"I could," Snow started. "I haven't actually told him what we are doing you know, about breaking you out, sneaking out myself all that jazz. She Not that I think he would be mad if he knew the real situation, I just..."

"I understand, I understand. " Rapunzel murmured. "Please do not trouble yourself. I would never desire to create more trouble for you."

"No, no!" Snow protested. "This is important, I'll ask him, but maybe we just don't say much about the whole sneaking out thing...yet. I will find out what Hoglas disease is, if it even exists. Rapunzel, I don't think there is anything wrong with you, but I will find out for sure. I promise."

"What do you mean if it exists?" Cindy looked completely confused.

"Why would The Mother tell me I was ill, if no such illness exists?" Rapunzel seemed equally confused.

Snow had no answer to this. Why indeed? Why would she create a fictional illness for Rapunzel? Why would she keep her sequestered in this lonely tower for the majority of her life? Why, why, why? All Snow had were questions, she was going to go out and start getting some answers; but for now, she knew nothing. So she answered as honestly as she could.

"I don't know. But I am going to find out; and soon. I promise."

### ~~*~~

The tall, broad shouldered soldier strode through the back gardens with great haste. He followed the dusty path through the dark and overgrown bushes that sheltered this section of the garden from all curious eyes. An urgent message from his queen had commanded him to meet her on this relatively unknown dirt road, at the very back of the palace grounds. She had arrived with neither his knowledge nor protection, and although the queen was magically more than capable of protecting herself, he found he constantly worried for her safety. He had found that the more confident one was, the more likely they were to take chances, placing too much trust in their own abilities. Rosalyn of Rylak was very, very confident.

The path led out of the grounds on to the edge of the forest. Carefully he stepped out from the dark, dense grounds out in to the early morning sun that shone brightly in the cloudless sky.

The queen, dressed in black riding clothes, her crown curiously absent from her beautiful dark head, was issuing orders as several servants scrambled to load an unmarked and nondescript carriage.

"Your Majesty." He greeted her with a wary, low bow as he unconsciously scanned the area for any possible threat. He was never, ever off duty.

"We are leaving for Turin." She said, thrusting a hastily folded letter at him. "Immediately. I have found Snow White."

Curiously he unfolded it, unsure how he felt about her revelation, but wise enough not to make his reservations known. Squinting at the barely legible chicken scratches, he was able to make out only a few of the key words "Vampire", "Werewolf" and "Human Girls". Nowhere on the hastily written page could he make out the name "Snow White". Confused he handed the letter back to his queen with another low bow.

"Forgive me, my Sovereign, but I do not understand."

"Night, smoke and moon. The mirror's riddle? Do I have to spell it out for you? Fine, fine." The queen spoke rapidly with a great intensity. "Vampire's represent night, werewolves represent the moon, and therefore smoke can only be some sort of enchantment. Perhaps the enchantment that has been hiding her from me. A very powerful enchantment, which is why I must deal with this myself. One of the human girls mentioned is Snow. She's in Turin."

"Begging your pardon My Queen, how can you be sure?" He had asked ever so carefully, his face a mask of devoted concern. During his tenure as the queen's personal bodyguard he had learned to carefully phrase any comments that might seem to question the queen's wisdom. Their working relationship had been relatively peaceful, but he had heard rumours of other...less fortunate working relationships with his tempestuous sovereign. He had no wish to become one; their history was too long and intertwined.

She spun around on the heel of her long black boot to directly face him. The simple servants loading the carriage froze in place, almost too fearful to breathe.

Carefully she scrutinised his face, finding nothing aside from his utter devotion, she relaxed. "Get in the carriage, Alaric."

And so he did.

### ~~*~~

Crouched in the bushes next to Manuel, as they waited for Red to begin her trek home from Granny's, Snow had ample time to let her mind wander. How was it that no one had ever heard of Rapunzel's disease, providing such a disease existed that is? Could that really mean she was right, and it didn't exist? And if so, what would be the purpose of creating such a thing? So many questions; so few answers, she needed an objective mind. She gave the vampire beside her a speculative look.

"If you were to create something, a disease say, purely fictional of course, and make someone think they had it. What would be your purpose?" She whispered.

Manuel gave her a withering look. "Why on Earth would I care to create a fictional disease? Humans amuse themselves in the most absurd ways." He went back to watching the house.

She ignored the insult. "Exactly, why would you do it? Imagine you were an ignorant, slow witted, irritating human."

"I'd rather not." The vampire said with more than a little distaste.

"Please? It's important and you are so much smarter than I; I really need your superior intelligence here." Snow fought hard to suppress a snicker at her well placed flattery. Flattery she knew would guarantee the vampire's cooperation.

Manuel sighed deeply, and true to form, answered. "Very well then, if I would go to the trouble to create something as absurd as a fictional illness, the only possible reason would be to obtain power over that person or someone close to them. Placing the mantle of a fictional illness on another's shoulders would be a way of shackling them; an effective means of control."

"Hmmm." Snow pondered. "You mean like the power to say what you can do, where you can go, and things like that."

"Of course, all of that would fall within the net I would have created with the illness. I would have made a prisoner."

_A prisoner_. If that didn't sound like Rapunzel, she didn't know what did.

"Why would you want to make someone a prisoner?" She had to ask.

"Why are you irritating me with senseless questions? Would you cease if I told you how hungry I was?" He shot a dark look her way.

Manuel, she laughed to herself, Manuel and his empty threats. Manuel would no more eat her, then she would eat Cindy. The rule only applied to a handful of beings that she knew of, beyond that...she wasn't quite so sure. She had never actually heard of Manuel eating anyone, but still, he was more than capable; she wondered what he _did_ eat. Regardless, she knew she was safe from all but his biting sarcasm.

"No." She replied quite honestly.

"I should have eaten you and your little friend weeks ago; you are all so much trouble. Perhaps then I would have my life back." He sent a long suffering glance skyward. "I would create a prisoner bound with invisible shackles for secrecy. I would use the guise of illness to create this invisible prison and hide the existence of these shackles so that none might question and discover my true agenda."

"In English."

"I want to hide someone, perhaps hide someone from someone, and have power over another. Perhaps I am silencing a secret, hiding an existence."

Something to hide, something to silence. Something about that sentence rang true for Snow. What could The Mother have to hide, except Rapunzel herself? Why would she hide Rapunzel and who had instructed her to do so? It was at that moment that Snow became completely sure that The Mother Goethal wasn't Rapunzel's mother at all. Who she was and why was she "shackling" Rapunzel, she didn't know; but she would find out, this she pledged on her own honour, her Rylakian honour.

"Manuel?" She whispered again. "Have you ever heard of something called Hoglas disease?"

"Is this the fictional disease you are creating?" He sounded bored again.

"No. I'm not creating any disease! I just wanted to understand why someone might want to. Jeez Manuel, keep up!" Good grief talking to Manuel was beyond frustrating sometimes. And _he_ thought _he_ was the one being taxed. So much for his "superior intellect".

"I have never heard of this fictional Hoglas disease. Wherever did you learn of it?" The lovely vampire wearily asked with a complete lack of interest.

"Rapunzel has it; according to the Mother Goethal anyway." Snow glared up at him.

Instantly he swung his head so it was mere inches from hers. His bottomless black eyes smouldered with intensity. "Rapunzel has no illness; explain."

"The Mother Goethal says she has Hoglas disease, whatever that is; and that's why she is locked in her tower like that." Snow carefully whispered back; Manuel looked about ready to pounce.

"There is absolutely nothing wrong with Rapunzel, do you understand what I am saying? If there were anything afflicting her, not only would I know, I would be able to tell you exactly which strain and how far advanced it was. I am a vampire; I smell _everything_ in the blood. If she was sick _, I would know_."

Frightened by the intensity Manuel had spoken with, not to mention the deep and penetrating look in the beautiful predator's eye, Snow shrunk back and said not a word.

"Who is this Mother Goethal?" He asked in a deceptively casual tone turning back to scrutinise the cottage.

Snow, who knew better than to be fooled by his tone answered carefully. "The Lady that Rapunzel believes is her Mother...you saw her back at the tower the night we saw the soldier."

"You mean the crone?" Again, far too casual sounding if you went by his eyes, and when dealing with Manuel, it would be wise to always, always read his eyes.

"Well, yeah, but that sounds a little uncalled for don't you think? We haven't proven that she's done anything wrong yet. She may be old and ugly but calling her a crone? That's a little harsh."

"She is a crone. And she is not Rapunzel's mother." Manuel announced matter of factly. He turned to face Snow again. "I will find out everything there is to know about this Mother Goethal."

Red chose that exact moment to exit the cottage. After hugging her eccentric and much loved Grandmother Adair goodbye, she began the journey down the path back to Turin, completely oblivious to her escort.

Moving silently through the bushes alongside Manuel, Snow wondered if Red would ever come to know her secret protector. A protector that went to great lengths to ensure her safety, even when he himself was indisposed; and if she did, how would his affection be received? Would she realise the great honour bestowed upon her as the beloved of a werewolf? Would she even be allowed to realise it, considering Red's status in the aristocracy? Snow felt that possibility definitely fell in to the 'slim to none' category.

As Red made her way out of The Lonesome Forest and on to the main road of Turin, Manuel turned to Snow, placing a pale hand on her shoulder solemnly.

"Go home to bed little human. I have much work to do tonight and where I go I cannot protect you." He whispered with uncharacteristic tenderness before disappearing in to the night.

### ~~*~~

The town bazaar was truly bustling that Saturday morning; with the Season so close to beginning, everyone was clamoring for the latest perfume, cape, or ear rings. Cindy, of course, was no exception; she showed up at Snow's cottage in the early hours of the morning dragging Mercury with her. Now Mercury, having finally finished his lock down, was simply bursting with energy; so perhaps it would be more accurate to say that _Mercury_ fairly dragged _Cindy_ all the way to the Rutherford cottage. This also would explain why a rugged werewolf was so easily roped into accompanying two young girls shopping; he didn't care where he went, they could just as easily be taking him to a "Prince Leonardo Fan Club" meeting, just as long as he went somewhere.

If Uncle Doc found it strange that Cindy showed up at his door that morning being dragged by a young werewolf, wearing a huge grin along with her, and I have it on good authority that he did, he was wise enough to say nothing about it. He simply set about making a very enormous breakfast for the very appreciative wolf; Mercury was ravenous. The girls watched in awe as he ingested more food in one sitting, than both Cindy and Snow combined could in an entire day.

Uncle Doc found this all very amusing; apparently he was quite accustomed to young wolves appetites after the full moon lockdown. Mercury was a hit with all the Rutherford boys, no one was immune to an energetic and enthusiastic wolf. Even Uncle Gordon, whom Snow often referred to as "Uncle Grumpy" had to smile at the animated young boy as he described his mother's sour dough biscuits.

So off they went with Mercury happily escorting the girls, an arm around each of them, laughing at his own apparent shopping excitement.

Finally they made it to the town bazaar, which was truly bustling in every sense of the word; tents, stands, carriages, the place was full of just about anything you could think of and it looked as if the entire town of Turin had come out ready to spend their hard earned dollars. Cindy almost swooned with excitement; shopping was her absolute favorite pass time, she took a deep breath and inhaled the smell of what she referred to as "commerce".

Several sharp eyed salesmen, noticing a young and obviously affluent young shopper began calling for her attention. Laughing with glee she grabbed Merc and Snow by the hand and ran towards the centre.

As she reached the centre of the bazaar, Snow became aware of a curious sensation that had slowly began to sweep over her. Not quite a memory, perhaps the memory of a memory? She felt a silent call, lifting her head she scanned the crowd trying to identify where it came from. Turning her head in the direction the call was strongest, she felt herself take a tentative step.

"Snowy?" Cindy sounded puzzled. "Which one do you think?"

"Oh, sorry! Did you say something? My...mind wandered for a minute." Snow snapped out of the trance, apparently Cindy had been talking to her the whole time; she hadn't heard a thing. How bizarre.

"Merc and I want to check out the new perfume stand in the bazaar centre, are you coming?" Cindy explained.

"Well, why don't you two do that, I'm just going to take a look down there." Snow found herself answering, as she pointed to the left where the feeling seemed to be originating. "And I'll meet you at the scents stand in ten minutes."

"Why don't you come with us, or maybe we can all take a look down there. What are you looking for anyway?" Cindy questioned.

A question for which Snow had no real answer. How do you describe a feeling, a compulsion or a calling and not sound like a complete nut case? She didn't know, but she had to follow that nostalgic feeling and soon, the call was getting urgent. Knowing that anything she said would simply sound crazy, she chose not to explain.

"Nothing. I'm just looking. You two go on, I'll meet you in a few minutes. Really." It was the best she could think of. _Just get lost already_ she thought, and was instantly shamed; these were her friends. She needed to chill out, this was so unlike her.

"Okay, but you better meet me at the scents stand; you don't have any good perfume and you can't go around smelling like a tavern wench or a milk maid at the balls you know."

"Tavern wench? Milk maid? Seriously?" Snow rolled her eyes at the comparison. "Go on, I have to check something out, and I promise I will meet you there in ten minutes or less." She attempted to sound light and carefree...

" Are you meeting a boy?" Cindy's eyes popped open. "You are, aren't you!"

Shocked, Snow's mouth fell open.

"How could you keep this from me? I thought we were best friends forever. How could you? I want to meet him." Cindy pouted, hurt and horrified that her best friend in the world could possibly keep something so mountainous from her.

"I want to meet him to." Mercury asserted, crossing his arms over his broad chest.

"No, there's no guy!" Snow took a deep breath. "No guy! I just want to check something out. If there was a guy I would be more than ten minutes, and you know that."

Cindy scrutinised her face closely.

"She's right. Ten minutes would never be enough with a really cute guy." She explained to Mercury, who remained unconvinced. "Okay, but ten minutes. You're up to something...I have a bad feeling about this."

She looked up at Mercury who nodded in agreement.

"Oh jeez, you two are like-"

"If you say Twiddle dee and Twiddle dum, I won't forgive you." Cindy said with a grimace.

"Okay then, but seriously I have to go check something out, I will meet you at the scent stand in ten minutes; I swear. There is nothing up, no guy, no lost treasure, no nothing interesting. Okay?"

After considering Snow for a long minute, Cindy nodded and grabbed Mercury's arm.

As soon as they left, Snow opened herself up to the call. She had never experienced anything like it before. Acting purely on instinct, she allowed herself to be led by the sensation.

She turned the corner and suddenly the nostalgic feeling intensified; now it didn't merely pound out a relentless call, it roared mercilessly at her. Helplessly she followed the call until it led her to a dress shop in the middle of the street.

It must have been a newer shop set up recently to take advantage of the shopping craze the impending "Season" would bring, because Snow had never noticed this particular shop before. A good many women traveled to Crystallise to be fitted by the designers in Homner, but many of them still frequented the smaller boutiques that set up shop each year; it was a very lucrative time of year for the travelling fashion vendor.

A delicious scent wafted by and tickled at her nose, as she tentatively opened the door; a familiar scent somehow although Snow couldn't quite place it. Swaths of fabric, gloves, scarves and head pieces decorated the shop and a beautiful waltz played in the background. Now that she could place, it was the waltz she had always danced to with her father before he fell ill. It was his favourite, and he always saved it for her; how he had spun the little girl round and round the great ballroom, her yards of silk skirts swirling and swirling around as they danced. When her father had twirled her around the ballroom to this particular waltz, Snow had felt like the prettiest, most cherished little girl in the entire world. The memory was bitter-sweet, she missed her father with every fibre of her being at that particular moment, and she swallowed hard to resist the urge to cry.

The shopkeeper was a middle aged woman, perhaps forty years with curly, brown hair neatly tied up in a neat swirl. A very average looking woman, average until you noticed her wide expectant smile that was; Snow found herself smiling back unconsciously.

"Well hello there dear heart, are you looking for anything in particular?" The shopkeeper asked in a raspy yet rather pleasant voice.

"Oh no Madame." Snow replied "I am just looking."

"Well then, feel free; the Season will be starting soon and I am sure all of you young girls will be ordering gowns then. I understand that both Charming brothers will be holidaying in Turin this time." The shopkeeper added in a confiding voice.

Snow blushed at the thought of Leo, dashing, blue eyed Leo. "It is very exciting to think about to be sure." She replied politely as she looked at the pile of scarves sitting in the counter waiting to be folded; beautiful scarves Cindy would have just loved.

The shopkeeper slid around the counter and stood beside Snow, looking her up and down in consideration.

"Yes, I think you are exactly the right size." She said with a nod.

"Excuse me Madame?" Snow was confused.

"I have just received a new shipment of display gowns from a very eclectic shop in Homner, Crystallise. I am so curious to see how they would look on a real live person." The shopkeeper said with great excitement. "If you would be so kind, it would only take a moment." She continued as she easily steered Snow in to the back room.

Snow could hardly say no seeing as she was already standing in the back dressing room; and true to her word, an entire rack of soft and beautiful gowns hung on racks awaiting their place on the mannequins in the front window. Gowns of every shade and texture, from deep brilliant reds to the softest cream. Velvets, gossamer, silks and amazingly eccentric prints. Snow let her fingers trail over the intricate design stitched in to the neckline of the palest sunbeam coloured silk gown. The pale yellow dress was intricately detailed with embroidered stitching, and a long full skirt. The shopkeeper noticed Snow's hand linger on it.

"Ah, that is a beautiful dress indeed. There is a dressing room behind you that you may use; go on now." She took the dress off the rack and handed it to Snow. It felt so soft and finely made in her hands, Snow decided just this one dress. Just this one dress would she try on; then she would go find Cindy and Merc. But this dress, this dress she had to try.

Slipping her old dark green dress off, she slowly slid her arms in to the sleeves of the pale yellow delight. Sighing, she felt it caress her skin as it slid down; it was at that moment that she realised she just might have to buy it. Cindy would be a little more than put out considering she had taken it upon herself to completely design Snow's entire "Season" wardrobe; but this dress was bliss and Snow couldn't suppress the need to sigh once again as the satiny dress caressed her curves. Carefully she stepped out of the dressing room; the shopkeeper pursed her lips rather grimly as she took in the vision of Snow.

"You are such a pretty young girl, and this dress really was made for you," She said slowly. "But this dress is meant to be worn over a corset."

Snow had never worn a corset in her life, as far as she knew corsets were reserved for grown woman wearing ball gowns; certainly Cindy's creations never had need of one, a fact the little blonde often prided herself on. Perhaps the lady had misjudged her age; no sixteen year old girl Snow had ever heard of wore a corset. Still, she was just vain enough to be curious as to what a corset might do for her figure, so she agreed to try one.

The shopkeeper immediately rummaged through a rack to her left, finally deciding on a white bone corset with silky lacings. Snow's heart skipped a beat as she regarded the undergarment, it looked so terribly grown up.

"Allow me to help you with this dear heart, it is many years before most women are able to do a corset up themselves, and most women never do; it is rather impossible to tighten it correctly alone. But the shape it allows you...marvellous."

Eagerly she lowered the dress to allow the lady to help her get in to her very first corset.

"Now hold on to that pole, I will have to tug quite hard to get the lacings tight enough, but the effect will be...magical." The shopkeeper said with a strange smile.

The bones felt strange against her skin at first, cold, now these were not real bones of course, years ago corsets had been made with bones or so they say, but corsets now were fashioned out of a completely different substance. What that substance was exactly, Snow didn't know, and wasn't sure she really wanted to but she didn't care that much as long as it wasn't bones.

Snow gasped as the shopkeeper began to do the lacings up, it was really, really tight. She held on to the pole for all she was worth, and with one last tug the lady neatly secured the lacings. Snow gently pulled the dress back up over her shoulders; the shopkeeper was looking at her with a wide smile; quickly she grabbed some pins and expertly wound Snow's hair in to a big glamorous bun.

"Beautiful. Just like I knew you would be. Here, look for yourself." She turned Snow so she was facing a floor length mirror.

The effect was in fact...magical. The simple corset placed inconspicuously under the pale yellow dress, combined with the new hairstyle, had changed Snow from an attractive teenager to a stunningly curvy woman. All she needed was some of Cindy's makeup and she would have passed for 25...a very beautiful 25.

"Wow." She breathed, completely entranced at this new version of herself.

"Yes indeed. You truly are the fairest." The shopkeeper agreed quietly.

"Is it supposed to be this tight though? It's a little hard to breathe." Snow asked, never taking her eyes from her image in the mirror. If Leo could see her now...instantly she blushed at the thought.

The lady laughed gently. "That is the price we pay for beauty, and the reason most gentlemen carry smelling salts. You'll get used to it, everyone does." She paused and regarded Snow closely for a moment.

"It really is very beautiful on you. I'll tell you what; if you tell no one what I have done, as I can't afford to do this for everyone, I will let you keep the dress and corset free of charge."

"Really? I couldn't!" Snow managed to gasp out.

"No, I insist. You look so beautiful in this dress, it was made for you. You must have it!" The shopkeeper objected quickly.

"I don't know, I should pay you something." Snow breathed.

"Not a thing. But listen, you must go now, I have an important customer coming." The shopkeeper said walking Snow quickly and efficiently out the door.

Before she knew it, Snow found herself standing outside the vendor's door facing the street. She took a few steps before pausing; trying to breathe wearing a corset must be an acquired talent because Snow felt wasn't doing a terribly good job. Instead of getting easier as she had expected, it felt like the corset was actually getting tighter. Which was impossible; wasn't it? Of course it was, this just took some adjustment time, Snow thought as she began to make her way very slowly and carefully down the street, pasting an overly bright and cheerful smile on her pale, pale face.

An elderly woman paused as Snow stumbled by, a look of extreme concern on her face.

"Are you alright dear?" She asked, laying a caring hand on the young girls shoulder.

"I am very well Madame." Snow wheezed out. "Thank you, yourself?" Hoping the elderly lady didn't feel inclined to engage in a lengthy conversation; Snow leaned against the building, hoping her smile was still in place.

The woman frowned unconvinced, but moved on down the street thankfully.

As Snow staggered down to the corner, she was aware of several pairs of eyes fixed attentively on her; this only confirmed what she had seen in the mirror. Smiling at the thought, she did her very best to ignore the growing pain from the cursed corset, which seemed to be digging itself deep into her ribs. In fact, Snow began to wonder if this might not be too great a price to pay for beauty, imagine women gasping for air and enduring rib crushing pain, just in order to appear more beautiful. Turning the corner she scanned the bazaar area for Cindy and Mercury but didn't see them anywhere.

She felt her forehead, it was damp and clammy, she struggled for her next breath. Unable to expand her lungs, every cell in her body screamed for oxygen. Frantically she pawed at her corset as her vision began to dim; within seconds she hit the ground.

People started screaming for help. A lady in a purple coat began pulling at the corset lacings, trying in vain to loosen them. A big burly man, after apologising to Snow's nearly unconscious form tried his hand as well; but no matter what force used, the lacings would not loosen, in fact if it were possible, they seemed to tighten up even more. She struggled to keep her eyes open; people started screaming for help again and Snow began to feel very light...and very far away.

Her eyelids began to flutter and a remarkable feeling of peace settled in; and just like that, Mercury's flecked eyes bore down on her. Pushing people out of his way he reached down and neatly ripped her yellow satin gown in half; turning her over like a rag doll he used his razor sharp teeth and began gnawing at the lacings of the corset. Using his immense strength he pulled at the bones surrounding them.

People still stopped to cry for help, but now they were crying for help subduing what they perceived as a werewolf attack. It was almost unheard of for a werewolf to demonstrate his preternatural abilities in public; it understandably frightened them. Lonstas might be working towards equality but it wasn't here yet. A mob quickly assembled flinging racial slurs and it took everything Cindy had to keep them back while Mercury worked away at the corset.

"Magic" he muttered as he gnawed through the next set of lacings.

"Magic?" Cindy squeaked; holding her hands up against the crowd of frightened shoppers. "He's not harming her; he's my friend! Back it up buddy!" She shouted at the crowd, stamping her shiny pink boot. "Yeah, that means you!"

"Magic corset." Mercury managed as he spit out more lacing and went on to the next line. With each severed lace Snow's lungs expanded just a little more until finally the werewolf had made it through the entire corset.

"If they breakout the pitch forks I'm ditching the both of you." Cindy whispered as she blocked a man in a long dark coat from disturbing Mercury, emitting a rather good growl of her own.

Snow, free at last began gasping and filling her deflated lungs, all the while clutching the ripped fabric of her beautiful yellow gown close to her to shield her near nakedness. Her ribs felt as if they had been shattered, and her vision still swam; the pain was so intense. Finally Snow began to breathe somewhat close to normally.

Cindy handed Snow her shiny pink cloak to cover up with just about the same time that Snow opened her eyes, and realised what a crowd they had amassed. Mercury, noticing the crowd as well began to shoo them away, steadfastly ignoring the verbal insults and accusations; since she was obviously alive and the show was over, the crowd obliged and began to dissipate. Cindy knelt beside her friend.

"I didn't mean it about the ditching you know, I just said it because."

Blushing a furious crimson, she allowed Cindy to help her in to Cindy's bright pink sparkly coat. Mercury politely looked away; thankfully he had joined them shopping, if he hadn't she would be dead. That was a sobering thought. She had almost died. The corset was enchanted, it would have killed her. The real question was: had it been meant for her? There was only one person that she could think of that could possibly want her dead...

"Where did you get the dress and that awful corset?" Cindy asked and grabbed Snow up in to a massive bear hug.

"Let go! I was almost crushed already today!" Snow whispered. She was definitely going to have some very nasty bruises as well as a few bruised, possibly even broken ribs.

Mercury got a very dark look in his brilliant flecked eyes. "Yes, where did you get such a thing? I would really like to talk to whoever laced you up in this cursed corset."

"Oh no, Merc." Snow shook her head. "The vendor lady...she was just so nice, she gave me the dress and everything. I don't think she's responsible for the enchantment. I don't even know that it was meant for me; maybe it was an accident."

"A magical mess up?" Cindy mused.

"Doubtful. But we will see, won't we." Mercury still looked dark, formidable and very, very large.

"She gave it to you?" Cindy sounded doubtful as she pointed to the shredded remains of the obviously expensive yellow gown. "Snowy, why would she give it to you?"

"Yeah, I know how strange that sounds, at the time it seemed perfectly reasonable though."

"Nobody does nothing for free. They always want _something_. That's all I know." Cindy muttered.

"Then let's go find this nice shopkeeper. I am sure that if she is as nice as you say she is, then she will be very upset knowing that the corset she strapped you in to almost killed you. At the very least we should tell her in case anything else is enchanted in her shop." Mercury sounded reasonable, but the look in his eye was anything but, the beast shining through and the girls stepped back involuntarily.

"Okay." Snow agreed. "I'm sure she will be really upset, and you're right, there could be more enchanted garments. But you have to promise to be nice and let me and Cindy do the talking." Snow paused as she tried to stand up, pain shot through her ribs making her wince. "Actually, let Cindy do the talking."

Mercury took one side, and Cindy took the other and between the two of them Snow was able to stand up.

"It's just around the corner."

Leaning heavily on her friends, Snow brought them to the dress shop she had visited. She took a deep breath, and what a wonderful breath that was, and opened the door.

"Good morning!" A high pitched voice trilled. An elderly woman with a tiny pair of bifocals balanced in her tiny nose turned around and beamed at the trio expectantly.

"Hi there." Cindy greeted pleasantly. "My friend was here about twenty minutes ago, and received a gown and corset from you?"

"No, it was a different lady." Snow whispered.

"Sorry, from your associate then. May we speak with her please?" Cindy asked. Mercury stood in the doorway glowering down at the happy old lady, a huge, hulking wolf.

"I'm sorry Sweetheart, there must be some mistake; I work alone, I have no associate. I have just opened up for the day now; you must have received a gown from a different shop. I am so sorry; but do have a look around, I have the best selection in Turin and the "Season" is starting soon you know!" She trilled at them and began folding scarves in a pile, a contented smile on her pleasant face.

Mercury and Cindy looked at Snow in confusion.

"I know this was the place. It was here." Snow muttered as she looked around. There was no doubt about it, this was where she had encountered the curly haired shopkeeper. This just didn't add up, unless you factor in magic that is.

Magic always screwed everything up.

Unsure quite what to do, Mercury led the girls back outside. Cindy tossed a brief goodbye and thank you over her shoulder as politeness demanded.

"I smell enchantments, but the woman is not under a spell. She is as she appears, an elderly shop keeper; that is not a glamour." He announced as soon as the door had closed.

"Do you mean that there are other enchanted garments in the shop?" Cindy asked. "We probably should warn her, most people don't shop with their own werewolf you know."

"No, I didn't smell any fresh enchantments, it was a residual smell. Like something or someone was enchanted and then left. Perhaps simply the corset." He replied.

"No," Snow said. "She said she worked alone, and that was not the lady I dealt with."

Mercury exhaled loudly. "Could this be the work of your stepmother? You said she was a sorceress of some skill."

Snow felt sick; yes, yes it could definitely be the work of her powerful and insidiously sneaky stepmother. Could the kindly shopkeeper have actually been her beautiful stepmother in disguise? Could Rosalyn of Rylak have come that close to actually killing her? It was the most horrible thought.

"I don't know." She answered truthfully. "I suppose it could have; I am sure she wouldn't draw the line at glamour if she had to." She paused for a moment. "How did she find me?" She asked in bewilderment. No one even knew who she was.

"Why does she want to kill you Snowy?" Asked Mercury as gently as he could.

"I don't know." She replied, holding back her tears. And she didn't know. She had sensed the change in their relationship years ago, she had never known what caused it, or how to repair it. It hadn't always been that way, Snow had many fond memories of Rosalyn; Rosalyn sneaking sweets with her, Rosalyn braiding her hair, tending to her when she was sick, but something had happened that had destroyed their relationship gradually until finally Rosalyn had sent Gregor, their huntsman to cut out her heart. Snow had never known why, and though Gregor had fought valiantly against the spell that bade him to slay her, he was unable to give her a reason.

"Then let us hope she thinks the deed is done and has fled Turin." Mercury announced as he led the girls down the cobblestone streets back to the cottage Snow shared with Uncle Doc and his brothers.

Snow hoped so. But she knew better. Rosalyn of Rylak would ask her mirror. And her mirror never lied.

Chapter 9

Laid up in her bed at home, Snow had ample time to think...unfortunately.

Uncle Doc had taken one look at Snow, and the gang realised that there was no fooling him. They told him the whole story, omitting nothing; well, almost nothing. It would have been rather hard to hide the incident anyway seeing as Mercury had ended up carrying Snow most of the way home.

In horror, he had stared at her as they related the story of the enchanted corset.

Sitting down in a chair by his examination table, he slowly shook his head before looking up at the big angry werewolf. "Mercury, you have my unending respect and friendship for saving the life of my precious Snowy. Without your assistance today..." He trailed off unable to complete the sentence.

Mercury's beautiful eyes fastened on the Doctor's blue ones. "That means more than you could know Doc, I pledge to do everything in my power to protect your loved one. This I pledge on the honour of my forbearers."

Uncle Doc seemed to understand the great significance of this pledge and did indeed look relieved.

"But who would enchant a corset simply to harm a random young girl? That's the part that doesn't add up to me. Infusing a garment with enough magic to kill takes much skill, and typically is not employed by amateurs nor left to chance."

They all looked down; regrettably at the same time which of course indicated that they were hiding something. Or _trying_ to rather; Uncle Doc was no fool. He knew there was a little something more to the story that would fill in all of those gaping holes.

"Or was this a random attack. Cindy?" He zeroed in on Cindy. Wasn't it just like Uncle Doc to know instinctively who the weakest link was.

"Ummmmm..." Cindy fidgeted, she hated being the louse, and she looked around the room trying to avoid his penetrating blue gaze. "We think maybe, you know, her stepmom or someone...we don't know..." Looking down she began to twirl a curl around her finger.

"Your stepmother. Gads! Snowy, if your stepmother is behind this attack it is a very serious matter. She is a most powerful sorceress, and from all accounts, utterly single minded. How could you have considered keeping that from me? But how did she know you were here in Turin?"

His face turned ashen. "The convention!" This is my fault, dear, precious Snowy, I have placed you in the path of great harm!" His eyes round like saucers behind his small glasses. "The Rylakian physician that congratulated me, he must have recognised you! Did you know him in Rylak?"

Well, damn cause that wasn't it. Snow wasn't completely sure how to explain about Manuel, the gypsies and the spell but she knew she had to say something before Uncle Doc flung himself off of a mountain top as penance for endangering her life. There comes a time when only the truth will do, no matter how uncomfortable that makes you feel, and sometimes the truth is plenty uncomfortable.

"The Doctor from Rylak was the leading physician in the kingdom, well known to me and my family as he was... _is_ the foremost physician attending my father. But he did not recognise me; of that I am most certain." Snow said in a clear voice, stopping to let this information sink in. She certainly had everyone's attention.

Cindy, who was busy putting two and two together suddenly looked up sharply, with wonder at Snow. "Snowy, who are your parents?" She asked in a very quiet voice.

Uncle Doc and Mercury both turned to Snow as well, Mercury in confusion, Uncle Doc in compassion. He, above all knew just how hard it was for Snow to talk about her past. He would have spared her the pain if he could, but it was her story to tell and only she could tell it. So he simply reached out and held her hand, squeezing gently to let her know he understood.

Barely audible, Snow's voice finally emerged. "My father is the King of Rylak. My mother died when I was five years old. My stepmother is Rosalyn of Rylak." She hated the 'great revelation'.

"So that makes you-" Mercury's voice came out in a rush. "The Rylakian Heir!"

"A princess!" Cindy finished at exactly the same time. "Oh. My. Goodness. My best friend's a princess." Cindy tried the words on. They felt weird. "My best friend's a Princess! Of course, Snowy's a Princess...why didn't you tell me you were a Princess?!!"

Snow swung her eyes towards Cindy, her reaction to this was the funniest thing she had ever seen; she should have expected exactly this scene from her. And she would have, had she ever expected to tell anyone, which she hadn't. It was a horrible thing, admitting that your stepmother hated you so much that she wanted you dead, and your own father hadn't even bothered to try and save you.

That wasn't fair; Roland most likely didn't even know she was gone, he was that sick. But it still hurt; she swallowed hard against the emotions.

Mercury dropped to one knee in front of her. "Dearest Lady, it has been generations since the noble werewolves have served a Royal family as Protectors. I would be honoured if you would accept my Protection Oath."

"Oh, I really don't want this to change anything." Snow shook her head wide eyed, and struggled to sit up on the examination table; his reaction wasn't quite so funny...it bordered on annoying. "I am feeling really uncomfortable."

Mercury immediately wrapped his arms around her and helped her in to a sitting position; but that only hurt more, and when she yelped, Cindy hurriedly stuffed several pillows behind her back and Mercury slowly lowered her back on to them.

"I meant with all of this attention." She muttered. "It makes me uncomfortable."

"I would accept his Oath if I were you Snowy. Werewolves are among the most loyal friends and protectors you could ever have." Uncle Doc advised her.

Uncle Doc was seldom wrong, and it would wound Mercury terribly if she were to refuse his offer. It's just that he made it sound like she was doing _him_ the favour, not the other way around. She just wanted her friends to act like her friends again; she _hated_ all the pomp.

"I will accept this Oath of Protection on one condition." She decided.

"Anything my princess." He bowed again.

"Okay, that's it, if you ever call me that again, and especially if you keep bowing, I get to smack you upside the head...twice." There was no way she was going to deal with bowing too. Even the guards at Castle White hadn't bowed every time they spoke to her. Granted she was just a teenager, but still...

A huge grin split Mercury's handsome face; she was always threatening to slap him.

"I'm still her best friend." Cindy asserted with a thumb jerk towards her own chest.

"Of course you are." Snow responded quickly. Good grief, how could Cindy think that of all things would change. "Let's just pretend you all don't know, like I never told you okay?"

"Not happening." Cindy muttered; Mercury nodded in assent.

"Snowy, explain to me why you don't think the Rylakian physician recognised you. He could have recognised you and not shown it outwardly you know." Uncle Doc zeroed back in on his line of questioning, to which Snow was eternally thankful. Enough princess talk already, but this was where the story got tricky.

"He did not recognise me because a...a friend procured a spell for me that masks my aura. No one from Rylak could recognise me. I'm not sure about the actual parameters of the spell, or very much about how it works but I believe it is quite powerful."

Cindy and Mercury exchanged shocked looks. Both knew to which friend she was referring, but neither had known about the spell.

"It would have to be, to do as you suggest." Uncle Doc commented, clearly shocked as well. "Who is this friend that can create a spell of this nature?"

"Oh, he didn't create the spell, he procured it."

"Then who is this friend, have I met him?"

Well, Snow reasoned, if Uncle Doc could accept a werewolf as one of her good friends, surely he could accept a vampire. She hoped. "His name is Manuel. He's a vampire."

"Surely you can't mean Manuel, The Vampire Guard in The Lonely Forest." If Uncle Doc was shocked before, he was speechless now.

"Well, I think he did say he was a guard when we first met him, why? Do you know him too? He's...umm...he's pretty something."

They say it's a small world after all...don't they? Wouldn't it be that much easier if Uncle Doc knew and liked Manuel? That might be taking it a bit far; who knew Manuel and actually liked him.

She did. Damn. She liked him; but there couldn't be many.

But the world wasn't quite so small this time; Uncle Doc quickly shook his head.

"By reputation only. So how is it that The Vampire Manuel came to procure a protection spell for you? Vampire's aren't, and Manuel most _certainly_ isn't known for his...generosity."

"That was my fault Doc. The full moon was approaching and I needed someone to watch over the girls for me while I was...sick. Manuel knew of the girls, and I trusted him; well I _hoped_ I could trust him, but I felt I didn't have another option. It sounds like he did his best to keep them safe to me." Mercury looked just a bit nervous under the doctor's scrutinizing blue gaze.

Uncle Doc took his glasses off, polishing them before setting them back on his nose. Crossing his legs he reached over to his drawer and removed his pipe. Slowly he lit it and sent a few puffs up experimentally. He then trained his sharp eyes on the kids; Uncle Doc rarely, rarely missed a thing.

"I have known for some time that you were keeping something from me. I have been telling myself that you would come to me when you were ready and that I should give you the space a teenager needs to grow. And I think now is as good a time as any for you to come to me. I would hear the rest of this story, particularly the part that requires not only a werewolf but a vampire as well to serve as protection."

Snow gulped and exchanged looks with Cindy, who merely shrugged in return. Apparently she was quite content with allowing Snow to take the lead in all of this; conveniently forgetting that it had been her idea in the first place. Snow bit her lip and plunged right in. If this didn't ground her, she didn't know what would.

Uncle Doc listened in silence, right up to the part where they had used the rope ladder, fashioned by Cindy to break their friend out of the tower.

"You crept through The Lonesome Forest after dark and coerced an innocent teen to sneak out at night?" He asked incredulously.

"Umm, kind of. Yeah, it does sound that way, I guess that's kinda what we did."

"Snow Rutherford, how could you! Have you any idea how dangerous that was?" Uncle Doc sounded completely shocked and more than a little angry. "Do you have any idea what lurks in the forest after dark?"

"Werewolves?" Cindy offered in a small voice that no one acknowledged.

"Snow, I thought you had more sense than that."

"Oh but Dr. Rutherford, she is so lonely! She never gets out of her tower! It is so cruel to leave her there, we just couldn't! She is so sad! Besides, it was _my_ idea, I _made_ Snowy help me. I would have done it all by myself, but you know how she always has my back! Please don't blame her! And don't tell my Father either." Cindy added as she threw herself upon Uncle Doc's mercy, big tears welling in her jade green eyes and running down both perfect cheeks.

"The Mother Goethal says she has Hoglas disease. That's why she is locked in her tower. Have you ever heard of it?" Snow asked.

Uncle Doc thought hard for a moment. "No Snowy. I can't say that I have. What are the symptoms?"

