Ivory Snow

Even leaving at the late hour they had, Adam and Charles were able to set up shop in their normal spot. The other inhabitants of their village were accustomed to their presence and knew of their situation.

Apparently not everyone was rooting for Adam to fail like the Baron was.

“Good morning, Adam!” The Innkeeper greeted him as he sauntered toward the table, an hour after they had set up. “What kind of fish do you have for me today?”

The Innkeeper was one of their best customers. He served meals in the Saloon below the Inn. As long as Adam could remember, the man always came to them first. He knew for a certainty the man also went to other fish vendors, ones with more variety and a larger stock.

When Adam was old enough to understand what charity was, his pride kicked in. If the male didn’t actually need to buy from them, then why did he? They were doing fine. They didn’t need his handouts!

Adam Sr, hearing him spout off, pulled him aside and explained that the Innkeeper had been a close friend of their mother’s.

Yes, he didn’t need to buy from them, but it made him feel better to help out any way that he could. They would not let their pride get in the way of making a little extra money and satisfying a friend.

Adam hadn’t been happy about it, which was normal for him. He was grumpy as a pup, and still was to be honest. Not like Charles, who whistled everywhere he went and was rarely in a bad mood.

Still, Adam eventually got used to the charity sale. And, for the last year, it didn’t bother him so much. They needed the money now more than ever.

“Good morning!” Adam lifted a hand and met the other male’s in midair for a strong shake. “Unfortunately, my brothers pulled their rods back yesterday. A group of dolphins decided to play close to the shore. They did not want to risk hurting the creatures with their hooks. Instead, they sat there and watched them!” Adam laughed along with the Innkeeper, not as lightheartedly of course.

“Ah. What a wonderful experience that must have been. Not something too many around here can say they’ve seen.”

Adam nodded. “True, it is an experience I doubt any of them will be forgetting anytime soon.” And not just because of the dolphins. “The youngest pups spoke of nothing else all night. We will have fish for you in a few days though.”

The Innkeeper waved Adam’s apologies aside with a wave of his hand. “Not a problem. I see you have some of your father’s old carvings. Or did one of you inherit that particular talent?”

“Actually, our father taught us all how to carve. He took more pleasure in it than we did. But lately, I have begun to see the appeal in it. I never understood how he could sit for hours with a knife and a block of wood. As a pup, I could barely stand twenty minutes of it. Now, I revel in the peace it gives me.”

The Innkeeper chuckled heartily again. “Yes, sometimes I can still see him sitting here, behind the little table, carving out another trinket. Even as a pup, he would always be sitting under a tree when he came to town with your grandfather.” He scratched his chin and looked upward, reliving the past. “If I’m not mistaken, he was carving when he met your mother.”

Adam smiled sadly, as he always did at the mention of his mother, and this was the second time she’d been brought up today.

“Yes. She was just coming out of the bookstore when she nearly tripped over him. He was sitting on the stairs, carving out a pile of books. As it goes with true mates, he caught a sniff, their eyes met, and that was it.”

The Innkeeper’s soft laugh wasn’t quite as jovial anymore.

His parents had never said anything, but Adam always wondered if this particular male had also been in love with his mother. The Innkeeper had yet to find his mate.

“That it is. And you? You shifted a year ago, yes?” Adam nodded cautiously. “Have you been on the lookout for that special someone that Mother Nature created for you?”

Adam scoffed at the idea. “I am barely sixteen and I have six other mouths to feed. I don’t have time to go mate hunting. Maybe one day, when things are settled, and the pups are old enough to care for themselves. I have a few more years yet. Besides, working in this market every Sunday, I’ve met just about every female in the village and surrounding areas.”

“True, true. Well, when you do get to restock your fish, come see me. No need to wait until Sunday.”

Adam expressed his gratitude, shook the male’s hand again and bade him farewell.

A few others also asked about the fish. It got to where Adam was worried they would not make anything this week. Thankfully though, those searching for food came early, before the heat could taint the edible items.

Later in the day, people began buying the various figurines they had made. Adam also had spare carriage wheels he made the month prior, as well as bowls, plates, and other kitchen supplies.

