Chapters 111 through 120

It was after 1AM and Snow prepared for Ophelia’s transformation back into a horse there in the barn. Karen had left with her some extra medical supplies, as her wing may need additional bandaging, being bigger than a human arm. Her legs had been fine as a horse, but her broken wing had transferred to her arm in her human form. “Curious…”, Snow thought. She was getting so sleepy, and with Ophelia peacefully out from the pain medicine, Snow decided it’d be OK to snooze for a while.

It was almost 3AM when she awoke. When she looked at her watch that Jenn had brought back for her last year, she jumped with a start to see that Ophelia was still in human form. Her astonished stare found Ophelia awake and grinning at her reaction,
“Surprise!” She whispered, still groggy from the medicine.
Snow shook her head as she pulled her chair closer, “I don’t understand…it’s way past time for…”
Ophelia nodded and began softly, “Yes, I know. I have been waiting for it to begin.”
Snow looked at her perplexed as the pale woman with the amethyst eyes continued, “During this moon, or month as you would call it here in your village, this world is catching up with the Red Planet, or Mars as it was later named. In 5,000 years, Mars has not been so close to this world…Earth as it were. “ Ophelia stopped to take another much needed deep breath. “Jupiter’s gravity tugs on Mars and perturbs its orbit. During this month, Mars will appear bigger and brighter than ever…or will ever in this lifetime…for maybe another 5,000 years or more. Because of this alignment, I will remain human for the remainder of this cycle…it will only be for this moon. Then everything will go back to the way it was before.”
Snow’s eyes lit up, “So you can be amongst us for a month! Oh Ophelia, we have to get you better so you can enjoy your time as a human!”
Ophelia smiled…a glint of a tear forming in her eye, “Yes…I have always wanted to be able to feel the sunlight on my face as a woman rather than a horse.”
Snow jumped up, “We have to get you back to the surgery…then Karen can take proper care of you…when she wakes up that is. I’ll go get Mike to help us.”
Snow tore out of the barn and toward her cabin. Mike jumped as she slammed the door. She then cupped her mouth in regret, “Oh Mike…I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to let the door slam.”
“It’s OK…” Mike sighed as he caught his breath, “You’re the only person I wouldn’t be pounding to the floor right now.”
“I need your help.” Snow said timidly as Mike threw his legs over the side of the bed.
Mike’s lips turned up into a grin, “Really?” he asked in a teasing voice, ”Well, what did you have in mind?”
Suddenly feeling guilty for abandoning her husband just after their recent reunion, Snow pouted. Mike always was able to practically read her thoughts, as he came and put his arm around her, “I’m only joking…wishful thinking really. But seriously, what is it?”
“Ophelia…she’s still human! She said something like because of the way Mars is currently aligned with Earth…or was it Jupiter? Anyway, she will be able to stay a human for a month! I need your help so we can get her back to the surgery. She won’t need to stay in barn now, obviously.”

Mike carried the small woman back to the surgery. They were careful to stay quiet…Karen didn’t need any more interruptions for the night.
“Oh no…” Ophelia said with an effort, “Snow, you march right home with your husband! I’m a big girl…I don’t need a babysitter. Mike needs you more than I…isn’t that right Mike?”
He sputtered, “Er…well, Ophelia, we want to be sure you’re alright. Snow can stay with you…it’s alright.”
Ophelia tried to whisper with a stern voice, “I won’t hear of it. Go home Princess! And that’s an order!”
Snow kissed Ophelia on the forehead and she and Mike walked outside quietly. Immediately, Snow threw her arms around Mike and hugged him tightly.
“Wow, this is nice…what was that for?”
Snow pulled back and looked lovingly at her prince, “For being so kind and patient about this whole thing. Ophelia will be able to join in with human activities, and it wouldn’t have been possible without you. In fact, she could be dead right now.”
Mike touched her cheek softly, “You really care for her.”
Snow nodded, then again hugged him tightly. She enjoyed the feeling of his strong arms wrapped around her and the warmth of his chest against her cheek. He kissed her atop her head and she reached up and kissed his lips. She then pulled him into a longer kiss. He chucked as he pulled back slightly, “Maybe it’d be best to wait till we get back to the cabin for this.”
Snow cooed, “Then we best hurry…I’m not as patient a person as you are!”

Regardless of the sleepless night with Ophelia…and other things…Snow awoke refreshed and joyful. She kissed Mike while he was off to start the breakfast as she decided to stroll by the surgery and pop in on Ophelia. She found her friend still asleep. “She had a long night, “ Snow thought. Not wishing to disturb the woman, Snow had an agenda of her own that day. These black crow attacks had to stop. Margurite was Snow’s enemy…and Snow’s alone. She was certainly not going to stand by while her stepmother hurt the people she cared about…animal form or not.
With planks of wood she found here and there and a rubber belt from Rebecca’s old truck, she fashioned a large slingshot type contraption. Seeing Snow with a hammer was quite an unusual sight indeed, thought Prasut as he came to greet the Princess hard at work,
“Good morning! May I inquire as to what you are working so hard on this early in the day? Such a lovely woman shouldn’t suffer to work so hard in this summer heat.”
Snow smiled as she wiped the sweat from her face, “I’m working on a contraption that will allow me to practice shooting at birds...specifically, black crows.”
“Ah…then tis true! I had heard the latest tattle that last night you and Mike along with Mai and Ritch brought home a new guest to the Willows. Seems the training with the spear he and I have been working on paid off after all.”

