Cobweb took her work seriously, stringing drops of water onto cobwebs when the dewpoint was just so and the air was still, as it is on late summer nights. She put effort into her work, focusing on each and every strand of each and every cobweb in her area. She was known for her detailed artistry. King Hoarfrost was used to point out 'her' cobwebs to distinguished guests of the realm as an example of the highest order of fairy craft. The Mouse King had once begged her to accept one of his sons in marriage, or even two or three of them if that were her pleasure. She had declined, of course. Status came from attention to detail and hard work, not from the questionable pedigree of princelings.

Or so she had thought.

"You're doing it wrong," Crabapple commented idly while making faces at himself in a hand mirror to check his makeup.

Cobweb ignored him. What did he know about putting dew on cobwebs? She had been doing it for centuries, long before he had been born...or hatched, the little snitch of a snake. In her head, she congratulated herself on her cleverness. The irony was, she was his supervisor, not the other way around. But Crabapple was King Hoarfrost's latest pet and protégé and could do no wrong; at least for tonight. A king's favor is sometimes easy to gain but hard to hold, as she knew too well.

Frog Out