Snow stared up at her, uncomprehending, but Rose handed her a hunting knife.
“Cut his beard, Snow. The fairy is bound to know what she's doing.”
Snow obeyed. With trembling fingers she scraped his face clean as best she could. He looked so young without his beard. Tears rolled over her cheeks. She swallowed when Adele's hand squeezed her shoulder.
“He is special,” Snow whispered.
The fairy agreed. “He used his last few wishes to ease the life of others and never thought about himself for a second. He could have used the magic I gave him to make himself handsome or to heal his injuries, but that never even occurred to him. He'll make you a good husband.”
“He will?” Snow grabbed her hand.
The fairy shrugged and said, “Look.”
Snow turned to Martin. His eyelids fluttered and opened. For a moment, he stared at the sky. Then his gaze focused on Snow.
“My love.” He sat up, his pain forgotten. Snow put her arms around him, intending to never let him go again.
“I thought he was dying,” Adele said.
The fairy twirled and magic sparkled all around her. “The Fairy Godmothering Guidelines leave it to a fairy's judgment to reward those who are worthy. And he did manage to give me back all my magic.”
“What about my father?” Bear had tied Rose's mantle around his hips and crouched beside the terribly bruised, unconscious form of the king.
“He'll survive, but he'll take some time to heal. Long enough to forget about his gold.” The fairy giggled. “Martin made sure he'll never be able to call me again. His kingdom is as safe as he wished, and Martin has found the love of his life. What more can a Fairy Godmother ask for?” Twirling and dancing, she said, “I am glad this turned into a Happy Ever After, although it didn't look very likely for a while.”
“Well,” Rose said with a smirk suggesting she was up to something. “Can we get a reward too?”
The fairy stopped, cocked her head, and frowned.
“What would you want?”
Rose looked up at the prince. He kissed her gently. Then she turned back to the fairy. “Promise that not a single fairy will come to the christening of Snow's or my children.”
The End
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Bonus Story: Snow White's Father
On Anna's eleventh birthday, the king decided to personally teach his daughter. It was time he became acquainted with his heiress. Till now, she had grown up in the care of a nurse which he had dismissed a few days ago. Therefore, the child with the pale skin and the pitch-black hair was a stranger to him. Governing the country, journeys, campaigns and celebrations for the royal household had kept him too busy.
“Fetch my daughter,” he ordered. “I want to dine with her.”
The valet strode to the royal advisor who, in turn, hurried to the princess' chambermaid and informed her about the king's wish. The chambermaid paled and burst into tears. It took the advisor some time to calm her.
“The princess disappeared yesterday,” she stammered when asked.
Worried, the advisor informed the king, who immediately called the guards.
“Search the castle. The princess must be found.”
The captain of the guard put to use every person he could get hold of. Like busy ants, guards, servants, maids, and even ladies-in-waiting and noblemen buzzed through the corridors of the castle, but Princess Anna remained untraceable.
Impatient, the king was close to throwing the captain into the dungeons when the queen entered the throne room. The monarch sighed. His second wife had the rare gift to interrupt important moments with negligibilities.
“The dearest spouse,” she said. “Anna's disappearance is my fault.”
“What? Why?” The king stood up.
“I received a new piece of equipment for my magical collection yesterday — The Box of Disappearance. Of course, I immediately tried it, and Anna was so kind as to assist me.”
“Assist?” the king echoed.
“She stepped into the box and disappeared just as promised. However, when I tried to fetch her back, the box was empty.”
“Why didn't you inform me immediately? She is my child. My heiress!”
“I had hoped the hunter would find her before the birthday dinner.”
The king looked at his advisor. “Call the hunter!” He then addressed his wife again. “Why didn't you send the guards?”
“The hunter has much more experience in tracking.”
The king slumped back on the throne and pulled at his hair until his crown slipped. At that moment, the hunter entered the hall, strode to the throne, and bowed. The king waved his hand.
“Tell me, where is the princess?”
“Your Majesty, Princess Anna went into the woods. Unfortunately, her tracks have been erased so thoroughly that not even the dogs found them.”
“Does this mean my only heiress disappeared without trace?”
The advisor put a hand on the king's arm. “We will find a different way to discover her whereabouts.”
“Oh, I know!” The queen clapped her hands. All eyes focused on her. “We can ask my magic mirror. He always tells the truth. I have tested it thoroughly.”
The king agreed reluctantly. The whole magic stuff his wife was so fond of felt strange to him. Even more reluctantly, he followed his wife, his advisor, and the hunter to the room with the magic equipment. The queen drew aside a velvet curtain, and a mirror appeared, framed in gilded wood. The king walked to and fro restlessly and watched his wife pose in front of the mirror.
“Hurry up,” he urged.
The queen frowned at him and cleared her throat. “Mirror, mirror, on the wall, where is the princess, fairest of all?”
The mirror answered without hesitating.
“Oh, Queen, in thy country she won't be.
“Past seven hills to where the seven dwarfs dwell,
“your Snow White is happy, alive, and still well,
“And no one is half as fair as she.”
“Snow White?” The king's eyebrows shot up.
