Author stuff: My first continuous tale on here. I'm rather pleased with how this is concluded. I would like it to be known that I started work on this before Mirror, Mirror and Snow-white and the Huntsman were even a thing. I would also like it to be known that the next fairy tale remake that will be done by Hollywood will either be Cinderella or Sleeping Beauty.
Most of this was written before the death of my Papa (my grandfather). His memorial service was everything I needed; it gave me the time to grieve and the comfort I needed to let him go to whatever lays beyond this life. It hurts, still, but I feel better about things and I'm happy my Nana (my grandmother) is finally able to mourn without the three and forty (7 sons and daughters, 17 grandchildren, and 19 great-grandchildren) of us over at her home each day.
I want to dedicate this story to my Papa — who scared me until I was seventeen — and my Nana — who puts up with all of us no matter what.
This story is also dedicated to the woman who introduced me to Harry Potter in 1998. May she be forever creative and a lover of novels.
Summary: Princess Lily Evans lost her mother before she was even born. Her father, after six years, remarried; however, this stepmother prefers her older sister Petunia to her. Petunia is trained to be the perfect princess, while Lily rebels any chance she has.
When Lily turns sixteen, her stepmother decides that has had enough. The new Queen takes her out into the forest for a picnic. Lily figures it to simply be a one-on-one between the two. But it's something else. It is only through luck (or perhaps it isn't) that Lily is able to escape into the hands of seven thieves…
AU. "I felt my mouth go dry as I looked up at the group of men. They were just as startled to see me as I was to see them. I couldn't help but tremble as their cold steel pressed at my neck…"
Disclaimer: I have no legal ownership over any of the recognizable characters or plot.
Poisonous
By S A Logan
Prologue
Once upon a time, so very long ago, there was a beautiful young woman. She was named Liliana, after her mother's mother. Her mother died shortly after she gave birth, leaving her to the care of her father. The man had no desire to be without a wife, so he married again. The second woman had two daughters of her own; both of them had little want with Liliana. So, the girl was forced to cook, clean, and take care of the older sisters.
One fine day, news spread that the Duke was holding a three-day ball to find a wife for his eldest son. The beautiful young woman pleaded with her stepmother to allow her to join her parents and her sisters to the festivities. She was rejected.
One the first night, the young woman went to her mother's grave and wept. Her mother's spirit came to her in the form of birds. They delivered to her a gown of gold and silver, and a pair of slippers embroidered with silk and silver.
The young woman shed herself of her clothes and slipped into the gown. She tucked her feet neatly into the slippers, relishing the feeling of silk. She looked so different from herself once she washed her face and hands.
At the ball, her parents and stepsisters did not recognize her. They, like many of the other guests, thought she was a foreign princess. The duke's son fell in love with her upon first glance. They danced together, he refusing to allow any one else the honour of being with her.
When the evening came, she told him farewell and left; she returned to her father's home. The duke's son followed her and when her father returned that night, he pleaded with the man to let him see the beautiful maiden whom had stolen his heart.
"It surely cannot be Liliana." her father thought to himself. So, they searched the house and found only Liliana dressed in her rags and dirt streaking her face. Crestfallen for not finding the beautiful maiden, the duke's son returned to his home.
The next day, the festival began anew. Lilliana's parents and stepsisters returned to the ball, leaving her behind. The beautiful young woman returned to her mother's grave and pleaded with the birds. They brought to her a more splendid gown and slippers than the day before.
She returned to the festival and danced with the prince all day long again. And, again, when evening came around, she left. The young nobleman followed her to her father's home and like the day before waited for him to return, pleading to let him see the beautiful maiden whom had stolen his heart.
"It surely cannot be Liliana." her father thought to himself. So, they searched the house and once again found only Liliana dressed in her rags and dirt streaking her face. The prince once more returned home, crestfallen.
On the third day, when her parents and stepsisters went to the last day of the ball, she went to her mother's grave and asked the birds for their help. They delivered to her a dress whose splendour had never been seen anywhere and slippers of soft gold.
When she appeared in this dress, no one knew what to say. They were all too wonder-struck to usher a word passed their lips.
The duke's son again only danced with her all day long. And when evening came once again, she slipped away. But this time, the nobleman had a plan; he'd had his servants spread a sticky tack on the ground in the direction of her father's home. Her left gold slipper stuck to it.
When he picked it up, he saw what it was made of, and that it was small and slender. The next morning, he told his father that he would only marry the maiden whose foot fit the slipper perfectly and his father agreed.
