[A.N.] Hello everyone! Here's the next chapter in my first attempt at a GW fairytale. I thank you all for continuing on to this. Please be sure to give me feedback. Writer's black and I are old enemies and we square off a lot. Any criticism, good or bad, might help me push past it! Thank you so much for your support! I love you all!
Pure As Snow: Chapter 1
The kingdom was in mourning. The cold breeze, rather appropriate for the somber occasion whipped right through her black dress and her shawl did little to compensate for it. For the second time in less than fifteen years they had lost their king. She looked out from the balcony, her eyes void of tears. She did her crying earlier and had none left to spare. Relena pulled her shawl tighter around her. As a child her brother had always been there for her, supporting her, protecting her. When their father, King Milliardo I, died she had only been five and her brother, being ten had been too young to take over the kingdom. Prime Minister Dorlan and his wife had stepped up as regents and taken on the task of being surrogate parents of the orphaned siblings until such time as her brother was old enough and ready to take on the responsibility himself.
When he reached the age of eighteen he was crowned and it had been one of the happiest days the kingdom had known. For the past several years the kingdom had thrived in peace and prosperous harmony. It was only recently that things changed so drastically. The day that SHE came into the kingdom. Lade Une, as she preferred to be called, took up residence as a lady of the court and somehow warmed her way into the heart of everyone there; everyone except her. Something about the woman had read false from the beginning. She had come to Sanc saying that she was looking for a new life; a new start after her home had been taken over by an enemy army. Her brother soon began to seemingly fall for the woman confusing her to no end.
For the last decade or so their small family had consisted of their foster parents, the two of them, their Chamberlain Pagen, and a young woman named Lucrezia Noin, the daughter of a minor lord. The older woman had been both a sister and a friend to her, and her brother had become rather fond of her. There had been whispers that someday, when the two were of age, Milliardo would indeed make Lucrezia his queen. It was a real shock and a huge disappointment when he, out of the blue, announced his desire to wed Lady Une instead. Noin had been broken hearted and she had been forced to bear witness to a union that, in her opinion should never have happened.
Now, her brother had gone missing and her evil sister-in-law had recently declared him legally dead and announced a week of mourning in response. This was the seventh and final day that was being allowed and she found herself beginning to fear for her life. Upon his disappearance Lady Une had appointed herself her very own squad of guards claiming it was for her safety should the person who "killed" her husband attempt to end her as well. Relena had felt their presence around her, their eyes on her, following her every move. She tried to pass it off as paranoia but when she addressed the subject with the "Queen" the reply was that they were assigned for her safety as well.
Perhaps she might have believed that if the Dorlans, wrongly accused of being involved with her brother's disappearance hadn't been banished. To top it all off, Lucrezia and Pagen, her only two comforts left in the castle, were reassigned taking away her last allies. The servants and staff, once so loving and kind were now forbidden to speak to her, their eyes always downcast as they went about their work. She missed the smiling faces, the kind words. These people were as much her family as Noin and now they were being forced to suffer. She felt so helpless. Even now she knew the guards were behind her, closer than they should be. She felt Une walk into the room and stiffened as the older woman placed her hand on her shoulder. She fought the urge to shake it off.
"Sad, isn't it my dear, to be all alone?" She could not answer for fear of speaking words too dire to take back. "But you're not really alone. I'm here. I will need your help to lead this kingdom." Une's voice was like claws of ice scratching at her nerves. This woman had taken everything from her. She pulled away slowly, turned and began to walk away.
"Where are you going?"
"I will be in my room."
"Remember, Relena, dear. I am here for you. You will be more of a help to me than you can possibly know."
Relena did not respond. She had never liked using the word hate. Hate was a strong word that should never be used, or so her father had once told her, but this woman tested those limits and Relena found that she was almost unable to think of any other term. As she walked to her room she quickly shut and locked the door behind her leaving no room for them to enter. This didn't make her feel any safer. As the queen, Une had keys to every door on the castle, including hers. She went to her bed and sat down, putting her head in her hands. Her kingdom was in danger, her people were being threatened, her family was disappearing and there was nothing she could do about it.
