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  “Mirror mirror on the wall, who’s the fairest of them all?”

  “Your wording may change; my answer stands tall. Your step-daughter Snow White is fairest of them all.”

  ~

  the prince and the huntsman

  Cassius pounded her hands against the mirror. “NO!” she shouted. “No! No! No!”

  There was a knock at the door. “Are you all right, Your Majesty?”

  It was one of the servants. Cassius took a deep breath to steady her voice. “Yes,” she called.

  “Okay,” the voice responded. “I was just coming to remind you that His Highness Prince Henry of Aubergine will be arriving this afternoon.”

  “Prince Henry?” She took a moment to place the name. Ah, yes. She remembered. His parents hoped she would meet with him and consider a marriage to him. The young prince was twenty-five but supposedly wise beyond his years. He had two older and already-married brothers, so his best hope for becoming a king was to marry into the throne somewhere.

  Cassius was not interested in being married again, however, and certainly not to someone who was eight years younger than she was. But she agreed to the meeting to humor them and keep communication with their kingdom open and pleasant. Their meeting day had come. Cassius had been so busy thinking about Snow White recently that she’d forgotten all about it. She quickly prepared to meet him and asked everyone else to get the palace extra clean before his arrival.

  Cassius was waiting in the throne room when he arrived.

  Prince Henry came in, but instead of giving Queen Cassius a proper greeting, he seemed to be in a daydream. “I met the loveliest young woman sweeping the steps outside,” he said. “It surprised me to see her as a palace servant. She is so beautiful I would expect to see her in fine clothes and the wife of a wealthy Duke or Lord.” He smiled. “And she had the most peculiar name. Snow White,” he said.

  Cassius forced a smile. “Yes, she is a beautiful girl, isn’t she? But she hasn’t any wits about her,” she lied. “That’s why she sweeps and scrubs the floors.”

  “Oh but she seemed very bright to me,” Prince Henry insisted.

  Cassius gave a jagged laugh. “She does seem that way at times, but I’m afraid she’s only repeating words and sentences she’s heard others speak. It’s all imitation for her. Not an original thought in the poor child’s head. But let’s not talk about Snow White.”

  As they conversed, Cassius found herself entirely disinterested in the prince and all that he had to say. Cassius knew she’d be sending him home with his proposal unaccepted.

  Cassius requested that Snow White have dinner somewhere other than the banquet hall that evening, but the message never made it to Snow White, and so she showed up for dinner just as Cassius and Prince Henry were sitting down to eat.

  Snow White moved seamlessly with the floor and curtsied before taking her seat. “Prince Henry,” she said.

  “Snow White,” Cassius said. “I didn’t expect to see you this evening. Did you not receive my message?”

  “What message, mother?”

  Prince Henry lit up. “You mean Snow White is your daughter, a princess?”

  “Step-daughter,” Cassius said. She noticed the gown Snow White was wearing. It was a beautiful gown, unlike the ones she’d given the young woman. “Where did you get that dress, Snow White?” Cassius demanded.

  “I found it when I was cleaning the cellar,” she said. “Do you recognize it? It’s the same as the dress my mother wore for her portrait—the one that’s hanging in the library. I think the whole crate was full of her clothes. I do miss her.” Snow White hugged herself so as to hug the gown she wore. Then she lowered her eyes. “And I miss you, Cassie.”

  For a moment Cassius’s heart softened and she remembered the sweet child she’d once held in her arms. But the memory faded as Prince Henry turned his attention toward Snow White again.

  “You’re a princess,” he said. “You, and yet you were sweeping the steps outside in servant’s clothes. Why?”

  Snow White grinned. “I must do as my mother tells me,” she said in saccharine tone.

  Prince Henry scrunched his eyebrows. “Strange family,” he said. “But it is good to see a princess with a servant’s heart.”

