Forest of Fireflies

Chapter 3

Daniella's POV

The first shout I heard came from outside our cabin. Rasp and distant, the voice shouted again, "The Queen! She's coming!" As the voice came closer to the village, I heard commotion increase outside. We all knew what this meant. I glanced at Snow who was helping Teagan prepare the rabbit stew for our dinner. Snow widened her eyes at the noise that accumulated as result of the messenger's words. I saw Teagan in a slight moment of contemplation but then, she got up abruptly and ushered Snow to her bedroom. Like the other orphans, I listened intently to Teagan's rushed tone of voice. 

"Hide behind this cabinet. Quick! I'll put a blanket over you so that you can be hidden; just in case anything happens." 

I heard the princess' voice reply in a harsh whisper, "No, Teagan! I must run, she'll find me if the guards inspect the village in detail."

"No, they won't. She won't. Trust me. Remember what we said, they aren't likely to go into an orphanage. Even if they do, you'll be hidden beneath the pile of clothes. I don't think the black knights will bother to raze the village and search everything despite what the Queen commands."

There was a sigh. "Alright, just promise me that you'll try and keep the children away from this; IF the guards find me and and also discover that you're responsible."

I heard no reply from Teagan but in a few seconds, she came out. "Children, don't mention this to anyone, understood? Come, we must go out. The Evil Queen will probably expect the villagers' to come out and pay our respects. Don't dawdle. Leyton! That includes you. Come on...all of you!" The orphans began to file out of the the cabin silently. They had seen the Queen before when she visited the village a little over a year ago. Although I haven't had the experience, the orphans told me what it was like. The whole community had been silent for the duration of the visit, afraid that the monarch will enact any signs of magic or worse, murder a villager. Luckily, I was told that the Queen's previous visit had not resulted in any deaths as she was simply passing the region. This time however, it was clear that none of us knew of the Queen's intentions. Surprisingly, the black knights had ceased the search for Snow White in our region for a rather long period of time. I suppose it was due to the news that Snow had travelled into other kingdoms instead of staying refuge in this one. Oh, great. Snow is hiding amongst us right now. 

I was the last person to make my way to the entrance of the cabin. Just before I went out however, Teagan stopped me. "Daniella, I need you to stay in here with Snow. Get into my bed and pretend that you're sick with a contagious fever. If the guards come into the cabin, cough and make a large fuss. Hopefully, they will fall for it and leave you alone. I've heard that there is a sickness circulating the village right now. You won't be too suspicious, just make sure that you act it out to the best of your abilities, alright? I can count on you to do, Daniella. I know you won't mess this up. The kingdom needs Snow so please, help her."

I nodded slowly and shakily turned around to head towards Teagan's bedroom. As I made my way to the bed, I heard a soft ruffling sound coming from the bundle of blankets and clothes that was piled in the corner, beside the Teagan's cabinet. I got into Teagan's bed and whilst I arranged the thin blanket around my body, I heard a quiet voice whisper, "What are you doing here, Daniella?"

"Teagan asked me to pretend that I'm very sick. She says that if the guards come in, they will hopefully turn away because a deadly fever has been circulating the village. They might believe that I'm suffering from the fever."

"That's clever of Teagan I suppose, but Daniella, are you alright about doing this?"

I slid under the covers of the bed and replied, "Well I don't really have a choice as Teagan had asked me. But I guess I don't mind. I wanted to go out to see the Queen though."