The journey was long and arduous. My poor maid, what I had put her through. I was going to have to give her a holiday for forcing her to deliver Snow’s previous presents.
A chill ran through the air, going straight to my bones and freezing me from the inside out. I wrapped my cloak around myself, holding it closed in an attempt to keep the wind out. With my head down, I struggled through and kept going. Every footstep was an effort.
But I actually felt excited about seeing Snow White again. We hadn’t been parted for too long, but with the little people she seemed to be a different person. Perhaps she would not be able to call me evil when face to face? I hoped so, both of our futures depended on it.
Maybe our reunion would go so well that she would travel back to the palace with me? We could then start ruling together. I could send a message out across the lands that she was eligible for marriage and they would send their most handsome princes to compete for her hand in marriage.
If that happened, the kingdom would be filled with joy, laughter, and dancing. There wouldn’t be any sadness or sorrow. And all those rumors about my poor treatment of her would be hushed. Everything would just be wonderful from that moment forward.
The little people’s house finally came into view. I was so relieved I almost ran to the door and knocked. I waited patiently, butterflies in my stomach with the happy anticipation.
Snow answered, she looked me up and down. There was no recognition in her face. I probably looked like a haggard old woman to her, considering I had aged so much with the stress of everything.
“What do you want?” She asked, her voice filled with impatience and grumpiness.
I looked down at my fruit basket, ready to hand it over. Unfortunately, it looked like I had lost most of it in the journey. I had stumbled over a few times, I guess I didn’t notice the fruit tumbling out too. All that was left was a single apple. It didn’t seem like enough for a present but I didn’t have anything else.
I pulled out the apple and held it up. At least it was a perfect shade of bright red and looked completely unharmed from the journey. “I have brought you this delicious juicy apple.”
Snow looked at it warily. “What do I want with an apple?”
“It’s yummy, it will fill your taste buds with its sweet nectar.”
She took it carefully, like it might hurt her at any moment. When was she going to understand that I didn’t want to hurt her? I wanted nothing but the best for her.
Our reunion didn’t seem like it was going to be as wonderful as I had hoped. When she didn’t even recognize me, it just twisted the dagger I already felt in my heart.
“Take a bite,” I urged. I at least wanted to make sure she enjoyed the apple, even if it was such a diminutive gift for my step-daughter.
She looked at it again before flicking her eyes to me. She didn’t trust me but what was new? She never trusted me, ever since we had first been introduced by her father. I had tried so hard at that first meeting for us to be friends. It was apparently all for naught.
I smiled encouragingly as she placed the apple to her ruby red lips. She took a small bite, at least trusting me that much. It was time she knew for sure who I was.
“Snow, I’m your step-mother, the queen. I’ve come to make peace with you,” I said gently. Her eyes opened wide with surprise as she gasped.
As she did, the bite of apple must have caught in her throat. Snow started choking, dropping the apple so her hands could indicate her throat was blocked. I quickly put down the basket so I could help her.
At that moment, the back door of the wooden house swung open and all the seven little men walked in – fresh from their day of hard work. I glanced over Snow’s shoulder as they quickly approached her.
I panicked, I couldn’t be seen there. They would blame me for Snow’s accident and think I had poisoned her or something. I couldn’t let that happen, not when all the rumors were so bad already.
Amongst the little people was a doctor, I knew he would be able to assist Snow better than I. I slipped away from the house and ran as fast as my legs could take me. The entire time, I prayed and wished and hoped that the little people would be able to make her better. She was in good hands with them, much better than my own apparently.
I gasped for breath as I ran through the tall trees of the forest. I had to get home, I desperately needed to view her condition in my mirror. She had to be okay. My dear daughter had to be. I would never be able to forgive myself if anything happened to that girl.
It was only an apple, how could she have choked on it? She had taken such a small bite. Surely she wouldn’t have done it on purpose? I hated myself for even having that thought. Poor little Snow.
My legs ached and I lost track of how many times I had fallen over but I wasn’t going to stop. It felt like my life was at stake, just as much as Snow’s. If I didn’t make it back to the palace and see that she was okay in the mirror, I wouldn’t be able to survive another minute.
I kept going, the bruises and cuts accumulating over me. I would have someone at the palace attend to them once I saw she was okay. That was the plan because nothing else mattered to me except Snow.
Finally, I reached the palace. I ran through the stone corridors until I was sitting in front of my mirror. My appearance was ghastly, it was no mystery why I had received so many disapproving looks as I came in.
But my wild hair and smeared makeup were not the issue at that point in time. “Mirror, mirror, on the wall, show me Snow and her fall.”
The mirror image wavered into a sea before clearing again. Snow was still lying on the ground, all the seven little men gathered around her.
The doctor amongst them turned Snow onto her side and gave her a few pats to the back. A little piece of apple dribbled out of her mouth but still she remained lifeless. He settled her back on the floor again, not seeming to notice the piece of apple.
“She’s been poisoned,” he concluded, to the gasps of the others. “It must have been the evil queen again. She gave her a poisoned apple and then ran away.”
“But Snow…” the bashful one started sobbing. “She can’t be gone.”
The grumpy one wrapped an arm around his shoulder in comfort. They really did love my Snow, at least her last moments were with loved ones.
Tears ran down my cheeks, landing on my lap and pooling. Snow White was dead, and I had killed her. I shouldn’t have gone there, I should just have let her be. I was only trying to be nice and look what I had done. I didn’t know how I was going to be able to live with myself.
Once the kingdom heard the story about what I had done to Snow, they would all turn against me. It didn’t matter how well I ran the kingdom, they would only be thinking of my evil act. And it was evil. I had killed her, pure and simple. Whether it was intended or not, it made naught difference. I was a killer, I was evil.
CHAPTER 7