Snow stopped working and looked at him sincerely, “You have no idea! I’m so grateful to you for that…it saved our lives…of this I am certain. You are a marvelous teacher, Prasut. You’d have been so proud of him last night!”
Prasut cleared his throat, “So…when will the rest of us get to meet this…spectacular creature?”
“Barely single for a month and already he’s looking to get his ancient hooks into the new Willows female.”
Prasut turned with dread at the sound of his ex-wife’s voice. Mai hid her discomfort with the subject matter quite commendably. Prasut swallowed, visibly uncomfortable while Snow focused back to the stubborn rubber belt in her contraption, not wishing to get into the middle of an “ex” discussion. The King then smiled weakly at Mai…her glare now fixed on him and arms folded,
“No, of course not. I simply think it a courtesy to greet a newcomer to one’s village.” He then turned to Snow, his tone taking back its sincerity, “So, will she be joining us for breakfast?”
“Only if you’re eating in the barn.” Mai quipped as she instinctively reached to help the struggling Snow pull her belt into its position.
Prasut’s smile now became cheekily insincere, “Well, I’ll leave you two to your work.”
Mai shook her head and grinned.
Snow stood as she wiped the sweat from her face, “Thanks for your help.”
Mai took a look at the girl in her ‘work dress’, and she smiled, “You know, maybe you should look into getting some work PANTS…or at least some shorts in this heat, girl.”
“I just prefer dresses…but this one is cool enough, “ she motioned to the cotton skirt and off-the-shoulder peasant blouse.”
“Mhmm. So how is our newest ‘beastie’?”
Snow’s face lit up as she remembered, “Oh Mai! You won’t believe it!”
“Try me.”
“Ophelia is human! She didn’t change back last night! She said she was going to be able to stay human for a month!”
Curbing her less than thrilled first gut reaction to the news, instead Mai frowned slightly, “How? She’s only human two hours in the night?”
Snow was beaming. “I know! That’s what’s so great! Now she’ll get to experience the sunlight…and human interaction…and everything first hand…as a woman!”
Mai drolled, “Forgive me if my reaction is not quite as excited as yours…but you still haven’t told me HOW?”
“Ophleia said that because of how close Mars was to the Earth right now and how Jupiter’s gravity is pulling it…or something like that…then that’s what causes her to be human while it’s happening…like for the month. So we have to hurry and get her better so she can enjoy it all before the month is over.”
“Because she turns back into a pumpkin at midnight?” Mai quipped.
Snow look at her confused, “A pumpkin? Why would she turn into a pumpkin?”
“Never mind. So how is it…I mean SHE doing?”
“She was asleep when I went to the surgery this morning. But I’m about to go get cleaned up and bring her some breakfast. I told Karen I would.”
“Well, isn’t that special.” Mai then looked down at the slingshot contraption she’d just assisted in finishing, “And this…what is this for?”
“I rigged this up so I could fling targets into the air and practice shooting at them…so I could shoot the black crows that keep attacking. I need to stop Margurite.”
Mai chuckled, “OK…so you created a ‘skeet shooter’…the guys will be thrilled. Congratulations…you’ve probably just created about a dozen monsters with guns.”
Again Snow looked at her confused, then shook it off and continued, “I used to have one of these back in the kingdom on the castle grounds. We used bows and arrows where I came from of course. Although, I had to stop using tomatoes for targets, as the remains would fall onto the castle guards…and they didn’t much care for that.”
Mai grinned, “Well, Snow I’ll let you be off to get cleaned up.” She took a second look at Snow, “Lord knows you need it, dear.”

Snow in WW: Chapter 201 – “Animal Instinct”

Ophelia welcomed Snow with a warm smile, as she sat on the edge of her bed.
Snow was distracted by her observations outside, but was glad to be in her friend’s presence as a human…finally. “How was breakfast?”
“Wonderful…thank you! It’s great to be able to taste Mike’s cooking first-hand. And I always thought it was just the carrots that were good from your village!” She curbed her chuckle when Snow didn’t laugh with her…she merely smiled as she peered out the window distracted. Ophelia always could read when something was on Snow’s mind. “What is it?” She leaned over to peer out the window at what Snow was so distracted by, only to see Ritch and Mai apparently boxing outside.
“Oh so that’s what those loud bangs were…fists flying. And here I thought you were target practicing.”
Snow was unamused, “ I WAS practicing…I had halfway hoped it might distract them somewhat. I couldn’t bear to watch it any longer.”
“Oh I get it…so you decided you had nothing better to do that to come see me.” Ophelia gave a teasing smile. Snow then focused her attention to the woman, afraid she’d hurt her feelings,
“No! Really, I DID want to come see you.”
She giggled back at Snow looking so worried, “I’m just kidding! Stop worrying…you appear to do enough of that for the whole village. So now what is it about those two ‘roughnecks’ out there that has you fretting?”
Again Snow peered out the window, “Mai is my friend and I’m worried about her. About a year ago there was an incident…a bad one…with Ritch and Kahlua. Mai says it was some kind of possession, or something like that. And it’s not like I don’t believe her, but…” Snow looked at Ophelia with her usual glint of concern, “…but I saw what he did to Kahlua…she nearly died! I saw how painful her recovery was…and how long it took for her scars to heal….” Snow turned back toward the window and continued quietly, “Some still haven’t healed. I just don’t want to see that happen to Mai…or any of my friends for that matter. As much as I want to trust Ritch…it’s just hard. I mean he’s a nice enough guy and all but…” Tears began to well in Snow’s eyes, “My own sister was the victim of rape and abuse herself. I was there when she suffered the nightmares and the fear. She was only fourteen when it all happened. And I know that’s gotta be the reason why she is so messed up right now. She’s just confused…it’s the only explanation for the violence she’d shown last week.” Her eyes turned cold as she continued to watch the boxing lesson out the window, “And here he brings more of it to this village…more of this awful violence. I just don’t want to see Mai hurt. She’s a strong woman, it’s true…but still, she’s gone through a lot recently.”
Again, Ophelia leaned over Snow’s shoulder to peer out the window, “Aw, I wouldn’t worry too much…he’s not her type really.”
Snow turned to look at Ophelia, a look of slight surprise on her face, “How do you know?”
Opheila pulled back from the window. She turned as she gathered her breakfast dishes, placing them on the tray. After a long paused she offered, “I can just tell…call it animal instinct.”
Snow continued to look at the woman with wonder as she flung her white hair back away from her face, better showing her amethyst eyes. They twinkled as she spoke…almost as if she were conjuring up some kind of mischief in her head as she grinned, “I wouldn’t worry Snow. I’m sure Mai will find someone else to hook up with…eventually.”

Snow in WW: Chapter 202 – “Anyone for a BBQ?"