Not long after they had set up, Charles collected some of their earnings and broke off to go buy the few things they could afford.

With the help of the farm, they didn’t need to buy much in the way of produce. Once a week, they bought bread, which always seemed ridiculous to him since they grew their own grain. Unfortunately, none of them had learned how to make bread with it.

Charles took his time at each spot, listening in to the various conversations. It wasn’t until lunch time when he finally heard what he needed too.

“Did you hear what happened to the King and Queen?” One female asked another while they were testing out the apples, which had seen better days.

“No.” The other snorted. “I doubt it’s true anyway. This royal couple is good at keeping their business within the castle walls.”

“That’s just it. This happened outside, at the beach!”

At the word beach, Charles’ interest was piqued.

“Well, spit it out then. What happened?”

“They were attacked. Some say it was rogues, some say it was the guards.”

The second female giggled. “That’s impossible. King Alexander is a true King. He is the strongest Alpha wolf in the kingdom. Plus, Queen Maria has been good to the rogues, they have not been a serious problem in ages.”

“Be that as it may. They’re both dead. The King’s wolf was found dead, his gut ripped out. The Queen was still in human form, a hole in her neck. It must have been a surprise. Their guards found them, giving some excuse as having heard about rogues in the area and left to go stop them.”

The other female gasped. That couldn’t be just a rumor. A death in the royal family was nothing to joke about.

“What about Princess Ivory? Yesterday was her birthday. Everyone knows they go to the beach every year to celebrate.”

Charles closed his eyes, doing his best to control his reactions. Princess? On her birthday?

“They found blood on a stone barrier. Given, it wasn’t much seeing as the ocean waves were hitting it. But they did say she was always up there. The Captain of the guard had seen her there himself, right before they left. They think she fell in during the attack and was whisked off by the current. Rumor has it that the guards were in on it.”

The second female shook her head in disbelief. “No. The Captain and the King grew up together, they were litter mates. Richard was like an Uncle to the Princess.”

The first shrugged as she set a browning apple back down. “Who’s to say what happened? All I know is that the royal family is dead and the Queen’s good for nothing sister is supposed to be crowned tonight.”

“What about the Duke?”

Charles tried to listen to the answer, but the females were walking away. The crowds in the market were becoming too thick to follow them without notice.

Now that Charles knew what to listen for - as he had no doubts that the Ivory they found was the Princess - he heard bits and pieces over the next few hours.

Most of it was more of the same.

A few had come up with crazier ideas. The one common thing was the deaths and the discomfort they had with knowing who the new Queen was going to be. Everyone was confused as to why the King’s brother wasn’t stepping up. They all assumed he wanted nothing to do with it if a war was going to break out with the rogues.

As planned, Charles met Adam back at the wagon an hour before sundown. They did not like traveling the normal way home in the dark. That road was well used by unscrupulous shifters. Adam waited until they were out of the village and away from prying ears before he started interrogating Charles.

“Well? What did you hear? Is anyone talking about a missing female pup?”

Charles looked at him warily. “Missing? No. But I did hear about a family that was killed near the shore. They had a female pup who is believed to have been washed away with the ocean.”

Adam cursed. That was worse than he thought.

“Um, there’s more.”

Something about Charles’s voice brought Adam to a halt. He stopped the horse and turned toward his brother on the bench seat.

“The family…”

Adam nodded, trying to encourage Charles to continue. Charles sighed, it was best to just pull the splinter out and not take your time.

“It was the royal family. King Alexander, Queen Maria. And... their daughter.” Charles swallowed. “Princess Ivory. Those who were able to attend her thirteenth birthday gala two nights ago spoke highly of her white hair and angelic beauty.”

Adam closed his eyes and rested his head in his hands, his knees bracing him.

A Princess? They fished a Princess out of the water?

They had a Princess in their home? In his bed?

He knew she was of higher class but… a Princess though? Royalty?

At least that meant she had family somewhere. People who would care for her better than they could.

Wait. Charles said they were attacked. He sat back up quickly.

“What happened to them?”

