The Fairest of Them All
As they roamed their empty castle, the king and queen would curse their barren union and dream of the child they longed for so desperately. For years, their quiet sobs and pleas for a miracle were met with indifference until one day, when hope was all but lost, the queen found herself with child. Born unto them was a daughter with blood-red lips and soft, dark locks that fell against her icy visage. She was named Snow White, and never was a child more cherished.
As Snow White grew, so did her beauty. Each night, the queen would tenderly brush her daughter’s hair while she sat looking into the vanity mirror. The queen would admire Snow White’s reflection, utterly in awe of the child she was blessed with whom she believed to be the fairest of them all. This opinion was held by many, as tales of the radiant young princess spread quickly between the surrounding kingdoms and earned Snow White a number of admirers seeking her hand in marriage.
On the eve of the princess’s sixteenth birthday, a ball was held in her honour that welcomed a number of suitors into the castle. Dressed in a gown of golden cloth and lace, Snow White received her guests and danced with her suitors as her parents watched, proud of the beautiful young woman she had become. The celebration had hardly begun when an unruly force of overwhelming size stormed the castle. Guests rushed for the doors as the castle guards were overpowered and the king and queen were captured and dragged out of sight. Fearing she was next, Snow White fled the castle, disappearing into the foreboding forest that lay just outside the castle walls.
Aimlessly, the young princess wandered deep into the forest where she came upon a hut nestled oddly in the thick of the woods. A faint glimmer of candlelight in the front window encouraged Snow White to approach the weathered, wooden door. As she raised a fist to knock, a woman appeared beside her, growling through jagged teeth. Startled, Snow White sprung backwards, tripping over the hem of her gown and landing on the forest floor. In front of Snow White stood a deformed old woman with straw-like white hair, a hunched back, and bony legs that seemed to quiver under her weight as she approached the princess with threatening speed. Rising to her feet in a fright, Snow White begged the old woman to spare her from harm and give her a place of refuge for the night, promising she would be gone by morning. Reluctantly, the old woman agreed, and Snow White followed her to the door.
Once inside, the old woman placed a rickety wooden chair by the hearth for Snow White to rest on and wrapped a woollen blanket around her small, shivering frame. As Snow White sat, expressing her gratitude for the old woman’s kindness, the hut seemed to move and shift beneath her feet. Before the young princess could comment on this strange occurrence, the old woman offered her a shiny red apple. Touched by the act of kindness, Snow White took the apple, assuring the old woman once more that she would be gone by morning before taking a bite. As soon as the apple touched her lips, though, Snow White felt the world around her fall away. Her head became heavy, her vision blurred, and she could feel her heartbeat in her constricted throat. As the young princess stood up, the apple dropped from her palm, rolling into the fireplace where it burned up in cloud of green smoke. With shaky legs, Snow White started for the door, but the old woman cut her off, pushing her back down into her seat. Bearing her jagged teeth once more, the old woman informed Snow White that she was to stay and remain her servant, or be roasted and eaten for dinner.
Drained of the strength needed to escape from the old woman’s clutches, Snow White spent her days preparing meals, sweeping the floors, and cleaning the hearth while in an unbreakable, disorienting fog. As the young princess withered away in the hut, the king and queen, now free from their captors, desperately awaited their daughter’s return. One of the suitors from the ball was a Huntsman from a neighbouring kingdom, and he offered to return Snow White to the castle in exchange for her hand in marriage. The king and queen agreed to these terms, and the Huntsman set out to rescue his bride.
The Huntsman moved swiftly as he tracked Snow White deep into the eerie woods, finding scraps of the young princess’s golden gown that must have become caught on branches as she tore through the forest. The trail of gold cloth and lace led the Huntsman to a strange hut, normal in every way apart from the chicken legs it rested upon. The Huntsman had heard tales of the old witch that lived in the forest, but never dreamt them to be true. Convinced Snow White was inside, the Huntsman hoisted himself onto the hut’s porch and forced its bolted door open with a powerful shove.
Inside, he found the young princess tending to the fire, her gown covered in soot and her eyes glassy and unfocused. He ran to her, realizing that she was under the witch’s spell. Feeling helpless to save his bride, the Huntsman embraced Snow White, kissing her once as a tear slid down his cheek. At that moment, the spell placed on the young princess broke, and she and the Huntsman rejoiced. Hand in hand, they turned to leave the hut, but found the old woman blocking their path. She slowly approached them, exclaiming joyously at the arrival of her new guest as her eyes lingered on the Huntsman. Fearing her magic and trickery, the Huntsman rushed the old woman and threw her into the blazing fireplace. Snow White and the Huntsman escaped the hut as the old woman burned, racing home to the arms of her beloved parents.