It was a special night in the hut being Ophelia’s first opportunity to have dinner in the Willows and meet the other villagers. Curiosity was high in that no one had ever seen a mythical creature Pegasus turned human…till now. Ophelia’s broken arm was still in a sling, but her miraculous healing powers were much like Mai’s…even baffling Karen. As Ophelia entered the hut with Snow and Mike, a hush fell over the normally talkative hut, all eyes on her… well most eyes anyway. It was the males that were the most interested in the Willow’s newest female “resident”…at least for the month that she would be here. And the ‘unattached’ guys were appearing to make the best of it. Jeff and Travis raced to her side offering hors d’vours and ale. Raif smiled politely and Thomas bowed slightly when he caught her eye. Even Prasut was captivated by her unusual beauty…her white flowing hair and rare amethyst colored eyes. ‘Purple…the color of royalty,’ Prasut noted to himself. One male in particular who seemed fairly disinterested in the newcomer was Ritch, as he returned to Mai’s side with two fresh glasses of his own ‘concoction’ from the bar.
Amidst all the attention, Ophelia couldn’t help but notice the one ‘unattached’ Willows male in particular who wasn’t paying her the attention she felt she deserved. She looked on the pair with cold eyes.
“Here we are…a Murray specialty…a blend of fruit juices plus a few added ‘special ingredients’.”
Mai wore an overly annoyed look as she watched the antics of certain residents fall all over the new undeserving female…at least undeserving in Mai’s eyes. She took the glass from Ritch as she watched the appauling display,
“Like flies on shit..." she looked up to see Ritch's confused gaze at her words. Instead, she continued, "This concoction of yours...I hope it has more of that ‘special’ juice in it than ‘fruit’ juice, “ then she gulped the concoction down.

After dinner it was Linnet who thought of the idea, “Why don’t we have a BBQ cookout at the lake? Since Ophelia hasn’t had much opportunity to be human except in the wee hours of the night, I’ll bet she would enjoy partaking in daytime activities. We could play games and have water sports and things like that. What do you think?”
Stevie squeezed her hand and smiled with pride at her fun and exciting idea.
Snow’s eyes lit up, “I think that’s a wonderful idea! We could catch fish at the lake and cook them! “ she said as she turned to Edward and Raif who nodded casually. “…and Jeff and Neville are pretty good at water sports like surfing and swimming.”
Mike then jumped in, “Yeah, and I hear Travis was able to turn one of Bart’s small boats into a motor powered one with one of the old truck engines.”
“Cool! Then it’s ON for water-skiing!”, Jeff mused as he looked at Ophelia with plans in his head to teach her how.
“How about a scavenger hunt?” suggested Kahlua. “Those are always fun to do at parties.”
Kahlua had to explain the idea of a scavenger hunt to many, but it was agreed that game plus some other activities might prove a lot of fun.
Quickly Karen interjected, her tone in usual concern for an injured villager, “This all sounds fine…but we can’t plan anything till Ophelia’s arm is completely healed.”
“So then I guess it’s on for tomorrow.” Mai whispered under her breath as she’d no doubt noticed the speedy healing powers the new creature had, much like her own…in fact, too much like her own for her comfort.

Snow in WW: Chapter 203 – “Anyone for a BBQ?” (part 2)

Much to her dismay, Mai’s suspicions about Ophelia’s fast healing injuries were more fact than fiction, as the next day she discovered Ophelia assisting Travis with his ‘boat motor’ with no cast on her arm at all. Mai questioned whether the creature ever had a broken limb in the first place. She looked like the type to fake something like that after all.
“Hey Mai!” Travis excused himself from his and Ophelia’s task momentarily to greet Mai. Ophelia observed his almost overly-friendly manner to Mai’s disinterested but relatively polite attitude back towards him. She watched the exchange between the two closely, carefully reading the hidden, unspoken words and meanings. But never did she allow Mai’s eyes to meet hers…acting too ‘busy’ with the contraption Travis and she had been messing with.

“Snow!” Jeff caught up to the princess as she prepared to gather some needed things for the coming party that weekend. “Last night, did you say that Ophelia was human because of something to do with Mars?”
Snow smiled brightly and set down her supplies, “Yes. Ophelia said that for this month while the planet Mars is close to the earth, that is why she is able to be human…something about that and the way Jupiter’s gravity pulls on it as well.”
“That’s fascinating! I used to know a lot about astronomy and stuff like that. I used to like to look at the stars at night while waiting on a heist…er…uh….job. Hey, you know what? I could look up some stuff about the planets and stars and stuff at the library and maybe share with everyone at the party…at least, since it would make sense the subject being related to why Ophelia’s here and all. Do you think anyone would be interested?”
The excitement in his voice made Snow smile, “Sure Jeff. That sounds lovely. I think everyone would enjoy that…I know that I would.”
“I bet I could even find out some info on this thing that’s happening with Mars right now.”
Snow grinned at him as she put her hands on her hips, “Now remember, Mr. ‘Fish Monger’…don’t forget you have to help with the cleaning and cooking of the fish too…else we’ll all have to become vegetarians!”
Jeff winked at her, “Don’t worry…I won’t. Me and those fishies are best mates, ya know!”
“Um…right, I guess?” Snow offered a friendly but concerned look as Jeff dashed off to the library.

