Chapter 7

Snow

T hat just might have been the best night's sleep of my life. There's a smile on my face, and I sigh happily, my eyes fluttering open as I slowly wake up.

As I stare at the ceiling, I blink, then frown. This isn't what the ceiling in my bedroom looks like. Did I end up falling asleep elsewhere?

I take slow, shallow breaths, and an unfamiliar scent fills my nose. Why do I find it oddly comforting? It's like a cedarwood and jasmine mix.

Moving to sit up, my eyes go wide when I realize not only am I not in my room, I'm not even in the palace.

Everything comes crashing back down on me like a wave during a violent storm. Regina coming to my room to tell me the horrifying news. My father wanting me dead.

Her helping me leave, the guard finding us, me running through the forest lost for hours.

Then me stumbling into this cottage, tired, wet, and hungry.

My heart starts to race as worry fills me. Are the people who live here home? Did they see me and call the police? Oh gods, I hope not.

As panic starts to slowly fill me, I take a look around the room. It's large, like big enough for a giant.

Okay, maybe that's a bit of an exaggeration, but whoever's room this is, they must be a big person.

The walls are made of wood, and there are a few pieces of furniture, but otherwise, it's empty. I glance down to the blanket covering me and smile. It's a red knitted blanket. It looks like whoever made this put a lot of time and love into it.

Bringing it up to my face, I snuggle into the softness, sighing happily at the smell. I love soft things. Blankets, socks, you name it.

My room back home is littered with pillows and a number of different blankets.

My room. Home.

Sorrow hits me hard as my shoulders droop. I very well may never get to see those things again. I know they're just materialistic items but they were special to me.

As melancholy fills me, I pull the blanket off and slide out of the bed. I shiver, the cold air hitting my skin, and I remember I'm only in my bra and panties. Very dirty bra and panties.

Biting my lip, I look around the room for something to cover myself. Not seeing anything, I grab the blanket off the bed and wrap it around my body.

Opening the door slowly, I peek my head out, listening to see if anyone is out there. I'm met with only silence.

As much as I don't want to overstay my welcome, if no one's home just yet, would it hurt to use their bathroom and wash up a little bit? I'll be sure to come back with some of the money Mrs. Bark has saved for me as a thank you for the inconvenience.

Closing the door, I look around for my bags and find them on the floor next to the bed. Grabbing the one with clothes, I groan when I pull out damp dresses.

At least they're clean, only wet from the storm. Pulling them out, I go over to the closet in search of some hangers to hang them up to dry.

It's pretty empty, only a red flannel shirt hanging up. I grab the free hangers and hang up my dresses.

Chewing on my lower lip, I debate on borrowing this shirt. I need something to wear while my clothes dry.

"I'm sure it wouldn't be a big deal. I'll be sure to wash and dry everything before I go." Unless they get back, and are upset about me being here, and kick me out.

I really hope not.

Grabbing it, I quickly rush out of the room and across the hall. I remember using the bathroom before falling asleep.

"Wow," I whisper as I step into the bathroom. I don't think I really took the time to admire the place. This room is just as big as the bedroom. One wall is lined with a big mirror with four sinks below it.

There's a toilet, of course, but what makes me smile is it has both a shower and a deep soaking tub.

Which one do I use? I could use a nice hot bath right now. My bones are aching from all the travel, but I don't want to waste time getting clean.

The tub ends up winning, and I run myself a hot bath.

Sighing as I slip in, I let myself just sit there for a while before scrubbing myself clean. I feel bad about the amount of shampoo and conditioner I'm using. But, by the number of bottles lining the side of the tub, I don't think they would miss what I've used.

Once the water turns cold, I finally get out, grabbing one of the big fluffy towels on the rack.

"Oh boy." My eyes widen when I see the mess of my hair. I know I didn't pack a brush—it's not something I thought about in the rush of the moment.

Spotting a brush on the counter, I stare at it for a moment. "I'll be sure to clean it," I tell myself as a way to convince myself into using it.

I know I'm making a big deal over things some people might consider small, but I've intruded on someone else's home. I don't want to take advantage of them.

But I really do need to get this hair under control. So, I get to work on the knots.

It feels like hours before the brush runs smoothly through my hair. "Better." I smile at myself in the mirror.

The smile falls as images of Regina flash in my mind. I rub my hand over my heart, the worry that she might not be alright causing me physical pain.

After I dry myself off, I grab the shirt I borrowed from the closet and put it on. "Oh, this is nice," I sigh as I snuggle into it.

It's so big that it falls below my knees, making me feel like I'm wearing a dress.

Making sure to clean up after myself, I head out to see if anyone is back yet.

"Oh, wow." I slowly take in the front part of the cottage. To the right of me looks like a living room. Only the furniture is much bigger than what we have at the palace.

Whoever lives here must be a giant. They do exist, so I know it is possible. Although, there haven't been any sightings of them within the kingdom in years.

"Hello?" I call out hesitantly, looking around the room. "Is anyone home?"

No one answers.

Guess not.

"Oh my." I groan as I see the dirty dress I've left on the ground. Snatching it up, I head off to search for a washing machine and grin when I find one at the back of the cottage. "Perfect."