"I feel so lost." She stood up and walked to the balcony. "Milliardo… Where are you?" Since her brother was declared missing she had been sneaking out with the help of the castle staff to go searching for him, sometimes alone and sometimes with an escort if one could be found. The kingdom had been forbidden to look for him, something she had always seen as suspicious. In an attempt to fool the "queen" she would go to her room, pretending to lock herself in for privacy and then sneak out when Une was no longer paying attention. She had to do it. She had to try once more. Grabbing her cloak she walked to the balcony. The sun was beginning to set and the shadows cast on the trellis would be her allies. Her brother had disappeared on his last hunting trip into the Ebon Forest. That was where she would go. Steeling her resolve she grabbed hold of the trellis and began her descent, hoping beyond all hope to escape the sentry's notice.
Lady Une walked into her quarters and wasted no time in changing out of her black attire into her preferred crimson dress. She hated all the false pretenses, not because she hated lying, but because it was exhausting and irritating to keep them up. However, those pretenses had been necessary to keep the trust of the people until she could assemble her own force; her guards were now strewn throughout the castle and their numbers were growing by the day. It wasn't hard to incite loyalty; with the tactful use of money and a handy spell or two there were very few things one couldn't do. She smirked as she tossed the black veil away.
She had come from nothing, the daughter of the head servant in the house of a minor lord. She had worked for the family herself for years as a maid in the kitchens or with the laundry, doing whatever was ordered. It had been a stroke of luck that the son of the house had been around her age. The two had practically grown up together and time and continued exposure to one another caused them to develop feelings for one another. She had followed him, admired him, and praised his every move. Whatever he wanted, if it was in her power to obtain it for him, she would do so without question. Her loyalty had sprung from a love that she had thought he reciprocated. It wasn't until she found him kissing another woman that she realized how one-sided her affection truly were. Heart broken and lost, she searched for a way to make him pay and ensure that he would belong to her forever. She smirked at the memory of the look on his face that day. It had been glorious. She had wanted a way to keep him in her life forever and never be used again. She found a witch that had been all too agreeable on the issue and had given her the power to do exactly that.
Afterwards, she went from land to land making men from all sorts of wealthy standings fall for her, collecting their fortunes, draining them of their resources until she had amassed enough power to move about as she wished. This kingdom hadn't been on her list until she had learned how wealthy and prosperous it truly was. The queen had died and she had hoped to make the king hers but sadly he passed soon after. This had threatened to ruin her plans until she realized that but the king had a son, and she was nothing, if not a patient woman. She was pleased to see that the young prince had grown into such a handsome man; it was so much more enjoyable if the men were good looking. Using her powers and resources she set her trap, cast her spells and single-handedly took over the kingdom.
This kingdom had been all too easy to put under her thrall, her only exception being that girl. The little princess was so much more trouble than she was worth. She had shown no signs of the spell working on her no matter how much effort she's put in. She had spoken out against her brother's disappearance trying to reassure herself and anyone that would listen that her brother was still alive. The child had locked herself in her room for days refusing food and drink which didn't bother her. If the girl starved to death it was one less problem to deal with. Other than that early resistance, however, the girl had been no real trouble, her grief from her brother's disappearance taking its toll. Still, the girl was a threat in other ways.
She might have married the king, might have been declared queen, and, in his disappearance might have been given supreme power over the entire kingdom, but that wasn't enough. There was just one little problem. That girl was the true heir. If she were to get ideas of grandeur and tried to step up and take her place as queen there would be few in the kingdom that would willingly resist the girl. The people loved that girl, a fact that hadn't escaped her notice. To try and keep the child from getting any ideas she had forbidden anyone from interacting with her in hopes of breaking her spirit. It was quite possible, however, that the girl might indeed still gain the nerve to stand up and try to take her place on the throne and that was something she couldn't risk. Stepping deeper into her room she threw open the doors of an ornate wardrobe and stepped back. Three large mirrors, each with their own ornate filigree surrounding them reflected the dim lighting of her room. She smiled as she saw her reflection looking back at her. Indeed, black had not been her color.
