Emma had heard the rumors: flickers of gossip that slipped from one mouth to the other, getting tangled and confused like too many balls of yarn in one bag. Stories that spoke of the evil queen, a woman so despicable that even the birds were afraid to sing when caught in her gaze. Since Emma was a little girl, she had wondered which of the stories rang true. Her mother never commented on the topic, no matter how much Emma begged. Snow White, Emma's mother, and stepdaughter to the Evil Queen, refused to confirm or deny any of the rumors, but instead left the room whenever the subject was broached. Emma assumed that the reason her mother never spoke of her stepmother was because all the stories were true, and the subject was too painful. So it was through rumors that Emma learned of her father's death right after her birth, at the hands of the Evil Queen, and of how she and her mother escaped through Geppetto's magic wardrobe that brought them to the tiny village at the very edge of the white kingdom. For almost a year the Evil Queen searched for them, but in vain. A few times her men had passed through the village, but Snow had cut her hair short, gave baby Emma to another woman to care for, and dressed herself in rags so as to be unrecognizable. Since that first year, no one had passed through, for the Queen must have assumed that her adversary had died when she desecrated her home, which left Snow and Emma in peace.
For years after Emma came of age she was content to stay with her mother in their small cottage. She worked various jobs around town, from helping the blacksmith shoe horses to hunting down criminals with the sheriff. She roamed the forest with her friends during the day, and danced with them in pubs at night. Life was good, yet the evil queen was a constant burden on her mind, and so when she was 24, she began to make plans. Emma knew her mother would never approve, so she began to learn the art of the sword in secret, and once she was ready, she would hunt down the Evil Queen and avenge her father. When Emma awoke on the morning of her 28th birthday, she knew the time had come.
Careful not to wake her mother, Emma gathered a couple changes of clothes and shoved them into a bag. Tiptoeing to the cupboard, Emma pulled out two loaves of bread and some dried fruit and venison. She wrapped these in a cloth and put them in the bag as well. Glancing at her sleeping mother, Emma felt a pang of uncertainty. She had already convinced herself that her Snow would not approve of her mission, and would try to stop her from leaving. Snow would never understand, and so Emma had to leave in secret. But how do you simply walk out on your mother with no explanation whatsoever? Emma could not do it. She grabbed a quill, ink and parchment from a drawer and sat at the table to write a note.
Mother,
I am going in search of the Evil Queen to avenge my father. I have been planning this for a while. I did not tell you before because I know you would never let me go. But this is something I have to do. I will not rest until the Evil Queen is dead.
I love you. Please do not hate me for this.
Your loving daughter,
Emma
With tears in her eyes, Emma folded up the note, scrawled her mother's name across the top, and then laid it on top of her pillow. Taking a deep breath, Emma grabbed her cloak from the hook by the door and flung both it and the bag over her shoulder. Once outside, she took her sword out of its hiding place in the trunk of an old hickory, and strapped it around her waist. After one last glance at the cottage behind her, she pulled the hood of the cloak over her golden curls and turned her back on the only home she had ever known. It was time to enact her revenge.
I got this idea in my head and I couldn't let it go. Not sure if anyone else has written a story like this, but I thought I'd give it a try. This is my first attempt at fanfiction. Is it worth continuing?
