Snow White

Chapter 3

Hey,
Thanks for reading and being so patient when I wasn't around to update- I really appreciate it.
Because I have been away for a while, I thought I would update these next few chapters as quickly as possible.
Please vote and comment.
Enjoy,
Annabelle_the_reader
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Queen Lilah and King Stefan had travelled for hours to find Ester. She was an elderly woman, whom they trusted with their lives. Following Queen Margarita's threat, they had immediately decided to hide their daughter for as long as possible. Ester seemed like someone who would keep her well hidden and look after their daughter properly.

'Are you sure you want to do this?' Stefan asked, his eyes landing on the small baby inside the cadle, hooked over the arm of the Queen.

'Of course not.' The a Queen replied, her self pitying eyes reaching her daughter, wrapped in thick, comforting blankets that swaddled the baby tightly. 'But it must be done, I am willing to never see my daughter again in order to keep her safe.'

King Stefan gave his wife's hand a small squeeze and smiled down at her warmly. He cared a lot for his new daughter and his wife, but he was a practical man and knew this was for the best. For his kingdom to be confident in his decision, he would have to be confident in his decision and avoid Margarita.

His hand stretched out and, before Stefan even knocked, the door swung forward. Ester glided out of the gloomy shadows of her home and into the light. Her spectacles were perched on the end of her nose and she was holding a dark green, dusty book arms length away as if she had been reading. Ester peered down at the King and Queen for a moment, before nodding her head and standing aside for them to venture forth.

'Ahhh.' Ester smiled prolonging the word, her crystal white teeth glinting in the moonlight. 'I didn't think you'd come, Your Majesties. Please, come into my humble home and relax yourself in my dwelling. Herbal tea?'

The King shook his head, refusing to touch anything Ester had brewed in the same cauldron as eye balls and intestines. They took a seat on the arm chairs opposite her, immediately drowning in its sizeable fabric. Ester peered at the King for a long moment, before, satisfied, she settled herself back in her chair and expectantly watching them.

The room was of average size with very little homely touches, but it satisfied Ester's needs perfectly. The miniature bed in the corner and the small wood-burning stove was the only evidence of the room being lived in, but even that was scattered with books and paperwork. The shelves surrounding every wall were complete with books of ancient rituals, prophecies, potions and myths, each one the only of its kind and over a hundred years old; jars containing spices, animal parts, unusual plants, venom or rotting bacterial substances the King's eyes ripped away from the moment he saw them and boxes of all sizes with intricately designed features on each side, some puzzle boxes, but each containing a substance the King could not see. Apart from that, the room consisted of two chairs, tables, cabinets and cauldrons.

'You wanted to see me, I hear.' Ester prompted timidly, nervously shifting backwards in her chair and being as reserved as she had ever been in years in the presence of royalty. Her confidence had vanished at the door.

'Indeed.' The King confirmed, bobbing his head in agreement with her words.

'Why is that?' Ester asked, realising that the King needed a much more explicit prompting than she first thought. Stefan chuckled deeply, wheezing with the effort, before heaving his weight from the chair and padding towards his arm chair, making himself comfortable in her home.

'We wish to talk with you.' Queen Lilah told the seemingly venerable elderly woman, her stern glare never leaving the old woman who remained unrelenting and collective. 'Such matters have come to my attention-'