Charles shrugged. “No one is really certain. The guards found them dead. They claimed to have been pulled away to deal with rogues when they were supposed to be guarding them. What really bothers me though, is that Ivory’s maternal aunt is being crowned. Tonight. They aren’t even waiting for the Duke to come. Something doesn’t seem right about all of this. We’d have to ask Dean, but I’m pretty sure they normally wait at least a few days, maybe a few weeks before crowning the next queen.”

Adam snapped the reigns and put the horse to a faster trot. His wolf was anxious to get home. Ivory was in danger, and his hackles were up.

Charles grabbed the side rail, keeping himself on when they suddenly jerked forward again.

“What’s the plan? We can’t just kick her out or send her home. We don’t know who tried to kill her.”

“No, we can’t. I will talk to her when we get home. There has to be somewhere safe she can go. We are not equipped to care for a Princess. Nor do we have the supplies for another mouth.”

Charles did not agree with that. No one knew she was alive, where better for her to hide out than their farm?

While Adam and Charles spent the day at the market, the other males in the home had taken it upon themselves to entertain their guest.

For lunch, they made her a salad with ingredients from their garden. It wasn’t something they normally ate. Actually, they didn’t normally eat lunch. They all wanted to do something nice for Ivory though.

Dean decided that she was well enough that she could leave the bed, but she still needed rest. So, Brian carried her downstairs to the living room with the rest of them. There wasn’t enough space in any of the bedrooms for them all to be together.

Ivory spent the afternoon laughing as Fitz and Eric regaled her with stories of farm life. Dean and Brian would join in from time to time, correcting them when they got a little too overzealous in their storytelling.

Gabe, the youngest, never spoke. He did, however, insist on sitting beside her on the small sofa. He was also the first to refill her water as soon as it was emptied.

Ivory couldn’t see much of the kitchen from where she sat, but it looked to be of a decent size. Not that she had much to compare it to. The only kitchen she had ever been in was the castle kitchen. The odds were that this one would not be quite as big. Still, she itched to get in there and make something. She didn’t want to be rude and make them feel like she was being ungrateful though, so she kept her mouth shut.

The sun was setting over the trees when a horse and wagon could be heard approaching. Brian jumped up and headed for a window on one side of the house.

“They’re back!” He announced happily. “I’ll go see to the horse. Eric, Fitz, come help unload the wagon.”

Adam stopped the wagon right outside the front door instead of moving it straight to the barn. He threw the reins at Charles, who looked like he wanted to say something, but was smart enough to keep it to himself.

He passed Brian and the others on his way inside, in a hurry to get to Ivory. As soon as he saw Ivory sitting on the sofa, he got upset. He had expected her to still be in bed.

“Why is she out of bed?” He demanded of Dean. Who really should have known better than anyone.

Adam walked straight over to her, and swooped her up, making her squeak as he did so.

“I am perfectly capable of speaking for myself. And I was out of bed, because sitting in bed all day is tiresome. I can rest just as easily downstairs as I can upstairs.”

Adam ignored her complaints and carried her up to the recently cleaned master bedroom, the one that had once belonged to his parents. Knowing she was royalty made him want to give her the best they had in their small house.

Despite his hurried movements, and his overbearing attitude, Adam was being quite gentle with Ivory. At first she had been irked by his rashness, but it was quickly replaced with gratitude for his caring and generosity.

It didn’t hurt that he was kind of cute when he scowled either. Not that she noticed. Princesses weren’t supposed to notice those kinds of things until they were older. And even then, they would either be matched with someone respectable, or they would find their true mate.

A farmer would not be considered respectable unless he was her true mate. Which she doubted. Not that she would know for a few more years.

By then she would probably be far away from here.

Adam slowed his steps as he entered the bedroom and set her down on the bed.

“What crawled up your furry butt and died?” Dean aggressively asked him. “This was a bit unexpected, even for you!”

Adam huffed as he sat at the foot of her bed. “How are you feeling? Are you in pain?”

Ivory studied his expression. Dean was right, something had changed.

Yes, Adam had been caring before, but this was more... extreme?

She sighed as she realized what it must be. He had been in the village all day. Surely word had been spread and people were looking for her by now.

