Please note: this is a story inspired by and continued on the trailer of Snow White and the Huntsman* and the wonderful story of author 'PhoenixSongs: Unprivileged' *(please check it out, it is beautiful!)The parts between the little * are from these. The rest is written by me.
Curse of beauty
The story of the evil queen from Snow White, Ravenna
*Beauty is all too often the deciding factor between love and hate. The shine of hair that surpasses that of a friend, turning childlike love into teenage hate. The smile that is often mistaken for love, leading to marriages that will invariably crumble as wrinkles and grey hairs sprout forth. The figure that courts dangerous lust on an innocent, and the wide eyes that portray innocence upon the wicked.*
She was born on a blustery winter's night, with shimmering waves of amber gold and lips red as the rose. Growing up, the clan with which she lived admired her alabaster skin and glistering cobalt blue eyes. Ravenna was without doubt the most beautiful child anyone had ever seen, and when she smiled, it seemed heaven itself would take a moment to smile back at her.
Time passed and Ravenna became aware of how different she was. Though the child had the sweetest disposition possible, no one wanted to be her friend. Most of the children in her clan were jealous of the power a pretty face controlled, but those who weren't fixated on her beauty avoided her in fear. They sensed a darkness in her, leering under the surface like a wolf waiting for its prey. There were rumors that she had fits on the moon, whispers that she was not entirely…normal.
In the midst of all murmurings, Ravenna slowly turned into herself, sad and frustrated. The wary glares left a gaping hole of hurt, a yearning which she couldn't satisfy. More than once, she was caught by her mother while trying to cut her hair, who then held her as big tears rolled down the girl's cheeks. 'Beauty'- her mother said, 'is not a privilege.'
It wasn't long after that when the raiders invaded her village and took her with them. The first time she felt their rough, blistered hands upon her body she just stood there as a statue, like a monument frozen for eternity. Unable to move, unable to think except for the overwhelming fear that seemed to overpower her, sweeping toward her like a wild animal with its vicious claws poised, piercing her body like thousands of knives. The fear she felt was a being in itself because it wasn't just in her, it was all around her. They never stopped. Flames engulfed the raided villages, causing women to fall down to their knees in despair, their heartbreaking sobs turning in horrifying screams as cruel laughter filled the air.
During her days in captivity, Ravenna slowly grew indifferent to their sorrow as her tears died with the light in murdered eyes, and her heart grew colder as she watched villages being raided again and again. At one point, she taught herself how to use a dagger, using a sharp stick as practice during the night, waiting for an opportunity. Eventually they tired of her and contrived a way to be rid of her. By that time, her soul had shrunk and she was not sure if she remembered how to smile. They sold her to a brothel and hissed that she had finally found a place where she belonged. But as she saw the saliva between yet another man's grinned teeth, and felt his hungry eyes upon her body, something snapped. A dagger flashed and next thing she knew, blood gulped over his hands and the sound of his lifeless body falling to the ground echoed in her ears.
Ravenna was surprised of how little it mattered. She hated the girls who refused her out of jealousy, and hated the men who used and ruined her and threw her to the dogs like scraps. If it was beauty they desired, then beauty would be her power. *She would seduce kings, ravage entire kingdoms. She would be the cause of battles fought and lives lost, and their despair would not pain her anymore like it had for so long. Instead, their cries would give her strength.* If she stayed young and beautiful forever, the world was hers. Ravenna picked up the dagger and watched a blood red drop glide over her pale skin. She was told long ago that to consume an enemy's heart would grant you eternal life. As the leering darkness in her finally came to the surface, Ravenna slowly knelt down next to his still warm body and started cutting. She would give this retched world the queen that it deserved.