Snow always did enjoy organizing social events. She always had her hands in the pot when it came to the royal balls in her kingdom. His little “social butterfly” is what her father used to call her. Things were no different now, as Snow made sure all the games were ready and the water sport “toys” were prepped and ready to go. Food was never a concern for her anymore, in that she knew the “culinary” concerns of the Willows were in the capable hands of her dear hubby…and he was not one to disappoint in that arena. It was a warm day…but not too hot…just right for a dip in the lake, really. Snow smiled as Nev proudly demonstrated to Grace the best way to mount and ride a surfboard…he seemed unconcerned about the fact that the lake had no waves to ride. Travis surprisingly got his motor to run, as his boat went speeding across the lake. The village fishermen had arrived early to try and get the best catches. Edward and Jeff already had caught plenty of luncheon meat for everyone. Mike was firing up the grill. Baked potatoes, salad and fresh fruit including watermelon were also on the menu.
“So what else are you planning for this little beach party, my dear?” Mike pulled Snow into him and kissed her neck
Snow giggled, “You’ll see! We definitely some have some team games on the schedule.”
“Hmmm..that sounds promising. Teams of two I hope…boy, girl?”
Again she giggled, stepping away from his mischievous tone, “You’ll just have to wait!” As he reached for her again, she quickly pulled a surprise out of her pocket, squirting him with a water gun she borrowed from Stevie.
“Hey! I’ll get you!” As he lunged for her, he missed when Ophelia stepped in his way. Mike found himself stopping quickly, lest he grab her instead. Ophelia wore a dry smile, “Why, Mike, I didn’t know you cared.”
He grinned at the fair-haired girl, and with an “I’ll-get-you-later” glance back at Snow, went back to making the salad. Ophelia and Snow went to sit on the bank of the lake. The newcomer needed a break from hanging with the “guys”. Seems Mai had not seen fit to show up to the party on time as usual, thought Ophelia looking around to not find hide nor hair of the annoying woman.
“I know you must have been thrilled about last night.” Ophelia said, as Snow followed her eyes to Ritchie sitting alone watching Kahlua play with her two children. Snow knew she meant the “antics” of Mai and Ritch dancing at the hut the evening before.
She sighed in somewhat defeat, “Yeah….I suppose they’re a couple. Guess it’s hopeless to resist. Why fight it, eh?”
Ophelia snapped to look at her quickly…rebellion shone in her eyes, “Hopeless?! Bite your tongue girl! Nothing is hopeless…ever! Don’t you worry, child. There is still much to be seen!”

Snow in WW: Chapter 204 – “The Scavenger Hunt (part 1)”

With a mischievous grin, Ophelia winked at Snow and once again traipsed off to see about the ‘boys’ who were once again at her beck and call. With a sigh, Snow was left peering into the cool lake’s reflection. Across the way, she could see that Mai arrived to the party, and with not a moment to waste, but was Ritch by her side. However, another guest also seemed to be at her heels. To Snow’s surprise, it was Dinger, Mai’s security partner. Snow had been surprised at the recent breakup of Dinger and Karen, but was quite fond of Ivan herself, and without voicing her opinions out loud, was relieved to see Karen was now with Ivan versus the ‘barbarian’ Dinger, as she used to call him under her breath. Which is why this sight now before her disturbed her so. It seemed that now Dinger was all over Mai suddenly…the term “rebound” reverberated in Snow’s head a few times as she watched the typical display of a wolf in search of his next prey. Snow frowned as Dinger, so quickly out of his relationship with Karen, grabbed Mai as if she were a new possession to lay claim to…fueled by the fact that old rumors now surfaced in Snow’s head about how the two were once said to have had an unsubstantiated “fling”. In watching the obvious displeasure and concern on the now seeming gentle face of Ritch, Snow had to now wonder to herself which one of these two men were the “lesser of two evils”? As she watched in disdain at the familiar rough groping of the SAS soldier, it was an all too familiar reminder of Snow’s first encounter with Dinger…

What kind of village was this? It was like there were all of these 'twins'. Snow had only seen one set of twins in her life. The two sons of Lord Chamberlain were twins, and she found the concept fascinating. But it was nearly impossible to tell these two boys apart. So this predicament she found herself in today was quite peculiar. What was even more curious is that each and every one of these gentlemen looked just like the prince-the one she kept dreaming about. Oh, of course---that was it! That must be it. This was all a dream! She was going to wake up any minute in her own bed in her own castle and all of this will have been a dream. A thought which now seemed to almost sadden her, as she thought this village filled with would-be 'prince look-alikes' was something she found most interesting. But alas, she also found comfort in thinking that at any given moment she would awaken in her own bed.
Stevie continued, "I found her in the woods. She 'ad a nasty fall. She was runnin' from..."
Karen interrupted him "It's a long story. Why don't we get everybody together for dinner and we can all hear the story then, mmm? Sound good? Mike, can you make one of your most famous dishes? Us girls will get Snow cleaned up for dinner."
Stevie offered quickly, "We need t' get some ice for her 'ead, 'ere." He points to where the lump on her head was without touching it.
"All right, what's this? We 'ave another female in our midst, do we?"
Stevie's face lit up as Dinger walked up to group. While his tone gave off an approval to having another female in the village, his look was that of skepticism. Kahlua frowned. She didn't think Dinger would accept Snow’s story very graciously and feared for Snow regarding the consequences. "Dinger, this is Snow."
Dinger eyed her up and down, "Why, she's just a kid."
Snow protested, "I turned 19 years the last moon."
Dinger never took his gaze off her as if he were interrogating her with his eyes. "What's her story?"
Stevie began his excited tone once again, "She took a bad fall in th' woods and I had to nurse her back conscious like. She was knocked out cold."
Before anyone could stop him, Stevie proceed to tell Dinger Snow's whole story. Why not? Dinger was his good friend. Why shouldn't he believe Stevie? Dinger's face wore a combination of disbelief and laughter.
"You've got to be kidding me? You don't actually believe this, do you?"
Upon hearing another doubter to her story, Snow dropped her eyes and again the pout returned to her lips.
Stevie approached him, "Dinger, it's true."
"Yeah, and I'm the king of England!"
Snow looked up upon hearing this and her eyes it up again, "Really, my father was the King of the House of White."
Stevie was enlightened with a revelation, "Aye! See, she is Snow White!"
Dinger rolled his eyes. Snow's face was one of relief in hearing someone finally believed her. She smiled at Stevie. Why were the others having such a hard time? Perhaps they were used to lying gypsies coming through their village. She hoped she never ran into any of them. Just then she felt someone grab her arm. Dinger was pulling her down the porch steps.
"All right then, Snow White. Maybe you'll tell us where you REALLY came from with a little interrogation. Perhaps with a little trip to the jail, maybe?" As he pulled her down the last step, Snow lost her footing and fell to the ground, with Dinger's hand still firmly and painfully grasping her arm.
"Dinger, stop please! You're hurting her! She's my friend, Dinger!" Stevie pleaded as he saw the painful look in her eyes.
"We need to find out more about her, Stevie. We can't just take her word at face value, ya know."
Karen stepped down to Dinger, "Let her go, Dinger. She's just a child-you said so yourself!"
"Yeah, well kids can be strong. Let's find out how strong this kid really is!"
He reached down with his other hand and squeezed her face, causing her lips to protrude in an involuntary pout. Snow was terrified. She didn't know what to think of this barbarian, who again, possessed the same look of the other men. But this one was rough and had cold eyes that pierced right through her soul, sending a shiver down her spine. Why was he so vicious? What had she done? Trying to think of anything to get away from this barbarian who threatened to take her away…to wherever, she grabbed a handful of dirt with her free arm and flung it into her captor's face.
Letting go of the girl he violently rubbed his eyes, "Bitch!" he yelled!
Snow had scampered to her feet, pushed through Mike and Raif and made a beeline for the woods.
"Snow!" Stevie cried, "Wait!" He went after her, as did the girls.
"Why didn't you two grab her?" Dinger shouted at Mike and Raif as they stood there, speechless.
As Dinger ran after the others, Raif offered "Man, let her go! She an innocent child!"
Dinger did not heed his words, his anger still powering his actions as he continued to brush the sand out of his eyes.

