White, Snow White

Part I: History Lesson

They say you can never go home again. To be honest, I never really wanted to. When I was seven years old, my stepmother hired someone to take me out into the woods and murder me and then take my heart back to her so that she could eat it. I know, right?

Well, fortunately for me, not every random guy will kill a child and then cut out their heart, so, he let me go. Though, being a seven-year-old girl in the woods, my odds weren't great. After several days of eating berries that were probably a little poisonous and ducking packs of wolves, I came across a small house that was colorfully decorated and unusually small.

I discovered that it was the home of seven dwarves, all of whom had a particular skill and who had for many years, watched over the forest and the surrounding lands to keep the balance between good and evil. To most people in the kingdom, they were urban legends, but, to me, they were family.

Dopey, whose name comes from the 1/8 solution of heroin he injected daily, was a brilliant detective and master of disguise. Though, initially, I thought him slow-witted, I quickly realized that was just a front for a logical and tactical mind that was almost preternatural in its deductive and reasoning abilities. It was from him that I learned to take notice of everything around me down to the most mundane detail and utilize that information to lethal effect.

The one they call Sleepy is an expert in poisons and powders. With but a drop of one of his concoctions he could put a grown man instantly to sleep, or with another, kill them without leaving a trace. For a young woman in such perilous times, it's an invaluable skill.

Happy is a weapons expert and superb marksman with nearly any object you could imagine. He prefers bladed, close-range weapons but is just as deadly with a bow and arrow. Not even the Huntsmen my stepmother sent after me could counter the attacks I learned from Happy.

The strongman of the group was Grumpy. Rising early every morning to exercise sometimes made him irritable which is how he earned his moniker, but thanks to his training, I was the strongest, fastest thing in the forest.

Bashful and Sneezy taught me the art of espionage and diplomacy that would serve me well once I overthrew my evil stepmother and took my rightful place as Queen.

Then, there is Doc. From the first moment I met him, Doc was standoffish and borderline rude. But the others hung on his every word. Without his leadership, the dwarves could have easily become that which they fought against-tyrants and knaves. Instead, they were heroes and eventually, saviors.

I spent many years under their roof doing what I could to aid their mission and in exchange they trained me to be a better Queen-a better person, than my stepmother could ever hope to be.

On my fourteenth birthday, Doc visited me in the garden while I was picking tomatoes.

"It is time," he said. He had a deep, gravelly voice that reminded me of thunder coming over the mountains.

Surprised by his words, which he had so seldom offered me in the past, I jerked around to look at him.

"Time for what?" I asked.

"For you to learn the truth," he said. Then he turned sharply and walked away. I followed him nearly at a run.

He led me to the library. Over the years, I'd been here a thousand times and read every book. I couldn't understand how I was supposed to learn anything new in here. Before I could even finish that thought, he pulled down a book I'd never noticed before and the entire wall began to move.

Behind it was a large, dome shaped room filled with bookshelves along its entirety. Hanging from the ceiling was a chandelier that held thousands of lights, spiraling upward to the impossibly high apex of the dome. I don't know where this room is in the topography of the dwarves' domain but it's possible that it sits just outside of human thought and understanding and doesn't really exist at all in the world as we see it. Regardless, it raised a multitude of questions about the true nature and origin of these dwarves.

"It will be revealed in time, child," Doc said. "Patience has always been a skill that eludes you."

Could he read my thoughts? Likely, he could just read the puzzlement on my face. Doc led me to the middle of the room where a large table sat. Upon it, was a scale model of the entire kingdom including the forest and the dwarves' house. Scattered about, covered in notes written in red ink, were scrolls and tracings of sections of the map.

"This is the Bellum Locus," he said. "Our war room, if you will. It was built for us nearly a thousand years ago by your grandfather."

"That's not possible," I said. "We can't live that long. My father's papa has been dead since before I was born."

"I am referring to your mother's father," he said. "This room exists between two worlds. This one, in which you were born, and the one from which your true mother comes that we call, Admirari. That world is also the home of your stepmother, the Queen. But in Admirari, your mother was Queen and that pretender who bewitched your father was little more than a house servant who was treated far better than she deserved."

"I don't understand," I said. "If this Admirari exists, then why are you all now here? Why did my mother come here? Is my father from there?"

