Twisted Fate

A veil of darkness was lifted behind the queen as she walked briskly towards the spot she so desired to reach. Each step she took was fueled by anger and held arguably enough force to shake the surrounding trees at their roots. Her tongue, which many rumored to be forked at the end, glossed over her blood red lips as her mind drifted to thoughts who was spotted in the specific location. Her hair, black as night, blew freely in the crisp autumn breeze being drawn up from over the mountains. The dark color only further added to the pale complexion her skin held. White as snow, her mother once called it.

A crooked grin painted over the stern scowl that had seemed to permanently implant itself upon her lips. Not one person could quite recall the last they saw the queen so content. This was because they had never seen her face to face with the woman she so deeply despised.

The woman who had replaced her mother after her death.

The woman who she stilled believed to be the cause of her fathers death, although most knew that to be untrue.

The woman she had nicknamed "The Evil Queen" when she was a child.

Before her stood a disheveled figure no more than fifty years old. The woman wore rags that smelt as if they were taken from a horses stall. Her hair was knotted and matted, causing it to resemble that of a birds nest.

"Well look who decided to show her face in my kingdom," the queen sneered.

"Hello, Snow White," the woman, Grimehilde, responded simply.

Her majesty, Snow White, had the tendency to strike fear into the hearts of all her subjects. Grimehilde was no exception. She cowered under Queen Snow's menacing glare as she briefly recalled the day Snow had successfully taken the throne from her, promising to behead Grimehilde if she were to ever return. Hidden behind her back, Grimehilde gripped tightly onto her prized possession. Dissemble no more would she. She was not satisfied with the life of banditry and living alone that was forced upon her. Never again would another living soul endure the pain the queen had inflected on her. It was time for Snow Whites reign to end.

"Ive come offering an apology," Grimehilde explained as she made her arm visible. Within her long, nimble fingers sat a crisp red apple which shone brightly as the late evening sun reflected off of it.

Snow White stared longingly at the apple with great curiosity. Her mother used to spend hours with Snow in the orchards during her lifetime. They would pick Red Delicious's until the sun tucked itself away behind the rolling hills in the distance. They would, then, spend the night huddled around the stove as they baked all of the apple sweets imaginable. Apple tarts, apple pie, apple sauce. Any dessert Snow wished for, her mother would make.

Without much reluctance, Snow White snatched the fruit from the palm of Grimehilde's hands, "Where did you acquire such a thing?" Snow asked, for apples were quite scarce in her kingdom.

"Your mothers orchard," Grimehilde spoke gently, "After the fire one tree stood, though it refused to bloom. Not so much as a week ago I took a visit to, and discovered that a single apple had grown."

Snow stared at her in disbelief, "That is impossible!" She has visited that very place many times before after the dwarves had burnt it, but all she had seen were charred branches and ashes.

"But it is true!" Grimehilde pressed. She nodded towards the apple Snow White still held, "Bite it, and see that it tastes just as it did once long ago."

The queen glared at Grimehilde with narrowing eyes. She stared longingly as if determined to rip the truth out of her. In the process of this, Grimehilde help her breath expectantly while silently begging for the queen to take a bite. That was all that was needed. One small bite.

After seemingly an eternity had passed, Snow's gaze finally broke away from Grimehilde and settled on the apple. Grimehilde looked secretively into the eyes of the ruthless ruler. Had her vision deceived her? She saw, rolling down Snow Whites cheek, a single tear. Such a sight had nearly pushed her to taking that apple from Snows hands and disposing of it. For a slight moment she thought of her actions as oppressive and wished for her to undo her deed. Yet, having erased any proof of said tear being there, Snow White gave Grimehilde a desirous grin, sending a chill down the old womans spine. It was then that Grimehilde was certain of her actions to be true.

Snow took a forcibly large bite of that apple with little elegance. Grimehilde took in a quick breath out of a mix of fear and excitement.

The effects of the apple took its toll almost immediately. In one swift movement Snow White gripped her chest in anguish as she fell limply to her knees.

"You fool!" Snow White's voice faltered ever so slightly as she scowled up at Grimehilde, "What have you done?"

"I've rid this land of it's malevolent queen," Grimehilde said as she watched Snow collapse onto her back.

Grimehilde didn't stand over Snow's body as she choked and coughed. She didn't stare down as Snow White slowly fell into an unawaking sleep. No, that would be something Snow would do. Instead, she knelt down beside Snow White and gently combed her old finger through her hair.

"Relax now, child. You are not dying. This is simply a curse. And, as fate should have it, all curses can be broken. That is, assuming that there's a man out there who could somehow love you," to her own surprise, Grimehilde found tears swelling in her eyes as Snows breathing grew more staggered and raspy.

Grimehildes gaze fell upon the pale hand groping through the grass. She took the hand in her own and held it close to her heart.

"This will be the last you and I ever see of each other, Snow White. With that in mind, remember this: through all the pain and suffering you have forced me to endure. Through all of the emotional trauma you have put me through, I have always loved you. Your father and I, we never got the chance to have children of our own, Snow. In a what, you managed to fill that desire I felt in my heart. Snow White, you are and always will be my daughter."

Grimehilde felt Snow's hand be slid out from hers. Snow White's eyes met Grimehildes. Just as she always had, Grimehilde saw directly into Snow's soul. Ironically, a pit of black with her rage and thirst for revenge burning bright in the center. In her last dying breath, Snow spoke a phrase barely audible to Grimehilde's old ears. Yet, she managed to make out what it was. And it sent a pang of hurt into her heart.

"You are not my mother and you never will be."

With that, Snow's eyes fluttered shut. Her chest fell still, her breathing hardly visible at sight. Grimehilde watched as all muscles in Snow White's body relaxed causing the arm holding the apple to extend. One by one, the fingers loosened their grip on it until it was free, rolling down the hill they sat atop. It didn't stop until it reached the very bottom, landing bite side up and facing Grimehildes fearful eyes.