  Cassius had already decided on turning down the prince’s proposal if and when it came. She didn’t want to marry him. She didn’t want to marry anyone. For years she’d had the mirror to tell her she was beautiful, and that was all she needed. But now, seeing Prince Henry fawn over Snow White, her heart was filled with envy. All through dinner his attention was on Snow White, and Cassius grew to suspect the proposal would never come.

  That night, Cassius had a terrible nightmare. She dreamed that she got out of bed and went to Snow White’s room to kill her in her sleep. However, as soon as Snow White was dead, her body changed. There in the bed lay Snow White as Cassius had known her: the adorable and loving six year-old she’d once helped raise. Cassius stammered away from the bed and fell to the floor.

  Cassius bolted upright in her bed, gasping for air. She calmed her breathing and rubbed her eyes. Intellectually she knew Snow White and the child she raised were one and the same, but emotionally it was so difficult to connect them. Snow White was grown now and seemed such a stranger to Cassius.

  “I wouldn’t kill her,” she said. “Would I?” Thoughts of Augustus filled her mind. She hadn’t meant to kill him, but what if in one of her rages she did the same to Snow White? She chose to ask the only one who would know. Cassius took her question to the mirror.

  “Mirror wise in all your ways, what will happen if Snow White stays?”

  The mirror replied in a grave tone. “Your envy grows each passing day. Her death will come if you don’t change.”

  Cassius took deep breaths and thought. She wasn’t sure she knew how to change. “I’ll send her away,” she said. “I’ll send her away so I don’t have to see her or think of her ever again.”

  Cassius went to her throne room and demanded that her huntsman be called. It was barely dawn. Her huntsman arrived and she shooed everyone else out of the room.

  “Trusted friend,” she told him. “Today I want you to take Snow White deep into the woods and leave her there. Raise your ax as if you’re about to strike her, and tell her that if she ever returns to the palace, you’ll kill her.”

  A shocked look came over his face. “My queen,” he said. “I cannot do this. How can you ask such a thing of me? I cannot harm the princess.”

  “I am not asking you to harm her, only to threaten harm toward her. Scare her enough that she believes your threats.”

  “But why?”

  “That is not for you to know. Now, do what I’ve said, and keep it secret. I’ll find out if you don’t. I will not be pleased if you disobey my command.”

  He bowed his head. “Understood, Your Majesty.”

  “You’ll be rewarded upon your return,” she said.

  “Keep the reward,” he said. “When this is over, I wash my hands of it, for I’ve had nothing to do with it.”

  Cassius smiled. “Even better.”

  ~

  Snow White greeted the day with a smile. She greeted every day with a smile, but that day in particular excited her. She knew Prince Henry would be staying for three more days, and she looked forward to spending time with him. She knew he was officially visiting to get acquainted with Cassius, but it was plain to anyone with half a mind that Cassius had no interest in him and he was only moderately interested in her. Snow White probably wouldn’t have shown up for dinner except that all the servants were talking about how clearly disinterested Cassius was in the young prince. After their meeting on the palace steps, Snow White had felt he was destined for her instead of her step-mother. There was an instant spark, and the fact that he would stop to say hello to someone dressed as a servant sent joy throughout her being. Besides, he was twenty-five, and it would be incredibly awkward to have a step-father so close to her in age. She suspecte
d Henry felt the same once he learned she was a princess.

  Snow White brushed her hair and as she looked in the mirror she remembered days past when Cassius had helped her get ready in the mornings. She let out a heavy sigh and wondered what had changed. Everything had changed once her father died, but why did Cassius have to change so much? Why couldn’t they be close like they once were?

  “She hates me now,” Snow White said. “And I don’t know why.” Snow White had done everything she could to be helpful. She offered suggestions at the royal meetings when she was allowed to attend them, and now she willingly took on all the chores Cassius gave her. It would have been easy to pass them on to one of the actual servants, but Snow White did the work herself because Cassius had asked her to, and she hoped to win back Cassius’s favor. Nothing seemed to help, however, and no matter what she did she seemed to be an object of enmity to her step-mother.