"That's just it, there aren't any. At least none that Rapunzel has ever noticed."

"Hey Doc? I don't smell anything on her. I suppose there are some illnesses that wolves might miss, but I've never heard of any. And I don't think Manuel can smell anything either." Mercury offered.

"Uncle Doc? I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to lie to you, I was planning on telling you, I just never..." She trailed off. "I didn't know how." She finished somewhat lamely.

"Me too. Sorry that is about keeping secrets, but not about breaking her out. She's dying alone up there. " Cindy offered.

Uncle Doc sighed deeply. "Here's what; I will research what I can on Hoglas disease. When you are better, you will take me to Rapunzel's tower, introduce me to this Mother Goethal, and I will examine her myself. And there will be no more traipsing through the woods without anyone's knowledge, that applies to both of you. I cannot tell you what to do Mercury, but I will hold you partially responsible if the girls sneak out like that again. Do you understand me...all of you? Have you ever considered how upset her mother would be if she woke up to find her only daughter missing?"

True, Snow thought. The Mother Goethal probably would be very upset to find Rapunzel missing, but she feared it would not be for the reasons Uncle Doc assumed.

### ~~*~~

Partially hidden in the depths of the dark and tangled forest, off the coast of the Northern Sea, stood Diablo's Diamond; as rough and lawless a place as you could ever find. How many devious plots and underhanded deals had been birthed inside these simple wooden walls, no one will ever know. Pirates, ogres, assassins, anyone who dealt outside of Lonstasian law, frequented the hotel tavern, and its reputation was as violent as it was legendary. Diablo himself, long deceased, had harboured a unique distaste for conventional society, and had created this safe refuge for those deemed "undesirable". This was created in direct response to what _he_ had seen as Aristocrat Fascism. But even in his wildest, most secret dreams, he could never have foreseen what his simple tavern would eventually become.

On any given night at Diablo's, you could be sure of two things, one: that someone would be pounding out a terribly off tune song on the dilapidated piano in the corner while a crowd gathered and sang along equally off tune, and more often than not, drunken voices. And two: that everyone, right down to the barmaids were heavily armed. The only rule was, "You break it, you buy it." So, on this particular night, the drunken and exceedingly dangerous crowd was singing at the piano, an ogre was involved in an arm wrestle with a goblin who, incidentally was wanted in two of the four main kingdoms, and a very high stakes card game was commencing in the back room.

The great entrance door was flung open with a flourish, and as the cool night air rushed, in the bar went uncharacteristically silent. The newcomer stood there in the doorway, silhouetted in the moonlight, his head bowed, long dark hair covering his features. Slowly he raised his beautiful head revealing the porcelain skin and piercing eyes of a vampire.

The vampire silently surveyed the room, bottomless black eyes taking in every minute detail. Not a sound was heard. Even the drunken hob-goblin at the old piano had frozen mid pound. With deadly intensity the vampire scanned the room, finally focusing on a rogue elf with sleek purple tinted hair tucked neatly behind pointed ears, and dark purplish traveling clothes, sitting in the corner nursing an ale. Silently he glided up to her; she sighed deeply and looked down at the table. Several patrons got up and moved to a more inconspicuous table, not wanting to be anywhere near should the situation erupt with this particular vampire.

"Come on Manuel, I only stopped here for a drink, I will be leaving immediately." She whispered not daring to look up and meet his eyes.

"Have you not realised how pointless it is to lie to me sweet Magella, you arrived two weeks ago and have been contracted out by yonder pirate for some nefarious plot, that will, I assure you, not work out quite as planned. But that is not why I am here." Manuel spoke in a soft melodic, yet somewhat dark tone.

"I haven't been anywhere near your precious gypsies, I'll never make that mistake again, trust me. You were quite...persuasive." She shuddered slightly.

The group by the piano started up again, cautiously tossing intermittent glances at the vampire and elf.

Manuel gave her the brightest of smiles, making him heartbreakingly beautiful...unless you looked in to his eyes. Manuel's eyes, outwardly perfect in their inky black depths, were the eyes of a predator; the elf was nothing more than prey. Magella resolutely turned her head to avoid looking at them.

"I know. What I need from you is information, nothing more."

"I don't know anything about anything." She shook her head.

Manuel slowly reached out, cupping her slightly pointed chin in his white hand, and ever so gently turned her face until it was facing him directly. "I do not have time to waste. You will find out everything there is to know about a crone going by the name of 'Mother Goethal'. She takes residence in The Lonesome Forest. I am especially interested in anything you can uncover about the child, Rapunzel. No detail is too small."

"I am already contracted out. The pirates would kill me before releasing me to you." She whispered nodding towards the glowering, swarthy pirates seated at the bar.

Even for Pirates, these two looked menacing, each had several swords and knives strapped to their waist, one even wore a skull on a chain around his neck. They were really disagreeable looking men in need of a bath, true villains, and that was saying something considering the company they were in. Truth was, they would probably kill her anyway once the job was done.

"Don't worry about the pirates; I will take care of them." Manuel replied with a small smirk.

And she knew he would. "I wouldn't even know where to begin. What dangers am I facing?" She whispered back plaintively, though clearly relieved by the prospect of not having to deal with the truly murderous pirates, she was still somewhat suspicious of Manuel. He never did anything without a reason.

"Right now I am the biggest danger you face, Magella my sweet."

At that she shut her eyes and shrunk back in to her chair unsure as to whether she was in fact better off or not. Manuel could be a very fearsome danger indeed, should he choose to be.

"Magella, you have been up to much trouble." Manuel made a tssking sound, running his finger along the solid wood table and looking faintly disgusted as he viewed the dust and crumbs.

"I don't know what you are talking about." She lied automatically.

He sighed. "I want you to give me the crystal that you stole from the Oracle's favourite muse last week."

"Why on earth would you want that?" She asked with surprise and more than a hint of desperation. Her buyer was not known for his benevolence.

"It has no value to you. Unless you have a truly extraordinary buyer..." she trailed off questioningly.

"I am going to give it back." He responded simply.

That she wasn't expecting. She shook her head in confusion. Manuel rarely made sense to her; she had long since ceased trying to understand him. Past encounters with the lovely vampire had created a need to avoid him...at all costs. It appeared her luck had run out.

"Two reasons, the first being that it belongs with the muse for a reason, you upset the very balance of creativity by removing it, have you any idea what this might mean if the imbalance is not corrected and soon? No, of course you don't; you're almost as bothersome as a human, and the second...the muse will be so relieved to have it returned, that she will grant me a private audience with the Great Oracle. So I repeat: I want you to give me the crystal."

"There is a very conniving gnome meeting me here shortly, and he will not take lightly to the explanation that I gave the crystal to an obnoxious vampire because he asked for it."

"The gnome no longer waits for the crystal." He shrugged casually as if he had never heard the insult.

Horrified she gasped. "You didn't!"

"It seems the gnome you procured the crystal for, has suddenly remembered a wife and gnomlettes back in the Sarrilian Outback, and has returned home immediately to care for them." Manuel replied with open amusement. "He too thought I was obnoxious...at first."

She simply stared at him in shock, unable to ascertain exactly what happened to the gnome, she hoped he had truly fled back to Sarrilia to care for his family, but a part of her remained unconvinced. Still she _had_ been paid half upfront, so she still would come out on top...

"I negotiated quite a sum with the pirates for my services, what do I get in exchange for working for you instead." Ever the practical business woman, she heard the words emerge from her mouth unconsciously.

He leaned in close to her and looked her dead in the eye. "Your life; they are planning on killing you as soon as the job is completed."

She gulped. Manuel was seldom wrong. Perhaps she could have won a fight with the pirates, she was an excellent fighter, perhaps not; but now she would not have to bother. This would be the second time Manuel, one of the most dreaded vampires in this part of the country would save her life. She didn't know whether to be grateful, or frightened that he had taken such an interest in her. She decided to give him the crystal; simply put, he scared the hell out of her.

### ~~*~~

With the crystal in his possession, Manuel began the long journey back to The Lonesome Forest. Moving much faster than any human ever could, he would have been able to make the journey in a single night. But Manuel, being Manuel, couldn't help but stop in at various locations, just to make his presence known; after all, he did have a reputation to feed.

Nothing travels faster than a juicy secret, and the rumoured fate of the Diablo pirates had spread like fire on dry leaves, often reaching a party before Manuel himself arrived. Just as Manuel knew it would, he had timed it perfectly.

This delayed trip home also served another purpose; it provided the vampire with time to consider his next move. Returning the crystal to the proper muse would require that he find some way to attract many creative muses to a single, corporeal location. Supported by her sisters, the crystal's proper owner could borrow the energy required to attend; she had to, attendance meant survival for her. This would prove very challenging as currently all creative energy was in a state of unbalance. He would need something big, something very big.

Manuel loved a challenge.

### ~~*~~

Sitting gingerly on the edge of Snow's fluffy white bed, Cindy slowly shook her golden curls.

"She's just so lonely. I feel awful, I left her the latest copy of 'The Lonstasian Eye', you know, the one with the all jousting pictures, but I almost feel like that makes it worse. She's in that round room day after day...I would throw myself out the window." She lamented sadly.

"I know. I don't know how she does it. We can't leave her there forever, we have to figure out something." Snow agreed with a hint of frustration. She had been working on Uncle Doc for days, but he was unwilling to commit to anything until he had met the Mother and examined Rapunzel himself.

Mercury stretched impossibly long legs out as he relaxed in the chair close to her bed. His hands up behind his head, he had that same dopey smile on his face again. The girls couldn't help but smile back at the big gorgeous wolf; it was always like that when he saw Red. This time he had been accompanying Cindy to the Rutherford cottage when they had accidentally ran in to the infamous redhead. She had been startled and dropped her bag, navy blue eyes wide and innocent as she took in all six feet four of him. Mercury had been more than happy, much, much more than happy to reach down and hand it to her. She had composed herself rather quickly, thanking him nicely and carried on her way. Only Mercury had looked back to see her turn away quickly not wanting to be caught looking back at _him_. _She_ had looked back too. His heart soared. And who could blame her, he was gorgeous. Reliving the moment, Mercury was lost in a sea of sensory overload.

"Even Manuel has abandoned her apparently." Cindy shook her head. "He hasn't been by in days." Neither one of them, not in their wildest dreams would have ever imagined that Manuel would have lost interest in their lovely friend like that. Snow had half a mind to give him a very _large_ piece of hers, but still it was highly unusual for the arrogant vampire to give them more than a day or two of peace; and he stood outside Rapunzel's tower _every_ night. Not anymore. Something was up.

Thankfully Mercury walked Cindy through the forest to Rapunzel's tower daily, and waited patiently in the trees for her to return. It wouldn't do to scare the Mother Goethal by flaunting a fully grown werewolf in front of her, although Cindy did occasionally daydream about it to be sure; those daydreams usually ended with The Mother flying off in terror and Mercury and Cindy running through the forest with Rapunzel between them, shouting "freedom" at the top of their lungs. But in the end, she went up to deliver the lesson alone, of course lingering to visit with the lonely teen for as long as she could. Cindy also delivered Snow's lesson each day, but here at least, Mercury was welcome.

"Strange, I haven't seen him either. But don't judge him too harshly; there is something off in the forest lately. I don't know what it is, but the whole vibe is out of synch." Mercury said in partial defence of the missing vampire.

"Something off everywhere." Cindy agreed. "I haven't been able to sew very well lately, that's never happened before. I can't even remember my dreams the last few days."

"That is odd; come to think of it, neither can I." Snow grimaced, dreams were usually her 'happy place", the loss of them wasn't doing anything for her good humor that much was for sure.

"Uncle Happy has been complaining about his cookies not turning out right lately, and Uncle Gordon is even grumpier than usual; maybe everyone's off. But Manuel was her only friend at night when we couldn't come; he better have a good reason." Snow sighed and threw herself back on to her pillows. Where was the damn vampire.

"I'd say the cookies were just fine, if anyone were to ask me that is." Mercury offered; he really loved cookies. He really loved food in general, and since Uncle Happy really loved feeding people some would call it a match made in heaven.

"Are there any left?" Snow teased.

Mercury shook his head. "Nope."

Just then a knock sounded off the door, and a little bald head poked around the corner. Sweet Uncle Donovan, or 'Uncle Dopey' as Snow affectionately referred to him, gave the kids a big smile and looked up hopefully at Mercury.

"Mercury? Gordon went and got his axe stuck in a log out back." Dopey paused to laugh silently. "He's cussing up a storm; you think you could pull it out for him before he has a stroke?"

"Of course!" Mercury immediately sprang up and followed the little bald man out of the room. Mercury, so tall and strong looking and Uncle Dopey, so small and cute; they made quite a pair. Uncle Grumpy...er Gordon was not known for his patience and he knew more cuss words, in more languages, than Snow could even imagine. Although his bark was usually much worse than his bite, people rarely tangled with him.

Watching the action from the corner window, Snow couldn't actually hear what was being said, but then again she didn't really need to. Uncle Grumpy had both hands on the axe and was using the log to brace both of his little legs, but even using all of his strength, the axe wasn't budging, and he was red faced with exertion. Judging from the look in Cindy's wide green eyes and the way she immediately clamped her hands over her ears, he really was cussing up a storm...in several languages.

Uncle Snyder was laughing so hard tears flowed from his eyes, although to be honest Snow wasn't sure if the tears were from laughter or his chronic hay fever. Sweet, Uncle Dopey covered his smile, although his laughing eyes betrayed him and waited patiently as Mercury approached the irate little man and offered his assistance. Apparently Mercury had said the exact right thing, so Uncle Grumpy finally let go of the axe and Mercury was quick to pull it out of the log. Snow smiled softly as she made her way back to her bed.

What had they ever done before Mercury joined their little group? The brothers were constantly relying on his strength for one job or another, and the big wolf was always happy to comply. Uncle Happy, as Snow fondly referred to him, was pleased as punch to find someone who loved gingersnap cookies as much as he did and the two of them were often found beside the empty cookie jar, swigging great mugs of milk. And sweet little Uncle Ben, Bashful Ben as he was often referred to, had shared his biggest secret with the big lovable wolf...his crush on a certain milkmaid named Marion. Mercury knew all about the secret crush.

He chopped up all of the wood, stacking it in a neat pile by the back door before he went home for the evening.

Of course he did.

### ~~*~~

Dr. Cornelius Rutherford had spent days going over book after book; searching for anything he could find on the mysterious illness called "Hoglas disease." But even an exhaustive search through his shelves of medical files, books, articles and case studies had proved completely fruitless; and without any specific symptoms, the search became near impossible.

Sitting at his desk gently rubbing his temples, he had to admit defeat. He was exhausted and frustrated; but more than that, he was intrigued. Now, more than ever he knew he had to meet this young woman and examine her himself. Perhaps her Mother could be persuaded to conduct an introduction between him and her attending physician; he found himself greatly excited by the prospect.

He would examine Snow, and if she was mended sufficiently he would accompany her to the teen, Rapunzel's tower. Silently he laughed to himself, of course she would declare herself healed; she had been itching to go out for days. You just couldn't hold teenagers down, could you?

### ~~*~~

The early afternoon sun blazed high in the pale blue sky. Dazzling rays of sun reached down caressing each blade of grass and wild flowers stood straight up, petals and leaves reaching back up towards the beautiful sky. The entrance to The Lonesome Forest was a beautiful sight this early in the day, and Snow stopped to hug her favourite willow tree, whispering words of endearment as she clung; it had been far too long and she sincerely apologised to her tree.

The girls had never entered the forest this early in the day, and now traveling with Mercury and Uncle Doc they had a chance to see the forest's true beauty. In another hour or two the sun would have moved just far enough away to stop illuminating the dense forest, but for now it was a secret just waiting to be uncovered.

For instance, the variety of multi-coloured mushrooms that grew at the base of the trees, and the rich, velvet green moss that almost begged you to stroke it that grew like patchwork over stones and logs. The tiny ivy that grew in magnificent purplish splotches across the ground that made you think of a short dense carpet, and previously unnoticed birds sang together in great choruses; all of it was incredibly beautiful. The millions of shades of greens, browns and in some cases red leaves that decorated the trees in the early afternoon sun proved to the girls that the forest was far, far more beautiful than either of them ever could have imagined

The walk to Rapunzel's tower was suddenly new and magical and they laughed and chatted as they strolled through the spectacular forest. They stopped just as they entered the clearing surrounding the stone house and tower. Snow took a deep breath; to say she was nervous about introducing Uncle Doc to The Mother Goethal was putting it quite mildly. Unpleasant was an understatement when referring to the Mother. Resolutely she started for the door and knocked.

After waiting for a moment with no response, she picked up the large metal knocker and knocked again, louder this time.

Finally the round dark door opened a just enough for a sliver of The Mother's face to be visible, and she was wearing a deep set scowl.

"It's Saturday. There is no lesson to be dropped off. Scat and leave a tired, old woman in peace." And with that she shut the door firmly in Snow's face. Snow turned to look at the frowning Uncle Doc.

The doctor, being a man of strict politeness, was somewhat taken aback with the reception awarded Snow, so he walked forward and took the knocker himself. Rapping firmly three times he waited patiently. The door opened that small sliver again.

"I told you to scat, you mangy good for nothing teenager!" She spat out the door way; but the good doctor slipped his foot in the opening just before The Mother could slam it again.

"Excuse me, Madame?" He inquired politely, expertly masking his pain as she slammed the door hard on his foot.

"Who are you? And what do you want?" She spat again at Uncle Doc, who was truly stunned at the depth of her impoliteness. Snow, Cindy and Mercury hung back, unsure of what exactly to do.

"Good afternoon Madame, I am Dr. Cornelius Rutherford, I am here to take an examination of your daughter Rapunzel, if she will allow it." He greeted extending his small hand.

She ignored the offered hand completely, sneering at him instead. "I have heard of you Dr. Rutherford, and I do not recall requesting your...services."

"No, of course you didn't." He replied easily, opening the door a little wider with his hands. "But my Snowy has told me all about your dear Rapunzel's illness, and how all avenues of treatment have appeared hopeless. I am here to lend my expertise; I was awarded the medal of "Medical Innovation" just this year at the convention in Crystallise. I wish to lend my support to your daughter's most puzzling and debilitating illness, as a Mother I knew you would want nothing more than to see your daughter live a fuller, healthier life."

At the mention of her name, The Mother had turned a withering eye on Snow, who shrunk back instinctively. "I assure you doctor, there is nothing you can do for my Rapunzel. Now I will ask you to remove yourself from my doorstep." She tried to shut the door again but Uncle Doc, small but strong, kept a firm grip on it.

"But Madame, surely you wish to see your daughter cured?" He protested with genuine puzzlement.

"Doctor, I suggest you remove yourself from my doorstep while you are still able." She snarled as she fought over control of the door with him. Hearing that, Mercury stepped forward and took the door in his own large hands, opening it wide. The Mother took in the huge werewolf boy and swallowed her next retort, as Uncle Doc stepped aside and allowed Mercury the floor.

"You wouldn't be threatening Doc would you? I'm just making sure, because that would make me really, really angry. And no one likes me when I'm really, really angry." He explained to The Mother as he leaned down to look her right in her watery eye.

"Of course not you hairy fool; I am merely respecting my daughter's wishes." She sputtered as she looked him up and down avoiding the glower on his face and the intensity in his eye. "Rapunzel does not wish to be poked and prodded by every visiting physician in Lonstas."

"Then maybe we should ask Rapunzel how she feels?" Mercury asked as politely as he could given the present circumstances.

"I could ask her." Cindy offered stepping forward; Snow caught her hand pulling her back pointing silently to the tower window. Rapunzel's sleek head popped out; Uncle Doc looked back at Snow and she pointed upwards. Following her gesture, he raised his gaze and took his first look at the girl, Rapunzel, as she frantically waved in greeting to him.

"My daughter is quite ill, as you have been informed, and is resting right now. I will not disturb her much needed rest for such foolishness." The old woman declared fiercely with malice in her eye.

Snowy made a "locked door" gesture. Nodding once, Uncle Doc returned to the door.

"I understand your misgivings Madame, but should the child Rapunzel awaken, and was to allow the examination, you would not stand in our way? Is that what I am to understand?"

"Of course doctor, I am nothing if not a doting and concerned mother." She replied rather piously.

"Okay then. I do hope you are a woman of your word as I intend to hold you to it!" Uncle Doc sang gaily, as he stepped out from the door. "Good afternoon Rapunzel!" He called out waving.

Rapunzel waved frantically back again. "Good afternoon Dr, Rutherford, Snowy has spoken of you often and with great fondness!" She sang out the window, so terribly excited to have company.

The Mother, a look of shocked anger stamped on her ugly face stepped out as well and looked up the tower.

"Dear child," Uncle Doc called up to Rapunzel. "Snowy has informed me of your most unfortunate illness, and I am so very curious ,as yours is the first such case to reach my ears. Would it offend you if I was to request an examination?"

"There would be no offense taken doctor, I too, am most curious about my affliction."

"There you have it. Now Madame, if you will excuse us we shall head up to visit the young girl, and don't worry we won't take very long." Clearly pleased as punch, Uncle Doc couldn't keep the wide smile from spreading across his kindly face. He marched back to the doorway.

The Mother placed herself firmly in front of the doorway, hands on her hips and a defiant look in her eye.

"I would not have you taking advantage of my daughter in her innocence, nor have her pressured in to being poked and prodded like a circus anomaly, to appease what she believes to be friends, only to be discussed and made mockery of."

"Excuse me? Madame, we would never make fun of Rapunzel, she's one of my best friends!" Cindy rushed in.

"You, Miss Vanholston? The talk of the town¸ the way your scoundrel father lets you run wild? Oh, I have heard all about your doings. Have you not influenced my sweet Rapunzel enough?" She spat.

Rapunzel watched in horror as The Mother barred the entrance to the house. She had no idea what to do, she was locked in; but if they simply left, she was unsure if she would ever see them again. Silently she placed her hand on her chest and fought to control her panic.

"Now Madame-" Uncle Doc began in the stupefied Cindy's defence.

"Enough! We are done with these _lessons_. I will not have these open challenges of my authority in my own home continue. I will not allow these lawless girls to further influence my pure and innocent daughter...with these!" The Mother cried and threw something at the Doctors feet.

Bending down he carefully picked up the offending magazines. The last two issues of "The Lonstasian Eye" tabloid. Cindy bit her lip in guilt.

"Nothing but a silly entertainment tabloid Madame-" He began again.

"Filling her head with places she can never see, things she can never do on account of her illness."

Snow and Cindy shared a horrified look, they had never, ever meant to cause Rapunzel pain.

"Unspeakable cruelty; and from those who would call themselves 'friend'." She declared. "We are done with your form of 'friendship'." She slammed the door in their stunned faces.

Wide eyed and angry, Mercury stepped forward to knock again, but Uncle Doc laid a soothing hand on his shoulder.

"We will accomplish nothing more here today my friend. Come, let us leave in peace."

Mercury struggled to suppress his anger at the sight of Rapunzel in her tower window, crying as if her heart would break. Uncle Doc turned in response to the wolf's anguish, and the tears rose in his eyes as well. The compassionate doctor would find some way to help her; otherwise the image of the lonely heartbroken girl locked away in her tower would haunt him forever.

Chapter 10

Whoever had planned this pre-season kick-off festival, deserved a big hug, that's all Snow knew. It was a wonderful idea and just the thing to break the town out of the fog that they had all been living in lately. The town of Turin and surrounding encampments had been buzzing about nothing else for days. Commencing just after dark in the great town square, the line up already included two well known vampire bands, a fairy/pixie light show, a mime show and it was even rumoured that Great Mother Sardinia was sending her best musicians and dancers as well. Not to be left out, Caspian Van Holston had made arrangements for two of his biggest clients to make the trek from Crystallise and perform that evening as well. It was more excitement then Turin had seen in a long time.

Of course the ever ready vendors were busy setting huge vats for caramel corn, candy apples, cotton candy and pretzels. The general fog that Turin had been living under seemed to have been lifted and been replaced with a light hearted joyful feeling as people ran to and fro setting up streamers, lamps and decorations. There was no admission charge, but any money collected was to be donated to the "Chances for Children" fund. The fund was relatively new, funded by an unknown benefactor; it was aimed at opening up equal opportunities for all children, regardless of race and species. It specialised in integrating wolf children, elf, fairy etc with human children; no group was excluded, it allowed them the rare opportunity to play together. Uncle Doc habitually donated to this particular fund, although it was a source for some very real contention among the Aristocrats, who were constantly trying to shut it down.

For this one event, Uncle Doc had given the girls and Merc permission to bring Rapunzel. Well, he hadn't actually said it in so many words, but as Snow had wistfully mentioned, several times¸ how wonderful it would be if Rapunzel could attend the festival, he had merely smiled and agreed that yes it would, she had taken that as an 'unspoken permission'. He hadn't made any mention of asking The Mother to allow her out, but as Snow saw it, after his explosive meeting with The Mother Goethal, he understood the utter pointlessness of asking _her_ permission. For days he had been conferring with local authorities, trying to find a legal loophole with which to liberate the imprisoned girl, but as of yet he had found exactly nothing. Mercury had taken to checking in on her once or twice every night.

But for this ever so special occasion, they had decided they would do whatever they had to in order to spring their friend. Cindy set about making a plan.

### ~~*~~

They met in secret, just after dark, each bringing with them the item Cindy had asked them to procure.

Snow had brought two of the longest pillows she could find. Uncle Horst and Uncle Donovan, Uncles Happy and Dopey respectively, had each given her the strangest of looks when she had begged to trade pillows with them. But, always the doting uncles, they had dutifully relinquished their nice long body pillows, accepting Snow's pink lacy pillows in exchange.

Mercury had somehow managed to find an entire bag full of light silvery coloured corn silk, and Cindy had a mannequin head and bizarrely enough, an arm. They waited in silence as Cindy paced back and forth looking intently at their haul.

"I think...I think this is gonna work." She decided, snapping her fingers. "The Mother's upped her game, so have we."

"She's upped her what?" Snow shook her head. "How is this going to help us break Rapunzel out?"

Cindy gave an exasperated snort. "Geez, you would think you were new at this sneaking out thing. Amateurs. When sneaking out at night, what is our main concern?"

"Uh, getting caught." Snow replied with an obvious shrug of her shoulders and a roll of her eyes.

"Exactly!" Cindy snapped again. "But if Rapunzel is sound asleep in her tower..." She trailed off.

Snow and Mercury studied the items on the floor intently.

"Ah, I see!" Mercury's face lit up with a huge smile. "We are going to create a dummy Rapunzel, to fool The Mother, should she check in on her! Tricky, tricky little girl."

"You scare me." Snow added.

Cindy closed her eyes and nodded. Yes, she did feel quite frighteningly brilliant at that moment, and it felt really good that her friends had started noticing.

### ~~*~~

Well, it was rather ingenious Snow thought, as she regarded the sleeping "Rapunzel" they had fashioned with the pillow and mannequin parts. The corn silk Mercury had brought actually made a pretty good replica of Rapunzel's silken tresses; but the arm was downright creepy the way it dangled out from the covers. Sometimes Cindy was so devilishly and deviously creative that it scared her. She made a mental note to never, never underestimate Cindy.

Rapunzel had been overjoyed when the girls crawled in through the window of her tower, catching both of them in a tight embrace. She had begun to wonder if she would ever see them, or anyone else for that matter, again.

"Wait." Snow called to Rapunzel as she reached in to the pocket of her purple cloak. "I have something for you."

She held up a red glass sun jewel strung from a fine gold chain.

"I've been thinking about this, and there is no one this pendant is better suited to." She said as she moved behind Rapunzel to fasten the necklace.

The jewel hung low in the bodice of Rapunzel's dark blue silk dress, hidden yet close to her heart. She pulled it up to look at the deep red sun.

"How lovely! Where ever did you find this?" She asked, as she admired the jewel, it seemed to twinkle and wink at her.

"The chain came from Uncle Gordon Grumpy; he made it in the mine; but the jewel is from Uncle Doc."

"Then you mustn't give it away!" Quickly Rapunzel reached for the clasp to return it, but Snow laid a soft hand on hers to stop her. Cindy grimaced and shhh'd them, terrified The Mother would over hear.

"No. It doesn't belong with me. An elvish healer from Sarrilia created what he hoped would be an elixir to protect vampires from the sun, for obvious reasons it hasn't been tested. The jewel on that chain is actually a sample of that elixir. Uncle Doc strung it on the chain and gave it to me, but it really belongs with you. Please wear it; it represents the first major step in our acceptance of vampires in to our society."

Silently Rapunzel regarded the beautiful red sun, running her long slender fingers over the delicate engraving. "I will wear it close to my heart with pride. Thank you for such a thoughtful gift."

"How did you know to expect us tonight?" Snow asked Rapunzel once they had crawled out of the tower and retreated in to the surrounding forest to meet up with Mercury. Their lovely friend had been dressed and waiting for them when they arrived, terribly, terribly excited and it was only now that Snow stopped to realise how odd that had been.

"The pigeon brought me a note." Rapunzel had replied. "I do not know of a word that accurately describes how anxious I have been to get out of my tower." She closed her eyes and shook her head. "How ever did you manage to coerce that bird to do your bidding?"

Mercury looked down with a sheepish grin. "I made friends with Manuel's little birdie. He's going to love that." He laughed at the thought. "I sent the bird up with a note earlier today. I'm just glad it worked."

"Oh Man. Manuel is going to be so pissed. I really want to be there when he finds out." Cindy chortled.

Mercury nodded in happy agreement.

### ~~*~~

The entire town of Turin turned out for the festival, or so it seemed as Mercury led the girls through the excited crowd. Lit by hundreds of coloured lanterns, and strung with beautiful streamers, the square was transformed from a common town square, to an energetic and exciting festival garden. Vendors called out offering candy apples, pretzels and other such snacks, and a young man stood beside that magic wishing well handing out cups of "magic" water. Even Cindy had to laugh at that, but she accepted one anyway; he was very cute, although she vehemently denied that had anything to do with it. They all knew better.

Snow eyed the candy apple vendor with interest, but Cindy dragged her away. Ah...apples, she loved them in any form.

Making their way through the crowd, the girls ran in to Alessa, the beautiful gypsy girl was leading the famed gypsy dancers that evening, and from the looks of it, it was going to be quite a show. After exchanging hugs of greeting, the girls promised to return and partake in the dance. Mercury had his eye on the courtly formation dancing held in the other corner, he had always wanted a chance to try out those lessons his mother had paid for last year.

Everywhere you looked something eye catching was happening and the air was thick with excitement. Rapunzel looked around, wide eyed and thrilled, never except perhaps in pictures from the 'Lonstasian Eye", had she ever seen a crowd this big. Her eyes drank in the sights, the people and the clothes, while her ears soaked up the sounds. She held tight to Cindy's small hand.

Mercury ran back to the girls with an oversized bag of mini-doughnuts and a large pretzel which he very gentlemanly offered to share with them.

Up ahead Snow caught sight of a familiar tall dark haired figure in a black embroidered coat. Appearing to concentrate steadily on something just outside of Snow's sight, stood Manuel, just as remote and beautiful as ever. Although she would never admit to it out loud, she was very glad to see him, perhaps even a little bit relieved as well if the truth were really to be told. As irritating as he could be, Manuel was part of their group, he was their friend. She headed quickly in his direction.

"Well, well. Look who we have here, just skulking around the festivities." Snow announced as she neared the distracted vampire.

"Vampires are entirely unable to skulk. Skulking implies a decidedly cowardly undertone. And vampires could never be described as cowards. Are all humans as illiterate as you?" He replied without looking at her.

Exasperated she shook her head.

"It's good to see you too Manuel. No, we have been fine, but thanks for asking. And yourself?"

"Are you alone or are you accompanied by the dog and the banshee." Manuel made it sound more like a statement than a question.

"Ah, Cindy would rather be a siren than a banshee." Snow replied with a shake of her head. "And yes, we are all here with Rapunzel. Rapunzel really misses you Manuel, now that we have been forbidden from visiting her, she is so terribly lonely each day. It would make it easier on her if you would stop by from time to time."

At the mention of her name, the lovely vampire turned his head.

"Why were you forbidden from visiting her?" He asked in a serious tone, his eyes dark and foreboding. It was then that Snow noticed how pale and drawn Manuel looked; as if he had forgotten to sleep and eat for days.

"The Mother Goethal. She threw us all out of her house last week. It was quite the scene, Mercury wanted to eat her." Snow explained with a pained look.

Manuel glowered at the mention of The Mother.

"Pity he did not."

Snow decided to change the subject before he decided to run over and devour The Mother himself.

"This festival is amazing. I can't imagine how much work it must have been. I wonder who put it together?" She casually offered, searching for a calm and neutral line of conversation.

"Who indeed." He replied turning back to the crowd, and that's when he caught sight of Cindy and Rapunzel headed in their direction. Rapunzel broke away and ran towards the motionless vampire. A dazed and happy look settling over her features. He caught both of her hands up in his and kissed them ever so softly.

"Sweet Rapunzel, you grow more beautiful with each passing day." The genuine smile touched and lit his bottomless black eyes completely, almost erasing the earlier signs of fatigue.

"Manuel, you had me so worried! I wasn't sure whether you were hurt or simply bored with us." She teased, eyes shining as she gazed up in to his.

"I could never tire of you." He teased back with a small laugh. "I had pressing business to attend to that kept me quite busy. Every day was an eternity. I am very, very happy to see you." Rapunzel smiled up at him, quite entertained, a small blush on her soft cheeks Snow noted with satisfaction; she wasn't the only one who blushed.

"Buddy!" Mercury's voice radiated happiness, as he bounded over to the beautiful vampire, catching him in a bear hug and clapping him loudly on the back. Clearly unused to such exuberant shows of affection, the vampire remained quite rigid, a genuine look of shock stamped on his otherwise perfect face.

"Pretzel?" Mercury asked, amiably offering a warm doughy pretzel to the horrified vampire who simply stared at the handsome werewolf as if he had suddenly acquired an extra head.

The grin that split Mercury's face said it all, and the girls grinned back in amusement.

Rapunzel's eyes shone with mirth as she looked from vampire to werewolf and back again. Manuel, quickly recovering himself stepped back and made a show of brushing off his immaculate coat, mumbling something about canine stench.

"Oh this is so wonderful! Everyone is back together again!" Cindy almost jumped up and down with glee, reaching in to the doughnut bag and grabbing one. Manuel gave her a withering look and was about to make a sharp retort, when Rapunzel laid a slender hand on his.

"This is a wonderful night, isn't it." She sighed gracefully, in great contentment.

"It is good to see you again, buddy." Mercury agreed happily.

"I see you managed to keep the human children relatively safe while I was away; I suppose there might be some hope for you yet. And don't call me 'buddy'. Ever." Manuel returned, pretending to look disdainful.

"Sure, sure. Pal."

"Okay." Decided Snow, clapping her hands together in excitement. "What shall we do first? I myself, am pretty curious about the mimes .I'm just putting that out there."

"The gypsy dancers! I wore my favourite red skirt specially for it!" Cindy exclaimed as she began to sway in anticipation, and the skirt did indeed flare out around her legs beautifully, although it was much too short for Snow's taste.

Mercury shrugged ruefully. "Court formation dancing. I'm working on my gentlemanly skills."

"Good luck with that." Manuel threw out offhanded. Mercury repressed a small smirk.

"And what would you like to do?" Manuel turned to Rapunzel.

"Oh Manuel, there are so many things to do and see here tonight, I would like to see everything! I think I would like, if I may, to see the music being played on the stages first." Rapunzel's eyes glowed with excitement.

"Of course. Then that is where we shall start; I happen to know several of the musicians tonight." He replied happily.

"So we meet back here in an hour?" Snow's question was met with a round of excited nods as they each turned and went their separate ways.

Standing in the square, she watched her friends were slowly swallowed up by the crowd. Mercury so excited to try out his "gentlemanly dance lessons", who could have guessed that he was a dancer; he looked so dark and dangerous. Boy crazy Cindy, who had quietly noticed both Fyodor and Fredrik amongst the gypsy dancers, almost skipped her way back to them. Both of them were filled with such excitement, Snow loved seeing them like that. But what she loved most of all was the look on Rapunzel's face when Manuel took her hand in his. How tenderly he steered her through the crowd, his hand on the small of her back, his head inclined toward hers as he no doubt whispered sweetly to her.

Yes, the elixir prototype on the chain truly belonged with her tall blonde friend. What did the future hold for the two of them she wondered?

What did it hold for any of them?

She turned and headed for the mimes.

### ~~*~~

Mercury was extremely pleased to find that the lessons his mother had been so adamant that he take had paid off extravagantly well. His natural wolf-like grace combined beautifully with the stylised movements of the dance, and within minutes he was regarded as one of the best dance companions in the formation. Each lady anxiously awaited her chance to dance with the outrageously handsome and wonderfully skilled stranger.

### ~~*~~

Snow made a small detour before heading over to the mimes. She decided to check in on Cindy, her small predicament prone friend, apparently Cindy was having much difficulty deciding between her two equally fetching suitors. In all honesty, Cindy had no intention of choosing between them...not tonight anyway. Snow hoped neither of them took things seriously enough to propose a duel...although Cindy, capricious, dramatic Cindy, might find that unimaginable romantic. Snow thought it was ridiculous.

Alessa was easily able to coax Snow in to joining in for a few riotous dances before she left them for the mimes. No one ever could say no to the beautiful enigmatic gypsy girl, and after those dances, Snow felt comfortable enough that there would not be any ridiculous duels fought that evening, so she left.

Finally she made it to the mime's stage, mere minutes before the next show was to start, snacking on the candy apple she had not been able to resist, she waited in happy anticipation. She had always loved mimes, her father had arranged for mimes to perform at all of her birthdays up until he had become too sick to attend. For the first few years Rosalyn had kept the tradition going...before their relationship had degraded that was. She sighed, remembering the time both she and Rosalyn had played at being mimes together in her playroom back at Castle White, creating a small but entertaining routine for her father, just before he fell ill.

### ~~*~~

"What is it that has garnered so much of your attention this evening Manuel?" Rapunzel asked tentatively looking softly up at her vampire.

His concentration broken, Manuel turned his head quickly to face Rapunzel's softly inquiring look. Gazing in to her eyes, he slipped an arm around her shoulders and turned her to face the band.

"Rapunzel my darling, have you ever heard of a muse?" he asked gently.

"No, I cannot say that I have; what is a muse?" She asked, her large dark eyes brimming with curiosity.

He considered his answer for a moment.

"Muses exist in a completely different plane, rarely are they ever seen, yet their influence is felt around us every day. Every poem, every speech, design, painting, song, anything in this world which requires creativity, right down to the latest medical breakthrough is directly influenced by the muses. That's not to say that nothing would ever be accomplished without them, but without the passion they inspire things would take much longer to accomplish and perhaps many things, like music for example, would simply die away." He started.

"Muses are almost always female, and they each carry around their neck a crystal strung from a delicate chain of the purest silver. Now these crystals, which range in a variety of different colours from the brightest red to the purest blue, are not to be confused with ordinary crystals. On the outside they may appear to be an ordinary crystal, albeit an exceptionally beautiful and beguiling crystal, but these particular crystals house immense amounts of creative energy. You see, worn close to the muse's heart they absorb and share the creative energy inspired with their muse, making the relationship somewhat symbiotic. And although muses inspire creative energy, they also need that energy to live, a muse deprived from the energy for any extended period of time would die, and the balance of creativity would dramatically and catastrophically shift. Were a muse to lose her crystal, she would lose her store of energy and eventually die as well, creating the same result. This is another reason the crystals are so important to the balance. Even though a muse will inspire and enjoy all forms of creativity, they do tend to specialise, so the loss of a single muse would likely be felt in a specific creative field first before spilling out across the spectrum as her sister muses attempt to strengthen her, but it would eventually wreak havoc with the balance of creativity itself. Who knows what effect that would have on our world." He finished.

