Fanning the Flames of Rebellion [A Lunar Chronicles Fanfic]

Chapter 33

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It was a soft tap on her shoulder, that woke Winter from her slumber. She struggled to open her eyes, the bright light blinding her. A shadow--no--shadows moved in front of her, mumbling inaudible things. When she finally pried her eyes open, she gasped.

There were seven men standing over her, looking at her questioningly. Winter sat up, almost knocking one of them in the head. She made sure that her glamour was still up, surprisingly, she was able to contain it while sleeping.

"Wh-who are you?" Winter exclaimed, trembling with fear. Who were these men? Guards? No, they didn't look like guards, they had mismatched, filthy clothing. Not a guard's uniform, meaning Levana hadn't found her yet.

"I'm Almiguer, but people call me Al." One replied, he had small glasses and a plump stature. Winter noticed that the men were all a good two feet shorter than her.

"This is Saul," Al continued, pointing to the man next to him. "This is Kane, this is Melchang (pronounced mehl-shang), but he goes by Mel." he continued down the line. Each of the men gave her a smile and a short wave.

"That's Wen, Tye, and Grant." The last man, though, didn't smile or wave at Winter. He harrumphed.

"What are you doing here? In our house?" Grant demanded.

Winter pondered what she should say. Could she trust these men? She didn't know yet; best keep quiet. "I-I'm sorry, I didn't know it was yours." Winter pulled up an innocent face, one she'd gotten pretty good at.

"You see, I'm very lost. I was transported here for some reason I don't know, by thaumaturges. I just thought this home had been unoccupied. I'm sorry."

Al gave her a sympathetic smile. "It's quite alright, Darling. You can stay here if you'd like, until you can find another home." Winter smiled.

She heard Grant grunt. "Honestly, Al, what do you think you're doing? This is our house, you know. Not yours. I say we throw her back on the streets." Winter felt hurt at his words, but the rest of the men came to her support.

"I don't think so, Grant, she seems... Sweet." Wen said calmly, slightly blushing and crossing his arms behind his back. Winter smiled at him. "I think she should stay."

"Oh quiet, Wen, what do you know? You got a brain the size of a pea." Grant said, crossing his arms.

"Now that's not very nice." Winter replied kindly. He just glared at her.

"I agree with Wen and Al, I like her. Who--" Tye sneezed before continuing."Who are you anyway?"

"My name..." Winter thought of some names. She loved the ones she'd name her animals and imaginary friends.

One name stuck out in particular.

"My name is Snow. Snow White."

"Well, Snow White, welcome to Cottage de Nains." Al replied, taking a mock bow.

"Thank you, really."

"Did you do this?" A voice piped up, it was Saul.

Winter looked around at the cleaned home. She had done this. "Yes, I just thought it needed a little cleaning up."

Saul smiled and yawned before crashing down on the bed beside him.

"We work long hours, so it's hard to always keep everything orderly." Al said, turning his gaze from Saul to Winter.

"Where do you work?" She asked.

"The mines, if you couldn't already tell." Al laughed, gesturing to his filthy clothes.

Winter heard a soft ring come from behind her. Wen gasped and ran to the port screen in the corner of the room.

"What is it now, Wen?" Grant groaned.

He was unable to speak. He kept opening and closing his mouth, pointing to the port in his hands. Al followed Wen and took the port out of his hands and examined it.

He too, gasped. "Princess Winter has been kidnapped!"

Winter frowned. Of course. Levana would want it to be kidnapping. She wouldn't want people being suspicious about Winter's death.

"That's terrible!" Wen cried, putting a hand over his heart.

Winter got up and walked to Wen, giving him a soft embrace. She felt him soften as she let go and stood up. Winter smiled.

"It's going to be fine." she said, reassuring him.

Wen smiled and wrapped his arms around Winter's legs. "Thank you, Snow White."

Winter's smile wavered. It wasn't fair. They have been so kind to her, and she had lied to them. She was afraid of what they might do to her of she told them who she was. Would they turn her in?

Winter took a deep breath. "I need to talk to you all,"

Their heads turned up to her as she continued.

"My name is not Snow White. I wasn't transferred here by thaumaturges, and this isn't what I really look like." Winter waited for their response.

Silence.

"My name is Winter," she dropped her glamour, "and I wasn't kidnapped."

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A/N: I have to admit, it feels weird not updating everyday. But I'll get used to it. Thanks for all the positive feedback on my previous chapters, though!

Here's a little game:

Whoever can find out what "Cottage de Nains" means in English first, will get a special shout out in my next chapter!

Good luck and thanks for reading!
Amber