“You know then?” She asked softly.

“Yes. Why didn’t you say something?”

Ivory snorted, not caring that it was beneath a Princess to snort.

“Why would I? Would it have really made a difference? I don’t know you.” She sniffed and her voice dropped to a whisper. “I don’t even know who I can trust in the world anymore.”

“What’s going on? What did you find out?” Dean interrupted them. He didn’t like not knowing something.

Without taking his eyes off Ivory, Adam filled him in. “She is Princess Ivory, as in the only pup of King Alexander and Queen Maria. Who were both murdered yesterday. It is also believed that Ivory was killed, and her body was washed away. Which certainly would have been true had you all not found her.”

Dean’s jaw dropped to the floor. He opened and closed it many times, not sure what he should say, or if he even should.

Should he bow? No, this didn’t seem like the time for that.

“Do they know who did it?” Ivory pleaded softly.

Adam sighed. “No. There is speculation that the Captain of the guard had something to do with it. They left their posts and then were the ones to find your parents.”

Ivory started shaking her head before Adam even finished, ignoring the very uncomfortable and painful side effects from the movement.

“No. Uncle Richard never would have hurt us. He was like family. I’m sure they had a reason to leave, and it would have been a good one. No. I will never believe he had something to do with it. I am glad to hear they are safe though. I did wonder.”

“Well, the next option would be your aunt.”

“Ava? I hardly know her. I met her just the other day for the first time. My father doesn’t… didn’t care much for her, that was obvious.” Her face grew thoughtful. “I wonder if he suspected something. We normally only take two guards with us to the beach. This time we had nearly a dozen. Uncle Richard didn’t normally do small details like that either.”

Adam shrugged. “All I know is that they left their post, and your aunt is being crowned Queen about now.”

Ivory was confused by that, and her face showed it. “She wasn’t even close in line to being the next Queen. It should be my Uncle Andrew by all rights. Ava was a countess by marriage. Before that she was the daughter of a baker. My mother only became Queen because she was my father’s true mate.”

All of this was beginning to give Ivory a headache. She lifted a hand and rubbed her head. She jumped slightly when something cold brushed her arm. When she looked down, Gabe was sitting on the floor next to her bed, holding a cool compress for her.

She didn’t really need it, but she smiled her thanks and placed it on her neck. He was quiet but very sweet.

“Is there anybody I can trust left in the world?”

“You can trust us!” Eric helpfully yelled out in exuberance.

Ivory laughed as she looked around Adam’s large frame. She hadn’t noticed that every one of the males were now either in the room or standing in the doorway. They must have followed them up.

“Yes, I suppose I can.”

“Do you know of any place you can go to be safe?” Adam hated having to ask. He could feel the heated stares of all of his brothers on his back.

“No, not really. I wasn’t lying when I said I rarely left home. Our annual trips to the beach were the only times I’ve ever left the castle. My party the other night doubled as my introduction to society.”

“She has to stay here. She will just have to stay hidden. At least until we know she is safe.” Brian put his opinion out there. Which was immediately supported by everyone else.

Everyone but Adam.

Adam closed his eyes and leaned against one of the poles coming from out of the bed. His father had made this bed for their mother when he was a newborn pup. It was designed to hold drapes around the sides, so she could block out the sun and nap during the day.

Adam had not been a good sleeper at night as a pup. In fact, they used to tease him that the darkness would make him mad. Or maybe it was just the air he breathed. He had been a very cranky pup at all hours of the day, or night.

Ivory watched him instead of the others, knowing his vote counted the most. “I can help around the house.”

He scoffed. “You’re a Princess, what can you do?”

It was her turn to scowl at him this time. “I may have been born a Princess but that was not how I was raised. My mother was the daughter of a baker, remember? I spent all of my free time, and even time when I was supposed to be with my instructors, in the kitchens. Baking is what I do, just as it was what my mother did, and my grandmother before her. I know how to clean and cook. If you let me stay, I will take care of the home. I can even bake things for you to sell at the market.”

“Come on, Adam. You have to admit, it would be nice to eat something besides stew for a change.”

“And we can have fresh bread again.”