Now this was the sum total knowledge about muses, and Manuel was among a very select few who even knew that much.

If knowledge of muses was considered limited, any knowledge concerning The Great Oracle was positively sparse. Like muses, oracles were for the main part traditionally female, and usually known for their apparent youth and innocence. The Great Oracle, it was rumoured, was neither young nor innocent, but by all accounts quite eccentric. And exceptionally powerful.

It was for The Great Oracle's favourite muse that Manuel searched. How would he recognise her as the 'one'? Simple, she would be the only one missing a crystal. He hoped it would be that simple. By squinting his eyes and concentrating very hard he was just barely able to make out the shapes of several ethereally beautiful transparent women. They seemed to surround the band, their arms wide open as if encouraging the musicians, which in fact they were.

"How fascinating, would a muse enjoy an evening such as this?" Rapunzel asked, eyes shining with enjoyment herself.

"Beautiful Rapunzel, evenings such as this are what they live for." He replied quite truthfully with a beautiful smile.

"May I inquire as to why you are looking for muses this evening?"

"I am looking for a particular muse, it seems that she has lost her crystal and I have found it. I would like to give it back to her." He replied casually.

"And you would save her life!" Rapunzel exclaimed wrapping her arms around the stunned vampire. "And that of the creativity she champions, not to mention the balance in our own world! Manuel you are truly a hero!" Standing on her tip toes, she placed the gentlest of kisses on his marble cheek. Startled by her own forwardness, she froze in his arms.

Manuel smiled softly down at her and with one finger he traced her lips. The world seemed to have shrunk to contain only the two of them. She held her breath, their eyes locked on one another.

"Holy crap! Look at her shoes!" Cindy's voice from beside them broke the spell and the world came rushing back abruptly.

With a look of supreme annoyance Manuel slowly turned his head towards the offending voice.

"Must you squawk like an inebriated chicken? An impaired banshee? In a crowd this size, surely there is one other being you could torment with your grating tone." He shuddered slightly as if at the memory, Cindy rolled her eyes at him.

"Whose shoes have captured your attention?" Rapunzel asked with a smile.

Pointing at the band, Cindy's voice was once again full of enthusiasm. "Those shoes, the shiny silver ones with the incredibly high heels!"

"I don't think I see them, what is the lady wearing?" Rapunzel squinted as she looked over at the band.

"The girl with the long black hair and the skin tight white...body suit!" Cindy replied pointing again.

"I am so sorry Cindy; I can't see anyone like that." Rapunzel replied sadly shaking her head.

That comment caught Manuel's attention and he regarded Cindy intently, narrowing his eyes.

"Right there! In front of the band! You can't miss her!" Cindy insisted as she pointed in the direction.

Again Rapunzel shook her head. As hard as she tried, she simply could not see any such lady standing in front of the band; she furrowed her brow in frustration as she tried again.

"Cindy dearest." Manuel said smoothly slipping his other arm around the little blonde. "Could you please describe in detail this lady that you are referring to?"

Cindy looked up at him in suspicion at his noticeably different tone. "Okay." She agreed cautiously. "She has long black hair, and I think she's pretty tall even without the fabulous heels, she's wearing a skin tight bodysuit like I said, and she's holding her arms out and she's swaying with the music. Oh and she has a necklace with a beautiful topaz or something hanging from it...I think the topaz is pulsing. That is so bizarre!" She took a closer look. "I think...I think she's glowing...."

"Cindy, darling Cindy. This is the first time I have felt grateful that I did _not_ eat you when I first had the inclination." Manuel beamed at her in delight. Rapunzel hid a silent laugh behind her slender white hands.

"I don't think that's a compliment, you dopey white fanger." Cindy huffed.

Manuel ignored her insult. "The woman that you see is a muse, and she is invisible to most people. Some, a very select few, can view her as a transparent form. But I have never heard of a human who could see a muse in a solid form without their knowledge or approval."

"A muse?" Cindy asked. "What is a muse?"

Manuel sighed. "I do not have time to go on to a full explanation, so in the simplest of terms; a muse is a source of creative energy, a very, very magical being, that rarely interacts directly with beings on this plane. It is rather shocking that you, as human child, can see them. And for that I have no reasonable answer."

"Perhaps it has something to do with the magic placed upon her by her fairy godmother's blessing." Pointed out Rapunzel. "Also, Cindy is among the most creative people I have ever heard of, if a human were to connect with a muse, I believe it would be Cindy."

"Yeah, and I drank the magic well water too." Cindy added with a nod.

Manuel appeared to mull this over. "For whatever the reason, you have been gifted. I need you to look for a particular muse. You will know her by her missing necklace. I need to return her crystal to save her life."

"So this is like a mission, a quest."

"Fine."

"A hero's journey, a-."

"Just look for the ladies." Manuel replied wearily.

"Oh! I see another one...nope she has a necklace." Cindy began to get excited. "You mean you really can't see them?" Rapunzel shook her head.

"I see only transparent forms, I could in time identify the correct muse but you will find her much quicker and I fear she may be running out of time." Manuel responded steering the girls, one on each arm through the crowd. "Keep your eyes open and look for the glowing ladies."

"This is so much fun!" Exclaimed Cindy as she eagerly scanned the crowd.

### ~~*~~

Mercury turned to face his next dancing partner, and his breath caught in his lungs as his head was instantly flooded with _her_ scent. His head swam, and he thought for one horrifying moment that his legs might give way and send him tumbling down in front of his beautiful and majestic Red. Slowly he looked down in to the navy blue eyes of his greatest love. She looked back up in to his green and gold flecked ones and nodded slightly she extended her hand. He froze. His heart beat out a merciless tune in his broad chest.

Looking around he suddenly realised that she was simply making the appropriate opening gesture of the dance. Cursing his foolishness, he quickly took her cool hand in his large warm one. He hoped it wasn't too sweaty. A slight smile formed on her perfect bow like lips and they began the first steps.

Dancing with Red, Mercury took the time to memorise every line, every eyelash, and every stray hair around her face. She was utterly and eternally perfect in his mind. He hoped she couldn't hear his heart beating that wild rhythm against his chest. Suddenly aware of this close scrutiny, Red blushed slightly, making Mercury's heart skip a beat.

"My name is Red." She whispered close to his ear, the sound of her voice a caress against his ear as her warm breath tickled him. He struggled for composure. He wanted to smell her; he wanted to taste her.

_I know._ He wanted to say in return, _I know and love everything about you,_ but knew that would simply scare and confuse her...give the wrong impression. Mostly the wrong impression.

"That's a beautiful name." He whispered back instead. "My name is Mercury."

"Mercury." She repeated with another small smile. "I thank you again for retrieving my bag for me last week. It was very gentlemanly of you."

"It was my pleasure, Lady Red." He whispered back with just the hint of a wink.

She smiled wider as she caught the intended flirt and looked away shyly before looking back up in to his beautiful green and gold flecked eyes. Time stopped and a missing piece of her heart fell in to place...she was overcome with the knowledge that this was an important moment in her life, a defining moment...it frightened and excited her all at the same time.

Suddenly intent on the dance, they both concentrated carefully on performing the steps as the dance increased in pace. Twirling Red in his arms Mercury hoped the dance would last forever.

### ~~*~~

Snow got up as the routine ended, clapping with enthusiasm for the many talented performers.

She felt a tap on her shoulder.

A white faced mime held out her sparkly hair comb, gesturing wildly with it. Recognising it immediately as her own, Snow blushed and reached for it. It must have come loose during the gypsy dance; but the mime made a gesture indicating that he/she would replace it for her, so Snow obligingly turned around and let the mime catch her long dark hair up in the sparkly comb.

"Ouch!" She jumped as the comb sliced in to her scalp.

The mime jumped back feigning extreme, apologetic grief at having replaced the comb so clumsily.

"It's okay, it's okay. It's just a scratch; it's a sharp comb anyway, it wasn't your fault, I'll be fine." She assured the mime who bowed gratefully and retreated back to the other mimes.

It might only have been a small scratch, but it did sting fiercely she thought absently as she scanned the crowd, looking for her friends.

She made it exactly three steps.

Dizziness assaulted her, and she quickly sat down on the closest bench. Faces swam out at her and the music began to sound distorted, she felt suddenly strange, like she was caught in the funhouse and not having any fun; her stomach lurched. Mentally she went through everything she had eaten that day. The only thing that seemed suspect was Mercury's mini doughnuts. And if she had food poisoning, the rest of them must be getting sick too; she better warn them. Looking up she caught sight of Mercury's strong back in the court formation dance so she decided to head for him first.

### ~~*~~

"I found her!" Cindy squealed excitably pointing towards the stage. Manuel concentrated hard on the crowd and was able to make out a small form swaying in time to the song.

"She is not wearing a necklace?" He asked to clarify.

"Nope." Cindy shook her head.

"Lead me to her." Manuel instructed as he reached in to his pocket and slowly removed the crystal.

Cindy stepped forward and turned to watch Manuel. The beautiful green crystal seemed to pulse with the music, Cindy could barely keep her eyes off of it...it called to her. Her bright green eyes widened, and she inhaled carefully, completely mesmerized by the magical crystal. Slowly she reached her hand out to touch it but pulled back at the last moment. She wasn't entirely sure that she could give it back should she touch it, so she didn't dare. The pull from the crystal was astounding and she fought to place both of her hands behind her back...away from the crystal.

Manuel nodded at her to lead the way; she took one last longing look at the crystal, and led them quickly to the muse. Stopping just behind the little muse, she motioned to Manuel and he stepped out in front holding the crystal up. It pulsed and shimmered as if alive...urgently calling for its partner.

Slowly a transparent form became solid. Rapunzel stepped back in shock and Manuel squeezed her hand in reassurance. Cindy smiled broadly, nodding at the startled muse.

The muse was only slightly taller than Cindy, but her thigh high white boots gave her the illusion of great height, she wore a sleeveless white turtle neck and white shorts. Her huge masses of streaky blonde hair stood inches off of her head, falling in big waves well past her shoulders, her huge blue/green eyes looked frightened.

Manuel took a step closer to the little muse, holding the crystal out in front of him. The muse slowly reached out her hand and Manuel placed the fine silver chain in it. With a look of pure gratefulness the muse slipped the chain around her neck letting the crystal fall to its rightful place. Issuing a great sigh of relief the muse took a huge breath before stepping closer to the trio.

"However did you find my crystal?" She asked in a sweet breathy voice.

"That is a very long story gracious lady. Let it suffice to say that I retrieved it and set about to return it." Manuel said with a bow.

"How did you find me?" She asked after a moment.

"I knew you would attend this festival, and this human child has been gifted with the ability to see muses it appears." Manuel explained politely.

The muse studied Cindy for a moment before a beautiful smile crossed her face. "I see, you have been blessed by a fairy. How marvellous." She stepped forward and took both of Cindy's hands in her own. "Never doubt your instincts child; I see my sisters have loved you well. You are such a source of joy for them."

Cindy blushed and smiled back at the little muse who turned and took Rapunzel's hands next.

"Oh , you are like a rose just beginning to open in the sunlight. How exciting for you!" She turned to Manuel. "You must guard her like the jewel she is."

He nodded solemnly.

How strange, Cindy found herself thinking, it's like the music has become simply a background, I can hear her perfectly, and she has such a soft voice. It was then that she realised that the muse had never uttered a single word out loud.

"Courageous vampire, how can I repay you for returning my crystal to me? Have you any idea what its loss has meant? Yes, I feel that somehow you do. What can I offer you?" She asked.

Manuel paused for a moment. "Gracious lady, forgive me if I speak out of place or if I offend, but I understand that you have an association with the Great Oracle."

"Yes." She affirmed. "You understand correctly."

"If I were to obtain a meeting with the Great Oracle, however brief, I would consider it far more repayment than I could deserve." He said with another small bow.

"I will open a portal." She said with a smile. "Are you ready?"

Turning to Cindy, Manuel asked. "Can you deliver my Rapunzel to Mercury's keeping, I will return as soon as possible but it is quite likely that time runs differently on another plane."

"Of course! I would never let anything hurt her, and neither would Merc." Cindy promised.

Manuel turned to his precious Rapunzel, taking her face in his hands he whispered quietly to her. "Would that I could see you safely home myself this evening, but be assured that I will return. This is of the upmost importance, nothing less could tear me away."

"I look forward to your return." She whispered back.

Manuel kissed her hand and stepped forward toward the muse. A small silver distortion formed in the space beside her getting larger by the second. Taking the lovely vampire's hand the muse whispered. "Close your eyes sweet vampire."

"Manuel! Manuel!" Mercury's voice shouted desperately over the crowd.

Manuel looked sharply up as Mercury came in to view, racing towards him with an apparently lifeless Snow in his arms. Cindy and Rapunzel rushed towards the anguished werewolf in horror.

"Poison!" Mercury shouted. "I smell poison!" Fear firmly etched across his face, he cradled her body close to him.

Both Cindy and Rapunzel began to cry openly as they clung together. Manuel looked towards the muse, back to his friends, he let go of her hand.

"I am sorry. I cannot go." He said sadly with a shake of his head.

"I never forget a debt." She replied with a smile and stepped in to the portal, disappearing completely.

Rushing forward to the devastated wolf, he bent down and took Snow's cold hand in his, listening intently.

"She is still alive, but just barely. The poison is racing towards her heart. We have no time to lose." He said and took Snow from Mercury's arms. "I can move much faster than any of you, I will take her to the Gypsy Camp, if she can be saved, the Great Mother Sardinia will know. You take the girls and collect her uncle the doctor. Bring him to the camp; we may need his help as well."

And in a flash he was gone. Mercury took the sobbing girls by the hand and they set off to the cottage.

### ~~*~~

Gypsy Camps, although falling well within the Charming family's rule, had rarely, perhaps never had a royal visitor. So needless to say, when a small carriage bearing the Charming family crest careened around the corner at breakneck speed, you could have heard a pin drop. And if you have ever been to a Gypsy Camp, you would know that's unheard of.

Prince Leonardo, having just finished his exams, had decided to make a brief stop and visit Uncle Doc and Snow before heading on to the Holiday Palace. Strangely disappointed at missing Snow, he looked forward to a nice chat with the little doctor just the same. He was just sitting down to some rather strong coffee with the doctor, not to mention a rather large plate of warm chocolate brownies, when Mercury and the girls burst in the cottage shouting that Snow had been poisoned. He had leapt in to action, and within seconds they were on their way.

Manuel and Alessa stood at attention just outside of Mother Sardinia's chambers, each wearing a very sombre expression. As Mercury led the doctor and the prince towards them, Alessa immediately dropped in to a low graceful curtsy and Manuel carefully nodded.

"Prince Leonardo, we are so honoured to have you as our guest this evening. You have my heartfelt and humble apology; my Grandmother Sardinia is attending to a most urgent matter and is unavailable to greet you in the manner you deserve." She stammered wide eyed. Never had a member of the Royal family had reason to visit this particular Gypsy camp...there was absolutely no protocol in place.

"Please, be at ease." Leo said gently, laying a comforting hand on her shoulder. "That is exactly why I am here. This is Miss Snowy's Uncle Cornelius, a doctor of much renown. I myself am a student though I offer my services none the less. Would your grandmother allow us entrance? Perhaps we could be of assistance?"

Manuel exchanged cautious looks with Mercury; perhaps he was not quite as nonplussed as he would like to appear. If the Royal families rarely associated with gypsies, they _never_ associated with their kind, unless they were performers of course, and even then...

"Of course your Majesty." She said as she moved away from the door.

Brushing aside the coloured beads just inside the doorway, she gestured for the doctor and the prince to step in.

In the dim light, Mother Sardinia chanting quietly in an unrecognisable yet beautiful language over the still body of Snow, all the while massaging what appeared to be a ball of light over Snow's head. She made no notice of the two men's entry.

Alessa came to stand beside them. "Grandmother, please forgive the interruption. I have brought Dr. Cornelius, Snowy's uncle and Prince Leonardo Charming, here as a med student, they wish to assist you."

The old woman opened one black eye, but never stopped massaging the ball of light.

"The poison used was not Lonstasian, and it was heavily laced with enchantments. Curses. Much dark energy. It entered her bloodstream on the tips of that comb." She nodded to the sparkly comb, lying on the table beside her.

Uncle Doc bent over to look at the comb. "Why that is the comb I bought for her in Crystallise!" He exclaimed in bewilderment.

"I believe I found her in time for my antidote to be fully affective, now I seek to reverse the worst of the damages done by the poison and the curse. What do you know of energy healing Doctor?" The Gypsy Leader asked.

"Not much Madame." He answered sadly. Energy healing was but a theory in the mainstream medical world.

"I have studied it briefly for a paper Madame." The prince offered.

"Well, come closer both of you. I will lead us." She commanded.

As the prince drew closer to the still form on the table, he noticed her face so white next to her shiny black hair, and he still found it beautiful. He reached out and stroked her cold white hand looking up at the old gypsy for guidance.

### ~~*~~

Outside the chamber, Mercury sat on the ground holding his head, his handsome face grim. Rapunzel and Cindy sat on either side of him, stroking his shoulders, trying to ease his obvious suffering. As her protector, he felt it was his fault that she had been poisoned. He had been dancing with Red when it happened, he hadn't been anywhere near her...hadn't even been thinking of her.

"I was sworn to protect her!" He whispered fiercely. "I never should have let her out of my sight! Of course her stepmother would take advantage of a night like this? How could I have not seen this coming?"

"Mercury, how could you have known where she would attack from? You can't watch over someone every minute of every day! It is impossible. And you can't blame yourself, Snowy would never." Rapunzel held his warm hand tightly and spoke intently in to his eyes.

"Of course she wouldn't!" Cindy exclaimed reaching for his other hand. "No one does!"

Both of the girls looked up at the impassive Manuel who simply blinked.

"If it isn't my fault, whose is it? She was my responsibility. And if she dies all honour in our pack will be destroyed." He stared back at Manuel's emotionless eyes. Cindy clung to him tighter.

"She won't die!" Rapunzel cried. "Manuel, tell him so!"

Manuel considered Rapunzel for a brief moment.

"Blaming yourself will not save the girl. You did the right thing in bringing her to me as I could transport her near instantaneously to the one being that could in fact save her. Great Mother Sardinia is among the greatest healers in all of the kingdoms, she is in capable hands." Manuel offered; it was the best he could do.

"Had I stayed by her side, I would not have had to bring her to you." Mercury insisted.

"No offence Merc, but her stepmother is way too sneaky and inventive." Cindy said with a shake of her head. "No one could have seen this coming. Even if you had been there, she would have found a way. She's really good at what she does; she's evil...like spiders." Cindy's voice dropped to a whisper as she uttered the last word.

Prince Leonardo poked his head through the doorway.

"Her stepmother is behind this heinous attack?" He asked incredulously. "That hardly seems logical."

"You don't know her stepmother; she's a powerful sorceress back in Rylak. And tricky too." Cindy shook her head again. "Is she going to be okay?"

Stray tears ran down both girls cheeks. Mercury lifted his head to stare hopefully up at the prince.

Alessa poked her glossy head through the doorway beside the prince.

"She has not yet regained consciousness, but my grandmother says she will recover in time."

Cindy and Rapunzel rushed forward catching the lovely gypsy girl in a tight embrace.

"There is no news I would rather hear, thank you Alessa." Rapunzel whispered.

Mercury sat up at once and embraced the overwhelmed girl as well. Rapunzel retreated back to the security of Manuel's side, he reached out and took her hand.

"Snowy is a Rylakian with a sorceress stepmother? I'm not sure I follow." The prince asked in confusion.

The friends exchanged looks. No one wanted to break their friend's trust, but on the other hand, Leo was their Crown Prince destined to be their king...were they even allowed to deny a direct request? Not that he had ever used his position before but...

"Please, explain this to me." He asked again. Alessa and Manuel looked on with interest as well.

Cindy looked over to Mercury and Rapunzel who both gestured that she should take the floor. With a deep breath she began.

"Ah hell. Snowy is the Rylakian heir "Snow White", her stepmother is a...a batshit nutcase and for some crazy psycho reason she tried to kill Snowy, so she ran away; that's all I really know. Snowy hasn't ever said much, but batshit keeps trying. Uncle Doc found her, and...I don't know what happens now, but we aren't supposed to let anyone know who she is; it's not safe for her. Not with crazy psycho stepmother out there and all."

"She tried to kill Snowy?" Leonardo asked somewhat sceptically, one eyebrow raised. "Perhaps that is an exaggeration."

"Really? She hired a huntsman to cut her heart out. That's pretty 'tried to kill', no exaggeration to me." Cindy shot back, and instantly blushed completely ashamed that she had sassed her very own Prince Leonardo.

"Her heart?" Asked Alessa in shock. "How barbaric!"

"She enchanted a corset as well, not long ago I heard, almost crushed her to death in the square." Rapunzel turned to Manuel. "Mercury had to rip it off of her using his werewolf strength or she would have suffocated to death."

"So the dark soldier we witnessed at Rapunzel's cottage was in fact a minion of Snowy's stepmother." Manuel said thoughtfully pulling Rapunzel closer. "He bore the crest of Rylak. What would a Soldier of Rylak have to do with the old woman?"

"I don't know. But I don't think anything good can come of that." Cindy suddenly felt overwhelmed by the past events.

"I would prefer you didn't return there." He murmured softly to Rapunzel.

"That is my home." She reminded equally softly.

"For now." He was barely audible as he brushed his lips across her hair.

"If Snowy is the Rylakian heir, we are all duty bound to protect her. I will seek out her stepmother and deal with this matter diplomatically." Leo said with finality.

"Yes Fair Prince, that does on the surface sound like the best way to deal with this. And in any other circumstance I would agree with that course of action. But answer me this, has the Queen of Rylak presented herself formally for this visit, asking the notoriously diplomatic ruling family to aid her in her domestic dispute? Or has she visited your kingdom anonymously, in secret and attempted twice now to assassinate visiting royalty, employing both poison and dark enchantments." Manuel asked casually. "Are you sure 'talking to her' will solve this matter?"

The prince saw the vampire's point, although he didn't like it.

"How do you suggest we deal with this?" He asked finally.

Manuel considered the question at length, finally he shrugged. "In the absence of any proof, we have nothing to gain with open confrontation. If it were up to me I would direct my attention to simply protecting the heir and gathering information for the time being. She will strike again; but from where? We need to be ready. I believe that once she finds that she has failed again, she will return with something truly heinous."

Leonardo nodded. "You might be right."

"You could start with locating the Rylakian soldiers frequenting The Lonesome Forest, and inquire as to why they did not ask for passage, as is customary. They might provide a clue as to what this Rosalyn of Rylak is truly up to."

Leo nodded thoughtfully.

Suddenly a small sphere of silver appeared beside him. Gradually expanding until it reached perhaps 6' in height. All eyes watched as the muse stepped delicately out of the portal, her huge masses of hair swaying around her.

"I have just spoken with the Great Oracle and have been assured that your friend will recover fully. The Great Oracle extends gratitude for returning my crystal and stabilising the balance. I never forget a debt. Are you ready to leave sweet vampire?" She asked without ever saying a word.

Manuel looked at his friends questioningly and they all nodded. Taking a step forward he reached out and accepted her extended hand.

"Close your eyes." She reminded as they both stepped in to the swirling portal.

Manuel's last sight was that of Rapunzel. He forgot to close his eyes.

Chapter 11

He watched as she wiped the last of the white grease makeup off of her face. Without a word he handed her another towel. He could only guess where she had been this evening, but he had a very good idea about the what she had been doing, and judging by her smile he could reasonably assume she had been successful. He was torn between joy for her and sorrow for Snow.

What drove her like that? What fueled her anger and hatred? He could not understand, he never would. What bothered him most of all was that she had left him behind. Again. How could he protect her if she left him behind, how could he reason with her?

Sometimes it was hard to reconcile the sweet young Rylakian farm girl with the dark angry Rylakian Queen. Too many years had passed between his last memory of her in Gaston and his re-entry in to her life as her personal bodyguard. Alaric would never know what fortune had placed a beautiful, yet penniless farm girl on the throne of Rylak. Alaric could only guess what fueled and distorted her emotions; she kept much to herself. In the end there was little he could do.

So he did the only thing he knew how to do. He protected her. When she let him.

### ~~*~~

Everyone watched, eyes and mouths wide open as Manuel disappeared in to the portal with the muse. And just as quickly as it had appeared, it contracted back down, blinking out completely taking both Manuel and the Muse with it. Rapunzel stared the longest at the spot Manuel had just disappeared from, her hand fluttering helplessly up to her neck, finally grasping the red sun that hung on the fine chain. Alessa put her arms around the distraught girl's shoulders.

"That is how magic works. They are there, and then they are gone. But most assuredly he is just fine. He is with a muse, and they are above all, good. She will not let any harm come to him and he will be home before you know it, and perhaps he will be even more pleased with himself, as it is a great honour to travel with a muse. Add to that a meeting with the Great Oracle? He will be insufferable now." She laughed at the thought.

"He's always insufferable." Cindy muttered.

Alessa smiled warmly at her friend. "Come, all of you. My grandmother would roast me alive if I forgot to offer you food and drink! Especially your Highness." She curtsied again.

"Now I told you, I'm just Leo when I'm working." The handsome prince objected.

"But you are done working. Now you are resting. But I shall do as you ask none the less and call you Leo...your Highness." She said with a teasing laugh.

Cindy would have done anything if she could be as confident as the young gypsy girl. And her height. She would really love her height. Cindy put her arms around Mercury, who wouldn't believe everything was going to be all right until he saw Snow up walking and talking with his own eyes. She knew there was nothing any of them could say to lessen his guilt, so she did the only thing she could think of; she stayed by his side, squeezing his hand reassuringly.

Prince Leonardo hung back.

"I would like to spell Dr. Rutherford; he needs refreshments more than I." He announced before turning back to the old gypsy's treatment chamber.

One look at the set of his handsome jaw, and Alessa realised the futility of arguing with him, so she smiled and nodded with a small curtsy and led Rapunzel, Cindy and Mercury over to the main camp meeting area.

Pushing back the beads, the young prince entered the chamber. Uncle Doc and the old gypsy sat on either side of Snow. Although still motionless, her face had regained a little colour making it appear somewhat less pasty. At least she was resting peacefully. Uncle Doc looked up as the prince knelt beside the sleeping girl.

"Leo, you have had a very long day. I would suggest you head on home to the palace and get some rest yourself, Mother Sardinia and I will keep watch of our girl." He whispered his voice laced with weariness.

"Dr. Rutherford, I thank you for your unending thoughtfulness, but I am not tired in the least. I would be happier if you joined her friends in some refreshments. I am more than capable of guarding a sleeping girl." The prince whispered back.

"Perhaps that might be considered a Royal Decree, Doctor." Mother Sardinia smiled over at the exhausted man. "I would do as he says, and quickly."

The prince simply nodded at the little man. Uncle Doc took the hint, it had after all sounded somewhat like a command. Slowly he stood up, barely hiding the various aches and pains in his back. Stiffly he made his way out of the chamber; the old gypsy regarded him closely with narrow eyes.

The prince sat down on the bench the doctor had vacated and took hold of one of Snow's soft hands. The gypsy turned her speculative gaze to him.

### ~~*~~

"Oh dear, sweet vampire." Came the muse's sweet voice in his head as his feet finally felt solid ground beneath them. "You forgot to close your eyes."

Manuel wondered if he even had eyes anymore, he couldn't see a thing. The myriad of brilliant colours and piercing flashing lights had assaulted his eyes with what felt like deadly force. He clutched his head in his hands and struggled to remain on his feet.

"This will never do. I must take you to the Great Oracle's own realm." She decided. "Once there you can rest and your eyes can be attended to, although I think you would have preferred this Neutral Plane. Please do close your eyes this time." She gently reminded in his head.

He felt her take his hand and once again the world lost shape beneath his feet and he experienced the curious sensation of spinning through a vortex. But not once did he even think of opening his eyes.

Finally the sensation stopped and Manuel felt solid ground beneath his feet once more. The muse gently led him across what felt like a large room. Loud indescribable music with a relentless beat vibrated off the walls, sounds joining together in a way the vampire had never before heard, a drum beat mercilessly and he felt the deep echoing in his bones. Tenderly she helped him sit down on what must have been a chair of some sort, although he couldn't be sure as his eyesight had not yet returned.

"Rest now dearest vampire. The Great Oracle is almost finished." She whispered close to his ear and he realised that this time she had not spoken directly in his head.

For the first time in his very long life, the Vampire Manuel did not feel that he was in control. This was a very unsettling feeling and would have been more so if he hadn't felt his fangs...intact. Although the idea of harming a muse in anyway was unthinkable at best. He just needed to know. With a sigh he relaxed against the chair, allowing the incessant music to pump through him.

In time the music came to an end and was met with thunderous applause. For a few minutes the world seemed to shake and his ears rang curiously in the music's absence.

"Aye Mate! You made it! Sybil, fetch us a drink will ya luv?" A loud friendly voice emerged seemingly from nowhere.

Manuel struggled to open his eyes.

### ~~*~~

The door swung open with a bang.

The old woman squinted at the sleeping form on the bed, wondering why she did not react to the noise.

There Rapunzel lay. Her glorious hair trailing over the pillow, coiling on the floor beside the bed, one arm thrown over her head, she slept on peacefully. Puzzled the old woman shuffled over to the sleeping girl, a sudden thought struck through her heart _what if the girl was dead_? Fearful of what punishment would befall her if the girl were really and truly dead, she quickly grabbed Rapunzel's arm and felt for a pulse.

The arm fell to the floor, shattering.

In horror, the old woman threw back the blankets and was shocked to find two long pillows instead of the girl!

She was gone! Fear and rage filled the old woman, and she paced back and forth through Rapunzel's room. The girl was gone! Ran away in to the night! It was then that she noticed the almost concealed ends of a rope ladder extending out from the window. At a quick glance, the chair and flower pot would have hidden it. Looking down out the window, The Mother realised that this ladder could only mean one thing...

Rapunzel would be returning. The old woman's mouth curled in a cruel snarl. She would never have the opportunity to escape again. Of that the old woman was most assured.

### ~~*~~

His vision was still somewhat hazy, but Manuel was able to make out his surroundings to some extent at least.

He appeared to be in a dimly lit room, sitting on a very cushioned black leather chair. In front of him was a small, low, square table and beside him a very wide, black leather chair, perhaps wide enough for three people. Directly across from him, on an identical chair, sat a man.

The man was dressed in tight black leather pants and a sleeveless black shirt; his longer white blonde hair sprang up off of his head standing at attention in all directions. He had great big blue eyes, high cheekbones and a wide generous smile with just the hint of a dimple.

"Your eyesight's come back to ya, ennit?" The man nodded and smiled amiably at the bewildered vampire. "Sybil, luv?"

The muse appeared by his side with a short rounded glass in each hand. She handed one to each of them.

"Ah, there we are. Thank you." The man said emphatically, taking a long drink from his glass.

Manuel studied the contents of the glass the muse, Sybil, had handed him. It contained a dark fizzy liquid and had a lime wedge on the rim. Delicately he sniffed the contents, it smelled strong and sweet. The man nodded encouragingly and Manuel took a tiny sip. He felt the burn all the way down.

"The Great Oracle hardly ever receives here on his own realm sweet vampire, but due to the assault on your eyes we could not stay on the Neutral Plane." Sybil explained as she settled herself on the arm of the chair the man sat on, crossing long white boot covered legs in front of her.

Manuel almost choked on the sweet, fizzy drink. That man was the Great Oracle? That _man_? Manuel was barely able to keep the shock from showing on his usually impassive face. He concentrated on swallowing carefully.

"Aye. You heard her right. I'm the Great Oracle that ya seek. And I can tell you don't think much of your rum 'n coke neither. But I can also tell you from experience that they, like me, will grow on you, you have enough of them and you'll soon love 'em." The Oracle laughed at what was he thought was the height of humour.

"Pardon my apparent discourtesy, Great Oracle. I was led to believe that the oracle was a woman, I humbly apologise for my offensive actions." Manuel replied cautiously setting his glass down on the low table in front of him.

"Hardly needed young vampire, most oracles _are_ women. Now I'm needing to thank you for returning the crystal to my Sybil, that Magella's a wily one en she? As wily an elf as there ever was." The Oracle shook his head in amusement.

"You knew who had stolen the crystal?" Manuel asked quite surprised.

"Course I did Mate. I'm the Oracle en I? But I also knew you would bring it back, so I didn't worry."

"If you would pardon my asking, why would you wait for me to return it? I had understood that a muse could die if separated from her crystal." Manuel asked, still surprised.

The Oracle grew serious at once. "Now Sybil was never in any danger; I knew you would bring it back, I saw you do it. Besides, it was me that made sure you heard about it, wasn't it."

Manuel was about to ask how, but stopped himself; the answer really was irrelevant, this was the Great Oracle...nothing was impossible.

"Now," The Oracle continued. "Had I retrieved it, you would have had nothing to attract my Sybil's attention, and therefore no reason to attract me. And you _need_ me mate."

Manuel wasn't sure how he felt about being told he needed someone, in fact he wasn't quite sure how he felt about the Oracle in general. The mad blonde man was certainly _not_ what he had expected. But none of that distracted from the glaring truth of the statement; he did need the Oracle.

"That I do, Great Oracle." Manuel affirmed focusing on his mission instead of his pride, perhaps for the first time.

The muse Sybil, looked deep in to the Great Oracles blue eyes in silent communication, amusement dancing across her pretty face.

"Now Sybil, you remember the rules here, especially when we have company." He sternly admonished her, then softening it with a small squeeze on her arm. "Sybil here, thinks that you might be more relaxed if you finished your rum 'n coke."

Manuel eyed the glass on the table, unsure whether he ever really wanted to touch the contents again.

"Go on. It can't hurt you now, can it?" The Oracle nodded encouragingly towards the glass. "Sybil, think you can make me another? And see if you can bring something in to eat too if you can luv. A pizza would be lovely."

Sybil smiled fondly down at the Oracle, grabbed his empty glass and left the room. The Great Oracle turned his full attention to the tense vampire.

"Relax Manuel, I will do everything I am permitted to help you. When I am allowed to tell you the answer, I will tell you. Where I can show you, I will show you. And when I can only lead you, I will simply lead you."

The Great Oracle grew quiet for a moment as he studied Manuel carefully.

"You are wondering if you made a mistake in seeking me out. And if you thought that you could tell me what you want and that I could simply arrange for it to happen, exactly as you wished it too, then yes, you have made a mistake." The Oracle explained.

Manuel reached for his glass and took a long sip.

"There is a certain pattern to the events in life as they happen, very intricate. Certain paths must be taken in order for far more important events to unfold. I cannot, would not interfere with that. For example Magella had to steal the crystal so you could bring it back and have this very conversation. I knew she'd do it, but I also knew why she had to do it. Snow White had to run away and be found by the good Doctor so that you could meet Rapunzel. Do you see what I am saying? But I can help you. And I will."

"Why? If you don't mind my asking." Manuel found himself asking. "Clearly you are from another world."

"Love." The Oracle said simply with another big beautiful smile. "And we can't fight love when it comes for us, can we? Us poor saps, we don't stand a chance." He laughed at the thought.

"Love." Manuel repeated with a small forced smile. "I beg your forgiveness but I do not spend much time dwelling on such an emotion."

"I'd say you spend more time dwelling on it than you realise little vampire. I'd also say it controls you nearly as well as it controls me."

Manuel glared at the Oracle.

"Love is the single most powerful creative force in existence, I champion it, as do most people to some extent whether they realise it or not." The Oracle looked him dead in the eye.

Unsure what to say, Manuel decided not to say anything he finished his drink in one big gulp feeling the burn all the way down again, only this time he was thankful for it...it gave him something else to focus on for a minute while he organised his thoughts.

"Okay mate, in the simplest terms, when you love something, all of that energy is used to create more of what you love. For instance, a musician loves to play music so much that they create new songs to play. A doctor loves to save people so much that he pushes himself to find new breakthroughs. You follow? Your little friend Cindy loves fashion so much that she creates new outfits." The Oracle explained. "It's much more than that, but that's the simplest way I can explain it for you right now. Love creates."

Manuel was about to correct the Great Oracle on his apparent misconception regarding his feelings towards the tiny blonde nuisance, when he realised that the Oracle was never wrong. Damn.

"Love pushes us to become more, to grow. I can see it pushing you already; you're going to have a wild ride mate. There's so much more to it, but that's really the simplest explanation I can give ya mate." The Oracle smiled. "Ain't love just grand?" He said as Sybil silently returned.

### ~~*~~

Snow opened her eyes slowly, as she adjusted to the half light she turned her head slightly and found herself face to face with Prince Leonardo.

Leo, his head resting on one of his hands while the other held Snow's, had fallen in to a light sleep. Not wanting to disturb him, she studied him in silence. How strange that he was holding her hand, there was no way she was going to make a single move that might cause him to release it. No way. As far as she was concerned, he could go right on holding it forever. How many times in life could a girl wake up and find the prince of her dreams holding her hand?

Speaking of which, why was she sleeping? Where was she? The last thing she could remember was...oh. Right.

She had felt so sick, and had staggered her way over to Mercury, interrupting his beautiful dance with Red and...she supposed she had passed out after that because somehow she had ended up here. With Leo. Now how _that_ had happened she wouldn't mind knowing. She hoped she hadn't done anything embarrassing.

"Good morning Sleeping Beauty." A soft whisper brought her back from her daydreams.

She blushed, and timidly smiled at the prince beside her. "See, here you come all this way to visit me and I go and sleep the whole thing through." Her voice emerged somewhat raspier than usual.

Leo reached over and handed her a glass of water, waiting patiently as she drank some. "You gave us all quite a scare."

"Really?" She asked. "What happened?"

"Well, we aren't sure how, but you were poisoned. It was a very fast acting poison, laced with a dark curse and administered through a comb. The Mother Sardinia, thankfully, is a master at her craft and led your uncle and I through the healing process. Without her..." He trailed off.

"We have much to learn from her, and much to thank her for." He finished.

The mime. She gulped. The mime had replaced the comb in her hair, scraping her scalp in the process. That is how the poison entered her system. The mime could only have been Rosalyn, in disguise yet again. How could she have fooled her not once, but twice now. _Oh_ _Rosalyn, why couldn't you love me_ , her heart wept; it never failed to hurt her, like a knife slicing through her heart each and every time she realised that Rosalyn had tried to kill her...again.

"Snow." He whispered intently. "Why didn't you trust me enough to tell me you were the Rylakian heir? That you were 'Snow White'?"

Well crap. Crap, crap and double crap _. Oh great revelation...let me count the ways I hate thee_...How do you explain to someone why you didn't trust them? And not hurt them in the process? Is there ever a reasonable answer? No, of course there wasn't. Sometimes, she decided, all you can do is tell the truth and let the chips fall where they may; she was too exhausted to do anything else.

"Leo, I didn't trust anyone enough. I was scared, I'm still scared. I tried to keep it a secret and look; she still got to me...twice now. And no one knew who I was, much less where I was. She really wants to kill me. She's not done you know."

"You understand that this is all very hard to fathom." He replied looking down.

She sighed deeply. "Oh I know, I know alright." She had loved Rosalyn fiercely when she was young, and had been sure Rosalyn had loved her back. What could possibly have changed all of that to the point that Rosalyn had tried to murder her three times now. Hard to fathom...an understatement. But she didn't say all of that to Leo.

That feelings of betrayal would have extended to her father as well, but Snow kept trying to remind herself that in his advanced illness, he wasn't even aware that she was missing. Regardless of all of Rosalyn's evil and all of her faults, which were many, she was committed to seeing King Roland experience a full recovery. That, Snow did not even question. Rosalyn did love Roland, however twisted and obsessive that love had become.

