~ One ~

Once upon a time, a warrior queen gazed out of her palace window at the snow swirling and tumbling in the courtyard beyond. Heavy with child, her heart yearned for the birth of a daughter, and as she polished her ebony-hilted dagger she grew distracted. With a hiss of surprise, Queen Hathaway snatched her hand away from the blade and examined the drop of blood that sprung from her finger.

'So beautiful,' Janine whispered, seeing the deep crimson of her blood and the glossy ebony of her dagger stark against the cool, white background of snow.

'I can see you now, little one,' the Queen placed a hand on the swell of her stomach and stroked it gently. 'You will have skin as white as snow, with cheeks as red as blood and hair as black as ebony.'

A few days later, heralds announced the arrival of the new princess - and she was just as the Queen had imagined. Her skin was white as snow, her rosy cheeks were red as blood, and her hair was as black as ebony - just like her father's.

They named her Rose, but she quickly won the affection of all the courtiers and commoners of the palace, and soon everybody came to call her Snow White.


'Another attack, Ibriham? How many this time?' Queen Hathaway stalked into the throne room to where her husband was standing - deep in discussion with three of the other royal advisors.

Lord Mazur turned at the sound of the lady's voice, his handsome face pinched with frustration and sorrow.

'Two boys. Nine and eleven. Their mother's cow escaped its field yesterday and wandered into the Night Forest. The lads went in to retrieve it. All the guard patrol found in the morning were these.'

He held out a small cloth bundle and lifted the covering to reveal a pair of bloodied shoes and a cowbell – scratched and misshapen.

Janine closed her eyes briefly in disgust – thanking the gods that it wasn't her little Rose's shoes that the guards had found. When she opened her eyes again, they were sharp with anger.

'That's it. I've had enough,' she declared, a picture of fierceness and beauty with one hand on the sword at her hip and her face framed by the long, red hair that tumbled in loose waves down her back.

'Too long, we have allowed the creatures of the Night Forest to terrorise the Four Kingdoms. Travellers and traders are afraid to use the forest paths that link North to South, and East to West. Farmers who live along the woodland border tell stories of fell beasts howling in the darkness and livestock being stolen in the night. Mothers dread their children playing near the tree-line for fear of losing them forever… Well, I am the queen and I say enough! Lord Pavel?' she turned to her military advisor and captain of the royal guard.

'Prepare a hunting party of your best fighters – noble and lowborn both. The forest must be cleared of every dark beast and monster, for the safety of all our people. Tell the warriors we ride at dawn tomorrow… And send for Lady Tasha at once. I shall need my lady-at-arms at my side.'

'Wait, dearest, please,' Ibrahim intervened, handing his morbid parcel to Pavel and drawing his wife a few feet away from the others. 'Perhaps this course of action is… too hasty.'

He ignored her foul expression.

'The Night Forest is vast… many parts untouched for a thousand years. We do not know what threats lie at its heart. Would it not be better to...?'

'I am aware of the dangers, Ibrahim, and I am not afraid,' the queen scowled, annoyed to have her orders questioned in front of her advisors.

'You have the courage and strength of ten men, your majesty…,' Lord Mazur stepped closer to his wife, the silky tone to his voice and the light touch of his fingers to the back of her hand persuading her to listen.

'…But hear my counsel. Ridding the Night Forest of dangers and enemies is not our responsibility alone. Let me go to the other three kingdoms that lie on the borders of the forest – to discuss our shared concerns and rally for help.'

'Queen Ekaterina in the East may be too old to join the fight herself but her son, Prince Howard, has proved himself an ally to us before. I'm sure he will support our cause. The Western Kingdom should side with us too. Last autumn, the Conta royals had their grain fields attacked before the harvest. They only avoided a famine thanks to our help, so I expect Queen Marie will be eager to repay the favour.

'And King Rufus?' Janine looked cynical.

'True, the Tarus family in the South are not as hospitable as our other neighbours,' Ibrahim nodded, 'but Rufus loves his comforts, and once he realises that clearing the forest will open up safer trade routes between the Four Kingdoms and add to his wealth, he'll be begging us for the opportunity to help.'

The queen considered her husband's proposal for a few moments then nodded.

'Very well, Lord Mazur. I charge you to rally me a dozen warriors from each kingdom. Pay them handsomely, and tell them we ride from the Northern gates ten days from now. Whatever you require for your mission – money, horses, men – consider it at your disposal.'

'Thank you, your majesty,' Ibrahim bowed deeply, then straightened up and leaned in closer to his wife, 'but the only thing I require before I go is a kiss from my queen.'

'Ibrahim!' the queen stepped back, scandalised that he would be so bold in the presence of her royal advisers.

'Well, you did say I could have anything I required,' his mouth twitched into a grin, and before Janine could make further protest, he swept her off her feet and sealed his lips to hers.

Lord Mazur expected to return home to his queen and their precious daughter within the week, but these were uncertain times, and he refused to leave his beloved's side without first giving her a kiss to remember him by while they were parted.


