Desperate times call for desperate measures and Snow did the only thing she could think of. She appealed to Uncle Doc.
Dr. Cornelius Rutherford, being a most kind hearted man did the only thing he could think of. He arranged to take both the girls to Crystallise with him that week for his Medical Convention. Whatever the strange turn of events that led the girls to this journey, this holiday in Crystallise would set in motion an entire chain of events that would someday shape the future of all kingdoms.
Chapter 6
Crystallise was a two day journey by carriage from Turin, and that was with fresh horses every eight hours. Had Dr. Rutherford been traveling alone that spring, he very well might have done just that; but since he was now in the company of two young ladies, he decided to travel with a touch more luxury. The Rutherford Party traveled along the most well used tourist road, stopping everyday at a different Bed and Breakfast, in a large well stocked carriage pulled by four bay coloured horses.
This is not to say that the actual travel time was anything but tedious, but the good doctor had taken special care to collect the school work the girls would be missing. Unfortunately only the doctor appreciated his efforts, as they were met with undisguised groans. So as Cindy and Snow reluctantly worked at their lessons, Dr. Rutherford went over his notes and prepared his lectures.
The closer they got to the famed capital city of Lonstas the higher the level of excitement reached. Cindy had been several times with her father, and even Snow a native Rylakian had heard of it; Crystallise was one of the most famous cities in all the known kingdoms. Prince Leonardo, dream man to both Cindy and Snow, not to mention every other teenage girl in the kingdom, was slated as partaking in the convention, and a dinner and dance were scheduled every night. It was a dream vacation, excluding the mandatory homework of course. The only real downside was that Rapunzel couldn’t be there too. How she would have loved a chance to see the beautiful city.
Snow felt terrible leaving their lonely friend behind, but both of the teenagers knew there was no way the dreadful Mother Goethal would ever have let the poor girl join them on this trip. She would put an immediate end to the night time adventures too, should she ever find out; Snow cringed at the thought. She often played out the scene in her head should she confess their little crime, but it never ended well for any of them. Obviously things couldn’t go on the way they have been forever, but how on earth would you approach such a subject? The time never seemed right; was there ever a good time though? It wasn’t that she feared Uncle Doc; she was almost sure that if he knew the full circumstances, he would understand why she might do what she had been doing. Almost sure. Maybe it was the fact that she had been lying to him, well she hadn’t actually lied as per say, but lies of omission still count as lies...no matter how wrong that felt sometimes. She really hated the feeling she was letting the good doctor down.
~~*~~
Crystallise, by any standards was an incredibly beautiful city, and worthy of all the attention it had garnered on the world stage. Built so that the city backed in to an actual mountain, and surrounded by gleaming white stone walls, it was virtually impenetrable. Although the city possessed several huge gates granting entrance, Lonstas had long since been at peace with the neighbouring kingdoms, and the gates had remained open for years; so long in fact that no one could remember them ever having been closed. It was a huge city with miles of tree strewn roads leading directly in to the city proper.
Crystallise, the actual city proper had several distinct neighbourhoods. The touristy neighbourhood in the north west section was home to the largest congregation of hotels, restaurants, gaming rooms and entertainment venues in the city. Although you could find a hotel, restaurant or pub in other sections of the city, Laureate, as it was referred to by the locals was the one area where you couldn’t take ten steps without passing another impromptu performance by actors, dancers or musicians all anxious to be discovered and perform to great celebration on one of the many main stages across the kingdoms. The ‘strip’ was a constant hit with the tourists. Lit by thousands of bright lights, it just begged attention, and it got it. It was never, never quiet in Laureate.
Across the main road, the south western section, or Homner, as it was called was home to a large, eclectic shopping district. This was the location that one day Cindy hoped to open her design studio. Designers, boutiques, all sorts of shops were laid out in perfect cobblestone streets. Why, anything you could think of could be found in shops and vendors in Homner. Quaint cafes strategically placed at several intersections provided rest and sustenance for weary shoppers.