"Perhaps you would be more comfortable in the Holiday Palace, Princess Snow?" Leo inquired politely.

"Oh no, I love Uncle Doc and the boys, they are my family now, and if I were to stay in the palace it would bring a lot of very unwanted attention." She pointed out the obvious flaws. Although, it was every teenage girl's dream to be invited to stay as a guest in either of the palaces.

"Of course, of course. What was I thinking?" the prince gave his head a shake.

"You were gallantly trying to make a visiting princess feel at home. But since you insist that I call you Leo, then I have to insist that you refer to me simply as "Snowy". I'm really, really uncomfortable with all of the hoopla. Besides, I'm never going back, so Snowy Rutherford I will be from now on. I will never be Snow White again. She doesn't exist anymore.

"That is where you are wrong, no matter what name you choose to call yourself, inside you will always carry the grace and wisdom of generations of Rylakian rulers."

Just then the beads were pulled back and a very large dark shape bounded towards her, enveloping her in a huge hug. Mercury, with his extraordinary hearing had heard voices coming from the chamber and nothing could restrain him from bounding in and nearly crushing poor with the exuberance of his greeting.

Cindy, Rapunzel, Uncle Doc, Alessa and Mother Sardinia followed him in and soon the small chamber was effectively "standing room only". Prince Leonardo let go of her hand and stepped back to allow Cindy, Rapunzel and Uncle Doc to crowd closer to her bed.

"Dearest girl, that was too close." The small doctor leaned forward and kissed her pale forehead.

"Really, all of you, I feel just fine. A bit tired though perhaps, but I'm okay. Thank you Mother Sardinia, I understand that you saved my life. I owe you a great debt of gratitude."

"We all do." Mercury agreed.

"Nonsense children!" The old gypsy said with a wide smile, once again regaining much of her youthful beauty. "The thanks must go to your loyal werewolf protector, and your quick thinking vampire friend. Now Dr. Rutherford," She turned to Uncle Doc with a smile, holding up two strangely marked bottles. "I have noticed certain stiffness in your joints. "

### ~~*~~

It was very early in the morning, just after sunrise to be exact, when a tall, thin figure in purple tinted traveling clothes entered the rustic looking Wolf Camp just inside the Lonesome Forest.

Werewolves were by nature nocturnal beings, they did tend to sleep at night, although they didn't require as much sleep as a human or an elf so even at this early hour, several wolves were out going about their daily business.

The purple elf stopped next to a middle aged wolf, chopping wood. He gestured to a moderately sized. wooden cottage just down the street. She nodded in appreciation and heading in that direction. Stopping in front of the cottage door, she rapped imperiously three times.

The door opened, and a bleary eyed handsome wolf looked the elf up and down.

"I'm sorry, but I don't think we know any elves, we don't need any elixirs, and our carpets don't need cleaning." Mercury mumbled and started to close the door.

The elf stuck one small, but surprisingly strong foot in the door.

"Are you the Werewolf Mercury, trusted confidante of the Vampire Manuel?" The elf lowered her hood to reveal a dainty heart shaped face, two pointed ears and sleek purple tinted hair.

Mercury regarded the elf in silent confusion for a moment before answering. "I'm Mercury, and I'm a friend of Manuel's, but I'm not sure that he would appreciate you calling me a 'trusted confidante'." He chuckled a bit at the thought before stretching his long heavily muscled arms. Shirtless, he was overwhelming with his tanned muscles and dark, tousled hair.

"Look, I don't care what you want to call yourself, call yourself his boyfriend if you want. I'm just here to make my report." She snapped somewhat impatiently, completely oblivious to his incredible good looks.

"Manuel told you to report to me?" Mercury asked with reasonable scepticism.

"He made it very clear to me that if he was for any reason unavailable, I was to relay my information to Mercury from The Lonesome Forest Wolf camp immediately." Magella said with slight irritation. "So here I am. Immediately. I don't want to be here anymore than you want me being here. And that is significantly more than the vampires in his Coven wanted last night...or maybe they did want me there..." She shuddered at the implication.

Mercury scratched his head in sleepy confusion. "I just don't understand."

"Mercury!" A warm, husky female voice scolded from inside the cottage. "Have you no manners at all? Invite your friend in for breakfast!"

Mercury opened the door wide and made an inviting gesture.

"You have got to be kidding." Magella sputtered. "I'm not having breakfast with you!"

"Are you refusing my mother's hospitality..." Mercury trailed off leaving the intended threat unvoiced as he leaned in closer to the delicate elf, dwarfing her with his size.

"Look at it this way, at least here you are being invited to join us for breakfast, you aren't expected to _be_ the breakfast." Mercury couldn't help pointing out humorously. "Come on, you look like you could use a strong cup of coffee, and I know I could use one, so tell me whatever it is you need to tell me over coffee."

Somewhat mollified, it _had_ been a very long night; the elf shrugged her delicate shoulders and strutted past the sleepy wolf and on in to the cottage.

After Mercury's mother had poured a big strong cup of coffee for each of them and retreated tactfully in to the next room, he turned his attention directly on the elf.

"Manuel had...asked me to find out whatever I could about a "Mother Goethal" living in The Lonesome Forest, and especially about her daughter, Rapunzel." Magella started.

Mercury made a gesture for her to continue.

"What I have uncovered is quite strange. And even stranger is how difficult it has been to uncover even that. Now usually, there isn't much I can't find out if I put my mind to it. I have a...a knack for it you could say. But this, this is different. This is really difficult. Most times I could come back with everything you could possibly want to know, about anyone you could name." She shook her sleek, purple tinted hair in frustration and took a sip of her coffee. "Someone has gone to extreme lengths to keep secret any information regarding this crone and the girl."

"I'm sure you did your best." He assured her with a pat on her long thin hand and yawned; he wished she would get to the point; he wanted to go back to bed.

"Oh believe me, I did. Manuel can be most...persuasive. He's also gotten me out of a few jams, you know?"

"Really?" Mercury couldn't quite hide the surprise he felt, did anyone really know that damned vampire? Quickly he glanced up as the elf continued.

"Manuel was quite right; this Mother Goethal is not human at all. She is a crone, a full breed and I don't think she's the bingo playing, sugar packet stealing kind either. This is the real deal right down to the goblin and ogre consorts, which makes her somewhat dangerous as well. She arrived in Lonstas about fifteen years ago, and my information appears to describe her as a native to Rylak, the southern quadrant more specifically, where the rebellion started years ago, but beyond that I don't know...yet. And this Rapunzel is most definitely not her daughter. Likely she was stolen from somewhere, perhaps from a noble during the uprisings but I can't find any information about who she might actually be; several children matching her age and description were lost. The Rylakian Queen might be a hard ass, but she sure put a stop to that craziness all right. Anyway, the crone hid in the Lonesome Forest for years it seems, going all but unnoticed aside from her ritual dealings with trolls, goblins and ogres."

Mercury nodded encouragingly. Both he and Manuel had thought they caught the scent of crone but now it was certain. Crones, crafty and sometimes vicious beings, were not magical in themselves although typically they were in service to other, more powerful beings. The Crones of Turin, being a completely different sub-species, were far more interested in finding new ways to cheat at bingo than crafting any nefarious plots with a malevolent being. Mercury decided that it might be a good idea to pay one of them a visit anyway, besides Baba Yaga owed him more than one favour. How many times had he escorted her safely home after her overindulgence in celebratory wine? Many. Baba Yaga, was the best bingo cheater in Turin.

"So how did the Authorities find out about Rapunzel if they've been hiding so well for years?" Mercury asked.

"Now I wasn't exactly clear on that, but from what I understand a lost human stumbled upon the dwelling and after a very disagreeable meeting with the crone he found his way back to Turin. Apparently he held a position on the Educational Council and, as you know, the basic law states..." She trailed off.

"Every human between the ages of five and seventeen must receive a formal education recognized by the Educational Council." Mercury supplied with a sigh. "I only wish they were as concerned about _our_ education."

"Elves don't have it any easier you know." Magella reminded him.

"Do they chase you with torches and pitch forks?"

"No." She admitted. Elves weren't feared, they certainly weren't loved, but they weren't feared. "Anyway, unless the crone agreed to some sort of educational deal, the Authorities would have stepped in and brought a whole lot of very unwanted attention to the crone, and the child she harbours."

"So what about this was so pressing that you couldn't simply wait for Manuel to return? Not that I'm not interested or very honoured that Manuel chose me as his 'second" as it seems. I just don't see the immediate urgency." Mercury refilled both of their cups, his mother made the best coffee either of them had ever had and though reluctant to join him for coffee at first, the elf was more than eager for another cup now.

"I passed a small contingency of dark Rylakian soldiers on the far side of The Lonesome Forest, just outside the entrance."

Mercury inhaled slowly, his eyes narrowing.

"And by 'dark' I mean not only their armour. They weren't wearing the typical diplomatic armour one sees during visits abroad; this armour was black, although still bearing the crest of Rylak." She stopped and looked abruptly up. "They were interrogating a group of goblins. Interrogating is a polite word. If I wanted to be completely accurate I would choose another. I ran. Something is happening, something terrible, and since the crone has dealings with Rylak..." She opened her hands in a helpless gesture.

_Wow_. Mercury mouthed. It was unheard of for soldiers from a foreign land to harass citizens, however unsavoury they may be, without the ruling family's approval, which of course the Charming's would never give. And Mercury knew first hand that the Charming family were not aware of any Rylakian military action in their lands. Especially so close to their Holiday Palace, and right before the season. Nothing good could come from this.

"Magella? How would you feel about accompanying me in to Turin this morning?"

She groaned in return.

### ~~*~~

A great feeling of peace settled over Manuel, as his eyes slowly adjusted to the warm glow of the Neutral Plane. This time, being reminded by both Sybil and the Great Oracle, he had remembered to close his eyes. After sharing a meal with the Oracle back on his own realm, the Great Oracle had announced that they were to travel to the Neutral Plane, he wanted to view the situation in his viewing pond.

If traveling through a portal with a Muse had seemed exciting and surreal, traveling with the Great Oracle had felt wild and lawless. With a twinkle in his brilliant blue eyes, the Oracle had winked at Sybil and grabbed the vampire's hand before throwing the both of them in to the pulsing portal. It had been a wild ride. The Oracle was a mad man.

The Neutral Plane, at least this portion of it, appeared to be a small meadow in the middle of an immense forest. The trees easily stood hundreds of feet in the air, and the grass was the greenest Manuel had ever seen. The air was perfumed by the aroma of grass, sunshine and wild flowers, and in the centre of the small meadow was a beautiful, crystal clear pond. The muse had been right, although Manuel had appreciated the honour of being received in the Great Oracle's own personal realm; he much preferred the simple beauty of this peaceful Neutral Plane.

Sunshine! The sun was full in the pale blue sky...and he wasn't burning up!

Not. Burning. Up.

Manuel gasped out loud, shielding his eyes from its brilliance! Never in his lifetime had he ever gazed at a forest, at anything or anyone through the light of day. The sun, ever his mortal enemy, illuminated the world in a way he could never have imagined. Stunned he looked around, drinking in the absurd beauty in this magical meadow. In wonder, he watched the sunlight dance off of his arm. The world had never looked so alive.

The Great Oracle sat cross-legged on a large rock as he leaned over, gazing in to the pool. "Oh, you won't burn up here, you are well protected. I forgot to mention, the Neutral Plane observes its own rules, it's the place between places you could say."

A place between places. Curious.

The Great Oracle went back to gazing in to his pond and Manuel continued to notate the intricate beauty of a world seen by day. So this is what humans see...very interesting. He had always been curious, thought he would never have admitted to that.

"Ah, the elf has found the wolf." He commented, as he gazed in to the pool. Manuel leaned over the Oracle's shoulder but could see nothing. He arched his brow and looked up at the blonde man inquiringly.

"Here." The Oracle said with a wave of his arm. A picture began to from slowly in the ripples of the water eventually revealing an image of Mercury pounding on a door, a disgruntled looking Magella by his side.

"They will get no answer today; the crone they are calling on is sleeping off the after effects of last night's celebratory wine. I've done that a time or two myself, haven't I." He laughed.

"She made her report to the wolf then. I am curious..."

"Not much more than you already know." The Oracle frowned slightly at the reflection.

"And the illness?" Manuel asked.

"Blarney. But you already knew that, you didn't need me to tell you mate. You also knew the crone wasn't her Mother, what you didn't know was that she had ties to the land you call Rylak, the girl is from this 'Rylak' as well. But your elf will brief you in detail when you return."

The image rippled and changed to show Snow sitting out on the porch at her cottage, listening intently to something the dashing Prince Leonardo said. She threw back her head, laughing and the prince smiled in delight. The Oracle smiled tenderly as well at the apparent friendship; nodding with approval.

"So if the child Rapunzel is not the blood daughter of the crone, who is she?" Manuel asked intently.

The Oracle squinted slightly, making several gestures over the pond before sighing and rubbing his temple in agitation and slapping his black leather clad leg uttering a curse of sorts in a language Manuel had never heard.

"What is it?" Manuel asked with considerable alarm.

"Trouble." The Oracle replied grimly with another sweep of his arm over the pond. "From all sides."

"What do you mean 'trouble'?" Manuel was immediately at the Oracle's side again attempting to make out exactly what the Oracle was seeing in the pond. "Is Rapunzel in danger?"

"The crone will not harm her, she is far too precious. Perhaps more precious than the crone even realises yet." He laid his hand on the pool and instantly a montage of unsettling scenes flashed upon the still water. Armed goblins and a smattering of large dangerous looking trolls stood sentry before a dark and dank cave, smoke swirling around and rising up off the ground. Dark Rylakian soldiers met with the Mother Goethal, and a tearful and horrified Rapunzel engulfed in a cloud of enchanted smoke; falling to the ground.

Manuel grabbed the Oracle's hand. "Send me back immediately." The look in his beautiful dark eyes could only be described as deadly, his body vibrated with pent up rage.

"Little vampire, there is nothing that you can do. This is what has been, not what is to be." The Oracle said gently with a shake of his platinum hair.

"I can rescue her." Manuel said, looking the Oracle straight in the eye. "I will rescue her."

"You already have." The Oracle rose from his position by the pool. "And she will rescue you as well." But he began to steer the vampire away from the pond anyway. "She is being held in a cave by a swamp, and she is heavily guarded while the crone makes arrangements to take her out of Lonstas. She is not alone in this cave so beware, she is frightened but unharmed. These arrangements will take the crone no more than two days, perhaps less. She will try to take the girl back to Rylak; you must not let that happen, or she will be lost forever."

The Oracle opened a portal; it pulsed and shimmered as it grew.

"Now, when I send you back it will still be day, and unlike the sun in the Neutral Plane, you will burn. I am sending you to the only safe place that I can, that will put you in contact with your friends. You are going to need them. Do not try to rescue her alone; you will fail."

Manuel nodded briefly.

"Take care mate, keep safe, trust your friends, and I will be seeing you again soon, we are far from done. And close your eyes, will ya."

Manuel took one last look at the Oracle, standing tall in his black leather pants and black sleeveless shirt, his long platinum hair standing inches off of his head. The Oracle smiled his wide generous smile, his brilliant blue eyes twinkling, and as soon as Manuel closed his own dark eyes, the Oracle pushed him in to the portal.

The world lost all form beneath his feet as he free fell.

Chapter 12

Stumbling forward as he finally felt solid ground beneath his boots, Manuel lost his balance, a rare thing for a vampire to do, and fell face first on to the floor. Harsh, white light slashed across his eyes, and a hot searing pain began to build in his blood. Instinctively he curled up in to a ball.

Sunlight. His only real enemy. He had perhaps a minute before the pain overtook him and he simply burned up leaving a pile of ash.

Awkwardly he crawled across the room to the nearest door. Throwing it open he found complete darkness and he flung himself inside, slamming the door firmly shut behind him.

### ~~*~~

The Season was approaching with seemingly break neck speed, and entertaining the magnificent Prince Charming at the Rutherford cottage had reminded Cindy that she still hadn't made a list of Snow's necessities for the balls. She found it hard to believe that they were sitting around chatting with the one, the only, the utterly brilliant, and outrageously handsome Prince Leonardo Charming. Cindy had created a thousand fantasies, had at least a hundred dreams, all of them starring the handsome prince, but none of them even came close to the reality.

Snow would need a complete wardrobe overhaul, of that the pint sized fashionista was certain. She threw open Snow's closet door with a flourish.

Two eyes glowed up at her from the darkness in the closet. Shrieking out loud, she slammed the door shut with a loud bang; groping around madly, she wrapped her small hand around Snow's favourite baseball bat. Screwing her eyes shut, she opened the closet door and began beating on the dark shape within, all the while emitting sharp, shrill screams at the top of her lungs.

"Help! Help!" She screamed shrilly as she beat the object with the bat. "It's got me!"

Something squirmed and writhed about as it tried to evade Cindy's well aimed blows. Ever persistent, Cindy continued to shriek in time with the bat's thuds, bringing it down even harder with each blow.

Two pale hands rose up from the darkness, grabbing Cindy about the waist and dragged her in to the darkness of the closet. The bat fell helplessly to the floor. One cold hand clamped itself tightly against her mouth, effectively silencing her shrill yelps for assistance.

"Cease this horrendous shrieking, you cursed banshee. You are _such_ a pain." A familiar melodic voice groaned near her ear.

"Manuel!" She shrieked again against the cold hand. She struggled ineffectively against the stone like grasp of the beautiful vampire. He hesitated for a minute, and then released his hold on her.

"Did I hurt you?" She whispered breathlessly.

If there had been any available light in the dark closet, Cindy would have been presented with Manuel's most arrogantly superior look. Instead he was simply a disembodied voice.

"I am a vampire, there is nothing you, a small human child, could possibly be capable of that could hurt me."

"So what are you doing in Snowy's closet? Hey Manuel, you're in the closet." She snickered at her own joke. "Oh, there are so many directions I could take this. This is awesome! What are you doing in here, and if you say sniffing the perfume I am going to take this in all of those directions and more."

"I am a vampire." He reminded the little blonde.

She shrugged, not understanding the importance of that statement. Then she got it, it was daylight, and the closet was dark.

"Ohhhhh. Right. But how did you get here?"

"Collect the wolf. And if the elf is tagging along bring her as well." He commanded.

"What?" Cindy asked in confusion. "You're staying in the closet? Don't you think that's a little strange? People might start talking you know."

"What part of 'I am a vampire' did you not understand? My deepest apologies, I had not realised that you were intellectually disabled as well." He drawled mockingly.

"Pasty faced Jerk." She attempted to punch him...if she could find him.

"Collect your friends immediately, Rapunzel is in danger and we are running out of time." Manuel whispered urgently in her ear before opening the closet door and tossing her out.

"Holy crap!" Was all she said as she ran from the room shouting for Snow at the top of her lungs.

### ~~*~~

You would think that sitting in a closet, surrounded by girly clothes and an abundance of magnificent shoes would make you appear somewhat less than intimidating, but somehow Manuel managed to appear just as remotely formidable as ever. Perhaps it was the subject matter.

Perhaps it was just Manuel.

Snow had darkened all of the windows by hanging the thickest, darkest cloth, even rolling up towels to seal the bottom so that absolutely no sunlight what so ever could come through. Even so, Manuel stayed safely on a stool in her closet, long legs stretched out before him, a dark look in his eye.

Prince Leo, Mercury, Snow, and Cindy along with a reluctant and somewhat tense Magella, all sat in a semi circle in front of him. Every few minutes Leo would turn and look speculatively at the purple elf, who avoided eye contact completely.

"The Great Oracle said she was being held in a cave, by a swamp. She is guarded by goblins and trolls. I saw her fall prey to enchantments." The vampire said in a deceptively emotionless voice. "The crone has dealings with Rylakian Soldiers."

Snow wasn't fooled by his cool demeanour; the calmer Manuel appeared...the worse it was. And Manuel was never emotionless when the subject matter was Rapunzel...never.

"What colour was their armour?" The elf questioned suddenly.

"Black." He turned to Snow. "The soldier that visited the crone some time ago also wore such armour. What do you know of this?"

"Not much really. I didn't have much to do with those soldiers; they were a part of my Stepmother's personal squadron. The Black Guards, they were created around the time of the uprisings and the rebellion, they specialise in, well they specialise in everything and they only answer to my stepmother or her personal bodyguard Alaric." She stopped as she realised that her dreaded stepmother might have had something to do with Rapunzel's disappearance. That made it all the more dangerous.

"If any soldier of Rylak would be dealing with trolls, goblins and creatures like that, the Dark Squadron would be them. I think they are magically enhanced."

Everyone was silent for a minute as that sunk in.

"These soldiers, these Black Guards are camped on the far side of The Lonesome Forest. I passed them a day ago. There are perhaps six of them there. A small number, but fearsome all the same." Magella offered uneasily.

Manuel made a steeple of his fingers as he considered what the elf had said. "I saw the crone speaking with a group of them, but I could hear nothing. Guarding the cave were only the goblins and trolls, all heavily armed. I did not see these soldiers in that part of the vision. I can only assume that they are a part of another side of this story and not what we face at the cave."

"I'm not looking forward to ever facing them." Cindy said softly with a shake of her golden curls.

"What did the cave look like?" The prince asked curiously. He had been on several scouting missions across his kingdom recently; perhaps he might recognise the cave from a detailed description.

"It is not a cave I have seen before. It is close to a swamp, and the dampness is evidenced by the moss growing on the mouth of it. The stone is dark and jagged, and it emerges as a mouth from a magnificent and immense cave. The trees are twisted and gnarled in the background, smoke fills the air."

"Smoke. Like smoke from an industrial area? Or perhaps a great troll fire?" Mercury reasoned with a grimace of distaste.

"Maybe it's not smoke." Cindy piped up.

"Perhaps enchantment smoke?" Snow asked trying to be helpful.

"I assume so, as I saw her fall prey to it." Manuel said sombrely.

"What about the mountains between Lonstas and Rylak? Are there any swamps nearby? I seem to recall a few." The prince turned to Snow.

"Yes, you are right." Snow agreed. "But I think they're more on the Rylakian side, but I have only made the journey across the border the one time, and I was so terrified and dehydrated, that I can't be sure of anything. Did the Oracle say she had left Lonstas yet?"

"But what if it isn't smoke? What if you just assume it is enchantment smoke, but it's actually a _clue_?" Cindy piped again.

"What else could it be?" Snapped Magella. "Manuel saw it in the vision. A clue." She snorted. She was incredibly uncomfortable sitting in on this little session, but hadn't seen any way around it. Mercury had basically strong armed her in to attending, no one argued a young werewolf. And then there was Manuel...it was never wise to say no to him either.

"The Oracle said she was still in Lonstas, but not for long." Manuel said wearily, typically he would be asleep during the day. The very fact that the sun shone high in the sky weakened and exhausted him. "What are you blathering about little nuisance?" His expression far kinder than his words, as he eyed Cindy from over his steeple hands.

"I was thinking, fanger pal, what if it's mist? You know, like waterfall mist, or mist from the sea?" Cindy asked. "That would be a clue to her whereabouts, and narrow down the possible cave locations. I mean the Oracle allowed you to see it, and clearly she was trying to give you everything she could. She wouldn't show you the same information twice."

"He." Manuel said quietly.

"What?" Both Mercury and Magella exclaimed as they both their heads swung around to face Manuel.

"The Great Oracle is a man. Like none that I have ever met before." The Vampire said with a shake of his glossy dark hair. "He is quite brilliant, although perhaps quite mad as well. Regardless, I do not doubt the truth in his vision" He indicated the beaming Cindy. "She could be right. Caves close to both sea and swamp. Let us consider those."

"The Northern Seaboard." The prince announced, snapping his fingers. "It's mainly uncharted territory; the mountains range follows the border than veers off towards the sea. The land just south of the mountain is undesirable, mucky and I suppose swampy so it's never been developed. The mountainous region is basically uninhabited, maybe a few...crones and imps and...that's where she is!" He snapped his fingers again. "Cindy you are brilliant! I'll send my soldiers there immediately; we can have her out by nightfall."

"It's not that easy your Highness. I truly wish it were. If the goblins and trolls realise that they are up against the Royal Lonstasian Army, they will run, but they will bring the girl with them and they are far, far more familiar with the terrain then any of us." Manuel explained. "If they are answering to the crone, the Dark Rylakian Soldiers, or even Rosalyn of Rylak herself, they will not risk losing her in a fair fight. Stealth is our only option I fear."

Leo nodded slowly waiting for the vampire to outline a more acceptable plan.

"I will leave as soon as the sun sets." Manuel stated.

Mercury turned to the prince. "If I leave immediately I can arrive just a little bit earlier to scout the area. May I borrow a horse?" The prince gave him a questioning look. "You have no idea how fast a vampire can run if they want."

"Of course, but I'm going with you." The prince answered decisively. "We can cover more territory that way and Manuel can track us from smell."

Mercury and Manuel exchanged a look. Neither was used to working or fighting alongside Royalty; they had never had much to do with Royals or the Aristocracy for that matter and what's more...they liked it that way. They had no desire to start now; besides, endangering the incredibly popular crown Prince could only set equality talks back decades. They had come too far to take such an unacceptable risk.

"I'm not sure that is a good idea. We were thinking maybe you could stay here and watch over the girls." Mercury haltingly said.

"Is it my sword arm or my courage that you doubt?" Leo fastened his crystal blue eyes on the uncomfortable wolf.

Cindy and Snow held their breath; watching the exchange with wide eyes.

"Neither, your Highness." The wolf looked to Manuel for assistance, he desperately wanted out of this conversation, but the impassive vampire looked on silently, unable or unwilling to help.

"Good. Because I can assure you that neither could be found lacking." The prince said in a quiet level tone.

"It's not that, it's just that it's going to be really dangerous and..." Mercury trailed off helplessly. In no way did he want to undermine the young prince's courage and risk offending his country's Crown Prince but he was equally passionate about keeping him safe. He was terribly uncomfortable with the situation.

"You think as a celebrity I pose for pictures with my sword, win rigged jousting tournaments, and powder my nose for the close ups; falling back in exhaustion from the exertion of looking so good all of the time?"

"No...somebody? Anybody? I'm drowning here." Mercury was miserable.

"But you do! Look good I mean. In the pictures!" Cindy tried to lighten the mood; Snow shook her head and looked away.

"I think what the boys are trying to communicate, albeit failing dismally, is that although your courage and sword arm would be welcome, the risk of losing any one of you is great. And the loss of any of my friends is almost more than I can bear, but the loss of the Crown Prince is more than the kingdom can bear. To lose the Crown Prince in a quest such as this would do much to destabilise relations between races and plunge the country into despair and possibly civil war." Snow explained.

The silence that followed her short speech was memorial.

"Well said little princess." Manuel spoke quietly.

"I understand what you are saying. And I appreciate your concern, but as your Crown Prince I am morally obligated to see to the welfare of my subjects. I could no more sit this out then Manuel could." Leo objected. "What kind of a king will I become if I run from the first hint of danger? And the fact that I volunteered to fight alongside both werewolves and vampires would also speak volumes to the populace."

Although that did silence most of the objections; Snow couldn't help feeling uneasy. This was the Crown Prince of the most powerful land on this continent. It was one thing to imagine him in battle, and swoon over his imagined heroics. Quite another to actually send him off to a battle without a predetermined, fantastical outcome. She didn't need imagined heroics to swoon; his insistence upon joining the quest was heroic enough.

He reached over and took her pale hand in his.

"Princess Snow. As one Royal to another, I promise that I will not take any unnecessary risks, and that I will return in much the same condition as I set out."

She sighed, but there was really nothing she could do; she did not rule here. "Okay Charming, but I'm holding you to it. Don't disappoint me." She responded gravely.

He flashed her one of his most devastating smiles, the kind that graced half of the teenage girl's walls in the kingdom and stood up; gesturing for Mercury to join him.

"Excuse me. You're actually going to get up and go? Just like that?" All eyes swung towards the sleek purple elf. Mercury and Leo slowly nodded.

"How like a man that is." The elf exasperated. "With no plan, no intel, just brute force, and not much of that either. You don't even know where you are going! With the exception of Manuel, who apparently saw this cave in a mad man's vision, the rest of you are just blindly leaping in to trouble. Men. Need I remind you he said 'Trolls'?" She indicated the lovely vampire with one hand.

"Do you have a better plan?" Mercury asked, in barely disguised annoyance. Running his hands through his shaggy brown hair, he didn't want to argue with the elf, but he was desperately anxious to leap in to action. The beast within him smelled adventure...and it craved the action.

"Do I have a better plan? Of course I have a better plan! Are you prepared to listen to me or am I wasting my breath?"

All eyes swung towards the dark and silent vampire.

"She is the most accomplished thief I have ever come across, able to slip in and out of previously impossible locations. A troublemaking and undisciplined nuisance, but an accomplished thief none the less with uncanny survival skills." Manuel casually said, clearly believing he had complimented her.

Realising that for the first time, she might just have the upper hand here, Magella decided to strike a deal. "If I help you on this quest, are we even? Will I be free to go on as I choose?"

"Magella dear, aside from...persuading you to clean up some of your more disastrous messes, you have always been free. Honestly, you're almost as thick as a human. And you create nearly as much work for me as well." Manuel employed his most long suffering sigh.

Magella had no idea how to take that, but she decided not to push it. Manuel appeared to be on his best behaviour, but that, as she well knew, could change on a dime. She turned to Snow instead.

"Your uncles work in the mines, is that correct?" She asked, narrowing her eyes as she rapidly made her plan. Snow nodded and she continued. "We are going to need their expertise with mines and cave formations, especially anything they know that's region specific. Here, I will make a list of the items I require."

### ~~*~~

The boys left the cottage to arrange for some very fast horses, apparently hitting it off superbly; a fact that surprised both of them. Never before had Leo ever had the opportunity to watch a wolf in action. Certainly he had never had wolf friends; this was the first time in Lonstasian history that a wolf and a man would go off on a mission as equals.

The "uncles" had been extremely helpful in providing general maps of the area, and after Mercury and Leo had made it clear that Cindy and Snow were not coming along, Uncle Doc gave the boys his blessing and set about clearing a room of sorts for Rapunzel. When rescued, she would need a home, and Uncle Doc was more than willing to provide one. "The poor child" he kept clucking under his breath as he happily set about his task.

Magella had rubbed both boys down with a strange powder made from various roots and plants that the uncles had brought to her; she believed that it would mask the boys smell just enough for the enemy to overlook them, but not enough to lose Manuel. She also gave them a ridiculous paste that smelled overwhelmingly of cold medication that she maintained would help against the goblin stench.

The elf then stayed back to pack her own bag, but Snow had the sneaking impression that the sleek, purple elf didn't want to go anywhere near the palace. So she filed that observation away for the mean time. Manuel had retired to the closet with a dire warning that anyone who interrupted him would be subject to swift and blinding violence. He didn't specify exactly what sort of violence and no one had wanted to ask. Snow thought he was just sleeping, and she doubted that he would really hurt any of them...but she didn't feel the need to test her theory.

"What can Cindy and I do to help. It's not fair..." Snow stopped as she realised that she sounded like a petulant brat. "It doesn't feel right, with the four of you taking all of the risk, and me just sitting back here making cookies."

"We're making cookies?" Cindy asked in happy surprise.

"No. That was just for example."

Cindy looked somewhat deflated, she really did love cookies; Magella just looked bored as she rechecked her bag.

"What would you like to do? Can you fight?" She asked from over her shoulder.

"No." Snow admitted. "There has to be something else I can do?"

"You could speak with this 'Baba Yaga', I've heard about the Crones of Turin; it's unlikely that she would eat you." Magella replied indifferently.

"Now you're just trying to scare us." Cindy said with a shake of her curls. "It's bad enough you all won't let us come, you don't need to tease us too. Baba Yaga's just a wino."

"Yeah, Baba Yaga may have a somewhat unhealthy relationship with cheap wine, and she definitely cheats at bingo, but she would never eat anyone. What would make you think such a thing?" Snow laughed.

"Have you ever met a real crone?" Magella asked.

"No. Just Turin style crones, unless you count the Mother...yuck." Cindy replied with a face.

"You wouldn't believe the crone/witch half breed I came across in the Sarrilian outback. She was building a house of candy. Magella shrugged.

"Of what?" Snow repeated.

"Candy." Magella confirmed with another shrug.

"She must have had some sweet tooth." Cindy chuckled "I should have thought of something like that!" She imagined a house made of her favourite candies, complete with a chocolate roof. It actually sounded pretty good.

"I guess so. But I'm not sure it was for candy." Magella absently commented as she tightened the laces on her sturdy boots.

"What do you mean? What else could it be for? She built the house of Candy right?" Cindy asked, not quite understanding what the elf meant.

"Bait."

"What?" Snow asked in confusion. "Did you say bait?"

"Um hmm."

"Bait for what?" Cindy asked in an unsteady voice.

Magella looked up sharply. "Well I certainly didn't stick around long enough to ask. Yeesh. I saw the candy, many small beings love candy. I didn't need to know anything else, I left. Quickly."

Cindy gave Snowy her best "I am so repulsed" look. Snow grimaced back.

Magella, contented that her bag was in order, strode out of the cottage and mounted her horse. The three of them rode off as Snow and Cindy looked on.

### ~~*~~

Mercury knew they had the right cave even before they saw it. It was the stench of goblin that alerted him, that unwashed and partially decaying scent that enveloped them so completely. Goblins admittedly didn't wash, not unless tossed in to a body of water that is, however the rotting stench was largely due to their nasty habit of wearing their "snacks" on their personage...sometimes for days. And since these unsavoury creatures were for the main part carnivores, their "snacks" tended to spoil quite quickly in the afternoon sun. Mercury's werewolf nose never failed him, although there were times, such as this that he really wished it wasn't quite so delicate. Wrinkling his nose in distaste he dismounted and waved his friends over.

"This is it, right around that corner." He gestured to his left, towards the uneven rocky hills bordering the sea.

"How can you be sure?" Leo asked as he dismounted next to the wolf.

"The stench, those things stink like something crawled up inside of them and died." Mercury responded.

"Which is basically the truth." Magella added as she joined them. "Can't you smell it?"

Leo sniffed the air carefully. "I think I smell something, but truthfully it's really faint." He finally said with a small shake of his head.

"That's a blessing trust me, a blessing." Mercury affirmed, clapping the prince on the back with his strong arm as Magella wiped some of the smelling cream under their noses.

Leo gave him a small half smile in return, accepting the friendly wolf's word for it. After undoing the horses bridles, Leo gave them all a carrot and left them to graze on whatever they could. From here they would travel by foot. Goblins loved horse.

### ~~*~~

Gazing between the gnarled, mossy branches of the gigantic and sinister looking tree, Mercury took his first glance at the cave. There was no telling from their vantage point exactly how large the cave was, but the mouth appeared to be quite tall, and very dark. The mountain rose above it and seemed to extend right to the sea with dark mossy patches visible from all angles. Mist circled around the entrance adding to the already ominous appearance of the area. It was the perfect place to conceal a damsel in distress; it just reeked of dark secrets.

Six tall, knobby kneed goblins surrounded the mouth of the cave. Dark, greasy hair hung lankly back from sloped foreheads; lash-less, dark orange eyes darted back and forth as they scanned the foliage before them, thankfully not alerted by scent. Their prominent noses were almost as well developed as Mercury's, which never ceased to amaze people when you consider the stench that enveloped them.

Ill fitting clothes, most likely stolen from some unlucky traveler covered the goblin's greenish skinned limbs and "snack necklaces" worn around their neck produced a significant percentage of the rancid smell that perfumed the area. Although seemingly gangly, goblin's were fierce and ferocious fighters and their habit of dining on their opponents made combat with them far less than desirable; which was one habit they shared with the trolls, but neither species spent more time than needed with each other.

Magella and Leo joined him, silently watching the cave as well. Clearly this wasn't going to be any fun, that much was glaringly apparent. First they would have to get past the goblins and trolls to enter the cave, find Rapunzel wherever she was in the maze of caverns, then somehow safely remove her from the cave without the trolls and goblins giving chase.

If only it was as easy as it sounded.

"But where are the trolls?" Mercury asked as he scanned the entrance to the cave. Trolls, easily eight to ten feet tall were built like sumo wrestlers. with light grey skin more than twice as thick. There was no way to overlook these huge, highly aggressive characters.

"Like vampires, trolls can't abide the sun. But whereas vampires burn, trolls turn to stone." Magella whispered.

"Really?" Leo whispered back. He had known they hid themselves during the daylight hours but had never been completely sure as to why.

"Yup. I'm not sure exactly why, but they do. An elvish healer from Sarrilia has hypothesized that it has something to do with sunlight speeding the calcification of their bones but... It's really hard to trick them in to going out during the day, big and stupid they are...just not that stupid." She said wistfully. She really hated dealing with trolls, most people did.

"How would you like to approach?" Leo asked as he unsheathed his sword; carefully scrutinizing the goblins.

"Oh no. We wait." Magella said, holding both hands up.

"But if there are no trolls there, wouldn't it make more sense to attack now?" Mercury pressed. "Why are we waiting for more enemies?"

Leo had a sudden idea. "Perhaps we could find another entrance in to the cave and bypass the trolls and goblins all together!"

"Where do you think the trolls are right now?" Magella asked him slowly.

Understanding dawned on the boys. Of course. The trolls were hiding in the cave. They could be anywhere inside, and in a dimly lit cave they would easily be able to sneak up on the trio...the rest is best left unspoken.

"So what do we do now?" Leo asked her.

"That was a good idea; I'm going to look for another way in to the cave. You two stay here and wait for Manuel." She said as she slunk off, disappearing in the mist. Helplessly the boys stared after her. It was going to be a long wait, but if they made a mess of things by jumping the gun before the fierce vampire arrived...neither one of the boys really wanted to think about that.

"You know, you were right." Leo whispered to Mercury as he settled himself in.

"About what?"

"It was a blessing. It really was." Leo whispered back wrinkling his nose in distaste. Mercury grinned and decided that for a Royal, Leo wasn't all that bad; he reached in to his pocket and found another pot of the cream.

### ~~*~~

Try as she may, Snow couldn't think of anything useful Baba Yaga could possibly tell the girls, aside perhaps the best strategy for bingo cheating. That went for any and all of the crones residing in Turin; but Snow was pretty sure she knew who _could_ be of help. She grabbed Cindy and set out for the Gypsy Camp. If there was anyone who could lend a hand in a mission such as this, she reasoned, it was the Great Mother Sardinia; she would help, she was obviously very fond of Manuel.

Gravely the old gypsy and Alessa listened as Snow detailed the events of the last day.

"Much of the camp is away, harvesting across the orchards. Alessa will ride out and collect all that can be spared." The old gypsy declared with a sharp nod.

"Of course grandmother!" Alessa stood up quickly, eyes shining, long dark hair shimmering.

"Manuel is a close friend of this camp, and we will do all we can to aide him in this daring rescue; he has lent us much aid in the past." She looked up and smiled at them. "Do not worry so, a werewolf, a prince and a vampire is a very potent mix indeed. Never the less, you were right in coming here and requesting our assistance. My young men will jump at the opportunity to fight alongside the prince." She chuckled to herself for a moment. "Poor Manuel, I did try to warn him."

"Warn him about what?" Cindy asked.

"About falling in love. He never listens." The old gypsy said with a laugh. "Even the proudest of men will fall defenceless before love...the poor boy."

So Snow and Cindy had left the Gypsy Camp feeling very hopeful, yet still somewhat left out. The feeling had only intensified as Alessa rode past them on her way to gather the gypsy warriors. Leaning forward on her horse as he thundered by, her hair flying on the wind and a look of exhilaration on her beautiful face, she resembled a young goddess embarking on a quest.

When all of your friends embark on a daring rescue mission, it can be really hard to simply sit back and wait. Even when you know you'd be no good in a fight anyway, and Snow wasn't a fighter. It just felt like there must be something more she could do, and then a thought struck her.

