Mirrored Snow [short story]

And they lived...

"There you go, that should give you a perfect view of the show." A smug smile stretched across the queen's face as she fixed an ornate mirror into a tree close to the house. She was right. My new prison gave me a clear view of the doorway and the snow strewn ground in front of it. She checked her hair in the reflection before approaching the dwarfs' cabin. 

Please don't work. Please don't work. Please don't-

She knocked on the door. 

There was a pause. 

Maybe he wouldn't answer. 

The door opened a few inches and I could just about make Snowdon out through the gap. Then he gasped and threw the door open wide. 

"It's you!"

If I could have bashed my head against the mirror's glass, I would have. 

On the bright side, I did now know what I looked like. It was a shame that knowledge wasn't going to do me any good though.

The queen feigned breathlessness, leaning against the door frame support. 

"Snowdon!" she gasped. "The queen... I... She..."

"Calm down, you're safe now," Snowdon said, putting his hands on her shoulders to steady her, for she looked close to collapsing. My hands were balled into fists so tight I would have drawn blood if I could bleed. "Come inside, sit down," Snowdon urged her, trying to lead her into the cabin.

"No." The queen straightened herself and backed away a little. "I've spent a decade inside. 

All I want to do now is feel the breeze on my skin." My skin, which still longed to feel that breeze, trembled with anger.

All she really cared about was staying in view of the mirror. 

She laughed, giddy, euphoric. 

"Are you okay?" 

"Oh, I have never felt better. I feel so... free!" She threw a very small glance in my direction, the smile on her face more vindictive than relieved. But Snowdon was too busy smiling back at her to notice. 

"How did you get out?"

The queen shook her head. "It's a long story. There will be plenty of time for it later. Right now, I just want to savour this moment."

"Well, can you tell me your name, at least?" 

She shook her head again before replying, taking her time so that her words could have maximum impact. "I have no idea. And there's no one still alive who could tell me. I am nobody."

I am nobody. I am nothing. No one to claim me. No one to miss me. 

The queen continued, a small smile savouring my distress. She was enjoying her double victory: her plot to trick Snowdon was working perfectly and hurting me was just the icing on the cake.

But she must have felt it was time to bring her games to a close, for she pulled the enchanted apple from her pocket. "Do you know, I don't think I've ever eaten an apple before? I spotted this on my way here and couldn't resist." She took a small bite from the half which she hadn't dipped into the potion. "Oh wow!" She feigned, her eyes wide. "I've never tasted anything so glorious in my life! It's amazing! You have to try it. Here." She held the apple out to Snowdon, the glossy, enchanted side facing him. 

Don't eat it. Don't eat it. Don't-

He took a bite. 

For a moment, the forest fell so silent I could hear the crunch of it in his teeth.