"Snow White: Platinum Angel"
Once upon a time...
.... there was a kingdom, ruled over by an evil queen. She struck fear into the hearts of even those who served her, for it was one of the few things which made her happy. This queen's name was Dorothy.
Queen Dorothy, besides being quite mean and nasty, was very vain as well. And so, she ordered all of her subjects to say, whenever she asked them, to say "You are the most beautiful person in the land, O Queen". And they did so, because if they refused to they were tortured by the queen.
For years, Queen Dorothy ruled the land with an iron hand, using the fear of the people to her advantage. No one dared oppose her. Except for one person....
.. And, truly, this person did not truly know that he WAS angering the queen. And yet, every time Queen Dorothy looked at him, her eyes filled with anger and she vowed that some day she would go so far as to have him killed.
You see, the person who so angered the queen was a young man named Quatre, who worked in the queen's castle. He was incredibly handsome, though he did not realize it. His hair was like gold, his eyes like sapphires. And naturally, Queen Dorothy was jealous, because she knew that she would never be as good-looking as him, for though she could use magic spells to transform herself, her eyes would never change. They would always stay the same, because the magic willed them to. Queen Dorothy was so angered by this fact that she forced Quatre to do all the lowest jobs, as a way of revenge.
And yet, this didn't satisfy Queen Dorothy. Whenever she saw Quatre, sweeping leaves in the garden of the castle and singing to himself as he did so, she would become so incredibly jealous that she would begin to shake and her eyebrows would twitch and she would vow again and again and some day she would have him killed. For, not only was Quatre beautiful on the outside, but he was beautiful on the inside as well. He was quite pleasant, liked by all, and Queen Dorothy knew that she would never be able to have a heart like that.
One day, the castle was visited by a prince from another kingdom. His name was Trowa, and he had been sent to request an alliance with the Queen. Ah! How he wished that he didn't have to, for Prince Trowa knew of how evil Queen Dorothy was, and how spiteful and vain she was. But, it would be a good thing to get on her good side... and so, when he bowed to her and told her that she was as lovely as he had been told, he told himself in his mind that he was only doing this for the good of his kingdom. Of course, Queen Dorothy didn't know his thoughts. All she cared about was that she was gaining an alliance with another powerful kingdom, and being complimented by a handsome prince to boot.
As he was bidding Queen Dorothy goodbye, Prince Trowa noticed a young man washing one of the outside windows of the castle. He was so intrigued by this person that he simply had to ask the queen who he was.
When he did so, Queen Dorothy merely sniffed and waved her hand about as if it was nothing of importance. "He's just one of my servants," she said, laughing. "A little fool.."
"Really?" Prince Trowa asked, arching an eyebrow. "Odd... it seems as if he is an angel." Truly, he was quite taken with the young servant. And as he watched, Quatre blushed, for he had heard the kind comment. He seemed quite in awe of the prince....And that only fuelled Queen Dorothy's jealousy even more..
That night, when the sky was stormy and lightning flashed across it like angry streaks of gold, Queen Dorothy stood before her mirror as she always did. It was a peculiar mirror, in that it always made people seem more beautiful than they truly were.. and when asked a question, the mirror would always answer. It did not always answer truthfully, but Queen Dorothy didn't know about that. And so, every night she would ask the same question.
"Mirror, mirror, on the wall... who is the loveliest of them all?" she would ask, smiling. And the mirror would reply, in a monotone voice:
"You are the loveliest of them all, Queen Dorothy". However, that night was different. That night, the mirror did not say the same thing. When Queen Dorothy spoke her question, the mirror replied:
"The loveliest of them all is the boy named Quatre Winner, for his heart is like the purest gold and yours like stone, Queen Dorothy."
Ah! Queen Dorothy was indeed, quite angered by this. "Quatre? That little rat is lovelier than myself?! Impossible!" And though deep in her heart she knew that it was true, she was so incredibly sour and jealous that she decided that she would simply have Quatre destroyed, so that she would be the loveliest of all people once again.
