A/N: Jeez, finally a new chapter! Thanks to those of you who are putting up with my lateness. I am exceedingly grateful.

Sarah knelt on the ground, mumbling to herself. But whereas some other, weaker breed of monarchs would have produced a sniveling princess, Sarah was not weeping or feeling sorry for herself; rather, she was tracking small footmarks that she was sure would lead to civilization.

The not-so-young princess swept a hand across the dark tracks in front of her before lifting her fingers to her nose and smelling it. “Coal miners,” she whispered. She rose to her feet silently, following the tracks to a tiny house.

“Whoa!” Sarah blurted out. She studied the cottage for a moment or two, determining if it was dangerous or not. She let her eyes sweep across the perimeters of the residence, checking for traps or potential opponents; there were none.

“Going in,” Sarah murmured to herself, continuing a game that she and her mother had made up when she was little. “Cover me.” The princess dropped into a crouch and moved across the grounds until she reached the door of the abode. She touched a hand to the door, shaking her head when it swung open silently. “These people need to have a better security system.”

She stepped through the doorway and let her eyes play over the interior. “Must be some troupe of midgets,” she muttered to herself as she took in the small-size table, chairs, and mugs scattered around what was assumedly the kitchen. She spared a glance outside to see if her few belongings were still there, and, when she turned back around, there were seven short men standing in front of her.

“Whaddaya want, Girly?” one of them snarled at her. “And how’d you get in here?”

Sarah smirked and answered coolly, “It’s not hard when you don’t lock your doors at night.”

Another of the group with spectacles narrowed his eyes and directed a kick at the cowering member next to him. “You dope!” he cried. “Why didn’t you lock the door?”

“Sorry, Doc,” he whimpered. “I forgot. I have to do all the washing up, too, and there were so many dishes last night, and I was just so tired that I went straight to bed with the rest of you.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” the forgotten princess broke in. “What are you talking about, runt? You mean to tell me that you do all their housework without any pay?”

The sad little man nodded, and then cringed when Doc raised his foot again. But Sarah was there in a flash and grabbed the leader’s foot in mid-kick. “Oh, no you don’t,” she growled and gave his foot a hard twist. Doc spun around in mid-air and landed firmly on his rump, gazing up at the angered girl above him.

“Didja see that, fellas?” one of them shouted with a bright smile. “That mere girl there just licked Doc on the first try!”

“Mere girl?” Sarah spat in disbelief. She drew her blade from its scabbard at her side and thrust it under the speaker’s chin. “Smile, when you say that?” she demanded.

“Ah, he can’t help it, Miss,” a little blushing man offered. “Happy there was born happy and don’t know any other way. If you told him his mama had died, he would smile through the sobs.”

Sarah slowly sheathed the sword, unsure of what she should do. “Oh, all right then,” she replied slowly. “I guess I can’t blame him then…”

The crabby one that had first snarled at her snapped, “Well, I don’t like it. So I suggest that you just pack yerself up and get yerself back to wherever you came.”

“From whence she came,” the timid one corrected and he cringed when the grumpy guy raised his hand.

“Whoa! Grumpy!” Sarah exclaimed sharply. The man stilled the motion and looked at the teen princess in disbelief.

“How did you know my name, girl?” he questioned.

Sarah rolled her eyes and huffed. “Well, if the happy one’s named Happy and you call this one Dopey, and Doc is Doc… Well, it made sense at the time!”

He nodded slowly, then faster. “Me own mum said that when I asked her why I was named so.” The dwarf studied the girl intently, Sarah arching an eyebrow at his scrutiny. “Shall you stay with us, then? Perhaps you could be like a housekeeper?”

Doc’s eyes widened. ‘No!’ he mouthed, slashing his throat with his fingers. But Grumpy ignored him and iterated, “Please, Miss, you remind me of my mother… Please stay.”

“Should I be worried that he compares me to his mother?” Sarah asked of the air about her. Without waiting for an answer, a slow smile crept over her face. “Sure, I’ll stay. But I don’t do windows,” she quickly added.

“Deal.” Grumpy reached out and shook the girl’s hand before introducing his roomies. As Sarah tried to hide a smile at the predictable names (Grumpy, Dopey, Happy, Bashful, Sneezy, Sleepy, Doc), she knew that this was only a temporary solution; she couldn’t hide from her stepmother forever.

Elsewhere, Helena glared at Sarah’s image in the mirror with her new protectors, a cruel smile at her lips. “I’ll find you, Sarah White. And when you’re out of my way, I’ll have permanent control of Quinland! I had given you a chance; if you’d have married like a good little girl, I wouldn’t have to kill you now.” Helena raised her arms into the air and Sarah’s image vanished. “I hope you like the little gift I left you!” she laughed nastily.

---Author’s Notes---
Okay. Anyone confused by anything? Tell me and I'll try to clarify next chapter. Blessed be, Lily