Snow White: Fractured Fairytale

Mirror, Mirror

One Night Before
Queen Almandia was never one for mercy. The kingdom had lost count of beheadings she sentanced, but there seemed to be at least one a week.
Her last handmaiden was beheaded because the Queen's favorite teacup had been chipped.
The townsfolk below the castle hill had learned to stay out of her way, and to do what they were told. They held their heads down so as not to stand out.
Those who had beautiful children were forced to send them away,so as to not upset the Queen's obsession to be the fairest in the land. Some parents purposely scarred thier children's faces at a young age so they could keep them and stay home.
The Queen had secured herself a new handmaiden to replace the one she called a disgrace to her majesty. She would be the daughter of the land's best healers, or so she had been told. They had promised thier daughter was no more beautiful than her majesty, and she was content.
The Queen had sent her servant actibg as a temporary handmaiden out of her royal bedchamber for that night after her corset was properly untied and stored. The Queen dressed in her nightgown: a black and purple silk garment she was quite fond of.
The King was away on kingdome business elseware, so the Queen did not have to hide mer magic from her husband.
The Queen had learned from a young age she could do magic, and soon after she learned to always keep it a secret. She could be hanged for her gifts.
She grasped her pure golden mirror, and stared into the soul of the face reflected back.
"Mirror, Mirror, in my hand" she summoned. She had enchanted the mirror to be an all knowing device of information, and to always give her the truest information. "Who is the fairest in all the land?"
She asked this question every day. It was part of a routine she had kept up since she began courting the king.
"Why you, your majesty," the mirror responded. "You are the fairest in the land.
The Queen smiled a wicked smile, content with the answer.
...