However..... Queen Dorothy really didn't want to destroy him herself. After all, he was nothing but a little rat. He was hardly worth her time. And so, she decided that she would have someone else do away with him for her.
The next morning, Queen Dorothy called Relena, one of her most trusted servants, to do the job. "Relena," Queen Dorothy said as she handed the girl a jewel-covered box, "I want you to take Quatre out into the forest and kill him. And, as proof that you have destroyed him, bring his heart to me in this box. If you do as I ask, you will be greatly rewarded."
"Yes, your Majesty. I will do as you please," Relena replied, bowing.
"Hn. Very good. And do try not to mess up," the queen replied as she signalled her servant to leave. An evil smile danced across her lips.... she would finally be rid of the one she envied so much.
However, Relena was not quite so enthusiastic. Though she was known to be quite mean at times, she had a good heart. She also knew that Quatre was a kind and gentle person, and to kill someone like him would be an unforgivable thing. And to add to that, she was rather fond of him. But, orders were orders.. and so it was with a heavy heart that she brought him into the forest.
Evening fell. By that time, Relena was certain that she couldn't kill Quatre as her queen wished... and, she was also certain that she couldn't return without destroying him. She was so worried by this, that he anxiety was quite obvious to Quatre, and he asked her what was wrong.
"Ah!" Relena sighed, shaking her head. "I am so sorry, my friend, but Queen Dorothy has ordered me to kill you! She is incredibly jealous of how handsome you are, and even more so of your pure heart! I don't wish to kill you, but if I do not return with your heart then Queen Dorothy will have me beheaded!" And she sat down upon the ground and began to weep.
Quatre was baffled by what she had said. "Why ever would Queen Dorothy be jealous of me? I am not handsome, nor will I ever be. But, listen! Please don't cry, my friend. I know just what to do." And he smiled, and Relena knew that his plan would work, whatever it was.
"What must I do?" she asked, wiping away her tears.
Quatre took her hand and pulled her to her feet, smiling as he did so. "What you must do is leave me here, and kill a swan before you return to the castle. I will be all right on my own, you needn't worry about me. And I am sure that the Queen would not be able to tell the difference between my heart and the heart of a swan, so she will never know that you did not follow her orders."
"Ah! Thank you, Quatre! I will never forget what you have done for me." And she embraced him and set off to return to the castle.
Quatre smiled as he watched her go, but quickly his smile faded, for it was night... and as the cold wind blew through his thin clothes and bit into his skin, he shivered and began to wish that he had simply told her to kill him. The night was dark and frightening, the cold yellow eyes of the forest's creatures staring at him through the endless expanse of black. He began to walk, not truly knowing where he was going.... until a sound reached his ears.
It was a pleasant sound, as if of someone singing a silly little ditty that they had made up after drinking too much green tea. The sound of it made Quatre smile, for he was sure that it meant there were pleasant people about. So he followed the singing, hoping at he would find someone who would take him in.
The cheerful ditty led him to a small, nearly hidden cottage in the middle of a clearing. Its windows were lit with a bright light, and from the inside came the voice of the singer, as if to welcome him. Gathering his courage, Quatre took a deep breath and knocked on the door.
It was soon opened, and Quatre found himself staring at a peculiar young man, with long braided hair and merry eyes the colour of lilacs. "Good evening!" he said, laughing. "Who are you?"
"I am Quatre," Quatre said softly "And I am afraid I need a place to stay for the night. Would you be so kind as to let me in?"
The owner of the cottage was happy to oblige, and soon Quatre found himself singing along with him, though he didn't know the words and it was all quite silly. There were two others in the cottage, but they were silent for the most part and only spoke when it was absolutely necessary. Soon Quatre began to feel as if he was unwelcome, and when the person who had greeted him asked if he might make some tea, Quatre did so without argument.