  Snow White finished getting ready for the day and bounded out of her bedroom. She wore another of her mother’s old gowns, since Cassius had disallowed the ones she brought with her from her grandma’s house. Life had been so much more pleasant with her grandma around. Ever since moving into the palace things had only gotten worse.

  As Snow White turned the corner toward the banquet hall, she was stopped by Cassius. “I have a job for you today,” she said. “I need you to go into the woods and gather wildflowers. My huntsman will accompany you.”

  “Wildflowers?” She raised her eyebrows.

  “Yes. Prince Henry loves wildflowers and I want to surprise him with a bouquet of them on the dinner table tonight.”

  “Can you send someone else for them?” She couldn’t help feeling that Cassius merely wanted her out of the palace to keep her away from Henry.

  “No, no. It must be you. Don’t you think it would be more special to him if you were the one who gathered them? I noticed last night that you seemed to be quite fond of each other.”

  Snow White wasn’t sure what to say. “I don’t understand. Shouldn’t you be the one gathering them, then? He’s here to meet you, after all.”

  Cassius laughed. “Silly girl. He’s just a boy to me, and I’m not interested in getting married again regardless. But to you he’s a man. Plus he seems to like you better anyhow. So, will you do it?”

  Snow White smiled. Cassius was actually being kind to her for once! “Of course I will,” she said. She curtsied. “And thank you, step-mother.”

  Cassius grinned. “Let’s not have any more of this ‘step-mother’ business. You can call me mother, or Cassie. Whichever you prefer.”

  “Thank you,” Snow White said.

  “Now be off,” Cassius told her. “My huntsman is waiting by the door. He’ll show you into the forest and tell you where to look.”

  The journey in the forest seemed to last forever. “Aren’t there any wildflowers closer to the palace than this?” she asked.

  The tall burly man she followed made a grunting noise and said nothing. He still hadn’t told her his name, though she’d asked him several times. In fact, he hadn’t said much of anything the entire trip.

  “How far have we walked?” she asked.

  No response.

  Snow White began to sing a song to pass the time and fill the silence. The sounds of the forest seemed to sing along with her. Leaves rustling, birds chirping, squirrels chattering. It was a beautiful day out with clear skies and an even temperature. A lovely day for a stroll, but their walk through the woods was taking way too long.

  “Listen,” she said. “We’ve passed patches of flowers several times already. I’m sure the ones we’ve passed are good enough. At this rate, it will be past dinnertime before we’re even halfway home.”

  The man grunted again.

  Snow White let out a low sigh and continued to follow him. Her feet were sore and her legs were tired. They hadn’t brought any food with them for lunch, so her tummy rumbled and she was growing dizzy with hunger.

  At last they arrived. The burly man pushed aside some branches and revealed a vast field of wildflowers. “Here we are,” he said. His gruff voice surprised her, and his tone sounded as though he was angry, but Snow White was delighted with the field.

  “Oh, they’re beautiful!” she said. “I suppose it was worth the walk.” She started gathering a bouquet of flowers and then looked up at the sun. “But what time do you suppose it is? It seems like it took us all day to get here.”

  She didn’t expect him to answer, but he did. “It did take us all day,” he said. “Sunset will be in a few hours.”

  “But how will we get home in time? Mother wanted these flowers for the dinner table.”

  “You won’t be going home,” he said. Snow White looked just in time to see him raising his ax high above his head. It was aimed at her.

  Snow White screamed and scrambled to her feet. “Wh-what are you doing?” she cried. She backed away, but stumbled to the ground as she tripped on her dress.

  “I have orders to kill you,” he said. “Good-bye, princess.” He swung the ax and missed.

  “No! No!” she said. “Please don’t.” She got to her feet again and turned to run.

  He threw the ax to the ground. “Then run,” he said, his voice booming in her ears. “Run away and never return. If you ever show your face in the kingdom again, your life will end.”

  She nodded. “Thank you for sparing me,” she said. “Goodbye.”

  “RUN!” he shouted. He picked up the ax once more. Snow White turned and ran, and she didn’t look back.

