Chapters (18)
Dreamy waited until the horses had been spurred on, and the roll of the carriage’s wheels was no longer audible, before he allowed his legs to give way beneath him. He sat trembling on a tree stump, his breathing ragged and harsh. For a while he thought perhaps that they might come back – that this was an elaborate ruse to lull him into a sense of calm only to return, declare him a traitor and drag him to the dungeons – but no wheels or horses returned and as his panic finally left him and his skin cooled, Dreamy knew what he had to do. There was no time to wait for the others. Their shift wouldn’t be finished for many long hours yet, and by then anything could have happened. The ravens might spy Snow White from above or – and although it was a terrible thought he knew it was possible – one of their own kind might betray them. They’d kept Snow White a secret, but all the dwarves knew that his team were her favourites.
As soon as his legs were steady he went up to the mound, fighting the urge to run and instead moving cautiously, checking around him for signs of soldiers or spies. The dense forest, however, was empty and each of his own footsteps was too loud as he made his way along the familiar route and up to the sunny peak.
The prince was sitting with his head bowed as Dreamy arrived. He didn’t look over, but continued to stare at the beautiful face within the glass coffin.
‘I know you all want me to go,’ he said. ‘And I should go. For all your sakes. But I can’t. I can’t leave her.’ A single tear trickled down his perfect face. ‘I think it would kill me.’
‘You have to take her with you,’ Dreamy said. ‘You have to take her back to your kingdom.’
‘What?’ The prince looked up.
‘I’ll come with you to the border. She’s not safe here.’
‘But your kingdom and mine . . .’
‘I know,’ Dreamy said. There was a war between them. Of course. He had been naïve. Not anymore. Dreamy was growing up fast today. ‘But you must keep her safe until her father returns. Until we can figure out what the curse is and how to lift it.’
‘And then I will marry her and our two kingdoms will be unified at last.’ The prince’s shoulders were straightening already.
‘I’ll prepare the cart,’ Dreamy said. ‘The Queen’s Guard are searching the dwarf cottages. If we move now and stay away from those paths then we have a chance of getting out of the forest and away from the clutches of the castle by nightfall. But we have to move now.’
