Standard disclaimer applies

This was inspired by Neil Gaiman's take of Snow White in the book Smoke and Mirrors. (It is the last short story) As well as the gale force winds, dark clouds and overall stormy weather in Wellington, NZ.

This is rated M for a reason. It can potentially make you squirm. You have been warned.

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I have forgotten my name but I remember my title and up till my dying breadth would I ever forget that first meeting and those green, green eyes.

I was once a fair maiden living in a small village 13 kilometres north from the Haruno Kingdom. I met the King by chance, one day. Fell in love and swept into the enchanting belief of happily ever after. He had a child aged 6. Her name was Sakura and what a pretty little thing she was. Her skin was pale as moonlight and soft as snow, eyes eerily green and that indescribably pink hair.

"Hello Queen Ma'am" was the first words she said to me when we were first introduced.

She was a strange little thing, invisible through the day but active in the dark. She stumbled upon me once, whilst I was sewing, came in like a lost little kitten.

"Hello child"

"Hello Queen Ma'am"

The conversation should have died there but I refused to let it go. Picking up one of the apples that were on the plate by the table near the chair I was sitting, I held it up to her. "Do you want one? I hear the red ones are sweet"

Immediately, she snatched it from my hand and in the process nicked my finger with her sharp nails. As I examined my finger and the small drip of blood, I could not help but notice the small sinister smile that touched her lips as she held that guilty hand with that apple close to her lips in a manner deceptively innocently sorry.

From then things changed. My love could not bear lying in the same bed or even touching me. He kept moaning about green, green eyes. Soon after he died, slashing himself multiple times on the wrist. It was her, I was certain. If I wanted to live, I had to learn to protect myself against her curse. So the books, incantations' and spells came and the rumors began. No one would understand. No one looked into the green, green eyes or observed the skin so snow white.

Once she was 16, she wondered outside the palace freely and on the 6th trip out, she went missing. This was it, my chance, the only opportunity I had to make sure she never comes back. So I sent a huntsman to look for her. Told him the specific technique and spells to use to restrain her and once done, to use the knife with a hilt of bone and blade of dark glass to cut her still beating heart out and bring it to me.

The huntsman succeeded and immediately requested to be dismissed upon return. I granted it. He left without looking back. Placing my ear to the box he handed, I waited and then "thump, thump, thump". A small smile came to my face. I was free.

The spells required the heart to be hung right above my bed with thorn twines and so I did. It took 2 weeks before the heart stopped beating and was still, as though waiting for something. And there was peace.

Then he came. 2 years after the ordeal.

The second prince of the Uchiha Kingdom – Uchiha Sasuke and a small cavalry; in search of fame and eternal life. He is such a handsome man, dark hair and onyx eyes. Asking if I knew of an eternity. Whoever who gets it inherits the kingdom or so it was said. He stayed for a night or two in my hospitality and then left. Braver than most considering my tarnished reputation as the Queen.

Three nights after his departure, the heart began beating again. It was not the strong gentle "thump thump thump" that woke me but the little drops of fresh blood that fell on my face. I looked up at it in horror. No…… I licked the heart in bid to get it to stop - I remembered reading somewhere that licking helps soothes.

"Stop" I implored yanking it off its twine and cutting myself in the process when it beat more aggressively. My bloodied hands clutching that beating heart.

"Stop! Stop! Stop!" I cried. But it continued.

I can't remember how long I stayed like that clutching that beating heart. The door of my bedroom swung open to reveal her and that prince. Those green, green eyes were joined with red, red ones and those ones were spinning.

"No…." I clutched the heart even tighter against my chest, hoping to crush it so that it would stop beating. She came up to me with that deceptively innocent smile.

"Hello Queen Ma'am" she greeted politely and with inhuman strength, yanked my arms away from my chest and pulled her heart free.

I watched as she traced the scar on her chest exposed by the rip of her dress all those years ago. Opening it up, she gently place that thumping heart back in and healed that scar. I stared at the closing flesh. No…please no…

He came up behind her and wrapped his left arm possessively around her waist, kissing her neck. His right hand place on her chest where the scar had been to feel the rhythm of the beating heart. She leaned back to give him better access and moaned in pleasure. Soon he moved his lips up to her ear to whisper something. She smiled and I never liked it when she smiled like that. Her and her savior…

I was trialed for my 'heinous' crimes and he got his fame for rescuing the forsaken princess. No one saw those green, green eyes or the spinning red ones. The punishment was death by being burned to a stake. As I was dragged through the streets with all manner of things thrown at me and finally tied to meet the flames, all I could hear was a soft mocking laugh and all I could see was those green, green eyes and that skin which was white as snow. How come no one saw that?