“Her nurse's boys call her that,” the advisor said.
“What nonsense.” A vein swelled at the king's forehead. “Who are the seven dwarves and where do we find seven hills? My empire is as flat as the queen's chest.”
“Dear husband, no insults!”
“You forgot Woodcorner Country, Your Majesty,” the hunter said and bowed once more. “Anna knows it well. Her nurse has a cottage there.”
“A cottage, well, well.” The king hurried to the door. “What are we waiting for? Saddle the horses. We'll pay a visit to the nurse.”
A little later, he galloped through the streets of the capital on his white battle horse. In front of him rode the captain of the guard with two of his best men, and the advisor and the hunter followed him. In front of the nurse's house, the two guards jumped off their horses and banged on the door with their fists.
“I'm coming. Don't break down my house,” a warm alto voice called. A plump, middle-aged woman opened. When she recognized the king, she sank into a deep curtsey. “What can I do for you, Your Majesty?”
“What have you done with my daughter?” the king's voice thundered.
“I have not seen the princess since my dismissal.” Trembling, the nurse straightened up.
The king opened his mouth to ask further questions, but his advisor interrupted him. He had never dared to do that before. The king turned but held back his anger when he noticed the advisor's excitement.
“Your Majesty,” he cried and pointed to a nameplate on the doorpost. “Remember what the mirror said? Past seven hills to where the seven dwarfs dwell!”
“So?”
“The nurse has seven sons, her surname is Dwarf, and she has a house in the hills.” The king stared
at his advisor, open-mouthed. Then he turned his horse and called to the guards, “Mount. Hurry! And bring along the nurse.”
In the late afternoon, the exhausted horses trudged onto a clearing with a small, half-timbered and thatched house. The hills rose over the treetops, and a brook wound through the meadow. When the riders approached the bridge, the door of the cottage opened and Princess Anna stepped out. Relieved, the king held out his hands. Anna raised a crossbow and aimed.
“Leave this place or I'll shoot. I will not come with you under any circumstances.”
Wide-eyed and frozen, the king stared at his daughter and forgot to stop his horse. The quarrel missed him by inches. The advisor grabbed the battle horse's reins and pulled it along into the cover of the woods.
When everyone had digested the shock, they discussed the situation.
“We have to drug the princess. Then we can carry her off in her sleep,” the hunter said.
“Good idea, but where do we get a sleeping pill and how do we make her swallow it?” the captain asked.
The advisor had the answer.
“Since I always sleep badly, I carry pills with me. Also, I saw an apple tree a little ways back. One of us would have to exchange clothes with Ms. Dwarf, and we might be able to outwit the princess.”
The two guards rode back and returned a little later with a bag of apples. The advisor prepared a rosy-cheeked fruit. Then the haggling began about who would have to wear a woman's clothing. It turned out that the person least familiar to Princess Anna was her father. The king fought strongly against the disguise. His advisor talked with him until nightfall before he grudgingly slipped into the nurse's dress.
“I look ridiculous.” The king straightened the skirt. “What is if she notices?”
The advisor tied a headscarf around his face to conceal the stubble.
“She will hardly see you in the moonlight.”
With his heart fluttering like a caged bird, the king took the bag with the apples, made sure that the treated one lay on top, and stepped out into the clearing. It wasn't far to the house. He knocked at the window and the princess opened, bringing with her the smell of hot soup. The king's stomach growled.
“Fair maid, I am thirsty. Could you spare a little water?” He pitched his voice high and murmured to disguise it.
“With pleasure, Grandmother.” The princess hurried to fetch a cup of water. “Would you like to come in?”
The king shook his head and drank. “I have a long way to go today, still, beautiful maid. However, thank you for the offer. May I gift you one of my apples as a parting present?”
He took the treated apple from the bag and held it out to his daughter.
Smiling, the princess took it. “I love apples.”
The king watched Anna bite into the apple and sink to the ground. Although surprised that the medicine worked so fast, he vaulted into the dim inside of the house. A little lantern and the fire in the hearth were the only illumination in the room. Seven heads around the table shot up. The sons of Ms. Dwarf stared at him, wide-eyed.
“Scoundrels! I'll teach you to kidnap my Anna.”
“We didn't ask her to come, Mama. She followed us,” the youngest dwarf said. At this moment, the advisor entered. He did some fast talking to explain to the boys why the king was wearing their mother's clothes. When they understood, they agreed to carry the princess to the horses. Cautiously, they picked her up but jumped back gasping when Anna leapt to her feet. She spat out the apple piece and snatched up her crossbow.
“Did you really think I wouldn't recognize my own father?”
The king knew he had lost. His shoulders slumped as he looked at his daughter.
“Why don't you want to come home?”
“You, of all people, have to ask? It was you who dismissed Nana.”
“Nana?”
“My nurse … the only mother I've ever known.”
“Is that all?” The king slapped his forehead. “The nurse is hereby hired again. If you want, she can even bring her boys. But you have to come with us.”
“Swear upon your honor,” the princess insisted.