"Love," he said. "Love brought your mother here. Your grandfather built the Bellum for us so that we could monitor this world for threats to Admirari or to simply offer our aid when needed. Long ago, your father was out hunting in the woods not far from our home, when he was attacked by a bear. Grumpy and Happy succeeded in driving the bear away but there was little they could do to save your father so they brought him here. His injuries were beyond my abilities and so I called for your mother whose powers of healing were unequaled in any world. When she laid eyes on your father, she fell instantly in love."

"We cannot treat him here," she said. "I must take him to Admirari where my magic is strongest."

"So, the seven of us bore him through the White Door to Admirari and conveyed him to the castle where another fell in love with him at first sight and began to plot against our beloved Queen. Time moves differently there so even though your father spent a lifetime in Admirari, when he decided he needed to return to his home, only a short time had passed here. Your father was a Prince and when he returned home with a beautiful and regal new bride, his father decided it was time to crown him as King. Not long after, you were conceived."

"My mother's people could live for thousands of years and yet she died giving birth to me," I said. "How is that possible?"

"It was the servant," Doc said. "She stayed behind in Admirari studying with the dark magicians there and trading whatever she could for power. Since time moves differently there, what was only a few months here was decades for the servant. Eventually, she learned enough to seal shut the White Door after she came through and hid our home from your parents so that they could not use the healing energy of the Bellum Locus to sustain themselves. Cut off from the power and spirit of her home, your mother was too weak to survive childbirth. Her magic was transferred to you and that is how you managed to survive those first seven years with your stepmother "

"Why didn't the magic protect my mother," I asked. "Why did my father marry the woman who caused my mother's death? Why didn't you seek them out? "

"Magic is fickle. Your mother's worked differently here than it did in Admirari," he said. "It is your father's blood that has protected you from the weakening effect Earth has on Admirarians. Your stepmother learned how to manipulate Earth magic because she knew that here was the only place she'd be able to stand a chance against the Queen. She bewitched us and put us to sleep until your mother had passed. She bewitched your father so that he doesn't remember you, your mother, us or where we came from. He has no recollection of his time in Admirari and we were unable to break your stepmother's spell so we retreated to our home in the woods and have done what we can to push back against the darkness she has cast over this land. But it was only after we found you in the woods that we began to believe we could save this world and someday, return to ours."

Doc then turned and retrieved a thick wooden chest from a shelf across the room and dropped it heavy on the table.

"This is something we have been working on for some time," he said. "Open it."

I unhooked the clasps and threw back the lid of the chest. Sitting inside was something I'd never seen before. It looked like one of Happy's crossbows yet metal and shiny.

"What is it?" I asked.

"We have been calling it a gun," he said. "Each of us has had a hand in its making and we're of a mind that this will become the magic that will shape this world after us."

He then picked up a piece of round metal that had a point on the end. "It fires these projectiles," he said. "This one is nine milimeters. There is a small cap on the back that when hit by a pin released by this, the trigger, creates a spark that ignites the explosive powder packed behind this, the bullet. The force of this ignition pushes the bullet out at a tremendous speed that creates a deadly kinetic force upon impact, enough force to cut through flesh and bone. Happy also found that it is rather effective against the armor worn by the Queen's guard."

I picked it up and turned it from side to side in my hand. It fit my hand perfectly. The weight was substantial enough to help me know where I was aiming but light enough that I could hold it steady even with both arms outstretched. Doc handed me a long metal tube like thing that housed several more of the cartridges and instinctively I knew to slide it into the open end at the base of the grip. He showed me how to rack the slide and then he put up a target several feet away. I sent all fifteen bullets through the bullseye.

"Wow," I said. "The power is incredible."

"It is," he agreed. I heard a note of sadness in his voice, or possibly regret but it passed quickly.

"It is your destiny to defeat the darkness that has covered this land, Snow White. Now, let's show that evil witch how you put someone to sleep for good."

Part II: The Plan

I awoke with an energy I had never felt before. That time in the Bellum Locus must have rejuvenated me or unlocked some part of my mother inside of me. Whatever it was, I had never been more focused.

"Good morning, Snow," Dopey said. "I made pancakes."

"Good morning, Dopey," I said. "They smell wonderful."

"They are, of course," he said. "I heard you had quite an eventful night. How are you feeling?"

"I don't know," I said. "Not really. I mean, I feel incredible in some ways and terrible in others, if that makes any sense."

"As one who has also had much of their life stolen from them, I understand perfectly," he said. "After breakfast we'll be meeting in the Bellum to begin preparations."