'When will you be back, Papa?' the child with rosy cheeks and skin like snow clung to her father's fur-trimmed travelling cloak as he knelt to say farewell.

'In a little while, sweetling,' Ibrahim hugged her to his chest. 'It's a two day ride to my first stop at the Zeklos Palace. I promise I'll send a messenger dove when I arrive to let you and your mother know I am safe.'

Princess Rose looked glum and her father did his best to distract her.

'I hear Queen Ekaterina has two grandsons - one of them about your age. Perhaps, if one of them is especially handsome, I might ask the queen if she would consider him to be your future husband?'

'Papa!' the little princess smacked his chest. 'I don't want a husband. I'm only four!'

Lord Mazur chuckled.

'Oh, I don't know. I was betrothed to your mother before I was four and look at us now - happily married with a beautiful daughter of our own.'

Rose wrinkled up her nose.

'When I grow up I shall be too busy to be married,' she declared fervently. 'I'll be riding off on quests and battling monsters and having exciting adventures with my ladies-at-arms…'

'You are your mother's daughter, little Rose,' Ibrahim beamed at her and folded her in a last embrace. 'Take care of your mama while I'm away, won't you?'

'Of course!' the princess broke free of his arms - pulling out a little wooden dagger she carried on her belt and pointing it at the gigantic sapphire pendant that hung from her father's neck. 'Mama will be safe with me.'

The lord stood up and brushed a hand over his child's dark, wavy hair.

'I'm certain she will,' he replied with a smile.

'Come, Snow White,' the child's nursemaid called her away. 'You mustn't keep your father any longer. He has important business to attend to, and so have you – your luncheon is already served in the dining hall and it's getting colder by the minute.'

Rose gave her father's legs a final hug then followed after Lady Kirova without complaint. She would have liked to go on a riding adventure with her father, but she vowed to stay at the castle and protect the queen. (Also, the smell of beef stew drifting across the courtyard from the kitchens was making her mouth water and as much as she loved adventuring, she loved eating her dinner even more!)


Two days passed. Then a third. And a fourth.

Things were getting strange. The queen was in meetings all day, courtiers whispered in the castle alcoves and whenever Princess Rose asked why her father's dove had not returned, nobody seemed willing to talk to her.

'Snow White! Come back here at once!' Lady Kirova called out as the child broke free of her hand.

The door to the queen's council chamber had been left ajar and Rose was so desperate for news of her father that she didn't care if it was breaking the rules to enter.

'The royal council must not be disturbed,' the nursemaid cried lamely, but she was too late.

'Mama? What's happening? Why won't you talk to me? Is Papa dead?'

Twelve pairs of eyes turned to the child who had entered the room and Rose felt very small waiting for her mother to chastise her for interrupting their important meeting.

But the queen did not chastise her.

Janine rose from her seat at the head of the table, dressed in full battle armour. Bands of gleaming steel covered her chest and shoulders; wrapping tightly over the green leather tunic beneath. The queen had swapped her velvet skirts for a pair of tall boots and brown leather trousers - with metal guards strapped around her knees and shins to protect them - and her jewelled crown had been replaced with a simple gold circlet that bound her wild red tresses into place.

'Your father is not dead, my darling,' the warrior queen whispered fiercely, dropping to her knees before her daughter. 'Never say that. He's just missing, that's all, and I am going to find him.'

Rose felt a tightening in her throat like she was going to cry, but she could see her mother's eyes pleading her to remain strong so she remained strong for her.

'How do you know you're going to find him?' the young princess whispered, unaware of all the noble lords and ladies of the council casting piteous looks at her from the table.

Janine held her daughter by the shoulders and looked sternly into the child's eyes.

'Remember the time you lost your favourite button. The one shaped like a little owl?'

Rose nodded.

'Well, who found it for you?'

'…You did,' the girl answered quietly.

'And remember the time you went exploring through the castle and got lost in the dungeons? Who found you then?'

'You did,' Rose answered, a little more hopefully.

'You see, darling. Finding lost things is my speciality, and I will find your father too. I swear it by Vlad and all the gods. I won't stop searching until I find him and bring him safely home to you.'

The princess gazed into her mother's face and found the reassurance she needed.

'I understand, mama. I will take care of the castle while you're gone.'

'I love you, my brave girl,' the queen's eyes misted and she hid her face in the little girl's shoulder for a few moments before pulling back again. 'Remember to listen to Lady Kirova. She will look after you while I'm away. And Lord Pavel will be on guard at the castle gates if you ever need him, so there is really nothing to be concerned about.'

'But what about you, mama? Who will take care of you?'

Janine smiled softly.

'I will have your Aunt Tasha by my side every step of the way. We will take care of one-another… Now go back to Lady Kirova and tell her you're sorry for running away again, there's a good girl,' Queen Hathaway stood up and pushed her daughter gently towards the door. 'Stay brave and strong my sweet Snow White. We'll see each other again very soon. I'll be back before you even notice I'm gone.'

Little Rose looked back at her mother one last time then stepped out into the passageway, utterly bewildered, and into the capable hands of Lady Kirova.