At the first large tree she came to, Snow scampered up a very large oak within the confines of the village. She was an avid tree climber…had been since she was a little girl. Climbing trees was one of her favorite past times as was picking flowers, sewing and cooking. She was glad she still had it in her, as she had not climbed for a while, since her father had died. Safely away from the others she broke down, burying her face in her hands. She wished her father were here now to save her. Why not? It was her dream, why couldn't she wish him to be here. She wished very hard-wished him into the very tree she was sitting. But he wasn't there. When was this dream to be over? She even pinched herself to try to awake, but to no avail. She could hear the others down below. They were at the foot of the tree shouting up at her.
"Snow!", said Karen. "Please come down!"
Kahlua added, "Yeah, we won't let that Dinger get you! We'll kill him first!"
Karen looked at Kahlua, who just shrugged.
"Well, don't put off for tomorrow what you can do today!" came Dinger's voice regarding Kahlua's remark.
Kahlua glared at him, where Jen reminded them, "All right. Look, fight later. Let's get her down from there!"
Dinger started up the tree, "Not a problem."
Snow gasped and grabbed a nearby branch, ripping it from its trunk and hurling it at Dinger, hitting him in the arm.
"Oh, that's it, little missy. Just wait till we get you down from..."
"Dinger, stop it! Just go. We'll get her down. Haven't you done enough?" Karen pulled him back down with her hand on his shoulder. "Please let us take care of her. You're just scaring her and you know it!"
Dinger backed down, "Well alright, but this isn't over. There is more to this than meets the eye, and I'm gonna find out what it is!"
Kahlua pulled him away from the tree, "Just give it a rest, will ya? Leave her alone."
Dinger muttered under his breath as he headed back to the Willows.
"Please come down, Snow. Dinger's a friend of mine. I won't let 'im 'urt ya", pleaded Stevie as Raif and Mike joined the band at the bottom of the oak.
"Some friend!" Snow sobbed. "With a friend like that, I would just as soon befriend a gypsy."
"Please Snow, come on down. We won't let him near you again. I promise." Karen's voice was soothing and Snow wanted so desperately to make friends in this village.
"You do promise?" She sniffled, almost too quietly for the others to hear.
"Yes, we do," promised Karen.
Snow began to make her way down the tree. Upon approaching the bottom, she stepped on one of the branches, and it gave way. Snow gasped and fell the remaining four feet or so and was caught by Mike in mid air. Their eyes met for a few seconds before Stevie helped Snow down to the ground and out of Mike's arms not even seeming to notice the moment between them. The girls took Snow back to their cabin to help her clean up and put some ice on her head, which had begun to throb once again. Karen promised Snow to keep Dinger at a safe distance. As Mike pondered what meal he could prepare that would prove extra special, he glanced in the direction that the women went. To his surprise, he found Snow glancing back at him as well.

As Snow’s thoughts had drifted to her first meeting with her beloved, so did her eyes, pleasantly finding him now winking back at her before hailing all to the tug-o-war, to be followed by lunch which was almost ready from the smells of grilling fish in the air. With one more disconcerting glance towards her feisty friend, she now found Mai and Dinger in a clinch at the tug-o-war. She looked back at Ritch’s now disappointed face and sighed, “Maybe I was wrong.”

“OK everyone!” After lunch, Snow hailed everyone away from their sports games or conversations. In her hands were Duncan’s and Nigel’s hats. “In this hat, “ motioning to Duncan’s, “I have the names of all the ladies in the Willows on individual pieces of paper. And in this one, “ motioning to Nigel’s, “I have all the men’s names. The ladies will draw a man’s name and the men will draw a lady. Now I know we have more men than women, so once we run out of women, the guys will have to draw from Nigel’s hat instead.” Groans were heard amongst the guys.
Snow continued with a grin, “Now, what we’re gonna do is what they call a ‘scavenger hunt’.” She looked at Kahlua and smiled, as it was her idea. “Each couple will get a list of items to search for. Then the first couple back here with all of the listed items wins. And yes, everyone has the same list.”
Nev seemed somewhat disgruntled at not being able to choose HIS lady, “Hey, why can’t we just pair off as couples?”
Jeff frowned at him and drolled, “Because not everyone IS a couple, ya wanker!”
“OK, OK.” Snow tried to calm the mens’ laughter. “I thought this would be the fairest way to go.”
Mike touched her hand and said to her softly in her defense, “I think it’s a great plan.”
“So what’s the prize?” Ophelia asked innocently.
Snow looked at her thoughtfully, and then smiled, “Well, Miss Guest-of-Honor…what do you think the prize should be?”
Ophelia’s eyes wandered casually over to Mai before she offered, “How about a candlelit dinner for two? Sounds innocent enough…in case the winner is…’taken’, right? I mean we’re all friends here…unless anyone objects?”
Snow looked around…no one objected openly to Ophelia’s request.
Mai frowned, wondering just what this creature no doubt had up her sleeve.