The Next Night
Snow tries to force the image of her parent's dead bodies out of her mind as she makes her way to the horses as quietly as she can. She cringes as dead leaves and thin sticks crunch beneath her feet, sounding louder than they really should, to her ears.
The horse she knew as Gus whinied when she got close, lauching up on it's hind legs, shaking it's hooves at her.
"Gus!" Snow hissed through gritted teeth. "Quiet!"
The horse continued to make a scene. Jacques, the other horse, was spooked by his brother, and started to panic as well.
Snow attempted to get closer to the crazed horses to calm them.
"Gus, Jacques, listen to me," she starts, her hands out in front of her. "Everything is alright. You are in no danger."
She had looked directly into the pair of horses eyes as she spoke. Her voice seemed to calm them, and they stopped jumping.
Snow brought her hands down, shocked that it worked so quickly. She took a few steps forward and stroked Gus's nose, then Jacques's.
She kept them calm as she saddled Gus, a skill her father had taught her.
Snow placed a foot in a foothold on the saddle, and swung her leg over. She noticed how effortless it seemed, when most of the time it would take the majority of her strength to hoist herself onto a horse.
Snow thought no more of it, and urged Gus down the road. She knew she had to get to Almandia and get some help. The thought of leaving her parents there in the forest to rot was unthinkable. Then there was the matter of the Queen. What would she make of this? The healers she was promised were dead, leaving only their daughter, a carriage, and two horses behind. Snow thought of what the Queen would make of the vampire Snow had killed. Would she accuse her of being a witch because she was able to kill the thing crafted to kill?
Would she be burned alive at the stake? Hung? Tortured?
Snow's hair and her mother's cloak billowed out behind her as Gus ran through the night. The now frigid night air stung her face, making her pale nose and cheeks pink.
Snow did not know what she would do without her parents. Would the Queen still take her on as a handmaiden? Was she less ruthless than she had been made out to be?
Or would Snow be sent to an orphanage? Left on her own on the streets, wandering for a place to belong?
Her body jumped with the hoofbeats slamming on the road, as fast as they could go. The wind whipped of the cloak's hood, and Snow brought one hand up to the clasp to make sure it didn't fall off. It was all she had left of her mother. Sure, she still had some of her mother's clothes which were still in the carriage, but this was the thing that meant the most to her mother. Her own mother had made it for her, and her father had crafted the silver rose clasp.
Snow grasped Gus's mane in her hands, and buried her head into it. She felt so tired, like she could fall asleep right there. But sleep would not be an option, she knew, because she had to get help. Help for her parents, and help for her to survive.
They rode on through the night, only stopping twice for Gus to rest. During those times, Snow had listened for water: a stream, or perhaps a river. She heard the truckling of a stream, and went in search of it. She was suprised when she found it to be a whole 5 minutes trek into the woods beside the road. How had she heard it from that far away?
By dawn, Snow could finally see the royal castle of the kingdom of Almandia. It rose up over the surrounding city like a mountain. The rising sun shone on it from behind Snow, and reflected in the windows.
Gus galloped on through the kingdom gates into the village, and slowed to a trot on the dirt road.
Snow swung a leg over and hopped off of her horse. She stroked his nose to keep him calm in a new place.
The streets were almost empty, with only beggars sleeping on the ground and the merchants traveling to thier stands.
Snow searched through the streets for someone to help her, guiding Gus along with her with his leash.
"Ma'am," she called out to a woman, maybe 30 or so years of age. "Can you help me?"
The woman faced her, wary. "What is it, dear?"
"It's my parents," Snow started. "They were..."
She found it hard to say the words. She hadn't actually said it yet, as if she could still be having a horrible nightmare.
"They were what?" The woman began to lose intrest.
"They were killed," Snow said quietly. "A man...he killed them. He was going to kill me, but i...i killed him first."
"Oh, honey..." The woman slowly backed away from Snow.
"Mother?" A child called out from the house behind the woman. A little girl creeped out of the house, and ran to her mother's side.
Snow couldn't help but stare. The little girl's eye had been gouged out, and a long, jagged scar ran down her face.
"What-" Snow started to ask, but decided it was best not to.
"I don't know how to help you," the woman said. "I'm sorry." She urged her daughter back into the house, and made her way down the street.
Countless encounters happened like this all day. Snow begged for help, and was turned away. And she couldn't help but notice that most of the children in the village had scars on their faces. Even some of the young adults, and many of the adults. Their faces were all deformed in some way.
Snow seemed to be one of the only ones there whose face remained flawless, with no marks or scars.
"Sir!" Snow called out. She sun had pulled itself out of the horizon now, and was casting shadows everywhere.
Snow reached her hand out, and it touched the sunlight.
It was warm, Snow noticed. Too warm. It grew hot, and Snow jerked her hand back as it started to burn.
She examined her hand in the shad of her cloak. A large red burn was on her arm, going from her fingers to past her wrist.
But almost as soon as she saw it, it was gone. Snow was baffled, but thought she could have been hallucinating. Perhaps from lack of sleep.
The man she had attempted to flag down was gone.
The streets were now bustling with people, all trying to make thier way from point A to point B. Not a single one of them was willing to help poor Snow.
She started to lose hope. She didn't know what to do, but she couldn't just leave her parents bodies there to rot.
"Child!" A man shouted. Snow turned, knowing he was speaking to her.
"Yes?" She asked hollowly.
"State your business!" He shouted in her face.
Business? Snow thought.
"I need help," she explained for what seemed the hundredth time that morning. It was then she noticed she was now standing in front of the big castle gates, and behind it, a looming castle. It seemed even bigger than she had previously thought. "My parents. We were on our way here and a man killed them."
"Why were your parents venturing to Almandia?" The guard asked.
"They were the healers the Queen had hired. I was to be the Queens new handmaided. I am Snow White."
The guard turned to his partner, and muttered something so Snow wouldn't hear. But she did.
"It was the White family, correct?" He whispered. His partner nodded his head.
"Alright, Miss White," the first guard spat at her. "You may come in. I will take you to the servants quarters."
"May i speak to the Queen?" Snow asked timidly, and the guard laughed at her.
"Oh, you'll get to the Queen, if you are to be her handmaiden." He snickered.
The castle was cold, Snow noticed. The coolness crept into her skin as if she were a sponge soaking up water. She shivered, and clutched her cloak around her tighter.
The guards had tied Gus up on a gate near the castle gates. Snow was worried someone would try to steal him, but that was the least of her worries, now.
They led her up a few flights of stairs, and down countless hallways and corridors.
After awhile, a woman rounded a corner, flanked by two guards. She wore a beautiful dress, purple and black velvet. Her hair was done up perfectly, without a single strand of hair out of place.
"Who is this?" The woman asked, giving Snow a short, cold stare.
"She claims to be your new handmaiden, Snow White, your majesty," the second guard announced. "Says her parents were killed by a man on thier way here."
"The healers?" The Queen asked, and shook her head. She glanced at Snow, and gives her a sickeningly sweet smile. "Hi, sweetie."
"Hello," Snow says timidly. This was the Queen, she realized. "Your majesty."
"Your parents were killed? By who?" The Queen asked her.
"He..." Snow started, but how could she explain this? "I think he was...a vampire." Snow almost whispered, as if it were something forbidden to say.
The Queen laughed once, then contained it. "A vampire?"
Snow nodded. "My parents had bite marks on their necks, and the man had blood on his mouth."
"If this man was a vampire, how did you escape?"
"I...i..." Snow couldn't say what happened, could she? "I don't know. He didn't kill me. He didn't see me."
The Queen turned over this information in her mind. She thought Snow could be in shock over her parents deaths, coming up with this story to cope with the tradgedy.
"Well, Snow. You're going to stay here, now," the Queen stated. "In the castle, as my new handmaiden, if you want."
Snow knew this was her best choice. Any other thing would leave her fighting for scraps on the street. Here, in the royal castle, seemed best.
Snow nodded. "That sounds nice, your majesty."
The Queen smiled a fake smile. "Good." She turned her attention to the guards. "Take her to the servants quarters and get her ready. I want her in my bedchamber after breakfast."
The guards with Snow grunted in understanding, and started walking Snow to the servants Quarters, but Snow stopped.
"Wait!" Snow called out to the Queen. "What about my parents bodies? Our other horse? Our carriage? It has our belongings in it."
"You won't need them," the Queen explained. "This is your home now."