Through the Mirror and Into Snow

by Ann T Bugg

“Thank you so much for the ride, Wilhelm. We can find my servants from here,” Snow said, once they arrived in town.

  “If you say so, Your Highness.” Again, he bowed to her from his seat. “Enjoy the party tonight.”

  “Oh, we will. Thank you.”

  As soon as they got off the wagon, the girls pulled Snow aside.

  “That was a good save. Do you really have an aunt here that had a baby, or did we just get lucky?”

  “My father does have a sister. I knew their kingdom wasn’t too far away and that they were due to have a baby recently. So, I guess I did just get lucky. I wasn’t certain we were in the same town.”

  “We probably got turned around a bit in the forest,” Val said.

  “Probably, but I was really young last time I was here. Nothing looks familiar.”

  “You did say your stepmother didn’t let you out much,” Sam added.

  “That too. Anyway, the baby really was great news for my aunt and uncle. For years they’d wanted a child, and now their dream has finally come true. You may think this is strange, but my aunt actually told my father that a frog visited her.”

  “That’s really cool,” Val said.

  Samantha gave a shiver as her response. She was not fond of slimy creatures like Val was.

  “Well, the frog told my aunt that she was going to have a child, and not to be sad anymore.” Valerie remembered a story about this, but she couldn’t place her finger on it. “My uncle thought she was making the story up to feel better but she was so happy with the news, no one made fun of her. From the looks of the commotion in town and from what Wilhelm said, I guess tonight is the party for the baby.”

  “Maybe your dad is here, Snow,” Sam said. “He wouldn’t miss his niece’s party, would he?”

  “He would if he was off with the crusades. There’s no way he’d leave his men to join a party. My aunt, the queen, would be pleased to see me, but I can’t go to her. She wouldn’t expect my stepmother to show, and she would certainly know I wouldn’t be here alone. We’d better stay out of sight. You should put a rope of some sort on Otter, Val, or they’ll think she’s a stray.”

  “That’s probably a good idea. I’ll go find something.”

  “I’ll go over to that fruit stand and see what time things are going to start tonight. Maybe we can find something to wear so we can blend in with everyone and sneak something to eat while everyone is busy with the festivities. We need to find somewhere to sleep tonight, too. Maybe one of the servants has a kind heart and somewhere we can stay.” Snow wandered toward the stand.

  “She really is a great person, Val.”

  “I know. I like her a lot.”

  “I wish she could come back with us.”

  “She can’t, Samantha. She has to stay and live happily ever after with the prince, remember?”

  “I know. It’s just that you always wanted a sister and right now, she has nowhere to go.”

  “We’ll find a way to help her get back to her dad. She’ll be okay.”

  “I hope so. Hey, this will make a decent leash.” Samantha bent down and picked up a long piece of twine that had been discarded. “Let’s go find Snow and get to that party. I’m starved. I didn’t like that jerky too much.”

  “I swear, Samantha, you are the pickiest person I know.”

  "You're a fine one to talk," Sam said, punching her on the arm.

  They ran over to look for Snow, but couldn’t find her right away. Panic was about to set in, but they relaxed again when she came out from behind one of the carts and hurried over to them.

  “That woman was very nice. I told her that our clothes got lost on our trip and all we had were our night things. Her daughter became ill a few months ago and passed away. She couldn’t bring herself to get rid of her clothes, and was very happy to be of help to us. I told her we were orphans. She’s a very kind lady. I hope I can return and do something nice for her someday.”

  “Can we please take a minute to go thank her?” asked Samantha.

  “Of course, then we must get going. It’s still a little bit of a walk to the castle.”

  The girls turned around to go to the stand where Snow pointed, but to their surprise it was gone.

  “Where did it go?” asked Valerie.

  “I don’t know. How did she disappear so fast?”

  They turned back to Snow without uttering a word about the missing woman, and went into the forest to change their clothes.

  Dressing in this time was a challenge. The clothes had no zippers or buttons. Instead, they had ties on very loose-fitting dresses. The underwear was almost as large as the dresses themselves. The peddler woman had given them simple leather shoes that held at the top with a tie. The girls were close in size. The shoes were a pretty good fit, and a much better choice to help Sam and Val blend in than the shoes they were wearing. Sam’s boots with the large tread, especially, were far too modern. Snow was particularly happy to no longer go barefoot.

  “It’s a good thing we don’t have our Heeleys, Val. Those would really stand out,” Sam whispered so Snow wouldn’t overhear.

  Val laughed. “Can you imagine seeing Little Boy Blue go by in those?”

  “What are you two laughing about?” Snow asked.

  “Nothing. I was just saying we’d better hide these.”

  “Good idea.”

  Val and Sam found a large tree that had fallen over. They tucked their shoes and clothes in a hole, then stuffed the flashlights in there with them. The girls hated to leave them, but they’d rather not have any strange objects with them if they were caught by someone and questioned. History told too many stories about how people reacted to things they didn’t understand. The last thing they needed was to invite trouble and be accused of being witches.

  “This was really a surprise,” said Snow. “Peasants are lucky to have one pair of shoes. This woman must have made them herself for her daughter to have three pairs. Good thing we’re so close in size.”

  Samantha piped in, “I have seventeen pairs of shoes at home.”

  “Seventeen pairs! Are you sure you aren’t a princess?”

  “I’m sure. My mom is what Val’s mom calls a ‘shop-a-holic.’”

  “A what?”

  “Never mind. It’s just something silly between them.”

  Val whispered to Sam. “We have to try to remember to watch our lingo.” She turned back to Snow. “I’ve been thinking. Maybe we should talk to your aunt. I’m sure she has people who could help us find your dad. You’d be safe here while they look for him.”

  “Maybe you’re right. Let’s slip in and join the celebration. We can get something to eat first, then we can make a plan.”

 

  Chapter 9