"Your highness, there is a visitor at the gate. It appears to be a stranger," A servant states.

             "Hmm, I see," Princess Marinette Snow White replies.

                 Juleka wonders if the person is a friend or foe. She is not sure since her eyesight is not that great. She could use a pair of glasses but never got them while the wicked Queen Lila was alive.

                 "What should we do?" Another servant asks.

               "Yes, what course of action should we take?"  The servant girl named Jessi asks.

                     The princess walks over to the large front door of the palace. She asks the guard to let her know if the visitor is safe or not.  "

            "Oh, kind guard if the stranger who approaches this place is dangerous then yell so that we might prepare ourselves for battle.  However, if they are safe then give me a thumbs up, so we can celebrate the good news,"  Princess Marinette Snow White calls out.

        Guard 1 replies, "Your majesty we are not sure since we have not seen her here before now. It looks like a peasant girl though."

       Guard 2  answers,  "It is as the first guard says, but she has a basket full of strawberries with her."

         "Strawberries, splendid I do ever so much love strawberries!" The princess responds with excitement.

           "Your royal majesty, might I remind you that not all bearers of fruit are friendly," Juleka points out.

           "Thanks, point taken, Miss Juleka, but I must say we will give this young girl the benefit of the doubt,"  The princess tells her best friend.

          "Ah, yes it is as you say," Juleka says.

               "Guards be ever so kind to let the young maiden enter the castle,"  Princess Marinette Snow White tells them.

            Guard 1  says, "Yes, your majesty."

          Guard 2  remarks, "Yes, we will do as you order, for you are a fair royal indeed."

                The guards open the gate wide so that the visitor may pass through it. Then, they close it to ensure that no robbers, bandits, or monsters shall enter unnoticed.  It is something they do out of a duty to the princess.  It is something not to be taken lightly.

               The girl courtesies politely as she enters the front door. She walks over to the princess and hands her fruit basket. 

               "Princess Snow White, may I beg a favor of you, please?" The young maiden asks.

              "Oh,  just what might this favor be Miss?"  The princess asks in return.

             "My dear majesty, I am Chole Bougerious, the mere daughter of a farmer, but I am in love," She explains.

           "Yes, what about it?" The princess kindly asks.

            "The thing is the man I love, Nathaniel Kurtzberg is in great danger,"  She explains.

              "I assure you that he is no longer in danger for the one who seeks his very life is dead," The princess tells her.

             "What?  The wicked Queen Lila is no longer among us,"  Chole states as if it were the farthest thing from her mind.

         "Yes, she is dead by a horrid accident,"  Juleka blurts out.

          "My dearly departed stepmother, Lila in attempts to kill me ate something rather bad.  Now, she is deceased,"  The princess explains.

          "Oh, how dreadful," Chole replies.

           "Yes, it is indeed.  However, your Nathaniel is safe,"  The princess reminds the young girl.

                "Ah, he might be safe from the royal who saught after his life, but what about the villagers who hate him since he did work for her at one point?"  Chole asks.

                "Here take this letter with you," The princess says.

                "Yes, your majesty," Chole says.

                "I thank you for your kindness," Chole remarks.

                "Your welcome and now go with my blessing," The princess orders.

                      Chole runs with the letter tucked under her cloak. She goes to the door, the guards open it for her, and she makes her way out of the gate. She heads back to the village.

                      A few minutes pass after Chole left the place in search of her beloved Nathaniel, during which time the princess and her servants were glad they were not wrong about this stranger.  It was a good thing too as one can never be too sure about strangers.

                    Little do they know that there is a man on a horse in search of the princess. Little do they know what things lay in store for them all.

                   Find out more in Chapter  9

               -Summer out!