"I am terribly sorry," he said as he dropped the tea leaves into the pot "But I have forgotten to ask you your names. Would you be so kind as to tell me?"
"I'm Duo!" chirped the merry braided one. He laughed as if there was some sort of odd joke to it, and was suddenly distracted by something outside the window.
"Heero," said the second. The reply was cold, as if made by the voice of one whose name is better left unsaid.
"My name is Wufei," said the third, who stared at Quatre with an odd expression on his face. "What are you doing here?"
And so Quatre sat down to tell them his story....
"So THAT'S why you were out all alone at night," Duo said, nodding at his new friend. "I was beginning to wonder."
"Yes..," Quatre replied softly, staring down into his teacup. "It is all quite confusing.... why ever would Queen Dorothy want me dead? I have never so much as spoken a word to her."
"Hn," Heero muttered, rolling his eyes. "Dorothy never has reasons for what she does. She probably just got sick of seeing you around."
"Quite right," Wufei added. "That's why we're out here. We didn't like the way she runs things. It's injustice!"
Quatre felt his cheeks flush. "Well, really, I'm sure that there's SOMETHING nice about her.."
"Well, until it starts showing, you can stay here!" Duo burst out, ignoring the bizarre glares of Wufei and Heero.
And so, Quatre decided it was for the best....
Meanwhile, Relena returned to Queen Dorothy. She had killed a swan as Quatre had advised her to, and had placed the heart in the queen's jewelled box. When Queen Dorothy saw it, she was quite pleased as she thought that it was Quatre's heart. "Ah! You have done well, Relena," she said, laughing evilly. But Relena merely mumbled a thank-you and disappeared from sight.
That fact confused the queen, but not for long. Now, she was indeed the loveliest of all, for Quatre was dead! She was so happy, that she decided to have the mirror tell it to her. Smiling, she looked into the magic mirror and asked "Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who is the loveliest of them all?" And the mirror replied
"The loveliest of them all is the boy named Quatre Winner, for his heart is like the purest gold and yours like stone, Queen Dorothy."
Needless to say, the queen was enraged. He was supposed to be dead, and yet the mirror said that he was still alive! And so, Queen Dorothy asked:
"Mirror, mirror, on the wall, where is Quatre Winner?"
And the mirror replied "He is deep in the forest, living in the cottage of the three who left your kingdom years ago."
Queen Dorothy smiled. She knew of this cottage. She knew of the trio within it. And so.... she would go there... and destroy Quatre Winner once and for all.
Morning came. As Quatre opened his eyes and the events of the past day came flooding back to him, he could hardly believe that everything had turned out all right. He sighed and sat up in bed, yawning slightly.
Duo and the others were already awake, and looked as if they were preparing to go on a journey. Duo was in the kitchen filling haversacks with sandwiches, and Heero and Wufei were already outside talking about going somewhere.
"What is going on?" Quatre asked, arching an eyebrow. "Where are you going?"
"Oh! It's nothing, really. Every day, we go out into the caves and gather up the jewels there. Heero and Wufei might not look like it, but they're fabulous when it comes to spotting things like that," Duo replied, grinning. "It's almost as if we are dwarves, from those silly old fairy tales!"
Quatre laughed, and nodded. "Yes.... well, I suppose you will have a good time. I would like to just stay here today... I have quite a bit to think over."
Soon, it was time for the trio to leave. As they walked off, Duo turned around and waved, calling out "Bye, Quatre! We'll be back by night! Don't open the door to any one!"
And the former servant of Queen Dorothy, quite accustomed to obeying orders, waved back and said he would do just that.
During that time, Queen Dorothy was preparing herself. Down in the dark chambers of her castle, she had cast a spell to turn herself into a kindly old woman. Smiling as she stared at her reflection in a mirror, she decided just how she would do away with Quatre.