Snow in WW: Chapter 205 – “The Scavenger Hunt (part 2)”

Being the official “scavenger hunt item list creator”, Jeff grinned proudly as he pulled the list from his pocket as if it were his most accomplished feat. He then read off the list, before handing out copies to the couples…
“1. feather of a bird
2. stem of any herb
3. a flower, the colour of blood
4. branch of a willow...in the spirit of the Willows
5. instrument for writing
6. any substance in the shape of an animal
7. smooth surfaced stone
8. something that comes out at night
9. anything from the stables
10. what you can send messages with
11. anything that gives a reflection
12. an item machine made
13. something hand made
14. what you can eat
15. what you can drink
16. a trio...any three related items
17. an object round
18. what has been made today
19. something from the past
20. anything NOT of the Willows”
Taking the copies he’d made, each paired team took a list and a burlap sack and quickly headed off in different directions to claim their treasures.

Snow was glad to have ended up with Thomas as her partner for the scavenger hunt. She wanted to talk to him…at least make sure he was alright after Lily’s hasty exit from the Willows. After all, he had been in love with her for the better part of a year…perhaps longer. The pair were comfortable in each other’s company…Snow was now like a sister to Thomas, which by any other standard may seem strange, considering that he had been so in love with her twin sister.
Finally breaking the comfortable silence, Snow cooed, “Oh look! A spider’s web! I know this wasn’t here earlier, as I was just admiring these flowers before lunch…hence we can use this as our item of ‘what has been made today’. As the couples had agreed to go on the honor system for the most part, Thomas agreed the web would be perfect for their item #18. Carefully, Snow took the flower in which the small web was attached, wrapped it in a handkerchief and placed it in their sack.
She’d hardly gotten their item in the bag when she spotted their next treasure, “Oh look! It’s a chamomile herb! We need that for our second item. I’d know it anywhere…Lily used to search for it to curb her…” As Snow looked at Thomas, she stopped, as his face spoke volumes. He knew the herb all too well, as his thoughts drifted to the day when he and Lily went out on their quest for the herb that once was her salvation from her nightmares.
“Oh, I’m so sorry Thomas…of course you know what this is.”
Sadly he smiled and nodded, “It’s alright…but you’re right, we definitely need it for our search.”
Gently, he took the herb and placed it in the bag, “Shall we move on?”
As he started to take the burden of carrying the bag from Snow, she stopped him. Gently, she put her hand on his shoulder, “Wait…I need to know something first. After all that’s happened…are you OK, Thomas?”

Mike on the other hand didn’t feel so lucky to have ended up with his partner, as he uncomfortably made his scavenger hunt search with Yvonne. After the unforgettable display Yvonne made at Lily’s party weeks before, practically throwing herself at every man not excluding himself, Mike would rather have ended up with anyone else’s name from that hat. But alas, thus was the situation, and he had to make the best of it. Blindly ignoring Mike’s discomfort, Yvonne trudged on with the hunt.
“Check this out!” As she held up one of Kahlua’s twin’s lost baby toys…a squeaky elephant…she smiled triumphantly, “How ironic! We can actually use Kahlua’s own kids’ toy to our advantage!”
Mike frowned, “I don’t think that would be quite the right spirit of the game if we took advantage of such a find…”
“Nonsense!” Snapped the woman as she tossed it into the bag. Mike sighed as he thought of what a long two hour trek this agonizing hunt would no doubt turn out to be.

Snow in WW: Chapter 206 – “Attack on the Hunt (part 1)”

Thomas paused…it occurred to him to smile politely and lie to Snow, stating he was fine and everything was back to normal for him. But Thomas was no liar…especially to someone like Snow. He turned and looked at Snow and shook his head sadly. Gently, he set the scavenger bag on the ground and sat on a nearby tree stump. Snow came and sat on her knees by his side…the hunt now seemingly unimportant in lieu of the rest of it.
Thomas sighed, “Aw Snow…I don’t know what it is. I just can’t get your sister out of my mind. On one hand I should be furious with her regarding what happened.” He then looked at Snow. “And you should too for that matter.” She lowered her head sadly and nodded.
“But on the other hand, “ Thomas continued, “I can’t help but think about what she’d told Mike…and I believe him. That night, when the new colt was born…Rebecca…” A sadness entered his voice as he said the name of their late friend, “Lily and I were…well, we were starting to visit a new beginning if you would…you know…I mean, I think she was actually thinking of staying. I know she wasn’t in love with this prince she was going to marry…”
Snow interrupted, “No, she was only doing it because it was MY duty…and I feel so guilty for all of it.”
Thomas laid his hand on Snow’s shoulder, “But you shouldn’t. No one was making Lily do it…not even Liz. Lily wanted to do it. After living in poverty as a gypsy for all of her life, she wanted to live in a royal place…that place of being worshipped and adored…more than, dare I say it…more than she wanted to be loved…truly loved. Not like a queen is loved by her people, but like a woman is loved by a man. And that night, I felt like she was finally seeing that the love between she and I was something she might want more than being queen of a kingdom. That horrible night that started this whole nightmare.” Ashamedly, he looked at Snow, “As much as I hate to admit it Snow, I wanted her that night…I wanted her so badly. We were in the mill…it was always our special place after that night when she almost drowned and I pulled her from the icy lake…and if Stevie hadn’t come to me for help with the horse, I think we would have…” He stopped in his embarrassment and looked to the most interesting dirt on the ground. Snow smiled and patted his knee as she looked up into his face, “Thomas…I know my sister loves you. And if she stays and marries Prince Raymond…which I feel would be a mistake for her…I know that you will still be the one she truly loves. And another thing…” He looked at her now. “I know how naïve everyone thinks I am…but I’m not that blind! I was actually surprised to find out that you and Lily had never…well you know!”
Thomas rolled his eyes, “No…but it sure seems at times like I’m the ONLY one!” He then quickly looked at Snow for fear that he may have just insulted her sister. Snow was simply smiling and shaking her head, “Thomas, you know what Lily has been through probably more than anyone else in this village…and no matter what talk you hear…you know how she truly feels…you know it. So don’t talk yourself out of it. Look…from what I’ve observed, and what Lily and Mike both have told me about that night, I believe this. And you can take it for whatever you like. I believe that night of the affair…” The mere word sent chills up Thomas’ spine as Snow continued, “That night after you and she came so close to…whatever…I think you’re right. She had made up her mind to stay here with you. In her thoughts, she was fighting with herself. She needed a place to think…to sort it all out, on her own. She saw Mike’s cabin open and knew he would be out late cleaning up the kitchen. She saw the bottle of wine and decided to use it to help calm her nerves. After all, here she was contemplating giving up a kingdom for you! Well, time escaped her and things got out of hand. When Mike came home, he said she was a little out of it anyway, from what he remembers of the whole thing. He just said at the time, in his delusion that he thought I was still in the village, he assumed I was just being a little giddy and affectionate. To be honest, I don’t believe Lily ever thought she was sleeping with Mike… I think she was seeing him as you. I mean remember…this village is full of ‘twins’! It’s hard for us women to keep our wits about us!” Thomas smiled.
“Remember what happened with Edward and I?”
Thomas looked at her on that note, indeed remembering that whole mix up.
“I do forgive her Snow. And while part of me would love to think that she wanted to be with me that night…even so much to mistake Mike for myself, another part of me would rather have a reason to push her from my memory if I’m to lose her to some prince in a kingdom and never see her again. So now again I’ve found love and lost it….twice. First Beth…and now Lily.”
Snow tried to think of something to say to soothe poor Thomas’ grieving spirit, when she suddenly felt something hit her in the back of the head, followed by a sharp pain…then another and another. Thomas was appalled as he observed the large black birds dive bombing Snow, attacking her as he remembered them attacking Lily in the same fashion. He jumped up and began swatting and yelling at them. Then the attacks started on Thomas as well. They berated him, knocking him to the ground, then keeping him from standing by constant dives at his head, as he struggled to cover his face while still trying to watch out for Snow. Through the attack, he was horrified at the sight before his eyes…Snow became covered in black, the birds engulfing her and finally lifting her off of the ground. Thomas lunged for Snow, the birds still diving for his face, but he missed. He screamed her name as he watched her rise above the trees, calling out to him, “Thomas! Get Ophelia!”