The two stepsisters were very glad, for they had very pretty feet. When the eldest went to put the slipper on, her mother advised her to cut off her toes, handing her the knife. "For when you are queen," she said, "you will never have to go anywhere on foot." The eldest sister did as she was advised and concealed her pain. When the duke's son saw her, he knew that she must be his beloved, took her upon his horse to be his bride, and rode off. As they passed the grave, Lilliana's mother in the form of birds, saw them and cried out,
"There they go, there they go! But, oh! it is the wrong bride. The shoe does not fit, there is blood, Not your beloved at all."
The duke's son looked down at the slipper and saw the blood. He took her back and asked the younger stepsister to try on the shoe.
She, too, was advised by her mother, "For when you are queen," she said, "you will never go anywhere on foot." The sister took the knife and cut off her heel, squeezed her foot into the slipper and concealed her pain from the nobleman. When the duke's son saw her, he knew that she must be his beloved, took her upon his horse to be his bride, and rode off. As they passed the grave, the birds again saw them and cried out,
"There they go, there they go! But, oh! it is the wrong bride. The shoe does not fit, there is blood, Not your beloved at all."
Again, the young man looked down and saw the blood. He took her back too and asked the father, "Do you have any other daughter?"
"No," the man said, "only the girl my dead wife behind, little Liliana. She could never be your beautiful maiden, she is too stunted."
But the nobleman demanded that she try on the slipper. The mother stopped her and said, "Oh, no, she is much too dirty." Again, the duke's son demanded for her, and so Liliana had to appear.
First, she washed her face clean and curtseyed to the nobleman. He held out the golden slipper to her. She sat down and slipped her feet out of the heavy boots she normally wore and into the slipper. It fit perfectly, much to everyone's amazement. She stood and looked the duke's son in the eye and he knew she was the beautiful maiden he had danced with.
The mother and her daughters were angered, paling as they gaped. They could simply not believe that Liliana was the bride he had searched for. But the nobleman set her on his horse and rode off. As they passed her mother's grave, the birds saw them and cried out,
"There they go, there they go! And, oh! it is the right bride. The shoe does fit, there is no blood, This is truly your beloved."
Because Liliana was so kind and forgiving, she invited her parents and her stepsisters to their wedding. The eldest sister walked to Lilliana's left and the younger to her right. As punishment for their misgivings, each sister was pecked in the eye rendering them blind for the rest of their days. Their mother was treated none the better; the birds blinded her and they pecked off her tongue, for she had poisoned her daughter's minds with her lies and falsehoods.
But despite everything, Liliana loved them dearly and gave them rooms in the castle so that they may live in the same luxury as she.
It was not very long before the young man was made duke and his wife was made duchess, and it was much sooner than that then Liliana became pregnant with their first child. She bore a lovely girl with big grey eyes and hair the colour of honey. They named her Petunia, after the new duke's mother. She was well received and loved by all of their dukedom's peoples.
Some months later, they found that they were expecting another child. It was in her ninth month of pregnancy, that the duchess found herself and her husband travelling by carriage through the woods. It had been a harsh trip coming back from a visit to his mother, and it was only made worse by the wolves that decided to attack them.
In all the excitement, the duchess found herself starting to give birth to their second child. However, as their carriage was overturned by the wolves, she died. The duke had no other choice then to cut open his wife's belly and save the unborn child.
When he finally made it back to the castle, he was toting the babe in one arm and the injured driver in the other. It was announced that it was a little girl, with hair as red as the juiciest autumn apples and eyes as green as the young leaves.
The duke thought for a while, mulling over what his wife had wanted to name the child and what he had wanted to name her. Finally, he settled on naming her Lily, after her beautiful mother…
Author stuff cont'd: Fairy tales are best started with "Once upon a time," and they end best with "and they lived happily together for the rest of their days." However, the interesting tale is what happens in between those stock phrases that enrapture us in tales that are so binding to our lives that we immediately relate to them so quickly it is frightening.
I want to shake everyone, make them realise that these tales we grew up with aren't the way we know them. They are horror stories that men told one another, hoping to make the other piss their pants in the late nights after a hunt. They aren't the same tales Jacob and Wilhelm rewrote for the children audience.
This is a tale about a young girl whose life is hanging on by a thread and her only hope is to trust criminals… and hope she doesn't die by their hand or worse.
…That would actually be a great summary. *shrugs* I like the one I have, though. It's enticing in its way.
On a lighter note of things, I decided to pick up The Hunger Games. I curse myself because I passed over the trilogy so many times when they were first being released. I never thought to pick them up beforehand. While I go and kick myself (and read), take the time to tell me your thoughts, be they good or bad.