A/N: Readers, I now present to you Yui and the Seven Seiryu. This time, Yui and the Seiryu Seven get a turn to be the heroes for once. In this retelling of Snow White, Princess Yui is driven into hiding to escape the murderous wrath of her jealous stepmother. Can the group of cottagers she turns to for shelter manage to keep her safe until her father returns? Read, find out, and let me know what you think!

Disclaimer: I do not own either Fushigi Yuugi (property of Yuu Watase) or Snow White (property of the Brothers Grimm). This disclaimer applies to this and all subsequent chapters.

Prologue: Once Upon a Time…

Long ago, in a far away land, there lived a king and queen. They were kind, just rulers, and their little kingdom was peaceful and wealthy due to the various trade routes that ran through it. All seemed well, but one thing marred the happiness of subject and monarch alike.

Although the royal couple had been married for several years, and the kingdom prospered under their rule, there were no royal children to inherit the throne. The king and queen wanted a child more than anything, not only because as rulers they needed an heir, but they longed to be parents, to have a whole houseful of children.

One winter's evening, during the festival to mark the year's end, the queen gazed up at the night sky, saw one, two, three shooting stars dashing across the heavens, and made a most heartfelt wish. She wished for a child, with hair of pale gold, eyes blue as the ocean, and unsurpassed beauty and intelligence.

Several weeks later, the queen learned that her wish had been granted. It was confirmed by the royal physicians that she would have a baby before the close of the year. The impending royal birth was announced, and there was great rejoicing in the kingdom.

Though everything went normally with the queen's pregnancy, once the birth occurred, the peoples' joy soon turned to mourning. For the much-loved queen became gravely ill shortly after her child's birth, and in spite of the best efforts of the most skilled healers, from within and outside of the kingdom, never recovered. The queen left behind an infant daughter; just as she had wished, the child had pale gold hair, sea-blue eyes, and all who saw the little princess knew that she would grow up to be a beauty. Everyone began turning their hopes to Princess Yui, trusting that she would be as fair and kind a ruler as her parents.

Feeling that his daughter would need a mother's love and guidance, the grieving king married again the following year. His new wife, Taiitsukun, was a beautiful woman, but she was by no means as kind or gentle as the late queen. In truth, she was a vain, selfish being who cared only for herself, though she took care to hide this from the king and court, knowing that what the king wanted was principally a good woman who would be not only a capable partner in ruling the kingdom, but a loving mother to his young daughter.

Taiitsukun's most prized possession was a magic mirror that could show her anything within the boundaries of the kingdom. Every morning and evening, she would stand before it and order the mirror to show her the fairest woman in the land, knowing that the mirror was enchanted to always tell her the truth, and revel in seeing her own image.

Not too long after the young princess turned 7, the king found himself obliged to go abroad for a time. He was to visit the many surrounding kingdoms to negotiate treaties, a mission that would take him away from the kingdom for some years. As much as he would have preferred to send emissaries to act in his name, the trade these treaties would guarantee was so vital to the kingdom's economy that he felt he had no choice but to handle the talks in person.

Once he was safely away from the kingdom, the new queen quickly seized her chance to show her true character. She spent much of the royal treasury on fine clothes and jewels for herself and cruelly treated the young princess, who she loathed. Yui's belongings were taken away, and she was forced to dress in rags and work as a scullery maid in the kitchens, threatening Yui with terrible punishments if she ever told anyone who she truly was.

Of course, Taiitsukun had a group of loyal servants who she used to help her to ensure that no word of this reached the king, who would have returned at once if he had heard and punished her severely. To the courtiers, she claimed that Yui had taken a vow to withdraw from the court for the duration of her father's absence to spend her days in solitude praying for his safe return. So that no one would recognize her, the queen forced Yui to disguise herself by smearing dirt and kitchen ash on her face and used a dye made from black walnuts to darken her hair.

Thus it went on for the next 7 years. As Yui grew older and more beautiful, Taiitsukun grew more jealous of the girl, her treatment of the girl growing worse as time passed. But as long as Taiitsukun's mirror failed to reflect Yui's image when asked to show the fairest in the land, she was safe. However, her safety would not last forever.

*End Chapter*