"Preparations for what," I said.

Dopey turned back towards the pancakes, "War."

In the Bellum Locus, the other six dwarves had pulled up large chairs around the map table and were engaged in a lively debate about tactics and job dispensations.

"It must be me who goes in with Snow," said Happy. "I'm the weapons and fighting expert. I'm the best qualified to watch her back."

"Like heck you are," boomed Grumpy. "She'll need someone who can still fight when his hands are empty. There are going to be too many to go around for your weapons."

"Ahem, gentleman, our Lady has entered," said Doc.

They all stood, as they always did when I entered a room they were sitting in. It embarrassed me before, but now that I know they consider me the rightful heir to the long-lost kingdom they hail from, it mortified me.

"It's ok, guys," I said. "Please, don't treat me any differently than normal."

"Very well," said Doc. "Sit here, Snow and we'll go over what we have so far. Sneezy and Bashful, you're up."

"Yes, Sneez and I managed to get inside the castle by posing as part of an entourage for a visiting dignitary. Once inside, we each took a section of the castle to explore and record anything we might feel would be of use. We created, here, (he pointed to a new part of the map showing an exploded view of the interior layout of the castle), a mock-up of the relative dimensions of the castle proper. We also included a rough estimate of the number of guards inside but that number could be skewed by the presence of the dignitary. Depending on the message they were trying to send, that number could be either more or less. I apologize for not having more solid intel on that."

"No apology necessary, this is incredible," I said. They sat back down beaming.

"What do you see, Snow?" asked Dopey.

I looked at him and he nodded and I understood that he was asking what I saw that the others did not. I returned his nod and looked intently at their rendering. For what seemed like far too long a time, I studied the map before I felt confident that I'd seen all I could.

"I see guards, at least four in every hallway above the ground floor and one at every window on the first floor. There are at least three roving units at any given time. I suspect that they weren't trying to make a show of force to their visitor so add at least two more units once he's gone."

"Go on," he prompted.

"Those smaller rooms are kennels, meaning they have dogs. They're large for dog kennels which means they're built for multiple dogs to be housed without creating territorial issues. I'd put the number somewhere around eighteen. At any given time, probably half of them are patrolling the grounds while the others rest, so we'll only have to contend with nine of them unless we can draw them or our target away."

"That's great news," said Grumpy. "Only nine dogs, all larger than us."

"Everything is larger than us," said Sleepy.

"Here," I said and pointed at a small hole on the east side of the castle. "This is for an aqueduct. They have water delivered to the castle. That could be our way in."

"Very good," said Doc. "Dopey, do you have anything to add?"

"Snow already detailed most everything of relevance. There's only one thing I'd add. The rotation schedule for the guards. They'll be at their most tired and inattentive near the end of their shift. The night shift would be the one most obviously susceptible to fatigue but operating at night makes our jobs harder as well. So, I propose we make our move in the late afternoon, after they've eaten lunch and are thinking about their wives and the mug of ale they're going to have after work."

"All agree?" Doc asked.

Everyone nodded and next was Happy's turn.

"I reconnoitered the outer areas of the castle. I can verify the guard duty rotation and the aqueduct on the east side. The draw bridge is raised at sundown and the area is lit by only a few torches. The moat is not water, but oil and there are guards on the upper floors ready to ignite it if the castle is threatened by a force large enough to cause problems. So yes, going in before dark is the safest bet."

"Sleepy?" Doc said.

"I managed to slip a truth serum to one of the off-duty guards at a local watering hole. He admitted to me that they were on duty for eight hours at a time and that many lived in the castle barracks on the back of the castle. The moat does not extend to that area. I think you'll find that on the day we go in, many will tend to be heavy sleepers."

"Excellent work, gentlemen," Doc said. "Alright, then, let's get down to it."

Part III: Execution

I had been practicing with the gun for weeks now. The dwarves had created an obstacle course that resembled Sneezy and Bashful's rendering of the inside of the castle. I could almost do it blindfolded. Happy, Sneezy, and Bashful had been continuing their reconnaissance of the castle's defenses. Meanwhile, Sleepy was working on a delivery system for his most powerful sleeping potion yet. He needed to affect a large number of people at pretty much the same time and the only way to do that was to inject his potion into a central point of contact. He'd decided on barrels of ale and the aqueduct itself. Grumpy was building the cart he was going to haul that would conceal Dopey, Sleepy and his potion and a cache of weapons that would be handed out when the moment came. All preparations were nearly complete when Doc sprung one final surprise on the gang. He'd brought another human into the Bellum Locus. I recognized him instantly.