South east, or Wilcox, was a residential neighbourhood. Home to the very wealthy, it was meticulously groomed, with beautifully maintained parks and large pristine looking schools. The water fountains that graced these parks, it is said, were gifts from a Dwarf King several centuries ago. Chiselled out of solid granite these fountains depicted water nymphs and fairies greeting the morning sunlight; remarkable workmanship.
North east was known as Rosen. Again a residential area although not quite as wealthy as Wilcox, it sported a fun and riotous feel. Small pubs, flea markets and colourful playgrounds dominated the middle class neighbourhood. Children played hide and seek up and down weathered cobblestone streets, while mothers gossiped as they hung out the daily laundry on the lines.
Pulling these four sections together was Centre Court, which as the name implies was right in the middle of Crystallise. Centre Court was home to the great libraries, universities, hospitals and law courts in the kingdom. The statue in the actual centre court of Centre Court was that of a man, in robes with a great beard flowing down, each arm raised upwards to the sky holding a book. The inscription read “Dare to Dream”. Horse drawn cabs and carriages awaiting weary travelers ready to take them to any point in the much beloved city, used Centre Court as their base.
At the far west nestled in to the Crystal Mountain, was The Charming Family Palace. The huge, glorious castle sported dozens of turret towers and several domed roof sections complete with stained glass windows. Bright green ivy crawled up the stone walls of the famous castle, intermixing with another vine that bore small bright red flowers. This created the effect that the castle was strewn with green and red jewels. The garden in the centre of the palace was said to be without peer, its beauty magical. Surrounding the castle were several large estates held by various dukes and lords of the Aristocracy, each more beautiful than the next. Reaching past the castle and upwards on the mountain, sheppard’s and goat herders made their home in a more rustic style similar to the small subdivisions on the miles of outskirts outside the city proper, although still within the massive city walls. And there were a great many wealthy estates that preferred to make their home just outside the bustling city as well. All of this fell under the umbrella of “Crystallise”.
~~*~~
Uncle Doc chose to book a suite in Centre Court; he would be close to the convention site, and the girls would have the use of the fabulous cab system to explore the Homner district. Cindy begged o be allowed to visit Laureate with Snow, but on this Uncle Doc put his foot firmly down. Laureate was far too dangerous for the teens to explore un-chaperoned; he did, after much pleading, promise to take the girls himself before they left. Cindy took that as a win.
With Uncle Doc busy registering, the girls found they had the entire evening free for exploring. Cindy delightedly went over the tourist map of Crystallise, pointing put various ‘hot spots’ they just had to see. Although there were several fabulous options, Snow let Cindy choose the night’s destination. Cindy chose the “Cat Walk” in Homner, firmly stating that it would be a defining moment in Snow’s life; it had been in hers. Snow wasn’t convinced but she decided not to burst Cindy’s bubble of joy with her doubts.
The Cat Walk, was an outdoor fashion event showcasing the talents of Crystallise’s most prominent up and coming designers. Set under a tent in Homner’s only park, models wearing the newest and
most innovative of the designs would parade up and down the centre walkway. Cutting edge musicians played at various stages and more than one celebrity was bound to show up; this tended to bring even more cache to the event; you never quite knew who you would run in to at the “Cat Walk”, and anything was possible.
The event was officially a hit when hoards of paparazzi descended, and how Cindy happened to end up in the pictures of both the Grand Duchess Aria and The great elf Frieda no one will ever know. Snow, quite sensibly opted for anonymity. She almost succeeded.
Almost.
Cindy clasped her hands together and watched the models make their way past with such excitement that Snow couldn’t help but get swept away with it as well.
Homner was exactly Cindy’s kind of place.
~~*~~
“Yes, that’s all fine and dandy, but how are you going to test your theories?” a stout Devonian asked.