When it was time for bed that night, Snow White sat quietly while Lady Kirova brushed her hair, then knelt by her bedside and prayed to Vlad for her parents' safe return. Afterwards, the nurse left the bedchamber - taking the lamp with her - and when little Rose was left alone in the dark a prickling feeling tickled at the back of her eyes. She squeezed them tightly shut and didn't let a single tear fall. She'd promised her mother that she'd be brave and strong, and a princess always kept her promises.


Rose waited at her window for two days – watching for dust rising from the forest road or a messenger dove with news of her parents – and finally, on the evening of the third day there was a commotion at the castle gate.

'Halt! Who goes there?' Lord Pavel's gruff voice carried out into the darkness.

'Open the gates at once!' another man cried from without. 'Call for a doctor! I have the Lady Tasha!'

Rose could barely sleep that night, and it was only in the morning after breakfast that the princess was summoned to the royal physician's chambers.

'Snow White?' a voice came weakly from the curtained bed in the corner of the room.

'Aunt Tasha?' Rose stumbled in her haste to get to her mother's closest friend and fighting companion. 'What happened? Did you find Papa? Where is Mama?'

The young warrior's ice-blue eyes were dull with grief.

'I'm sorry, my princess,' Lady Tasha tried to rise from the pillows but groaned as the pain from untold injuries became too much to bear. 'Ten of us set out on the road that Lord Mazur took to the Eastern Kingdom. We met some travellers along the way who claimed they saw your father enter the forest near the border of the two kingdoms. We followed the trail as far as we could, but then…'

The lady faltered and looked away.

'Tell me what happened,' the tiny princess commanded with a tone of authority far beyond her years, and the injured woman was compelled to reveal the truth.

'We were on your father's trail when we were attacked by a swarm of giant bats – swooping, black-haired beasts with a wingspan larger than an eagle. Talons and razor sharp teeth...,' she trailed off, not wanting to speak of such horrors to a child. 'We fought them off with sword and axe, but there were too many. Four men fell before we realised we were outnumbered. Another three were bitten and perished on the journey back to the castle.'

'And my mother?' Rose whispered.

Tears welled in the injured woman's eyes and she held her palm out to take the princess' hand.

'She was surrounded. I tried to help her, but she screamed at me to flee. She ordered me to return to the castle and guard her daughter. She wanted me to keep you safe.'

Princess Rose stood very still and blinked a few times then set her gaze on the woman in the sickbed; two stray tears sliding down the young warrior's cheeks.

'We must be brave and strong, Aunt Tasha,' the little girl instructed sternly, climbing up onto the coverlet beside her and placing her small hand on the lady's much bigger one. 'It's what my mother would have wanted.'

'Of course,' Lady Tasha wiped her cheeks hurriedly with the back of her sleeve and turned her hand over to squeeze the warm, plump fingers that rested in hers. 'We shall be strong together.'


For a time, nothing happened. Palace life went on as usual, with the royal council carrying out all of Queen Hathaway and Lord Mazur's official duties in their absence. But as the months went by it became clear that the missing royals would not be returning.

A period of mourning was observed, and after that the fate of the Northern Kingdom became the most discussed topic in the castle halls, the town market stalls and in farmhouse kitchens across all the Four Kingdoms.

At last, it was decided that the North must have a new ruler – a strong leader who could protect the kingdom and act as personal advisor and regent to Snow White until she came of age to be crowned queen in her own right. Lady Tasha was a warrior maiden, much respected by courtiers and commoners alike, and as it had been Queen Hathaway's dying wish that Tasha be Rose's protector, the decision was unanimous.

With two fresh tombs standing empty in the palace crypts, a coronation ceremony was announced and the whole kingdom turned out to attend.

A crown of silver, sapphires and jetstone gleaming upon Tasha's raven hair, the little princess and the new queen regent stood side by side on the balcony overlooking the castle courtyard and solemnly joined their hands together – waving to the cheering crowd below.

'Long live Snow White! Long live Queen Tasha! Long live the Queen!'


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Author's Note:

This story is my submission to the 'Vampire Academy does Disney' project - put together by Gigi256 & vafiction. If you want to check out the other stories in this project, visit the vafiction Tumblr page & click on the links.

My take on Snow White combines elements from the 1937 Disney movie, with the original Grimm fairy tale, and a nod to my love of fantasy role playing games such as Neverwinter Nights 2 and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (+ Romitri, of course!).

This will be a short story - under ten chapters - and I'll be posting twice a week.

If you're enjoying the story, come and visit me on my Facebook page (Llaria6) or Pinterest page (Llaria6) for cool photos/teasers on new characters appearing in the following chapter :)

As always... I love your reviews. Feedback, predictions, questions - send them on through & I'll send you a reply! :D

(Note to Deputy Belikov: Civil War readers - I haven't given up on DBCW. Just had to take a break to meet the deadline for this Disney crossover project + I'm moving to the other side of the country in... 19 days. Eep! I close my eyes and all I see is piles of packing boxes!)