Snow turned and headed in the direction of The Lonesome Forest. Cindy uneasily followed her, glancing up at the sun's position several times. Finally the girls came to their favourite entrance at the base of The Lonesome Forest.

"Why are we here? I gotta tell you Snowy, there is nothing that likes us hiding deep in that forest." Cindy definitely wasn't happy to find herself at the base of the forest this late in the evening, no one would be.

Snow stopped to hug her willow before turning to her friend, one hand still lovingly stroking her favorite tree.

"I just have to try, you know? I think there may be something we are over looking; what do you remember about ogrenots? From creature studies at school?" Snow asked.

"They're ugly, they stink, they're obnoxious, and they always have gas-" Cindy started counting out before Snow cut her off.

"Yes, yes, all true.But isn't there something about them hating to owe anything, like debts; stuff like that? You know, they take them very seriously or something. An honorable streak in the otherwise nasty pests."

"Well, I don't know. That'd be the only thing they take seriously, but when does anyone ever get close enough to do anything for them anyway? I mean, who associates with them to that degree? Why? They're gross." Cindy made a retching face at the idea.

"Manuel did, inadvertently perhaps, but just the same. He saved them, I guess in a way I did too, remember the night we met Merc and he blew their houses down? I need to find those ogrenots, I don't know how, but I have this strong feeling like they could help. You know, like repaying the debt they owe Manuel." She shrugged helplessly. "I need to try." She bit her lip as she eyed the evening sun.

"How could three little stinky ogrenots help save Rapunzel?"

"I don't know, but they were pretty quick, stinky and distracting. Look, I know how crazy this sounds, and if they can't help then fine. But...I have to try." Snow nodded slowly, convinced that this was the only thing left that she could do.

"Snowy, we wouldn't even know where to look for them, it's a really big forest, and the sun is going down pretty damn soon. And how could anyone tell those ugly things apart anyhow? It's not safe, not without one of the boys. We've already learned that lesson." Cindy gently reminded her as they both gazed at the darkening forest, the encounter with Drina far from forgotten.

Snow sighed. "I know, I know. I can't ask you to come, I won't. But I am going in." She took a small step forward before turning back to her friend. "If I'm not back before nightfall..."

"Oh no, forget it sister! You're not getting all the cadoodles for being all brave and courageous! You might be a princess, but I'm brave too you know!" Cindy indicated her own small self with her thumb.

"What's a 'cadoodle'?" Snow cocked one dark eyebrow at the little blonde who simply stamped her sparkly sandaled foot.

"You know what I mean! Quit stalling, let's go!" Cindy pointed toward the mouth of the forest. "Before I start thinking about it...and freak out."

Although Snow appreciated her friend's display of loyalty, she decided she couldn't endanger Cindy as well.

She shook her dark head. "No, even I know this isn't really a good idea. I go, you stay so you can tell them where I went. I don't want to be responsible for anything happening to you too."

"Nobody ever accused me of having good sense. Now move it sister." Cindy nodded once and grabbed Snow's arm, pulling her down the path. Snow fell in step beside her; secretly relieved that she didn't have to enter the dark and dangerous forest without her Cindy.

"Now if only we can find these nuts..." Snow trailed off as something silky stroked her arm.

Slowly she turned to face a tall, willowy woman, who had seemingly appeared out of nowhere. Snow's mouth dropped open as she took her in. The woman's long black hair trailed out behind her fluttering in the non-existent breeze, as did her filmy white robes. Her eyes were a beautiful wild brown, earth-like yet exotic, and her lips formed a perfect bow. Great strength emanated from her tall willowy form. Snow instinctively knew that this was her willow; for whatever reason, the dryad that Snow had always believed slept in that tree had awoken. She didn't know whether to be ecstatic or frightened.

The dryad had been listening to Snow's monologue for weeks now, accustoming herself to the softly whispered confessions, the wistful dreams and the loving stroking against her bark. Rarely, if ever had a human paid her this much attention without the desire for personal gain, and Snow had never asked for anything in return; it intrigued her. Perhaps she felt a fondness for the young human girl, perhaps she was simply bored; but she she had awoken.

The girls stood frozen as she floated around them. Snow smiled up at the ancient dryad in awe, deciding to go with ecstatic; she was just so untameable beautiful. The dryad smiled back slowly and began to float in to the forest and though she never said a word, Snow knew they were to follow her. She grabbed Cindy's hand and followed the tall and beautiful dryad in to the forest, as safe if not safer than they had ever been.

### ~~*~~

The sun kissed the sky goodnight in a dazzling display of red and purple, offering her the sweetest fair well with a promise to return. Just as she dipped below the horizon, the front door of the Rutherford cottage burst open as something shot out that door with what Uncle Grumpy and Uncle Dopey would later call "The speed of light!" Which of course it wasn't, but it was as good an analogy as any.

### ~~*~~

The boys waited and waited, and waited under cover just outside the basin, in front of the sinister looking cave. Moments turned to hours. They watched the beautiful goodbye the sun painted across the sky, and moments after she fled that same sky, four massive, greyish skinned, heavy limbed trolls emerged from the cave. Completely bald, with squat, squished faces and wide noses, they wore nothing except rags tied around their waist resembling a rather ill-fitting diaper to signify that they were in employ. Trolls as a rule shunned clothing, and only donned the rag garments when they were working, an unemployed troll was typically a naked troll; a sight you did not want to see. The trolls, each wielding a huge wooden club took their places beside the goblins.

That had been two hours ago. And there had been no sign yet of Magella. The boys were beginning to get impatient; it appeared that she had fled. Neither of the boys really blamed her; the odds didn't look good.

Leo nodded towards the goblins and trolls. "So, what do you think?"

"Suicide mission." The wolf said with a nod.

"Yeah, that's what I thought too." Leo said as he unsheathed his sword again. "Ready?"

"Yup." Mercury agreed. "How do you want to do this?"

The prince considered for a minute. "A direct attack will end with us dead in less than five minutes. It's not that I am afraid of a fight, but I think our only real chance is to sneak in. If only we could use something as a distraction..." He trailed off, looking around for inspiration.

"Where is the elf?" Manuel's voice drifted towards them. "Have they eaten her?"

Leo looked aghast, and Mercury couldn't keep the chuckle from his voice. "Gone buddy. I think she jumped ship hours ago; can't say I blame her. All she agreed to do was get us here."

Manuel emerged from the darkness. "Perhaps. Don't call me buddy. Ever." He focused his attention on the goblins and trolls guarding the cave.

"So what do you think?" Mercury asked the intense vampire.

"I think the human is right. We need a distraction."

Leo picked at some pebbles on the ground. "Sling shot?" He asked looking up.

Manuel gave the prince an inquiring look. "Are you any good?"

Leo picked up a pebble; removed a small sling shot from his pocket and aimed. "You be the judge."

The pebble found its mark with remarkable speed, right dab centre of a goblin's forehead. The goblin sat down hard, causing the other five to look around wildly. Leo grabbed another pebble and sent it on its way.

"Impressive." Manuel said with a rare genuine smile.

"I'll keep running and shooting; you two get in to the cave as soon as you see an opening." He whispered as the goblins began to look for their unseen assailant.

Mercury looked to Manuel; it seemed like a workable plan except for one small detail. "What happens when we're in the cave and they catch up with you?"

"They won't. I'll be too far ahead of them; I'm not all just good looks you know. I'm also very fast." He whispered back as he landed his third shot.

Just as the vampire and werewolf reluctantly agreed to the plan, a ruckus began outside the cave. Manuel blinked rapidly, three fat little green ogrenots ran back and forth in front of the cave, basically doing figure eights around the goblins and trolls, causing a horrendous disturbance in the process.

"Hey Trolly! Change your diaper! Yah!" One of them laughed as it tugged the rag completely off of one of the trolls.

"Yay! Ugly, where're your pantsies!"

They all laughed obnoxiously as the troll quickly glanced around before grabbing his rag and covering himself. Two of the goblins laughed at the bewildered troll who brought his club down hard beside the giggling ogrenot, causing the rest of the goblins to laugh even harder. Goblins loved mocking trolls, so this was seen as immensely entertaining, until the next rag was pulled down of course.

'Yah! Yah! You smell worse than Hazzo's gas!" Came an obnoxious voice, followed by a snorting giggle.

"No!" Shouted another, presumably Hazzo. "It's the gobly goblies!" He laughed as he jumped up, catching a snack necklace in his pudgy green hand and pulling it off the shocked goblin. The ogrenot waved the stinky prize in the air as the goblin pulled out a sword.

"Yah stinky stinky!" He baited, as the pudgy green vermin expertly jumped and evaded the sword strokes, laughing raucously all the while, which only served to completely enrage the short fused goblin.

After that the entire scene descended in to complete chaos, ogrenots running, jumping, kicking , biting and giggling, while the trolls and goblins ran back and forth trying to catch the wily little nuisances. It was really hard to understand exactly what was happening; but it appeared to be exactly the distraction Manuel and the boys needed to get in to the cave. And they took it.

### ~~*~~

Once inside, the dark cave descended downward rather sharply, causing the boys to stumble all the way to the bottom, bits of broken stone and fine gravel poured down with them. The sound of the scrambling alerted a goblin who just happened to be stationed right outside the cave.

"Do you hearrrrrr thaaat?" He hissed. But, fortunately enough, the rest of the goblins were busy chasing after the giggling green ogrenots that appeared to be having a terrible case of gas as they hopped and skipped evading grabbing goblin hands and heavy troll clubs, apparently very pleased with themselves.

"I'll ssseeeee." He hissed again as he entered the cave cautiously, obviously well prepared for the sharp descent.

Hiding behind a tall and wide stalagmite, they waited patiently for the goblin to reach the cavern floor.

The prince silently unsheathed his sword as he waited, almost afraid to breathe at all as the goblin stood less than a foot in front of him.

Just as he was about to strike, Manuel reached out and took the sword out of his hand, hitting the goblin three times on the head instead; goblins have notoriously hard heads. The goblin fell unconscious to the ground with a soft thud. He never even saw it coming.

Delicately the vampire handed the sword back to the puzzled prince, and began rummaging around in the goblins clothing. Mercury bounded over to them.

"What are you looking for?"

"These." Manuel replied as he held up a small bundle of glow sticks. Small and enormously handy, glow sticks were a staple for most miners. Once broken, they emitted a small, warm glow without the risk of fire or smoke, effectively illuminating a space without the hassles of a torch.

"Bind him." He instructed the wolf.

Breaking one of the sticks open, the boys were able to take their first clear look at the cave. It must have been monstrous in size, multicoloured stalactites fanned out from the amazingly high ceiling in a variety of beautiful colors and shapes, while sturdy stalagmites rose up majestically from the floor, looking more like pieces in a giant game of chess. In the soft glow from the stick, the cavern was magically spectacular. Silently the boys took in the natural and awe inspiring beauty of the cave.

Two tunnels led out from the main cavern room, each tunnel started at the very back of the "chess pieces", one leading to the right, and the other left. Manuel handed Mercury and Leo some glow sticks and nodded towards the left tunnel. He took the right.

### ~~*~~

Rapunzel sat motionless alone in the dark, her pale slender arms chained behind her; she had stopped trying to tug free hours ago. The chain had just enough slack not to cause pain, but it was definitely not comfortable. Having grown accustom to the dark she could now make out a bit of her surroundings, but not enough to recognise anything or anyone. Not that anyone had been to check on her. She was completely alone in the dark.

She had no recollection of how she came to be imprisoned, her last memory was of The Mother bursting in to her room, screaming and screaming at her. Their ruse hadn't worked and The Mother knew she had escaped, terrified she had done her best sputtering apologies and promises as The Mother railed and railed against her. Trapped against the wall as the Mother, her face twisted with rage advanced upon her, Rapunzel suddenly felt very afraid. She held up her hands to protect herself but The Mother was chanting strange words in an unfamiliar language and thick spicy smoke rose up all around her threatening her very breath. Just before she was overcome by the enchantment, Rapunzel had brought up a picture in her mind of Manuel as she had last seen him, beautiful and powerful. She pictured his bottomless black eyes gazing down at her from beneath perfectly arched brows, his sculpted face and full beautifully defined lips, framed by soft, luxurious black hair. She held the picture in her head like a shield.

And then she had awakened here, chained to a large stalagmite in the dark. She had called out for help for hours. Finally she had begun singing, more to calm herself than for any other reason and eventually it had worked. Now she silently sat on the cold stone floor, too exhausted to be afraid anymore.

Pebbles and small stones loosened from somewhere in her prison and hit the floor, sounding more like a crash interrupting the thick silence. Instantly she was alert, peering in to the dark yet still unable to make out anything familiar.

"Hello? Is someone there?" She forced the words out, sounding much braver than she actually felt, although not sure as to whether she really wanted a response or not.

Something or someone grunted. The sound came from up high. It was followed by more scuffling sounds, unable to see anything Rapunzel felt her fear returning rapidly.

"Is anyone there? It's impolite not to answer." She called out, hoping she sounded much stronger than she felt.

"Well hell, it's hard to talk when you're squished up like a pancake you know." A female voice called back and a thud was heard as something, or someone rather hit the floor...hard.

There was a snapping sound and suddenly the small cavern room was illuminated by a soft light. Rapunzel's eyes widened as she found herself gazing at a tall thin woman dressed in purple traveling clothes. Her slightly pointed ears, eyebrows and heart shaped face identified her as an elf.

"So you're Rapunzel." The elf muttered as she paced, inspecting Rapunzel closely; something Rapunzel did not appreciate in the least.

"Wow...you have some hair. Let's see what I can do about this." She said as she knelt down and grabbed the chains that bound Rapunzel to the stalagmite.

"Please, who are you?" Rapunzel asked nervously as the purple elf began working on the chain. "I have no family so I am worth nothing as ransom."

Magella laughed out loud. "Worth nothing? Sweetie you could not be more wrong." She stopped and looked up as she realised the blond girl's evident unease. "Oh I'm not kidnapping you. I'm here with Manuel, you know him right? Tall, scary vampire?"

"Manuel is here?" Rapunzel's face light up at the mention of his name as hope suddenly flooded back.

"He should be, if not he will be soon."

"Manuel has come for me?" Rapunzel asked as if she couldn't quite believe she was being rescued.

"As if anything could stop him. Damn. This is the problem with rescue vs. theft. No intel. Now if I had known I would be dealing with chains like this I would have brought some sort of a cutter. Listen, I can't break you out." Magella sat back in frustration.

Rapunzel's beautiful face fell.

"I'm going to find Manuel, and if he isn't here yet I'll get the wolf, he's pretty strong. Maybe he can break it with his big meat paws." She laughed a little as she got up. "Don't worry, you are being rescued, Manuel really is unstoppable."

She stopped and turned back. "He terrifies me." She added with a small shudder.

Placing a newly broken glow stick beside Rapunzel, the elf strode through the only available exit hoping she would find Manuel and quickly.

### ~~*~~

Magella turned the corner carefully on the narrow stone walkway. This walkway appeared to run around the entire circumference of this particular cavern room, disappearing into another tunnel at the far end. Looking down she had to admire the beautiful display of stalagmites below her, and suddenly she was grabbed and thrown up against a wall.

The hands that secured her were incredibly strong and pale. The face that loomed over her was incredibly beautiful, and fierce.

"Manuel." She managed.

He scanned her face briefly before recognising her and dismissing her with a look. His hands relaxed and she shook herself out, gasping.

"I found another entrance. Very large, very wide. It opens up in the water, but it's not very deep." She tried not to babble, still somewhat shaken.

"It's a little tricky to navigate, but it seems much safer to whisk your Rapunzel out through the back rather than engaging the goblins and trolls."

He nodded, seemingly uninterested as he continued up the pathway, a look of concentration on his face. His entire focus was on sensing Rapunzel, he knew she was near, he felt her. It was maddening to be this close and still not know where she was; he had to find her and soon.

Looking down the side of the pathway to the cave floor with her glow stick, Magella could see Mercury and Leo crawling out from a tunnel beneath them, apparently their path had ended. Mercury waved as he saw Magella, she gestured for the boys to climb up and join them. She then realised that she had forgotten to tell the vampire that she had found Rapunzel.

"I found Rapunzel-" She began, that caught Manuel's attention immediately, he caught her arm and brought her closer to him; his intense black eyes mere millimetres from her own.

"Where is she?" He asked quietly.

Realising that stalling was not in her best interest, and she would far rather prefer to give the information than for Manuel to take it; she turned her head quickly to break eye contact. "I'll take you there."

Manuel gave her a little push to get going and quickly gathering herself, she led the way. Leo and Mercury climbed up the rock bed and joined them as they followed the natural pathway upwards. Things were looking up.

### ~~*~~

The glow stick Magella had left with her illuminated the room just enough for Rapunzel to make out her surroundings. Not that there was much to view, but anything seemed better after being trapped in complete darkness. Yet even the small glowing light couldn't erase the empty, lonely feeling that consumed her; even should she be rescued, she had nowhere to go. The Mother was the only family she had, and she had imprisoned her...yet again.

Something, less a sound than a feeling alerted her and she raised her bowed head.

Standing in what served as a doorway in her cavernous prison, was Manuel. The sight of him was so over whelming that the tears that she had been struggling to hold back, slid unbidden down her pale cheeks. He really had come for her.

Instantly he was at her side, stroking her hair and murmuring softly; she clung to him as best she could considering her chains and allowed him to comfort her.

Magella stepped away from the doorway to allow them some privacy, gesturing to the boys to leave them be as well. In that moment, she had witnessed a completely different side of the lethal vampire, one she never could have imagined. She wasn't sure how to process it, but it seemed indecent to intrude, she may be a thief, but she was a decent one. Manuel's reaction to the girl was just so unexpected.

"You came for me." Rapunzel whispered.

"Hell itself couldn't have stopped me."

No more words were needed, in that moment she knew it was true. Taking the chains that bound Rapunzel's wrists in his hands, he carefully broke them in two as if they were nothing more than clay. Gently he unwound them from around her wrists and threw them to the side. She looked up at him with huge eyes, quite willing to let him take the lead. He picked her up in his arms as if she weighed a feather and carried her out in to the hallway.

Mercury and Leo shuffled from foot to foot; neither knew quite what to say at first. Mercury offered a shy smile at Rapunzel who had wrapped her arms around Manuel's neck, her long silvery blonde hair trailed behind her.

Leo made a small bow. "Lady Rapunzel. It is good to see you well."

Unable to speak her eyes filled with tears of gratitude for the small group that had risked their lives to rescue her. All she had left in the world was her small group of friends, and Manuel. She now knew she would always have Manuel.

She shook her head as the words became stuck in her lovely throat. Manuel held her tighter.

"You don't have to say anything." Mercury wasn't good with female tears.

Looking away he noticed her masses of hair trailing behind. He nudged the Prince. "That's going to make our escape tricky if it just hangs like that, Leo?"

Leo and Mercury began gathering her hair into coils before handing it back to Rapunzel, who after receiving the bundles, laid her head on Manuel's shoulder, a welcomed sense of safety and security blanketing her.

"Magella has found an alternate entrance; we shall use it as our escape route." Manuel announced as he turned to look at Magella for directions.

"From what evil are we escaping? What has the Mother Goethal employed?" Rapunzel asked uneasily.

Manuel was silent for a minute. He had no desire to upset her further with tales of the unsavoury characters guarding the mouth of the cave, but he would never lie to her. Not now, not ever.

Everyone waited for the powerful vampire to decide how to proceed. Manuel looked down at Rapunzel, nestled so securely in his arms and wondered where to begin.

"Rapunzel, this Mother Goethal apparently engaged in many undesirable friendships, she has employed a number of such characters to ensure your imprisonment. I have no wish to drag you through such ugliness and violence." He spoke gently.

"Goblins and trolls then, perhaps some ogres or imps even." She interpreted.

The boys exchanged surprised looks with Magella. It seemed strange to hear those words escape from innocent Rapunzel's mouth.

"Correct." Manuel affirmed. "I won't let anything happen to you."

"I know." She replied quietly, and they shared a soft smile.

"Okay then." Magella interrupted, becoming more uncomfortable by the minute surrounded by the obvious intensity of Manuel and Rapunzel's feelings for one another. True love often made her feel sick. "Follow me."

### ~~*~~

With Magella leading the way the small group made their way through the mountain to the back entrance the elf had used earlier. In the warm glow of the sticks, the huge cave appeared more beautiful with each passing moment. Every so often one of the group would stop to examine an especially beautiful formation and speculate as to what it resembled. Rapunzel seemed to enjoy this game immensely, so Manuel grudgingly allowed the distraction. They knew they were approaching the end of the cavern when they began to smell the sea.

As they stopped to examine yet another impressive stalactite design, Magella, bored with the exchange ventured on ahead. Rapunzel likened the stalactite to a royal crown and Leo agreed that she was not far off, offering to show her his coronation crown when they returned to Turin. Manuel smiled fondly at her apparent excitement, his arms full of Rapunzel's abundant hair. Although he enjoyed his beauty's happiness, he couldn't quite shake the growing feeling of unease. A vampire's senses were extremely well developed and the Great Oracle had said that they wouldn't be alone. He wondered what surprises awaited them in the hidden caverns, scanning the room he realised that Magella was missing, an alarm went off in his head.

"Magella." His soft melodic voice carried throughout the cavern. A wild scurrying sound was heard in response.

A pale and shaking Magella appeared in front of them shaking her head. "Back, back. We're going the other way." She whispered her voice wavering as she pulled Mercury and Leo with her.

"I am not going to lead Rapunzel through a battle unnecessarily. I don't have time or patience for elvish head games; this night is finite." Manuel said evenly as he regarded the trembling elf. "Explain yourself."

"Because believe it or not, there are things out there that scare me more than you do." She said

"Like what?" The vampire responded with a lethal look.

"Like that." She replied, pointing back down the cavern.

Everyone slowly turned as an enormous, brilliantly green and gold scaled face with huge iridescent eyes slowly swung out from the shadows, and focused in on them.

They had awoken a dragon.

Chapter 13

The old Gypsy finally sat down behind her receiving table, the relief spread through all of her bones and she sighed aloud. Most knew that Mother Sardinia was extremely old, despite her appearance, but few knew how old the great Gypsy actually was. When the young Gypsy Alessa referred to Mother Sardinia as "Grandmother", she was omitting more than one "Great".

She had just closed her heavily lashed eyes and began her evening meditations, as was her custom, when she felt the oddest sensation come over her...and then she heard a man's voice.

"Look in your ball Luv, and send some rain will you?"

Suddenly her eyes snapped open, and she scanned the room in alarm, only to find herself completely alone. Quickly she set her crystal ball on her table, she closed her eyes in concentration and began waving her hands over the ball.

What she saw in that magic ball made her jaw drop and her heart beat furiously.

She hoped the spell could be evoked in time.

### ~~*~~

Five sets of eyes watched the massive dragon's head as it focused on the group. Brilliant shades of green and gold contrasted with vibrant purples across the exposed portion of the dragon's head and neck. The dragon's teeth were long, and white and as it snorted, a cloud of smoke funneled out of the large nostrils on its smooth and curiously flat snout. Stories have it that dragons breathe fire, but that's somewhat inaccurate. Dragons can spit out a highly corrosive, hot acid, that when mixed with oxygen can and usually does ignite, but this only happens when they feel threatened; somewhat like the spraying of a skunk. This is something no one really wants to see firsthand since most people don't live through it, and those who do, are scarred beyond recognition.

Dragons rarely figure in day to day lives anymore, every so often someone would decide to go on a 'dragon hunt', but most of those adventurers never make it back. Dragons are formidable to say the least.

Although they only saw the head and neck of the dragon, Mercury was pretty sure the rest of the dragon was huge as well, again rumour had it that they could reach one hundred feet from head to tail. How those creatures were able to fly was anyone's guess; but fly they did. There was nothing more magnificent then the shadow cast by a dragon as he or she flew overhead, and nothing more frightening.

"Guess that explains why there are no shadow spiders." Mercury hissed at Leo, who nodded slowly in agreement.

Shadow spiders grew to enormous sizes, and were known to trap anything that moved in their sticky webs, they suspended their victims well above ground, and slowly drained them at their leisure. It was a horrifying way to die. These loathsome creatures frequently made their nests in caves; they were terrified by only one creature...dragons.

Everyone was terrified by dragons, and why wouldn't they be.

Rapunzel shrunk closer to Manuel; he held one hand up towards the dragon, for once, not appearing quite so in control.

"You go on, I can deal with this." The prince whispered breathlessly to the silent vampire. "If I can climb up to that outcropping over there, I can trap it between those rocks and cut off its head. I'll catch up with you later."

"Normally I would agree. But you cannot kill this dragon." Manuel hissed back, never once removing his own sharp eyes from the Dragon's large beautiful eye.

"Of course I can, my sword is of the finest quality." The prince whispered reassuringly. "Get the girls to safety."

A low, menacing growl grew in the beautiful dragon's gigantic chest that echoed ominously throughout the cavern. Mercury and Magella skittered back a step, tripping over each other in the process. Even Manuel looked afraid as he held Rapunzel's hand out to Mercury, who clasped it gently in his own and led safely her away from the dragon.

"Perhaps I worded that incorrectly. You _can_ kill this dragon with your sword, but you _may_ not." Manuel explained apprehensively in hushed tones. "Dragons are neither good nor evil; they are neutral for the most part. Of course there are rare, rare exceptions, but those particular dragons are mentally ill, or under the control of a very powerful, magical being. Killing a dragon, such a magnificent beast, is such a terrible, terrible disregard of life." Still speaking in his quietly, beautiful voice, Manuel continued to hold one hand up, as if trying to calm the huge dragon, never, never losing that eye contact.

"I don't know Manuel; he looks pretty evil to me." Magella sucked her breath slowly in as she looked carefully around for a quick escape.

"It is a female dragon, and from where she is standing, it is us who look evil."

"I come from a very long line of Dragon Slayers, Manuel; I can tell you that you are wrong. Dragons are, and always have been evil." Leo said with a resolute shake of his head.

Manuel spared the prince one weary, exasperated look. "I have been alive...I have been alive longer than _any_ of you, and I can tell _you_ that in all of my years, I have met very few truly evil creatures. I have found that humans are so quick to label something 'evil' when its customs are different than their own, or when it stands between them and something that they covet. Tell me, when your ancestors killed these dragons, they were after the dragon's treasure where they not? Therefore since the dragon was defending its own, they labelled the dragon 'evil'. Killing is always so much easier when what you kill is 'evil'."

Leo thought for a minute in silence. Much of what Manuel had just said rang true for the prince; he lowered his sword in confusion mixed with a little shame. Dragon hunts did usually end with the ruthless plunder of the secret treasure; was that how they started? When put that way, it sounded...unethical; suddenly it was hard to believe that his own people partook in such a practise.

"Well, we're not taking any treasure right now, so why is it growling at us?" Mercury whispered, bringing the prince back to the very dangerous, 'here and now'.

"Oh aren't we?" Manuel hissed again.

The wolf and the prince exchanged a blank look.

"Damn." The purple thief whispered, and reluctantly pulled several exquisite rings out of her pockets, followed by a string of perfect pearls, and carefully lowered them all to the ground. "How did you know? How did _she_ know?"

"I didn't." Manuel's voice held just the barest hint of amusement. "That was not the treasure to which I was referring."

Mercury and Leo looked around questioningly.

"Treasure is not always measured in shiny baubles." The vampire explained, as his gaze flickered over Rapunzel.

"So what you're saying is that the dragon is going to eat us? All of us? The dragon is going to eat us because it thinks we _took_ something from it and there's nothing we can do about it because you won't let us kill it?" Mercury grimaced at the thought. "I don't know about the rest of you, but I don't think I'm down with this plan."

"Not necessarily. Dragons have been known to accept a trade." Manuel responded thoughtfully.

"A trade? What do you mean by "trade"?" Magella asked suspiciously, suddenly remembering why she typically avoided the vampire.

"To make an exchange of one thing for another; trade. Shall I use it in a sentence again?"

"I know what 'trade' means, thank you very much. I don't know what _you_ mean!"

"I mean to offer something in exchange for Rapunzel. Something the dragon will treasure, for something I treasure."

So simple. And yet, so powerful. Rapunzel's large, dark eyes met and held Manuel's equally dark eyes. No one, not a single soul, not even the awe inspiring dragon said a word for a full minute.

Rapunzel finally broke the spell.

"So what you are saying Manuel, is that I am the treasure that the dragon is reluctant to part with?" Rapunzel asked sweetly, a frown of confusion marring her brow.

"Of course, the dragon has grown fond of your voice, and your scent since your imprisonment here. She counts you as one of her own; occasionally, they do form attachments to humans or other such beings, although it is very rare. It is doubtful that she would hurt you. I make no such promises for the rest of us."

"Perhaps something of mine in exchange?"

They all turned to look at the beautiful teen in confusion. What could she possibly mean, she had no possessions with her and she wore no jewellery besides the red sun elixir, carefully hidden in her bodice.

Standing in the half light, looking more like a fragile, ethereal princess than a frightened teen, Rapunzel slowly fingered her magnificent hair silvery gold hair. It poured down over her shoulders and trailed several feet behind her; it was majestically beautiful. It could very well be mistaken for treasure, again she met Manuel's eyes, this time with a question.

"No." Manuel said with a shake of his elegant head. "Not your hair."

"It is something of me, and it is mine to give." Rapunzel spoke with determination.

"Rapunzel, it is more than any of us has the right to ask of you. We will find another way."

"I have been imprisoned my whole life. I have never been free." She held up a chunk of her satiny, silver blonde tresses. "This isn't hair; each strand is another chain to bind me. I can barely move, I could never run. I would be glad to be rid of it and all that it represents; the dragon would be glad to receive it...hopefully. Do it."

Manuel stared at her in silence before shaking his head again. "I can't." He said simply. "I will find another way."

Rapunzel shook her head and laid a soft hand on the vampire's shoulder. "Do it. I want you to do it, I need you to do it. Release me." She sounded desperate, as she whispered her plea to the conflicted vampire. "Please."

Leo looked at Manuel and silently handed him his jewel encrusted royal knife. They all had been touched by the desperation in Rapunzel's tormented voice, yet none of them envied Manuel for the task he now had to carry out. No one dared to breathe, as Manuel bent down and reached for the satin sheaths that flowed down her shoulders and across the floor. He took a deep breath, and with a heavy heart he reluctantly began to cut through the first handful of her silken tresses.

Everyone, including the dragon looked on solemnly. It was unimaginable that Rapunzel would lose her extravagantly long and lovely hair. Forever passed before the silent and subdued vampire finished carefully cutting through Rapunzel's magnificent hair. Gathering the hair together in his hands, Manuel stepped back to observe his handiwork.

Not a dry eye was to be seen, except, of course for Rapunzel; she lifted her head high and a smile of surprised joy spread across her face. She shook her head back and forth, and her eyes widened as she revelled in the easy movement. She reached out and touched the freshly cut ends that curled surprisingly upwards; holding them up for a closer inspection, she laughed as she let them fall back down in rippling waves that danced like sunbeams around her.

"It's so light!" She exclaimed as she twirled around again, her eyes glowing. "I feel like a feather." She twirled again and again.

Her hair, once a long heavy train behind her, now fell to her knees in graceful waves. Like waves of silk it fanned out around her, swirling and twirling as she moved. The obvious joy in Rapunzel's movements forced a small smile from the uneasy vampire.

Mercury reached down to take the hair from Manuel, but the vampire only glowered back at him in response, clutching the hair closer to his body protectively.

"I just want to fasten it together with the pearls. That's all. " The wolf explained as he backed away from the instantly menacing Vampire.

"And braid it, it will hold together better if we braid it." Magella added.

Manuel looked on sceptically, still reluctant to part with a single strand of his beloved Rapunzel's hair.

"I am somewhat of an expert on the braiding of hair." Leo, the ever gallant prince, offered up trying to be helpful as well.

"How on earth would you acquire such a skill? And perhaps more importantly; why?" Manuel asked, one eyebrow raised as he scrutinized the prince.

"My War Horse of course, how did you expect I would practise?" Leo responded sounding understandably insulted.

The dragon began to growl again, snapping everyone back to attention, and reminding them of why they were offering the hair in the first place. Manuel held the hair out to Mercury, placed the knife carefully down in front of himself, and turned his attention back to the huge dragon's head.

As Mercury, Leo and the girls carefully wound the necklace through the end and braided the length; Manuel eased forward and began to croon softly to the impatient dragon in a gentle velvety voice, and in a language none of them had ever heard. An old, ancient, nearly forgotten language, that sounded as powerful as it did beautiful. Although still on guard, the dragon did appear to relax somewhat.

Mercury looked up with soft, wistful smile on his ruggedly handsome face. "Nyorossa. I hadn't known anyone was fluent in that any longer."

"I'm not, I only know a few lullabies, and the rudimentary basics." Manuel hissed. The dragon rumbled deep in her chest.

"Well, by all means continue!" Magella snapped.

At last the hair had been braided together, and the finished product was easily seven feet of shining, silvery blonde braid. Rapunzel gathered the braid up in her arms, since it was hers and hers alone to give, and slowly advanced towards the dragon. Manuel, one hand on the small of her back stepped with her; he was not going to let her face this danger alone. They stopped just in front of the curious dragon.

The beautiful dragon slowly blinked both of her luminescent eyes.

"Now gently place the braid in front of you, and step back carefully with your arms open wide, so she can see we have nothing to hide." Manuel whispered his instructions in to the wide eyed Rapunzel's ear. "We must show her that we mean no trickery. Dragons have grown wary of Humans." They both did as he suggested.

The dragon lowered her huge purple, gold and green head to examine the offering, her eyes flickering with interest. With one long fingered and heavily clawed hand, she picked the braid up and brought it closer to her face. Turning her eyes over to the vampire and the beauty again, she began to stroke the braid against her softly, scaled cheek. In the flickering half light of the cave, the braid looked every bit the treasure it was supposed to be, and the dragon seemed pleased.

She stopped stroking the braid and lowered her huge face until it was directly in front of Rapunzel's. The dragon's eye nearly the size of her head; Rapunzel went stiff with fear. Manuel reached out for her hand, and stared intently at the dragon as he began making gentle soothing noises, a Nyorossian lullaby.

Rapunzel began to visibly tremble as the dragon held her face approximately a foot in front of the terrified girl and blinked her long lidded, luminous eyes.

"I believe she is thanking you." Manuel whispered in astonishment. "We just might survive this yet."

Hearing that, Rapunzel smiled; tentatively she reached out her hand until she was able to lay it on the dragon's soft, cool nose. Running her hand across the wide expanse, she marvelled at how soft and silky it felt, despite the appearance of scales. It was like stroking the softest, most beautiful silk, in the most beautiful of patterns. She looked up at Manuel, who appeared just as surprised as she, at how the dragon seemed to be allowing the physical contact. Never in his long life had he ever seen someone 'pet' a dragon. She continued to stroke the dragon's nose.

"You really are quite beautiful. I will never forget you, and as long as you have my hair; you will never forget me, I think." She murmured to the tremendous dragon. "We are friends now."

Leo, Mercury and Magella stood behind, looking on at the scene before them with disbelieving eyes. It was completely unheard of for a human to pet a dragon. Yet here was Rapunzel...stroking a massive dragon's nose, with the dragon gently submitting to the contact.

Eventually, Rapunzel withdrew her hand and the dragon slowly raised her head and backed away, taking the long silky braid with her. Rapunzel sighed as she watched the her dragon retreat; this had been a magical moment, she knew she would see her dragon again. Slowly Manuel led her back to the others.

"I never would have believed it if I hadn't seen it. Perhaps you were right Manuel. Perhaps you were right." Leo commented softly, shaking his light brown waves as he gazed at the spot the dragon had so recently occupied.

"The dragon may have accepted our gift, but she will not allow the rest of us back through her nest. We will have to leave the cave the same way we entered." Manuel did not sound pleased at the idea, in fact none of them were. The way they entered, meant dealing with goblins and trolls. The way they entered, meant a ferocious battle.

Exchanging grim looks, they turned and began heading back the way they came.

### ~~*~~

Making their way through the beautiful "chess game" of majestic stalagmites, they eventually came to the entrance of the cave. The goblin they had knocked unconscious lay asleep, still bound at the hands and feet thankfully.

Manuel and Mercury peered out from around a particularly wide stalagmite. The goblins and trolls sentry at the mouth of the cave exactly as they had earlier, if any of them were curious as to their missing comrade's whereabouts they gave no indication. But that wasn't uncommon among goblins; they most likely assumed he defected, goblins were notoriously self-serving. Fighting to escape appeared inevitable.

Unfortunately.

Only Manuel and Mercury could truly understand the opposition they were up against, and the odds that continued to stack against them.

"This is a fight we cannot win by engaging in one on one combat. We use trickery, guile and speed. Trolls are very strong, very aggressive, but not quick." Manuel tapped his forehead. "They can be confused, and they have no tracking abilities."

"Goblins aren't exceptional swordfighters, but they fight dirty. Think hair pulling and groin shots." Mercury added. "So be prepared. Oh, and they do have tracking abilities, so we need to beat them well. They need to be afraid to come after us."

Leo nodded with a grimace; he'd heard as much before from the great tales of battle his Grandfather used to tell on occasion. He had savoured and revered those tales since childhood, he had never expected to be living one out. He had never expected to fight alongside a werewolf or a vampire either, he idly wondered if any Royal ever had. If only his courageous Grandfather were here now...

"When you see an opening, lead Rapunzel through and take shelter in the depths of the forest." Manuel directed Magella, a severe look across his face. "Do not take any unnecessary chances."

"Are you saying I don't have as many trickery, guile or speed skills as you boys? So I get stuck with babysitting, while you clear the way for the 'womenfolk'?" Magella snapped. Although she wasn't exactly itching to fight, she fiercely resented any special treatment based on her sex. She knew she could, and had in fact, taken down many foes twice her size.

Manuel looked up surprised. "You possess more than sufficient skills, which is why I am leaving it to _you_ to lead Rapunzel safely out of the cave and through the fighting. Were you any less skilled I would delegate another to protect her."

"So, six goblins and four trolls, that's two goblins and one and one third of a troll for each of us...that's some odds." Leo apprehensively commented, sucking in his breath, his hand unconsciously slid to his sword.

"Piece of cake." Mercury laughed with a shake of his thick brown hair. "Aw come on we'll be fine, Manuel is always complaining about how hungry he is; this is his big chance." Mercury teased as he nodded towards the vampire.

Manuel threw him a completely horrified look...goblins and trolls were extremely unappetizing to the discriminating vampire.

"Of course you don't have to eat them. We would never have meant...no one thinks..." Leo assured him, trying to smooth over anything that might have been taken as racially biased.

"I do prefer not to kill what I don't plan on eating...mostly." The vampire agreed with a wide smile, before turning back to assess the enemy.

"That still leaves a lengthy list of things Manuel is quite comfortable with, trust me." Magella cringed slightly.

Manuel took both of Rapunzel's hands in his own before placing the softest of kisses on her forehead. "Stay close to the Elf; she has uncanny self protection skills. She will lead you to safety. We will create a safe passage way, and you will be free. This I promise."

He turned to his companions with one last request.

"Only kill if necessary; we fight for escape tonight, not glory." Manuel dashed out of the cave and began engaging three of the closest goblins in a very physical fight, evading their swords admirably; he was very, very fast. The nearest trolls lumbered over attempting to smash him with their clubs as he expertly weaved in and out looking for an opening.

"Isn't that going to make this a little harder?" Mercury as he began to comprehend what Manuel had actually instructed that they do. He wasn't a killer at heart, but the idea of simply incapacitating an enemy seemed so much harder, especially when faced with these odds.

"Much." Leo agreed as he unsheathed his gleaming royal sword. "What a story this will make." He decided with a dashing grin, jumping in to the battle, his blue eyes shining.