Opening the lid, I shove my dress in. It's supposed to be dry-cleaned, but I don't think I'm in the position to be picky.

Rushing back to the bedroom, I gather the sheets and blankets I used, my dirty bra and panties, and the towels to throw them in with my dress. "Alright. How do I work you?" I muse.

For the most part, I'm pretty independent. I didn't rely on maids or the chef as I got old enough to learn those things for myself.

However, the maids refused to let me touch their equipment, so I'm not too sure how to use a washing machine. It can't be very hard, can it?

Grabbing the soap, I pour a bunch over the items and close the lid. Squinting, I read the settings. Not knowing what any of them mean, I leave it on the one it's on now and press start.

Smiling, I nod, feeling proud of myself. "With that done, I could use a bite to eat."

I feel bad again as I search through their fridge, but I'm so hungry that it hurts. The fruit and crackers I brought just aren't going to be enough.

"Mhhmm." I tap my foot as I search the items in the fridge. Not wanting to cook a big meal, I grab the cheese and find some bread on the counter. A grilled cheese will do the trick.

I'm able to whip up my sandwich quickly, and it's gone in just a few bites. But boy, did it hit the spot.

Seeing the mess I made, I put everything in the sink. I'm about to wash my dishes when I see a bowl filled with apples and an idea strikes.

What's a better way to say thank you than a nice, fresh, warm apple pie? With luck, they have everything I need to bake one from scratch.

An hour later, I pull the warm delicious pie from the oven and place it on the counter. After I'm done cleaning up and putting away the dishes, I feel another wave of fatigue hit me.

Another nap wouldn't hurt, right?

I'll sleep on the couch this time.

Before I lay down, I check on the wash. "Huh." Everything still looks dirty. Not as bad as before, but my dress is still darker in color. "Another round won't hurt." Grabbing the soap, I make sure to put extra to get everything clean this time. "Second time's the charm." I hope.

With my eyes growing heavy, I head back into the living room and lie down on their massive couch.

I hope when I wake up, the people who live here are back. I'd hate to just take shelter in their home and not say thanks and my apologies.

Just like the bed, the couch is comfortable. Grabbing the blanket that's slung over the couch, I wrap myself up in it. The smell hits me, making me groan. This smells different from the blanket in the bedroom but just as good, like pine and peppermint.

The scent has me drifting off, a comforting feeling filling me. Safe. Happy. Warm.

I JOLT AWAKE IN A PANIC from the nightmare I'd been having. My eyes sting as I think about her. Regina. In my nightmare, the guard has caught her and killed her for treason. I was tied to a chair, forced to watch her die. The fear in her eyes as she screamed for me felt so real.

Squeezing my eyes shut, I shake my head, determined to be rid of those awful images. It was just a dream. Regina is fine. She's the queen. They wouldn't have hurt her.

The fact is, I didn't know that for sure. If my father is ready to kill me, his own daughter, to protect his place on the throne, then I don't think he would bat an eye when it came to a woman he only married for his image and to gain more power.

I'm not sure how long I was asleep for this time, but I don't think I can go back to sleep again.

So, I decide to check the washer. While my dress will need to hang dry, everything else could be put into the dryer.

As I'm about to round the corner, I notice something in the hallway. "What is that?" I ask myself, frowning as I bend down to get a better look. "Is that bubbles?"

What on earth would bubbles be doing in the middle of the hallway?

My eyes flick over, looking further down the hallway and I gasp. "Oh no. Oh no, no, no!" I jump to my feet, my hands covering my mouth as I look at the mess in horror. The whole hallway is filled with soap bubbles. "Shit, shit, shit!" You know it's bad when I'm the one who's doing the cursing.

Panic fills me, and I start to rush down the hall towards the washer that is now making this loud banging sound. This cannot be good. Oh god, they're going to kill me.

As I run, I end up slipping. My eyes widen, and I scream as I slide down the hallway at full speed, my arms propelling, trying to prevent me from falling.

"Oh fuck!" I scream as I head straight into the wall, hitting it with a hard thump. I groan as I lay there, head pounding. Blinking my eyes open, I find myself surrounded by bubbles.

I lay there in defeat for a moment before struggling to get to my hands and knees. "No," I groan as I look at the mess. Thankfully, I'm pretty close to the washer, and after some slip-sliding on my hands and knees, I reach it and turn it off.

First thing I need to do is get rid of the bubbles before I'm able to clean up the floor.

"Come on!" I shout as every little step I take nearly has me falling onto my butt from the slipperiness of the floor. "Gods, what have I done to deserve this string of bad luck."

It takes me forever just to make it to the middle of the hall. "Almost there," I pant, fully sweating right now.

The door I'm passing opens, catching me off guard. "What is going—" a deep voice sounds. My head snaps to the side, eyes widening in horror as a massive wolf-like man stands in the doorway. "Snow?"

"What the hell?" Another voice has my eyes flicking in the direction of the front of the cottage. There stand five more massive figures. They're not giants. No, they're much worse. They have killer teeth and razor-sharp claws that could kill me in an instant.

I'm frozen in fear, chest heaving as I struggle to breathe. Unable to do much of anything, I do the only thing I can and scream bloody murder before passing out.

Of all the ways for one to die, I never thought it would be in a pit of bubbles.