Pandora: A Sleeping Beauty Story

The Snow White One

Pandora wiped her face on her sleeve, drying away her tears and taking deep breaths. She couldn't stay here. Even though it was momentarily safe,she needed to find Tabitha. How far would she have gone? Pandora knew there was village nearby. She'd visited it once with Tabitha with instruction on how evil the world could be, how women were treated init, and lessons on blending in.

Her dress was not going to help with that. At least it had gotten a bit dirty. She rubbed a little more dirt into it, removing the expensive sheen and turning it from blue to a pale grey, much better. Then she shook her hair and ran her fingers through it. Using a simple masking, she turned it from golden to mousy brown. Finally, she rubbed one dirty finger over her nose. Hopefully she looked like a downtrodden peasant and not a princess.

In the village, she didn't find Tabitha, but there was no doubt she had been there. Everyone was cowering, peeking out from doorways and windows. Closing her eyes, Pandora focused on her surroundings. She could sense magic. If Tabitha were anywhere nearby, she would find her.

There was a faint trail leading away from the houses and down the mountain.Pandora opened her eyes with a sigh. She was gone.

"Can one of you help me? I've been trapped by a witch and have only just escaped. I need to return to my family."

A woman was the first to risk leaving the safety of her home. She was older, with grey hair tucked under her bonnet. "I'll help you,"she said. "That witch just left here with a queen. They won't return soon. You are safe here."

A queen? Had Tabitha found her mother already? It wasn't unlikely. What surprised her was knowing how close she had been to her mother without seeing her. Had Tabitha led her away intentionally? Did she want Pandora to stay in the death-sleep?

That wasn't fair. She knew her mother had called Tabitha to help her. They were on their way to do what was required. It was frustrating to know that she had been only a few miles from her mother. She hadn't seen the queen since she was a child and barely remembered the beautiful woman. She had no memory at all of her father.

The woman brought Pandora into her own home and fed her, offering her abed for the night. "In the morning, we'll get Frederic to take you down in his wagon. You'll be able to find your way from Haven?"That was the name of the large town at the base of the mountain,where the dwarven miners lived.

"Yes,I can find my way from there," she said although she had no idea how to find Tabitha or her mother. At least it would be easier to hide among more people, although she would stand out among the small,dark folk that worked underground.

Frederic proved to be only a little younger than Carol, the woman who took her in for the night. He spent the entire ride talking about his children and grandchildren. "I tell them stories of the old witch that lives in the mountains. Keeps them from wandering too far."

Pandora nodded. Tabitha would never hurt a villager, unless they attacked her. That had happened once while Pandora stayed in the fortress. A small army of men with torches and swords. Tabitha had called Magnificent's mother, Magestic. She had frightened the men back, and then Tabitha moved the fortress. The worst they fared was a few burns as Magestic's breath blew their own torch fire back on them. Tabitha looked fearful, and there was no doubt she would scare children to hug tight to their mothers, but she wasn't violent.

"Where is your family from?" Frederic asked. She had already told him she had no siblings and was looking for her mother.

"Lakeside."Her father's castle was on the shores of the large lake, but Pandora had only spent the first year of her life inside. "But I know my mother isn't there."