Mercury laughed out loud before unsheathing his own sword, and jumping in as well. "They're going to get themselves killed."

Although nowhere near as fast as Manuel or Mercury, Leo seemed to hold his own quite admirably, dodging stone clubs and returning sword blows with a strength and determination that would have made his Grandfather proud.

One goblin lay on the ground, knocked unconscious by a gleeful Manuel who had managed to connect the boulder in his arms with the goblin's head...hard.

It was then that Leo realised, Manuel didn't own a sword.

Mercury caught the scent of blood, and he fought the against the bloodlust that rose in his head. It tickled at his brain and combined with the high emotion of combat, threatened to unleash the beast. Spinning around, he caught Manuel's dark eye. The vampire spared him a dark, penetrating look before slamming his fist up in to the rounded stomach of a drooling goblin. Biting his lip, Mercury decided to breathe through his mouth, losing control now, after all his people had done to shed the age old image of werewolves would be disastrous. But surly destroying a few undesirable trolls and equally disgusting goblins couldn't, wouldn't be counted as evil. Would it? Everyone hated trolls and goblins, didn't they? Damn Manuel.

He turned his mind back to the deep breathing technique his mother had taught him. It was essential that all werewolves learn the basic breathing techniques used to calm the bloodlust; an untrained wolf was a menace to the entire Kingdom. An out of control werewolf was the stuff of fables, the truth behind the rumours, the reason his people were viewed with suspicion. An out of control werewolf could never be with Red.

He would keep control of himself; he had to.

### ~~*~~

Darting in and out from a nearby rock, Leo was intent on driving two of the towering trolls mad. And he was succeeding. Every time they brought their clubs down, certain they had him smashed beneath the weight of those huge stone clubs they wielded, he somehow managed to skedaddle just out of reach. They were furious. Laughing and pointing, he teased and taunted them in a very un-prince like way. Anger made them even clumsier and the trolls struck out at the wily Prince, catching each other neatly on the temple. With a crash, their eyes rolled upward and they fell to the ground; Leo beamed with pride. Taunting two trolls, each equipped with huge, stone clubs capable of mashing a man like a potato, was not something that had ever been touched on, much less advocated in any of Prince Leonardo's combat training. The tactics he had employed that night, were definitely not taught at the Royal Academy back in Crystallise. He owed his inspiration to the ogrenots, although nowhere near as irritating as they had been, he had copied their act quite well.

The rotting scent in the air intensified, and Leo's stomach lurched, a chill running down his spine.

Leo looked up with dread as a dozen new, well rested and anxious goblins joined the fight. Suddenly, the joy he had felt at eliminating two giant trolls dissipated as he realised that they now faced fourteen goblins and two trolls. He wiped blood and sweat off his brow, and turned to share a look with Mercury. They were exhausted and outnumbered; they were never getting out of this alive. The situation that had seemed insurmountable, now seemed impossible; they hadn't even gotten Rapunzel out of the cave yet.

A scent and a sound.

Leo's head shot up and the goblins must have sensed something as well as they all turned their greasy, greyish heads, as seven gypsy riders came to a stop before them. With a loud and exuberant battle cry, the brave gypsies jumped off their horses and joined the fight, swords swinging with might.

Leo felt the smile spreading across his face, as his heart leapt with joy, and he turned to see the exact smile painted across the wolf's handsome face. They were back in the game!

Manuel nodded at the both of them sharply before turning his attention back to the trolls, each of whom seemed intent on squashing him with their clubs, and the goblin that desired his head.

With the gypsies ferociously fighting alongside the boys, it appeared that the tide in the battle had finally turned. Gypsies had always been great, very brave fighters, according to everything Leo had ever heard. This was the first time he had ever seen them fight himself. They were even braver than his instructors had implied. He was happily impressed, and he fought with a new vigor.

Magella studied the action from her carefully concealed lookout within the cave, Rapunzel watched silently from over her shoulder. Finally, after three more goblins dropped, she considered the scene to be as chaotic as it ever would become, if ever they could leave the cave without attracting any attention, it was now. She grabbed Rapunzel's hand and began to speak rapidly.

"Move when I move, stop when I stop and don't make a sound."

Rapunzel nodded her eyes wide and alert, her heart pounding, for some reason Magella unnerved the teen. The the elf grabbed Rapunzel's soft hand, and pulled her out of the cave in a mad dash.

### ~~*~~

Completely engrossed in the battle, Manuel was startled to feel someone clamp a strong hand on his shoulder in an attempt to direct his attention away.

Whirling around he faced the one being just crazy enough to interrupt a fighting vampire, Mercury. The handsome wolf, slightly out of breath, held fast to Manuel's shoulder, a very serious look on his ruggedly handsome face. They both dodged in unison as a boulder flew past their heads and crashed against the cave wall.

"Take Rapunzel home." Mercury pointed to the sky, which didn't seem quite as dark as it had before the fight started. "If you leave now, you just might make it. We can take it from here." He pointed at the prince and the gypsies who were exuberantly exchanging blows with the goblins and avoiding those dealt by the trolls.

"The Crone. She is near." Black eyes bore in to green and gold flecked ones.

"I caught her scent too. I will personally hunt the Crone down. I _will_ see this done for you. I swear." Mercury said solemnly.

"This is not your fight. You have no obligation. You have already fulfilled your oath to me."

"This has nothing to do with any oath. Now go, morning comes quickly." The wolf reminded grimly, nodding again at the ever lightning sky. "Get the girl home safely."

Manuel regarded him silently for a minute before nodding, they clasped forearms, a gesture of deep respect, and Manuel turned to the trees to retrieve Rapunzel.

"Manuel!" Mercury called out as he kicked a goblin in the knee.

Manuel turned back and raised one perfect eyebrow.

"Be fast. Get yourself home safely too."

The smallest of smiles touched the corners of Manuel's mouth before he sprinted away.

### ~~*~~

"I see you have something of mine Elf. Return her to me and I will let you live." The Mother Goethal growled at Magella.

Reacting purely on instinct, Magella pulled Rapunzel in front of her, the prince's jewel encrusted knife held tight to the young girl's throat. Warily she eyed the ugly old crone. Dressed in tattered and dusty travelling clothes, her wiry, grey hair a snarl about her disagreeably wrinkled face, the old crone was even uglier then she had appeared earlier and an aura of nasty, menace exuded from her watery eyes that glowered at the purple elf.

"Of course...for a price. I didn't go to all of this trouble for nothing you understand." Magella laughed arrogantly. Rapunzel gasped, but was unable to move with the knife so close to her throat.

"You are dealing with powers far beyond anything a sticky fingered elf can handle. Now hand over the girl." The old crone's voice emerged in a growl, and she spat on the ground.

Magella laughed outright. "You have no idea who _I_ deal with old woman. Now pay up, or get out of my way. You are wasting my time."

"For your impudence alone I should send you to my Master, she would make a coat out of you." The Crone sneered, making a hideous reference to an ancient witch, who swore that elves skin made the softest of leathers, she clothed herself exclusively in elf for the entirety of her reign. "If you were lucky." She added with a chuckle.

Magella refused to be intimidated. "Yes, I think I would like to meet your Master, I'm sure _she_ would be willing to pay for the return of what her servant so carelessly lost. Lead on." She nodded to the crone imperiously.

The crone regarded the elf with complete hostility, the last thing she wanted was for her dreaded new Master to realise how close she had come to losing her charge.

"Name your price Elf." the Goethal stated gruffly.

Magella smiled a wide wicked smile. "What do you have?...She's worth much."

"And exactly what do you know of her worth?" The crone asked craftily.

"Come now, we don't have all night. The vampire will check on her soon, I'm sure he would _love_ to chat with you. He's such a people person." Magella reminded.

"I have very little in the way of currency; I have two enchantments and a minor curse." The crone allowed removing the vials and parchment from her ragged satchel.

"Done." Magella extended her hand to receive the enchantments and curse, quickly pocketing the profit. "I also require information."

"Careful Elf, you are treading very dangerous waters." The crone was becoming more irritated by the second.

"I still have the girl in my possession." Magella reminded nodding to the knife still held close to the silently weeping Rapunzel's throat. "That places me firmly in the bargaining chair."

"You wouldn't harm her and lose on the deal." The crone scoffed.

"Who's losing? I already have two enchantments a curse and a jewelled knife, as well as the girl. I've already made out very well in this "deal". The information is just icing." Magella shrugged.

"Very well. What is it you need to know?" The crone spit out furiously.

"Who is your Master? I am seeking employment. And why are you hiding the girl, who is she? I think I could be of use in this matter. Stealth, after all _is_ my occupation." Magella smiled as she awaited her answers.

"I work for a great and terrifying Queen now." She stopped mid sentence as she scanned the fight, her extra senses alerting her. "The vampire is missing! You are trying to trick me!" She howled in rage one gnarled finger pointing at the amused purple elf, before disappearing altogether just as Manuel emerged from the trees.

"Had I not seen through your apparent betrayal, to your clever manipulation of the crone, I would remove your head from your neck." Manuel snarled as he took in the scene. "Bite by bite."

Magella instantly dropped the hand that held the knife, releasing Rapunzel in to Manuel's arms. The terrified girl fell in to his warm embrace, still trembling from what had almost transpired. Manuel stroked her hair reassuringly.

"I was just trying to..." The elf trailed off, frightened silent by the dark and dangerous look on Manuel's perfectly sculpted face.

"I know what you were trying to do. But if you ever use Rapunzel in this manner again I will make you wish I had eaten you years ago. I do not know how to spell mercy. Do you understand me?"

Magella gulped before nodding.

### ~~*~~

Returning to the fight, Mercury caught the prince's eye, Leo made his way over to the Wolf.

"Gypsies...good fighters." Leo stated with appreciation as he ran a hand through his wild locks. "This is White's doing I think." Somehow, he instinctively knew whom to thank for the battle changing backup. He couldn't wait to thank her in person.

Mercury smiled, they _were_ good fighters, and without their help in this fight, Mercury was pretty sure that the outcome would not have been pretty. Even with both Manuel and himself fighting at full strength and using killing blows, fourteen goblins were more than they could have taken on and assured a victory. Not to mention the two remaining trolls; he too, was pretty sure he knew who he had to thank for alerting the gypsies...and the ogrenots. No one else knew about that little incident.

'White' Leo called her, he wondered how she would feel about that nickname. All that was needed now was for the goblins to accept their inevitable defeat and allow the gypsies to retreat. Judging from the looks of the battle, that moment was arriving sooner rather than later.

The goblins appeared to be on the defensive now, several lay on the ground, and the gypsies, as energetic and exuberant as the moment they arrived, pressed their advantage, emitting loud battle cries every few minutes, their swords swinging with gleeful strength.

"Manuel has just left with Rapunzel." Mercury informed him, a look of apprehension on his face. Leo jumped up and slammed a goblin hard on the head with the butt of his sword causing it to spin neatly in to a gypsy fighter, who in turn, deftly knocked him unconscious with an ear splitting grin.

"Does he have enough time before sunrise?" Leo asked anxiously glancing up at the sky.

Mercury was silent for a brief moment, as he too studied the sky. "I think so. As long as he didn't sustain too much damage in the fight, he should arrive at the cottage just in time. We have to trust his judgement." But he sounded worried just the same. "The crone, I am going to track her now."

"And I'm going with you." Leo stated with a quick nod.

Mercury shook his brown tangles. "The gypsies need you. They look to us for leadership in this battle. They need to know when to withdraw; and you are their prince. They're going to sing songs about this night for years, you know."

This was true, these gypsy boys would return home from the fight and create songs about how they rescued a damsel and fought bravely alongside a prince; this meant much to them. Leo nodded in reluctant understanding, now that the thrill of adventure was alive in his veins, he was eager to experience more. But duty was duty, he knew he had to stay and finish up. "Be careful, be in control."

"I'm working at it, always working on it. See you at back at the cottage; I've got a Crone to catch." Mercury flashed a smile and leapt out of sight. Literally.

### ~~*~~

Allowing his preternatural abilities to take the foreground, Mercury finally opened himself to the beast within and hunted for the crone.

Catching her scent was easier than he had anticipated. And far more fun than he had imagined, it was rare that he, or most werewolves for that matter, had the opportunity to open themselves so completely to track something or someone in such a single minded manner. He loved the power coursing through him. He loved the freedom.

Effortlessly he kept up with her wagon, his eyes blazing with intensity, his movements fluidic yet precise, and preternaturally fast as he sped through the bushes alongside the road. The local inhabitants of the forest made way for Mercury as he hunted; none of the creatures of this or any other forest would dare stand in the way of an unpredictable young wolf so close to a full moon, he could change at a moment's notice. And no one would be safe.

The crone must have sensed the predator trailing her as well, and she urged her horse faster and faster along the dusty road following the coastline out of Lonstas. The horse ran as if the devil himself were on his heels; and in that he wasn't far wrong in that.

Suddenly Mercury jumped out on to the path just in front her wagon, startling the lone horse who came to a wild and rearing stop. The old horse's eyes were wild with fear as he beat the air between him and the Wolf. The dust rose up around the wagon, and the horse screamed his terror.

Mercury's eyes, had always been unusually beautiful with the beast peeking out from time to time, but they were now completely inhuman. The crone, despite her old and decrepit appearance, leapt from the wagon and disappeared in to the trees, with Mercury fast on her heels. The trees grew tall, lush and green in the forest; the sound of the waves lapping at the nearby cliff seemed strangely hypnotic, the still air warm and humid.

Running at top speed through the trees, she glanced back and was horrified to catch Mercury lazily jogging after her, a grin pasted on his handsome face. His long legs easily covered the distance between them in seconds.

He reached out with one heavily muscled arm and grabbed her, bringing her close to him as she danced neared the edge of the cliff. She kicked and snarled ineffectually at the hulking wolf, her short thick legs beating the air.

"I think you report to Rosalyn of Rylak." Mercury towered over the bent and snarling crone. "I'm right, aren't I? Where is she? I have some questions for her."

"Let go of me while you still can, Wolf." She snarled up at him. "My new Master will slowly roast your bones for threatening me and meddling in her plans."

"Only if there is anything _left_ of you for her to find." He leaned in closer. "Where is she now, your Queenly protector now?" He looked around in mock fear.

"Laugh now Wolf. Your time is coming. She is not known for her mercy." The crone looked around somewhat apprehensively; no one liked being interrogated by a young, highly motivated wolf with no witnesses...

Bringing the ugly crone closer to his face he whispered. "Who is the child Rapunzel, and what does Rosalyn of Rylak want with her?" Menace oozing from him, the crone dangling as he held her up to his eye level. She gazed in to his eyes and saw the beast staring back at her from behind them. His stomach rumbled from his hunger, she lost all colour.

"I do not know who the child is. My Master inherited us from _her_ former Master; she has never seen the child." Clearly realising now how close Mercury was to the change, she stopped resisting. Perhaps the first wise decision the nasty crone had made in a very long time.

"Whom do you speak of?"

"He who rules the midnight sky!" She trembled herself as she spoke the words. "He who needs no name save one...The Trickster." Terrified she looked around again as she whispered the words.

"Where is Rosalyn?" He asked, his eyes boring a hole in to hers. "I know nothing of this 'Trickster'. What does he want with Rapunzel?" He shook her slightly.

"She is the key." The crone answered simply, wrinkled eyes widening like a child.

"The key to what?"

"Control. That is all I know. I was made to hide the key." She whispered desperately. "I was never told why, and I do not dare ask of whom or what."

"You were to hide her forever?" He questioned in disbelief.

"Until the signal was given." The old crone shook her head.

"To kill her?" Mercury asked in disgust.

"To unleash her." The old woman replied, her eyes wide with fright.

A loud snap; rabbits scattered.

The crone went rigid with fear, and when Mercury turned his head toward the sound she kicked hard at his groin with all she had. Caught off guard, he dropped her to the ground. Scrambling up with laborious breath, she backed away from the wolf scanning the forest in terror.

"I did not betray you! I did not!" She croaked as she back stepped rapidly. "I am a loyal servant! I am a loyal servant to-" And her sentence was cut off as she back stepped over the cliff.

Shocked, Mercury immediately reached out to save her, but she batted his hand away leaving him only with the torn cuff from her dress, a cruel smile on her lips. In horror he watched as she dropped down the cliff, and disappeared in to the deep water below.

Launching himself off the cliff he followed her in to the sea.

### ~~*~~

Traveling in Manuel's arms was an experience that Rapunzel would never, ever forget. How fast he was! The scenery flew past in a swirl of colours, she was about to ask Manuel to slow down so she could enjoy it, when she remembered that the approaching morning was the reason for such haste. And she knew something was very wrong when he did in fact slow down, glancing up she saw that the sky was just beginning to lighten, and the sun was near to beginning her triumphant return. She felt a spasm rock through him.

Manuel slowed and then stopped, setting Rapunzel down gently on her feet before wincing in pain, as the first ray of the sun assaulted his face. Looking at his carefully blank face, Rapunzel felt fear. They were in an open field, apparently on the other side of the Lonesome Forest, so close, yet so far...they might have well have been a hundred miles from safety, the sun was rising and there was nothing either of them could do about it. He would never make it.

He glanced up at the sky and a look of calm resignation came over him. Rapunzel began shaking her head.

"No. No." She hated the look in his eye...almost as much as she hated the sun itself at that moment.

"Wait at the entrance of the forest until the sun illuminates the path; follow that path through the forest, do not stop for anything. And take this." He removed a beautiful black pendant from around his neck that had been hidden beneath his white dress shirt; carefully he slipped it over Rapunzel's head. The jewel bore a strange inscription written in ancient symbols.

"This bares the symbol for my name, and my nest, no one will bother you when they see just what protects you. It identifies you as mine."

"But Manuel..." Clutching the pendant tightly in her hand she tried to make him stand up. The finality of his tone terrified her; she would never leave him to the mercy of the sun. Never. In near hysteria she pulled at him again.

"Get up! We can run and take shelter in the forest, we can dig a hole! Please! I won't leave you! Don't do this!" She sobbed as she tugged again at his arm with all of her strength. "Come on!"

"We are out of time my love." He reached up and drew her tear streaked face closer to his, brushing his lips across her cheek. "When you reach the town of Turin on the other side, ask the first person whom you see for directions to Dr. Rutherford's cottage. There you will be safe." He winced as another stream of sunlight burned a path down his face and he released her.

"Go. Don't look back. Go now." He gasped.

"No Manuel, no!" She sobbed, her heart breaking. "Don't leave me, come with me, please! Try." To lose Manuel was more than she could bear; their story had only just begun. He fought for her, she would fight for him, she only wished her enemy was something she _could_ fight. She grabbed his hand and began tugging again. "Please, you have to try."

"Dear, sweetest love, there is coming a sight so horrible, I would not have you witness it." He whispered, wincing again as he fought the urge to curl in to a ball. "Allow me some dignity." He stroked her tear streaked cheek, softly tracing the line of her cheekbone. On shaky legs he stood up and took her gently by the shoulders.

She shook her head as she sobbed, unable to accept what Manuel was telling her. The sun spread her wings and kissed the field with her magnificent glory. Manuel's eyes went huge with silent pain as his blood began to boil.

"Let my last sight be of you, escaping and safe. Go now." He gasped as he pointed with one shaking finger towards the forest in the distance. "Let me die knowing I saved you. Give me that much."

Rapunzel watched in horror as Manuel fell to the ground, wrapping his arms around his stomach as he writhed about in the morning sun. She felt something jabbing insistently at her chest, reaching in to the bodice of her dress, she pulled out the red sun jewel that Snow had given her just days before. Days that felt like a lifetime. She had no idea if it would work or if it was simply a tourist token, but with nothing left to lose, and Manuel dying before her eyes, she took the chance.

"Let me save _you_. Please, please let me save him." She spoke softly yet fervently under her breath, begging whatever powers that be to ensure this elixir passed its first live test. Snapping the small lid off of the sun jewel with shaking hands, she began to pour its contents in to Manuel's mouth. The tears that fell from her cheeks landed on Manuel's perfect, porcelain face and began to sizzle; she was horrified. His beautiful eyes were rendered sightless in their pain.

The clouds began to gather over top of them, changing from a pale white to a dark and ominous grey, and began blocking much of the ever rising sun.

A great storm was gathering. The vampire stopped writhing about and fell curiously still, Rapunzel felt Manuel's skin, and although not bursting in to flame quite yet, it was still amazingly hot to the touch. Too hot. Shrugging off her cloak, she spread it over his motionless body to shield him from whatever rays from the sun that managed to make it through the clouds; the first rain drops began to fall, sizzling like bacon wherever they touched the unconscious vampire.

Faster and harder the cold raindrops came and still the vampire had not burst in to flame. Looking up she realised that the raincloud covered only the field they were laying in, the sun shone brightly all elsewhere. Rapunzel, feeling the need to laugh and cry all at once, raised her head in the rain and sent a silent thanks to whatever or whomever had seen their need and sent that rain.

Rapunzel sat there in the rain all day. Nothing could have persuaded her to leave her vampire. Eventually, seeking refuge from the relentless pounding of the freezing rain, she crawled beneath her cloak and kept close to the thankfully still warm Manuel. And the day passed.

Chapter 14

"Mirror, mirror,

On the wall,  
Who's the fairest of them all?" Rosalyn sang in to her mirror, as she brushed her gleaming, black hair.

Her mission successful, she'd had Alaric pack up her wagon and return her to Rylak that very night. She now sat at a stool in her opulent dressing room in the castle, unimaginably happy. Finally, finally she could stop and breathe, finally it was over. As soon as she was done here, she would check in on her beloved Roland. How she had missed him, she felt like dancing.

"Oh beautiful Queen,  
you've been played the fool,

Snow White will laugh last,

an end to your rule"

The mirror's smug voice chanted back at her; Rosalyn's face drained of all blood...her hand clenched the silver ornate hairbrush so hard that it crumbled in her grip. It seemed impossible that Snow White could have survived the exo venom so liberally coating the comb. Or the dark curse, she had paid so handsomely for.

But she had.

Stunned. She was stunned.

With this loathsome knowledge, came the realization that she would never accomplish this on her own. Rosalyn slowly got up from her dressing stool. She would swallow her pride; she would journey to Sarrilia and request assistance from the one being even more cunning and conniving than herself.

The idea made her sick to her stomach.

### ~~*~~

The water was cold as ice as Mercury dove back under, time and time again, searching for the crone. He had jumped in mere seconds after her, it was impossible that he could have lost her. As powerful a swimmer as he was, even he couldn't have escaped so quickly under water. He only hoped she wasn't trapped and struggling to breathe somewhere beneath the icy surface. Repeatedly, he dove under the icy water, feeling utterly helpless and confused as he searched for her; horrible as she was, even she did not deserve to die that way. No one did. Every plunge took him deeper and deeper in to the icy water and still no trace of the crone.

She had quite simply disappeared.

"Ho!"

The shout sounded familiar to Mercury's extra sensory hearing. He looked up to find Prince Leonardo standing at the top of the cliff, peering down at him. The prince gestured to someone just out of Mercury's sight, and an incredibly long rope snaked its way down the cliff until it broke the surface of the water.

How the prince had found him, he had no idea, but his timing was impeccable. The icy water was beginning to creep in to the tired wolf's very bones, he couldn't go on much longer. When was the last time he had slept? He had no recollection.

And still, neither hide nor hair of the crone. Where she had escaped to, he would never know, but she was not lying dead at the bottom of the ocean, of that he was fairly certain. He swam over to the rope and the prince joined the gypsies as they began to pull him back up.

Once safely out of the water, Mercury grinned up at the prince.

"I have no idea how you found me, but I have to tell you, I'm very glad you did." He shook his head and rivets of cold water ran down his face. "For a Royal, you certainly are full of surprises."

"Cold?" Leo chuckled as he handed him a kerchief to wipe his face.

"Refreshed." Mercury replied with a short laugh, accepting the towel gratefully.

"So you went in after the crone." The prince commented curiously.

"It seemed the reasonable thing to do. How did you know?" Mercury asked.

The prince held up the tattered remnant of the crone's dress that had ripped in Mercury's strong hands when he grabbed for her, just seconds before they both took the long tumble in to the frigid waters. Glancing down, the soft moist ground showed signs of a struggle all the way to the edge of the cliff. He supposed that would have been enough to cause the prince to look in that exact location for him, Prince Leonardo was no fool. And he was quite thankful for that fact, as there was no real way for him to have climbed back up; but he hadn't been thinking about that piece of logistics when he jumped in after her.

"But how did you know to come this way at all?" Mercury still couldn't figure that one out.

"I may not be a wolf, but I'm a pretty good tracker just the same." The prince clamped his arm around the big wolf's shoulders as he led him back to the road. "And these boys? They are _very_ good."

The gypsy boys followed excitedly behind, faces shining and flushed from the praise their Crown Prince had just laid on them.

"The goblins began to retreat quite soon after you left, so we came for you. This is the only real road out of Lonstas and in to Rylak from the cave, so that part was fairly easy. Once we found the abandoned wagon, we simply followed the tracks. You have amazingly long strides my friend, did you know that?"

Mercury laughed ruefully. "You think?"

"Let's go home, I have a blanket for you with the horses, and if I know "White", and I think I am starting too, she's pretty anxious by now." He slid his hand in to his utility belt. His expression turned confused.

Mercury stopped. "What? What is it?"

"Nothing, it's just my knife; I could have sworn I put it back here." Leo paused trying to remember. "I handed it to Manuel to cut Rapunzel's hair, and..."

"The elf." Both men said at exactly the same time.

"That damn elf." Leo chuckled. "I knew I remembered her from somewhere. I finally placed her, she's the one who stole my grandfather's golden quill pen from the Crystallise Palace a few years ago. I remember the fleeting glimpse I was able to catch of her before she jumped out of the window and disappeared entirely. The Palace is still in a tizzy trying to figure out that one, how she managed that feat I will never know. Manuel was right; she is a most accomplished thief."

The boys stepped out from the bushes out on to the road. The morning sun blazed gloriously bright down at them, casting a beautiful and whimsical sheen over the otherwise dusty and nondescript road. The brilliant sun caressed the green grass, and caused petals on previously overlooked wildflowers to open and spread unfolding like jewels in the sun. The prince would look back at this particular moment on this particular road as the moment he first realised that he was anxious to see Snow again, that he desired to see Snow again. He would remember this road as being incredibly beautiful for that reason alone.

"I have a feeling that we haven't seen the last of her yet, you just might get your story." Mercury replied with an amused shake of his head as one of the gypsies handed him a blanket.

"That sort always turns up again don't they." They both laughed.

### ~~*~~

It was late afternoon when Uncle Doc heard the shout; poking his head out of his cottage just in time to watch Snow race off the porch swing, where she had been waiting anxiously, and fling herself at two men walking up the lane. On second glance he identified them as Mercury the werewolf and Crown Prince Leo. Both looked exhausted and battle worn but otherwise intact.

Snow embraced them both at the same time, unable to decide if she wanted to laugh or cry so she settled on a combination of both. That had been the longest night of her life, and when morning had arrived with no sign of her friends...horrible, unwanted thoughts had began creeping up on her.

Cindy had reluctantly left in the early afternoon when her father sent a messenger to retrieve her, which in itself was highly unusual, this left Snow to wait it out on the front porch all by herself. Time had never crept by so slowly.

Releasing her hold on the men, she looked up at Leo suddenly very aware of him and feeling strangely shy. Even war weary and disheveled as he was now, his blue eyes made her stomach flutter. She looked away quickly, unfortunately not quick enough to stop the blush.

"So White, what do you have to say?" The exhausted prince teased, strangely pleased by the blush on Snow's cheeks.

"You're lucky you're so charming." She managed, her cheeks flaming. "That's what I have to say."

He laughed, and she tentatively smiled back up at him.

"I am." He agreed.

They shared a smile.

"You think your uncle would make us lunch? I am _starving_!" The big wolf groaned.

That broke the awkwardness of the moment, and Snow laughed. "I am positive he will make you an exceptionally _huge_ lunch. They'll all be so glad to see you guys, I don't think anyone slept a wink last night. Now, they will want all the battle details you know, especially the part where their advice and regional maps saved the day...stuff like that."

"Yeah, I suppose Rapunzel wouldn't be good with battle details." Leo commented.

"It's more of a 'boy story' anyway. And she didn't get a chance to see much of it with Magella guarding her like that." Mercury agreed as they walked up towards the cottage. "But what did you think about the dragon! A dragon, can you believe it? I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it myself you know."

"It still seems like a dream to me, but that might be the fatigue talking. What do you think of her new hairstyle? Take some getting used to I guess, but I think it is very becoming." Leo remarked. "I thought Manuel was going to cry."

"I wouldn't even make jokes about that yet." Mercury shook his head and shivered slightly. "He can be one scary vampire when it comes to Rapunzel."

Leo nodded in agreement.

The boys turned to Snow who had stopped walking a few paces back.

"White?" Leo asked quizzically.

"Dragon? Hairstyle? I don't know what you're talking about, Rapunzel isn't here, was she supposed to be?" Snow asked, the fluttering in her stomach changing from pleasant butterflies to a sick churning.

"Manuel left with her last night, he was taking her here, at least that's what we assumed. Where else would he take her? Where else could he? Wait a minute, are telling me that they are still somewhere out there?" Mercury suddenly felt cold as the colour drained from his face.

The all stared up at the blazing afternoon sun in horror.

### ~~*~~

"If they were caught out in the sun, then Manuel is gone."

Snow looked away quickly as she fought the tears that filled her eyes. "Then Rapunzel is all alone. She'll be devastated, I can't imagine what she would have seen and she won't even know how to get here." She wiped the tears that spilled out and down her cheeks.

"I don't think Manuel would have let her see that." Mercury said quietly, gently enfolding her in a hug. The mere idea of losing Manuel was very painful for both of them.

Leo nodded in agreement. Manuel would hide the ugliness of his demise from his Rapunzel, it was painfully obvious to him and everyone around that the vampire loved the girl, and that she loved him back as well. Snow drew a hitching breath as Mercury hugged her close, enveloping her in his huge embrace.

"Maybe he found a place to hide. Would he have taken her to his coven?" Leo asked, racking his brain for any other explanation, anything that would make the tears dry up in Snow's eyes, inexplicably it drove him mad knowing she was in pain. "He seemed like an exceptionally resourceful vampire, I believe there is still hope."

"You really think so?" Snow asked, lifting her tear streaked face from Mercury's shoulder. She desperately wanted some hope to cling to.

"I do." He said gently, reaching on to his pocket for a silk kerchief; he reached over and began wiping her tears away with it. "I don't think anyone should ever underestimate Manuel, and I hardly know him."

Snow nodded, wanting desperately to believe him.

"I could ask around his coven, even if they aren't there, his people may have an idea of where they might be." Mercury offered. "I need to go alone though; they aren't really welcoming to human guests...especially when I am going to be waking them up..."

"I understand of course." Leo responded. Humans had done much in the past to warrant the lack of hospitable feelings from the vampires. Vampires didn't really like anyone knowing the exact location of their nests, but humans were especially unwelcomed. He hoped someday to change that.

"Take Snow inside and wait for me." Mercury advised. "You won't know where to look, and if I can't find them at the coven, I'll double back for you and we can all cross the forest together."

"Okay. We will be waiting for you." Leo stated, he hated sending the exhausted wolf out to search the coven but he knew that he, as a human would only make things worse. He also knew that there was no amount of pleading that either he or Snow could do that would convince Mercury to nap or eat first. Besides, Rapunzel was out there somewhere.

Mercury turned to leave.

"Wait!" Snow called urgently after him.

"What?"

"You have to at least take a sandwich with you!" She commanded in her most royal tone, as she ran inside the cottage.

### ~~*~~

Mercury made it to the vampire nest in record time. He hoped and prayed that he would find Manuel there. The possibility that his friend had been immolated out there under the blazing sun wasn't something he actually wanted to consider until there was no other option.

Operating on his keen sense of smell and preternatural instincts, he found his way to a dark, partially hidden doorway hidden deep within the coven's territory.

This particular vampire coven had nested in the Lonesome Forest for hundreds of years, deep, deep in the forest, their nest surrounded by mists that tended to disorient unwanted travellers.

Normally he would never have been able to locate this door, shrouded as it was with the ancient disorienting magic, but his close association with Manuel had opened up some of his more instinctive tracking capabilities. He opened the camouflaged door, at the base of the centuries old oak and stepped quickly inside.

"No, that is as far as you go wolf." A silky voice informed him. Mercury spun around but couldn't see anything in the complete darkness of the nest. He really hated that.

Mercury reached in to his pocket for a glow stick. Breaking it open, the stick illuminated the room in a soft glow; this was Mercury's first look at a genuine vampire nest. Understandably he was quite disappointed to find that the room was almost completely bare, containing only a few red velvet benches and crystal sculptures of strange legendary creatures such as gargoyles and griffins. Beautiful paintings of mystical landscapes decorated the walls, and a single portrait of a fiercely beautiful vampire warrior with blue black hair and glacial blue eyes. If Mercury remembered correctly her name had been Unathalla; she had been a great vampire queen several centuries ago, leading her people to a victory on the battle field against the Zunta, a twisted zombie-like race that threatened all civilised people with annihilation, not that the humans had ever known about it...or even about Unathalla herself for that matter. Most sentient beings in Evermore owed the ancient vampire queen much thanks, but as the saying often goes 'ignorance is bliss' and humans would likely never know how close it had actually came. The Zunta had disappeared back in to the mists...for now.

Mercury glanced up at her portrait again, he would hated to have met her on a battle field, of that much he was quite sure.

As the glow stick illuminated the dark room, Mercury became aware of a beautiful blonde vampire blocking the doorway that led in to the actual nest. The vampire had thick, golden blonde hair brushed back from his high forehead, reaching almost down to his shoulders, large brilliant aqua coloured eyes, and just the barest hint of a blush on his cheeks; he looked like an angel. An angel with a sarcastic half smile on his full lips.

"My name is Mercury." He greeted apprehensively.

"I know." The vampire said in irritable amusement, as he drummed his fingers against the back of an exquisitely carved bench. The vampire seemed so familiar to the exhausted wolf, but he couldn't quite put his finger on what it was that made him appear so.

"You made quite a spectacle of yourself in town a while back didn't you." The blonde vampire continued. "Devouring a poor human girl's dress right off her back..." Now the vampire stopped looking irritated, and simply looked tremendously amused. "You beast!" He whispered with a mocking twist to his lips.

Mercury had no idea that the sensationalised story had traveled so far; that certainly wasn't going to help his people's reputation he realised with a sinking feeling.

"Well, I guess you know who I am then. I had half expected to have to wake someone; I have never been to a coven during daylight before." Mercury sat down on one of the benches and stretched his tired and aching legs out before him.

"We had an impudent elf breach our coven a few days ago; we didn't like it." The vampire offered simply.

"Magella." Mercury nodded, feeling every moment of the last few days in his muscles. "I met her."

"I hope you ate her." The vampire said with a slight smile as he inspected his fingernails.

"No." Mercury said with a shake of his head as he suppressed a laugh. "Why didn't you?"

"It was considered." The vampire said shortly.

"And?" Mercury couldn't help asking.

"We had already dined. Gluttony is one of the seven deadly sins you know." The vampire made an impatient sound. "And now we have a werewolf at our doorstep. My my, have we somehow unintentionally set out a welcome mat? In that case, our apologies, you are not welcome."

"Look, as much as I am enjoying this playful banter, I'm really tired and I came for your help. What is your name? What can I call you other than 'Vampire'?" Mercury asked in what he hoped was a neutral tone.

The vampire threw him a withering look. "I would prefer you not call me at all but if you insist you may call me Gabriel...Wolf. And if it is my help you are looking for, forget it, I would say that I am sorry, but I'm not."

Mercury held up his hands quickly, he'd had enough. He was tired and hungry and he just wanted to find his friend. "Sorry, _Gabriel_ , I was getting off track, trying to be polite, but I'm running out of time now. I'm here looking for Manuel, he is...a friend of mine, and he is missing. We had hoped that he came here last night with a young human girl, I guess it would have been this morning..." He trailed off as he looked at the vampire's beautifully blank face.

"There is only one reason Manuel would have brought a human girl here..." The vampire made a rather unattractively evil face which turned an ethereally beautiful man in to a mocking monster.

"No. Manuel cares for this girl." Mercury asserted through clenched teeth. He was beginning to really dislike vampires; they were all so damn hard to deal with. "He's not interested in eating her."

"I'm just playing with you. Manuel has not been home in many days. He has been busy with his own crusades. Would you care to leave him a little note? He'll be terribly hurt that he missed you." Gabriel produced a small pad of paper and a feathery pen with a flourish.

"No thank you." Mercury replied evenly, he began to wonder why he even bothered sometimes.

"Are you quite sure? He loves the attention you know. My brother has so _many_ fans these days." The Vampire laughed at what he considered to be a fantastic joke.

"Your brother! That's why you are so irritating! I was just thinking that all vampires were asses, but now I see that it's just _your_ family; what a relief. I came here because I was worried; I was hoping Manuel was here, because if he wasn't, then there was a very good chance that he was caught outside by the sun."

In an instant Gabriel had caught one of Mercury's well muscled arms in his hand. "Are you saying that my brother is dead?" All mocking was gone now, as the blonde vampire looked Mercury intently in the eye, his fangs unintentionally extended.

Mercury looked down meaningfully at the vampire's hand clutching his upper arm, a low growl escaping from his throat as the beast flashed behind his eyes. Gabriel released him instantly.

"I hope not...he was...is my friend."

"As soon as the sun goes down I will aid you in a search." Gabriel was all seriousness now. I am trapped in the nest till sundown."

"I will let you know if you are needed; hopefully Manuel will let you know himself. But in the mean time, do you know of any other place he might go to hide from the sun?"

Solemnly Gabriel shook his head, something closely akin to fear and grief shone in his eyes.

### ~~*~~

When Rapunzel opened her eyes, she was distinctly aware of two things, one: the sun had gone down and she was damp and chilly, and two: Manuel's glorious face was staring down at her. Staring back in to his beautiful black eyes, she was powerless to stop the tears from escaping and running in zig zag trails down her cheeks.

They had made it through the day.

He looked confused.

"Why are you crying? You saved my life." He whispered gently as his finger caressed the path of the tears down her silky cheek.

I don't know." She whispered back honestly. There were a thousand questions she could ask; a thousand feelings she could share. But it was all so overwhelming. "I feel so much right now." Which pretty much summed everything up.

She had no home. She had no family. Everything she had believed all of her life was a lie. But she had Manuel.

Impulsively she sat up and wrapped her arms around him; with great care he embraced her back, stroking her damp hair and she clung to him as if she would never let him go. They sat like that for a few minutes; shutting the world and all of its complications and all of its obligations completely out. For a few perfect minutes they could do that.

"You are so cold. I need to take you home." He realised with sudden concern. Slipping one arm underneath her he lifted her up and began walking towards the forest.

"I don't have a home." She whispered sadly.

"Yes, you do." He reassured gently.

"I can walk." She said. "I feel fine."

"I know." He replied with a smile. "But I would much rather carry you if I may."

And they entered the dark forest together.

### ~~*~~

They met at the base of the Lonesome Forest. Snow and Prince Leo, Cindy and Mercury. They had split up as they searched for Rapunzel and Manuel, searching everywhere they could possibly think of. Now they met at the base of the famous forest. It wasn't safe for any of them to enter without Mercury.

"So what do you think?" Leo asked Mercury as he gazed at the eerie forest.

The forest was dark, and shadowed. Strange birds made calls in the distance that Leo had never heard before, even the air felt powerful. He had never been through this forest, or any one like it before. Although many such dark and dangerous forests existed throughout Lonstas, being a Royal, he had never been this close to one like this. He found it frightening as well as exciting...most people simply found it frightening.