I ran to him and threw my arms around his neck. He picked me up with a single arm and began sobbing into my shoulder. It was the Huntsman who had spared my life seven years ago.

"I'm so sorry for what I done," he said. "Agreeing to harm a little girl like that. I don't know what I was thinking."

"It was the Queen." I said. "She had bewitched you. If not for your kind soul breaking the spell she'd cast over you, I would be dead. And even then, you'd have nothing to apologize for. It would not have been your fault."

"Still, he said, I'm here to make amends and I've got a few friends who are willing to help. That is, if you'll have us."

"It would be an honor," I said. "Doc will fill you in on the plan. Then get some rest. Tomorrow is going to be a long day."

Before sunrise, I traveled with Happy along the aqueduct to the point we'd decided would likely be unguarded. It was impossible to guard because it was several hundred feet off the ground near the source of the duct's water. Happy and I got out our climbing gear and began the arduous trek to the top of the stone structure.

While we were making our way to the infiltration point, Grumpy was pulling his cart full of barrels of ale into town. Dopey, in costume, slipped away and found the nearest pub. Last to emerge was Sleepy, who had to add the potion to the barrels as late as possible to preserve the potency.

Posing as a cotton baron, with Sneezy as his assistant, Bashful had gotten access to the visitor wing of the castle the night before. During the night, Sneezy had been sent to the aqueduct room to gather a pitcher of water for his employer. Nobody noticed his pitcher was already filled with a nearly invisible liquid that he poured into the reservoir while pretending to fill it.

Just before noon, Happy and I reached the summit of the aqueduct and threw our climbing gear over the side into the trees. We unpacked our small makeshift boats that would take us the many miles back to the castle and jumped in. After the long hike and hard climb, the cold mountain water was rejuvenating.

"We already have ale," the barman said.

"Not like this, you don't," said Sleepy disguised as a salesman. "Try it and if it's not the best ale you've ever had, I'll pay you five pounds and you can still keep the ale."

The barman smiled. "I'll take that deal." He spit it out as soon as it was in his mouth. "This is awful. I will probably have to give it away," he said.

"Well, can't fault me for trying. Your five pounds as promised," Sleepy said. "Thank you for your time, my good sir. Good day." With that he returned to the cart and waited with Grumpy. "Almost there, Grump," he said and slapped the stocky dwarf on the back.

"Hmph," was Grumpy's reply.

Bashful and Sneezy were roused from their sleep by castle guards. "Wake up, sirs. There's been word of an imminent attack on the castle. Please make your way to the inner courtyard."

"This is not good," Sneezy whispered to Bashful.

"No kidding," said Bashful. "Just be calm. We'll think of something."

Someone had spotted the Huntsman and his men outside of town and raised an alarm. To them it had looked like an army assembling. Guards both on duty and off, rode off to investigate, leaving the castle only lightly defended.

"Forgive me old friend," Doc said to himself. He was the one who had alerted the castle guard of the company of armed men waiting outside the city.

It was nearly time. Happy and I were minutes out now. Things would start happening much faster. Inside the town, Grumpy had handed out the weapons to Sleepy and Doc who had made his way back to the cart. Bashful and Sneezy were left alone in the courtyard surrounded by sleeping guards and dogs. They quietly made their way to the aqueduct room to make sure there were no guards left standing.

Grumpy was pulling the cart with an armed Doc and Sleepy inside toward the castle where they were joined by Dopey who had been tending the bar at the pub Sleepy had given the barrels of his special ale to. "The bar owner couldn't keep our ale in stock. It sold out like it was a cure for gout. I suspect that wherever those guards rushed off to, they won't be coming back for a while."

It was time. There was a loud boom as Grumpy ignited one of the barrels still on the cart and threw it into the oil filled moat. Instantly, an impenetrable fire raced along the outer wall of the castle. The castle door opened and guards started pouring out but Grumpy and the rest were more than ready for them and caught them by surprise. Guard after guard was sent flying off the bridge as Doc, Sleepy, and Grumpy fought their way inside.

Just as the barrel Grumpy had tossed exploded, Happy and I flew through the aqueduct access port and sailed out into the room before skidding to a halt just in front of the door.