Mike sighed as Yvonne grumbled at the lousy luck they were having at finding the objects on the list. She frowned as she watched him plop onto the ground, exhausted from not only the hunt for now the better part of an hour, but also from cooking for the whole first half of the day.
“Why are you sitting? We haven’t found hardly any of these items! How do you expect to win this thing?”
Again he sighed. The thought of a candlelit dinner with Yvonne did not inspire him to rise to the occasion and win the hunt. “It’s just a game Yvonne. It isn’t life or death.”
What did inspire him to jump from his comfortable spot on the ground at that second was hearing his wife’s voice screaming in fear. “Snow?”
He was on his feet scanning the woods, trying to find where her voice was coming from. To his horror, it was coming from over his head. “Snow!”
Covered in black birds, he could barely recognize the color of the long skirt she’d worn that day, but it was her voice that was unmistakable. Fear swept over Mike as he realized that the intentions of the birds may to be to release Snow to her death from the long fall.
“Ophelia!” she called suddenly.
‘Ophelia’, thought Mike. Of course! Maybe she could do something. But how? She wouldn’t be in her flying form for another three weeks or so. The birds carried Snow further away from the lake area. Mike shot off in the same direction fighting thorns and brambles as he tried to keep up with where the birds were carrying her. Oh God, he thought…they were heading for the canyon…that fateful mountain’s cliff where Snow had pushed Margurite over last year. The witch was going to get her revenge in dropping Snow off the same cliff! Mike ran faster as he could still see his beloved sailing closer towards the edge of the canyon.

Snow in WW: Chapter 207 – “Attack on the Hunt (part 2)”

Even out of breath, he kept running. He could have died from exhaustion and he wouldn’t have cared at that point.
“Snow!” Mike’s spirit all but left his body as he watch helplessly as the birds let go of his wife…her flailing figure plummeting towards the bottom of the canyon. He couldn’t bear to be without Snow. He prepared to leap off the edge after her when suddenly, a rush over his head knocked him to the ground. A wave of relief passed over him as he watched the magnificent and powerful frame of Ophelia’s horse form dive for Snow and rescue her from the witch’s plan for her death. Tears streamed down his face as he watched salvation return his beloved back to the top of the ledge. Mike then grabbed her and squeezed her tightly, “Oh God! I thought I was losing you again!”
Shaken from the fall and bleeding from the wounds of the birds, Snow clutched onto her husband and sighed in relief.
“Thank you,” she whispered to Ophelia, not even realizing the risk the woman had just taken for her. Ophelia now had much explaining to do when they returned to the unsuspecting barbeque.

Loudly Jeff rang the cowbell signaling the two hours allotted for the hunt were up. He then side glanced the pair sitting alongside the lake already with bag in hand. Slowly, the other pairs emerged back to the lake area carrying their sacks…some were more full than others.
“Don’t forget…the winning couple also gets to pick which losing couple will serve them their dinner!” Jeff announced with a devilish grin on his face, especially to those whose sacks didn’t look so full. He couldn’t help but notice Dinger and Mai grinning at the thought.
Yvonne was mad as a hornet as her partner Mike had disappeared from the hunt. Granted, he had good reason…or at least reason enough…but that did not change the fact that she wanted to win. Like a spoiled child, she slammed the bag to the ground and plopped onto a picnic table bench with a pout, almost sending Linnet flying off of the other end.
Jeff observed the most obvious outburst as he looked around, “Hmmm…judging from the frowns, I take it some of you didn’t fair so well?”
Snow, Mike and Thomas were nowhere to be found. And for that matter, neither was Ophelia who ended up with Prasut as a pair. Any persons not coming back within the allotted two-hour time frame, unfortunately that team pair was to be disqualified from the game.