"The other side of the forest, that's all that is left. His coven has not seen him in days. And his brother didn't seem to know of any special hiding places." Mercury supplied, trying not to sound as hopeless as he felt.

"His brother?" Cindy squeaked.

"Yeah, you know that special part of Manuel's personality that makes us love him so much?" He asked.

Snow nodded.

"Well times two." Mercury said with a grimace.

Snow and Cindy both decided that they didn't need to meet him any time soon.

They walked on in silence through the forest, with Mercury leading the way. Every once in a while one of the girls would point out some place that held some special memory to the awe struck prince before retreating back in to silence again.

"You girls used to traipse through this forest at night all alone?" Leo asked again in disbelief.

"Yup." Cindy nodded. "But we had Mercury, even though we didn't know it."

"And Manuel." Snow added, very quietly.

"Yeah, big, ol' sarcastic Manuel." Cindy agreed with a choke, as she wiped a tear.

Mercury stopped short as he sniffed the air.

Leo ran up beside him. "What is it?" He unsheathed his sword.

"Is that the stench of wet dog that is assaulting my nose? Or perhaps the pelt of a rabid...oh, I see it's just you, I should have known." Came a familiar bored yet sarcastic voice from the darkness.

Everyone stopped and watched, as out from the blackness strode Manuel, Rapunzel wrapped up neatly in his arms. He set her down on her feet as Snow and Cindy launched themselves first at him and then at their friend. Mercury and Leo clapped him loudly on the back, and then Mercury surprised them all by hugging the horrified vampire as well. They all laughed at the expression on Manuel's face.

"Don't do that again. Ever." The horrified vampire instructed.

"I thought you were dead." The wolf stated simply in defense.

Cindy's eyes got huge as she pointed to Rapunzel's hair. "Where is it? Where is it? What happened!" She shrieked, jumping up and down.

"We had to give it to the dragon!" Explained Rapunzel who twirled around to give the girls a better view of her new, shorter haircut. It fanned out in rippling waves around her knees. "Manuel cut it for me!"

"Though it broke my heart to do so." He added, lovingly gazing at the twirling girl. She stopped and he took her hand in his own.

"Dragon? You met a dragon?" Cindy clutched her throat. "Do they even exist anymore? Did you see any treasure?"

"We have so much to talk about when we get to the cottage, Uncle Doc has kind of set up a bedroom for you, and I hope you don't mind. We just thought you would be more comfortable staying with us in the cottage. I don't know if you had anywhere else in mind..." Snow hugged her friend closely again.

"No. I had nowhere to go. I would be so happy to stay with you and your Uncle Doc." Rapunzel was touched by such generosity and kindness, her voice quavered slightly. The Mother had always told her how flawed she was, how undeserving she was of the crone's generosity. Rapunzel realised that she had no idea who she was.

"Oh, there are six more uncles too...it's kind of a cross between a funhouse and a gong show." Snow cautioned.

"You could have seventeen more uncles, a few ogrenots and a skunk that slept beside me every night, and I would still be happy to stay there. Remember I lived locked away in a tower." Rapunzel reminded only half joking.

Leo walked over and shook the vampire's hand. "I won't offend you by trying to hug you. But I too am glad to see you alive and well. You have to tell us how you managed this, and you must know as well; I never gave up on you."

"He really didn't." Snow affirmed happily shyly smiling up at the handsome prince.

Manuel nodded meaningfully at the Leo; respect glowing in his eyes.

### ~~*~~

Uncle Doc immediately set about showing Rapunzel her new room as soon as she had met all of the 'Uncles'. Uncle Happy busied himself creating a feast in his cozy kitchen, humming his own special tune under his breath, and after the little man shooed Mercury out of his kitchen with a big cup of coffee, the wolf decided to relax in the Doctor's new examination room. Manuel was already there, apparently trying out the couch himself.

Mercury sat still as he drank his strong, dark coffee, it wasn't his mother's coffee, but it was good just the same. He paused for a minute as he considered how to bring the conversation up with his friend. The last few days had been such a blur, yet they seemed to have lasted a lifetime.

"What is it? You quite obviously have something to say and you are doing a terrible job of hiding it. If I didn't know better I would think those stolen glances were unspoken declarations of your undying affection for me." Manuel felt the corners of his mouth twitch slightly.

Mercury gave him 'the eyebrow'. "Would that make you happy...Manny? Knowing that I loved you too?"

"Don't call me 'Manny'...ever." Manuel sighed.

"Did I tell you I met your brother?" Mercury asked.

"Yes."

"Did I tell you he was an ass?" Mercury inquired innocently.

"Yes."

"Before the Crone jumped into the sea, she said some strange things." Mercury started.

"Perhaps you should tell me all that she said." Manuel relaxed against the comfy couch as he listened to Mercury's tale. "I fear she has left us with much to decipher."

"She said that The Queen of Rylak had simply inherited Rapunzel, that her true master had been someone called 'The Trickster'." Mercury revealed in confusion. "She was very frightened."

Manuel sat up straight, his eyebrows disappearing up in to his hair. "As she should be..."

The Trickster...that was a name you did not often hear these days. A more malevolent character of legend was never heard, it was rumoured that he had set an entire town upon itself...just to watch it burn. What kind of being exactly he was, no one had ever said, but he would be the one being that Manuel would feel deserving of the title 'evil'. Perhaps the only one. On occasion he, The Trickster, had been known to grant small favours, but those favours came at an enormous price. The idea of dealing with this being sent shivers down Manuel's spine.

"Do you know of this 'Trickster'?" Mercury asked. "Because I have never heard of him."

"I know very little, and nothing good, in fact the mere mention of his name is usually accompanied by intense feelings of dread. In some towns it is against the very law to speak of him. Explain about his connection to Rapunzel." Manuel instructed, on complete alert now.

"All the crone said, was that she was 'the key' and she was to guard her until she received the signal to, and get this, the signal to 'unleash her'. Isn't that an odd choice of words?"

Manuel's heart stopped. It was a very odd choice of words. But what on earth could it possibly mean; Rapunzel was as sweet and innocent as a freshly cut flower. There was more to this story than they knew, that much was abundantly clear, and much of it would have dealings with The Trickster, the afore mentioned feelings of dread began to set in. Idly he played with a pen between his fingers.

"Unleash her to what end?" Manuel tried to consider this from all sides.

Mercury shook his head. "I don't think she knew. But she jumped before I could get anything else out of her; she thought Rosalyn was coming to discipline her for breaking. I don't think Rosalyn cares enough."

"What makes you say that?" Manuel was curious.

"I think she's too busy trying to kill Snow; she seems obsessive about it. Like she is being driven to kill her, that's another odd story if you ask me. But she hasn't even laid eyes on Rapunzel, and if it was that big a deal to her, don't you think her soldiers would have been guarding the cave? No, Rosalyn isn't involved...yet."

The Wolf had made some very good points. If Rapunzel's imprisonment had held much importance to the Queen of Rylak, she would have sent her very own highly trained and skilled soldiers to guard the girl at the very least. It would have made even more sense for them to have transported the girl straight to Rylak. No, Mercury was right; Rosalyn was much more concerned with Snow's demise. Which was odd indeed. Rosalyn might not even know Rapunzel was liberated yet.

"The crone and Rosalyn might both be native to Rylak, but the Legend of the Trickster originates in Sarrilia. I will have to do some research, but I believe we may have to pay a visit to Sarrilia very soon." Manuel said thoughtfully. "Go. Eat and sleep now, we will have much to discuss tomorrow."

### ~~*~~

After Mercury left, Manuel reflected on their conversation. What he wouldn't have given to have another chat with the Oracle. The mad, blonde man had indicated that they were not through with their association, but how was he to contact him? He knew now, that he had not been led to the Great Oracle by mere coincidence...something had been guiding him. This would require much thought.

The door opened and Cindy rushed in.

Sitting on the floor beside the reclined vampire, she cautiously looked up at him. He peered down at her, completely unimpressed at having been disturbed from his thoughts.

"Can I talk to you?" Cindy asked the restless vampire.

"I'm sure you can, but I would much rather that you didn't." He responded, closing his eyes.

"Something terrible is being done to me, and I need to tell someone. It's not good to keep these things bottled up inside you know." She urgently whispered.

He sighed heavily. "What exactly is being done to you?" He dutifully asked with a distinct lack of interest.

"My father is getting married." She responded flatly, looking down.

"Perhaps this isn't so much something he is doing to you, as it is something he is doing to himself."

"No, he's doing this to me, alright. He's going to marry the wicked old witch."

Manuel quickly looked up, opening both eyes at the word 'witch'. Although Manuel didn't absolutely dislike witches, he was acutely aware that his associations with them had thus far proven...unpleasant. He found them incredibly self-serving with a loose grasp on basic morality. They tended to end up on opposite ends of the battle. And they typically had bad hygiene...Manuel hated that almost as much.

Cindy caught Manuel's curious look. "Okay, so she's not actually a real witch, you know magic and all that, but she acts like one. Well she does! You have to see her in action to believe it." She quickly amended. "I can't believe he's actually going to do this to me."

"What makes you certain that this is something that is being 'done to you'." Manuel whispered back, closing his eyes and settling deep in to the couch again.

"Because I'm the one getting the wicked stepmother and two ugly stepsisters." Cindy almost shouted. It was her worst nightmare come true, all she could think about was sabotage, it couldn't possibly be too late, and Cindy was nothing if not highly creative.

"I see, he is getting a new wife and two more daughters." Manuel yawned delicately from behind his hand.

"See? It was so perfect before, just me and him. Me and my dad, it works so well. We don't need anyone else."

"You mean you don't need anyone else."

"Exactly. We have each other." Cindy dabbed at her huge green eyes.

"That is true you do. And one day, perhaps two or three years from now you will leave your father's house, presumably for a new husband's house. And he will be left alone with his pictures and his memories of you and your deceased mother; perhaps the odd visit from you and your new husband to brighten his day from time, to time when you think about it."

"So what are you saying?"

"I'm not saying anything, I'm hardly listening to you."

"Are you trying to tell me that he will be lonely one day if he doesn't marry the stupid old witch?"

"How on earth would I know? Why on earth would I care?" Manuel rolled his eyes at the dainty blonde, placing his hand on his temple. "I believe this is what humans call a 'headache' I think you should go away."

"So you're telling me to suck it up? That I am being selfish, and if I really love my dad, I would put his needs before mine?" She questioned again.

"I'm not telling you anything, I couldn't care less what you do; I merely want you to cease nattering at me and go away."

Cindy got up slowly. "Thanks." She murmured with complete sincerity as she opened the door. "I think I understand now, I don't like it, but I get it. I guess I won't bother asking you to eat her now. Unless of course you want to..."

She waited for a minute before opening the door and leaving the room, with a sigh of resignation.

The smallest of smiles stole across Manuel's face.

### ~~*~~

The black sinister looking castle set high on the Sarrilian mountain range, surrounded by the deepest, darkest moat was home to Maleficent, one of the most powerful rogue fairies ever born. But before you could even glimpse the fabled castle, you had to traverse violent storms, enormous shadow spiders and mind scrambling mists. Maleficent had very few uninvited guests. So when the Queen of Rylak pounded imperiously on her huge black iron door, the famously naughty, and perhaps more than a little evil rogue fairy had a pretty good idea who it was.

Clad in a tight, satiny purple and black sleeveless gown, Maleficent lay across her gold embroidered chaise lounge managing to look incredibly evil, and utterly bored at the same time. Her long, wavy blonde hair gleamed from repeated brushing and her dark purple eyes flashed with recognition as Rosalyn of Rylak strode through the doorway.

"Really Mal? Shadow spiders and memory mists? You don't think that's just a touch over-kill?" Rosalyn announced as she seated herself in a chair opposite the rogue fairy.

"I value my privacy Roz." Maleficent replied with meaning.

"I can only imagine how lonely you must be." Rosalyn commented with fake concern.

"Not really, I got a dog." The fairy replied sweetly just as a handsome werewolf entered the room with a tea service for two.

Both women busied themselves with the tea as they plotted their next move.

"So apparently you _don't_ have everything your little old heart desires yet, seeing as you've shown up on my humble doorstep. Magic _is_ hard to craft properly if you aren't born to it. Oh sweetie, I don't know what to say." Maleficent went first.

"I see how being born a true fairy has made all of _your_ dreams come true." The Queen purred.

Maleficent's patronising smile froze on her face. "What exactly do you mean?" She asked in a dead voice.

"Well, it's been one hundred years, and I see you're still waiting for your Kingdom." Rosalyn of Rylak replied smugly as she plucked nonexistent hairs from her cloak. "But I suppose there is something to be said for patience."

Maleficent pursed her full, glossy lips and narrowed her eyes. "What do you want Rosalyn?" She said not bothering to hide her irritation. "I'm really busy today."

Rosalyn made a show of looking around the empty room and pasted a false smile on her face. "I can tell."

"Get to the point Rosalyn, we don't do social calls." Maleficent sat up straight on her lounge, tossing her thick blonde hair over her shoulder.

"Snow White still lives, despite all of my attempts." Rosalyn shook her head in frustration. How she hated admitting to any defeat in front of her predatory peer. The rivalry between them had begun shortly after their Master had lifted Rosalyn from the dirt and despair in Gaston nearly eighteen years ago. But in the end, they had more in common than not, and so they regarded each other as slightly hostile siblings.

"Well now, that is something. Why do you waste so much energy trying to kill a little human girl anyway. Oh, excuse me I forgot. You are human as well." Maleficent smiled at what she regarded a personal insult.

Rosalyn hardened her dark eyes. "The mirror said-"

Maleficent cut her off with a wave of her hand. "The mirror, the mirror. How cruel of you flaunt the damn mirror in my face. Why our Master gave it to you instead of me I will never understand. You don't even know how to use it properly! I _did_ try to warn you!" Anger twisted Maleficent's classically beautiful features.

"Well he did, and I have used it masterfully for years, now the mirror tells me there is no hope as long as Snow White lives." Rosalyn enunciated every syllable carefully. "Now can you help me or not?"

Maleficent rolled her dark purple eyes and sniffed. "What have you tried? Did you trip her in the woods? Or maybe took her swimming immediately after lunch? Jumped out from the curtain and yelled 'boo'." She laughed at her own absurdity.

"I sent my huntsman to cut out her heart; I used the shrinkage enchantment on a corset and Sarrilian exo venom on a comb laced with a darklight curse."

Exo venom was considered the most deadly poison in all the known realms. Derived from the endangered Sarrilian Exo spider, the venom was nearly impossible to come by. Darklight curses were very hard to evoke, requiring massive amounts of dark energy, but once evoked, they attacked the very spirit of their object. They rarely ever failed.

Maleficent mulled that over for a minute, clearly impressed with the extent Rosalyn had gone to.

"Well well, Snow White must have very powerful friends indeed." She mused.

"A vampire and a werewolf!" Snapped Rosalyn of Rylak

"I smell the stench of a gypsy witch on this, gads they're almost as pesky as sea witches." The fairy placed one hand, damsel in distress style, on her forehead.

"Unless you count Ursula of course." Both women nodded in agreement. The sea witch in question was delightfully nasty, and provided both women with endless amusement.

"That goes without saying dear. Now tell me something, are you still angry because the mirror said she was prettier than you?" Maleficent taunted, grinning wickedly.

"I don't know, are you still enchanting the Sarrilian Royal Family because they offended you?" Rosalyn countered.

"Touché." Maleficent smiled. "They were rather rude. Listen, poison won't do a thing now, not if a gypsy witch used white light. Now think carefully, did the mirror specify 'dead', or would 'dead-like', simply not _living_ suffice? I have a curse that just might do the trick; come to my workshop I can show you how it works." She began to slink away.

Rosalyn got up from her chair and followed the malevolent fairy.

"And it's not just that the mirror said she was fairer you know. There's more to it."

"There always is Sweetie, there always is." Maleficent replied with a laugh.

Chapter 15

Once Cindy had accepted the inevitable, that Caspian Vanholston, her beloved Father was truly marrying the dreaded Madame Morgada, she threw herself in to the wedding plans. There was nothing else she _could_ do.

According to Cindy's philosophy, there had to be an upside to even the most disastrous events, although admittedly she had to search rather hard in this particular case. Cindy was the kind of person who could not live in despair for long, so it was inevitable that she would pull herself together, rally her sagging spirits and throw herself in to something as exciting as wedding plans.

Of course The Madame had some serious reservations about allowing the capricious Cinderella to plan her fabulous wedding; but Cindy was more than ready for her.

Cindy had leaned across the table, locking eyes with the Madame Morgada and quietly informed her that if she left the planning of the wedding in Cindy's more than capable hands, that she, Cindy, would personally guarantee that Prince Leonardo Charming would be in attendance. Now that was an easy promise to make, since she already knew that the prince had accepted Snow's request that he be her 'plus one'. Cindy was still a very good negotiator, she typically got her way, and she usually knew which cards to play and when.

The Madame, envisioning a double page spread in the next issue of "The Lonstasian Eye" readily agreed.

Suddenly Snow and Rapunzel found themselves completely overwhelmed with all of the errands they were roped in to running for the tyrannical Cindy, who was determined to make this wedding the 'Event of the Year'.

Cindy, the pint sized dictator, was never seen without her clipboard in hand and one of the girls scurrying along beside her. If Snow or Rapunzel were indisposed for whatever reason, she would simply recruit Mercury; he had come to cringe every time she focused her big green eyes on him. Leo, fortunately for him, was spared since he spent much of his time attending to matters at the Holiday Palace, although he could be found dining at the Rutherford cottage with Snow, Doc and the gang, two out of three nights. Usually he sat on the sofa and discussed politics or medicine with the Doctor after dinner, but often he sat out under the stars on the porch swing with Snow; they discussed everything, and shared many laughs finding they had much in common.

And of course, like clockwork, minutes after the sun had fled, Manuel would come striding up the lane.The cottage was full to capacity most evenings. Not that anyone ever had the urge to do anything more adventurous than sit around the table, or perhaps out on the porch; Cindy ran them all ragged.

Rapunzel fit in to the Rutherford household quite well. Uncle Doc and his six brothers doted on her endlessly, and she flourished under the care. Between voraciously book reading, practicing sword fighting with Mercury in her off time and Manuel's evening visits, Rapunzel was happier than she had ever expected to be.

Cindy, finding Manuel alone on the porch swing one evening, plopped herself down next to him, sprawling out in exhaustion.

"We need to discuss the wedding." She informed him, calmly taking out her clipboard and pen.

"Why ever for?" He asked. "I have no intention of aiding you in this." Leaning back on the swing he stretched out his legs and gazed up at the beautiful evening sky.

"Well you're Rapunzel's 'plus one' aren't you? We need to discuss when you will be arriving...if you have any dinner preference...or not...do you even eat people food? Important things." She explained in exasperation.

"What is a 'plus one'?" He asked, without bothering to look at her.

She made a frustrated noise. "A date, you know, like 'Rapunzel plus one'...you would be the 'plus one'."

"Would it not be simpler to say 'Rapunzel and Manuel'?" He asked as he ran his fingers through his soft and shiny black hair still gazing up at the stars, liking the sound of that, 'Rapunzel and Manuel'...'Manuel and Rapunzel'.

"Well yeah...no...but that's not how it's done. We say 'plus one'. She brings who she wants. They would be the 'plus one'." Cindy dropped her head in to her hands in exhaustion. "Why are you being difficult? Please say you have a suit...I mean a nice one." She moaned.

He simply stared at her.

"Well of course she's bringing you, you big dopehead. And I meant that about the suit. You need to look good standing next to her. There is going to be pictures...do you show up in pictures?"

"Do I have to attend?" He painfully asked in a hopeless sounding voice.

"Yes! I have the seating for the reception all planned out! If you mess this up I will kill you!" She wailed.

"You could try little human." He whispered mockingly. "You could try."

"Maybe you should just kill _me_...I'm so tired." She moaned, letting the clipboard fall beside her.

He leaned in towards her...considering. She looked up quickly.

"Geez Manuel, it was a figure of speech! I didn't mean it."

"Oh." He replied before looking back up at the stars. "Well that was rude."

Sighing she settled back down on the swing and gazed up at the stars with him. It was a really beautiful night.

### ~~*~~

The Big Day finally arrived and not a moment too soon if you asked the girls and Mercury. The ceremony went off without a hitch, right down to the last dove and butterfly. Snow had to admit, all of the hard work that had gone in to the wedding certainly showed. It was breathtaking, if she ever decided to get married; she just might have to leave the entire planning process in Cindy's apparently capable hands. Even the Madame seemed impressed, and the dress that Cindy designed for her was simply perfect right down to the shoes.

In fact, most of Cindy's creations were perfect that day. They all sat together with Uncle Doc and his brothers during the ceremony. It went perfect as well, although to completely honest, Cindy had hoped fiercely that someone, anyone would show up at that last moment and find a 'reason that they should not be joined'. She stared at the flower draped door wistfully, but in the end nothing happened and she supposed that she should be happy for her father. But if the truth be told, The Madame's beaming smile when pronounced 'Mrs. Caspian Vanholston' made her stomach curdle.

### ~~*~~

The ceremony was held during the bright afternoon, and for obvious reasons, Manuel wasn't in attendance. A fact that did not bother him in the least. But the reception, that was to be held at sundown...and Rapunzel had made arrangements to meet him just outside the doors.

And so she waited. And she waited. Typically the vampire was punctual to a fault, she wondered what on earth could have detained him. Rapunzel looked around one last time for before moving towards the door with her invitation. The sun had set more than thirty minutes ago and still she did not see Manuel, most of the guests had already been seated in the hall; she wondered how long was customary to wait.

Although Manuel arrived at the cottage every night at sundown and spent a good portion of every evening with her, this would be their first official 'date'. She was suddenly very nervous.

She smoothed the skirt of her long violet gown, self consciously adjusting the spaghetti straps; she had never worn anything this form fitting or...bare. The night breeze tickled her bare shoulders and played with her masses of silvery blonde waves, as she stood in the shadows waiting for her Manuel. She hoped she looked alright, she'd been far too afraid to look in the mirror herself, deciding to take Cindy and Snow's word for it instead; now she wished she had.

Maybe she looked funny.

Maybe he wasn't coming.

Maybe. He wasn't. Coming.

She straightened her back, took a deep breath and walked over to the admitter, handing him her invitation; everyone was already seated in the hall. Everyone would be looking at her when she walked in...alone. She decided to walk in with her head held high anyway. This was a new Rapunzel, not the scared and timid Rapunzel that had spent her life locked away in a cold, stone tower. No, and never again.

"Miss Rapunzel Goethal." He read aloud, smiling appreciatively at the tall blonde, beauty.

She nodded.

"Plus one." A softly melodic voice announced beside her. Quickly she glanced up over her shoulder, and there he stood; his long glossy black hair flowing down his back, looking utterly elegant in an exceptionally well tailored suit. Only a vampire could manage to look so incredibly beautiful, and so incredibly male all at the same time.

Taking her arm in his, he escorted her in to the lavishly decorated hall.

They made an incredibly striking couple.

### ~~*~~

Mercury looked up as Red walked in to the room. Her navy blue satin gown matching exactly the same colour as her eyes; his heart stopped. He knew that Cindy had promised to seat her at the same table, but he wasn't prepared for the level of excitement that would cause for him. He watched as she scanned the room, finally asking a cocktail waiter where table 10, _his_ table, was. He waited, his heart started up again, pounding out a ferocious beat as she made her way over to the table.

_Be cool. Be cool_.

"Lady Red". He greeted her , standing up politely as she approached the table. "I believe this is your seat." He indicated the empty chair to his right.

Reaching down she lifted the name card up off the setting, it was, in fact, highly unusual for a young lady of the Aristocracy to be seated with commoners.

"I believe you are right, Mercury wasn't it?" Her voice, like silver bells to his ears, her scent like the most exotic perfume, her smile like a thousand candles. Her eyes met his, and this time her heart skipped a beat.

Mercury looked _good_ in his smart tux, his hair brushed silkily back from his strong, handsome face. Cindy had made sure of it, bless her little heart, she handpicked his outfit, right down to his socks. She even brushed his usually unruly hair, threatening it in to place. She had a lot riding on this as well, if Red complained about the placement...Cindy would be called to carpet. And that would be anything but fun. But, like a true friend, she took the chance and sat the beautiful red head, the object of the young werewolf's most obsessive desire, beside him anyway.

"I must have made a good impression for you to have remembered my name." He replied flashing her his famous 'devil may care' grin, as he pulled her chair out for her.

She sat down and busied herself with adjusting her gown around her knees, before looking back up at Mercury's gorgeous eyes.

She looked away. He leaned in.

"You have very beautiful hair, I'm sure you already know this, but I felt the need to tell you anyway." He whispered in her ear.

She sucked her breath in carefully. He was so very close.

"You are a very good dancer, I'm sure you already knew that as well, but I too, felt the need to tell you anyway." She returned with the ghost of a teasing smile, before lifting her water glass to her lips.

"Well then, I promise to leave a dance open for you this evening, although I can't promise more than one, I am in high demand you know."

"I'm sure." She agreed, biting her lip at the thought.

He flashed his eyebrows at her; she shivered just a little as she realised that this boy might be just a little dangerous...but she decided right then and there, that maybe she might like danger.

### ~~*~~

Gliding across the dance floor with Leo, Snow was distinctly aware of several pairs of eyes mercilessly trained on her. Leo was an exceptionally graceful dancer, and she had endured years of lessons herself, so she knew it wasn't because they appeared clumsy. She wore a soft yellow and violet satin gown that Cindy had created, reminiscent of the yellow gown Mercury had destroyed, and her hair was artfully styled in big soft waves by Rapunzel, who had acquired some serious talent in the last few weeks, so she knew it wasn't that she looked funny. And Leo, well Leo was magnificent in his Royal Dress Uniform. Leo would be magnificent in torn denim jeans and a work shirt. Snow thought perhaps she might like to see him like that though, just to make sure of course, comparisons and all.

A few especially catty remarks had reached her ears that evening, she hoped they hadn't reached Leo's as well, but if he was aware of the speculations, he certainly hadn't said anything to her. Apparently much of the Aristocracy in Turin was confused, and more than a little displeased, that their own Crown Prince was devoting so much attention to an 'orphaned' foster child. It's not that any of the held any ill-will towards Snow personally, in fact most people found her rather pleasant, it was just that they simply couldn't understand what she had, that their own high-born daughters didn't. What could possibly have enticed the famously handsome Prince Leonardo Charming into accompanying an orphaned teen to a celebrated wedding. They scrutinised the tall, dark haired teen closely.

Annette and Juliette Del Grotta were also scrutinising Snow rather closely, but they did hold ill-will personally towards her for sweeping by with their own darling prince. They stood in the corner watching as Snow and Leo came gliding by, glowering as Snow tilted her head to laugh softly at something the prince had whispered in her ear; both hating her and wishing they _were_ her all at the same time.

The Del Grotta twins were by no means the only people in the room wishing they were Snow that evening. In her sunbeam and lavender gown, especially designed by Cindy, her thick, satiny dark waves falling half way down her back and her perfect skin, dark eyes and rosy lips, she looked every inch the princess they didn't know her to be. At least a dozen eligible young ladies from the Aristocracy began to look on in jealousy as Leo expertly twirled her in his arms before bringing her back close to him. They all hated her at that moment.

Surprisingly, Red Adair, the most eligible of them all was not among them.

She was off in the corner, dancing slowly with Mercury.

### ~~*~~

Now werewolves don't have any obvious differences from humans, at first glance you would assume that Mercury was human, a very handsome human albeit, but no one could gaze upon Manuel's perfection without immediately identifying him as a vampire. When Manuel led the radiant Rapunzel out onto the dance floor, more than one jaw hit the ground, and very few of them were in envy. The good people of Turin were used to the occasional vampire entertainer setting up for an evening here and there, but none of them had ever, would ever interact with a vampire socially. It was utterly unheard of...and more than a little unsettling.

Madame Morgada, a card carrying and proud member of the Aristocracy, was enraged by Manuel's attendance, and after careful scrutiny, she correctly identified Mercury as a werewolf, further adding to her indignant rage. She grabbed Cindy's arm roughly as she walked by. Adding insult to injury, not only were these creatures attending her dream wedding, they were dancing with human girls...shameful.

"Cinderella Vanholston." She fairly snarled. "How could you do this to your father? How dare you embarrass your father and I like this!"

Cindy looked around at the magnificent wedding she had planned, from the perfect bridesmaids dresses to the sumptuous dinner and chocolate sculptures. Not a thing was out of place. Warily she looked back at the Madame, convinced that bride had lost her mind.

"Excuse me Madame, but I don't know what you are talking about." Cindy replied as evenly as she could. "Your guests will be speaking of your wedding for years." Cindy had long believed that it is always best to tread carefully with the insane.

"Yes, they will, and there is not a single thing I can do about it now is there. Don't look so innocent, think carefully little girl. The guest list Cinderella. The guest list." She growled.

"I invited everyone you said, and Prince Leonardo is here as promised Madame. Look, even the paparazzi deemed the event worthy."

"Yes. And believe me we will talk about _that_ later. What I am referring to is the _vampire_ and the _werewolf_ at my reception. This is unacceptable. How. Could. You."

Cindy stared up at The Madame, completely bewildered, convinced she had heard wrong.

"I realise that you have never given a thought about your father's reputation, and he has let you run wild for most of your life, and obviously you assume such behaviour will continue." She spat. "But I can assure you, that all of that is about to change little girl. I will not allow you to destroy what is left of his reputation, and any future opportunities that may come along for my Annette and Juliette. You've invited a dog and a bloodsucker to my wedding; you are going to pay for this embarrassment. I hope you have enough sense in that silly little head of yours to be ashamed of your behaviour, and reconsider your future choices."

"I'm not ashamed by my friends; why on earth would I be?" Cindy stated with dignity, anger burning in her heart at the slurs aimed at her friends. She took a deep breath, narrowed her jade eyes, and turning towards the Madame, she opened her mouth to give her new stepmother a blasting she would never forget.

Prince Leonardo chose that exact moment to swoop in, tapping the enraged Madame lightly on the shoulder. Spinning around quickly she was shocked and surprised to finds herself face to face with the Crown Prince himself; the one man she had sworn to marry one of her twins to. Quickly recovering she pasted a sweet smile on her face.

"Prince Leonardo!" She twittered. "I am so honoured to have you at my wedding." She curtsied carefully in her lovely Cinderella V designer wedding dress. Cindy's dress made the Madame look quite beautiful, and people had been commenting on what a beautiful couple the "Vanholstons" were all day long; the Madame had reveled in the attention.

"Madame Vanholston." He bowed slightly, making her almost giddy. "I wanted to extend my deepest gratitude to you for inviting us to your special occasion. My friends and I have been having a marvelous time." He stopped and posed with both Cindy and the Madame for a picture, his famous smile making the women near him melt.

"Of course your Highness, you are all most welcome here. A friend of our dear Crown Prince would always be welcome in my presence. How delightful that you could attend. Which of your friends were you referring to?" She asked brightly as she scanned the crowd for another suitable suitor to introduce her twins to.

Leo winked quickly at Cindy, who bit her lip and grimaced in fear, and casually pointed to Mercury and Manuel, each dancing elegantly on the dance floor. The colour fled from the Madame's face as he indicated the dreadful creatures.

"Mercury, who I believe is dancing with Lady Red Adair and Manuel with Miss Rapunzel. We have fought side by side recently, very brave, very loyal friends. Very hard to come by, I have found. I have been honoured to fight side by side with these brave men recently, and delighted to have found two valued friends." He replied. He posed once more with The Madame Morgada. "Now that one should appear in the magazine next week, if I recognise that particular photographer." He laughed; the Madame was thrilled by the prospect, but dumbstruck and slightly horrified by the prince's outright admission of friendship towards the creatures at her wedding. That went strictly against the rules of the Aristocracy. Never, had a member of the Aristocracy, especially a Royal, ever admitted friendship with a creature. She was at a loss for words.

"May I have the honour of dancing with the bride?" Leo asked gallantly. The Madame almost swooned at the idea, all thoughts of creatures instantly disappearing, and gracefully allowed herself to be led on to the dance floor by the most eligible prince in all the known realms.

Snow snuck up beside her shell shocked friend.

"He saw the look on the old witch's face; thought he might be able to spare you some grief."

"Apparently it worked...for now. She'll get me later." Cindy sighed. "She hates creatures."

"It's hard to think of them that way isn't it?" Snow commented as they watched the prince dip the giggling bride to the immense enjoyment of the onlookers.

"Usually I don't. Until Manuel threatens to eat me that is." Both girls laughed. Manuel was constantly threatening to devour someone, but as of yet they had never actually witnessed him eat anything out of the ordinary. Mercury never made mention of anything, but the beast flashed behind his eyes every once in a while reminding them that although he was one of their very best friends...he wasn't 'tame'.

"What will the press say when they hear about his new friends', I wonder." Mused Snow.

"I don't think he cares. He has them in the palm of his hand anyway, he's the perfect person to make points."

Snow nodded, as she mulled that over in her head.

"You think I could get Manuel to eat her?" Cindy indicated her giggling stepmother. "If I asked nicely?"

Snow snorted before leaving the deflated Cindy, to speak with Rapunzel. Manuel stood off to the side, regarding the tight faced Cindy closely for a moment.

Silently he came to stand next to her.

"I don't want to talk about it." She said without looking up.

"I see. That _is_ unusual for you. Why are you wearing such an overly dramatic, long face if you don't want to talk about it? Typically that has been my signal that you are about to natter endlessly to me about some unimportant teenage drama that I care nothing about."

"See the troll twins over there?" She pointed at Annette and Juliette who were still clutching glasses of champagne and watching Snow stride across the floor with thinly disguised jealousy and disgust. "That's my family now." She moaned in apparent embarrassment, covering her eyes with her dainty hands.

Even dressed in Cindy's painstakingly beautiful gowns, the dour looks on their faces spoiled any chance that had at real beauty that night.

Manuel tried to suppress a laugh. "Imagine how much better you shall look in comparison, for family photos."

She turned to him suddenly. "Snowy said the exact same thing to me a few months ago!"

"Very intelligent for a human, I have always said." He asserted with a quick nod.

"No you haven't." Cindy shook her head.

"You're right I haven't." He agreed, a smile spreading across his face as Rapunzel approached them with her first glass of champagne, her face flushed and delighted. He reached out his hand and pulled her closer.

"And you never told me if you would show up in photographs or not." She pointed out.

"Your life is moving in directions they can't even imagine. Give them these last few moments, it is all they have, and you can afford to."

She looked up quizzically at him but he was already whispering something sweet in to Rapunzel's ear.

For some insane reason she felt better. And he never did answer her question.

### ~~*~~

Mercury could have danced all night with Red, and apparently she had no strong objection, but unfortunately the evening was beginning to wind down. They hadn't spoken much, but it seemed they didn't need to. He wouldn't have known what to say anyway, their lives were vastly different. Hers, the structured life of a well cultivated young lady of the Aristocracy, his the wild and tumultuous life of the young werewolf running with the moon in the dead of night. But on this particular night, at this particular event...none of that mattered, and Red Adair danced with the handsome Mercury all evening.

The bride and groom took their last waltz, and a carriage was awaiting them outside to whisk them away to some undisclosed destination. Mercury knew, with a sinking feeling on his heart, that the enchanted evening was truly over.

Now that he had spent so much time with her, been so close to her, inhaled her delicious scent for so long...he was addicted, which can be slightly dangerous when dealing with a werewolf. He had to have more; he _would_ have more, there was no turning back now.

Red, for her part, was incredibly excited by this boy who was so unlike any other boy she had ever met. Certainly worlds apart from the nice young men her parents introduced her to. Nice young men with ties to the Aristocracy, nice _bland_ young men with ties to her _father_. Mercury was none of those things. Red didn't know much about the tall, handsome young man, but that much was abundantly apparent. For Red, a girl who had been groomed since birth by her well meaning parents to conform absolutely to the tight constraints placed upon those of the Aristocracy...Mercury represented freedom. A dangerous and intoxicating mix; she knew she was flirting with disaster by even speaking with him, yet she couldn't stop herself.

"Meet me tomorrow night." He whispered in her ear suddenly, closing his eyes as her scent rushed through his veins.

"My parents would never approve." She whispered back breathlessly. And in fact Lord Adair was watching Mercury very, very closely; the only reason that he hadn't snatched his daughter away, and forced her to dance with other, well chosen young men of the Aristocracy, was Mercury's apparent connection to Crown Prince Leonardo. Lord Adair believed Mercury to be human...so far, as did Red for that matter, the evening would have gone very differently had they known otherwise. Lord Adair was a highly placed, and well respected member of the Aristocracy, one could only guess at his reaction if he had know his only beloved daughter was dancing with a dreaded creature. Red knew in the back of her mind that she should walk away, walk away now and not look back; but she couldn't seem to make her feet move.

"That wasn't a question." Mercury reminded. "Meet me tomorrow night." He repeated. It wasn't a question that time either.

She shivered slightly, pushing all thoughts of her position out of her mind. "Where?"

### ~~*~~

Leo walked Snow back slowly to her cottage, the early summer breeze felt like a kiss on her bare skin, and the stars shone like diamonds on black velvet. It was perhaps a fifteen minute walk, and for some odd reason, Leo had dismissed his carriage and decided to walk the distance alone with Snow. So there they were, walking down the lane to Uncle Doc's cottage companionably, in silence.

It was funny how comfortable she was in Leo's company, so comfortable that to walk in total silence didn't seem odd or awkward, as it might have with someone else. Not comfortable enough though, to mention any of the speculations she had heard concerning the two of them that evening.

"I think Cindy wanted to kiss you when you interrupted the stepmother's tongue lashing." Snow idly commented.

Leo laughed.

"I'm being serious, the Madame believes whole heartedly in the segregation between species. She argued and joined in the petition to revoke the movement to allow creature trades in town. It actually sickened her to see 'creatures' dancing with humans." She said with a shake of her head. "Sentiments like that weren't so obvious in Rylak. I mean no one actually said things like that."

"Maybe you didn't hear it because the 'creatures' aren't allowed anywhere near the palace grounds in Rylak. You could hear about the issues, but never see them first hand that way." The prince leaned against the gate surrounding the cottage.

"You never realise how ugly it is until you see it up close." He continued, shaking his head.

"Maybe. I only learned about 'creatures' from Gregor, our huntsman." Snow admitted, her throat choking up as she said his name. Quickly she banished the memories, pulling scabs off of wounds, never did anything to help with the healing. And Snow had always thought of bad memories as wounds.

"But the truth is that I never really thought about 'creatures' as people before either, you know? They were just 'creatures'. But now I can't think of them as anything else. It's strange how that happened, a couple of months of hanging out with Mercury and Manuel and... "

She looked up quickly as a thought struck her. "Maybe that's all we need, you know, to make people associate with the 'creatures', and then they can see for themselves that we all are more alike than we are different? I mean in the case of elves, it basically comes down to appearance."

"I think that might work for our generation, and the ones to come, if we work at it, but not for the older ones. Their views are too deeply set. You have to understand, they grew up with these beliefs." He replied after a moment. "Change never comes easy."

"I suppose." She conceded. "I feel bad now; I used to think like that too. I've probably said a lot of rotten things too, things I am ashamed of now."

"That was how you were taught; it's not your fault."

"And that's exactly why we have to reach the next generation." Snow nodded to herself. "We could start a revolution with talk like this, just think about it, a prince and an exiled princess...an unstoppable combination." She laughed half joking.

When he didn't respond she looked up at him. He was staring down at her in the moonlight, and the way he looked at her made her heart flutter uncontrollably. She almost forgot how to breathe, and when she searched his eyes, she became sure that he was going to kiss her.

This is it, she thought, my first kiss. Snow White watched breathlessly as Prince Charming lowered his head towards hers and---

"She's going to meet me." Mercury's voice popped up behind them, and they quickly jumped apart.

"We were just..." Snow started.

