History of Fictitious: Volume Three

Chapter 3

Snow White sang some tunes as she prepared the essentials for daily meals. She had everything ready besides the bread and had to wait for the dough to rise before putting it over the fire. The smell of freshly baked bread was her favorite scent food-wise, and Rose loved this recipe more than others, so Snow knew it would win Rose's forgiveness. Not that she needed to.

As she began stitching a patch into an old dress while she waited, she spotted something moving from outside the window. She ignored it and went back to work. It was probably only a squirrel or a rabbit. She continued her work and was satisfied that the material blended well with the original. Snow tied the thread and cut the extra with tiny scissors, which she then returned to her apron pocket, setting the needle down on the table. The dough had risen, so it was time to bake it.

She slid the bread onto the brick stones just above the fireplace. While the buttery loaf baked, she went back to the window. She watched along the trees to see if she could spot any wild animals. That's when she saw brown fur once again. This time, she knew she couldn't be imagining it. Before she scrambled outside, she pulled the uncooked bread out and set the lumpy roll on the table.

Afterward, she bolted out the door with her blue cloak draped over her shoulders. She ran to where she last saw the brown fur. Sure enough, there were bear paw prints. Their fuzzy prince came back! Yet something had stopped him from coming any closer.

Snow White put her hood up. If he was too scared to face them, she would pursue him. He shouldn't be freezing out here when he knew they would accept him for the night or even the rest of winter!

As she made her way through the forest, tracking down the prints, she heard frenzied shrieking. She looked down at the paw prints, wanting to follow them, but her heart had already decided. She strayed away from the tracks and went to help whoever had come across trouble.

That's when she came upon the centaur. This time, he had a young eagle stuck in his unruly beard. She honestly didn't know how or why these things happened to this centaur. And she certainly didn't understand why she or Rose always found him this way. They never encountered him under better circumstances.

"Argh, you stupid bird!" he hollered, ready to bat the poor thing.

"No, wait!" Snow White cried, coming forward.

The centaur looked at her, and the roll of his eyes said everything. However, he responded, "At least it's not Red. If you're so fond of the bird, GET IT OUT!"

Snow White quickly ran over to the centaur and told him to hold on to his beard where the eagle wasn't tangled up. Then, she carefully tried calming the eagle. It scratched her with its claws, causing her blood to drip on the snow. She pulled away, assessing the cuts. Thankfully, they weren't too deep.

She bit her lip, "We might have to cut more of your beard."

The centaur sneered, and an awful sound emerged from the back of his throat. "Oh, alright!"

Snow calmed the bird and got out her small scissors. With every snip, the centaur glowered. Finally, once the hairs were cut, Snow quickly untangled the eagle. The magnificent creature expanded its wings and soared into the sky. Snow ran forward a bit, a merry chuckle escaping her lips as she watched the young eagle fly to freedom.

An arrow buzzed over her head and nailed the eagle. It shrieked before it fell in front of Snow's feet. She whirled around to the centaur, who held a bow in his left hand. He grinned victoriously, galloping over to the dead animal. Snow pressed a hand against her wounds and gawked at the scene.

"Why did you kill it?" she whispered, looking from the eagle to the centaur, "I helped you because I didn't want it dead."

The centaur huffed, plucking the arrow out of the bird. "Like it matters. You eat meat, don't you?"