Adam looked at the twins, glaring at them. “You do realize with a female in the house, she will most likely make you bathe more often, right?”

Gabe grinned as the five middle brothers all grimaced. Ivory giggled.

“Yes, I will not put food in dirty hands.” Her statement was met with a multitude of groans. She and Gabe shared a smile. Ivory was sure he was going to be her favorite.

Adam rolled his eyes, knowing that even the threat of a bath was not good enough to win against real meals again.

“Fine, but there will be rules. We cannot call her by her given name. And I’m sorry, Ivory, but Charles is right, you will have to stay on the farm. And if anyone comes, you will have to hide. It is well known that my parents had seven male pups and that we are on our own. Your appearance here, and your unique hair, will raise questions. Dangerous questions.”

“I can deal with that. I’ve always preferred to spend time in the kitchen anyway. How often are you able to get apples? I do love to bake with apples. And you can sell them in the market.”

“That’s not a problem.” Brian folded his arms and gave her a proud grin. “We have an orchard. Apples, peaches, oranges, and apricots.”

“Perfect. I can make quite a bit with those.” Ivory’s smile slipped. “I might have to change my recipe though. My mother was well known for her pies. In fact, we made the desserts for the party. My mother, father, and Richard are the only ones who had any of my pastries though. Is there a local baker who will be upset if you start selling my food?”

Adam shook his head. “No. He only makes bread, rolls, and things like that. I haven’t seen him with any cakes or pies.”

“The Innkeeper.” Charles added quickly. “I bet the Innkeeper would be interested in trying something of hers.”

Adam rubbed his jawline. “He might, yes. But we will need to come up with a story on why we are suddenly able to make these things.”

“That’s not hard.” Dean chuckled. “Just tell them I found one of our grandmother’s old recipe books in storage. Everyone knows how I am. It wouldn’t be too far-fetched that I would want to try my hand at baking and cooking.”

Charles patted his twin heavily on the shoulder. “Ain’t that the truth.”

Adam cut off Dean before he could make a snide comment to his twin. “Alright, it’s settled. Ivory will stay here and will take care of the house. We still need a new name to call you by. It can’t be obvious that it’s a name either.”

“Snow.” Gabe whispered from the floor.

All eyes landed on his small frame, which was smaller in comparison to his brothers at his age. Gabe blushed and lowered his eyes.

Ivory had already forgotten about the nickname they had given her. She’d only heard Charles mention it once when she woke up. Once they had learned her real name, they started using that.

Ivory ran her fingers through Gabe’s hair or at least tried too. A bath was definitely going to be in order for these boys.

“I like the name Snow. It won’t stand out if you are overheard. And it matches my hair.”

Gabe looked up and smiled at her.

When Ivory looked up again, she noticed everyone was silently watching them, with their jaws on the floor.

“What?” She asked with clear exasperation. Why were they more shocked by this than they were with her being a Princess?

“Gabe doesn’t talk in front of anyone but us!” Fitz explained in an awed voice.

Huh. That explained a few things to Ivory.

“Well, Gabe is my bud. So, of course, he would talk in front of me.” She looked back down and smiled at him.

The small pup blushed as he nodded back to her.

He sure was adorable. He had to have been about six years old, an age when he should be talking her ear off. Although… Ivory hadn’t spent much time around younger pups, so she could be wrong.

Her cousin Mark was a bit bigger than him, and he was seven. They had stayed at the castle for a few days before the party. She wished they could have stayed longer. Mark had followed her around everywhere and was always asking her to make him a treat.

Jack was a year older than her. He was nice to talk to. They laughed quite a bit. Ivory had been hoping now that she had been introduced to society that she could make some friends her own age. So many things had changed now.

She missed her mom.

The Queen would have adored these pups.

With this many orphans in one home, how had they not heard about it?

One of the stories Fitz told her earlier was of the day Adam shifted, at the age of fifteen. She had never heard of such a thing. She could understand why though. He had a family to protect.

Ivory couldn’t help but wonder if she would have been able to save her parents had she shifted early as well. Thirteen was much younger than fifteen though.

And that gray wolf was larger than she would have been and stronger too.