Uncle Doc was a very good public speaker, but somehow Snow just couldn’t concentrate on his speech that day, so as he explained the various methods used to keep infection at bay, she let her mind wander. Idly she scanned the room, physicians from the four main ingdoms were represented, local physicians from Lonstas of course, The Republic of Sarrilia, or the leaderless Sarrilian Kingdom as the Devonian’s called them, the overly led Devon Kingdom with their dozens of petty kings all owing fealty to their High King and of course, Rylak. Snow closed her eyes as she thought about her former kingdom; the homesickness was overwhelming. How she yearned to see her father, smell the chrysanthemums that grew just outside her window; how she missed her life sometimes. It wasn’t that she was lacking anything in her new life as Snowy Rutherford, Dr. Rutherford’s adopted niece, it was just homesickness plain and simple. Sometimes she missed being Snow White.
Years ago Rylak had moved in on the undefended Sarrilian Kingdom, intent on enveloping and occupying the mysterious land. The Kings of Rylak had always been practical, if not a tad opportunistic, in that her father was different. King Roland was a firm diplomat; or had been until illness had struck him down, her stepmother, the beautiful Rosalyn was somewhat less so. So the Rylakian occupation of Sarrilia had not gone over well with the reigning King of Lonstas, the most powerful Kingdom at the time, the occupation had been labelled hostile; Lonstas had intervened. The king placed a regent of sorts from the Sarrilian capital city to stand in for the missing Royal Family. That had been one hundred years ago. This had created a sort of Republic instead of a kingdom, the first in recorded history. These regents were elected by the people in a democratic vote, and so far the system had worked. Rylak had never really gotten over it. The history Snow had been taught with regards to the situation was somewhat different than that taught by the teachers in Lonstas.
Snow wondered if she would recognise any of the Rylakian physicians. Suddenly she gasped and began to sweat. How could she have been so stupid! If she recognised them, they would in turn recognise her! Of course the Rylakians would recognise her; she was their Crown Princess after all; there were portraits of her everywhere across the land. So she recognised them, they recognised her and returned home tell the queen, her stepmother and...just when the room began to swim from panic she remembered the enchantment Manuel had procured for her. The purple smoke that had enveloped her had felt like the real deal but...
She really, really hoped it worked because it looked like it was about to be tested right now; she trembled slightly and thought for one horrible moment that she might get sick. Realising again what a stupid idea this was to attend one of Doc’s lectures, Snow barely dared to breathe as the foremost physician in all of Rylak made his way towards her. Just as she felt the colour drain from her already pale face and the room began to swim, she felt a strong hand take hers...Uncle Doc.
When he had finished his speech and came to stand beside her she had no idea, but it appeared that the Rylakian physician was heading for Uncle Doc...not her. She managed to focus on something to the left of the men, so not to tempt fate with a dead on look, as her heart beat a thundering rhythm beneath her ribs.
The two men shook hands, congratulating each other on recent discoveries; Snow breathed a sigh of relief. Apparently Manuel’s spell had really and truly worked; should she thank him she wondered? No, she decided he would only take it as an excuse to insult her in some way. How, she wasn’t sure, but Manuel was nothing if not creative. That insufferable vampire. Tomorrow’s lecture was about vampires, she made a mental note to attend; the more she understood about him the better. As the Rylakian moved on without a second look at her, Snow felt herself begin to relax.
“Dr. Rutherford, your books on infection prevention, were truly some of the most inspiring I have read; and I love your theory on the correlation between compromised water supplies and plagues.” A soft and intelligent voice remarked.
How nice, she thought, a student thanking Uncle Doc for his constant contributions to the medical world. Smiling she looked up...in to the beautiful blue eyes of Prince Leonardo Charming himself! Her breath stopped in her lungs and she thought she lost the power of speech.
He. Was. There. Really there, all perfect six foot two of him! And he was smiling! At her! Holy Crap!
“Snowy, this is Leo; he is the finest medical student at the university. Snowy is my...niece and she has been kind enough to accompany an old man across the kingdom.” Uncle Doc introduced.
Leo? He calls him Leo? Perhaps she was going mad, Snow thought.
