This Fairest freebie story from Quartz's perspective was the result...
That blasted cuckoo let from behind the wooden door of the clock to let out its usual annoying chirp.
It was loud enough to awaken the girl, even though Garnet and I’d managed to get her settled in the spare bedroom.
I’d often wondered why Nimmie Not had housed my brothers and I in such a large cottage, much larger inside than it appeared from the front door. This wasn’t a time to question the availability of an additional bed, especially one big enough for a wayward human.
The girl’s eyes fluttered open, revealing dark blue eyes, shadowed by sorrow and regret.
She was so blasted young, not yet in her twentieth year, I’d wager. This was young even for a human. What had marked someone still barely a child with such regret?
Who had marked her?
“Where am I?” Her voice was low, tremulous, deeper than I’d expected, yet higher than any dwarf’s.
“Let’s see! I’ll see if I can explain it to you.” Garnet hurried over to his side of her bed, Jasper following closely after him.
My sixth youngest brother stopped, nearly stumbling over his feet to gape at the human. Garnet squatted down on the ground and began to trace a picture in the dust.
“What are you doing?” I demanded, trying to make sense of lines, squiggles, and curves he traced.
The girl leaned over the bed to blink in confusion at my youngest brother, playing in the dirt.
I had to admit, it was dirt. Our floor was filthy. Embarrassing how I hadn’t noticed this until Garnet drew attention to it in front of a visitor.
“We live, that is us seven brothers, well, you might think of us as seven dwarves.” Garnet looked up at the girl, only to duck his head and point at an uneven square. “Whatever you think of us, ahem, we live right here in the center of the Forest of Tears.”
“The Forest of Tears.” The girl smoothed back a tress of raven hair falling into her face with an unsteady hand. “That seems like an apt name for the wood I passed through.”
“Right, although there’s no need to be afraid of the wood.” Jasper ducked his head over his brother’s, moving closer to the bed. “Many a tear is wept here, yet the only sorrow is what you bring with you.”
“Or so it’s said.” I didn’t want my brother or this girl for that matter to take my word as unquestionable fact. Yes, I might have said such a thing to reassure Garnet and Jasper once, but this bit of lore came from Nimmie Not. I didn’t think our kobold benefactor would outright lie to me, however, there might be all sorts of holes in his truth which things could slither through. I didn’t want any of those things coming back to bite us, because we were too trusting in the sanctuary of this forest.
“Just so you know we’re just south of the mountains.” He stuck a finger into the dirt, disturbing a badly drawn triangle. “They can be dangerous, filled with every goblin, gnome, kobold, or dwarf dig up or steal every bit of gold, silver, or diamond they can find.” He drew his thick digit down. “We tend to mine in a little more south, where there’s less trouble and plenty of beautiful, underated stones. Like Quartz.” He raised his head and waved a dirty hand at me. “Our oldest brother has an especial affinity with his name stone.”
“Right, Garnet, Jasper.” I glanced over at our visitor, whose blue eyes glazed over with the information. “You’re confusing our guest.” I gave my brothers a sharp nod.
“Thank you…Garnet, Jasper.” The girl tried to sit up and smile at my brothers. “Don’t worry, Quartz.” She glanced at me. “At least I know I’m still in the Forest of Tears.” Her smile crumpled at her own word.
“Don’t take the wicked tales about the Forest of Tears too seriously.” I tried to gentle my tone. “It’s true that most of the evil folks babble about flitting through the trees they brought here in their own hearts.”
“Their own hearts.” The human girl closed her eyes, uttered a choked laugh which was half sob. “I guess it was the Forest which stopped her. Not me.”
“Stopped who?” Garnet asked.
Jasper leaned closer, eyes wide.
“Boys, why don’t you get some porridge for our guest?” I raised and lowered my eyebrows several times at my two youngest siblings, hoping they’d take the hint.
Garnet rose to his feet with some reluctance. He laid a hand on Jasper’s shoulder and nodded to the door.
The two of them shuffled out of the guest room, leaving footprints in the dust.
This room truly needed to be cleaned.
“My apologies.” I cleared my throat with an awkward harrumph. “We don’t mean to pry if you’re not ready to explain.”
“Forgive me for being so mysterious. I’m still a bit addled.” The girl opened her eyes again, fixing those soulful sapphire orbs upon me. “Thank you for giving me shelter and err, clothing, sir.”
She touched the thin robe of purple, red, and yellow, which was a bit too short for her. Happily she was a slender creature or Nimmie Not’s robe would never fit her.
No, it’s not what you’re thinking. I still turn red every time I think of the time I opened my wardrobe, only to find that garment hanging there. I think that kobold left it there for me as a prank.
Much as it might make me blush, right now I wasn’t looking a gift robe in the mouth any more than a gift room.
“No need to call me sir.” I fussed with my beard and ducked my head, hoping she didn’t notice how red my nose was turning. By good fortune, my brothers and I all had ruddy complexions. “I’m naught but a dwarf, m’dear, which is quite spectacular in some circumstances but not here. Quartz is my name and you’re welcome to use it.”