"Whoa there, you two," Bashful said. "Just about ended up lunch meat on the door there. We'll watch your back. Sleepy's potion worked perfectly and for some reason many of the guards still awake ran out of the castle in a huff. I'm sure we have one of ours to thank for that but we can talk about that later. You're up, Snow."

I chambered a round into the gun and made my way out into the hallway. It was as empty as Bashful had said. I could hear fighting several floors below us and prayed the others were ok. Happy and I cleared each hallway exactly as we'd practiced so many times before. The castle was much bigger than when I lived there as a child and we had to clear several floors until we reached the King and Queen's chambers. Three floors from the top we finally ran into resistance. Armed guards lined each side of the hallway and were obviously waiting for us. They may have known we were coming but they didn't know what we were bringing.

Happy sent a crossbow bolt through the gap just below the helmet of the closest guard. He went down in a heap. This roused the others and they stepped out from the wall, spears facing forward. It was my turn now. The first shot sounded like a cannon burst in that narrow hallway and the unsuspecting soldiers blanched in shock until their training reasserted itself. They didn't know what was happening, only that they were in danger and had to fight.

They started running at me, trying to close the gap with their spears. I knocked them away with my left and brought the gun up under their chins with my right. I spun and ducked and rolled all while firing perfect shots that went exactly where I wanted them to. Almost as though I were guiding them with my will. When my magazine was empty, Happy jumped in with his crossbow and short sword until I could reload and then jumped back again once I'd finished. It was a ballet of violence and I almost felt sorry for them but then I remembered what I was told about how they'd treated my mother's body after she'd died. Threw it out to the pigs as though it were diseased. Maybe they'd been bewitched, maybe they hadn't. It didn't matter at all, now. They were going to pay. Finally, we reached the end of the hall and it was deathly silent except for the clatter of the last guard's armor against the floor as he fell.

Happy forced open the heavy door to my father's chambers and for the first time in seven years, I was face to face with the woman who killed my mother and would have killed me.

"Well, well, well," she said. "I guess huntsman aren't as useful in this world as I'd been led to believe. Hello, Snow White."

"Hello, Witch," I said. I glared at her through the smoke that was still coming off the barrel of the gun. She had a knife to my father's throat. "Let my father go and I'll make sure you get a fair trial."

She laughed, mirthless and shrill. "Like the fair trial you gave my men. Men who were just following my orders. Perhaps, you will and perhaps you won't but I think I should give you a reason to succumb to your baser nature as your mother and her ilk had done for centuries. Torturing and belittling all those they deemed inferior to them. Using their gifts to enslave an entire world. Trodding under foot, honest hardworking people like my family. You truly know nothing of your history, you little cow."

"Daughter," my father said. It was more of a question than a statement. The witch hit him with the hilt of her knife to silence him. It worked but I could see the dawning realization in his eyes. He knew me. He remembered me. And I know he then also remembered my mother. My father let out a long sorrowful moan and then drove the top of his head into the chin of my evil stepmother. She didn't drop the knife but she did release my father and he fell out of the way. The knife erupted in flame and I could see it reflected in her eyes. She raised it above her head to throw it at me and I was sure she was deadly accurate with it. I shot it out of her hand.

"Now, do you give up?" I asked.

"Never," she said and ran towards a giant mirror on the wall.

"Don't let her reach the mirror," Happy called.

I turned and shot the mirror and the shards cascaded toward the floor. My stepmother slammed into the wall behind the mirror and fell, impaling herself on a large piece of glass that was sticking up from the mirror's base.

A strange sensation followed, like a strong gale passed through us momentarily and then was gone. I ran to my father and held him as he began sobbing. He remembered everything now. Not just who I was or who my mother was but what had been done to us as well. He said he was sorry over and over. I tried to console him, but some wounds aren't meant to heal. The rest of the dwarves made their way into the room, solemn looks on all their faces. They knew what today had cost, regardless of the outcome.

Part IV: Epilogue

The death of the Queen had broken every spell she'd ever cast in our world, even the White Door had been unsealed. The dwarves were going back to Admirari and taking my father with them. He needed to heal and it would be easier there. As we embraced, he asked me if I was sure about staying.

"There are a lot of wounds on this land caused by people from that world. A lot of evil to undo. It's my job to set it right. But, if you see any charming princes over there, send them my way."

"We'll see about that, daughter. By the way, what name have you been using in all your years away?"

I smiled. "White. Snow White."

The end.