Ebony White (A Snow White Tale)

Disappointed

The dark witch was in her potions room waiting silently. When a good ten minutes past she turned towards her magic crystal mirror. She cast a simple spell and her reflection changed into a view of Ebony's room. She was confused for a moment.  Because there was no lifeless body of her daughter. The only shred of fabric left of the gown she had enchanted to shrink and squeeze the life from her daughter was nothing more than a scrap.

She was angered by the sight. Her fists clenched tightly as she noticed Ebony's room wasn't left totally clean. She peered closer into the mirror and saw little bloodied tuffs of grey and brown fur sitting on the window sill along with little pink mice tails.

Her golden eyes wondered over her daughter's room, wandering what else was amiss when loud flapping startled her. Brimming with a sudden fury she turned on the crow as it was silently cleaning it's talons and beak of blood and little pieces of grey and brown fur.
   "Why isn't Ebony dead!" She shrieked at the bird.

It's beady little eyes looked at her and instead of answering her question he simple cawed once and spoke three words that the dark witch did not want to hear.
   "Alive and Well!" He repeated it once more to get his point across that the dark witch had indeed failed.

In a blind rage she summoned her shadow magic and cast it at the bird just as Ebony walked into the room. The magic went wide, bouncing around before it flew out the window.

Ebony watched the magic fly away and then turned to her mother.
   "Mother! Mother!" Ebony cried as she ran to her mother. "Mother that mean old woman tried to have me killed. That gift she gave me almost took my life. Thank goodness there was a nice mice family that helped me get out of that dress. I thanked them kindly and then came straight here to tell you what happened."

The dark witch watched as Ebony stood tall, not weeping a single tear. She on the other hand was utterly confused. She hadn't known her daughter could speak to mice.

But remembering she was the girls mother and needed to act like it, the dark witch held out her arms and embraced her daughter, mimicking what a normal worried mother would do upon hearing her daughter almost killed.

After giving her daughter soothing words and giving her a handful of presents, none that would harm the girl, she kissed her daughter on the forehead and sent her away to play with her new gifts.

Once Ebony was gone and she knew the girl wouldn't come back the dark witch turned on the bird and grabbed it in a heated rage, shaking it forcefully.
   "Tell me how to kill the girl!"

The bird flapped and cawed loudly until the dark witch threw him down. The bird shook itself and flew up to its perch before it cawed and said,
   "Chants and Spells! Chants and Spells! These will not kill the fairest! The Fairest of them all!"

Noticing the dark witches shadows again the bird quickly took off, a wave of darkness following it close behind. it made it out the window just in time.