"Mirror, mirror, on the wall, at my command you will tell me all." For a moment nothing seemed to happen but then a purple smoke began to billow within the glass and a figure slowly began to form. He was a handsome man: light brown hair slicked back with only a few bangs left hanging on his forehead. His grey-blue eyes stared at her with resentment.
"Lady" His voice, like liquid velvet, dripped with sarcasm. Normally it soothed her no matter how annoyed he sounded.
"I have a question for you mirror, one that I need answered immediately."
"As quick to the point as always, I see."
"Enough. Tell me about the girl."
"And which girl are you referring to, Lady?"
"Do not play dumb with me, Mirror. Tell me what I want to know about the princess."
"Lady, I might point out that you have not asked me anything. I may know all but mind reading is beyond even my capabilities."
"I need to know if the child poses an immediate threat to me. Will she interfere with my rule?"
"Relena is a kind girl with a pure heart. I doubt she would cause you any trouble without reason." The mirror said nonchalantly.
"You are not being fully truthful with me mirror!"
"But I did give you an honest answer."
"Very well then." If he was not about to answer her willingly she would force it out of him.
"Mirror, mirror that I see, how big of a problem will the princess be." She watched as the face in the mirror winced as if attempting to fight her incantation, a fight that would always prove futile.
"The Princess Relena is young but strong, she knows that you are doing wrong, her heart is broken but she her spirit is not. Have a care, Lady, or you'll get what you ought." It annoyed him, she knew, to have to speak in rhyme whenever she invoked the incantation. She wasn't too thrilled by it either but such was the price of obedience.
"So she will be trouble. She walked away and paced back and forth, her mind running over various ways to get rid of her problem. She couldn't outright kill the girl. The princess was well loved by the kingdom, even those who never met her spoke well of her. That was the problem. Perhaps if she somehow incited hatred? Maybe if the princess were simply to go missing? An obvious assassination attempt from a neighboring kingdom? There were so many possibilities. She smiled evilly, walking back to the mirror.
"Mirror, mirror, in front of me, how much longer 'til she defies me?" again the face winced.
"The princess is patient in spite of her loss, continue to test her and she will be cross. In a matter of hours if you do not desist she will claim her rightful place from whence she's been missed."
"Impossible!" She walked away again, trying to collect her thoughts. She could not, no, would not let the little brat come between her and her path to power. She had come too far, worked too hard to have one girl bring it all crashing down. "Guards!" Three armored men came running in, saluting her. "Bring Princess Relena to me immediately."
"Yes, my queen!" As the guards took off after the princess Une swelled with a feeling of accomplishment. It would all end tonight, somehow or other she would make it end and then nothing would be able to stand in the way. When the guards returned, however, she quickly found herself losing that feeling.
"Where is she?!"
"She's gone, my queen."
"Gone? GONE?" She turned back to the mirror and saw the smirk on the face that only she could see. "Leave me!" The men saluted and left promptly. She turned to the mirror, walking up to him in a huff. "Where is she?"
"You will have to be more specific, my dear." His tone made her want to scream.
"Mirror, mirror for magic and show, where did that bratty princess go?"
"While you were distracted, celebrating free, the princess snuck out searching for family."
"Show me." She rolled her eyes as he refused to comply. "Mirror, mirror, reveal her to me. Show me where Relena is and where she will be." The face frowned and grimaced as his image faded away to be replaced with Relena saddling a horse in the stables. "I see. So she thinks she can get away? We'll see about that. Guards!" Again the same men run in. "The princess is in the stables about to defy my orders. Bring her to me immediately."
"Ma'am!" They left as quickly as they'd arrived leaving her alone, once more with the mirror.
"Everything shall come together now."
"Lady, you do not have to do this. I remember a time where behaving in such a way would be unthinkable to you."
"That time is long past and that woman long gone."
"That's a shame. She was a much better woman."
"Silence! You have no right to speak on such things to me! The princess will be brought to me, I WILL dispose of her and the throne will be mine, forever." The face frowned, closing his eyes in despair. Everything would come together. The princess would die, the kingdom would give in and everything would be perfect. No one, least of all the little princess would be able to stop her. Her triumphant laugh that followed that thought echoed throughout the halls chilling the soul of whoever was unlucky enough to hear it.