After what seemed to be a couple hours, Red woke up to the muffled sounds of voices and chairs moving and walking. She guessed that Snow's housemates were home. She decided that she needed to ask Snow whether it's okay for her to stay for a bit before finding her way back to her village. To do that, she had to actually leave the room at some point, so with a new energy, Red navigated her way back to the kitchen she first talked to Snow in.

Even one glance at the people in the kitchen revealed to her why the other room's beds were so small. There were about seven smaller people–the books at the village called them dwarves–back from some kind of labouring job, Red guessed that it was mining. Snow was serving them plates of delicious looking food with a giant smile on her face and Red didn't know if her heart was beating so hard because of nerves or something else.

Snow was the first to notice her in the doorway to the kitchen. "Ruby, you're awake!" The girl with the dark, coily hair gently laid down the now-empty tray down on to the table and went over to give Red a hug, and in Snow's embrace, she felt warm and nice and like she was in a bakery at home. Red must have had the biggest stupidest smile in the history of humanity.

Once Snow let go, Red was met with fourteen eyes boring holes into her, and if Snow wasn't there beside her, she would have apologized nervously, turn around, and run for her life. The way they looked at her made her feel like they were surveying a weapon; they would decide to throw her out for the greater good.

The silence that covered the room like a blanket dissipated, and Red could hear things like "who is she?" and "do you know her?" and "how do you know she can be trusted?" and it was too much for Red to answer and it started to become overwhelming-

"Please, let Ruby speak!"

The whole room stopped in their tracks when Snow's voice was heard. Everyone turned to Red expectantly, and Red took a deep breath, and told them of what happened earlier that day. About the wolf and her grandma and the lumberjack and finding Snow.

A couple of the dwarves slightly softened; most of them still glared at her suspiciously. One of them, in a voice that sounds like she should let him sleep or he would get cranky, fired a question at her. "How do we know you aren't working for the Queen?"

Confusion could be easily spotted on Red's face. Her village was on the far outskirts of the kingdom; many young people can't even remember how the queen even looks like. "I am not working for the queen. I never been anywhere near the palace." A couple of the dwarves stopped staring, but the others continued to glare daggers into her. "Besides, why would anyone working for the Queen come here? Is it about taxes or something?"

Red guessed that the dwarves somehow could see into her very soul, because, although reluctantly, they seemed to let up a bit. The girl had to admit that she was not the greatest liar to ever be. She just wasn't very good at it. Maybe it was her nerves, or how obvious all her emotions were. Once she tried to sneak a muffin her mom made and even the customer her mother was serving could tell that she wasn't given the baked good by the chef, no matter how much the seven year old Red tried to convince her it was. Who knows, maybe that's what let the dwarves know that she wasn't their enemy.

"Well," the dwarf with glasses started speaking, "what's your name again?"

"Ruby, or Red if you want."

"Red! We may need a new bed for you if you stay longer, but if you help here like Snow does, it may be alright."

Red could hear a few protests from the one with only one eye open, but eventually, he let out a a quieter "if that's what Snow wants."

Snow turned to Red with a sparkle in her eyes, and a smile that could outshine the sun and all the stars combined. "Ruby can stay!" She pulled the unexpecting Red into her embrace, and Red knew that she was safe, and wished only happiness for Snow and her caring housemates.