Mirrored Snow [short story]

Apple

I had been living a life of luxury and freedom without realising it. The queen had spoilt me by letting me travel wherever I wanted. My new imprisonment was unbearable and neither Snowdon's survival or his shocking promise could alleviate my dark mood. I had spent the entire night staring at the stone wall in front of me: my new view for the remainder of my existence. How long would that even be? Would I still be trapped in this mirror when the queen eventually died? What would happen if someone smashed my mirror? I wouldn't be able to move elsewhere. What would happen to me then?

There was no hope of Snowdon getting me out. It was sweet of him to offer, but he was having enough trouble keeping himself alive, without trying to save me too. And that was provided he had even seen me. The more I thought about it, the more I was convinced I had imagined the entire episode. How could he have seen me? It just didn't make any sense...

Dawn light was streaming in through the window and my panoramic view was now illuminated by a fresh glow. I could even see the cracks in the stones now. Lucky me.

As well as brightening the scenery, the dawn also brought the queen.

"Good morning," I said, even though the morning was anything but. 

The queen shot me a mildly confused look before continuing to the drawers without saying anything. 

"Oh, come on. You can't trap me here and then refuse to even say hello. You are the only human in the kingdom I am to have any contact with from now on. You can't ignore me."

"I can if you insist on behaving like a child. Besides, I am too busy for pleasantries. I have a prince to destroy."

"Surely after three attempts it's time to give up? He's not hurting you. Just let him be.""Mirror, what is the answer to my question?"

"Snowdon is the fairest in the land," I answered on auto-pilot. 

"And that is why I cannot give up. Not yet." 

I shook my head, but bit back the comments I wanted to make about her vanity. It was more important to find out what her next plan was. I didn't have to wait long to find out. After taking a crimson bottle from the creaking drawer, a pot of green powder from the crying drawer and the midnight bowl from the wailing drawer, she produced an apple from the folds of her dress. There was nothing special about that apple. It was dull, soft and a little bruised, but the queen looked at it as though it were made of gold.

"Hungry?" I asked, gesturing to the fruit. 

"Oh no. This isn't for me. It's a gift for my stepson." She mixed the powder and liquid together in the bowl, muttering an incantation as she worked. I wished I could hear what she was saying. The fact that she tried so hard to make sure I couldn't meant it must be important. 

Under her instruction, the mixture fizzed, creating a large volume of scarlet foam which bubbled up to the brim of the bowl, threatening to spill onto the wood below. The queen seemed satisfied with her concoction and carefully dipped one half of the apple into it, keeping her fingers as far from the liquid as possible. She held the apple in place for a moment then lifted it back out. The half which had been submerged was now glossy and bright crimson in colour. 

"I'm not taking any more chances. The poison in this apple will kill the prince as soon as it reaches his stomach."

"But you have to get him to eat it, first. He won't fall for your Marianne disguise again, you know. And old ladies are out too."

The queen paused, stroking the locket around her neck thoughtfully.

"You could be anyone," I added, almost wistfully. "Why do you care what my answer to your question is, when you can look however you want? Just make yourself fairer than Snowdon. There you are, obsessing over how you look, while I'm stuck in here unable to even see myself. Only two people in the entire kingdom know what I look like and-"

"What did you just say?" She cut across me, her eyes sharp.

"Only..." Oh. I realised my mistake too late to hide it. 

"Two people. I was under the rather well informed impression that I was the only one who could see you."

"Well... Ah... Um..."She raised an eyebrow. 

"I am waiting for an explanation, Mirror."

"Okay, so once upon a time, there was a beautiful but rather short tempered queen - that's not a criticism by the way - I'm just saying there's always room for improvement. This queen could be even better if she just-"

She let out a warning growl.

"Okay, I'll skip forwards a bit. One snowy day, in a place not too far from here-"

"Mirror! Who was it? I don't want a story. Just a name."

"Snowdon."She blinked. 

"What?"

"Snowdon saw me. Or he might have done. I think... Well, he spoke to me, anyway, after your last attempt to kill him."

"Impossible."

"Well, there's always a chance I imagined the whole thing."

The queen wasn't paying attention to me anymore. She had taken a large, leather-bound book from on top of the drawers. The word 'Hystorie' was embossed on it in gold. She flicked through the pages, turning them until she was almost at the very back, muttering to herself as she went. When she finally found the page she wanted, a plume of violet vapour drifted up from the paper. 

 She regarded the page thoughtfully, using a finger to scan the text, but stopped abruptly half way down. She looked at me, her eyes wide with shock, then back at the page. Then she slammed the book shut with a snort of disgust. 

"It seems you were correct, Mirror. He did see you." She drummed her fingers against the book, oblivious to the fact that my heart was suddenly threatening to explode from my chest. 

"Well, that makes things... Interesting. But perhaps there might be a way for us both to get what we want."

She was smiling. Smiling was never good. 

"Mirror, it is time for you to discover what you look like..."

A dark mist tumbled from the queen's locket and she cried out as it enveloped her. When it cleared, a young woman stood in front of me, sixteen or seventeen years old. She had bronze skin, as dark as Snowdon was white, with a youthful, dewy completion. Bright, brown eyes. Ebony hair which fell in natural waves down onto her shoulders. I reached up to touch my own hair instinctively. It felt the same, but was it? She could be showing me anyone.

"I..." I didn't know what to say. 

"It's okay. You don't have to believe me." Her voice was lower than I imagined my own to be. It sounded grown up. "But when I arrive at Snowdon's window, telling him that I escaped the queen's clutches, begging for his help. He will believe me. And then he will die. You know," she added, a dark glint in her - my? - eyes. "I might grant you a repeal on your imprisonment. I wouldn't want you to miss the show."

{Second to last chapter! Sorry it has taken so long to post. It took me a while to decide what I wanted to happen. The last chapter is written, so I will post it on Tuesday. Vote/comment to let me know what you think. Thank you!}