“A pleasure to meet you, Quartz.” The girl started to smile, only to stop, studying the ceiling, the floor, and my face. “I shan’t be a burden to you and your brothers. You have my word.”
“There’s no need to be concerned-“ I began.
“I’d be happy to earn my keep by doing some sweeping if that’s agreeable.” She glanced down at the ill drawn map my brother had sketched in the dust. “Begging your pardon, but your floor seems in want of a broom.”
I couldn’t argue with that.
“Once I’m rested I’ll started working on it.” She closed her eyes.
“That’s very decent of you, but you don’t need to concern yourself with our floor.” I patted her hand in an awkward gesture.
“Of course I do.” A tiny wrinkle appeared in the middle of her smooth forehead. “I’ve just given you my word. I shan’t be a burden.”
“You’re not a burden.” I withdrew my hand to stroke my beard. “This is quite the large cottage, big enough for you as well as the seven of us.”
I still wondered at a cottage containing nine bedrooms, a living area, a kitchen, a dining hall capable of seating ten people where the cuckoo clock could be heard in every room, yet gave no sign of being so large outside. Inside, this cottage was more like a palace, although you’d never guess it from the front room. You had to wander the halls to see how big it was.
It still made me uneasy, wondering how Nimmie Not had managed to come by such a ‘cottage’ and whom he’d gotten it from. Our kobold benefactor had intended to give it to my brothers and me as a gift. I’d tricked him into trading it to me as a favor. Even so, I still wondered if I hadn’t played into our tricky sprite’s hands by doing so.
This was just one more thing to worry among many. Right now, the ‘cottage’ was a sanctuary. For myself, my brothers, and now this girl.
“I’m still here, taking up one of your rooms, one of your beds, and I’m about to eat your food.” The girl looked at me from under lowered lashes. “You’re very kind to offer these things to me, but I’m still imposing.” A stubborn glint shone within the darkness of her pupil. “The least I can do is help clean your cottage in return for staying here.”
She could have simply accepted our hospitality. Judging from her manner, she was a gently born maiden used to having her way. Another might have felt it was her due, to take a room or a bed if she needed one for the night.
Not this one. She was too generous…and to wary to accept such a thing.
I recalled how I’d first met Nimmie Not. He’d been all flowery speeches about my destiny in his book, only to ready to give me a gift, while turning my brothers into his puppets, marching to his tune.
I hadn’t trusted him. I still didn’t. I’d tricked him into trading the cottage to me rather than accept it as a gift. I’d refused to put my faith in a kobold, particularly one who turned my family into toys for his amusement.
I was a dwarf, not a kobold, a much handsomer creature, not that most humans knew the difference. As a race, though, I couldn’t say we dwarves were exceptionally trustworthy. Not more than anyone else. Some of us were downright greedy, ready rob you of your last gold piece or sell you in return for treasure.
I could see from that glint that this girl had trusted, only to be betrayed. The betrayal was still fresh. It hurt. She wasn’t about to accept charity from a strange dwarf.
Perhaps she was wise not to. I certainly wouldn’t have.
“What’s your name?” I asked before catching myself. Yes, she was a human, but names weren’t without power among them. It was a dangerously rude question. “Ah, my apologies, m’dear. What should I call you?”
“My name was Blanche.” The girl wrinkled her nose at “Blanche” as if the word tasted foul. “Please don’t call me that. I’ve always hated the name.” She closed her eyes. “I was only just beginning to find it tolerable when…no, I’m trying to make a fresh start.” The girl lifted an unsteady white hand to her brow. “I’d like to have a new name to go with my new life.”
With skin like hers, the name Blanche seemed to aptly suit her. Still this was her to decide. Not me.
“All right, m’dear.” I leaned back. “You can start sweeping whenever you’re ready. We’ll try to think of a name you’ll find more satisfying while we work, right?”
“Right.” The girl smiled, lips trembling with tentative sweetness. “Thank you.” She released a deep breath and closed her eyes.
“Sleep well, m’dear.” I gave her one more awkward pat before leaving the room, allowing her the privacy of her dreams.
Only when I was outside did the full impact of letting this strange girl in strike me. What sort of trouble left a maiden with torn clothes and scratched skin, knocking on a stranger’s door? How might this trouble come back to haunt my brothers and myself?
I had a terrible feeling we were all about to find out.
Great line: there might be all sorts of holes in his truth which things could slither through. Heh... And did you mean 'Perhaps she was wise not *to*? :) Nice cliffhanger!
ReplyDeleteAck! Thanks for pointing that typo out...I've just fixed it. (wry grin) Thank you also for the compliment! If you like LGBTQIA+ fairytales, Fairest is part of a collection of such in Once Upon a Rainbow. It's available from Nine Star Press, plus it's on Amazon, Kobo, and B & N. You can read the rest of the story in Fairest...Blanche's story, not Quartz's. Quartz's I'm still working on. What I did to him in Fairest is why he's mad at me. (rueful grin) Writing his story is my way of making up for it. (another rueful grin)
ReplyDeleteThank you for stopping by! (hugs) Happy Writing!