The king ground his teeth. How dare she doubt his word? He wouldn't break it under any circumstances. He opened his mouth to protest when he noticed her sparkling eyes. Like a lightning strike he realized that his daughter resembled him a lot. With a sigh, he gave in. No matter how hard the words of the oath were, his daughter was more important than his sense of honor.
Princess Anna hugged the dwarves and made them promise to visit the castle soon. Then she left the house with her head held high.
The king nodded at the boys once more and left. He said to his advisor, “I don't want the populace to know why my daughter disappeared.”
“Naturally, Your Majesty.”
The king scratched his beard. “How will we prevent rumors?”
“You will have to give an official statement,” the advisor suggested. “I will adapt the facts a little to make you the hero of this tale. I am sure your people will believe you.”
“Very well,” the king said, his thoughts already on the government business he left behind. “I will trust you with this, dear Grimm.”
The End
The Next Book in the Series
Once upon a time in a world where magic and technology collide with unexpected consequences…
Even with her powers as a witch, Isabel cannot find a trace of her stepchildren. Desperate, she crosses the Old Forest, filled with as much malignant as benevolent magic, to reach the distant mountain kingdom she left as a young girl when her magical powers manifested. She soon realizes that a sinister creature holds the unsuspecting kingdom in thrall. It will take all she's able to give to save her children and the kingdom she once loved.
What if the Brothers Grimm painted a wrong portrait of the stepmother in the original tale of “Little Brother, Little Sister”?
The book includes a bonus story and the original fairy tale.
Get it on Amazon
Please turn the page for the main story's original fairy tale.
The Original: Snow White and Rose Red
by the Brothers Grimm
There was once a poor widow who lived in a lonely cottage. In front of the cottage was a garden wherein stood two rose-trees, one of which bore white and the other red roses. She had two children who were like the two rose-trees, and one was called Snow-white, and the other Rose-red. They were as good and happy, as busy and cheerful as ever two children in the world were, only Snow-white was more quiet and gentle than Rose-red. Rose-red liked better to run about in the meadows and fields seeking flowers and catching butterflies; but Snow-white sat at home with her mother, and helped her with her house-work, or read to her when there was nothing to do.
The two children were so fond of each another that they always held each other by the hand when they went out together, and when Snowwhite said, “We will not leave each other,” Rose-red answered, “Never so long as we live,” and their mother would add, “What one has she must share with the other.”
They often ran about the forest alone and gathered red berries, and no beasts did them any harm, but came close to them trustfully. The little hare would eat a cabbage-leaf out of their hands, the roe grazed by their side, the stag leapt merrily by them, and the birds sat still upon the boughs, and sang whatever they knew.
No mishap overtook them; if they had stayed too late in the forest, and night came on, they laid themselves down near one another upon the moss, and slept until morning came, and their mother knew this and had no distress on their account.
Once when they had spent the night in the wood and the dawn had roused them, they saw a beautiful child in a shining white dress sitting near their bed. He got up and looked quite kindly at them, but said nothing and went away into the forest. And when they looked round they found that they had been sleeping quite close to a precipice, and would certainly have fallen into it in the darkness if they had gone only a few
paces further. And their mother told them that it must have been the angel who watches over good children.
Snow-white and Rose-red kept their mother’s little cottage so neat that it was a pleasure to look inside it. In the summer Rose-red took care of the house, and every morning laid a wreath of flowers by her mother’s bed before she awoke, in which was a rose from each tree. In the winter Snow-white lit the fire and hung the kettle on the wrekin. The kettle was of copper and shone like gold, so brightly was it polished. In the evening, when the snowflakes fell, the mother said, “Go, Snow-white, and bolt the door,” and then they sat round the hearth, and the mother took her spectacles and read aloud out of a large book, and the two girls listened as they sat and span. And close by them lay a lamb upon the floor, and behind them upon a perch sat a white dove with its head hidden beneath its wings.
One evening, as they were thus sitting comfortably together, some one knocked at the door as if he wished to be let in. The mother said, “Quick, Rose-red, open the door, it must be a traveller who is seeking shelter.” Rose-red went and pushed back the bolt, thinking that it was a poor man, but it was not; it was a bear that stretched his broad, black head within the door.
Rose-red screamed and sprang back, the lamb bleated, the dove fluttered, and Snow-white hid herself behind her mother’s bed. But the bear began to speak and said, “Do not be afraid, I will do you no harm! I am half-frozen, and only want to warm myself a little beside you.”
“Poor bear,” said the mother, “lie down by the fire, only take care that you do not burn your coat.” Then she cried, “Snow-white, Rose-red, come out, the bear will do you no harm, he means well.” So they both came out, and by-and-by the lamb and dove came nearer, and were not afraid of him. The bear said, “Here, children, knock the snow out of my coat a little;” so they brought the broom and swept the bear’s hide clean; and he stretched himself by the fire and growled contentedly and comfortably. It was not long before they grew quite at home, and played tricks with their clumsy guest. They tugged his hair with their hands, put their feet upon his back and rolled him about, or they took a hazel-switch and beat him, and when he growled they laughed. But the bear took it all in good part, only when they were too rough he called out, “Leave me alive, children, “Snowy-white, Rosy-red, Will you beat your lover dead?”
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