"It was only a..." Leo started at exactly the same moment.

"Did you hear what I said? I said she is going to meet me!" Mercury repeated.

"Red?" Snow asked inanely as she tried to pull her thoughts together.

"Who else? Of course Red. Beautiful, perfect Red." He stopped and put an arm around each of them. "Oh, my friends, this is a glorious night! She's meeting me in the forest tomorrow night." He paused before adding. "She thinks I'm human."

Neither Leo nor Snow knew how to respond, this could turn out badly on so many different levels, Snow didn't even know where to begin. What if he lost control? What if the beast came out? What if he scooped her up and ran away with her?

"Are you sure you can handle that Mercury?" Leo asked carefully.

"What, do you think I am going to eat her?" Mercury asked in astonishment.

"No! Of course not!" Leo quickly responded. "It's just that the forest is dark, you are alone...with Red."

"Leo, I have been alone in the forest with Red for months...only difference is, no one knew about it. Trust me, I know what it would mean if I step out of line."

"I am so sorry, my friend, all this talk of understanding, and here I go making assumptions. Forgive me." Leo shook his head.

"Not necessary, I would have said the same to you, walking 'White' home all alone, if you hadn't left in such a rush." Mercury laughed.

Leo laughed nervously and Snow blushed. But the magical moment was broken.

### . ~~*~~

Snow woke early the next morning, far earlier than anyone else in the cottage. Yawning, she tried to roll over and resume her dream; the one that had Leo bending down to kiss her _without_ Mercury interrupting at the last second. Had she actually been about to kiss Leo? She pictured his gorgeous face leaning in towards hers again, and her heart began to beat so hard and fast that she was convinced the entire cottage heard.

Her stomach fluttered again as she thought about it, no, there was no way she was going to fall asleep again, which was really too bad because it was a great dream. Groaning softly, she threw back her covers and crawled out of bed. Cindy was still fast asleep on the air mattress beside her bed, her golden curls completely dishevelled and covering most of her face. If Snow knew Cindy, and she liked to think that she did, very well in fact, then Cindy was not going to move for at least another two hours. Wrapping herself in her softest satin robe, Snow crept past her sleeping friend and quietly shut the door.

Padding down the hall she passed the kitchen, idly thought about making some coffee, and decided to enjoy the fresh morning air first.

Once outside she curled up on the porch swing. After Mercury's unintended interruption, they had simply sat and listened for a few minutes, the poor wolf had been bursting with intense energy, she had thought she could almost see the shafts of electricity sparking off of him as he paced. Eventually he had decided that the only way for him to calm down was to go for a run...as a wolf.

And so he did.

Which was very weird, but kind of interesting at the same time. Mercury made a beautiful wolf. It was the first time she had ever witnessed such a thing, very few humans ever do, she was honoured.

But then Leo had merely kissed her hand, and began the walk back to the Holiday Palace. Snow had no idea how she felt about that, she had been convinced he was about to kiss her. On the one hand, she was glad that they hadn't crossed any lines and she didn't have to act any different around him, but on the other hand...he almost kissed her! She was going to act weird around him anyway wasn't she? No, she could pretend that she hadn't noticed. But she had. Was it by accident? Too much champagne? No, he hardly had any. She had no idea what to think, she wished Cindy was awake so they could debrief about everything from the night before, but she wasn't even sure if she should tell her about it. Why, oh why was love so confusing?

She said love. Seriously. That freaked her out. Maybe she should talk to Rapunzel? Maybe she should say nothing and just wait it out. Maybe she should get something to eat? She wondered if he was sitting outside fretting about this as well. Something told her he wasn't.

Just then an old peddler walked up the path to the house, carrying a basket of the reddest shiniest apples she had ever seen; Snow always noticed apples. As much as she wasn't in the mood to be interrupted, she couldn't bring herself to be rude, she'd been taught very well during her years at Castle White. Inwardly sighing, she resolved to help the peddler quickly, so she could get back to thinking about what had happened the night before. Or more specifically, what _hadn't_ happened.

"Good morning Madame, how may I help you?" She politely asked. The peddler was decidedly unattractive, with long gnarly grey hair and a huge, hook nose, and then she smiled...add missing teeth to the list. Snow politely smiled back as best she could.

"I would be very grateful if you could help an old woman." The peddler replied. "I was on my way to the town square for market, and I got turned around, could you direct me back? I have these lovely apples to sell today..." She brought the basket closer to Snow's face. The smell was delicious as it wafted up and tickled Snow's nose; her stomach growled loudly in response.

The peddler gave a small laugh. "I hear that I have disturbed you before breakfast. If you can give me directions back to Turin's square, I will give you one of my apples in exchange."

Snow thought that was a very sweet gesture, but she couldn't justify taking any of the old woman's profit; she obviously needed every penny judging from the dusty, black rags she wore.

"Thank you, but no, I couldn't possibly take one." Snow replied reluctantly, the apples were incredibly red and shiny; it almost hurt to have to decline, considering they were exactly the way she liked them. "If you follow this road back down the hill, you will reach an intersection with red cobblestone. Take the red cobblestone road and it will lead you to the square. I wish you much good luck at the market today; the apples do look quite lovely."

The old peddler looked from the basket of apples back up to the teenager. "Are you quite sure sweetie?" She took one of the apples out of the basket, a huge red, glossy apple, that just begged for biting and held it out to Snow.

"I should give you this one to test, and if you like it you could find me at the market and buy some more, or perhaps put out a good word and drive my price up. Go on take it, I won't charge you for this one and it may help me in the long run."

Snow eyed the apple longingly, the closer she looked, the more enticing the apple became; the apple was impossibly red and brilliantly shiny, she was convinced she could see her own reflection on its skin. As wonderful as the apple looked, she just couldn't shake the odd foreshadowing feeling that suddenly came over her; she shook her head again.

"No Madame, I do thank you but I have to be going in now, my family will be awakening shortly, and I should make some coffee for them. I wish you much luck at the market though, as I said, the apples do look wonderful."

The old peddler woman looked Snow straight in the eye; it had an oddly hypnotic affect. "Listen sweetheart, I know how it is. Someone taught you to be careful, to be vigilant, you don't trust my apples. I understand, but look here." She said as she reached in to her pocket and produced a knife. "I will eat the one side." She pealed a chunk of apple and plopped it in her mouth. "And you will eat from the other; the apples are of the very finest stock."

She pealed another chunk and handed it to Snow.

Snow gazed at the glistening white flesh of the apple in her hand; her stomach growled again and her mouth watered in anticipation. She found she couldn't take her eyes off of it. Suddenly, that apple was all that she wanted, all she wanted in the world. _Okay fine_ , she thought as she finally gave in, _if that's what it takes to send her off, I'll take a bite_. Slowly she raised her hand and placed the apple bit in her mouth.

The peddler was right. The apple was the sweetest juiciest she had ever had; and Snow had certainly eaten her share of apples in her time. Apples had always been her favorite treat. Smiling up at the peddler, she began to chew enthusiastically.

Smiling at the peddler, she slowly watched in horror as the old woman's face changed. Her hair turned from a gnarly grey to a sleek black, her eyes from watery green to a flashing and powerful brown...her wrinkles disappeared entirely. Snow watched as the ugly old peddler changed in to the beautiful Rosalyn of Rylak before her very eyes.

Snow rolled her eyes upwards to meet Rosalyn's, they filled with tears.

"Why?" She managed, knowing that she was about to die by the hand of the one woman she had so looked up to as a child. The woman she had loved as both mother and friend.

Rosalyn closed her eyes, perhaps the only outward sign that she felt any regret over this. "Because there is no other way." She said simply.

"I wanted you to love me." Snow whispered. "I loved you."

"I did." Rosalyn whispered back, the tiniest of tears escaping her tight rigid control over her face, her body trembling ever so slightly. "You will slip in to a coma, painlessly-I made sure of that, and in time you will simply fade away. You see? I found a way around killing you. But you will never awaken. Don't look at me like that, this is the way it has to be, I don't make the rules and I don't have the power to change them. I'll admit it was barbaric and wrong, sending Gregor to cut out your heart, and I'm sorry for that. I am so sorry, but I was _desperate_. If there was any other way Snow, but there isn't."

"I searched for years. I fought...I did." She added almost too quietly to hear. She reached over and gathered Snow in her arms, gently lowering her down to the porch swing. Carefully she laid the paralysed teenager down on the swing, taking special care to arrange her hands and legs in a dignified, yet comfortable position.

Taking one last look at Snow, Rosalyn took a hitching breath. "I had thought this would be much easier...that I wouldn't care...perhaps a little of the old Rosalyn of Gaston still remains. That is a beautiful thought..." She nodded and began to walk away, her head held low and her usually strong and straight shoulders slumping.

### ~~*~~

When Cindy awoke in the morning, the first thing she did was look for her friend.

And she found her.

She began to scream.

Chapter 16

Uncle Doc raced out of the cottage when he heard Cindy screaming, followed closely by Rapunzel and his six little brothers.

Laying on the porch swing, her hands placed across her chest, her dark hair arranged carefully over her shoulders, was their Snow.

She appeared to be asleep, so peaceful was the look on her face. And unlike the time she had been poisoned, she didn't look ill, she looked beautiful, and...gone. Immediately Uncle Doc bent down.

"I can't tell if she's breathing!" He shouted in a terrified voice. He laid his hand on her chest and waited for the rhythmic rise and fall that signified breath.

Rapunzel covered her mouth with her hand, her face a mask of horror. Uncle Dopey and Uncle Sneezy clung to her; she reached down and hugged them close.

"I think she is breathing." He said at last. "But far, far too shallowly. Gordon, Horst, help me bring her in to the examination room!" Quickly the men carried her to the room, pain and fear clearly etched across all of their faces.

After carefully laying her down on the table, Uncle Doc began examining her, his face tense and still but betraying nothing. The girls stood helplessly to the side, already fearing the worst.

At last he sighed deeply and sat down beside the table. Looking up with sad, pain filled blue eyes, he focused on the despondent girls, clinging together in the corner.

"Rapunzel, Cindy? Do you know how to get to the Gypsy Camp from here?"

Both girls nodded.

"Good. I think I need Mother Sardinia's help, this is beyond my skill. I...I don't know what to do."

### ~~*~~

"This is a curse, the likes of which I have never seen. She is not dead, she is asleep. But it is the sleep of death, every day that passes she will fall in to a deeper sleep until one day she will be no more. But how long that will take, I do not know." The gypsy predicted helplessly.

She had rushed to the Rutherford cottage as soon as the girls had broken the news. Horrified and disturbed by the description of the curse, she had brought her oldest book of magic with her; an ancient and much coveted book that had been handed down through generations of highly trained gypsies. Although helpful, even that powerful book had not been able to identify either the crafter of the curse, or the means by which to break it.

"There must be something we can do?" Uncle Doc pleaded.

"Cornelius, I have no way of breaking a curse like this. This is not a simple poison or common trading curse, this is magic crafted by a Master. I shiver to think of what being could be so dark and malevolent, as to craft something this powerful and seemingly unbreakable."

"Are you saying that she is going to die?" He said quietly, pained stripping his voice of its natural timber.

"There might be a way to...preserve her...but not to wake her." She said slowly, an idea forming.

"Preserve her?" He whispered in confusion.

"I have heard of something called 'magic bubbles', they preserve the beings that have fallen prey to curses, keeping them in a stasis. If crafted properly, they can preserve a being for centuries leaving them absolutely untouched by the hands of time. I have never attempted such a thing, but if you desire, I will attempt to do so now." She offered, sitting down in the chair next to the sleeping teen.

This 'magical bubble' was an immensely difficult spell to craft; it would take her both time and vast amounts of energy. And that was only after she learned all she could about the process, for that she would have to consult some of the most powerful fairies in Lonstas. A daunting task to be sure, but she was willing to attempt it regardless. She had never seen a curse with a stronger signature; she had no idea how to begin to break it.

"It would buy us time." He agreed, thinking it over carefully.

"Yes, it would. But we will need everyone's help if we are to find the means to break this curse. We will need to hunt high and low, leave no stone unturned...I have no idea where to start." She whispered in wonderment.

"We will all work together. We will leave no _pebble_ unturned." He agreed locking eyes with the wise old gypsy.

### ~~*~~

Mercury waited by the appointed tree at the base of the Lonesome Forest. He had been thinking hard about sending word to Red and canceling this meeting but he hadn't known how. This meeting was held in near complete secrecy, only Snow and Leo knew about it, and that was because he was afraid he might just scoop Red up and runaway with her otherwise. He needed to be held accountable, it was safer for everyone that way. Now, more than ever since his emotions were running so very high on account of Snow's enchantment. It would take a lot of the self control he had been working so hard on to keep himself in check tonight he feared.

But how could he have sent word and broken the meeting, without endangering the beautiful Red?

Her scent. She was near. He felt a rush of blood to his head.

Then he saw her; standing in the moonlight, looking like a tender fairy princess. Her magnificent red hair cascading down over her shoulders in breathtaking curls; her red velvet traveling cloak fluttering around her long legs in the gentle breeze. Red, it was all he could see.

He watched her quietly for a few moments, as he hid in the shadows. He took those moments to breathe deeply and focus on control; she drove him mad.

Soundlessly he stepped out of the bushes and brushed her arm. She gasped and jumped back in fright.

"Don't be afraid, it's just me." He reassured in a quietly calm voice.

It sent shivers up her spine.

"I heard about your friend. I am so sorry, I didn't know her very well, but I liked what I did know. She was always very nice to me." It was the first thing she had thought of to say. It had seemed like a good idea to meet him at the time, but now that she was here alone with him she was suddenly very nervous. She looked anxiously over her shoulder.

He fell silent, it hurt to speak of Snow. He pulled her closer to him; she gasped again.

"Does anyone know you are meeting me?" He asked urgently. "Tell me the truth."

"GG-Gerta." She stammered. "My maid." It never even occurred to her to lie to him after one look in his eyes. They were so beautiful...and dangerous. Now, in retrospect she really was glad that she had told someone what she was going to do.

"Good. That's good." He nodded. "Are you afraid of me? You shouldn't be. I would protect you from absolutely anything and everything that would ever threaten you. I am far more than capable. Do you believe me?"

He began to steer her in to the forest, the sun was setting and the forest was alive with colour; he wanted more than anything to share it with her. Share the magic of his beloved forest, with his beloved.

She nodded; because she did believe him. And she knew she would see him again should he ask.

She hoped he would.

### ~~*~~

Leo sat on a chair beside Snow's bed, holding her small, pale hand in his. Cindy sat perched on a stool on the other side of the bed. People had been coming and going in this sick room for the past five days, but Leo and Cindy had been keeping a constant vigil, each lost in their own thoughts; each grieving for their Snow.

Cindy knew a loneliness that she had not felt since before Snow arrived in Turin. In some ways this was worse, because before Snow's arrival, Cindy didn't know what a best friend was. A _true_ best friend, as opposed to the rapid revolving door of friends that Cindy had grown accustomed to all of her life. Now she couldn't imagine any life without her.

Rapunzel and Manuel joined them every evening for a time, and Mercury constantly hovered close by as well. But it was Cindy and Leo that had to be coaxed away from her bedside to eat. Manuel spent much of his evenings going over all that could be learned from various underground sources, with regards to curses and the darker enchantments, but none of his sources had ever come across a curse such as this. Rapunzel spent countless hours going through medical books with Mercury and Uncle Doc to no avail. Day and night they could be found sitting on the floor in Doc's study poring over his medical documents.

The uncles ran around helping whomever they could wherever they could. A sadder bunch of little men was never seen. Even Uncle Happy couldn't seem to find the will to smile anymore. They brought flowers to Snow's bedside continually, until the room was overflowing. Cindy found a vase for every single bouquet; it kept her hands busy.

Leo, anger and pain colouring his voice, had commanded his soldiers to comb the countryside for anything Rylakian, any stories of Rylakian soldiers on Lonstasian ground. Anything that could point back to Rylak, but most of all he hoped that they could catch up to Rosalyn herself; she would pay for her crimes, Queen of Rylak or not...the peace they had held with Rylak for so long was perilously damaged, they were on the brink of war.

So for now they sat, in their usual places that morning; Leo sitting on Snow's left and holding her hand, while Cindy sat on a stool on her right when the door opened and Madame Morgada swept in with a terribly distraught looking Annette and Juliette trailing behind her. She stopped short in front of Snow's bed.

Snow lay there, her dark hair spilling out across the white silk pillow, her skin pale as milk and her lips pink as a rose. Her dark eyelashes so black against such pale skin, even in near death, Snow was beautiful. The Madame took a moment to take the scene in.

"Oh." She closed her eyes in apparent grief, her hand fluttered up to her brow. "How horrible. To see someone so young and promising fall prey to such evil. It breaks my heart."

The twins dutifully lowered their heads.

"The girls were so very close to the poor dear." She sniffed from behind a silk and lace kerchief, batting her false eyelashes. "I had to bring them by...we've had no news at home." With that she looked pointedly at Cindy.

"They were not!" Cindy exclaimed in surprise.

"Cinderella, how rude of you; did you honestly believe that you were Miss Rutherford's only friend? Typical behaviour from a spoiled teenager, always so caught up in their own life."

"She was my special friend." Sniffed Juliette, one had held up against her mouth.

"Mine too. I miss her already." Added Annette, who carefully wiped a nonexistent tear from her eye.

Prince Leonardo, ever the charming gentleman, felt terrible for Annette's apparent grief and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "There, there. We are working 'round the clock, we will find a way to break this curse; that I promise you."

Juliette and Cindy both looked on with hostile eyes, but each for a different reason. Juliette took a hitching breath and sniffed loudly, her shoulders shuddering dramatically. Leo, who hated to see any woman cry, immediately reached out with his other arm and hugged her close as well.

"I know, I know, it breaks my heart as well. I share your grief." He murmured softly.

"Oh pu-lease." Breathed Cindy as she rolled her eyes. She couldn't believe Leo was falling for this, for a smart guy sometimes he was just so dense when it came to female manipulations.

"How hard this must be for you, with the first ball of the season starting tomorrow night." The Madame remarked casually. "Perhaps that will serve to take your mind off of all of this unhappiness for a short time."

Leo let go of the twins after giving them both a soft pat on the back, quickly he looked up at the Madame. "I send my apologies but I will have to sit these first few balls out I am afraid. My brother Nickoli has just arrived for the holidays, so he will be making the Season's Toast in my place this year. I'm sure you understand."

"Nickoli." The Madame said slowly. "I have not seen him in years, not since he was a young boy."

Leo smiled. "I looked away for just a moment and he grew up. He just celebrated his eighteenth birthday last week, can you believe it? I understand that Crystallise is still trying to recover." He turned to Cindy. "I think the two of you would get along very well." He laughed at the thought.

Cindy blushed, which was a very rare thing for her to do. The Madame narrowed her eyes as she looked at the delicate blonde teen. Perched on a stool beside Snow, she was dainty and doll-like in comparison to the Madame's tall, sullen daughters. Even at the worst of times, Cindy was alive with a contagious energy that made most people seem dull in comparison.

Both Cindy and Leo were looking down at the comatose Snow, each wishing that she were awake and ready to make plans for the first ball, each for their own reasons; they both missed the cold calculating look that flashed in the Madame's steel gray eyes.

"Come along girls, it's getting late and there is much to do this evening." She said swiftly. "Your dear friend is in very capable hands."

"But mother, I can't bear to leave her." Wailed Annette.

"Annette, enough. You may visit her again soon." Madame said sharply.

Quickly recovering Annette smiled. "Of course mother."

The Madame turned to Cindy. "That means you too Cinderella."

"What?" Cindy looked up somewhat confused. She had been keeping a constant vigil beside Snow's bed since they had found her. Why ever would she leave now?

"I said, we have much to do this evening. With the staff on holiday, we all have to take part in the chores. If you want to go to the Ball tomorrow, you will have to finish your chores. I suggest you start sooner rather than later." The Madame said, annunciating every syllable carefully.

"The entire staff is on holiday?" Cindy asked incredulously. "Why on earth would my father send them all off at the same time? Has he lost his mind?"

"He didn't send them. I did." The Madame informed her, a slight smile pulling at the corners of her stained red lips. "After all that you put them through with the wedding, I am surprised they didn't quit weeks ago. It was all I could do to convince them to stay on until this holiday; did you really think they were helping you out of the kindness of their hearts? Silly little girl, now come, there isn't any time to waste; we all have a lot of work to accomplish, unless of course you don't want to go tomorrow night."

"You have got to be kidding." Cindy muttered as she reluctantly got up from the stool.

"Excuse me?" The Madame asked, ice in her eyes.

"Nothing." Cindy muttered again. "Hey Leo, if there is any change, please come and get me. Otherwise I'll be back as soon as I can."

"You can count on me." He replied. "I told Nickoli to look for the 'Wood Nymph' costume...that was a great idea. You'll look beautiful in it." Leo smiled at his friend. "Don't even think about missing the ball, I have this covered. She would be so angry with you."

Cindy smiled slightly, although she was still feeling somewhat resentful at being pulled away from her best friend's bedside. "Okay. See you tomorrow." She promised.

Leo smiled politely as they left and sat down on the chair beside the bed to hold Snow's pale cold hand again.

### ~~*~~

The Madame was certifiably insane. That's all Cindy knew, she had been steadily working down the list of chores for hours and it seemed she was no closer to finishing. Worse yet was the fact that both the twins had accomplished both of their lists and had retired to their beds to get some 'beauty sleep'. Cindy snorted to herself, they certainly needed it. Every time she thought about the fake concern and grief they had pretended to feel that day, she just burned. Snow was _her_ best friend, they _hated_ her. But Cindy knew well enough that it was all about looking good in front of Leo, a chance to interact with him. They believed that Snow would never awaken...and Leo would eventually rejoin the festivities. The Madame was placing her daughters directly in his path, and apparently that of Prince Nickoli as well. _Yeah_ , Cindy thought, _good luck with that_.

What if they were right and Snow never did wake? Cindy sat down hard. Covering her face with her soot stained hands, Cindy Vanholston began to cry. Cindy had only ever truly cried, and I mean big heaving sobs, twice in her life now. The first being when her mother had passed away, leaving a huge gaping hole in the little girl's heart that had never been filled. Caspian Vanholston was a wonderful father, a truly loving and doting father, but he failed miserably at replacing a fabulous mother; and Lorraina Vanholston had been a truly fabulous mother.

Exhausted and heartbroken, Cinderella Vanholston cried herself to sleep in the cinder box.

. ~~*~~

A cool hand reached down and lightly touched Leo on his shoulder. He awoke with a jerk, knocking the heavy medical book he had been scanning off the table next to him, he looked up in to Manuel's dark, weary eyes. Silently the vampire had crept up on him in the still of the night. He hadn't even noticed when he fell asleep, he had been watching Snow breathe...thankful for each rise and fall of her chest although the Doctor had informed him that she was breathing far too slowly and shallowly for his taste. She was barely alive. But she _was_ still alive and he clung to that.

"I have found some information that I find interesting." The vampire simply stated.

"Go on." The prince rubbed his eyes and sat up straight in his chair.

Just then the door opened and Uncle Doc burst in looking around wildly.

"I thought I heard a noise in here, I'm sorry I was worried that...never mind I was just worried." He explained when he saw that it was just Manuel and Leo in the room.

"I knocked the book down, I'm so sorry for disturbing you Doctor Rutherford." Leo reached down and picked the heavy book back up.

"Actually I am glad that you are here Doctor, you may find this information useful as well." Manuel informed them.

"Okay then." Uncle Doc said as he walked around the bed and sat down in the chair opposite Leo. "What is it Manuel?"

"As a vampire, I have a different sense of smell than either of you. I have noticed a certain scent, a signature scent I believe surrounding the Heir since she fell prey to the curse. I have exhausted many contacts in the underground magical community, and finally I came across one who had heard of such a thing before." He started.

The prince and the doctor were completely alert now as they hung on to Manuel's every word. Mercury's interview with Baba Yaga and the other crones of Turin had proven fruitless; Rapunzel had spent nearly every waking hour examining hundreds of documents and legends without finding anything of use. Manuel was their only hope left.

"There is a rumor, that a similar signature scent was believed to have occurred in Sarrilia over one hundred years ago, my source believed it to be the stamp of a legendary rogue fairy. My source also believes it was used against the Sarrilian Royal Family."

"That doesn't make any sense, the Royals disappeared, and Snow is still here." Leo negated.

"Perhaps it is a different curse, same maker." Doc suggested. He began to wonder how much of the rumoured malevolent Sarrilian fairy tale was true.

"Perhaps it is the same curse as well, just administered differently." Leo added.

"That was my assumption as well." Manuel replied. He had spent the last two days searching for anything that might aid them in breaking the curse, and although he had uncovered much he was still no closer to breaking it. He hated failure; it went against everything he believed in. So when the doctor asked him how his source said the curse might be broken, he was furious at himself for having to say that he didn't know.

"Well," Leo said with an exhausted shrug. "At least we can focus on Sarrilian legend and myth. Rapunzel will be glad to know her search can be narrowed down at least. I have never seen anyone read the way she does."

"Sarrilia comes up in many of our dealings. Doctor Rutherford, Rapunzel tells me that the elixir that was used to spare my life was created by an elvish healer from Sarrilia. Is that correct?"

"Swardish. Yes, that is correct. He will be overjoyed to hear that his elixir has passed its first trial. But I must warn you my friend, I am not convinced it was the elixir alone. There was the rain storm, the darkening of the sun...too many other factors to conclusively say that it was the elixir that spared you. I would not feel comfortable allowing you to risk yourself again."

Manuel smiled slightly at the good doctor's concern. "Neither would I."

They all looked down at the comatose teen.

"All curses can be broken." Leo whispered.

"Yes. Yes they can." Manuel quietly agreed.

### ~~*~~

The day couldn't have been worse, Cindy thought as she dragged her weary feet up the grand staircase, intent on soaking her aches and pains away in a hot bubble bath. Cherry blossom bubbles to be exact. She was going to bury herself in cherry blossom bubbles, she grinned just thinking about it. She deserved it.

She had awoken and quite nastily found herself in the cinder box that morning, the sound Juliette's nasally laugh made it worse...if that was even possible. It was a truly offensive sound, she wondered what adjectives Manuel would have used, he was very creative. She had been mortified though to have actually have fallen asleep there, on the floor in the soot and ashes. She looked down at her dress...ruined. Of course. And her hands? She had slivers and broken nails...that's when she got _really_ mad.

No one to make her breakfast. No one to make her lunch. The Madame and the twins had gone out for their meals, but not Cindy, no Cindy had to stay and finish her chores. She was going to have a talk with her father about this when he returned from Crystallise. She was tired, dirty and hungry. But she knew that a feast awaited her at the palace if she could just hold out. So she slaved her way through the list, just barely finishing with enough time to get ready for the ball. Mentally, she made a list of all she had to do in preparation of the costume ball as she took the recycling out. A tiny bud of excitement began to form in her chest.

On top of the overflowing recycling bin was a copy of the latest edition of the Lonstasian Eye. The Madame had indeed secured the coveted cover picture and she was resplendent in her original Cinderella V wedding dress, the Kingdom's much adored Crown Prince Leonardo posing next to her at her magnificent wedding. In the background Manuel looking every inch the vampire, danced elegantly with Rapunzel...

The bubble bath had felt amazing, and it did wonders toward reviving Cindy's tired soul. She had laid there in the hot bubbles, luxuriating in the scent and skin softening minerals till her own tender skin had puckered up. Finally she felt like she had washed away the soot and grime, and she decided she was ready to face the world. Well, her own small portion of it anyway. She had just returned to her bedroom when the door was suddenly flung open.

The Madame stood there with an exasperated and impatient look in her eye.

"Did you think I was joking?" She demanded. "Did you think I would let you go anyway, even if you didn't finish your chores? Really Cinderella, don't confuse me with your father, you do not have me wrapped around your finger the way you do him."

Cindy just stared at her.

"I did everything on your list, which might I add was considerably more than either Annette or Juliette." She replied as evenly as she could through gritted teeth.

"Of course it was, you know where everything is here. We have only been here less than a week. How your Father could have left us so early like this I will never understand, hopefully I can find it in my heart to forgive him. But you didn't finish your chores." The Madame held out the list.

Now Cindy knew very well that she had completed and crossed off every horrible item on that list, so she reached out and grabbed it from her stepmother. There at the bottom, written in fresh ink was 'sweep the wine cellar'.

"That wasn't there earlier." Cindy pointed out. "You just wrote that in."

"I wrote it in two hours ago." Corrected the Madame. "You would have seen it if you hadn't indulged in a two hour bubble bath."

"Oh come on! I've been slaving my butt off for a day and a half, on an empty stomach no less! I deserved that bath! It was your crappy idea to send away all of the staff at exactly the same time! Why am I getting punished? Own your mistakes.""

"Own yours Cinderella, and stop complaining. You could very well have made yourself something to eat, it's not my fault that you have been too spoiled to learn, you're more than old enough to have acquired that simple skill. Now I suggest you hurry and clean that cellar or you are not going to the ball tonight." She declared with a smile.

"Seriously? It's a dirt floor! You can't sweep it. It's dirt, what are you nuts? This is ridiculous, I need to get ready." Cindy turned her back on the Madame and opened one of her closets.

"You are not going to the ball tonight." The Madame said quietly behind her.

"That's what you think lady...what...where's my costume?" Cindy said in shock as she looked in on her empty closet. "And my shoes?"

"I told you the girls don't know where everything belongs yet." The Madame made a tssking sound.

"Where is my Wood Nymph costume?" Cindy had an edge to her voice that had never been there before.

"I wouldn't know, but it hardly matters since you are staying home to sweep the cellar." Her stepmother didn't even bother to hide the smile.

Cindy rushed the door, but The Madame had anticipated such a move and was just that much faster. She heard a lock click and looking down in horror she realised that her own fancy door knob had been replaced with a new shiny locking one.

She was locked in!

She kicked the door in frustration as she realised that she really wasn't going to the ball.

Something inside her told her that she _had_ to find a way to get to that ball...it was her destiny.

Just then a small ball of pale blue light entered in from her window. With wide eyes, Cindy watched it float towards her; she had a pretty good idea who it was and her heart leapt as a wild hope began to build. After all, how many girls had their very own fairy godmother.

### ~~*~~

Rapunzel sat on the floor in Uncle Doc's library. Her masses of silver blonde hair were pulled tightly back in a ponytail high on her head and falling over one shoulder, she rubbed her tired eyes and carefully opened another book of legends. She hoped she would find something, a clue, a footnote, any similarity to Snow's strange curse in one of the tales...and more importantly how to break the evil curse. She had hardly slept in the past few days, choosing instead to systematically go through every single book in Uncle Doc's collection of myths and legends.

She found she was becoming an expert on Evermore Lore. The tales, the legends...the myths...she remembered them all. Who would have thought, the girl hidden all alone in a cold stone tower would ever amass this much knowledge, and then she had to laugh, because all in all, it was quite useless knowledge. But she persevered, hoping she could find something useful, in any case, she could safely say from now on that she knew 'a little bit about a lot'.

Manuel watched her silently from the doorway; in his hand he held a dinner plate that Uncle Horst had asked, nay commanded him to tempt the girl with. Rapunzel had become so intent on her work, that not only had she forgone the ball, she regularly forgot to eat. Manuel studied her profile in silence; to him she was the most beautiful being in the world. Every time he saw her he was struck again by the depth of his feelings. He worried about her ceaselessly.

"There is a little man in the kitchen that has sworn to throw me out in to the sun if you do not eat this." He said as he passed the plate to her. "I do not believe he is bluffing."

She sighed. "I can't have that now; I am all out of the elixir." Even her laugh was tired, but she began to eat anyway. That eased him a little; he reached down and stroked her hair.

Sitting down of the floor beside her, he picked up one of the books and began to flip through it; this was something they could do together. So that's how they spent the evening. Sitting side by side companionably on the floor in Uncle Doc's study reading the legends of Evermore. It was a perfect evening...they were together.

### ~~*~~

Young Prince Nickoli dutifully danced and conversed with the "Wood Nymph' as requested by his brother. Although he found her acceptable, her long, wavy auburn hair was quite nice and she smelled rather good, she was also incredibly dull.

He let his mind wander, as he plotted out various revenge scenarios carried out against his brother Leonardo for insisting he entertain the increasingly tiresome girl, when suddenly the grand ballroom door opened and a dainty 'Blue Fairy' flitted in. All eyes were drawn to her, Nickoli instantly forgot all about his promise to his brother as all of his attention was suddenly caught by the girl in the Blue Fairy costume.

Her soft Blue Fairy costume sparkled and shone with every movement she made, her large iridescent wings seemed alive while she herself fairly crackled with spontaneous energy. He couldn't see her face, but he knew she would be beautiful; her jade green eyes danced with mirth as she gazed about the ballroom.

The dainty young girl with the dark, golden blonde curls and the laughing green eyes, happily accepted the carefree young prince's hand and with a somewhat dramatic sigh, she melted in to his arms and the band struck up again. As he held her close, he inhaled the delicate fragrance of fresh cherry blossoms...his favorite. He wondered who she was, but every time he dared to ask she merely laughed and flitted away from him. He found himself helplessly following her...

And so they _danced_ and _laughed_ all evening having a wonderful time and forgetting everyone else in the room; she understood all of his jokes and had many of her own. Her smile made him somewhat giddy and the entire Aristocracy of Turin watched in wonderment and perhaps more than a tinge of resentment as the anonymous Blue Fairy and the prince became more and more spellbound by each other, but as the clock struck midnight the little Blue Fairy raced out of the palace in apparent terror. Prince Nickoli had followed her out, promising to protect her from whatever it was that terrified her so; he begged her for her name...he was desperate to see her again, but she refused to tell him a thing, and just like that she disappeared swiftly in to the night.

All he had was the glass slipper that had fallen off of her foot as she skipped down the stairs in her mad dash.

He decided right then and there, he was going to find her; he would use this delicate glass slipper to identify her. She was all he could think about.

### ~~*~~

Three very important things happened that next morning at precisely the same time.

The first concerned Cindy.

Cindy was quietly sitting on the edge of the town Wishing Well in those early hours that morning, trying very hard to process the events of last night. The Madame and her ugly stepsisters had returned home from the ball quite late, complaining loudly about the mystery girl that had stolen Prince Nickoli's attention all evening. And just when it had looked so promising for Juliette too, her stepmother whispered fiercely; the Madame vowed to find out who this mystery girl was...and destroy her. Cindy shivered involuntarily.

Cindy begged the Madame to let her out so she could make herself something to eat, and the Madame had tiredly relented and unlocked the door. Grabbing some bread and cheese from the fridge Cindy waited until she heard the terrible trio turn in for the night before grabbing her coat and leaving herself.

Now she found herself sitting on the edge of the Well, wanting more than anything in the world to talk to Snow. Only a best friend could understand the predicament she found herself in that morning. Her fairy godmother, Lailie had arrived right in the nick of time, and with a rather flamboyant bibbity bob of her wand, transformed Cindy from a tired and bedraggled angry, teen in to a beautifully costumed, enchanting young lady. Cindy had arrived at the ball in full Blue Fairy costume and spent the evening delightedly flirting with Leo's younger brother Prince Nickoli. Now Cindy, supposedly under lock and key was forbidden from revealing her true identity, and especially seeing as the stepmother had sworn vengeance on the mystery girl...well Cindy found herself in quite the predicament. And worse yet, she had lost one of the enchanted glass slippers Lailie had dressed her in, she now hid the remaining slipper deep in her bag. If there was ever a time when she needed a best friend, it was now and if there was anything, anything in the world that she could do that would bring her friend back she would do it in a heartbeat. There was no price she wouldn't pay, no treasure she wouldn't gladly give up.

Now, if she could wish for anything in the world, if this 'magic Wishing Well' was actually the real deal, if her wish would actually come true it...it wouldn't be for the Madame to run away or even for her to treat Cindy better. It wouldn't be for Prince Nickoli to fall in love with her and take her away from all of this, and it wouldn't be for her life to magically return to the way it was before her mother had died.

"No," She sobbed. "I wouldn't wish for any of that. I just want Snowy to be okay. That's all that matters anymore. We all need Snow, and she needs us." She sobbed, feeling completely helpless to save her friend.

And as she sobbed a few stray tears snaked their way down her sweet cheeks and were caught up in the early morning breeze. The capricious breeze that had caught them, just as easily released them and they found their way down in to the Wishing Well water.

### ~~*~~

Across worlds on the Neutral Plane.

The Oracle was sitting cross legged, looking deeply into his viewing pool. The Muse, Sybil paced back and forth behind him anxiously; her long white boots were soundless against the thick green carpet of grass as she strode.

"Are you going to help them?" She asked in her soft, sweet voice, dropping down to sit beside him.

The Oracle smiled his big beautiful wide smile and shook his crazy blonde mane. "I don't need to luv, they got this one all figured out already, all they needed was a push. Look here." He pointed to something in the pool.

Sybil leaned over his shoulder, and what she saw made her smile as well. The Oracle squeezed her hand affectionately and they gazed deep in to the pool together.

### ~~*~~

And lastly, in the Rutherford Cottage, at Snow's bedside.

"Aw White." Prince Leonardo Charming sighed. Her hand was so cold in his, her breathing was even slower if you could imagine. His heart felt like ice, it hurt to breathe; he knew she wouldn't last long.

During the course of his days and nights spent sitting by Snow's side, he had come to realise a few very important things. The first being that he cared about Snow; really cared about her, he had barely left her side in days. If he had to pick the moment when he first subconsciously discovered it, he would have to say that morning on the road with Mercury. That dusty country road, how the sun had shone in the sky, even the air had smelled wonderful. He would always love that road. But maybe it went further back than that, that night in Crystallise at the palace, he had felt such a kinship with her, little had he know that she was the Rylakian Heir. He could have stood out on that terrace for hours listening to the breeze with her. Or maybe it had been the night they had all had dinner, when she had shown such remarkable insight. Maybe he was just supposed to care about her, maybe she was...it hurt to finish the thought.

The second thing he had realised was that he should have kissed her that night after the wedding. He'd meant to, was just about to in fact, but didn't. Now he never would. At the time it just seemed like the thing to do; now it was the only thing he _wanted_ to do.

He buried his head in her cold hands. He had spent days at her bedside; they would have to drag him away when she passed.

"A prince and an exiled princess...the Rylakian Heir. It _would_ have been an unstoppable combination." He raggedly whispered.

Slowly Prince Charming leaned in and kissed Snow White softly on her rose pink lips.

Snow's large dark eyes snapped open.

EPILOGUE

"War is coming, whether you like it or not. You had better decide which side you are on." Gabriel sighed heavily. He leaned against the crystal gargoyle as he regarded his brother.

"The equality movement..." Manuel searched; he ran a hand through his dark, shiny mane, silently wishing there was more he could say. In a hundred years, that is all he had accomplished.

"Too little too late. Lonstas may be relatively peaceful as of yet, but the revolution that is hitting Devon as we speak is going to make its way down here, and soon. You have done your best Manuel; no one knows that more than I, but it is unavoidable. I suggest you detach yourself from the humans now while you still can."

"We are wise but we are warriors. I have to try." Manuel sounded weary, but not yet defeated as he shrugged his shoulders; his beautiful dark eyes searched his brother's sky blue ones

"As would we all, but in the end we would lose for sheer numbers." Gabriel's angelic face showed no emotion.

"So you have made your decision then."

About The Author:

Caroline Metzlaff lives with her boyfriend, their son and four cats in Winnipeg, Manitoba. She divides her time between bartending at her favorite local bar, raising her small son, attending live concerts and of course...writing.

Look for **Evermore: Snow Falls,** a prequel novella...before Snow fled...she fell.

And the story continues in **Evermore: The Secret of Sarrilia** coming soon!

'Like' us on Facebook, under 'Tales of Evermore'. See you all again soon!