“Snowy, how wonderful to meet you. You must be very proud of your uncle; he is certainly the star lecturer at this convention.” He took her hand and kissed the back of it. Prince Charming had just kissed her hand. Cindy was going to faint when she heard.
“It is wonderful to meet you as well your Highness.” She responded automatically, with a small curtsy. Good manners had been drilled in to her in Castle White as long as she could remember. “I always stand in awe of my uncle.”
“Please, call me Leo; when I’m at school I’m just Leo.” He replied with a devastating smile and a twinkle in his famous blue eyes. That smile, the was the same one he wore in the picture she had framed and currently hung over her bed; which was all rather bizarre. She was sure her cheeks were flaming.
“Leo.” She repeated with a shy smile, endlessly thankful for her decorum training. He was even better looking in person though; way better.
The gorgeous prince turned back to the little Doctor. “Dr. Rutherford, if I may, do you have plans for dinner tomorrow evening? I would be honoured if you would dine with me and discuss your latest book?”
She forgot how to breathe.
~~*~~
So, if Snow was having trouble breathing at the thought of dining with the most eligible bachelor in the Kingdom, in all Kingdoms, then Cindy was downright catatonic. Lying sideways across the bed, she simply stared at the ceiling.
“Tell me again. Tell me everything again.” Cindy managed.
Snow, sitting on the chair, hands clasped around her knees, slowly recited the whole story yet again.
“He kissed your hand...” Cindy whispered in apparent awe, her eyes big like saucers.
“Yup.” Snow confirmed. To be honest¸ she was getting a bit tired of rehashing the whole five minute meeting. Yes, it was amazing to finally meet the ‘man of her (and every other red blooded teenager’s) dreams’, but now that she had a few moments to think about it, it really wasn’t that big of a deal. The strange thing was, he didn’t act like anything other than a gentlemanly university student. Certainly not like the girls had imagined him, most fantasies had him swooping in on white winged horseback, sword drawn, and emitting a great battle cry. But in all honesty, most of those fantasies also involved massive dragons or hungry ogres at the very least. No, none of their fantasies had ever been about Prince Leonardo Charming, “Med Student”.
“Leo” He’d said. “When I’m at school I’m just Leo.” Okay then, actually that was a minor relief. It would be so much easier
acting normal around a nice med student named “Leo”, than it would be with “Prince Leonardo Charming, heir to the throne, defender of the kingdom”...
So Leo he would be. Maybe he was as uncomfortable with all the pomp, hoopla and whatnot, as she herself was...had been. Not that Snowy Rutherford accorded any pomp, hoopla or whatnot, but Snow White certainly had. Hmmm. Maybe they had something in common; not that she could tell him though. So that was a completely pointless thought. Sometimes it really bit at her, having to hide her identity; but if she wanted to live, she had to be Snowy Rutherford...forever. Sometimes the idea of never going home again felt less like a rescue, and more like a punishment. Another pointless thought.
So tomorrow night they would be joining Prince Charming for dinner. That they had fantasised about, but she supposed, those fantasies had been about “Prince Charming”, this dinner was with “Leo”. He did have the best smile she had ever seen, something about it just made you feel good.
She let herself be dragged off by Cindy in search of the perfect outfit. This was after all, dinner with the Prince to Cindy, no matter what he decided to call himself.
~~*~~
“Vampires, have lived among us for as long as anyone can remember.” The healer started off, his refined, clear voice effortlessly carrying across the lecture hall. This was his moment to unveil and discuss the recent breakthroughs the medical community in Sarrilia had made, in their quest to bring vampires, biologically speaking, back in to the folds of society. Uncle Doc had expressed special interest in this presentation; the room was understandably packed.
This was a huge task by any standards, and Snow had to admire the elf for championing it. Even here in Lonstas, with the ever growing equality and coexistence movement, certain biases still remained. There would always be those ready to point a finger and cry ‘monster’ at anything and anyone different then themselves. And those sorts typically cried loudest.