Snow in WW: Chapter 208 – “Attack on the Hunt (part 3)”

Amongst the bustle of the winning couple’s accomplishments, out of the woods came Mike carrying Snow and right behind them was Ophelia. Immediately, Mike took the battered Snow to the lake’s edge to wash her wounds.
“What the hell happened? Man, you must have really taken this hunt seriously!”
Mike never took his attention from dressing his wife’s wounds as he addressed Travis’ comments, “Snow was attacked by those bloody birds again.”
Ophelia stood quietly by, thankful that Mike stopped the story there. Then, tumbling out of the woods came a very out of breath Thomas, “Oh thank God! Ophelia, you found them!”
Mai with hands on hips adopted her usual suspicions of the newcomer, “So what’s all this anyway?”
Just as Thomas opened his mouth to speak, Ophelia cut him off, answering Mai’s question in a hostile tone, “Mike just told you…Snow was attacked…or were you too busy snogging with Dinger to hear that?”
Mai simply glared at the woman while much to Ophelia’s dismay, Thomas finished the story, “This time the attack was much worse. Those blasted birds lifted Snow right off the ground and off towards the mountains. I ran to get Ophelia. I was afraid they might drop her.”
Mike joined in the story, “As was I…and they would have. Ophelia swept down the canyon’s face and caught her just in time. We’ve got to do something about that crazy witch!” He lovingly cupped Snow’s face with his hand.
“Swooped down eh?” Mai looked at Ophelia with a grin of satisfied skepticism, “So you’re still changing into the ‘White Winged Wonder-Horse’, are you? What ever happened to your month-long stay as a human…the one you had no control over?”
Ophelia’s quick thinking would have convinced anyone but the suspicious Mai, “Since the planet Mars gets further by the day…I sometimes find myself able to change at will. It’s quite a treat actually…something I’m not used to.”
Mai frowned, “Like ever telling the truth is? God, give me a treat and cut the crap, Ophelia! Cause it’s getting deep over here, and the horses are way over there!”
Duncan politely broke the tension, “Alright! Let’s not have a fight on a fun day…and one where you’ve already won the big prize, right Mai?”
Mai gave one more warning glare to Ophelia before returning to where Dinger stood and then saying none too softly, “See I said she couldn't be trusted. She was lying...all that ‘its the moons of mars’ crap…yeah, right!”
Snow then pulled a black feather from her bosom, “Look, the first item on the list…guess we didn’t win, huh?” Mike smiled, “It doesn’t matter…I won you back from those horrible birds…and I’ll not let that happen to you again! I will find a way to destroy that witch!”
“Mike…” Ophelia said gently as she looked at Snow, “Her wounds will heal quicker if she could bathe in the crystalline filled waters of my lair. You could both stay there tonight…you’ll be safe there.” Snow then smiled at Mike and giggled, “I don’t think you’ll get any objections out of him there, Ophelia!”
The newcomer then looked at Thomas’ wounds, “It would probably do you some good too.”
“Sorry buddy,” as Mike hit Thomas on the arm while grinning like mad, “You’ll have to wait your turn, I’m afraid.”

Snow in WW: Chapter 209 – “Observations of a Mess Hall”

Snow and Mike decided to go back to the village to pack a few things before their trek back to Ophelia’s lair. Mike was a little wary of leaving his kitchen in what he knew were the perfectly capable hands of Karen, but still, he decided to give a quick check and be sure everything was alright before they went on to Ophelia’s cave. When Snow spotted Mai heading towards the hut for she and Dinger’s “dinner date”, she was confused and appalled at what Mai was wearing to a dinner with someone she supposedly wasn’t interested in getting attention from. She told Mike to go ahead while she stopped Mai at the door.
“Mai…” Snow asked not quite knowing where to go with her questions, “I’ve never seen this dress. What’s the special occasion?”
Mi flipped back her hair, noticing quietly the wounds on Snow and how if it had been her, she’d not have a scratch, “That’s because this dress didn’t exist until tonight…when I made it.”
Snow’s demeanor changed to one of delight, “I didn’t know you could sew too?”
Mai laughed heartily at the thought, “God no! It’s just something I conjured up. But I am on my way to dinner for winning the scavenger hunt today.”
Snow frowned brushing off her confusion at how she can make a dress without sewing it, and then looking Mai up and down, “And you’re wearing THAT?”
“Yep.” Ignoring Snow’s obvious disapproval, “Well, don’t wanna keep the ol’ soldier waiting. I hear it makes ‘em cranky.” She winked at Snow then slipped inside.

All eyes were on the couple at dinner, with a table set apart near the kitchen for the couple. With the others having cold leftovers from the day’s picnic, this left the kitchen solely to Karen and Ritch to cook the winning couple’s dinner. As Mike popped into the kitchen to grab some sack lunches for he and Snow’s overnight stay at Ophelia’s lair, he made sure Karen knew where all the ingredients were located for the dinner she would have to cook. In the main hut, Ophelia’s eyes were all but glued to the winning couple as she watched the “show”, which she found to be quite hysterical. Snow on the other hand did not find it amusing in the least.
“I don’t get it Ophelia. Just yesterday…or even earlier today, it seemed Mai and Ritch were attached at the hip, as one would say…and now just look at her. I don’t understand.”
Ophelia tutted at Snow’s concerned tone, “Aw, Mai will be Mai and it doesn’t at all surprise me in the least! It was just a matter of time before the cow moved on to someone else’s man.”
Shocked at Ophelia’s words and how she talked as though she’d known Mai all her life, Snow was saddened at just how true the newcomer’s words appeared just now.
Ophelia grinned as she noticed the pained look on Ritch’s face as he retreated back into the kitchen, “Well my dear Snow…it seems that your worries about Ritch may be coming to a screeching halt, eh?”
Snow looked at Ophelia still beaming as she looked in their direction. Snow on the other hand was not happy to see rather than just one person unhappy, but now two. She couldn’t help but notice the growl of disapproval from Karen earlier at the lake when Dinger announced she and Ritch were to be their “servers” for the night. It was apparent that the situation was not a pleasant one, and Snow couldn’t figure out why Mai would even be a part of it. She even began to feel sorry for Ritch of all things…a feeling that confused her all the more. Then after an eternity, Snow saw Mike emerge from the kitchen with their sack dinners. Disgusted with the ridiculous public display before her, she quickly grabbed Mike’s hand, “Let’s get out of here!”

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