"I will feed him a poisoned apple," she said to herself as she began mixing up a poison brew "And when he bites into it, he will all into an eternal sleep." As she carefully dipped the fruit into the poison, she recalled that of course the spell could be broken by the kiss of a handsome prince, as most spells were like that. But why need she worry? After all, what chance was there that a prince would come across Quatre's body? And there was even less a chance of him being kissed, handsome though Quatre was. And so, she placed the now poisoned apple in her pocket, she laughed. She would be rid of him....
It was not long before she reached the cottage of the Trio. It was still light out, and she could see Quatre through the window. For a moment she watched as he made himself a cup of tea, and cursed under her breath at how beautiful he was. He would pay dearly...
"Hello? Is anyone in there?" Queen Dorothy called, knocking on the door. She waited a moment, and knocked again. "Hello?"
"Ah! Who is there?" came Quatre's surprised reply.
"I am but a poor apple seller, and I am afraid I have lost my way in these dark woods. Would you please be so kind as to tell me the way to Queen Dorothy's kingdom? I will give you one of my lovely red apples if you do so," the queen said, easily disguising her voice. She knew Quatre would do so, for though the Trio would have told him not to open the door, his heart was kind and he would undoubtedly open the door.
Sure enough, that was what happened. Quatre opened the door, smiling as he lay his eyes on the "old lady". "Ah!," he said, taking the apple that she offered him. "You must travel south, kind woman. It is not too far, and I believe you will get there before nightfall."
"Thank you, kind sir," Queen Dorothy replied, bowing to him. "And, I do hope you will enjoy my apple." And she left without another word.
Quatre watched her go, then took a bite out of his apple, smiling as he did so. But his smile faded, and he fell to his knees, coughing. Soon, his eyes closed and he fell into a deep sleep.
That night, the Trio returned to find the door to the cottage ajar and Quatre on the floor, looking as if he had suddenly fallen asleep. Though Duo poked and prodded at him, his friend didn't wake up.
"Ah! What happened to him?" he gasped, eyes filled with worry.
"It was Dorothy," Heero said coldly. He held up the poisoned apple, which had fallen nearby. "She put a spell on him."
"Injustice! Something must be done!" Wufei cried, eyes filled with anger. And Duo could do nothing but weep, for he had lost a friend.
Months passed. The Trio eventually built a coffin in the woods for Quatre, of the diamonds and sapphires they mined and every day they left a flower upon it, for they were sure that he would never awake. And an end did come to Queen Dorothy- she was assassinated by Duo and Heero, after they recovered as best they could from the tragedy. In the end, Prince Trowa came to rule over Queen Dorothy's kingdom, for she had had no heir. Everything was bright again, and all the people were happy... but still, Quatre rested in his sleep, and his friends feared that he would stay that way for all eternity.
One day, Prince Trowa was riding through the forest on his tall white horse when he came upon the diamond coffin. When he dismounted and peered inside, he was quite surprised to find the sleeping Quatre there. Though all that time had passed, Prince Trowa still remembered him, and was still enchanted by him though he was in such an enchanted sleep. For what seemed like hours he stared at him, until a cold voice asked "Who are you? What are you doing here?"
Prince Trowa turned around swiftly, and frowned when he saw the Trio staring at him. "I am Prince Trowa... and I was simply looking at the person in this coffin. What happened to him?"
"He was put under a spell by Queen Dorothy," Duo cried out, tears welling up in his eyes. "We built the coffin for him, so that he could rest like the angel he is."
"... I see," Prince Trowa whispered as he turned back to the coffin. He reached out to touch Quatre's face, sadly realizing that he would never awake. The sight caused a pain to rise in his chest, and the sight of the sweet angel rose a love in him that he had never known... a love that caused him to lean down a gently kiss his lips, as a gesture of love which could never be.
Suddenly, Quatre's eyes fluttered open and he stared up at Prince Trowa, gasping slightly. The spell was broken, after so many months.....
As time passed, Prince Trowa eventually married Quatre and they lived happily in the kingdom, which was known from then on as the Kingdom of Light. And so they lived happily ever after, together.. forever.
The End