  Snow White dashed through the forest, between trees, under branches, over creeks. She ran as fast as her legs could carry her. She ran for the rest of the day and well into the night. She had no destination in mind, so she simply kept running. When at last she could run no further, Snow White collapsed upon the ground and slept.

  ~

  Cassius and Prince Henry had a quiet dinner that evening. Conversation was minimal as they picked away at their meal. Henry asked once where Snow White was, a question to which Cassius gave a vague reply. She was glad when dinner was over, and she went to her room feeling quite pleased with herself. “Snow White is gone,” she said. “She’ll be safer somewhere else, and I can be prettiest in the palace once again.” But a heavy feeling came over her as she realized the mirror’s answer had predicted Snow White’s death if Cassius didn’t change, and she wondered if that meant Snow White’s life was still in danger.

  “I’ll not think about it,” she told herself. “Out of sight, out of mind,” she said, and she drifted off to sleep.

  ~

  the seven dwarfs

  Sunlight kissed her eyelids and the chirping of birds greeted her ears as Snow White awoke early the next morning. She looked up and saw that the forest was far more beautiful in daylight.

  Snow White dusted off the skirt of her dress and looked around. She wasn’t sure which way she’d come from or which way she should go. She looked to one of the birds singing its song. “Can you show me the way?” she asked.

  It gave her a peculiar look as if it understood, and then it fluttered to another tree a few feet further away.

  Snow White laughed. “I may as well follow you,” she said. Every time she came near, the bird flew just a bit further from her until at last it took off into the sky and completely out of sight. Snow White sighed. “Oh well,” she sighed, but she continued walking in that direction. After only a few more paces, she saw the outline of a building through the branches. Snow White sped up until the whole of the building came into view. It was a cottage, cozy and clean, with a vegetable garden out front.

  Snow White walked up to the door and knocked. The door pushed open at her touch and she poked her head in. “Hello? Is anybody home?” she asked. There was no answer. Inside the house was quiet and dark. “Hello?” she said again. She stepped inside. Her shoes clapped against the floor; the noise echoed through the house. “Is anyone there?” she called. She sighed. “I guess not,” she said.

&
nbsp; Snow White went from room to room, opening the curtains to let light in. It was a cute little home and everything inside was miniature, as if it was all made for children. There was a tiny sofa near a tiny fireplace. In the dining room stood a large table on extra-short legs and surrounded by seven little chairs. The kitchen cabinets and sink were all built about knee-height compared to Snow White.

  “What a peculiar home,” she said. Feeling famished, she went through the kitchen cabinets. “I hope they won’t mind,” she said. “I just need to eat something.” She pulled out the necessary ingredients for a beef stew and started a pot of water boiling. “I’ll make enough for all of us,” she said and began to prepare the meal.

  She snacked on carrots and an apple as she waited for it to cook. “Oh but I’m so tired,” she said. “I barely slept at all last night. Perhaps if I just lay down for a few moments. There’s bound to be a bed around here somewhere.”

  She looked throughout the house, but before finding a bedroom she stepped into a room full of mirrors. They were magnificent, made of precious gems, silver and gold. For a moment Snow White found herself mesmerized by the sight of them.

  A peculiar memory came to her mind at that time. She recalled how her father would often ask questions in rhyme as he walked about the palace, and they nearly always included the word ‘mirror’. She never understood why he did that, but in the presence of all these mirrors she felt the desire to do the same.

  “Mirrors mirrors all around, my step-mother’s mind does not seem sound. She used to be so loving and kind. Why has she now sent me off to die?”

  Faces appeared on each mirror, and they answered in unison:

  “Princess Snow White, the answer is this: Queen Cassius’s jealousy has led her amiss. Your beauty astounds her and so she forgets the love she once dreamed of surrounding you with.”

  Snow White stood with her mouth agape. The faces disappeared from the mirrors and Snow White tried to think of another question, but at that moment a hissing sound emerged from the kitchen and she remembered the stew.